trickymicky

Nice one Charlie / Lee. I didnt ride this year,but the section where most of the pics were taken was used for the first time the previous year and was pretty hard. That side view of a Cub,the close up, is Duncan Macdonald, and will interest anyone with a Cub. Duncan doesent use an outer timing cover at all, to save a little more weight. Looks like he's altered his fuel tank too to give it some more capacity.

It surfaced,about 5 years ago, i think and i'm pretty sure it passed through the hands of Bryan Verrall, a motorcycle Dealer, or 'purveyor of motorcycles' as he prefers to call it...

I had a Fraser 250 - built by Colin Tipping at Redditch. He imported secondhand dismantled TL 250's from the US and used more or less everything except the frame and made his own. They were a handful and i put a steel band on the flywheel of mine to try and calm it down a little. The swinging arm on mine used to bend too, but was easily straightened with a long bar! Some had the later twin exhaust port engine and a crazy countershaft arrangement, involving two rear drive chains. Needless to say,little has been heard of Mr Tipping since...

Great stuff Moleman,thanks!

I had clutch slip on my'88 RTL. Mine was easily cured, the slots in the aluminium clutch basket where the clutch plates sit had become notched. I simply filed them smooth again,finishing off with a bit of wet and dry ( it can be done in situ if pay particular attention to cleanliness). Cured it completely..

Like to see how far they get with this! Yes, that will be money they can ill afford wasted,i'm afraid. Sherco can only hope the product is crap, but even if it is the Chinese will address concerns and get it right with the right feedback. Who would have thought an Indian tyre company could make very good Trials tyres a few years ago?

I think the CSMA used to hold a trial in the south. CSMA, Forces and Police. The red tape trial comes to mind. Dont know if they still do.

I used to be years ago . They were very good. When i did the Scottish they paid a chunk towards expenses, and we qualified for support from the Army.

Ask around about the Volkswagen T5 before you buy. The 5 cylinder ones are weak, with a whole host of problems. My 174 BHP spent 45 days at the dealers before i sold it. If you must have one, make sure it has warranty. Briefly, heres some of what you can look forward to-Water pump, p/steer pump, turbo,gearbox,flywheel,ecu,driveshafts, oil cooler. I could go on, but dont take my word for it, if anyones considering one,print off this list and go and ask at any VW workshop. if these are known problems.

http://www.manxtrials.com/Classic07web.htm

Blimey- i reckon i've just been practising on my own for the last time.Dont let it put you off.

Got to say i'd move it if some riders have been through before it got there. Its a one off occurance, unfair to anyone who rides after it got there, and a real chance riders will hang around 'till it moves naturally,or is assisted while nobody is looking. It could also spoil the day for some who suffered and lost marks as a direct result of it. (never thought i'd disagree with Big John!)

Keeping off the original post i know, but i've had three of the original Caddy's. A brilliant vehicle for trials- especially after years of mini pick ups. The four speed ones were undergeared, the five speed box as John says, much better. I think they were actually built in Brazil, or somewhere similar. Had one confiscated just because it had some red diesel in it- cost 250 quid to get it back.

The engine needs to be stripped- 3 alloy mounting posts are fitted, and then accurately machined. It a job for a specialist i'm afraid. This subject was discussed elsewhere on here only last week, and the general opinion was that its best to source the parts from someone such as Alan Whitton who will also carry out the machining and provide support afterwards if there are any problems. Its a good idea whilst it's in bits and the crankcase half set up for machining, tn. have a 'window' cut in behind the clutch, so the gearbox sprocket can be replaced without a complete engine strip dowm

I had a new SWM 240- blue frame model. Clutch was heavy, but the importers did some sort of modification kit, which i bought. Cant remember exactly what it was but i think plates were involved, and i seem to remember it had the desired effect. Also, if its not been mentioned before, for those using Domino levers, there are different types. On some the hole where the cable barrel fits is nearer the pivot, giving a lighter clutch action (providing it still clears ok)

Theres a rider local to me- Graham Holloway. He rides a Triumph Twin. It may have been his...

Sam's may be fine, but i know the two sources i mentioned are good. I've never used one from Sam, but he must have sold plenty and i've heard no complaints.

Yes, be very careful with PVL'S. Those from Martyn Adams and Alan Whitton are fine, but some of the others who have jumped on the bandwagon selling them have ended up with the wrong type for our needs.....

If its coming out of there ( the brass elbow on the inner timing chest should have a ball in it to allow air out but not able to suck anything back in) the engine must be 'wet sumping', because for whatever reason the pump is not returning oil to the tank fast enough. The first thing i would check is that the return pipe from the engine to the tank is big enough and with no restriction- thats assuming the pump is in good order and been primed properly. The Morgo circulates a lot more oil than the Ariel pump, and the return pipe could be slowing the return.

Yes, i had a ride on that too- very nice. Your right, a really decent guy, always helpful. I'm sure he will be really chuffed that Tony's won on it.

The Cub Tony was riding was built by John Holmes. Lots of nice features, and a lot of time went in to it. Just one detail of John's handiwork is the cylinder head- it started life as a round one, and John made and welded on every fin, so it has the cooling benefits of a square one. The work is so good you would never be able to tell.. All credit to John, as well as Tony for their success.

Pitley-heres the T5 section of a good site- http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=15 Theres a few horror stories on there though, hope its got some warranty!

Yes, one of the best vans for Trialling, i've had a couple and miss them. I've a VW T5 Transporter now which has been nothing but trouble. If you can afford,make sure you get an HDI version with 94 BHP (or , better still 109BHP from 02 reg on) With these you get better load capacity (900kg instead of 815) bigger brakes and tyres etc than the lower powered version. They are also more economical. The normally aspirated version is a bit slow loaded and the turbo diesel version of it prior to the HDI fine but a bit heavy on fuel. All 3 makes you mention come off the same production line so quality is the same.New Spares prices differ quite a lot though so its always worth trying each of the main dealers if you need a part.

Not having an entry list dosent help, but my money is on Graham Du Feu from Jersey on the Ariel. A big bike is no dis advantage in Scotland, and judging by his results since last year, he has continued to improve. A win in Scotland on a big bike could not come at a better time...

The back box will need repacking Dave- means cutting it open and welding it back together. Rathmell and co used to do them on a regular basis. I had an early one, with lovely translucent mudguards, which they discontinued for cost reasons. I was disappointed at the time it didnt have Mr Rathmell's signature embossed on the back tyre though. It did have Hydrobags, which worked well and were rebuildable. Dont be surprised if the clutch slips in the higher gears- both of mine did. Nice bike in its day. Fast on the road too. I got chased by the police once, and when they caught up, reckoned i'd been doing nearly eighty.