feetupsbetter

I’d say go 250 every time. There’s a temptation to ‘go large’ for many riders who already have experience of riding other disciplines, but really, as others have also said, unless you’re going straight out to ride huge steps etc then a 250 is plenty powerful enough to learn or re-learn, the technicalities. I had twenty years off and coming back to the sport the bikes are so much different (and some rules !) that’s it’s a totally different game. Also, if you find the 250 too soft after a while it’ll probably easier to trade up (in terms of losing value) than if you go the other way round. incidentally, I see you’re in Norfolk but did you grow up in South Yorkshire ? Name & rough age age match the brother of an old mate.

I Agree with second vehicle option every time if you can afford it. A cheap van can be left round the corner or In a friendly pub car park maybe ? If it looks rubbish & obviously has nothing in it then generally nobody will bother with it. I used a Renault espace for years, perfect size, dark windows & tarpaulin on bike if needed, then for various reasons went to a car & trailer and low and behold my garage was broken into and bike stolen even though I was quite careful & never left it on display if I could help it. You make yourself & your bike an easy target, they can follow you home or see you unloading etc, & come back in darkness. Toe rags. A few hundred quid for the cheapest van or Berlingo type thing with an mot is also cheap to tax & insure and it gives you some peace of mind that that you’re bikes not on display to the thieves. Does mean you might turn up at trials looking like the cheapskate though. ?. But it’s also great, as previous poster mentioned, for carrying your kit, tools etc & getting out of crap weather while changing, eating etc. Side doors are a great bonus for this too. Now use a Peugeot expert (all have twin side doors, always one not facing the wind & rain) with a curtain not a bulkhead, so curtain closed when bike on board, open otherwise so it’s clear there’s nothin inside to nick !

From reading some earlier posts, for Boris to be strict enough, he would have to send out crack squads of bike hunters to confiscate bikes from some who just don’t understand simple instructions.

Would it be clearer if instead of ‘don’t leave the house unless absolutely necessary’ Boris said ‘ don’t go out on your trials bike in a car park’. This behaviour doesn’t do trials (or motorcycling in general for the uninitiated) any favours.

It’ll also be hard justifying figure of eights & drop offs in a public car park to your local constabulary as essential travel. I agree with casperrasper, you need to look further forward - like two months ?? PLEASE STAY OFF YOUR BIKE especially in public places.

Try Bradford ignitions over in Cornwall (google them). Pop the stator in the post and it comes back rewound & sorted. Did my evo stator a while ago & perfect job (can’t remember cost though but cheaper than a new replacement).

Ha ha that’s a funny observation but it’s always been so. There has, and always will be, ‘tarts’ in all walks (rides ?) of life, that need to buy into the latest fashion accessories and they will pay through the nose for it to make themselves feel good. I just take quiet comfort from the fact that as a very (below) average plodder, with a bike & kit that together’s worth half a three year old machine, I still sometimes beat the tart on his 7k bike plus fancy gear and a 30k day van to transport it in ! Oh the delight of that results email ! Just let em do it & smile to yourself on the way home.

Hello verntowers, welcome to the friendly world of trials. I’ve been on & off at this game for over forty years, sometimes think I’m getting over it then it pulls me back in, it’s just a great sport. I’m in Rotherham, never seem to have time to go practice, I just ride a trial as and when I can. I’m sure there’ll be someone along soon for you to tag along with. If not, get out to a trial, hillsborough club run lots out round the bradfield area which is close to you, and Huddersfield falcons run plenty mainly around the holmfirth area. Check dates for Christmas trials and get yourself along, make yourself known as a beginner and there’ll be plenty of offers of help, advice, and general friendship in the trials world. Why not enter on the white route, it’s fairly easy/safe and if you do find it too hard you can retire and use it as practice in the company of other riders. Above all have fun with it, we can’t all be champs, so just enjoy !

Welcome back Tom, nice bike, you’ll have the same fun as before, I did the same 15 years ago after about 15 years off. Don’t get to ride as much as I’d like, as other things get in the way, but it’s great when you get out there. Just a quick slightly depressing cautionary point though, it’s good to see you have a large chain on the garage floor, make sure you use it. I had a bike stolen a few years ago by busting the garage door lock & walking off with it as it wasn’t locked at the time (unusually). I had been using a trailer to carry the bike & I’m convinced the thieves saw me loading/unloading on the drive. I bought another bike & now have a cheap van to hide it in and would recommend you do the same if possible & dont ‘advertise’ your ownership anywhere, including washing it on the drive, stickers on the van etc. Unfortunately some people don’t know the difference between what’s yours & whats theirs . Luckily I got mine back a year later as some dope put it on eBay, but police never pursued anything so culprit never got his just dessert. Thats enough negative, get out there & enjoy !

Barnsley run under amca so not required anyway. Huddersfield is acu but i’m sure you can enter on the day & get a one day licence or apply there and then so that you’re covered, not sure exactly how it works. Contact mike Washington or Howard marsden to check, their details are on the falcon MCC website. Not sure who’s the trial is at eadonsfield, maybe sheffield & hallamshire, Barnsley, or others as I know the venue is used by several clubs.

Hi there and welcome back, you could try Huddersfield Falcon club as well. They run well organised events, have a good range of venues (mainly around holmfirth, and ridden by a lot of Barnsley based riders) and have courses to suit all abilities. They’re a friendly bunch & got me back into it 15 years ago after a similar layoff. I’m in Rotherham & ride mainly falcon trials, but a few Barnsley too. And as luck would have it there’s a falcons Christmas fun trial this Saturday - why not get along & give it a go, you’ll be made very welcome! Check out their website for details.

Hello grovesy91 & welcome to the world of trials. Warning though it’s somewhat addictive ! The first advice I’d give a newcomer is to go to a local trial where there’s a beginners/easy course running, and have a look at what the sections are like. Get there in good time & talk to as many people as you can before the start. They are on the whole a friendly bunch , & will all be standing around nattering half an hour before start time anyway and you might pick up some good local info, maybe you’ll find some secondhand gear for sale or even a bike ! Secondly about the bike. Your budget should get you a tidy machine to start out on. 125cc would be ok but need more revving, 250 is probably better (and 125’s tend to have been revved by junior riders), bigger than that might be a handful, but don’t rule anything out, they’re all ok. Anything around 2003 onwards is plenty competitive enough (beta rev 3, Sherco, gas gas pro, etc) and although newer is generally an improvement it won’t make too much difference at beginner level. Don’t know what your mechanic skills are like, but look for something well looked after. That usually means it will look clean for starters, then check basics like chain & sprockets, wheel bearings, rims for straight & true without spokes bent/missing, steering head bearings, tyre condition, and general condition of plastics & painted parts for signs of hard use. Bearings are generally just a few quid to replace, a pair of tyres will add 160 to your costs, plastics can be astronomically expensive so check they’re in one piece. Well looked after bikes might have some scratches & some stickers missing etc from the nature of the game, but will be fully functional, with any wearing parts replaced as required. Thirdly, once you get a steed, get out and ride it ! Even if you can’t get to some proper off road area just practice figure of 8’s on the garden/drive at low speed & full lock, then you can throw in maybe a length of timber / breeze block / or even a ladder to ride across or over. It all helps. Then go out & try a trial, don’t put off the competition element because that really is the best way to learn & improve. You’ll get lots of help & encouragement from other riders. Finally just be aware that there are thieves out there who like off road bikes, so keep it locked & if possible don’t advertise its existence to all who pass by your house or storage place. Good luck and above all enjoy it. It’s great fun, good social, and a surprisingly good workout.

Hi mate, you and your son have my sympathy. I'm not far away in south yorks & had my 05 gas gas stolen two years ago & it's absolutely gutting. However just to give you a little hope I got mine back 11 months after it went, although I realise I was very lucky. I checked through the classifieds, Facebook, eBay etc almost daily as I thought I'd recognise it or even certain parts if they appeared. Sure enough, it popped up on eBay & after a stressful day & lot of aggro eventually got the police to go and recover it. It was only 5 miles away & looked almost as good as when it was nicked. I was lucky to have an investigating officer who was interested in bikes though. It cost me £150 recovery fee, after I'd already spent thousands replacing two garage doors & added alarms, lights, cctv etc and the seller was never prosecuted as far as I know. But I did have a bike worth selling at the end, and the satisfaction of knowing the thieving tw**ts hadn't won another trials bike. Keep your eyes peeled & don't give up hope. You might be next to get your property back.

I remember Paul Rose being one of the best local riders, I think it would have been in the early 80's & he would probably have been in his late teens. His mum & dad were very involved in the sheffield & hallamshire club if I remember rightly. But I think he put trials on the back burner while he completed an engineering degree. A few years ago a work colleague mentioned his name - apparently now pretty handy with a set of golf clubs ! To have talent at one thing would be good enough for me .....

Just heard today that apparently 2 others within about 5 miles also had bikes stolen on consecutive nights. One Sunday, one Monday, mine Tuesday. So was there another Wednesday? Obviously targeted where they've seen bikes going home.

Thanks bilks. Do you know if there is any register of stolen bikes anywhere? (For non road reg bikes) Like gguk for example, keeping a list?

Hi all, been reading/following this site for some time now but never actually registered before. Now I need to be. Some scumbag broke into my garage tonight Tuesday 28th between 9 & midnight & had away my bike. It's a 2005 txt pro 250 in red, frame number VTRGG2502F0250662. They only took the bike even though all riding gear & tools were also around, so must have been a targeted theft. Other local owners be aware & if you see what could be this bike please contact s yorks police quoting C/39997/2015. It's in good nick for the year although hadn't been fully cleaned after riding on Sunday, I have photos & like most of you can give a warts and all description.