trialscot

BIG JOHN, Do landowners really have a leg to stand on on this issue or are they passing the buck to clubs to enforce an unenforceable "no other vehicles" rule?. Look at the wide open spaces round last weeks event and the many points of access. The SACU enforced the number plate rule to prevent unauthorised riders following a trials course but really, how wide is a "course" out on the moors , one wheel width?. And if you politely tell an "unauthorised rider" to p*** off he may well tell you that he rides his bike here every second Sunday so you can p*** off yourself!. (It happens!!.) And what would Cherie Blairs Human Rights Commission make of it all!?. Sorry to go on like this but the nichts are fair drawin' in and there's sod all on telly tonight.

Just noticed a comment on Lochabers website about unauthorised riding, and of course we heard many similar ones on these boards after the SSDT and the Pre-65 SSDT. This is a subject that is almost certainly going to come up more and more following the "right-to roam" public access movement and all it entails. It does not seem to be generally known but many private landowners receive huge amounts of public money for various schemes involving land management, tree regeneration and, most importantly, unrestricted public access for all forms of recreation. This can involve such activities as canoeing down salmon rivers and trail biking over the hills during the deer stalking season with no redress for the p****d off fishermen and hunters. The interesting question must be that, when a club obtains permission to run a trial on a given day in a given area , does the club have exclusive use of the ground with, consequently, the right to exclude other members of the public from enjoying their own form of recreation, whether on foot or on a bike. I'm led to believe that a landowner has little say in such matters but I'm looking forward to hearing the TC pundits views!.

You'll get a "tyre beader" ( they call them mousses sometimes) from any of the dealers in GB. Only snag is they cost nearly 25 quid but <i>with careful handling and some soapy water</i> they'll last forever and it's a breeze to seat a bead.

Presumably they were all out beavering away on their British Championship Trial course?. Or maybe they didn't know the team trial was on either?. Or maybe they thought that after another Lochaber man winning the Scottish Adult Championship they'd stay away to let Inverness get the consolation of winning the team trial. And maybe the SACU should send out a fixture list with each competition licence so riders know what's on and when?.

Nigel, OTF has beaten me to it with thanks, but thanks from me too!. Lots of food for thought there. OTF, "lever perches" is just the American term for the bits that clamp to the bars and your handlebar levers pivot on!. Anyone who rides a Bult soon finds out that as standard the flanges for the screws are perfectly positioned to take your knee cap off, especially if you use your right leg for starting and you like the timimg slightly advanced!. Never had a problem with the ignition points set up myself although it does repay lots of time spent on careful setting, so electronic ignition will hopefully be a fit and forget item. I saw a neat conversion to Hebo footpegs on a Sherpa at the SSDT last year,pic attached. PS It was a 1976-ish 250, on sale for

Still hoping for Nigel Dabsters tips on improving the old Bults for modern days.

Wonder how Fujigas will cope with the Lochaber midges?.

In reply to TooFastTim, "trick riding" skills can have a huge effect on the outcome of non-stop trials if the man setting the sections lays them out in such a way that hopping, endoing,air turns and the rest are necessary skills to have if anything like a good ride is to be achieved. By laying out a non-stop trial in this way, a tremendous (and unfair, in my opinion) advantage is given to the two or three riders who have honed their circus skills to perfection. I may be old fashioned but I firmly believe that a non-stop trial should be laid out in such a way that all sections can be tackled by all of the competitors. The "rabbits" may have to foot like demented centipedes to get through some of them for a three, but the best riders will have to work jolly hard to keep marks lost to a minimum. I'm not referring of course to trials run under the FIM marking system, as someone above just said, that just seems to be inviting hassle for observers, but obviously that's the arena for the trick cyclists to perform in.

Wasn't that an interesting snippet in Trials Central report of the Spanish WTC round?. Dougie Lampkin wasn't happy with the poor standard of observing!. He says that no one gained any advantage so just what was the point he was trying to make?. After the slagging-off poor old trialscot got in this forum from Dangleebitz and Monty Python I hope they have dashed off emails to Dougie telling him not to be such a wuss and to get out in the p***ing rain on the moors observing his local club trials for a change rather than criticising well-meaning volunteers who give up their time for him?.

Go to a seance I think!. There's quite a good short article in the February 1988 issue of Classic Bike on an Australian guys BSA B40/Greeves. It's an Anglian I think but the principle is the same, his has Cerianis. He does start his piece with a good point though that one of his mates said - "I don't care what you claim, we never rode things like that in the sixties".

Just got back shoreside after a pretty horrendous 3 week spell and catching up on the gossip. An interesting point in the Bon Accord news item - observers wanted for a scottish adult championship trial, no experience required. Yup, that's about par for the scottish championship this year, eg leading championship contender dismounts from bike in section, both feet on the ground on the same side of the bike at the same time, gets on again and hops, endos and reverses up the rest of the section, observer applauds and shouts great clean..........Other riders walking the section exchange knowing looks!. Another Bon Accord point was their query in the report as to how they take marks off Gary Mac. Do these guys still not know that the idea of laying out a trial to"test" or to suit the specialised skills of one rider who is head and shoulders above the competition is a definite non starter. Any scottish trial that Gary enters it's a foregone conclusion that he will win anyway so why lay out a bike and body breaker for the lesser mortals and spoil their enjoyment of their day out for nothing?. The logic of a World Championship class rider piddling about in the scottish kailyard escapes me anyway but that's another story!.

Nice bike, is that what a Comerfords 340 looks like at the back or is that a one off for Vesterinen?.

Any chance of Dabsters list of mods yet and a piccy of the famous bike?.

Sounds like GoW may not have seen the fragile alloy spacer on the Monts rear wheel?.

The safest way to avoid any damage is to get a light engineering shop to turn up a double-diameter (shouldered) steel drift to fit inside the alloy spacer and inside the bearing. You should be able to get the dimensions from the bikes importer. Then check to see that there are no circlips holding the bearings in place, it's not so common now but I think Technos have them for instance. Gently warm up one side of the hub round the bearing seat and use the drift to drive the bearing out . The other side is now no problem as you have lots of room to work on it. If you can't be bothered to do it properly you can just use a socket or bar to wallop out the alloy spacer and the bearing, again after warming the hub. You'll definitely mash up the thin end of the spacer but if you're very lucky you might be able to dress it up with a file for re-use. And take careful note of t-shock 250's post!.