charlie prescott

Hi Guy's. Hi Jon. Just brought home 5 pints of home pressed cider that we did in the rain last October, 700 Ltr's all together . 10 +%. So you may not here from me for a while, or know what I am on about? nothing New there then? Light up the Barbie. Charlieeee.

Hi Guy's. Hi Mark, You really need to widen that back hub you now have by 1 1/2" you can see how to do that on the "Otter' site along with a lot more info about a BSA C15. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's, I can take all of the knocks. And I have built this bike, and have been working with everything Chinese for quite a while. All top end bikes and the ones ridden my most teams are built in China. All the stuff we use in the event game, has to come from there has no one else can supply it in the time scale we need. Mock all you like, But until you have ridden a SCT bike, and know how good they are ,you really have no comment!!! China is the next India??? PS the last of my post's was tongue in cheek, but I stand by what I have said. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Hi Ken, It is the old adage, that If you have a name like DL or SM at the time you make your own rules in the sport. and no one takes a hoot, Because it is good for the sport to have these names caring???? and they are not doing it for financial gain? The big mistake with my "MiniOtter" SCT, was that I did not have a life sized poster of these two made and place it behind my bike when I brought it to light. and first photographed it. There would have been NO problem then. and we would have had a cheap little Classic style bike to have fun on. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Deryk. I built the "Otter-On-The-Cheap" in 2010, just to prove how cheap you could build a "Brit Twin Shock" machine. This came out to about £2000. so I would say that this plus a couple of hundred £'s now is the minimum, you can expect for a competitive build to cost. But this is a lot less than the eight to ten grand being banded about for a "Trick-Shock" British??????? bike. Dave's "Bultaco" builds are on the "Otter" site, so you can see how much work were put into there builds there, and take a look at the OOTC build. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Do you think that this type of event is the way to get the Genuine Pre65 trials bikes back out? for the History of British trials machines to be appreciated ? By the few of us that were there at the time, and get a younger generation interested in what there fathers rode in Classic observation trials? Regards Charlie.

Hi Guys, Just copied below, for the "Colmore Revistment Page" on Pre 65,I will click that back up for you too. Do you think that this type of event is the way to get the old bikes back out? Hi Guy's, What a stunning day out, the Stratford club gave us. A tour around the beautiful Cotswold Countryside passing through lanes that I had not been along since the sixties, but most of them still jogged memories of that time (on one narrow lane I remember Ron Doug, Dan and myself, practising our sidecar racing skills, using all of the lane and sometimes the banks as well, it is only a miracle that we all came out of the lane without injury). The route took us past all the old favourite sections used and even a couple of pubs, and the lunch break gave us a chance to catch up with a few old friends, eventually arriving at Camp, where it seemed as if we were in a time warp. Same old faces of works riders from sixties same old banter and comradeship, same sounds from the bikes, and the strong smell of Castrol "R". Then the greatest pleasure of walking up one of my all time favourite sections, Camp, with memories from the past flooding back, as we reached our vantage point, the sound of Ron's Ariel crack up, sent shivers down my spine. The anticipation grew as the crescendo of rev's got louder at the bottom of the hill, and the site of the plot coming around the dog leg being ridden at the same old pace and with the same old skill, as the lad had when he was younger was astounding, the determination on his face said it all, as it did with all of the boys that rode up the hill that day, A superb ride from Gordon Jackson on a machine he had only sat on short time before his ride was amazing. Thank you Stars of the past, and thank you to all the hard work the boys of the Stratford club put in. Wright'y can we have it again next year? All of us old boys would love it, and we won't be here in another 100 years. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy’s. Sight! Sound! Movement! (Fast). Atmosphere! My Explanation. Regards Charlie. PS Ron Langston and son John, Ariel 500 outfit, Colmore Revistment.

Hy Guy's, Look the trouble is with "Cotswold" stuff there was, and is two camps!! When "Hubbo" was still with us, the "Cotswold BSA " at that time was mainly his shout. Although they worked together, there is a difference between what Hubbo put out, and what Jon Bliss did,and does. Both first class bike builders and characters with a total different image. "Hubbo" worked a lot with Roger Taylor on his bikes, and Roger still builds super BSA engines. Jon likes to do his own thing, and who can blame him, or criticise what the guy builds, I do the same, and if we want to build what we want to build, what is the problem. What does happen, is that mainly Jon ,comes up with some brilliant concepts, and they work, and for a price that scares the opposition, so they think it great sport to have a Pop at him.Why? because it his harming there commercial gain. This sort of thing only depresses Great ideas that could save the "Classic Trials Scene", but what do we care???? Well I do for one, and I will always build what I need to build, to keep the "Otter" flag flying, as this is a part of British trials History. It also comes from the "Cotswolds". Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Is it not now really time for the Truth?? that what has finally finished the old adage of Pre 65 Classic trials. Is that it is ,not there fault? and every one needs to earn a living, but it is the few that have commercially took the bull by the horns so to speak, and fuelled the need by so many, to create the ultimate Classic Pre 65 trials bike at any cost that has finally finished the "Classic trials bike" scene?? This has caused the problem with "tighter sections"? that no one in there right mind would bring out a original built before 1965 trials machine out to ride around and enjoy the days so called sport. If we then have a snap decision to bring back a road based trial after being dropped from the menu for a year or two, at the last minute, would we really bother to put the effort in now to get a bike road legal for this event when there is nothing else on the horizon in the near future for anything else?? No. Unless a lot of people pull there finger out ,and start to think how we can rectify this situation, "Classic Trials" for this type of machine in this country is coming to an end.?? You think I am joking?? well I am not. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Look, to run any event you have to put the time in, and to get what you want to happen, double it. So that is six months working very hard for one event. Then you takes your chance on the cost of doing this, and if it all goes pear shape, you are the one with serious egg on your face. That said I feel that the people that sit back and think that they can rely on there past efforts to get an entry are making a big mistake. You have to keep your eye on the ball and just put that bit of extra effort into what you are trying to achieve, an out of date web site says it all, and you have lost the game . We all know that the BIG bikes and the rest are out there sitting in sheds just waiting to have that precious fuel poured into there tanks for another chance of becoming a Hero? But it just needs the right event, to stir the juices, this now only happens a couple of times a year, and without some one else putting the the effort I have stressed above, the future does look bleak for the truly Classic trials machine. SHAME A VERY GREAT SHAME. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Yes Ken's Wallo, C15 is a smart little bike. And he has put a lot of work and cost into the bike since he first bought it. It is a Hubbo Cotswold frame and the brother to the one I have ,that was Nick Drapers old bike. The front forks look very much like BSA but I think Ken said they are Kawasaki. The chain case was a expensive casting that Ken spent a fair bit of time getting it to the way he wanted. You can see the work that has gone into this rebuild, No expense spared. More Pictures and story on the Otter site. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Hi Talha. Look try trialsbits.co.uk The number shoes you want is Y504G, these are the ones with the grooves for water. Regards Charlie. PS bearings for steering head ,try simply bearings. Sorry Andy ,but the boy needs help.

Hi Guy's. Hi Andy. There is the explanation then, Thanks. If it were one of Robs frames there would have been no need to re adjust anything. I must say OTF if you have a frame powder coated you do have slight distortion, but this seems to come back to original dimensions after the frame has settled for a while! No I am not being stupid this does happen. Holes should be drilled slightly over size before sending a frame for powder coat or even spraying with paint??? Why? Because the powder or paint will coat the dimension of the hole, and then if you have to re drill it you take the coating off and create a rust pocket. It is just a matter of thinking outside the box before creating these masterpieces. Dont despair OTF. I am sure you will do a better than average job on your build, and good luck. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Hi TRF. Look if you build a frame using T45 tubing, you need to use the same material for the gussets, swinging arm pivot and every thing else on the frame or you are wasting your time buying the expensive tube in the first place. I must say for a trials frame I do think using the tubing is a bit over the top. But for security on high speed frames it does make a lot of sense.for a more positive feel to the ride. Having said that the tubing and the surrounding material needs constant checking for cracks etc. This is just a nature of highly stressed material. Yes I do use T45, and try to use a similar material for the rest of the build but unless this is checked by a metalolagist I could be getting some of it wrong? I do turn the steering head collets out of en 9 steel, and use T45 for the steerer tube has this is the most important part of the frame. Has I have said, the one advantage of T45 tube and simular is, it does give a more positive feel to the machine. So you pays your money and takes your choice.!! Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Hi OTF. Look Mate it as got to be you? The BSA B40 "Otter" frame you had you said was a Friday night one. and the spindle holes were different on each side of the swinging arm, The paint would not stay on the frame because of the bronze welding, brackets were in the wrong place ETC, and a lot more. But you did a Blo**y good job on that bike and some of the work was outstanding, and I can't find anything wrong with the bike. Bessie Story on the "Otter' site. We know the Bantam frame's that Paul builds for Alan are great, but any frame that the late Rob Homer made can not be that bad, the bloke never did a bad job in his life. Just read the above and get on with the frame you have. You know it makes sense, If the frame is good enough for Wrighty and Colin Dommett I can't see that there can be a lot wrong with the one you have. Let me know how you get on "mate" . Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's Deryk. You are so true about the Monday morning thing. On the James I described above, I would bolt back onto the bars the little spotlight that I used to be able to get back home after work on the bike, in the dark nights of winter. This and the tiny rear light that never seemed to work? well it kept blowing the bulb? the lights were connected up to the direct lighting connection on the magneto, and this somehow sapped the power for the spark, so when the lights were plugged in,no switch just a push in connector the revs had to be kept well up, or the motor would die. So the route home was interesting to say the least, there was no shutting off or the lights would dim and the engine cut out. This gave me the bad habit of taking the John Cooper racing position , around bends. well there is no way you could lean the bike in, it had to be kept upright. I seemed to end up pushing the bike in the dark more than riding it home,and my dinner was almost always warming in the oven when i eventually got home. Happy Days. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's, Hi Talha. If you are going to use the Ossa forks, you will need to make a brake torque arm for the TY Yamaha front wheel. I would mount a triangle bracket onto the mudguard fixing holes, and the a straight two holed torque arm to connect with this and the hub back plate, Take a look on the "Otter" site to see how they should look. You will need to find yourself a 18" rear wheel,probably Cub or Bantam is best? you can't get a tyre for the 17" wheel. Yes you could use Japanese forks and wheel, but why not use what you have got. A new wheel spindle will have to be made, but this is a simple job for someone with a lathe. Are you having lights on your Green-Laner? if you are you will probably have to keep battery ignition. If not go for electronic of some type. You will also have to gear down the motor gearbox sprockets and use a bigger rear sprocket. 60 tooth probably.these are readily available for Triumph Cub rear hubs. footrest position on your C15 frame will need moving back a tad, even for green laneing and fit a sump plate. Good luck with your build and let us know how you get on. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Well I probably won one of the first awards riding a plunger framed James then, it was the best newcomer award for a novice riding the Banbury NOBAC trials in 1961-2. This club went on to support me for most of my trials riding over the years, it is just a pity that it had to fold when the old membership could not find younger guys to take on there mantle. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Hi Mart, Drayton do a rigid Bantam frame, and I am sure you could fit a 8e into that. And don't forget one of these won the Manx Classic trial a couple of years ago, the bike was owned and still is by Andy Sykes. And ridden to the fine win by Juan Knight. unfortunately Juan now has problems with his knees, but I don't think that the ride on the rigid Drayton Bantam was to blame. So there you go then that is what you need. Top Answer. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Hi Ken. You should not have any trouble with the Mick Dickinson barrel. What piston are you running? And what head is it? And there is no head gasket? Does it start first kick without any effort? What Mag? What carb size and settings. What Cam ? Some Ariel engines are quite noisy as well, one is not the same as the next, you just need to get some mileage on it. and let it cool between short running in sessions if it is a new motor. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Do you know OTF , You are right. Wow. never thought of this before. Bring Back Plunger frames, with, Rockshok conversions., or even Betor. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. Ken, the Jackson framed Ariel we have has the filler cap for the oil similar to the ones on the "Otter" frames. The John frame we have has a seperate oil tank, Dave Dawson's old frame. The other John frame is still with the person who is building the bike so I don't know. The Booker 350 Ariel bike we have, was built in a shed by another Yorkshire Classic guy. I love this bike just because it has been built using tools from the sixties, IE, Hacksaw and file. Even the alloy yokes were made this way. Bring back originality, Yes. Regards Charlie.

Hi Guy's. One of the competitors at the Sam Cooper trial, Will be prouder than most, and keeping up the "Spirit" of the Big British bike Tradition with this trial. Jon has built himself a Triumph 5TA engined bike from the ground up. you can read his story on the "Otter" site. "The Triumph of a Ground Up Build". Not only is Jon chuffed to bits with his "Otter" build, but has gone one further by having headstock badges and rugby shirts printed to encourage more people to build a Proper British Trials bike, with the simplicity of the "Otter" frame design. Good luck mate with your ride on Sunday, worth going to the trial just to hear the Triumph "Otter" Growl. Regards Charlie.