You could try Storm Grafix - they did some great one off sets for my twinshock bike and they can do your own design or standard 'off the shelf' kits for all modern bikes I think. The quality of the sticker and the print is excellent!
I used Mchelin XLite tubeless tyres with a tube inside on my Akront rims last year with no problems - all I did was pump them up hard between trials to keep the bead in place on the rim - at trials pressures the tyre held well all season.
I have gone back to an IRC tube type tyre for this season because I found a few with hard sidewalls, but they are a bit inconsistent compared with tubeless tyres that are available
Interresting how so many people keep saying they fitted a modern front end ONLY because they "picked it up cheap at Telford etc" Just read this on Classic Trials website so at least somebody agrees with me that 38mm forks etc offer an "unfair advantage" ????
"To match the greatly improved rear suspension, we will be fitting modern 38mm forks, as while the stock Honda forks can be uprated, the internal damping system is relatively crude, and is not ideally suited to serious competition use. As well as better suspension the 38mm forks increase the rigidity of the front end, which means more precise steering."
Nah they are just cheaper mate.
I don't know how many other people have stated that they 'picked them up cheap at Telford' but that's the fact Paul. I paid
have been following this thread with interest I now would like to add my bit. I dont think any problems actualy exist ,what I do think is that some of you are actually doing your best to find one. i think the worse thing that that can happen to the twinshock scene is to be too closely linked to the pre 65 brigade. Up to now I cant re call any particular problems with bikes and riders that have turned up on the scene. I ride with the likes of Dave in the Sammy Miller series on my "trixshock" fantic and last year we were all beaten by Mark on his Seemingly standard ossa gripper thats because he was THE BETTER RIDER, my point is as follows, it makes no odds we are only on a day out , cant we just accept that some people actually get some enjoyment out of preparing a bike that is just fit for purpose, me on my fantic with its mono engine( they are not that much better if at all anyway) sherco forks, decent shocks , fat bars ,modern grips, s3 sticker ! ,Dave on his SWM, as he said not really that trick ,he is just another chap that gets PLEASURE from turning out on a nice bike.Modified aircooled monos,maybe its me but I know of only one that competes nationally and he only gets noticed because he rides well. Personally I dont think its a superior machine any way its just the riders ability It does seem that the same old arguments keep being regurgatated mainly by those who seem hell bent on insisting that there is a problem. There are those that suggest that the club secretary ( quite often wife of rider just helping out ) should now be burdened with the policing of the ridiculous inspections , and those that suggest all of this red tape will actually increase interest in the sport.Here deep in the south west centre we only have one dedicated classic trials club that promotes 2 events per year ,all other riding takes place riding in class at modern events,and I understand no problems exist, people ride what they want to ride and we all have a good days sport, my god it must be stressfull going to an event knowing the clipboard police will be there. Happy riding, Martin.
Absolutely spot on Martin! You have hit the nail firmly on the head....
See you in Devon in a few weeks for some good old fashioned fun with a hundred or so others ;0)
What touches a nerve with me is that twinshock trials is still reasonably inexpensive and people have been making modifications for many years on this type of bike - just look at the developments involved in Vesty's Bultaco or man other twinshock bikes from the end of that era in order to try and keep up with air-cooled monos because that particular brand might have been caught napping by Yamaha releasing the mono and gaining ground on the opposition.
Twinshock bikes were an evolution in trials at a time when bikes changed significantly and there is an awful lot of engineering exellence out there that will not be seen when a period bike will be classed as 'too trick' to ride in the class for the year that it was actually competing.
I have been approached by many people (including some from the Derbyshire region) for my thought on this and their conern that organisers of classic trials who missed the opportunity to do something about the rediculous situation with Pre 65 bikes are now clamping down on twinshocks and could be spoiling it - their words not mine!
For me, twinshocks still represent a relatively cheap way to go trialling and not lose money in depreciation each year along with an opportunity to ride bikes from my youth. In 1981 when my SWM was new I was 15 and Burgat had won the world championship on one so it is logiical that this is the type of bike I want to ride as I didn't start riding till much later and wanted a bike that I would have ridden in my youth.
A question for the rule makers that has been sent to me this morning - is whether or not TY Yams which were all originally fitted with straight axle forks (which means far too much trail, and pretty dodgy steering) are going to need to run in the PC Trick-Shock class if they have later leading axle forks fitted, which is a mod which provides a far greater improvement than fitting 38mm forks to bikes which already have leading axle forks?
Any meaningful rules need to be applied equally across the board, and it seems to me that if PC are wanting your bike to run as a Trick-Shock, then the same thing needs to be applied to any bike which has an upgraded front end fitted, especially so in the case of TYs where changing the forks makes such a big difference.
At the end of the day, it comes down to the rules dictated by the relevant club. the Pre 65 Scottish gets its knockers regarding eligibility yet they have no issues with entries.
I understand that Peak Classic have their own challenges regarding entries and if Paul thinks this will increase entries then that is up to him.
Personally, I will choose not to go and ride there but that is my choice and I am sure they won't lose sleep over my entry as I have only ridden up there once anyway I think.
Instead I will ride ACU trials (Sammy Miller and Normandale) plus any number of events in my own Centre where there are no such issues (eligibility or the volume of entries) and will continue to enjoy trials for what it is - a bit of fun on a Sunday morning. I pay my entry and have a bit of fun with some like minded mates - some choose to ride standard unmodified bikes, some like to heavily modify and some like to ride modern bikes - that is their choice.
We don't get prize money, trophies or any return for the investment in the bikes and we pay little the privililedge of riding but as soon as someone spoils the fun through needless policing then we will just go elsewhere or take up another sport.
The hypocracy is what touches a nerve with me. Why would it be ok to slide a pair of 35mm Marzocchi forks ito a set of norton road holders and still be eligible for the pre65 class (when the only thing on the whole bike that is period is probably the crank cases) and on a twinshock you feel the need to introduce a whole new class when actually over 90% of the bike was produced prior to 1982. I know, having built a number of pre65 bikes over the years, that my latest 'trick' SWM is far more period and original than any of the pre65 bikes that I have ridden that are eligible for the pre65 class.
Double standards by anyone's money - or perhaps the person defining the rules has a vested interest (I.e a very modifies Pre 65 and a very original twinshock bike)
Hate to drag up a old thread ... But how are the maxtons working and what do we think about rock shocks ? I may be in the market for some new suspenders soon !!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks,
Glenn
Hi Glen,
I rode the last half of the season on the Maxton shocks and I have found them to work very well indeed.
There has been a noticeable improvement in grip and they work flawlessly on the bigger hits that the previous Betors and Rock Shocks struggled with.
If I had any comment then I would like them to be a little more supple at the start of the stroke (on the very small bumps) but a dual rate spring would take care of that I'm sure. The thing is, I am on the large side and I am happy to lose a bit at the start of the stroke to achieve good results under more load.
The quality of manufacture is fantastic and I would recommend them if you were considering a purchase (similar money to Ohlins and Maxtons at
I popped along to a local Stourbridge club trial on saturday to give the shocks a try.
The trial was pretty easy but there was some opportunity to practice on some decent sized steps and roots and I am really pleased with the results so far.
They are set up quite stiff but then I am around 17st in my riding gear and they have been set up for me so that is to be expected and was a little odd after riding shocks that have been too soft for some time.
What was noticeable was the supple performance on the small bumps and little roots followed by a progressive damping performance that soaked up much bigger hits, especially when hit at speed.
The other aspect that was impressive was the adjust-ability of the rebound damping. I normally like to set my rebound quite quick but found that with a correct spring weight I could slow the rebound down and still easily move the back end of the bike whilst having it more noticeably track the contour of the ground which should improve grip when the going gets a bit more slippery in the winter.
Are you going to enter against standard twin shock/fork bikes in trials ?
Or as a special ?
I ride in the standard twin shock class - there is no such thing as a twin shock special class as far as I know.
The key rules for twin shock trials is that the bike has to have been manufactured as a twin shock, have drum brakes and (i think) be air cooled - all of which my SWM meets the criteria for.
My forks are 38mm, the same size as on the later SWM Jumbo and has twin rear shocks - the rear shocks are just the same as those used by Steve Saunders to win the pre65 Scottish this year - both within the rules for twin shock trials and the same as many riders are using on their twin shock bikes down here. The wheels, engine etc are all standard SWM stock, the frame has been modified but is mainly an 81 SWM frame.
Athough it looks quite different I can assure you that it is far less radical than most of the Fantics being ridden with air-cooled mono engines and forks and modified frames or yamaha mono based twin shocks.
Had an email from Maxton today to say they will be with me by the weekend so hope to ride at the Stourbridge trial on Saturday and will report on performance afterwards.
Still not arrived yet - the ordering process was pretty good with a detailed list of measurements and weights required that give confidence in the level of customisation that will go into the shocks.
Looks nice. How did you get on with it at Bowley?? No results yet??
Got 1st twinshock and 4th overall on clubman route - pleased with how it went for first time out. How did the Fantic go? I think the results are now on Acuwestern centre.
I thought you might like to see my latest SWM project.
It started as a pretty nice 1981 TL230 but never one to just have a standard bike I decided to set out on a project to use the standard bike as the basis for something a little different.
The frame was first and I decided (with the help of Rob Homer) to remove the top frame tube and the seat rails and make a tank as part of the frame with tubes welded inside to route the cables. The seat rails were replaced with straight tubes so that the new seat and side panels would sit flat and also form the top of the airbox (this dropped the seat height by about 3 inches).
Whilst modifying the frame the head angle was steepened so something more like the Jumbo frame and hangers were made to drop the footrests.
Below are a few photos of the bike in its original state, the work done on the frame and the finished project as it rolled out in its first trial today (complete with custom graphics from Storm gafix). I chose the red and white original SWM colour scheme as I prefer it to the later yellow and black/blue colours.
I know that there are some people out there that believe that these bikes should be kept original but I am interested to know what you think. If you want to see the detailed pictures of the project, I have it all logged on my blog at www.classicrider444.com
I have bought a TXR which is pretty much the same I think except the clutch cover (which is what I bought it for) so the rest of the parts are available.
PM me if there is anything you need (before the Exmoor Trial) and I can send them down with my mate.
Hi Pete - I'm not too sure of the price but i recently rode a lap of a trial with a Go Pro Hero cam mounted n my helmet and the results were really good - take a look
With all the 2011 James/FB's etc being eligible I must remember to tell the owner of my old 2007 Sprite that he should now have a bike that is eligible for Scotland - he will be well chuffed ;0)
Winston Grove - Sammy Miller Series - 18Th November 2012
in Classic Trials
Posted
I took some video of the last section - managed to get most of the entry in these two clips but sorry if I missed you!
and