daved444

The whole what's it worth question is a good one, like Woody says it really comes down to what someone is willing to pay. I personally wouldn't pay

Has anyone tried an oko carb on a swm (disc valve 280cc engine model) What was the result and what jetting did you go with? Dave

Hi Charlie, There us plenty to keep his hands from getting too twitchy - there us still a bit of development potential in this one and there us a 1981 SWM TL320 in bits that he's building to sell next Dave

The forks are off a 98 Beta and the brake pedal was made by my Dad - we moved the footrests down and back and modifying the old peal on the inside just didn't work so this was the logical alternative

Thanks guys - its definitely for riding and not for show!

Hi Guys, I thought you might like to see my recently finished project. This started off as a box of bits on ebay for not much money at all and now we have what could be a reasonably competitive bike that stands me at less than a third of the price I recently sold my BSA trials bike for. Clearly this is why twinshock trials is becoming more popular! For more photos of the build check out www.classicrider444.com

I am sure yours will look as good when its finished Rob!

I understand that on the later Jumbo's the steering head was steeper. Can anyone tell me how much steeper this was than the earlier frames and also how close was this to the current modern bikes? Thanks

I am guessing that you didn't go on Saturday then Lloydie as there were some half decent riders that win week in and week out that didn't clean the lot - perhaps you should put an event on yourself as it is so easy to sit on the sidelines and criticise others..... I think you are forgetting that Mick Andrews laid the sections out, made good use of the land available and managed to take marks off just about all the best pre 65 riders in the country at the moment (certainly the front runners for the pre65 scottish each year anyway).

Following a couple of conversations today, it seems that the clarity of the machine eligibility for the Sammy Miller Series has again thrown some question into the results. Pete - I can only find last years results on the Stratford site now so I am guessing they have been removed whilst the issues are cleared up? Essentially the issue as I see it is this..... At the start of this year it was decided that the Pre-unit class would run on the easy route and that any riders wishing to ride the hard route would have to ride in the British Replica class. My own understanding is that the British Replica class is for British bikes that do not comply with the 'original British manufacture' rules for the respective 2 stroke and unit classes. Although I am not certain, I assume that this class (like the British Specials class at most events) was designed to cater for this bikes running frames like McDonald Cubs, Mills BSA's etc or using foreign carbs in order to keep the main classes original and a level playing field. I ride a Mills frames BSA and find it runs much better on a DelOrto carb, I therefore chose to leave the carb on and ride in the Brit Replicas class. I could have left the Amal carb on and rode in the Unit class and I doubt whether anyone would have made any comment (certainly my friend rode his Mills framed BSA with AMAL carb in the Unit class at the 1st round) Now that's the logical thinking that seems to work, however the actual definition of eligibility states that the bikes should have 'All major components including frame, forks, engines & gearboxes to be a silhouette of British manufactured parts' and this is where interpretation comes in as this weekend the organising club have decided that non original frames or are not a silhouette of a British manufactured part and therefore these bikes were placed in the twin shock class. No mention of carb's so that wouldn't have made any difference anyway. As the precedent had been set to include these bikes in the first two rounds it seems counter intuitive to now remove them at round 3. Whilst I understand the thinking here, I would then have to question what should actually be included in that British Replicas class if the definition is applied literally. Surely all the recently manufactured James or Francis Barnett frames should now be included in the Replicas class as they are not original yet are a silhouette of the original. If I have to live with the decision to exclude my bike from this class and that of Martyn Wilmore (as we were lying 1st and 2nd in the class 9 championship before this weekend) then so be it, but surely we should also see the gang on the new James or Francis Barnett frames moved from the 2 stroke class to the Replicas class if we are being consistent in the application of the rules? I now understand that this will be debated at a forthcoming ACU trials committee meeting and I wait with baited breath to see what the outcome of that discussion looks like

Marty - give Terry Weedy a bell - he might have what you are after on the shelf http://www.terryweedy.com/products.html Dave

Well done Charlie - great work on the site (and thanks for the link to my BLOG) Dave

Hi mate - all updates on http://classicrider444.blogspot.com/ i think a few of the chaps on here follow the various updates on the site. The engine came back today after the mishap with the rag and will go back in this week so it should get a run out on sunday. Dave

I think the easy answer is don't build a bike for one trial - build what you want and ride it for the other 50 weeks in the year! I don't care that my bike has grimeca hubs (they are 20 odd years old and they work - plus they cost a lot less than a pair of billet hubs made last week that might just be the right pattern!) also I might put a del orto carb on it - I am happy to ride in the specials class or whatever they are calling it in the Miller series this year or even the twinshock class if I must - after all I just want to go out and enjoy a day out on my trials bike - I like it to look nice and work well (who doesn't) but I am not going to spend money just building a bike for a chance to be in the ballot for a trial once a year! Get a Mick Mills frame (if you can - I don't know if Bonkey has any left) they are fantastically made though I still don't know if they ride any better than others out there as I haven't ridden it yet (next weekend, hopefully) Dave

Not at all mate - it was for my own records but if it's useful for others then that's great

Hi Totalshell and Wetfeet - nice to see i have some readers of the BLOG on here..... The comments on the Bantam are honest and true - its a lovely little bike (Jim I hope I am on commission!!!!) Dave

Thanks Charlie - yes my Dad does a great job (he should do after all the practice I give him!!!!) hope your event comes off too...

Looked like a big off mate - I'm sure that Steve will make is disappear for you though.... Charlie - latest pics of the BSA build are on the BLOG - it should be finished in the next couple of weeks (at last!!) Dave

Hey OTF - dont suppose that was your James tank with the designer dent at Steve Gaggs place was it???????

we use Genesis motorcycles in bromsgrove - very good and understand the requirements of trials (including pre 65 as he's building a bike himself)

Charlie - I am up for this - thats 1 x BSA for the list.....Dave

Very true B40RT, however it is probably of no coincidence that the most heavily modified bikes are often ridden by the rider that least need them.... just like the factory riders back in the day.

I am not really sure what the organisers are trying to achieve by specifically focussing on the pre unit class, I am assuming that someone with a reasonably standard pre unit bike or a reasonably standard riding ability has complained that the sections are getting a bit hard which has caused a knee jerk response to consider that the pre unit championship class ought to be run on the easier route and therefore requiring an alternative solution to cope with either the trick pre unit bikes or the better riders of pre unit bikes who wouldn't want to ride the easier route. I personally don't see why there needs to be different classes, after riding 2 stroke, 4 stroke and Pre Unit bikes (all modified with the usual trick bits available) I know that each one has it's own benefits and failings, depending upon the conditions, and there is certainly no significant advantage to be gained riding one bike over another during the course of a season or lengthy championship. Managing the level of conversion is always going to be difficult, the more scrutiny that is applied then it just makes the excellent engineers out there more creative to hide the modifications. After all, there are already bikes out there with exact replica frames made from T45 at a fraction of the weight of the originals, forks internals hidden inside gaiters, re-lined and modified brakes inside original hubs, not to mention heavily modified engine internals where externally they look very standard etc etc so I cant see that it would deter anyone, merely make them more creative. After all Len Hutty's bike looks pretty standard to the untrained eye but I'll wager that it is not a lot heavier than the majority of C15's being ridden in most club events. I think that it is now a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. I turned up at a Miller round in about 97-98 on a Cub with a Delorto carb on it and was very directly told that I would have to ride in the Specials class. I doubt that would happen today so at some point the standards have been relaxed and that is always going to be a challenge to undo. I think that simplifying classes could be the answer. Easy route and hard route then pre 70, post 70 Twin shock and Trail bikes (6 classes in total). Keep it simple and allow the riders of the bikes to choose their class. I didn't ride back in the 60's so I may be wrong but I doubt that there would have been a need for a Rigid, 2 stroke, Unit and Pre unit class back then - it was just trials and you chose your bike, turned up and the best rider on the day was the winner. I understand that a vast capability gap now exists between the best and worst riders which calls for 2 routes and broadly categorisation between bikes of certain era's but the correct grouping keeps that reasonably fair or at least levels the playing field to a degree. I am sure that in the 50's and 60's there were not complaints about modifications made to bikes, more envy or interest in what the factory riders were doing to their bikes that the average club man would try to emulate. With regards to grouping the riders into one specials class, I guess that could be the answer after all when you look at the results in the Traditional series or even the Classic Experts the other week there was not a lot in it at the top end of the results with Wilmore on a 'Pre 65' winning the trial (OK I know it was hardly an acceptably standard BSA) and Granty in the top 5. After all most of the really trick pre 65 bikes are almost on a par with the majority of the twin shock bikes and in the right hands are capable of better results.

I never liked the idea of just strapping the bike to the rack as I always felt that the whole lot could bounce out - unlikely I know but it just didn't feel safe. I strap the outside of the bike from the loop by the rear wheel to the frame or the footrest then put another strap from the yokes or handlebars on the clutch side round the hinge on the tailgate and pull the bike back towards the car which also pulls it against the outer strap. Just for safety I also then put one round the rear wheel and the upright. Doesn't budge and holds rigid against the car too.