old trials fanatic

I doff my flat cap to you BJ A friend of mine also rides his Matchless up and over things i would never try on that bike but i think you and Barry are the exception rather than the rule. Good luck to both of you though. Still dont get the attraction of making life harder for yourself than necessary but have much respect for those that want to. Was only trying to explain in my obviously clumsy way why people modify bikes to the extent they do. Dont get why so many people moan about it either. Must be me i must be the odd one out

OK just wanted to clarify the point i was trying to make. When i said we should decide if it's a competition or a pagent the "we" to which i refered was the readers and contributors to Trials Central but i meant in the context of comments about "fiddle" "trick" "modified" bikes because i feel if the Trial is intended as a competition then you must expect competitors to build the most competitive machinery they can possibly build using whatever resources they can muster. However if the event should be viewed as a pagent, many contributors bemoan the absence of "std" as in resembling the factory catalogue pictures of the period have you ever compared a HT5 brochure piccy to what will be competing?, of period bikes then i suppose the detractors are correct in lambasting the current crop of "Pre65" bikes. AT NO POINT DID I INTEND TO INFER THAT THE EVENT WAS OR SHOULD BE RUN OTHER THAN HOW THE ORGANISING CLUB DEEM IT TO. Seriously i did not mean the contributors to this site should or could have any influence on the organising club. I just feel most of the moans about machine eligability miss the point that if you are competing by definition you will probably / definately want the most competitive machinery available. That was the same in 1964 as now just the engineering is better now. Still dont think anything done was not possible back then just not probable or maybe considering the section they rode back then compared to the sections they ride now didnt require it. Was watching a DVD yesterday six from the scottish i think it was called and a section "Devils Staircase" was used. Dont remember it being used now but from the look of it some modern road bike could do it? might be mistaken but it looked nothing like what competitors are required to ride nowadays. Thus bikes have developed. Anyway i appologise if i inferred that the organisation of the event should be by us and not the organising club. I just find the concept of entering a competition and deliberately penalising yourself by riding uncompetitive machinery ridiculous and illogical. The reference i made to the Goodwood Festival of Speed was because it was the only pagent of machinery which generally appeared to be as used in the period that it was pertaining to represent that i could think of. Only true Pre65 bike i have ridden, an AJS, even though it had modern tyres and shocks was really orrible and i can not imagine why anybody in their right mind would want to try to lug that around the Scottish Pre65 course without extensive modification.

Just noticed you are from Canada. ACMono is a popular and getting more so over this side of the pond.

You could always ride it at events that have an Air cooled mono shock class ?

Was it a plastic tank ? because they are nigh on impossible to paint as like the tanks on a Fantic they "breathe" petrol fumes from within.

One thing that does come to mind and i'm NOT slagging the event or organisers so bear me out please. I feel we need to decide if the Pre65 Scottish Two Day is supposed to be a competition or a pagent? To me if it's a competition then it's only narural for a competitor to want the most competitive machinery which is what we have at the moment. However if it is supposed to be a pagent then only the most original of original bikes must do. Then the sections could also return to how they were in the day. After reading the posts i can see both factions contributing and i feel most of the "problems" come from not knowing if it is a competition or something more akin to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Perhaps the spectators could dress in period fashion? I'm not taking the pee just look how succesful and oversubscribed the Goodwood Festival is.

That sums me up too. Always do disproportionately better at "easy" events.

Couldnt agree more BJ

Be nice to know the "number" before bothering to send in an entry. Sod all chance of that. Sponsored by the tourist board ? Think you can look a bit further away in a south easterly direction for another answer which has a bearing on that magical "number" fair enough i suppose. To be truthfull i've lost interest not because i didnt get an entry. Havent bothered entering the last two years anyway but good luck to all those who were chosen, cant bring myself to say "won" the ballot

Hi Charlie unless you want a pair of size 9, got three pairs left, i'm afraid you will be out of luck. The boots were the fantastic price they were because they were a job lot of a superceeded design that the importers brought in. Once sizes sold out that was it never to be replaced. Shame really as they were a super seller and i wish i could buy another dozen in the popular sizes.

Very very interesting thread and very current, for me anyway too, as i'm the one responsable for setting out the course at our trials and i also ride the Clubman route and usually finish in the top 3. Now i've had my detractors for still riding the Clubman route but at 56 and remembering i was never really any good anyway i find the route just about right for me. Anouther club i ride at, which i have no involvement with, has started making the Clubman route quite a bit harder that earlier this year. Nothing to do with me as i really like the clubman route at their trials and find it a struggle, but enjoyable, to keep my score below 10. I have been pressured to ride the Intermediate route at their trials next year which i will do but if i find i no longer enjoy the ride i will more than likely stop riding at their events. I'm not spitting my dummy honest but i enjoy riding for a clean or a one on a section not to struggle for a three. Just me i suppose. Thing is if i stop competing at their trials who is the looser? In the big scale of things i suppose my entry doesnt really matter one way or the other but just thought i would add my two pennorth. As for my own club after pressure from riders complaining about the old 50/50 route, they felt the 50% of the route when they rode the clubman sections a waste of time as they were too easy, i am abolishing the 50/50 and introducing an intermediate route. The clubman route will stay on as an easy fun ride. The Intermediate riders will then have a route totally tailored to them and the experts will ride the Intermediate route for 50% of the route and for the other 50% will have a harder option. Now i've done this to answer the complaints from some that the sections were too easy and that riders felt they "didnt have the chance to pull back marks if they had a silly five" and that they were getting beaten by riders who were not as good as they were because the course was too easy. Never did really understand that one because to me they shouldnt have had the silly five or whatever in the first place. Am i doing what 2shock is complaining about? I intended to try to give everybody a choice of routes that they were happy riding. BTW i've never had anybody complain that the Clubman route was too easy. If i had i would definately have said ride up a route then. Have had complaints from riders who were very good experts a long time ago but i told them they could always ride down a class. Think it's very hard on the ego for some riders to ride down a class so instead they complain about the severity of the route. As someone once told me if you manage to please 60% then you achieved the near impossible. Do think people should think twice before moaning after every trial when perhaps they should be a little more realistic about their own abilities and which class they should really be riding in. Just a point of view.

FWIW havent bought a copy for 4 years. Got better things to spend my money on. Anyway why spend your hard earned on that when we have Trials Central plus most clubs have their own websites as well as the ACU e mailing out a newsletter each week ?

LOL LOL Merry Christmas Charlie

Dudwood Farm if i'm not mistaken. Fell off in that stream many a time. Good addy.

Hi Charlie OK some more spanners coming into the ring. Accepting your arguement all non "special" class bike MUST conform then to a copy of the factory sales brouchure in every way. Just look at Ariels, was looking at Mick Grants on Sunday with it's factory fitted carbon fibre primary cover which i'm thinking of copying for the James, Cubs C15 and to get back on topic sort of Bantams. That rules the lot out so we all ride in the "specials" class and we are back to square one. Oh yes is a Majesty or a Cotswold now going to be classified a BTS British Twin Shock ?

LOL we all get beatem by him

Sorry to hear that. I've not had comebacks on the helmets, tops, pants and boots i've sold just lots of good feedback. Always found them very helpful. OK their stuff is not the highest quality or tech spec but for the price i felt it was good value and lets face it Trials riders are a tight bunch. Some of the lads i ride with their gear must be 20 years old with some gloves more fingerless mitts. Glad you got a refund from the supplier though.

And Cubs with "period" ?????? Dellorto catbs ? Yeah right Oh how we need a universal set of "rules" that applies to all pre65 events in the UK because it's getting like a minefield. Yorks Classic, Scottish et al. We need to be on the same page or at least the same book. I am not anti Yorks classic just how can a poor sod ever build a bike with so many anomalies. Suppose you have to decide where you want to ride before building a bike

LOL but thats my point theoretically a bike would have to ride in the specials class JUST because they didnt have fork gaitors fitted. Fit gaitors then the bike runs in the "normal" class And people moan about the Scottish Pre65

Ahh gottcha will wait till erindoors is out then. Got some baking to do

Think you'll find the alloy barrels have been ported for trials. Plus on a tiny engine like the bantam you need revs anyway. Think a lot of confusion is caused because people look at piccys and see bikes that appear to have a D7 fitted when we all know most of the competitive stuff is really D14/4 with D7 side covers etc made to look "period" like everything in Pre65 Oh yes dont forget your fork gaitors if you are riding in Yorks LOL dont matter whats under them just remember your gaitors. Merrrrrry Christmas

My oven only goes up to 200 C do yo use an industrial oven or something?