NAD1

Toni Bou injured his back again in a fall at a demo in Japan.. Apparently not too bad and his aim is to be fit for the beginning of the X-Trial champs on 20th January. Assume based on this, he is a big doubt for Sheffield.. Now looks like no Bou and no Fajardo.. Looks like another sub rider needs drafting in. Gelabert hopefully.. Looked cracking there last 2 years

Arnau riding Trial GP class in 2019 Whether he gets to Japan is another thing.. Noguera didn't go this year due to costs. Now Jotagas have another expense and 2 top 10(ish) riders will they go?

Another TrialGP rider dropping from TrialGP down to Trial2 Alex Ferrer looking to do full Trial2 for 2019 non Sherco. What do people think on this? Does it hinder young trials riders from going to TrialGP or does it just make Trial2 more competitive?? from my thinking I wouldn’t say it stops riders rising to TrialGP, you don’t have to win Trial2 to make the step up. It certainly makes Trial2 more competitive at the top.

Ha... UK importer hides behind some made up 6 month warranty cr@p despite that breaking EU laws

Oh OK, I only went on recommendations and also reviews.. Hoping I dont need to ever claim

No... please elaborate. Should I be concerned?

Carole Nash write to me every year seemingly promising the world.. NEVER actually supply anything decent. Last used them in 2007 - no real clue about a trials bike. Tried MSM but didn't recognise model of Ossa I had and then doubled quote price out of nowhere. Now use BeMoto - who have been brilliant last few years. Know what they're talking about and cover appears comparable with everyone else. Always look around each year but last 3 or 4 BeMoto been best by a mile (and a £)

Yea, easy as that. Do whatever you want / deem necessary but you've got 60 or 90 seconds per section. Takes away all the faff from observing decisions, adds excitement similar to X-Trial - rider gets stuck on a rock. jumps back down, repositions and goes again but clock always ticking. Literally cant believe it's not been done again already, whistle starts whistle stops, no arguments apart from the occasional 'I was out before the whistle blew'

They all stop in pretty much every section now which just makes the no stop 'rule' a massive farce. everyone knows it and the poor old observers have to police it - with seemingly zero support / back up from Trial GP Sport7 To the letters of the rules yes, clear stop and clear 5 in that section. Assuming every rider is marked to the same 'rule' then its all good (although more farcical) as you said Martyn got away with that stop but 5'd the step. Had he got up then yes he'd have 'got away' with a stop.

If it happened like this then you can guarantee other riders / minders would have seen and kicked off and an appeal would happen surely. Also it appears from people that were present that Grattarola rode out of his skin yesterday, so suggesting his results were manipulated would seem a bit unfair on him as is suggesting that Martyn would never finish higher than 3rd place. As I've mentioned before there is always a loyalty from local observers to local riders, there was in Silsden a few weeks ago and I've seen it many times at UK rounds and also abroad over the last 25 years or so, you wont change it. Only way to stop it (outside of professional Trial GP observers like I suggested before) would be all riders being recorded in each section so it can be reviewed an over ruled either quickly at the time or after the event.

Kadlec on the GP and wont change. He's Gas Gas' top rider outside of Fajardo/Busto so makes sense they want someone showcasing the other models. IMO Fajardo & Busto should be on a GP - Raga rides a RR, Cabes & Dibs ride a Factory, Gelabert & Ferrer ride a Factory, Bincaz rides a Factory. Assume it's to highlight how good the 'standard' bikes are but dont know

Cant see anyone moving tbh. Maybe Casales but doubt that. Grattarola go back to Trial GP? If so would he change bike? Doubt both of those things Martyn step up to Trial GP? If so would he change? Again doubt he'd change, where's a better offer coming from?

should be a cracking bike.. check usual bits. this is probably as the financial issues hit GG however never heard of any problems with build / reliability as a result of this

I've had 2 LWB Vito dualiners and needed seats 1 had the rolling/folding seats (perfect) current 1 has the seats that just hinge forward which IMO are nowhere near as good / useful. I'd imagine if you had a compact with the rolling/folding seats you'd be fine with 2 bikes.

Ha I know what you mean re: parking in other places and extortionate costs but I'd imagine (unless particularly savvy or greedy) the farmer would have said yes I want £xx for the 3 days. rather than I want £5 per car per day. Also imagine Disney car parks require a bit more upkeep. Re: 2 days, be interesting to know reasons/costings behind factories wanting only 1 day. I guess ultimately the outcome/results would be largely the same for an additional expense but from a spectator / putting on an event point of view its loads better Re: observers, yes would cost a fair chunk more with flights etc etc etc so would solve a problem but also create a (cost) problem. Nationality wise, does it matter? Assume UK like (I think) everyone else involved in Trial GP would be fine. All the riders pretty much speak amazing English or at least enough to ask 'why 5' As with most things there's no easy (cheap) solution but there is a solution

Brilliant bike, still love my Factory R more than my Gas Gas GP. Rides superbly, grips like nothing else and by the Factory R in 2013 they had ironed out the majority of the known issues. Reliability is good, stay on top of things and you'd be fine BUT as mentioned above - there are some oddiites / unique parts on them which if go wrong can require a lot of time, money and probably fiddling to sort. As a newbie I'd probably say to stay away unless you're handy with the spanners or know a good dealer with Ossa knowledge and stick with something of a more 'traditional' trials bike Still gutted they went pop, wont be parting with my Factory R anytime soon (waiting for the rebirth )

Assume there's a Beta importer in Norway. I'd start there. If not shops etc in Norway?? If not most shops / online shops will ship across Europe now so try Beta UK / Beta dealers in UK / Spain etc

Oh OK, I did wonder if it was maybe driven by the factories. Sure there is extra cost involved but if you're there anyway, let the boys and girls ride.. They do Japan, so what's the difference in Europe etc? Poss way to get more spectators there on a Friday - qualifying ladies / ladies 2, trial day 1: ladies / ladies 2 and qualifying GP / trial 2

Oh.. sorry I did not see that But like I said my views were pretty much mirrored by everyone I spoke with or conversations going on around me. I also loved hawkstone in the good old days.. Assume cost prohibitive maybe (cant make as much profit if Hawkstone costs more I guess!) With regards to the 1 day 2 day questions. Does anyone know why this is?? Andy maybe?

Great trial on Sunday and as ever some unbelievable skills on display. Few thoughts and questions on the event from discussions there and thoughts after Good: Good Venue Very easy to get to all sections Well organised (to a point - see below) and well set up operation Bad: Saturday was spent primarily crowded around only the qualifying section as there was literally nothing else doing (after practice) I like the idea of qualifying and enjoyed it on Saturday but having the whole afternoon around it and that one section seems such a waste Still some huge huge inconsistencies in observing with 1 rider getting a 5 and another getting a 0 for identical rides but that's the never ending stop/no stop discussion that I wont rekindle here (although lets be honest they all stop) ... and some ludicrous marking. Ugly: No trade stands at all other than importers showing bikes (and seemingly paying ludicrous amounts to do so) who I can only imagine had been told they couldn't sell any clothing etc for some stupid reason. Cost : * Event entry fine - happy to pay. * £5 a day to park in a field is a bit much. * As I walked in on Saturday 'would you like a programme' 'brilliant' I think 'that's £5 please' £5 for a decent programme no problems but it was literally a load of poorly produced sh*t with paid for adverts and event info (that was already up on site or on the app) * Rip off food / drink wagon and ice cream trucks (who were able to put prices up over the weekend willy nilly - presumably because they had also paid an extortionate amount to be there) General view is that we cant help but feel we're just being used to help fund retirement funds for some who proclaim to be in it for the sport not the money. Questions: 1: why are these events only 1 day now and not 2 day anymore? Japan is 2 day - seemingly only because it's a long way to go... But surely the expense for the factories / riders etc stays largely the same whether 1 or 2 day Is there a reason for this?? 2 day (to me and those I spoke to) makes so much more sense and make a better weekend all round. The 2 day events were always so good and make the journey / expense that much more worthwhile. Always loved a Friday at world rounds. Fewer spectators there and much more relaxed, chatty riders and practice sessions etc. Why can't they practice and qualify Friday, compete Saturday and use Saturdays finish positions for Sundays starting order? 2: If staying only 1 day (for whatever the reasoning) why not let the Trial GP women and Trial 2 women (or Trial 125 if at event) ride on the Saturday? I (along with the majority of the crowd) was watching mainly the trial GP riders - with some overlap on lap 2 to see some Trial GP women and Trial 2 riders To me, having the women riders ride on a Saturday gives them a much higher visibility to the spectators and allows them to showcase their talents to more people and makes Saturday a better day for everyone. 3: (not a question but an observation) observing - surely the only way to get consistency is to get a team of professional Trial GP observers who observe at all the rounds. Appreciate this adds additional cost to whole set up but at least that way there would be a consistent understanding and application of the rules. worthwhile? Doable or not do we think? All in all the whole Trial GP offering is good, very positive, uniformed and professional and much better than it used to be. Sunday was a great day but Saturday and the 'trade' area just felt flat and seemed largely lacking in anything. The whole social media work they do is great - and given that qualifying is shown online I possibly wouldn't bother going next year on the Saturday but just get up and out early Sunday. The team seem very dedicated and hardworking. Am sure this is still being polished and a 'work in progress' so changes will come with time. Just my musings, interested to see what others feel and if people know answers to questions

I was just saying it was a nice gesture of Gas Gas

Great to see Gas Gas stepping in and supporting Arnau Farre by providing him a bike and support as he recovers from knee surgery and being unceremoniously dumped by Vertigo. Looked to be a true rising star on the Gasser. Hopefully he comes back better and stronger in 2019 and back with Gas Gas for Trial GP Well played Gas Gas

Agreed. And ensuring the air filter is cleaned and oiled is a much simpler, less faffy task than fiddling with a carb if you are not confident or technically minded. My point was that if you're not technically minded and bike is cleaned, dried, lubed, airbox is clean and filter oiled and bike is ran up after and running fine then why would you need to strip and clean the carb?

That is what I said... get a multitude of answers and everyone's different opinion based on what they do. Also why I said to check with dealer. Good oil - fully synthetic Good petrol - super unleaded Not rocket science surely. Was 'muddying the waters' on purpose to highlight that you wont get a definitive answer and should speak to dealer if you are not sure / confident on doing this.

What an amazingly unhelpful thread of answers. highlights all that is wrong with forums. You'll get a multitude of answers all of differing opinion and still be scratching your head. Best bet, check with your trusted dealer Guess it depends on what bike you have and how old. For my tuppence worth, if a modern bike then draining fuel and cleaning carb after each ride is time consuming, expensive and most importantly pointless as well as you running the risk of not putting back as was - needle in wrong place, knock the floats etc etc Fuel will be fine if you use good fuel and good oil - if not using good fuel / oil then safe to assume skimping on other areas of bike and maintenance Carb is a a sealed unit - i.e. nothing can get in or out - all you do by removing it and cleaning it is break that seal and risk contamination. If bike running fine you can be pretty bloody sure that the fuel and carb are fine. I'll bet you those that have carb issues are those that constantly have it on and off.. Running your bike dry wont actually get all the fuel out of the carb either so largely a pointless and ancient practice (IMO). If you know what you're doing, have the time, space and equipment and know all your carb settings then I guess you wont really do any harm constantly stripping, cleaning, rebuilding and reinstalling. If not and bike runs well you're potentially creating a problem where one did not exist.