pat slinn

I do not wish things to get personal, if I have upset anybody I appoligize. Your reply shows that your bike conforms to the regulations, As for mine, well, I have not been able to ride a motorcycle on anything other than a smooth surface for a number of years. My trials machine is a C15 BSA and apart from having a electronic ignition system is in exactly the same technical spec as when I built it in 1964 and rode it in the Scottish in 1966. I was told by somebody I met last year at Wrightys show that as my bike has a one off frame made by me in 1964 it probably would not be allowed to start in the pre 65 Scottish, as the engine has no tubes beneath it!!, somebody else disputed that.

?oes you bike conform the the technical regulations of each event you enter it in ?, or do you cheat ?

One of the production race series in the late 70's /80's allowed the first three machines to be "looked at" and commented on by their fellow competitors. It was one of the cleanest series ever !

How do people feel about when the sign a entry form they are signing to say that the machine that they will be riding conforms in every way to the regulations including the technical ones ?. I can remember that during the late 70's (in the road racing world)a competitor accepted an award only to aware that the machine he was riding did not comply with the technical regulations. A fellow competitor knowing that the machine was not legal protested the result and told him that if he did not withdraw from the results he would sue him for fraud. I might add that the machine had gone through pre race technical inspection.

Love that phrase Charlie "I will not give up on the heritage that I grew up with", me neither !. Just after Christmas I was asked by somebody if I would machine for him a pair of B group BSA fork bottoms to accept,I think he said, the internals of some Kawasaki forks. He told me that he was going to fit them to his Pre 65 BSA B40 trials bike. I asked him if he thought that was acceptable, and is it within the technical regulations for Pre 65 machines, and also the "spirit" of the sport. He told be that he couldn't care two ******* about any regulations, as everybody does it and get's away with it. Has honesty also left our sport ! ?. Pat.

May I ask a question ?, what does PRE 65 mean to most people. People that consider, for example that steel tubing manufactured in 2012 to a 2012 specification is acceptable to make a frame out of for a pre 1965 trials machine will probably be jumping up and down by now. But please think about it. Pat.

Hi, I have a listing in my records from the engine development department at BSA in February 1964 of a engine being rebuilt for the competitions department with the no, C15 T 20014. My records also state that the engine was previously numbered ED 104 ( ED meaning engine development ) The re-build is at the request of Mr Brian Martin. My records show that a experimental needle roller bearing was fitted to the timing side, and a roller big end bearing. I have no more information written down, and after 47 years I cant remember any more.sorry. Pat.

Hi Ross, Was that a British Army film ?? Pat.

Blooming cold on Rannoch moore !

Hi Guys, 11K !! for a Cub, how ?, why,

Sure did !!. The phrase is PRE 65, eg made before 1965.

The ultimate PRE 65 bike is one made prior to 1965 !! Not one constructed last week using materials and components that were not even around ten years ago let alone 45 years ago !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a wonderful technical phrase "runs like an old dog" is but jonv8 is so right. Correct carburation and ignition is so so important on a trials engine. With a slide rattling around in your carb body like that you Havant got a chance of getting the carburation right. Get a decent carburettor !. The Amal carburettor is cast from a Zinc based alloy called Mazak. If you look at wikipedia it will give you all the technical spec of it. Pat.

Hi Guy's, who's off to the Colmore cup revival on the 9th July, ?. Does anybody know who is going to ride up "camp", and on what ? Pat.

Talcum powder, Vim ? !

Hi Guy's, Please can anybody help me., Not strictly pre 65 trials, however, I am trying to locate a copy of Motor Cycle New's from the late summer/early autumn of 1978. There is a photograph, ( it may be on the front cover) of Eddie Roberts standing next to Mike Hailwood's 1978 F1 Ducati after he had crashed it. The picture caption says something like " What will I tell Mike". Does anybody have a copy of this edition ?, if so please can you photostat a copy of the photograph and story and/or email it to me. Thank you. Pat.

I think that the today's date might have something to do with this tale !

charlie, do some people now believe that a Sprite trials bike was available in 1964.

Charlie thanks for all the research that you have done on the Sprite trials bikes. I know Jonah was riding a Sprite in 1964, I was there, I knew him. It is such a pity that people do not seem to believe what people say. Dennis Jones was a character a nice character, people that met him would find it difficult to forget him, he had a outstanding "personality", and his ability to ride a trials bike unbelievable. I can remember at the 1965 SSDT that Dennis thought that the stewards at there meeting one evening were wrong, so Dennis walked into their meeting to protest, he was told that only written protests would be accepted, in his inevitable way he told them that this was a "verbal" protest. Jonah had arrived !!

Hi Charlie, lets not forget that Frank build a very successful scrambles machine as well as a trials bike.

In 1964 people did not have cameras in phones, or even phones!, (they were 20 odd years away) Cameras were expensive. All my money was spent entry fee's, tyres, petrol etc, if my mom had insisted that I paid her I could not have ridden in trials . and I believe that that was the norm for many young lads that had started in trials. If you can track down copy's of MCN from 1964 you will photo's of Jonah riding his 1964 Sprite, ( He was brilliant ). Listen to Charlie Prescott and other people they were there. Frank Hipkin was a visionary and a down to earth black country lad. He developed a sprite trials bike that was financially within the reach of loads of people. Believe what people say, word of mouth was the norm in the early sixty's, and that was how history has worked for hundreds of years.