cg125 Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 I'm looking at a variety of bikes and trying to get my head round what makes them good for a particular task. How would the trials ability of a twinshock compare with a modern trail (not trials) bike? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpa3 Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 People do enter trials on BMW's, but it depends on how competitive you want to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpa3 Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 No seriously, it depends on how competitive you wish to be in a trail bike trial. Something like a Pampera will ride the section like a trials bike and give you an easy clean, where as something like an XR400 won't even get to the hard part of the section. The pictures below were taken in the Barrett LDT in 2004 and are of similar ability riders in the same section on very different machines. The Pamera The XR400 It's a typical case of horses-for-courses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamo Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 (edited) I think you could probably do the easy sections of a trials event on a trail bike but you would probably be putting your foot down alot.Depends on the rider.David knight would probably go OK. Edited August 16, 2007 by bigdamo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cg125 Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 I think you could probably do the easy sections of a trials event on a trail bike but you would probably be putting your foot down alot.That's OK. I do that anyway!So would a 30 year old twinshock trials bike still be more trials-capable than a modern trail bike? A TY250 vs a TTR250 for instance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrc1 Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Yes, apart from a well set up Pampera at easy trials! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombat Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 I use my '74 TY250a trail riding. No problems at all. I ride with mates who have a CR500 and WR450f. Yes, I'm slower, but show me the hills and I leave them struggling.I have adjusted the carby and changed the final ratio for more speed and that's it. Good fun! I have asked if i could join in an Enduro, but as yet no answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpa3 Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Yes, apart from a well set up Pampera at easy trials! And even a Pampera is harder to ride than a proper trials bike...... sometimes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamo Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 (edited) Yes, apart from a well set up Pampera at easy trials! And even a Pampera is harder to ride than a proper trials bike...... sometimes depends who's riding it.There's plenty of enduro guys who could nail that no worries. Edited August 17, 2007 by bigdamo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpa3 Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Yes, apart from a well set up Pampera at easy trials! And even a Pampera is harder to ride than a proper trials bike...... sometimes depends who's riding it.There's plenty of enduro guys who could nail that no worries. Ha ha, I'm sure that you're right... especially the enduro guys who were half decent trials riders. The climb you see wasn't too hard, but to put it in context; the riders approached it from a full lock down hill turn. And I mean FULL lock. How often do you see enduros with turns that you have to do on full lock and remember... the idea of trials is to keep you feet up, not just crash on as fast as you can for hours. This section took a lot of marks, even from twin shock trials bikes. With some good riders having fives. And anyone who got up 'clean' on a trail bike was doing well. Yep.... lots of enduro riders would have made that look easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swooshdave Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 the idea of trials is to keep you feet up, not just crash on as fast as you can for hours. I knew I was missing something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgshannon Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 So would a 30 year old twinshock trials bike still be more trials-capable than a modern trail bike? A TY250 vs a TTR250 for instance? No doubt about it. In addition to my modern trials bike, I have a 1974 Cota 247 trials bike. The stuff we ride on these vintage bikes is WAY beyond the ability of a modern "trail" bike. The steering lock on a trail bike results in a turning radius that can't begin to compete with a vintage trials bike, not to mention the engine performance, low speed tractability, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpa3 Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 So would a 30 year old twinshock trials bike still be more trials-capable than a modern trail bike? A TY250 vs a TTR250 for instance? No doubt about it. In addition to my modern trials bike, I have a 1974 Cota 247 trials bike. The stuff we ride on these vintage bikes is WAY beyond the ability of a modern "trail" bike. The steering lock on a trail bike results in a turning radius that can't begin to compete with a vintage trials bike, not to mention the engine performance, low speed tractability, etc. I agree with you there, but don't forget that Gas Gas Pampera's actually have the TXT trials bike engine; they ride just like a large, top heavy trials bike. Which is the point I was trying to make- some trail bikes are much better suited to trials than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 As soon as you get to any twists or small obstacles the trials bike will come up trumps. We (myself and Gasserboy) had a day out with Ady Smith a while ago looking at some new land. We had a bit of an enduro circuit and could stay with him pretty well all the way round (couple of miles). The odd small log was a bunny hop for the trials bike but a slow obstacle for the enduro, the downhills were much easier on the trials bike, we were braking later for corners at the bottom and in some areas the enduros were holding us up. Having said that, give them a straight and they were away. And when we had a go on a little ktm125 we couldn't stay anywhere near him In fact I've never buried myself in to so many hills I've ridden a fair few enduro's although admittedly a looooong time ago, the trials iron is an equal on lots of terrain. I rode a Maico 500 when I first joined the army, but had to ride my own trials bike once or twice and it was fairly handy - at that time a Fantic 301. Wrecked every bearing in it, but it went well and competed with the enduro's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombat Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 I've seen a bloke on a KLX250 clean a C grade line after a trial. Damn he was good! He was puffing afterwards, but he did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.