Thought I'd start a separate topic on bike size for a beginner, but only trials riding beginner. Now I know there is very little to compare road riding to trials riding but I know a road rider of almost 30 years experience who is considering buying a 270 beta for their first bike. They ride a gsxr 1000 road bike so no stranger to power and the rider is only 8 stone, so my question is, will the rider be able to cope with a 270 as a first bike ???

Oh and the rider is female.

Heres my reply.

I was born into Trials, and also rode a road bike so i was blessed to be able to cope with the differance.

Having said that i can't get on with anything less than a 300.

Anyway to the point, My bezzie mate rides a gixxer, and when i took him down the woods ( for a go on the bike!!!!! Nowt else!!!!)

He couldn't ride a trials bike to save his life.

Am i babbling on.

Ok, so this lass rides a 1000 gixxer, Trials is a totally differant dicipline and a 250 over rocks may feel more unstable than a 1000 gixer in a nasty tank slapper.

So the morale of my long winded babble, had strong ale story is........ I've forgoten the question hahahaha whoops.

Oh yeah bird on a bike!!!! Yeah it dosen't matter, there totally differant. Fact his she can ride a bike so has a head start. Get a 250!!!

Edited September 23, 201015 yr by hrc_monty

ah.. due to the diminuative size and weight the best bike would almost certainly be a 200 or a 125 both a mile easier to ride than a 270/280/300. trilas is not about been able to handle power its about been able to find grip and hold the bike upright

can she kick a 270 over with her left leg? almost certain to end in tears if she goes for a 270!

can she kick a 270 over with her left leg? almost certain to end in tears if she goes for a 270!

That is probably the biggest issue regarding possible purchase me thinks.

no far to big , you would have to open an account with beta for rear mudguards.

More than 30 years ago I was a good MX and Hare Scramble racer.....then I gave up bikes until just recently. I am 54 years old and weight 11 stone, and my first trials bike was a Sherco 290 that I bought 2 years ago. I didn't have any problem adjusting to the available power.......providing that I was allowed to learn at a slow pace. When I got into some tight situation I did learn that the bike had enough power to get me into trouble if I used too much throttle.

If you throw this woman on any bike and have her doing advanced maneuvers too quickly.....she will get hurt and learn to dislike trials riding in a hurry. Let her have plenty of practice with balance, slow turns, small logs and little hills and learn at her pace and she will be fine. The use of a slow throttle tube could help as I doubt that her street bike had a quick throttle. She might be able to learn some things faster on a less powerful bike........but I think she could learn on a 270 providing that she can get it started.

Edited September 23, 201015 yr by 1oldbanjo

no far to big , you would have to open an account with beta for rear mudguards.

Surely no doing the type oh trials we're doing though ?

8 stone beginner...get a 200..no bigger.

If the rider later craves for more power, shift up to a 250.

It's like horses, you can be "over-biked".

Motto: "walk before you can run".

I've seen hordes of people over the years who have had big road bikes try trials on a 270 or 290 (when I was young it was always a 325cc Bultaco that went whistling past the oberver without the rider on board!) and they get mighty brassed off and quickly because the bike is too much of a handful, they end up giving up. The last thing they want to do is admit defeat, but until they have mastered the basics, a small capacity trials bike is just the job!

Big John

you could think about this angle

Ive never owned a road bike but have been riding trials bikes for 32 years, I may be sh*te in a lot of peoples eyes but I'm ceratinly not new to the sport.

I tried a 270 beta in 2007 with a view to buying one and it was way to quick for me, i'm 13 stone.

sure buy her a 270, but only if you dont like her and you dont want to see her at trials more than once.

this 270 is not the only secondhand bike in the world is it...........

Some fine replies folks, although I'm not convinced she couldn't handle it, I do take on board everything that has been said and will rely all of this to her, hopefully over the weekend or early next week we'll get out on the bikes and see how she gets on.

She's rode my scorpa 250 and a beta 250 and liked that better than mine, both of which she was comfortable with, the first main issue is the starting, if she can't start it, it's a deffo no go, simple as that.

One of our club experts rides a 125 and does very well even on graded climbs where the larger capacity bikes normally excel. Technique is far more important than cc's for most of us?

I'm downgrading from the 280 as I reckon it gets me into more trouble than it does good. However, I ended up with it in the first place due to the deal being right at the time not because I particularly wanted a 280 ! Slow action throttle, flywheel weight and I've lived with it for the last 3 years!

200's are scarce(ish) but well worth tracking down as (in my own opinion) I think they're the perfect clubman bike.

Best of luck to her whatever she gets

GJ

Some fine replies folks, although I'm not convinced she couldn't handle it, I do take on board everything that has been said and will rely all of this to her, hopefully over the weekend or early next week we'll get out on the bikes and see how she gets on.

She's rode my scorpa 250 and a beta 250 and liked that better than mine, both of which she was comfortable with, the first main issue is the starting, if she can't start it, it's a deffo no go, simple as that.

Well, you got your answers, fact is yourself might do as better on a 200 Beta, not that a 250 is bad. The 125's can be a bit revvy, but will bo anything you can probably do, and are near perfedt for a beginnining rider, as they don't bite you hard!

OK found out tonight that a 270 is no good, mainly due to it being so heavy for her, which makes me ask another question, are the 125's 200's actually lighter or just smaller engine sizes ???

OK found out tonight that a 270 is no good, mainly due to it being so heavy for her, which makes me ask another question, are the 125's 200's actually lighter or just smaller engine sizes ???

I doubt the weight of the bike is the problem? Probably more of a pyschological effect from the power a 270 has? See if you can get her a shot of a 125 and I'll bet (50p) she'll think it's a lot 'lighter'! (Hope my theory is right 'cos I hating parting with money).

GJ