Hi,

Firstly my apologies if i've missed a very obvious guide!

I have never done trials riding before and would like to start, what's the best way?

I live in north Kent

Best to find and contact your local Club and get along to an event, there should be plenty of people happy to share advice and help get you started.

Steve,

Have a look on the ACU website, there are a few clubs in the Kent area, you will find good information on the site.

Do you have a bike yet?

cheers

John.

Cheers for the advice guys, looks like my closest club might be Bexleyheath: http://www.motorbiketrials.com/

Not got a bike yet, not really sure what to get, the gasgas bikes look good

Cheers for the advice guys, looks like my closest club might be Bexleyheath: http://www.motorbiketrials.com/

Not got a bike yet, not really sure what to get, the gasgas bikes look good

If you are just starting out you would be better with a 250cc as some of the 280 and 300 bikes are a bit powerful for a newbie.

ok great,

I have seen a couple of 200cc bikes for sale, are these going to b too sedate?

Starting in trials - having a go.

First of all, buy yourself a copy of TMX. It is a weekly trials/motocross newspaper and costs about £2.30. I get mine every Friday It has most of the trials events held nationally listed in the back section. There will be a trials meeting within 50 miles of your address most weeks. Best advice is to go along and watch a trials meeting first, but this is not essential.

If you do decide to enter a trials competition, then virtually any trials bike will do, but a modernish one, 125 - 250cc, perhaps 10 years old and costing £1000 or so might be best initially. You will need a pair of trials boots, an open-face helmet and a pair of motorbike gloves. You don't need to join a club, but you need an ACU card to enter most events. Apply online - it costs around £10 per year (I cant remember exactly).

Then, find a trials meeting and just go along. Get there about an hour before the meeting starts. You will need to "sign on" to enter the competition and this will cost anywhere between £8 - £20 with around £15 being the most common (in my experience). You must remember to take your ACU card with you to every meeting. You should ask to enter the "Easy" class initially (usually Yellow class). There are usually 10 or 12 sections, and you usually complete each section 4 times. Someone will watch you and record how many times you put your foot down. Watch some other riders, who are riding the same Yellow colour section as you are first, to see how they do it. Try to copy them. If you consider that a section, or part of a section is too hard, then don't do it, or, just do part of it.

However, you also need to be aware that different clubs have varying ideas about what "Easy" means. One club's Yellow sections may be really easy, another's easy, with a few tricky sections, but a third could be really hard - perhaps with some sections that could be considered potentially dangerous for the less experienced rider. In the 40 meetings that I have ridden in, over the last year, only 3 meetings have had some sections that I considered too dangerous for the Easy or Yellow class rider. Unfortunately, you won't know until you actually get there and actually see it. So, if it looks too hard then just don't do that section. If it looks ok then have a go. The main thing is to have fun and don't worry about points.

Finally, in my (limited) experience, most trials people are friendly and will be more than happy to answer any questions or help you.

Enjoy.

Edited August 21, 201412 yr by stpauls

ok great,

I have seen a couple of 200cc bikes for sale, are these going to b too sedate?

No not at all, they will be more than powerful enough to start with.

You don't have to have trials boots, safety wellies with steel toecap and instep are fine on easy courses and are about 1/10th the price of boots.

I would go for a 200 or 250, older 125s tend to have very little bottom end power and this can make them hard to ride. Also a 125 has probably had a hard life especially if thrashed by a youth rider.

I would find somewhere to practice first as stated already some clubs versions of easy don't really cater for the absolute begineer and getting between sections can be harder or require more bottle than the sections there selves.

I would also get the basics down first like popping the front wheel up as required and being confident up and down hills before you move on to a event.

You don't want to put your self off.

Good luck.

hello , this sunday,24th august , the Owls motor club from north Kent, are holding their fun day and wobbler trial in Horsmonden, Kent.

there will be a wide range of ages,bikes,and abilities on show. open to all.

follow the signs from Horsmonden village.

it is non competitive so people will be happy to talk.

That would be perfect if I was not having a load of cortisone injections in my spine on Saturday

somewhere local to Longfield to practice is needed as I've never even ridden a trials bike before so need to learn the basics

Edited August 21, 201412 yr by pingman