hrmad Posted October 28, 2014 Report Share Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) Hi all, I went to my first trial on Sunday at a quarry, I've only had my bike for around a month. Got my numbers then went to look at the sections, they were too difficult and intimidating to attempt. One of the riders told me not to attempt the course and to try the conducted route instead. Initially I wanted to give the adult route a go, so lined up with the other riders. They were practicing riding up and down a stony bank, so I thought to myself 'that looks easy, lets give it a go', this ended in charging up the bank, launching into a wheelie at the top and thoroughly embarrassing myself by forgetting the rear brake and ending up on the floor. I then heeded the advice given and had a go on the conducted route, apparently only meant for 80cc bikes. I waited for the kids to finish the course, then had a good practice doing the sections both in order and in reverse. I felt like there was a bit of stigma attached to riding a 'kids' course, but to be honest I really am a complete beginner, a years experience on a road bike hasn't helped with trials much at all, apart from where the controls are. And a lot of kids are awesome at trials! I did attempt the first part of the 'easy' section, got to the top of the bank, saw the drop I knew was coming the other side and lost my nerve. Bike went backwards, I bailed. All in all, a pretty embarrassing experience. The course was a lot harder/ intimidating than I thought it would be, considering it was labeled 'dead easy'. What was everyone else's first trial like? Edited October 28, 2014 by hrmad 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjp Posted October 28, 2014 Report Share Posted October 28, 2014 In my first trial I rode the "easy route or yellow route" as its called in this area and only managed two of the four laps and with endless 5's. I genuinely said to myself "I cannot do this sport". By the way I had many years of motocross experience but that didn't help me much lol. Anyway I persevered and have massively improved, however it has been a very gradual learning curve as my natural talent is limited. I guess my only advice would be to ride ONLY what you want to and sod what anyone else thinks! Stick with it though, you WILL get better. Good Luck 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrier Posted October 28, 2014 Report Share Posted October 28, 2014 Hi hrmad, I am 40, and been road riding, never taken part in offroad activity ever. I've always enjoyed watching trials on TV, so with some spare cash I bought a second hand sherco this Easter and joined my local Yeo Vale. My first trial however was with Somerton club at 'The Beacon', and I put pride aside, and in hindsight correctly signed up for the beginners seperate route. My first foray into trials was a total success, eye openner, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Since then, I've taken part in all the Yeo Vale beginner days, but work commitments prevent me being able to get other practice in, and it's been a gradual transition where upon I've just done the Somerton Binegar trial in novice and managed to clear all but 2 sections on the day without being too intimidated. I enjoy the company, banter and most of all the riding without scaring myself! There you go, have fun, regards, Wayne 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the addict Posted October 28, 2014 Report Share Posted October 28, 2014 Mine was disastrous to be honest, and I wont go into the details. If I was only allowed to describe trials in one word from the possibly hundreds of words I could, then it would be "challenge". I have seen so many people over the years saying "that looks easy" until of course they try? I still get a huge buzz 30+ years later from riding something I have never been able to before or doing better in an event than before even if my limits are quite low to start with compared to many. Like many sports, especially road racing, confidence is everything, but confidence can be the ability to ride feet up over a 6 inch log or confidence riding over a 6 foot log, they key is knowing your abilities and limits to start with and going on from there. There is no point in throwing yourself at sections to end up fiving everything and possibly going home bruised and battered, you will have only learnt one thing. There is no disgrace at all in riding the conducted route, you will learn and that's what is important from now on, and I'm pretty confident there wouldn't be any riders who would think any less of you for doing so as I'm sure most if not all will have remembered their first few outings on a trials bike. As a beginner your learning curve will be very high and you will progress quickly as your confidence rises, the better you get the harder it becomes to learn and progress so be thankful for now you are in the stage where you will possibly learn faster than anyone else and get better at a greater speed. Most trials riders will be more than willing to help you either practicing or at a trial, you may even find someone who will ride with you at every section and give you advice of what to do and what lines to take, we are pretty much all a friendly and happy group of people. All the best in the coming months, stick with it as it is a lifelong social sport that is highly rewarding. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mags Posted October 28, 2014 Report Share Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) I live and breathe motorcycles.... (have 11) been riding 44 years this year, wife and I had first date on a motorcycle 32 yrs ago and still have the bike AND my beautiful wife, I have done road race sprints on an old 70's 650 Kwaka four, raced social motocross, did some flat track in a sidecar outfit on the chair, have done over 45,000 kilometres on my bikes in last 2 yrs alone, have won 3 motorcycle concourses, I ride every day... But none of that prepared me for trials motorcycles and my first trial except I knew where the controls would be and I could start one!!! I fell off 3 times with one being a good old fashioned face plant right in front of my wife as I pulled up to tell her to take a few pics!! I sure scored a podium finish in the embarrassment class!!! One fall I just lay there in the section... I was so buggered I just lay thinking I need a little rest I'll just lay here under the bike! Because I didn't move two guys ran down to me and started picking me up and saying "are you ok?". I said "Just having a little nap boys!... I'll be right". I only completed about 15 sections and though I had a score card didn't know I had to punch the thing full of holes! And... didn't know you had to get a new card every 10 sections!! ahahahahahahahaha I probably looked like a turkey, sounded a bit like a turkey, was as dirty and dusty as a turkey from falling in the dirt... BUT, I was hooked on this TRIALS thing! That was last March! We practiced and practiced at home as we now had a dream to compete in a trial together... when we thought we were ready. We static practiced every night after dinner and did fig 8's til dizzy every chance we could, at home. We rode 3 Sundays a month for months at the trial comp venue. My wife decided she was ready and wanted to try a comp. We entered a trial about a month ago! What a difference some practice makes... my wife scored a 72 for the day and I scored 56. Neither of us fell off the bikes which was the major mission. I think 5 people entered the Novice class... I scored 2nd place on the day and my wife placed 3rd. I am very proud of her... she had never ridden a motorcycle before last January and is aged 50 yrs... she was very determined to achieve her goal to ride one! To that end I insisted that she would start on a trials motorcycle! We all know that there is nowhere to hide on a trials bike they teach precision clutch and brake control with balance and steering perfection or you get outta shape very quickly. Her first motorcycle in her life is her 2014 Beta 250 4T Trials and loves riding the thing!!! We are "both" addicted and having so much fun on our trials motorcycles, now!!! The kids are wanting to try it out now... Mags Edited October 28, 2014 by mags 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted October 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2014 In my first trial I rode the "easy route or yellow route" as its called in this area and only managed two of the four laps and with endless 5's. I genuinely said to myself "I cannot do this sport". By the way I had many years of motocross experience but that didn't help me much lol. Anyway I persevered and have massively improved, however it has been a very gradual learning curve as my natural talent is limited. I guess my only advice would be to ride ONLY what you want to and sod what anyone else thinks! Stick with it though, you WILL get better. Good Luck tjp, thanks, sounds like trials in your area are of a similar difficulty to mine. If you asked me if I wanted to go back to the quarry the next day for another go I would say yes, that's reason enough to continue Hi hrmad, I am 40, and been road riding, never taken part in offroad activity ever. I've always enjoyed watching trials on TV, so with some spare cash I bought a second hand sherco this Easter and joined my local Yeo Vale. My first trial however was with Somerton club at 'The Beacon', and I put pride aside, and in hindsight correctly signed up for the beginners seperate route. My first foray into trials was a total success, eye openner, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Since then, I've taken part in all the Yeo Vale beginner days, but work commitments prevent me being able to get other practice in, and it's been a gradual transition where upon I've just done the Somerton Binegar trial in novice and managed to clear all but 2 sections on the day without being too intimidated. I enjoy the company, banter and most of all the riding without scaring myself! There you go, have fun, regards, Wayne Hi Wayne, sounds like you've had a really good experience. I wish they offered an easier route for beginners locally like you've described, the novice blue route on Sunday shared some of the same route as the clubman and expert lines, the only difference being the severity of the turns and climbs. I wish I would have attempted at least the first section, but had problems with fuel coming out of the carb after a crash. A tap with the plug spanner didn't work, fixed her when I got home though. Mine was disastrous to be honest, and I wont go into the details. If I was only allowed to describe trials in one word from the possibly hundreds of words I could, then it would be "challenge". I have seen so many people over the years saying "that looks easy" until of course they try? I still get a huge buzz 30+ years later from riding something I have never been able to before or doing better in an event than before even if my limits are quite low to start with compared to many. Like many sports, especially road racing, confidence is everything, but confidence can be the ability to ride feet up over a 6 inch log or confidence riding over a 6 foot log, they key is knowing your abilities and limits to start with and going on from there. There is no point in throwing yourself at sections to end up fiving everything and possibly going home bruised and battered, you will have only learnt one thing. There is no disgrace at all in riding the conducted route, you will learn and that's what is important from now on, and I'm pretty confident there wouldn't be any riders who would think any less of you for doing so as I'm sure most if not all will have remembered their first few outings on a trials bike. As a beginner your learning curve will be very high and you will progress quickly as your confidence rises, the better you get the harder it becomes to learn and progress so be thankful for now you are in the stage where you will possibly learn faster than anyone else and get better at a greater speed. Most trials riders will be more than willing to help you either practicing or at a trial, you may even find someone who will ride with you at every section and give you advice of what to do and what lines to take, we are pretty much all a friendly and happy group of people. All the best in the coming months, stick with it as it is a lifelong social sport that is highly rewarding. I found out the same Sunday, trials is a lot more challenging than it looks, especially when you see how natural some of the riders are and how easy they make it look. I do feel more confident down the woods now and am attempting hills I wouldn't entertain before, so progress is being made. It's a really good point you've made about confidence. For sure I'll stick with it, there is another trials on new years eve I want to enter. By all accounts its a muddy one, but this time I'll have more practice under my belt and a better idea of difficulty I live and breathe motorcycles.... (have 11) been riding 44 years this year, wife and I had first date on a motorcycle 32 yrs ago and still have the bike AND my beautiful wife, I have done road race sprints on an old 70's 650 Kwaka four, raced social motocross, did some flat track in a sidecar outfit on the chair, have done over 45,000 kilometres on my bikes in last 2 yrs alone, have won 3 motorcycle concourses, I ride every day... But none of that prepared me for trials motorcycles and my first trial except I knew where the controls would be and I could start one!!! I fell off 3 times with one being a good old fashioned face plant right in front of my wife as I pulled up to tell her to take a few pics!! I sure scored a podium finish in the embarrassment class!!! One fall I just lay there in the section... I was so buggered I just lay thinking I need a little rest I'll just lay here under the bike! Because I didn't move two guys ran down to me and started picking me up and saying "are you ok?". I said "Just having a little nap boys!... I'll be right". I only completed about 15 sections and though I had a score card didn't know I had to punch the thing full of holes! And... didn't know you had to get a new card every 10 sections!! ahahahahahahahaha I probably looked like a turkey, sounded a bit like a turkey, was as dirty and dusty as a turkey from falling in the dirt... BUT, I was hooked on this TRIALS thing! That was last March! We practiced and practiced at home as we now had a dream to compete in a trial together... when we thought we were ready. We static practiced every night after dinner and did fig 8's til dizzy every chance we could, at home. We rode 3 Sundays a month for months at the trial comp venue. My wife decided she was ready and wanted to try a comp. We entered a trial about a month ago! What a difference some practice makes... my wife scored a 72 for the day and I scored 56. Neither of us fell off the bikes which was the major mission. I think 5 people entered the Novice class... I scored 2nd place on the day and my wife placed 3rd. I am very proud of her... she had never ridden a motorcycle before last January and is aged 50 yrs... she was very determined to achieve her goal to ride one! To that end I insisted that she would start on a trials motorcycle! We all know that there is nowhere to hide on a trials bike they teach precision clutch and brake control with balance and steering perfection or you get outta shape very quickly. Her first motorcycle in her life is her 2014 Beta 250 4T Trials and loves riding the thing!!! We are "both" addicted and having so much fun on our trials motorcycles, now!!! The kids are wanting to try it out now... Mags As always thanks Mags. Sounds like you've had some good times on motorcycles Fair play to all the practice and the results at your second trial, you both did awesome! I thought I was too late starting at 23, a lot of people start when they are a kid. I think what your wife is doing is really cool, takes some doing getting on a bike to begin with! Is she going to try a road bike in the future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Great read! Keep at it. I was 12 and Won first time out in 1972. Started riding Expert in 1974. My son at sixteen just won his first Expert trials last month. Trials has been so much fun, and watching my son ride is even better. It is quite addicting if you keep at it!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 HR don't be embarrassed. You have just tried a motor sport 99.999% of riders will never have the nerve to try. If you looked carefully at every other bike in the pits you would have seen they all have their scrapes. You will find a lot of riders encouraging you to ride better but that comes from the sincere desire to help you ride better. There is no judgment and no looking down on new riders. We were all new at one time and some of us are sliding backwards at a rapid rate. Trials is unique in that you are competing against yourself. It's every bit as much a thrill when you get over that 5" log that's been driving you crazy all day as it is for the expert to get up that 5' rock. Believe me we will cheer your success every bit as enthusiastically. Congratulations, you are now a trials rider. One of us! One of us! One of us! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Oh and bailing out when it gets dodgy is called wisdom. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted October 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 (edited) Great read! Keep at it. I was 12 and Won first time out in 1972. Started riding Expert in 1974. My son at sixteen just won his first Expert trials last month. Trials has been so much fun, and watching my son ride is even better. It is quite addicting if you keep at it!! That's awesome! Is it all about confidence? It was great to watch the expert riders warm up before a section, they were doing rolling stoppies, wheelies, launching off banks etc. And they all looked relaxed and were really moving around on the bikes. Hats off to you and your son, fair play HR don't be embarrassed. You have just tried a motor sport 99.999% of riders will never have the nerve to try. If you looked carefully at every other bike in the pits you would have seen they all have their scrapes. You will find a lot of riders encouraging you to ride better but that comes from the sincere desire to help you ride better. There is no judgment and no looking down on new riders. We were all new at one time and some of us are sliding backwards at a rapid rate. Trials is unique in that you are competing against yourself. It's every bit as much a thrill when you get over that 5" log that's been driving you crazy all day as it is for the expert to get up that 5' rock. Believe me we will cheer your success every bit as enthusiastically. Congratulations, you are now a trials rider. One of us! One of us! One of us! Thanks Dan the people on this site have been really nice and helpful, it's great to feel welcomed. When I used to crash on my xr 125 off road I tended to go with the bike, these days I just try to save myself a bit more. Thanks for the encouragement, Heather My biggest problem right now is overcoming my fear of down hills, it' a big problem. Off to practice this morning, basics again Edited October 29, 2014 by hrmad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elite Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 (edited) Hart Village near Hartlepool. The year was 1980 and C Class was beckoning. Walked the sections with my brother and parents and remember being quite fazed by it all. I can also remember it taking what seemed like a week for the trial to start. I swear we must have arrived at about 5am for what was probably a 10am start time! All I wanted to do was get the first trial out of the way with as my nerves were shot to bits. Section 1 was where my TY80 Whitehawk turned in to a Sherman Tank because no matter how I rode it and how relaxed I tried to be that thing felt like it weighed about 16 tonnes. The rest was a blur, albeit a shortened one. It was a four lap trial and I only completed three. Not by choice though, I just forgot to do four! After that first schoolboy trial I knew what to expect and things definitely got a whole lot better after that rather nervous first step into trialdom. Stick at it. It gets easier/better and certainly gets a lot more fun. Confidence will come with time and remember, one step at a time. Find a short hill first, lean right back and let the bike do its stuff. Just be careful not to use too much front brake going downhill! Edited October 29, 2014 by elite 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon v8 Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 (edited) My first trial was in 1985,all I can remember about it was I rode an RL250 Beamish Suzuki and it was the Bath Peace trial.In a wood and fields about 300yds from where I'm sitting now. I've had a couple of breaks from competing,but now I think I ride better than ever before,(Others may think differently...)mainly a confidence thing.Cant see myself giving up unless I have too. Edited October 29, 2014 by jon v8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pro sport Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Hi Heather, from the look of the photos in your other post the section layout was on the hard side with a lot of loose shale surfaces , possibly well above the level of a beginner on her first trial. Try to find another easy route trial suitable for beginners or even a training session with a local club to give you more confidence. My first trial back in 1969 was a single route all experience layout ! I spent most of my time asking the observers for a five rather than attempt the section and only took on the easier ones, my score was in the hundreds and the trial winner was Don Smith ,a European (World) Champion the previous year, who only lost about 4 marks ! Keep at it , it does get easier and more enjoyable. You never know you could be another Emma Bristow...... Cheers Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted October 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 Hart Village near Hartlepool. The year was 1980 and C Class was beckoning. Walked the sections with my brother and parents and remember being quite fazed by it all. I can also remember it taking what seemed like a week for the trial to start. I swear we must have arrived at about 5am for what was probably a 10am start time! All I wanted to do was get the first trial out of the way with as my nerves were shot to bits. Section 1 was where my TY80 Whitehawk turned in to a Sherman Tank because no matter how I rode it and how relaxed I tried to be that thing felt like it weighed about 16 tonnes. The rest was a blur, albeit a shortened one. It was a four lap trial and I only completed three. Not by choice though, I just forgot to do four! After that first schoolboy trial I knew what to expect and things definitely got a whole lot better after that rather nervous first step into trialdom. Stick at it. It gets easier/better and certainly gets a lot more fun. Confidence will come with time and remember, one step at a time. Find a short hill first, lean right back and let the bike do its stuff. Just be careful not to use too much front brake going downhill! I feel the same way about the trial I went to, in that I've got more of an idea of the level of difficulty. It's amazing what some of the boys on the twin shocks and classics consider easy (I think one of them laid out the course, not 100% sure) and make look so easy when they go round. I'm going to try some hills tomorrow, starting with easier grassy banks with plenty of run off at the bottom, to the more difficult, root and stone filled kind. It is an illogical irrational type of fear, just got to try to tackle it without throwing myself too much into the deep end. Turning on a camber is also awful, because as I turn I can feel my weight drop to the inside and fear toppling over the bike and down the hill. I'll need to practice turns on a camber too. My first trial was in 1985,all I can remember about it was I rode an RL250 Beamish Suzuki and it was the Bath Peace trial.In a wood and fields about 300yds from where I'm sitting now. I've had a couple of breaks from competing,but now I think I ride better than ever before,(Others may think differently...)mainly a confidence thing.Cant see myself giving up unless I have too. Awesome, you know your bike and have confidence in yourself. And gotta love a Beamish, I really like the old school bikes. A friend let me have a put about his garden on a BSA, I think it was a 350, not 100% sure as I don't know classics. Very nicely set up though Hi Heather, from the look of the photos in your other post the section layout was on the hard side with a lot of loose shale surfaces , possibly well above the level of a beginner on her first trial. Try to find another easy route trial suitable for beginners or even a training session with a local club to give you more confidence. My first trial back in 1969 was a single route all experience layout ! I spent most of my time asking the observers for a five rather than attempt the section and only took on the easier ones, my score was in the hundreds and the trial winner was Don Smith ,a European (World) Champion the previous year, who only lost about 4 marks ! Keep at it , it does get easier and more enjoyable. You never know you could be another Emma Bristow...... Cheers Dave Hey Dave, thanks for the input and encouragement. Sounds like your first trial was similar to mine, some of the drops and turns were quite intimidating on the blue route, I wasn't confident I could do them without hurting myself on a descent. Don Smith 4 marks only, and on an expert route presumably? Wow, that's cool. There is another trial on new years eve, I'm going to attempt it, apparently it's a very muddy one, at least any potential landing will be soft. I'm a bit weary of something labelled 'dead easy' now. The way I see it the only way I can fail is if I quit, which I have no intention of doing. I'd love to be at Emma Bristows level, even if it takes me 10 years to get there! thanks, Heather 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2stroke4stroke Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 (edited) Ah, "woods". Take heart, I'd suggest that an easy woods section is probably harder for the beginner than an equivalently easy rocky section. As well as all the balance and use of controls you probably also have to find grip whereas that's usually less of a problem on the right kind of rock section. Thirty-odd years ago, during the Bath Two Day (regrettably no more), we were trying to persuade a Centre champion from the south west area that he should be doing the Scottish, so impressed were we with his ability to find grip, but he thought rocks would be too hard. Our opinion was that if you can find grip in "English" mud and woods then rocks are easy to adapt to compared to going the other way. Stick at it. Edited October 30, 2014 by 2stroke4stroke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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