Yet to get in to Trials and want to suss out all of the issues before I jump in... one of which is getting to/from the trials location.

It so happens that I live just 4 miles from an official trials site and so I'm wondering if getting a road-reg bike with MOT, tax and insurance and riding it to/from is a reasonable option? Had a couple of comments that have diss'ed the idea completely but thought I'd poll a wider audience and see if anyone has done this and how viable it is? Tyres seem to be the main issue, followed by knackering the mechanicals!

Obviously, if I get in to competition more seriously and want to travel off to other venues, then I'll need a van/trailer/rack, but that would be in the future. This is to get me started without having to invest in extra kit and faff.

Many thanks

I see you live not a million miles from me. I am curious as to the practice ground you allude to? Only a couple spring to mind (Farnborough & Horsley). Fuel capacity of a trials bike would be one concern, also tyres as you already say. Not to mention wear & tear on the bike as they are not known for their top speed let alone the uncomfortable seating position. Back in the 70s I remember one young lad that used his bike as a sole means of transport and also rode it to and from events! Needless to say the mechanicals didn't last too long.

Peter, I've IM'd you,

Cheers

4 miles no problem..........   Lots of us still ride 40 mile road based trials every 2 or 3 weeks...............  Just get a road reg bike, a small rucksack with a couple of small fuel bottles and insurance with MSM.

 

 

I don't think four miles each way will do any harm, after all you're not trying to keep up with an SSDT time schedule.  In fact it will do the bike good to get a bit of a clear out.

6 hours ago, 2stroke4stroke said:

I don't think four miles each way will do any harm, after all you're not trying to keep up with an SSDT time schedule.  In fact it will do the bike good to get a bit of a clear out.

I rode my 325 Sherpa T from St.Neots in Cambridgeshire to Offley near Luton, Bedfordshire where I worked and then back. This involved the A1 and other main roads. It didn’t like going over 45mph the 250 is supposed to be a bit more speedy, but never had opportunity to find out. Without lights it was a daytime only ride. Bike never missed a beat and with Kit Campeone slimline tank I think it was quite good on fuel, considering. When you arrive home it’s best to make sure no iffy pond life has followed you??

No problem, I've done similar a number of times. 

Just make sure you're totally road legal including the size of your number plate, if seen the Plod will likely pull you just for the novelty value.  

Edited March 27, 20188 yr by craig10

Looking at number plate hangers, there are a few about but they all say not MOT legal. Is that just the size of the board? I'm assuming you just drill through the back of the rear mudguard to attach...? Then I can order a proper number plate from one of the on-line places.

How vertical does the plate have to be?

Vertical, "or as close to vertical as is reasonably practicable".   However, there is a requirement for the characters to be distinguishable within a certain area.  Given that, on some bikes, fitting a plate to the surface of the mudguard would actually have the plate showing forward rather than rearward on a strict definition, some sort of bracket would be needed to comply with that requirement.  Check the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regs 2001 on .gov.uk .

If you only intend to use the bike on the road for getting to practice areas, you could put on a totally legal to-the-letter number plate and attach the bracket with a butterfly nut. Then just take it off while you're practising, just to make sure it doesn't castrate you if things get a bit out of hand.

3 hours ago, trapezeartist said:

If you only intend to use the bike on the road for getting to practice areas, you could put on a totally legal to-the-letter number plate and attach the bracket with a butterfly nut. Then just take it off while you're practising, just to make sure it doesn't castrate you if things get a bit out of hand.

Avoiding castration is top of the list!