Do people ride the early Challengers in Classic Trials? They were a light 250 bike in their time, and with a big sprocket, I was wondering how they might work with that leading link front suspension. Bars might be a bit wide, but that can be changed. Greeves may have built a better Trials bike in 1964, but the Challenger seems like it could be good... with a few changes. What do you guys think?

 

Thanks 

 

I think the Greeves Challenger was a Scrambler, not a Trials bike.  It might be a bit too lively for Trials, even with lower gearing.  However, I regularly see two pretty original looking Greeves Anglians with leading link front forks, Villiers engines and the cast aluminium front down tube being ridden in Classic Trials, on the Middle route by experienced riders in the south West of England.  They are as good as me, if not better!

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I think the Greeves Challenger was a Scrambler, not a Trials bike

I doubt that would be too much of an issue, it sounds like many bikes ridden/being ridden in pre65 trials were road bike versions anyway, just lightened and so on.  Here you go, this guy comes all the way from Germany to ride the Talmag on a 1925 Indian with fairly roadish tyres.  

Germany's Holger Schonknecht turned out on a 1925 Indian

And spectators and riders alike adored the bike, it was absolutely brilliant.  That's true, non-British bikes might need adding to those rules..... 

The Greeves Challenger is a scrambles/moto-x bike fitted with a small diameter Stefa ignition, very well suited to what it was intended for but unsuited to trials use. The Challenger cylinder and head with slight variation were used on the TFS, TGS, THS and TJS Greeves trials bikes.

The head angle on the Greeves alloy I beam didn't really change but the make up of the fork yokes on the leading link forks certainly did to change the steering angle.

Edited September 14, 20214 yr by trialsrfun

My first bike was a Challenger - it's a pure scrambles bike, totally useless as a trials bike, the engine characteristics are for speed with no low down torque

If low down torque was absent that would be a major problem in slow going. I didn't think about that big issue with a  MX bike... I should have considered the powerband, if it comes on quickly, not so good for Trials, but probably ok for trail riding, if geared down in those years. Later MX bikes were ported for HP, and hard to handle even on a MX track. I saw a few trying the steep hills, I used to ride, back in the 70's and early 80's, and once they fell off the pipe they were done instantly. Once in a while you saw parts coming down the hill.

Not so good for trials but would be good for trails don't forget the isdt Greeves were based on the challenge