Hi all, been into bikes since I was a lad now in my 50's and trying trials.i ride a xt660 for my daily and live in the east Midlands. I had a converted ts185 and really enjoyed doing bits and bats so sold it and got a fixer upper gg jt350 ( hindsight is a wonderful thing) but hey ho. I'm fitting lots of new parts and some second hand parts to get it up to standard. I'll be asking lots of q's regarding the bike so hopefully there's lots of techs on he🙏 thanks Jonny 

That's a LOT of bike for a new-to-trials rider ... still, I hope you're having fun and that you get good use form your bike when it's all done up

Yeah I believe I went overboard with the cc's but I doubt I'll outgrow it hahaha 😆 

It's more that the larger bikes are more vicious, which holds back learning technique.  I have a 175 (with a whopping 12hp), a modern 250, and an old 350 ... out of those the 175 is the best for actual competition because it's easier to "finesse" in a tight stop.

1 hour ago, turbofurball said:

It's more that the larger bikes are more vicious, which holds back learning technique.  I have a 175 (with a whopping 12hp), a modern 250, and an old 350 ... out of those the 175 is the best for actual competition because it's easier to "finesse" in a tight stop.

I've told countless people the same thing but I suspect that some people would rather have the excitement of riding on the ragged edge than getting the lowest score

Throttle down, shift up, work the clutch and get good at one finger braking 👍  then you can safely start to follow better riders and learn technique.  

Find the gear that takes you from zero to all you will ever need (usually 3rd on a 300cc) leave it that gear until you can ride that gear with good control on any terrain.  As a senior citizen I prefer the larger displacement bikes because I don't need to ring the snot out of a little tiny engine to make it work.

Cheers for replies all, I don't plan on competing its only for myself to take my time on and have fun and hopefully learn some new skills 😀 

12 minutes ago, jonnyheath said:

Cheers for replies all, I don't plan on competing its only for myself to take my time on and have fun and hopefully learn some new skills 😀 

The riders that you would be competing with are the ones you will learn the skills from and competition motivates you to learn and apply those skills.  Best thing I ever did was start amateur trials competition and the skills didn't significantly develop until after that happened.  It's too easy to never challenge yourself or to find reasons not to ride, riding with others that have the same interest is the best motivation.  Riding with better riders makes you ride better. 

Edited August 21, 20233 yr by lemur

Sound advice about 3rd gear, though that's going to be very physically taxing in tight spaces, lol.  As a fellow oldie I don't use the clutch or rev the hell out of my 175, it just chugs along in 2nd gear.

I agree about entering competitions though (or at least joining a club), that's the best way to learn and get help to improve skills