atomant

The idea that people would buy the perfect clubman bike is a farce because most people are riding bikes which are too much for them ( I was too, my last machine was Ross Danbys tuned 300 GasGas and it was way too much for me ) - In the comment above from Steve Earle, He saw many older guys on Factory rep Raga's and why are they buying these machines? I think its because their mates are buying them and because they can ride the same machine as Raga does (virtually) so its an ego thing too. Also, they have disposable income so want to show off with a top of the range machine regardless if they can ride it to its potential or not. When I got back into trials the first trial I went to I saw a 16 year old Ross Danby on a GasGas 125cc and he looked amazing and low and behold.. all the other kids were riding 125cc Gasser's like his ! I think its more to do with psychology than a perfectly engineered machine.

Hi Eddie, firstly thanks for your kind comments I modeled this on AutoDesk Inventor 2013 - I've been using this for about 10 Years now and for what I design (everything from industrial machinery to medical devices) its pretty good and either this or SolidWorks would be my industry standard. The splines I haven't modeled correctly as I did this quickly to show the concept. The last time I used splines like this was in 1986 in a Robotic system and they were very effective and as you know, great for transmitting power Again, this is just a concept and designing this for manufacture would be the next step if I were to do anything with it You mentioned pins, That would be another way of doing it and that would be cheaper . I could think of some ways to do that too Cheers

Just done this as a concept - Its an interchangeable hub with an internal spline and the sprocket and the brake disc can just slot in so you can quickly turn the wheel around without major disassembling - I haven't drawn the shaft but this would contain a thrust washer bearing to hold it all in place on assembly into the rear. Its not to scale and I just threw this together as a concept so feel free to rip it to bits This probably needs moving into a different thread to be honest ....

All I can say is it's no wonder Spain is in the financial mess it is in ! They certainly don't have much business sense if they think they can produce another new trials machine in this current market that can compete against the other proven great marques already out there. Just crazy !

Yes to copy a TALON one above wouldn't take long at all, but I'm not suggesting that. You would need a system that was fast and reliable to do this to make it worthwhile.. and that would need some thinking about so not a 2 minute job

I have never looked at this but is this not already available? If not I fancy having a go at designing a new hub that would have this feature. Seems so logical ? Are there any problems with doing this anyone could mention?

Wow this is interesting. As a Design Engineer myself, I believe there is some room for innovation with the trials machine (and its not all about designing a new frame ! ) so awaiting with excitement what comes up - Good Luck

Was that not in 2009 ? I though Dibs dominated the 2010 series... Either way it was a while ago and just look where Ross was finishing against his peers back then to where he is now...

Make a difference to what exactly? Does the gearbox in your car make you drive better then?

Dabster, that is a ridiculous comment.! He wasn't competing in the WTC in 2012 and when he entered on a JTG, it was still on stop allowed rules which he wasn't riding and hadn't practised and he rode just ONE round! hardly a fair comparison when you compare to all the rounds he rode previous when he was doing the WTC in full. I will repeat again, To do a fair comparison you need to consider his results against his peers which are significantly better than they were 2011 and before. Riding the 'underpowered' 2012 model, he still managed to come third in the BTC and even beat outright James and Michael at Ruby Rocks. No other English rider done that. The machine and the JOTAGAS team has definitely had a positive effect on his performance. To claim otherwise shows ignorance in the least

Just look at his results against his peers in the SSDT and the British Champs. He's now finishing way higher than he ever did before. He even won a round of the British champs. who else has done that recently amongst the full series contenders outside James and Michael? His super smooth style may be a factor along with a few other things but the machine has definitely made a huge difference, not only in its capability, but the team supporting him is strong and focussed. How many riders have changed machines over the recent years just to go backwards? Ross is the only rider amongst his peers to have significantly improved since changing machines! Fact ! and bloody well deserved too ! Finally, I've said nothing against gasgas expect that they make good bikes and as I have one that can hardly be doing them down can it...

Ross Danbys bike is virtually a standard 2013 but with a Kehin carb. The rear sprocket is smaller to raise the gearing slightly in first as this is how he likes it ( I have his old GasGas and that is the same) other than small personal mods everything is as standard. The engine is very strong and has plenty of power. Ross' dad Mick said it is as good as it gets out the crate. A very capable and well built bike. What is certainly clear is JOTAGAS are very passionate about producing the best bike out there and they listen to the feedback from the punters and act on it. Ross has just finished 4th in the SSDT which is his best finish yet with no problems. Ross is consistently finishing higher than at any time in his career on a Gasser... and gas gas make good bikes! say no more.

Answering the original question of this post, I must admit that what I've seen of the World Champs thus far on non-stop rules looks very promising. A few comments about incorrect marking but they have always been there so nothing new there! Overall I think the potential for this to develop into something quite spectacular is there in front of our eyes given the right terrain and some imaginative section plotting. That is the key, good section plotting. Keen to see how it develops to be honest ...... onwards and upwards

I'm actually enjoying the no-stop rules. The section plotting is everything There's loads of scope with decent terrain to make non-stop much more of a spectacle and force the riders to develop new on-the-move techniques. So far so good I reckon

Hmmmmmm, so you MUST get a PERSONAL code so you can get your licence! Obviously not too clear for you as you tried applying without it ! unlike myself who managed to get my licence with consummate ease using the system.. Technology eh! one day you will catch up with it....

If I am correct, the code that you use denotes the club you have joined so therefore if you know the code and pass that onto to someone else who isn't a member, then they can use it and get an ACU licence.

I think you will receive the licence and it will have your last known club on it because I think what they are doing is if they have in their database a previous club registered against your name, they will use that on the licence card when you get it. This does not ensure you have paid the club the membership fee of course! I personally think club membership fee's should be scrapped anyway.

How can they possibly know who has an up-to-date membership with a club? I just joined South Shrop MCC and got their 'code' to go online to get a licence which I did, but if you know the 'code' then you can get one without them knowing. I like to be able to get the licence online - its a great feature but it doesn't not protect the clubs from getting member subscriptions. All you can do is when you hold a trial,look at the ACU card and see what club they have registered with. If its your club check to see if they have paid their membership for the year and if not charge them. Cant see what else you can do ?

Simply just 2 steps. A stern verbal warning then on a repeated offence a 5. As long as its dished out consistently then that's all the matters. The very fact that this happened is because it was allowed to happen on all the other trials before and was not effectively challenged. When this CoC took this action, it was deemed to be harsh simply because no other challenge of that severity had been made in the past! ..... Maybe it should have done ?

The Punishment was handed out by the CoC and that's my point. To elevate it to such a high level of punishment without issuing a warning is pretty harsh in the first instance. You often see in big football games the reservation of the referee to hand out yellow cards etc early in the game when so much is at stake.

The question is, should the procedure now be changed to add another level of punishment (like a formal warning) before the rider gets given the ultimate punishment, a 5 ?

If Michael said, "Shirty, can you go and sort that part of the section for me" then No that wouldn't be sporting, but he never said that did he. Shirty sponsors Michael so he is hardly likely to tell Shirty he doesn't want him in the section or tell him what he should or should not do. .

You obviously didn't understand my point to make a comment about riders getting away with unlucky 5's. A 5 would be taken by the rider and therefore he/she has influenced it. To use your same analogy, it would be if someone else who caused you to get a 5 by their actions of which you never had any control over.i.e someone walking into the section and standing right in front of you. You stop, You get a 5, and its not your fault. This is an injustice on that level I feel. In relation to the CoC I also believe he has applied the rules correctly however as I said above, I feel ( especially because what was at stake) the punishment was disproportionate for the 'crime'

This just strikes me as an injustice! However you look at this, Michael losing the championship especially after he rode better on the day, because of the actions of someone else not in his control, is wrong. Maybe in a sport where there is lots of money like F1 or something its important, but not in a 'hobby' sport like trials. Surely the punishment is disproportionate for the 'crime' ?

Thanks guys for helping out - I bought one from Dave Cooper as suggested cheers