grizz

Thanks guys. Yesterday was lesson 2 , keep in mind, for him 30 minutes is a push at the moment, the bike is not a gaming chair or regular sit on bike, so he has to work a bit harder. After the first launch today, the bike ripped a chunk of the lawn out, which had him appologising again and me chuckling quietly inside, it was off to a great session. Tom managed to do quite a few loops of the back yard, still slow and wobly, in one gear, but there is not much space to really play about, so next up it will be the two of us sneaking down onto the farmers lower pasture near the trees, and using the strip of land between the wheat field and the river. That way he will be able to get more speed and also learn to change gears. In other news, our friend Jon "Lebowski" has offered his spare Beta 250cc to Tom to use, and to take it to the Quarry for him to play on. This is great, because the bike is quite "soft" and I won't have to run off after Tom when we are in open spaces. It will be great having two bike to use between us. Tom, yesterday on his way doing a wide approach to get the loop done..... he was so shocked and clearly pleased wih himself when he completed it, which pleased me no end. I am really pleased and feel good that he is gettin on with it now. Also note the chash hat he is now wearing, he will be using his mums Tuareg boots when we go down to the pasture next.

You are very right. In the ideal world I should have stuck the crash hat on him, my bad. I know about accidents being just that, and should have done so when he attacked the hedge.

To most of us, riding a bike happens without thought, instinctively, usually without drama. Possibly, like me, you have been riding since age 14, when I started on a RD350 aircooled bike once my dad found out my brother and I wanted to start riding. Many of us are natuarally inclined mechanically, or just know how to drive a car, make an executive decission etc. Some of you will also know I am quite intollerant of the bulk of todays youth, due to a percieved lack of drive and values on their side..... that said, I also believe strongly that there is good energy to be harnessed in even the worst offender types of kids with ASBO's. When I married Nicola, I got a son and daughter in the deal. Hannah is 19 and at University doing radiography. Tom, on the other hand will be 16 in October, and not having a son of my own, I am always keen to drag him into the sunshine, away from the X-Box/PS3/Internet and to teach him some "Manly stuff" (That said, he was in the top 5% for his age group in the UK for IT last year, so not stupid) Today I got him out of the house for about 30 minutes, away from Black Ops, Doom, Super Mario Brothers or whatever crap it is he is playing with all his mates via the WWW. He has in the last few weeks started to verbalise an interest in some form of transport for when he turns 16...... it just so happens that I still have the 50cc Sachs Madass in the garage, which his mother does not particularly like, as I did not consult her 7 months ago when I bought it. Before we went outside, I used Google images to get pics of a DT125, YBR125 and some scooters for him, and unprompted he went for the look of the DT, so it seems he prefers the Dualsport look, and after pointing out there was less plastics to destroy and replace, he seemed pretty pleased with his preference. After some instruction, and hoping that his spindly X-Box controller fingers could manage to hold onto the handlebars and control the clutch and throttle, I took out the Scorpa and started it for him (Not sure he has the "strength/knack" to kickstart it yet) After a first attempt at pulling away, he managed to stall it without moving...... oopppps ! Re-Run through the sequence and start the bike again..... Next up he managed to dump the clutch in 2nd, rev the nuts off it, and Spectacularly Launch the bike, with himself attached in a deathly grip on the handlebars up the drive about 15 foot and destroy part of the hedge, 2 plastic pots and rip out and break off one of the garden spotlights..... (I am still chuckling now while writing this) Thankfully the Scorpa is a tough machine and built to be thrown about a bit, so with engine still running, I retrieved both a shaken Tom and the bike from the garden bed, picking flower petals from his hair and chunks of the hedge from the brake lever and front number board of the bike. He was still appologising when I got him back onto it and sent him off on his first 3 foot ride, before he was overcome by his success. After this things just got better and better and half an hour later he was doing the full length of the grass, stopping and starting successfully. I was so chuffed that when he wanted to call it a day, I ran inside and forced Nicola to come look at her "baby" get on with it. Tomorrow it will be a re-run of todays 2nd gear pull away, then doing a U-Turn in the garden, hopefully followed by oval loops of the garden. If I can keep him engaged in that for long enough it will be great to teach him to change gear on the move too. I have to mention this publically, I am really proud of what Tom got right today, as he is also left handed, and I remember how my brother struggled at age 12 just to get the co-ordination right. I hope this Motorbike riding lark can become a fun and safe thing for him to share with Nicola and I. All in all, I am very Chuffed !! I kept him stoping and starting up and down the garden.

Well, today was a wet one, yesterday had been a wet one pretty much for the whole of the South of England. Lebowski, Pete and I met up at Clackett Lane services and then went on to Betchworth Quarry. It is a great place with space for all types and levels of ability. Unfortunately I did not take my camera today, and of course typically with Jon and Pete there to keep pushing me and coach inbetween there were a few places I went up and into that I would not have considdered doing a week ago. Toward the end we just totally freestyled with Pete taking the lead and the two of us following...... Next up Jon took up the lead and made it more and more challenging until I managed to drop my bike halfway up a very snotty hill. Pete came to the rescue to ride the bike out and promptly fell off as well, sliding back somewhat, in the end all three of us got the bike out with slick tyres doing their own thing and us heaving it over a testing ridge. An awesome day out and as I said to the guys, when I posted the "Old men starting trial riding " thread earlier this year, I never could have guessed just how good this is. A couple of mobile phone pics, taken halfway through when we went to fill the bikes and have a drink. The other two afterward, my bike is now again clean, ready for the next time. Jon showing his displeasure at the weather. Great day done. Next weekend, Hastings for the day. Now time for a Brandy and Pepsi Max and some dinner.

Missed one.

Jon, Chris, Pete and myself went off to Canada Heights today, it is right next to Brands Hatch race track, and kind of tucked in between J3 of the M25 and M20 motorways. Firstly a bit of history copied and pasted. CANADA HEIGHTS The course at Swanley, Kent known as Canada Heights, acquired its name during the 1914-18 War when a large contingent of Canadian troops were camped there on the high ground. It has, however been in regular use for off-road motorcycle sports for many years, and by the Sidcup and District Motorcycle Club since 1948. Over the years, the circuit has hosted many events, from Club level to International status. It drew large crowds and national television coverage with the BBC "Grandstand Trophy" events during the 1960s. Despite its popularity and regular use by riders and spectators alike, it still remained just a rough piece of land for motorcycling until 1985, when the Sidcup Club bought it with the aid of a Sports Council grant and sponsorship from companies and individuals. Once purchased, the Club members set about transforming the whole area. Access roads were laid to improve entry for spectators; the tangled undergrowth was cleared to provide better parking and viewing. Then the exciting new track was created. During the recent years, the land has been dramatically improved, but never at the expense of the beautiful countryside and wildlife. Further land at the rear of the site was recently purchased and in 2010 a storage barn was built to accommodate the ground maintenance equipment. The land has been properly managed, with many new trees planted as the Club continues to develop the "South

Chris was waiting for his wife to get there on her Honda TransAlp, and had to look after rescue dog Delilah the Rottweiler. So I gave him the camera to just do a happy snapper session while walking about. Pete and Jon both have an innate ability to identify where you are screwing up or missing a trick, and were on hand often to guide me. As the afternoon progressed I did feel more and more confident. Jon at this point was offering to stand against the tree, in case I overshot, which he said would not happen, with the back wheel flipping the raised front wheel down when over the treestumps. How it should be done...... Pete getting it up. Delilah, what a nice dog. Got home at 19.15 and by 19.45 I had a hot bath, followed by a lovely dinner. Sunset was great too. Looking forward to Monday's Wobbler at Canada Heights. I trust that Jon will add some pics that his missus took of the mad stuff they were doing.

Meeting up with Lebowski and others today at Hookwoods in Surrey for a bit of a play. Lebowski mentioned before the place was Championship standard..... looking at the video clip I can see why. Seems there are more tame places to go as well on site, so I guess thats where I will be found Video shows a bit of madness by much more proficient youngsters. More good stuff. Right, here I am again. Had about 90% of this entry done last night at 11.30 when we had a power failure. So here goes again. I nicked Nicola's car to tow the trailer yesterday as she had given me both Friday and Monday off to go out and ride with Lebowski, Steve and Pete. They were camping with assorted dogs and wives etc, but I was going to be in bed last night. Waiting at the services, I parked up nice and straight, the little Peugeot 1007 diesel tows beautifully. We met up at Clackett Lane Services, had some McD's refreshments and then set off for Hook Woods, which is about 60miles or 100km from home. When we got there I joined the club for

Thank you, I do like it a lot, perfect for a beginner and prefect for a slow learner like me. Had a friend and his wife over for dinner last night, and he is a 4stroke fan, but actually like the bike a lot, and was very impressed with the value for money I got. Often more expensive is not necessarily better.

Been playing in the back yard, doing figure 8's and 3 bollard twister, also got a few small obstacles up the driveway to practice lifting the front wheel over etc, as I am not allowed on the grass. After a couple of these..... Things got better, and I was getting to "clear" my little obstacle course. Nicola's car also has a towbar fitted now, so I should be able to get places for dabbers meetings and also any other propper places to practice. She took the pics while watching to see if I needed an ambulance or neck brace. On Monday I kick started the bike and somehow managed to miss the action completely, ending up with the back of my knee hitting the top of the kickstarter at full force. It was not really sore, but it has progressively gotten more impresive looking, today it is a whole rainbow, with a nice large egg sized lump under the skin. Teach me to be casual about it.

Another weekend gone. After doing a load of domestic stuff this morning, I got to the garage by about 12 o'clock to start creating some obstacles to play and practice the basics on. A Circular saw, a bag of mixed, used nails and some new nails, along with broken pallets and some bits of timber from when I broke out a dry wall just before Christmas resulted in these by about 5pm. Bike in the picture just for perspective. There is a small adjustabe "beam" on the front right, then right rear has a rocking ramp, which also flops over to create two "potholes" to get through and over. The blue ramp on the left reat is adjustable and can be used in various ways to practice less and more ambitious moves on the bike when I feel confident enough. The four upright pins are markers for doing figure 8's and fine motor control. the large sleeper is obviously also moveable and to try ride over at dead slow pace. Lastly a small wedge of railway sleeper for me to start on and to try "bunny hops" over.

Trailer done, Next up, dismantle a few pallets and a sleeper and build a few small obstacles. Pics later if I remember to take them.

LOL, and you live in Edinburgh ? Great idea, like you say, Free and it works, but I can't be a***d to fit them. Trailer done, Next up, dismantle a few pallets and a sleeper and build a few small obstacles. Pics later if I remember to take them.

I used to have mudguards on that trailer, but it does not weigh much more than 60kg, so does have a certain amount of bounce and vibration on the road, and used to destroy its mudguards. Nicola did ask me if I was going to colour code and match the bike...... naaaahhh, it would be like the type of thing people do when they dress twins or all their kids the same.... or even husband and wife team dressing. Not quite my thing. The white paint brush was in use, so it was white, black would be my preferred colour . I am from a rural/farming upbringing, so would love a truck.... here in the UK we mainly get what you know as Mini-Trucks, so vans are the more common option as they are multi purpose and secure. Some people use carriers on cars as small as Ford Focus' and 4x4's to carry a bike like this, if they do not have space, money for a trailer. Last weekend I did see a variation on the trailer theme..... even shorter, with the bike rested on its bash plate and strapped down, again a Ford Focus to give size perspective. As you can se in the background of my GS along with the Scorpa which came in Jon's van, many people use small vans.

I thought I may as well run this thread as a thread related to the bike and our evolution. Today I finished painting the outside of the house a new colour, and also did the second coat of wood oil on the deck, followed by painting the facias white with enamel paint. After this I was a bit bored and thought it would look good if I used the white enamel paint brush I had used to paint all the facia boards and plant hangers around the house to paint the bike trailer white as well. Not a great colour for trials, but good for visibility. I ordered a towbar for Nicola's Peugeot 1007 this week, to be home fitted next Wednesday. Then I will be able to get to venues over weekends and possibly through the week while I continue to look for a job. Of course, typically, once at the garage my head started whiring, and I thought why not weld in a small support so that I can load and strap down the bike on my own when going riding or afterwards. A quick dig behind the shed got me some angle iron, and a different pile of scrap gave me a piece of heavy guage steel that looked like the right size. One angle grinder session later, it was clean and the very old nut and bolt that went through the hole was cut off. I welded the lot together, found a small offcut of 12mm marine ply, still left over from the Teardrop Trailer build, cut that to fit, drilled it and added a couple of gutter bolts to hold it in place. This will be perfect to put my cup of coffee and sandwich into when parked up between sections, or a helmet etc. After this I flipped the trailer over, painted the underside, then the topside. Will add the lightboard suitably reinforced tomorrow. So still not had time to practice riding the bike, as there was lets say a potentially unsavoury workforce excavating and laying a new driveway and parking for my neighbour this week, and I prefer not to show off, or make too much noise when there are eager ears and eyes out there...... IYKWIM Getting the bike onto the trailer with a log support and blocks to stop the wheels turning. Balanced as it should when I want to tie it down with the ratchets. Preparing one of the support pieces, self portrait again. Support and plate welded in. Nicola came down to see if I had managed to cut anything off, or weld myself to the chassis and took a pic of the progress. Done...... Paint still very wet, and small table in place, note recess if you can where the side stand will tuck into. Hopefully I will get the bike started over the weekend and practice my fine motor skills. In the mean time I again feel the need to mention the fact that I have the good fortune to have a wife who actively encourages me to enjoy the bike, and am hugely thankfull, even though I am sure I will "Pay up some time" I also need to dismantle some pallets and cut a railway sleeper to create and build a few simple obstacles. Thats all folks.

Great reply Tom, Thanks a lot.

Today I finished painting the outside of the house a new colour, and also did the second coat of wood oil on the deck, followed by painting the facias white with enamel paint. After this I was a bit bored and thought it would look good if I used the white enamel paint brush I had used to paint all the facia boards and plant hangers around the house to paint the bike trailer white as well. Not a great colour for trials, but good for visibility. I ordered a towbar for Nicola's Peugeot 1007 this week, to be home fitted next Wednesday. Then I will be able to get to venues over weekends and possibly through the week while I continue to look for a job. Of course, typically, once at the garage my head started whiring, and I thought why not weld in a small support so that I can load and strap down the bike on my own when going riding or afterwards. A quick dig behind the shed got me some angle iron, and a different pile of scrap gave me a piece of heavy guage steel that looked like the right size. One angle grinder session later, it was clean and the very old nut and bolt that went through the hole was cut off. I welded the lot together, found a small offcut of 12mm marine ply, still left over from the Teardrop Trailer build, cut that to fit, drilled it and added a couple of gutter bolts to hold it in place. This will be perfect to put my cup of coffee and sandwich into when parked up between sections, or a helmet etc. After this I flipped the trailer over, painted the underside, then the topside. Will add the lightboard suitably reinforced tomorrow. So still not had time to practice riding the bike, as there was lets say a potentially unsavoury workforce excavating and laying a new driveway and parking for my neighbour this week, and I prefer not to show off, or make too much noise when there are eager ears and eyes out there...... IYKWIM Getting the bike onto the trailer with a log support and blocks to stop the wheels turning. Balanced as it should when I want to tie it down with the ratchets. Preparing one of the support pieces, self portrait again. Support and plate welded in. Nicola came down to see if I had managed to cut anything off, or weld myself to the chassis and took a pic of the progress. Done...... Paint still very wet, and small table in place, note recess if you can where the side stand will tuck into. Hopefully I will get the bike started over the weekend and practice my fine motor skills. In the mean time I again feel the need to mention the fact that I have the good fortune to have a wife who actively encourages me to enjoy the bike, and am hugely thankfull, even though I am sure I will "Pay up some time" I also need to dismantle some pallets and cut a railway sleeper to create and build a few simple obstacles. Thats all folks.

You really had me chuckling now..... as it was the wife saw me wheel it onto the lawn in front of her secret garden and asked what it was doing there, which is why the second pic was taken on the driveway. Sure I will clean it once she is out of town.

Firstly, a massive heartfelt Thank You to Jon "Lebowski" for letting me test ride the Scorpa a whole Wobbler days worth on Saturday and riding with me and coaching me, so much so that between him and Chris they assured at least 5 clear yellow sections for me. (one took about 15 tries in total on my own after they moved on and I chose to stay) Jon and I had been speaking about me buying his older bike off him as he has a Beta Rev3 now that his confidence and skill has improved so much after a year on the Scorpa. On Saturday he brought it 80 miles to a great venue about 25 miles from my home to test out and decide if I really wanted to buy it..... I know only one other guy who is that set on a buyer being sure and happy that they want to proceed, and that is Myself. Today he drove 60 miles with his van to my place to deliver the bike and chat about it and how to keep it in top fettle. Have I mentioned the guy is a bit obsessive about his toys being in tip top condition ? The deal was done, now I need to start to learn how to ride it and enjoy it. Sure you have seen many Scorpa's before, but now this is MINE !! 2003 SY250cc Scorpa, with Yamaha motor, in very decent condition. Any advice or tips on maintenance, riding, transporting etc greatly welcomed.

Thanks to Jon "Lebowski" for bringing the Scorpa along today. Nicola had cut me loose for the day to go out and watch, learn and possibly play. I rode up on the GS and met him and Chris. Registered and got my number...... 63 which has to have some significance as it is my birth year. The three of us went off into some of the woods for me just to get the feel of the bike on dirt. Then bit by bit we went through sections, and to be honest, I was knackered after an hour, hurting in places I did not even know that I had. After a drink break, we were out again, and bit by bit it got easier...... I even managed a few clear sections (probably about 5 of them) some after a couple of failures. We took some pics in one section, which is will post for those who like pics. It was a relatively easy day out, with sections alligned to all abilities. It was perfect as a gentle introduction for me. A Massive THANK YOU to both guys for helping, advising and being very patient with me through the day. Jon relaxing at the first break session. Big and Little. So different. Random bunch of pics now. Jon getting it on. Chris doing his thing. Seems a GasGas does not use much fuel. Last thing was the lessons learned..... 1.) I learned to compress the front end to get it to ride over small logs and obstacles. 2.) Always make sure you have the fuel tap on regular "on" setting, not reserve. I ran out of fuel as we came out of the last and furtherest section, then pushed the bike through one field/paddock from the crest of the horizon, while Jon whizzed off to fetch some fuel and also ran out 300 yards from me. As Chris said..... the lesson is to read the owners manual before setting of. We pushed the bikes to the start of the first field while he fetched some fuel on Chris's bike. Bikes waiting for a refill. All in all, a great day. It has to be the most fun you can have for such a limited budget, and everyone is ready to help and give advice. My favourite was watching an 80 year old guy playing for 5 hours non stop..... Has to be up there with my best memories. I am sure I will know just how much fun I had today when I wake up tomorrow morning. Nicola has also been very sympathetic so far, not sure what she will have to say when I wake and squeal like a pig at 3am while turning in bed. Looking forward to the next time out, and getting to understand more about bike control. Hope we are inspiring some others to start playing too.

OOOOPPPPSSS ???

Looking at adding a towbar to Nicola's car while I do not have a job with a car..... Always wonder what weight the actual towbar and its construction can manage from a leverage point of view. Are they not rated at about 50kg ? I do have a single bike, light trailer, so maybe a very simple box type cover would be an option to keep some eyes off the bike and keep it clean on the roads (well, to some extent) In the mean time I need to buy the bike, which could be happening on Friday.

Advice noted TLTEL, years ago (20 plus years )I kick started an IT 250 that I had as it started rolling down a bank wearing only army boots, foot slipped off the kickstarter and shin hit the footpeg as hard as it could, resulting in a rupruted saphenas vein , and a home visit from the GP in the evening , and two weeks off work after being caught with the stupidly swollen leg at work and sent home....... trust me, you can only do nothing for so long, then it gets boring. I am usually quite good at ATGATT Hope to go "test ride" the bike over in Reigate on Friday to see if I am happy with it, and really want to buy it,seller has become a friend and wont sell it to me unless I am 100% happy...... I was happy to buy it after 15 minutes messing about in front of the garages.

Just a quick question, based on an action I am about to undertake. What sort of money should one spend on buying a privately owned 2003 model Scorpa 250 ? The bike is clean and decent looking.