michael_t

Not in a trials bike but nice to see them making moves towards a simpler 2 stroke design.... http://www.gizmag.com/honda-two-stroke-with-fuel-injection-patent-filing/38529/

lots to read here: http://www.gasgas.com/tech.htm

I read that Beta has a new full sized electric prototype kicking around...

Given that cover I am not anticipating anything pretty - LOL

Here are a few options, Dave is awesome it would be kind of funny having trials gear shipped FROM Canada for a change http://www.outlawtrials.com/index.php?category=Toolbelts&action=list&status=nothome

I was going to click the like button... but I really don't like it! I do unfortunately agree whole heartedly - very sad state of affairs. I am Pretty sure my 17 yr old thinks that going outside is some sort of warped punishment that I dreamt up to ruin his life.

I would say that I was never able to ride my old GG200 to its full potential as a pro rider borrowed it from me one day and did things on it I wouldn't dream of being able to do (he then handed it back and said "well it isn't the bike"). On the other hand I do think my 2015 Sherco 250 has really improved my riding... it may just be psychological but I love my new found riding abilities

Happy July 1st - Canada Day - By looking at the results from both WTC Nationals http://www.trialscanada.com/wtc-west-2015.html and the CMA BC Championships http://www.trialscanada.com/cma-crumpit.pdf It would seem that the riders are very comparable with the 2 expert riders (Steve and Stan) that rode in both events scoring almost the same in both events. I just wish I was able to get out there and take part. After traveling to the West coast last winter it was great seeing such an active trials community and certainly something we would like to work towards here on the East coast.

Yeah isn't metric great . I only mix up 4 litres (with 50cc) as well. Given people run from 50:1 to 100:1 I just use a kitchen measuring cup (don't trust the side of the bottle) instead of a syringe. I also use a bit of the gas to rinse out the measuring cup and pore it back into the mix. I should note that even though my X-Ride has the same motor as the Sherco ST290 I run it at 50:1 (5 liters with 100cc) as I ride it more as a trail bike than a Trials bike.

Some go to 100:1 but I stick with 80:1

T-Shirts may be cheaper than trophy's for prizes and might do more to advertise the sport as you can wear it instead of putting it in the old trophy case .

If I was going to break down 20 miles in the woods I would rather be on a 160lb OSSA than a 250lb Honda any day. I was really close to buying an OSSA but ended up going with the Sherco X-ride. The thing that I liked about the OSSA was you can convert it into a pure Trials bike. I wouldn't have converted it but like the idea that geometry is fundamentally the same. It is really just a Trials bike with a seat. Good maintenance is the key to not having any bike break down. What swung it for me was dealer and importer support - I really try to support my local shops when possible. If there had been a local dealer who had one sitting on the floor I would most likely have bought it. Lewisport USA would most likely be a good source of parts and they are just down the coast from BC in CA.

If people think they need money to make the thing grow I strongly suggest not going after the riders. Very few independent people have the funds that large corporations have. If you squeeze the rider to hard they will just stay at home. It is typically just about as fun improving your riding at home as it is riding where there are people to tease you when you fall (especially if there is only a beer on the line). I strongly suggest you work very closely with your local clubs and volunteer base so you don't just come in and p*** people off. Do a lot of research before doing anything else and if you are going to do it GO BIG - what ever you think you need multiply it by 4. Everything costs more than you think it does. As an example I decided one year that I would test the waters as far as getting funding for trail development, I put a proposal together asking the local Government for $5k to clear some trail with mostly volunteer effort and that any remaining funds would go to the local dirt bike organization. I was shot down and told I didn't know what I was doing. The next year I became president of the local dirt bike organization and submitted proposals to multiple sponsors and agencies totalling over $200k for trail building and additional funds for supporting the organization itself. We were successful in receiving all the funding and in building 4 riding parks across the Province. I am no longer president but the local organization continues to grow and the riding areas continue to receive funding every year for on-going maintenance. The local dirt bike organization has also continued to grow and currently has over 700 members. Moral of the story is - If you can figure out who the right players are and where the money is (and if you are a little lucky) just about anything is possible. First step is figuring out EXACTLY what it is you want to do and then figure out how to fund it. If you need $2M you need to have a much different approach than if you need $2K... unless you can clearly articulate exactly how much you need and exactly what you plan to do with it (it doesn't matter how much you are looking for it) will be near impossible to get it. Very few people will pay any significant amount of money into an organization if they do not clearly understand how the funds are going to provide a benefit (or healthy return) for their investment. Just my 2 cents. As a side note it is easy enough to get the red bull girls to show up with the big archway and free drinks (even here in Nova Scotia)... but they seem to get bored easily so watch what you ask for

Sorry but I never said I knew all of WTCs deep dark secrets and if you are not willing to share what your or "their" original intent was I guess it will remain a secret. All I know is when I went to put on my first event I asked both organizations what would be involved both offered up the ability for me to put their logo's on my events, cover my insurance, and provide a rule book... which was pretty much all I figured I really needed. The only difference was that one was free the other I had to have all members pay to join their organization (with no clear understanding where the money would go) and I never did get a cost for insuring actual events. I choose WTC and ended up only really using their rule book and logo. As you say this may change in the future and CMA may come out with an offer I just can't refuse... Or the WTC may reveal a deep secret that as a club we won't be able to live with but until then I think I will just carry on enjoying what we have (which is actually very little) for free.

BTW I am also putting on a free shooting camp tomorrow for Biathletes in the Province. It is part of Biathlon Canada's free postal shooting competition... you do have to pay $10.00 a year to Biathlon Canada as a "recreational athlete" but in Whistler you can pay $10 to just walk in and look at a Biathlon facility. Come to think of it we wear tight pants in that sport also but nobody calls anybody silly when you have a rifle on your back ... and no Steve I do not put on an event that I call the Olympics.

It may not be perfect but it is what we have today. Steve was a part of starting the WTC (I wasn't) so he is the best person to speak to why it was started. I'm just glad he did and although it seems to rub him the wrong way today there isn't much anybody can do about it, so get out and ride and enjoy the sport while you can - life is too short my friends. BTW MTR has over 20 riders (memebership with the provincial organization $20 is encouraged but not mandatory) events are no cost and most people pitch in to help out. We get funding from putting on one demo a year (around $2000), we put on one training day a year that we charge riders for (we even have a few Enduro riders sign up) the money raised from our training day goes to support the TdN team (typically around $600). I can understand people being upset with trying to compete with free and some get turned off by the whole idea but it is what it is for the time being. Unless you feel you have a legitimate (legal) case to complain please stop and let us all get back to our riding. No need to have Derek send me a note with his costs - I know what mine are. I even bought lunch for all the riders at our last event as we had extra money kicking around.

Hey Biff, I understand if you don't agree with my logic around looking silly... just passing on what I have been told .

Hmmm... I have traveled much of this little Province I live in and am pretty sure the best riders don't even ride in events, so not sure how it is possible for you to know exactly who the best rider in the whole country is at any given point in time. The WEC and therefore the WTC receives funding from MMC. Do you want to know who signed the cheque from MMC to the WEC or who signed the cheque to Oasis (their insurance company). My assumption would me Mark? at MMC and Sean at WEC and Ken at Oasis would have cashed it. Last time I wrote a cheque to Oasis it was about $1,500 for the year for $5M in liability allowing our local organization to put on as many events as we like I could have used the WTC policy instead as it is the same but needed coverage for things other than just trials. BTW If you want to put on a timed events it is another $600 or so per event (so we leave our stop watches at home for trials events). Pretty good deal when it cost me $900 a year to insure my son to drive a car on the road. When you say "our" national championship I am assuming you mean CMAs as that is who you are speaking for. I did provide 2 examples I realize they are MX championships but since FIM is for all motorcycle sports I believe they are relevant. I should also note that none of these national championship actually lead to the selection of Trial des Nations teams it is actually the teams and riders that get together to decide who will go... winning the AMA motocross championship (American national championship not affiliated with FIM) does not give you an automatic place on the team (but it does improve your chances ). You can call an event just about anything you like - but you cannot call it a CMA or FIM sanctioned event unless you pay CMA or FIM for the right to do so... and I am okay with that. I actually had a burger at a place that said they had the "worlds best" burgers, I am not sure if it was really the "worlds best" but I didn't start a big protest over it as I felt it would be silly to do so. It did actually fill me up and that was all I really expected it to do... so I was happy (per usual) . So I guess to answer your question I would be fine with it but pretty sure anybody who knows trials would realize Toni is still the FIM World Champion and it doesn't look like anybody will take that from him anytime soon. Hope that answers all you questions for today... I have some riding to do . Cheers,

No worries, No offense taken I am simply trying to answer your questions to the best of my abilities. You have said that the best riders in Canada will not be riding at the WTC Nationals... by that I assume you are suggesting that CMA riders are in some way better than WTC riders but are not willing to show up to prove it. I don't take offense to that I simply think there is no way to prove a rider is the best unless they come and ride at national events to test their abilities. Suggesting that WTC does not have a national championship is false it is an event and anyone in the nation can attend and challenge for the title. As I have stated it is a fact that many countries have national events that are not sanctioned by FIM. I am willing to conceded that they "may" not be as prestigious as FIM events, however I certainly do not believe that they are any less work or take any less dedication and love for the sport to organize and hold... and should not be diminished anymore than the people who work so hard to put on the CMA events. In talking to the head of the CMA my understanding is if I have all our members pay their CMA dues I can switch my events to CMA sanctioned. Unfortunately our current riders are not prestigious enough to understand the value of the offer. It may simply take time and I am willing to keep trying. I am really not anti CMA I simply see value in both organizations. I am seriously considering joining the CMA as I do see value on a personal level and it is a small price to pay to continue supporting the sport in Canada (if they will have me ). BTW - WTC and its affiliation with WEC and MCC is clearly stated on the WTC website for anyone interested. http://www.wectrials.ca/index.html MCC is affiliated with COHV which supports the majority of provinces with significant funding for off road motorcycling each year. They receive 100 of thousands of dollars from bike manufactures who are all very interested in seeing motorcycling of all sorts increase in popularity in this great country of ours. I know this is getting a little off topic but hopefully we can set the record straight that a nationals does not have to be sanctioned by FIM in order to be a nationals and it is a fact that most countries have examples where this is the case. I should also state I am not currently an official of the WTC, WEC, MMC, COHV, CMA, FIM, or any Municipal, Provincial or Federal Governing body. My comment solely represent my own understanding and point of view.

I must say it is great to live in Canada where 2 grown men wearing tight pants riding motorcycles without seats are blaming each other for making each other "look silly"... Just for the record my family feels strongly that any man over the age of 25 looks silly in tight pants... but that doesn't diminish my enthusiasm - LOL.

I know you stated that your post is just to inform non Canadians that WTC events are not "sanctioned"... my point is they are sanctioned just not by FIM. Most countries hold sanctioned motorcycle events that are and are not sanctioned by FIM so Canada is really no different. I think we can now all agree to that point (given the examples from the UK and USA) without bringing in examples from the majority of other countries. With respect to where WTC gets it funding that really hasn't changed since I answered you on the Trials Canada website in April of this year, I apologize to those outside the country for the acronyms but feel free to google them if you are really interested... "...You have the COHV that helps fund the MCC off road council (that currently has nothing to do with FIM) that has buckets of money to support motorcycling. As I understand it they have funded the WEC which is an actual entity and has an insurance policy. The WEC also has a branch they call the WTC I do not believe it is a separate legal entity but is covered by insurance as part of WEC. Since it doesn't cost anything extra the WTC is happy to extend insurance coverage to any club that is putting on trials event following the WTC rules. I would call this a WTC sanctioned event for lack of a better name for it. On the other hand you have CMA that is funded by its members across the country. They to have insurance in place and they have the FIM affiliation and associated rules. As I have said many times I think it is great to have the 2 groups trying to further our sport. It seems the CMA makes sense for clubs that are really interested in the FIM affiliation as it brings that international connection for things such as the TdN. The question I have asked the CMA is "given we currently have about 25 local riders I could dip into the provincial fund and pay the $1,875 to the CMA but what would we get in return?" Even if the club has the funds available I think it is important to invest it wisely and for the time being I would rather see the funds stay local so we can use the money to grow our club and sport locally. I admit this might be short sighted but unless I see the CMA investing in our growth (the way COHV does) I find it just too hard to sell to the local riders." As far as why I think it is harmful that we don't all work together... I'm starting to have second thoughts. It may be that by having you question the legitimacy and ability of any event or rider who is not willing to join the CMA and post on forums whenever the WTC is mentioned, just may be pushing people to get out and improve their events, grow their local clubs, practice more, compete more and hopefully be willing to open their minds to the fact any trials event is a good trials event (pretty tough to get running tape in the woods to far wrong when it comes to getting out and having a fun day). But as you say I am just new to the sport I have only been putting on events for 7 years and at 52 I am glad I have enough enthusiasm to be able to research this information and answer your questions for you. I just really enjoy the sport and with my recent sponsorship and brand new bike I am happy to do whatever I can to support the sport.

Oh and Biff... With the dollar sitting at 81 cents it is a great time to visit

For sure FIM is the most legitimate international motorcycling sanctioning body in the world. That does not make any other sanctioning body less legitimate. It is interesting to note that while the current AMA Supercross is an "FIM World Championship" series, the AMA Pro Motocross Championship series is not FIM sanctioned. Similarly the British Motocross Championship which is governed by the Auto-Cycle Union is independent of the FIM. The list goes on. Some may think it is a terrible thing to have an organization without "paying" members but that doesn't make it any less legitimate, if you call the insurance company they will send you a legally correct certificate of insurance for your event on the WTC policy it is legally binding and not just something made up. To say the best riders will not be at one event or another is a crazy statement unless a person is willing to show up and prove they are a better rider there is no way of knowing. I should also note that as far as I know the CMA has decided to stick with their own rules and not follow the FIM standard of moving to non stop... which is perfectly acceptable but - hello pot it is kettle calling. I do agree it is great to see the passion for the sport and the sport itself growing in Canada. I say keep up the good work CMA and WTC, and NSORRA, and MTR, and ATAQ and as many other organization that want to increase the riding opportunities for local, national, and maybe some day international competitions. I should also note that FIM only recommends Skeed for underwear so if you are die hard FIM you better check your boxers. http://www.fim-live.com/en/fim/the-federation/product-certification/bodysuit-underwear/ Cheers, Michael