2stroke4stroke

John. Sorry we didn't get a chance for a chinwag on Sunday. As I'm even older than you I feel I can say this - the sort of info you have come out with here is invauable and only a fraction of it could have been recorded in your book, but one feels it should be preserved for posterity, possibly in a less formal format than possible in a book. Perhaps you should have a monthly column on here to ramble through Scottish trials/bike/character history rather after the style of a pub conversation with photos. Or would that put too much strain on Andy's broadband width!

Laser "Haven't agile, light weight bikes out sold the over priced, heavy ones for many years now?" We can only buy what is for sale and have had no choice, within your definition, "for many years now" but to buy the lightweight bikes. You might be surprised how well the older heavier bikes would sell if the twinshocks or early monoshocks were magically put back in to production. I'm sure events to suit would appear. Let's face it the average middle route for modern bikes in many trials is less severe, relatively, and indeed absolutely in several cases, than a lot of trials we rode thirty and more years ago. I can cite a lot of steps we used to do on Bultos etc that are now regarded as too difficult and ridden round rather than up.

I've been with Norwich Union, now Aviva, unbroken for forty years and the renewal premium is quite acceptable (but Aviva won't allow me to go direct) and the broker this years wants a 50% fee, effectively for posting two letters. It would appear that the insurance broker is voluntarily becoming an endangered species in this era of internet insurance.

That depends how keen you are between sections I witnessed my pal's 1970's 50 kph endo, which still gets talked about. Even the guy in front stopped to see what had happened behind him. Fortunately no real injury and, being a Bultaco, the judicious application of a scaffold tube straightened the bike out, more or less.

That depends. If the one sits in Tynwald and none of the 1,728 do then one could trump hundreds.

Surely cutting the tubes out was a fairly common period mod?

Bultaco build quality really, nothing to be too worried about - just get the chain running straight.

Not uncommon, I recall coming back down Cameron Hill fairly rapidly when the Fantic ran backwards. Then there was the time when I was riding the Bultaco to school (them was the days) and it coughed at the give way line - when I let the clutch out I reversed in to my French teacher's Toledo!

The price of TYZ parts brought forth a collective sharp intake of breath from the trials world in the day. For some reason it has stuck in the mind that an exhaust pipe was £360 (quoted at the time because they seemed rather vulnerable) which was about 8% of the cost of the bike. Makes a Titanium pipe seem cheap twenty-odd years later.

Triple clamp was in use to describe a yoke decades ago in the American magazines (come back Cycle and Motorcyclist, where are you now) and I always thought the trees bit was used to describe the combination of top and bottom yokes together with the spindle.

"......contacting every house around the route directly would create too many objections. Mostly from people that wouldn't even notice the event was running." The very point I made earlier. Good luck with the event, having put in a disproportionate amount of work.

And the reason it was introduced was to justify an opinion on motorcycle trials so therefore relevant to the proponent's argument. Perhaps Chris Akrigg's style comes about due to him being a motorcycle trials rider first?

Great isn't it, a superb computerised stock control system but the importer can't tell what it is from the official Yamaha part number and has to ask "what's it for pal"? Which may bring back fond memories for Edinburgh residents.

Worth trying super unleaded.

It can be worth putting some paraffin in and working the forks a few times (spring out and top off) to clean out the mucky residue but make sure you tip it out quickly as if left it could cause the seals to swell.

Not necessarily - have you ever seen Chris Akrigg in action, especially on a fixed wheel bike? He tends not to fart about http://chrisakrigg.com/ and has a very flowing style. Let's face it, riders only stop and bounce about to make it easier so if they are not allowed to do so then there has to be more of a challenge? And it does not matter what system you use, the sections should be laid out to give the riders some element of safety - it may just be a bit different if no stop is in force.

Very smart. You will no doubt be aware of the care required when starting these earlier models with the RHS gear lever. I recall one at the start of the SSDT at Gorgie cattle market. The thing gassed up and would not start so the rider gave it a really good kick with the throttle wide open - needless to say it fired at full bore just before the starter lever slammed the thing in to gear - he took away the starter's table and sent the gent flying. Rather early for a five.

You shouldn't get sub-standard Michelins. i know someone who works for them and part of his job is to put a Stanley knife through the walls of anything that does not pass inspection.

Ah, but using the same line as everyone else does not always give you the best line. In a "traditional" trial part of the skill is in picking a line.

Because if you don't notify residents the chances in most situations are that most won't even be aware that the event is on. Tell them and they'll be straight on to the Authorities complaining about stopping the noisy motorcycles they haven't noticed for the last thirty years.

Campbells of Campbell Street, coincidentally (or perhaps not). You will recall the showroom was downstairs and the spares department occupied what had been a flat upstairs. The wifie who ran the spares bit did not seem to have any bike involvement, other than her job, but knew exactly what she had, what it was and just where it all was amongst the various rooms, cupboards, shelves and piles on the floor. Much better than computerised stock control and the average parts man these days. When Campbells closed the place became part of the Ernie Page empire for a while but then was a variety of things over the years such as a household items shop before, in the Nineties, becoming Manx Motorcyles, if memory serves me. This was a real throwback to the Fifties with bits of dismantled bike festooning the window ledges. I think that lasted a couple of years. Willie Pitblado's was just a breakers, in my day at least, and was chiefly distinguished by the presence over the years of a Manx motor in the window (wouldn't happen now) and Willie's distinctive white with blue stripe Bond Bug used to tow the Pitrite Special to trials. I'm sure he was chief marshal at the SSDT for a while but I certainly recall the story of him rolling the plot on the way back down from the Fort when he fell asleep at the wheel. I suppose that makes me "one of the older bike folk".

If you asked for coke and ice in your pint of IPA at my local you'd get huckled out the door.

You'll not get the best results that way round joeninety. Barrel and piston to Langcourts so they can plate to suit what size the piston actually is, as opposed to what a piston is supposed to be.

Surely this has to be a prime candidate for Big Dave's get rid of red tape campaign?

There's always this of course http://www.probike.co.uk/it110009.htm but it only checks the chainline, not the wheel alignment.