toetoe

with the weather being nice today i was going to go to hawks nest for the afternoon but before i went i thought i would service the bike, just the normal stuff like air filter, oil change, clean the carb,water and just basically check everything over, being as i had got the petrol tank and air box off i started to clean the engine pot but no matter what i use it always looks like i haven't cleaned it so what do you guys use for cleaning your engine, especially the pot, i am ordering some new nuts and bolts from the splat shop so that will make it look much tidier but a nice clean pot would look even better, after i had finished it was to late to go out on it so i,m off to hawks nest on saturday, it's a great place to ride, it's the kind of place that makes me push myself a little harder for some reason.

i think i have already made my mind up to have a go with carb cleaner just to see it works, even if i have to try one of the other ways after, i have got to have a go, if you hear a big bang about nine in the morning then i put to much in it.

thanks everyone, i will give it a go tomorrow, my problem is not having compressed air at home and the one i used earlier today at the petrol station doesn't give you a constant flow of air pressure it does it a bit at a time and i don't think it's a good idea to use deodorant and a lighter in a petrol station, although i would certainly try it if i had a compressor at home so i will try the straps first, also there are plenty of small units around the area i live so if i can't do it i will find a small garage that will let me use their air hose.

i have turned my rear tyre around and it all went well until i went to put air into it, how do i get the beads to seat properly, i live not far from a tyre fitting garage so if all else fails i can nip it to there but it would be nice if i could finish the job i started.

i think a low pressure gauge is a must, i have been using my foot pump gauge but i don.t think it is very accurate and the tread is rounded so i will try turning it around.

does turning my rear tyre around make much of a difference, this weekend was probably the same for most people, with it raining it made the grass really slippery but i seemed to suffer more than most of the other riders, it was probably the lack of experience more than the tyres but if turning the rear tyre will help me just a little bit then i will turn it, also can somebody tell me how deep the tread is on a new tyre, it could need changing, one person at the trial suggested letting more air out of the tyre but i was already on about 4 psi for the rear and 5 psi for the front so how far can i go without being worried about damaging the wheel rims or getting punctures.

Hi Ash, i'm from burton on trent, so not far from brum, i have only just started but totally hooked on the sport, i did my first trial this weekend and it was a great experience, i didn't finish because i am just not fit enough yet but i am trying to do two practices a week or one practice and one easy trial, plus some light exercises every day so i should be where i want to be in a few months, i'm in no rush, i even enjoy going to different paces to practice so if you are out and about let me know where and when and we could meet up, i tend to do better if i'm with someone else and with starting at the bottom i have got everything to learn. nice bikes by the way, i have got a 1999 bultaco sherco 250, their is nothing bultaco about them really, from what i have read, they just licensed the bultaco name out for two years when they first started, i had a bultaco 340 about 30 years ago and i would love to find one as a project although i do love the power of the modern bikes, the most important thing is to enjoy yourself.

it's the same setup as any modern car and they seem to work well.

thanks Ian, i will soon be making earl shilton my regular practice ground, i have arranged to meet someone at the next trial, 27 april, so that i can pay my membership fee and get a key from them on the same day, i'm not taking part of the trial but i have offered to be a observer, i thought i would take my bike and maybe get an hours practice in after everything as finished.

i went home with a great big smile on my face, i really don't care what position i come, my goal is to do better than the last time and one day make it to the end, i have started to do some very light exorcises at home as well as practicing on my bike.

i had a great time today on my very first trial, i went to the dead easy trial, organised by manchester 17 trials club, i couldn't finish, i'm just not fit enough but i enjoyed every minuet, the biggest problem was the rain, it made the grass really slippery, i think if it wasn't so wet i could of done more but i now know what i have got to work on the most to do better next time, i also got chatting to quite a few people so i made a few more friends so all in all a perfect day especially driving home from near buxton, the view was great.

i wear these, i had them from off ebay for £15, they where advertised as waterproof over pants for trials riding but i just wear them without trousers underneath, they are quite thick and have velcro on the pocket flaps, i had them because at the time i couldn't afford much else, i think they are well worth the money.

you where right about the next day, i have a art lesson on a monday and i nearly didn't go but once i got moving i started to loosen up a bit, it was worth every bit of pain and i can't wait for the next ride.

i had my first real go on my bike today, thanks to Ian, one of our members, we met at earl shilton and we went on some of the easier routs, some i had a go at, some i left alone for today, i was made welcome by some of the other riders and not once did i feel out of place, the one thing i didn't recon on was how much my muscles would hurt, even my neck muscles hurt, with not being used to an helmet, i didn't quite make the full afternoon but it didn't matter because the time i did have riding was the best fun i have had in a long time, so thats it for me, i'm hooked, thanks Ian for a great day out.

thanks everyone, i didn't think it could go anywhere but their so much experience on this site, i thought it wouldn't do any harm asking, Ian one of our members as kindly invited me to earl shilton for the afternoon, saturday or sunday, to get some riding time in before i go on my first trial so i'm really looking forward to it and with earl shilton being the closest club to me i will be making myself a member in a week or so.

Hi, I have fitted my bike rack today, for the first time, just as a trial run because i am going out on my bike for the first time at the weekend and wanted to make sure everything was ok and it fits great, the bike sits nice and it doesn't hit the back of the car or anything like that, the only thing that concerns me is, after i fit the first bar to where the tow ball is and then slot the two other pieces in to it, should their be something that stops the two pieces from jumping out, like a pin or something or do i just use ratchet straps to pull it all together. this is a photo of the type of rack i have got.

sorry i should have put 22/23 of march, next weekend, im looking for any trials with a novice/beginner route that is within 50 miles of burton on trent.

After about four months my driving licence came this morning and I have tried to hire a van so I could get to the all fools trials tomorrow but no luck so I'm looking for a meeting to go to next weekend, Saturday or Sunday, I live in Burton so the closer the better, I am picking a 4x4 up hopefully on Monday with a tow bar already on it and I have already got a rack that fits onto the tow ball so I'm ready to go, I just need a trials, also I would like to get a days practice in so if you know of some where not to far for a practice that would be great. regards Tony

great stuff, thanks Ian, i will let you know a few days before if i can make it, but if i am let down i don't think it will be long before i can get to the meetings under my own steam, i don't think it will be much longer before i am a regular at at earl shilton, thanks ones again

i have thought about the risks of riding on my own, I don't have any friends who are into trials but i was hoping to make some new friends at meetings, my problem is i don't make friends easy because i had mouth cancer and had most of my tongue removed so people can't understand me very well at first but they don't give it chance to get to know me, they seem to think i'm mentally ill and walk of from me as soon as i try to speak to them, i try my best but you would be really surprised how people can treat someone like me, bus drivers have refused to let me on their bus because they think i have been drinking or they are so ignorant they don't even give me the time to write it down for them so i have had to walk home but from what people have said or things i have read, people who do trials riding for an hobby tend to be good sort, so it could be just what i'v been looking for, it normally takes about 30 minuets of chatting to me and then you can understand most of what i say, i'm really looking forward to the 16th, it will be nice to ride my bike some where other than my back garden and hopefully make new friends.

I will definitely be a bit nervous but that doesn't really stop me from doing something, i can be competitive but as ourian suggested, i will not be bothering about my points it will be reward enough just by taking part and making new friends, my wife is talking about us buying a motorhome so that we can travel to different meetings around the country and take the dogs with us and maybe stay for a few days so if everything goes to plan, getting into trials riding will make quite a big change in our life's and i get to travel the country as a bonus.

it sounds like it is just the ticket, i was hoping it was more mud than rock because it doesn't hurt as much when you fall and i will probably be doing some of that, it's all down to my friend now, if he can take me then i will be their, i phoned the dvla on friday and they said my application was still in a cue but i should here something within the next two weeks, if all goes well i think i will make myself a member of earl shilton club as it is one of the closest clubs to me and it has a practice ground i can go to on a week day, thanks ourian for the information.

i have been in touch with gail at earl shilton trials club, to ask if the, all fools trial, on the 16th of this month would cater for me, a complete novice and she said yes, i can just turn up on the day, a friend of mine as said he can take me as long as he is not working away from home, i was just wondering if any of the earl shilton club members could give me some idea what to expect, things like is it rocky or muddy, that kind of thing. regards Tony

if you google, sherco ignition map switch, it will give you a diagram showing you the difference between the two, most people keep it on one and just forget about it.

i don't think it is much to do with skill level, it is more down to the persons character, i personally like to push myself and like to feel a bit scared although i will always have a go at it, i think that makes me very competitive where as some people can just plod along at the same pace and get the same out of it as i would, it is good that you can chose for yourself what group you ride in, on the day, it caters for all.