huntmaster

I've seen pics of a few HT's in UK and European trials with these big squarish mags mounted on them. I thought maybe a BTH...but perhaps not? A more modern aftermarket electronic one (with a battery pack?) guys are using? I had a devil of a time sorting out my OEM Lucas competition item, which seems to by working well after one final overhaul. Just curious as to what is being used out there and advantages. Regards, Doug

Wow..nice pics. That Hiro (Aprillia?) sure is clean. Must be a fresh restoration or ridden in paved sections only! Nice.

Good article Tony. As I posted earlier, the rules here in North America are definitely a lot less strict..however we are also dealing with a fraction of the numbers of pre-65 entries one sees in the UK I expect, even at the largest AHRMA meetings. It still seems that there could be some middle ground here, particulary in the face of an aging demographic dealing with what were very big heavy bikes in their day! Besides that, I would like to get my HT over to Scotland one year and I suspect it's Ceriani fork will be a deal breaker under the current rules! Doug

Yep. A beautiful bike to look at but if I had a production HT I'm not even sure I could ride it in my "local" vintage series, which runs the few pre-65 bikes together with newer twinshock bikes...on the easier of the lines. There would have to be an another easier one still or I would probably be leaving a trail of oil to the next section... and might just as well be running a rigid! Doug

No. Every "Millerized" Ariel out there is based on a bike that was never produced by the factory, but a works bike if you like. Remember that most of the famous Miller mods happened after the HT was out of production, when Sam had some leeway to modify the bike (from BSA!). A production HT is 300 + lbs of steel oil tank, forks, big hubs, chrome steel rims.....food for thought! Doug

Interesting thread. It's nice to see that pre-65 trials is popular enough in the UK to require so much scrutiny! Across the pond here you might see a handfull of such bikes running at a vintage event... dominated mostly by later twinshock Spanish and Japanese entries. I could probably run fuel injection, disc brakes and inverted forks on my HT5 and never be turned away from an event here, while it's Ceriani forks and Rickman hubs might be a stretch for UK pre-65 events. As has been pointed out, the riders of these bikes aren't necessarilly kids anymore. When I started riding vintage events 20 years ago with my Honda fourstroke there was a regular turnout of Cubs, Triumph twins, C-15s, Bantams....even a Royal Oilfield, at area events! I expect for older riders, as mentioned elsewhere....the prospect of manhandling some of these bikes through a section today is rather daunting. Anything that encourages them to come out again has to be worth loking at. Regards, Doug

Interesting blog space there Tony. I think however, I will still try a few AHRMA trials rounds in the future despite your "endorsement"! I must have done a different "North American Championship" then you just did....a few years back with the USCRA. It was a fun event too and handy for me being in the northeast. It was very convenient to enter and I could use my Canadian license, as the organizers keenly recognized that Canada was in North America too! Good fun! http://www.race-uscra.com/trialshunter03.html Regards, Doug

I'm hoping to do a few AHRMA rounds next year to at least justify geting their license. It seems to be about the best place to ride and see pre-65 bikes in North America these days. Some of them are pretty far for me but I've got a better bike transporter rig now so it should at least make the hours go by easier! Doug

Glad there was a few older bikes out at the event. I really enjoyed the year I went. I think it bounced around to a few different venues after Gunstock NH and I'm afraid I kind of lost track of what was happening with it. Will have to try and get back out next year. The Enfield looks great. Doug

Is that the one in New Hampshire? I rode that one a few years ago. Were there many other pre-65 bikes out? Doug

Oui, voila la photo pour la brochure Ariel! Cest la "spitting image"!

Except my early years were on Hondas and Yamahas! As for the 50th anniversary, I was surprised to find that out as well. One more reason to feel old! The historic ride, word has it will be fairly vintage friendly, easy trails, unimproved roads etc. Might help keep both bike and body intact. The biggest risk to the latter might be from the bike's original owner and restorer (a.k.a. father) if I damage it! Regards, Doug

Yes, many moons. 50th anniversary this fall as a matter of fact. Dilemma...do I take the BSA for historical anniversarry ride, or the KTM (with working plush suspension) for the modern ride?

I saw this project as a link in another forum's thread recently. Not mine, but I used to ride my dad's identical one many years ago. Bring's back memories! There were probably more competitve twinshocks made, but I always like the looks of the Plonker...bulky or not! http://www.homestead.com/mavt/OSSA.html There's a few others at the main "project bike" page here, including a Hodaka Challenger like I once rode! http://www.homestead.com/mavt/Tech.html

Does that make today's pre-65 bikes tomorrow's rigids? Actually, some feel like that now!

Don't forget the Royal Enfield Bullet! Built like a gun they said!

You meet the nicest people on an Ariel! Honda stole that slogan years later!

I would have to agree. Whatever the reasons to ride a pre-65 bike...price advantage is probably not one of them! Depending on the bike you can only hope the money that goes into it will impact it's overall value at the end of the day. Old is not necessarilly cheaper and I've heard a few comments lately how early monoshocks are actually more favourably priced and a better value then some of the classic 70's twin shock machines!

The Southwestern Ontario Vintage Trials Riders have a pretty active schedule too. Some of their events are just over the border from western NY. Lot's of choices out there! http://www.tritonmachining.com/new_page_11.htm Doug

I've been to some vintage events that have done exactly that...particularly when there is in some case a forty year spread between the ages of the riders as well as the bikes!Doug

NETA and USCRA ran a great event at Gunstock Recreation Area during Laconia bike week.... up until recently at least? Awesome scenery, big turnout and vintage- friendly sections. I'm not sure of it's status now but will have to ask. I went a couple years ago and sent in an article which they posted on the USCRA website. I've been meaning to get back ever since!Regards, Doug http://www.race-uscra.com/trialshunter03.html

Greetings all: Not exactly a "GOV" clone, but a "Millerized" Ht5 replica here you could say. There's no "real" HT's in my area so the replica was a far more practical (and competitive) way to go, with most of the bits available in the pre-65 aftermarket including Miller's of course. A road model Ariel VH basket case was the starting point. Major departures from other Millerized HT's are the use of Ceriani forks instead of Norton (My Norton didn't want to give them up!) and Rickman hubs... as Ariel Leader's are also non-existant here. It's a "work in progress", with ongoing suspension, carburetion and magneto sorting completed, but it works real nice and getting better with additional sorting. Tossing the worn out Amal Monobloc recently in favour of a new manufacture concentric was a step in the right direction. For anyone interested thers a short build article at Bob John's HT5 site here: http://bobjohns.coastinternet.ca/ariel/hunter.htm Regards, Doug

That's the same bike I saw in Beaulieu years ago visting the UK and was equally confused as I thought I had just looked at GOV 132 the previous day in Sammy's museum beside a trophy case! See Bob John's HT5 site. http://bobjohns.coastinternet.ca/ariel/ That's when I started suspecting there were a few replicas around....confirmed when just a few days later I was offered a ride on another replica at the Ariel Rally trials in Norwich, and was suitably impressed. It felt as light as my 250 Honda and didn't have to compete against SWM's in the twin shock class! Had to build one! Regards, Doug

Yikes. It was a monumental task getting pre-65 classic bike riders to consider multi-grade oils in the first place! Now you're really playing with fire! Doug

Yep, everything goes full circle. One of the SWM's I ride with in vintage events was actively involved in "modern" trials when my local vintage series started. There were a lot of Bantams, Cubs, C-15s even Triumph twins out originally, but those bikes and riders are older and more valuable now (well the bikes at least!) while even the later twin shock two strokes like Ossa Plonkers, Montesa 247's , etc are rarer sightings...displaced more and more by even later twin shockers (Yamaha, SWM, etc) or even more recently by air-cooled monoshocks. Sacriledge? Maybe, but times change and trials is too small around here to be turning people away. Perhaps (depending on location) some series aren't being forced yet but it's a simple matter of time. Add classes and cater to newer generations or whither on the vine. Last event, my Ariel and a Tiger Cub were the only pre-65 "classic" bikes out!