wayne thais

Lane, You are in California, ask some MX riders, expecially some younger ones. However all you have to do is pick up a dirt bike magazine, for the most part it is cover to cover MX and off road racing, there will be a rare article about trials. Cycle news is the best source for something about trials. I told one of the magazine editors a couple of years ago that they held our growth in their hands. I think that you will also find that the governing body of all of these venues want them to grow. I have heard the same story as you related about how the leadership in the NATC at one time decided that they did not want trials to grow. Maybe this will change. Another thing is that the factories are very directly involved in the other venues in the US. Over here the importers are doing everything they can to support the sport, I believe that they are all stretched as it is, I know RYP reorganized in order to stay in the black. It is interesting to note what Sherco is doing in Europe, they hold regular Schools for the up and coming young riders. Several of our up and coming riders are on Sherco. I would hope that Will, Patrick and Andrew would avail themselves of these schools next year, I know that Will has gone in the past. If these kids were to decide that they wanted to attend maybe they should start a fund for this purpose. High school bands do all kinds of things to get money for their trips to bowl games etc. Enough of my rambling, Wayne

This topic has generated a lot of response, some really great and then some that would appear to be personal attacks. We really don't need that. Now back on topic, just how are will the US get at WR Contender? Alan, Lane, Ishy you all three have youngsters that have shown an interest in Trials, do one of you have a future world champion in your house? My youngest son had potential but he started too late and had other interests, he is finishing his senior year in college and plans to get his masters right away, he is also in love with a young lady. What has happened to young Will Ibsen? I know that he was going to play high school football and was showing some interest in MotoX. I don't think that he did very well when he rode in Europe. Has he become burned out or just growing up and pursuing other interests. Does Patrick Smage have the potential and if so who is going to mentor him? I know the family is very dedicated to the sport. It would great for someone to provide him with some additional sponsorship money if that is what he needs. Some trips to Europe would certainly benefit him. Are there any other youngsters who show true potential (Skill, Drive, Attitude, etc.) If there are then we need to put our money where our mouth is and start a fund for these young potential champions. Wayne

Here is a wild _______ idea. What if Trials was an Olympic sport? That has helped other sports grow and prosper. For the US to field a true World Round Competitor it is going to take some effort on the part of some parents. Our kids have so many different sports that they can participate in, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Hockey, Track/Field, Football, Gymnastics, BMX, Wrestling and the list goes on. Many of these sports are offered at the local High Schools and if the player is good enough College Scholarships are available, both of my youngest children have received athletic scholarships which really helps with college expenses. (basketball and soccer) A parent and the child will have to develop a true love and dedication to the sport and decide early on that the target is to be a Trials World Round Competitor. This will mean many sacrifices and a true dedication on the part of the family and the child. Once the rider develops as far as he/she can go in this country they will probably have to move oversees and continue their development. (All of this is also dependent on the child having much better than average talent) That is exactly what many of the leading bicylce racers have done, Lance is a very good example. I do not know of many young people, or parents, who would be willing to pay that price.

Spinner, you are welcome, it was my pleasure. You are absolutely correct, the people are great. I am amazed at how riders in the same class will help each other pick lines and encourage each other. Wayne

Some more info on how US bicycle racing was conducted when I was racing a few years ago. AMATEUR classes. Classes: CAT V, CAT IV, CAT III, CAT II and CAT I. They also had classes for senior riders, typically 35+, 45+ 55+, in these classes everyone was lumped together, a new 45 year old rider would be riding with someone who could have been a CAT I or CAT II in years past. The 45+ beginning rider could also ride with the CAT V's. You were allowed to race up a class but you could not race down a class. The USCF rep was responsible for upgrading riders. I forget how you were awarded points but if you won or placed well in several races you would be moved up a class. If you dropped out of the sport and made a comeback you could appeal to the USCF and get bumped back a class. Anyone who rode had to have a "License" issued by the USCF, your racing age and class were spelled out on the license. Races: When we promoted a race our job was to do just that promote the race and set up the course. We also were responsible for registration. On the day of the race a team of USCF officials would arrive and run the race, they would make sure the course was safe and then do all of the race day chores. Start, finish etc. We were reponsible for paying them and providing their meals, we also paid them mileage. We obtained the purse from the local business owners, some provided money and some provided merchandise. The purse would be distributed to all of the classes, we gave the largest amount to the higher classed riders but the lower classes were not left out. We would typically draw riders from 3 or 4 states. Would a purse be applicable in trials? That is up to the promoter, I found myself looking at the purse when deciding which events to race. Now could any of this be applied to US trials? I think that some of it could if the riders thought that it was a step in the right direction. I see the current situation in the US as somewhat splintered and would hope that the majority of the riders/clubs would like to see it united. It would be nice to be able to compete all across the country and have the same classes, same rules and the have the event controlled by the same governing body. I also think that there is a certain amount of what I would call "Old Foggeism" (probably spelled wrong)in the sport and it would be refreshing to see it changed. OK, I just put on my Nomex underwear. Let it rip! I am a senior citizen and can take the heat! Wayne

Lane, First of all let me clarify that I am no longer an importers rep, Ryan reorganized and I was a causality! I think the reorganization will certainly help their business. The thoughts that I am expressing are mine and have nothing to do with any importer. I was just throwing out some ideas. It is very clear that the local clubs cannot afford to provide cash purses for all of their events, however if there was an end of the year, area/district/regional event that one had to qualify for, then if a nice purse could be offered for several different classes it would give the competitors a target to shoot at. This event would hopefully be a "national" caliber event similar to the event in OK and the club would be "allowed" to invite any Pro rider who would be willing to come. They may even be able to charge a spectator admission fee. The event in OK was first class and they had many spectators, my wife, daughter and I all enjoyed watching the Pro riders compete on the exhibition sections. The event was a two day event and the Pro riders rode something like 12 sections on Saturday and Sunday, they also rode the exhibition sections on Saturday afternoon, the scores from all the rides counted towards the overall score. Awesome rocks in Langley OK. I would suggest that for instance the top three riders in each class would be allowed to ride in the championship event. All of the clubs who send riders to the event would have to use the same classes/rules and be members of the AMA. Advertise/promote this event in the local media, get people to come, get the press to come, Cycle News, Dirtbike, Dirt Rider etc.. Maybe have three or four of these events across the country and then maybe all of the winners could meet someplace for a National Championship. Ha Ha! Just some wild aXXXd idea. Which someone else has probably already suggested and been rejected, it is obvious that what we are currently doing is growing the sport by leaps and bounds. BTW, my youngest son is paying for most of his college by playing basketball, he is a very good trials rider but in order to pay for his education the trials riding has been put on hold, it would have been great for him to have been able to get a scholarship to ride trials. Probably will not happen in our life time. Wayne

EVENT ENTRY FEE MINUTES PRIZES PLACES START TIME FIELD LIMIT Juniors 10-14 $18 20 + 2 laps Awards 3 8:15 am 75 Juniors $18 20 + 2 laps $500 12 8:15 am 75 Women Category 4 * $25 20 + 2 laps $750 12 8:45 am 150 Masters 50+ *** $30 30 + 2 laps $200 5 9:15 am 150 Men Category 4 $30 30 + 2 laps $900 15 9:55 am 150 Men Category 3 $35 35 + 5 laps $2,400 20 10:35 am 150 Masters 40+ *** $30 30 + 3 laps $900 15 11:30 am 150 Trike & Big Wheel Races & Youth (6-10) free 45 ribbons - 12:15 pm - Royal Neighbors of America Women's Open $34 35 + 5 laps $2,400 20 1:00 pm 150 Zimmerman Pontiac, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Honda Category 1, 2, Pro $44 50 laps $8,000 25 2:30 pm 150 Masters 30+ Category 3, 4, 5 *** $30 30 + 3 laps $850 15 4:00 pm 150 Men Category 5 / Citizens ** & *** $15 25 + 3 laps Awards 10 4:45 pm 50 * Women are eligible to race in men's categories & ages. See rule #1H2 for details. Here is the text from the flyer that I mentioned, the snot nosed kids only get awards. http://www.bikeiowa.org/mdwbr/Quad%20Citie...05%20flyer.html The guys that get the good money are the guys who are in their late 20's early 30's the purse for the older riders is not too bad. I am not talking about individual sponsorships, if you are good enough then you should get sponsored, I had a local shop provide me with parts at a decent price plus racing gear when I was competing. What I am talking about is maybe once a year you hold a big event and work with the local business people to come up with a nice purse, set up some spectator friendly sections. (That is what the club in OK does.) I would not suggest that the local club offer a purse for every event they hold. Our little bicycle racing club only held one race a year but we put a lot of effort into that race. The club 40 miles from us also put on one race per year and they put a lot of effort into their race. If you keep doing the same thing that you have been doing then you will get the same results that you have been getting. I am not trying to stir things up and apologize if I am covering the same thing that has been covered before. Ringo (do I know you?) asked and I offered my OPINION. Opinion only, but it worked for club in central Illinois and it seems to be working on a national level. The bicycle racing community has turned out some pretty good riders: Greg Lemond, Davis Phinney, Tyler Hamilton and Lance Armstrong. Wayne

Ishy, you said, "$3000,that would take a couple of events to empty our club bank account then the five pro's wouldn't bother turning up anymore, club would just be left to carry on the same as is now but with an empty bank account." AS far as I know the club did not use their money for the purse, they obtained sponsorship from local merchants. Having the 5 pros at a "local" event brought many spectators, the pro exhibition sections were in an area that was easy to access. You also said, "Looking at what they do in world rounds and the US champ class, the general public say cool and move on, the lad who has an interest says "wow! over my head and moves on". Isn't the idea to get people into the game, not show what they can't do." I agree with this statement 100%, I think the guys doing extreme demos are hurting the sport more than helping it, I attended one of these shows with my wife in StLouis a couple of years ago and from what we could tell most people treated it as a circus act. There was no one who was interested in buying one of those funny looking bikes and trying to do that. I also think that for the US market we need a bike that can be ridden in a novice event and then used as a "trail bike" we did develop a seat for the Sherco and showed it off at all of the nationals one year with very little interest, probably showed it to the wrong crowd. Wayne

Guys, I was a Langley, OK this fall and helped Ron Lee set up the Pro exhibition sections. Their club had something like a $3,000 purse for the Pro riders, first place paid $1,000. They paid 5 places and had 5 pro riders. The club worked hard and had a really great trials. The event is called Octobertest and is held the same weekend as the Octoberfest in Tulsa. Ishy I set up an event each year in September, Saturday Ryan comes over and conducts a school and on Sunday we have a joint AMA District 17/MITA event, if I get 30 riders to come I am happy. Because my youngest son is in college and my oldest is growing his business most of the work falls on me, I am slow and it takes me several weekends to just set up the sections. To be honest we have not attempted to get sponsors or offer a purse, we do actually have checkers which is very rare in this part of the country, we usually check ourselves. To be honest Trials took a back seat in my life for several months as I sold my trials bike to buy a nice road bike, the wife has developed a real taste for riding on the road with me. It has been a real joy spending time together on the road, I now have a really nice "02" Sherco and in May will have a new "06", my youngest son will be out of school and his basketball career will be over so maybe he will be able to ride with me again. I really believe that Trials is an awesome sport and can grow and prosper in this country, however we are going to have to get our heads together and figure out what it takes to make that happen. Hopefully the new organisation that Al mentioned will help make this happen. Ted G had a great idea but it cost him to much to repeat it. Here are somethings that I would like to see happen: 1. A strong national organization, it could be the AMA but they would have to provide some more support. 2. A common agreement on the rules from state/district to district. 3. National classifications, like in bicycle racing (CAT I, II, III, IV, V, Junior, 35+, 40+ etc) In bicycle racing the district rep will move up a class after you acrue a certain number of points, no sandbagging! 4. District Championships and then a National championship, again like in bicycle racing. Ishy there are many, many motorcycles sold, I see the Dealer news so I know the numbers, most of the road riders want someplace to ride, have you seen how many of them come to the WR's. My wife and I are always looking for someplace to ride to, we mostly ride to someplace to eat. What I tried to say is that there are other small obscure sports and really bicycle road racing is truly one of them and they are able to survive and offer some really nice purses to draw the top riders from all over the country. I would hope that we could so the some thing for some of our larger events. Here is a website that shows the purse offered at a bike race in Rock Island, Illinois. http://www.bikeiowa.org/mdwbr/Quad%20Citie...05%20flyer.html Maybe we need to hold some parking lot trials using manmade obstacles. Like I said earlier I really want to see the sport grow and prosper, if it grows maybe I could get my job back with RYP. That was a lot of fun, I am now working part time in the electronics department at the local Walmart, the wife told me I had to get out of the house. Wayne

Ishy, the number of true "racing bicycles" sold is probably pretty low, a really good bike can cost 3 - 5K. Please don't throw out the baby with the bath water. The US bicycle racing scene is NOT supported by the importers, it is for the most part supported by the racers and a STRONG National organization. I think we can learn something from the way they conduct their events, and provide support for the riders through the national organization. I could race all across the country and know that my license would be recognized and the racing classes would be consistent from state to state. We are still struggling with the basic rules in trials, we sure don't have the same classes from state to state. I would like to see the AMA really get involved in trials and help get it organized on a national level. I think that the importers are stretched about as far as they can be stretched and the burden of growth needs to placed elsewhere. Where, I would suggest local clubs/promotors along with the AMA. Wayne

I like to compare our sport to bicycle racing as I have participated in both, I raced and promoted bicycle races for nearly ten years, 85-95. Most of the local "Amateur" bike races had some sort of cash purse available for all of the classes. For the smaller classes you could at least get your entry fee back if you placed well enough, you might even cover you gas costs. In the CATI/II class they could win $500 - $1,000 for a decent place. It was not hard getting local sponsors to come up with a little money. We developed a nice brochure that included all of out sponsors. I was a little disappointed when I started competing in trials and found out that no prze money was offered. The club in Oklahoma recently (for the second year in a row) had a nice purse for the top 5 Pro riders. Other clubs might want to do the same thing. Take a look at a site like www.velonews.com and see what they are doing at the local level for bicycle racing. I think we might learn something from them. Some of the best bicycle racers in the world now come from the good old USA. Wayne

Craig, I think that your response was very tacky! Sam is a really nice guy and your negative response was not only tacky but very unprofessional. I had the pleasure of helping him with his bike at the 2004 World Round and found him and his brother Tim to be outstanding young men. They are both excellent representatives of the sport. Wayne

USA Team Sherco uses full synthetic Maxima oil mixed 80:1, here in the US most bikes seem to run well on a pilot anywhere from 33 - 36 with a main jet of 118 - 122. It all depends on the bike and the altitude. Your location in the world may dictate different jets. Talk to a local rider and find out what works for him, you may find his set-up to be perfect and again you may have to adjust for your bike/riding style. The jets that Charlie mentioned are a good starting place. Wayne Wayne

I am like Al I use good old fashioned duct tape. I believe there is even a tech tip on the RYP site suggesting this. One thing I recommend is that everytime you wash the bike you remove the rear fender and place a piece of duct tape over the air filter inlet and replace the rear fender. After washing the bike remove the rear fender blow everything off real well and then remove the tape before you start the bike. Wayne

Nigel, I don't think that will be a problem this year, in years past the factory built the first batch before they left for holiday. So they used up the left over parts and you ended up with an 04 1/2. With all of the changes they have made to the "06" and the fact that they are keeping the old bikes in the catalog I think that all of the "06's" will be OK. Wayne

I hope the pictures come through. Here are pictures of my modified triple clamp, the socket shown is the one that I used to determine the correct diameter to open up the stock clamp. Wayne

I have installed the fat bars (Hebo and Tag) three different ways on my Sherco's. Here are the ways: 1. I used a "99" top clamp on an "04" with the Hebo/Tag adapters. 2. I used a Gas Gas top clamp on an "05" again with the Tag adapters. I do not know what gg the clamp came off of. I had to have a spacer made for the steering tube as the Sheco tube is a bit smaller than the gg. 3. On an "02" I machined out the stock Sherco top clamp and used the Hebo top clamp. I used long bolts and had to put them in at a slight angle to make everything fit up nice and tight. If there is a will there is a way. Wayne

Here are some things that I would suggest: 1. Take the clutch cover off and clean the fiber discs in a good solvent, then soak them in a good transmission lube, Isuggest Maxima MTL 75. Use a fine grit sandpaper (400-600) on a piece of glass rough up the steel discs. 2. Drain the transmission oil before you do the above and replace it with 450cc of Maxima MTL 75 after you service the clutch. 3. If the clutch still sticks put the bike in 5th gear and rock it back and forth to free up the clutch. I put it in 5th and kick it through, some people will not agree with this suggestion but I have been using it for several years and several Sherco's (2001 through 2005) 4. Use at least 93 octane gas, use higher octane if you can get it. Use an 80/1 gas oil misture, we have had very good luck using Maxima K2 synthetic oil. 5. Take the time to re grease the dog bone bearings, the wheel bearings and the headset bearings. Apply anti seize to all of the bolts that go into aluminum. Go to the www.sherco-moto.com website and download all of the various service manuals. The ones that will want to download are located in Wayne's Corner. I really recommend the lubrication and maintenance guide. 6. When you wash the bike take the rear fender off, clean the air filter retainer and apply a piece of duct tape over the inlet. Put the fender back on and then wash the bike, as was mentioned above also plug the exhaust. Enjoy the bike, Wayne

If you are looking for the differences in the "03" here is what the Sherco brochure for "03" says. * New Transmission Gear Ratios * New More Progressive Rear Suspension * New Frame Geometry * New More Robust Clutch Basket * New Redesigned Airbox * New Paoli Front Fork The brochures are available on the Sherco website. www.sherco-moto.com Wayne

Go to this address: http://www.shercousa.com/pdfs/sherco_setup...ation_guide.pdf and open the "Sherco Setup and Lubrication Guide" it was written for the 2.9 but most of the information is the same for your 125. Wayne

RYP had them because I bought one, it was the Jitsie. You might give them a call and see if they still have them available. Lewis Sport USA has them on their website, take a look here: http://www.lewisportusa.com/jitsie.htm Wayne

I use the same method as Ishy with one exception, I use a small tapered brass drift so that I do not harm the threads. I have also had several Sherco's and have had a problem on only one of them. That is how I developed the drift procedure. I have a used bike now that has a missing bushing and I am using a zip tie, it works fine. Wayne

Ryan Young Products is the importer and distributor of Sherco Motorcycles. Ryan carries a complete line of accessories for Sherco and all Trials Bikes. www.rypusa.com 1-800-607-8742. Wayne

I just rebuilt a 2002 Sherco, the factory piston was an "a" piston, I had the distributor send me a "c" and a "d" piston (at his suggestion) I used the "c", probably could have used the "d" but it would have been pretty tight. I rebuilt a very lightly used "01" a couple of years ago and replaced the "a" with a "b", it was tight so I broke it in very carefully. Started it up and then shut it right off. Did that several times and then ran it 5 minutes, then 10, then 15. After the extended break-in it was a very good running bike. NO I did not measure the clearances, just used dead reackoning. Might not be the best but it has worked for me. It appears that not only does the piston wear but the cylinder lining evidently does also wear a little, either that or the pistons I bought were slightly on the small size of the lot. When you get your new piston I would suggest that you take it to the same place that measured your old piston and see what your clearance is with it. Wayne

Mike, How does the piston look? Have you checked the piston to cylinder clearance? It should be about 1 1/2 thousands. Wayne