metisse

Yes agreed, having a trial almost on your doorstep most weekends, several national championships and a few named classics all covered by a tiny fee in comparison, you have never had it so good......

Exactly, and with fewer and fewer trials to ride, its becoming an expensive hobby. Insurance costs through the roof, as well as a portion on each licence going to fund the training of young riders etc, the natives are not happy. What is happening more and more now are what they call Trials amical. These are trials that are run without an entry fee, without observers and without a classification. No licence required so they are attracting a good amount of riders. Even the Mont Ventoux classic trial although run under a different federation ie. UFOLEP, the only requirement was a road legal bike and a medical certificate. I don t know where its all going, but the normal weekend competition trial may soon be a rare thing.

HI If your bikes are uk registered , the change over should be quite simple although remember this is France... . In France to be road legal have to have lights fitted, and working. To obtain a French licence you will need to pass a CASM test. This is just a test organised by the club you choose to join, showing you are a competent rider. Most entries will ask for this as well. Again you will need a bike licence to ride, as again this is asked for and checked sometimes at signing on. You should, if living in France, change your English licence for a French one, its a simple swap, One bonus is you get your trailer licence as well which is a separate affair here and requires a test. You do however need a medical from your local doctor, again easy to arrange. In France you can use a trailer of less that total 750 kg on your car licence, above that you need a trailer licence hence you have that anyway. so best to organise that changeover at the same time. Regarding classic bikes that have never been registered, either in France or elsewhere. You can get a carte gris for it quite easily. You apply for a form from the I think FFVE its a classic dating company that with the form you fill out and the photos you supply verifies that it is in fact what you state it is. With this completed form which is around 50 euros to obtain you can go to your prefecture and register it and get a registration number. It a little bit of a faff , long around three months but quite easy. A FFM licence which is the federation that runs modern trials will cost around 200 euros per year, plus club membership 30 euros not the cheap ACU here . A Ufolep licence which most classic Pre 65 twinshock trials will be around 60 euros in total. For all the dicking around with registrations etc it may pay to look and see about selling your bikes in the uk and buying French homogated bikes here cerrtainly Stg is quite strong so wont be much in it. Hope this helps,

Cheers Ross..

Not wanting to drive Martin mad again with a question... I have it seems, the plug it left the factory with and I have decided to change it whether it needs it on not.. Can someone point me in the right direction on the NGK I might need. Oh I nearly forgot 1978 320... Merci Beaucoup

As far as I know kill buttons can still be the original type.

A guard must be fitted to the swinging arm, usually shark fin in shape and positioned down so it covers where the chain meets the rear sprocket. It is a must. In fact all trial in France require this for future reference. Plus not forgetting a working kill button.

Just worth a mention the Mont Ventoux trial barely two weeks away had 470 entries, to which it appears 170 riders were unlucky to miss out. So 300 classic riders will enjoy the provence sunshine.. I hope. Safe journey down to the Brits and good luck.

Thanks I will pass this on to him. Having owned the bike for some 55 years he has quite an attachment to it. I very much doubt it will ever pass the begins cards again, moreover a sunday morning hack. It is a lovely bike and worlds away from a present day pre65 and dare I say it almost unridable in all but the very easy route. How times have changed... Thanks for the replies

Could anybody please point me in the right direction regarding the above bike owned from new by my trialing uncle. He is looking to restore the bike to original condition could anybody please recommend a company or individual who is capable of carrying out the work. Would prefer East Anglia or South East. Many thanks

I have resisted the temptation to go down the electronic route, however turning up a Spanish trial several years ago at great expense to find the bike heating up and stopping after only one section does however make me feel it may be worth while. I will, if I find the right trial ride it , but it really needs to be ridden in sensible sections against bikes of a similar era. Like many I have watched Mick Andrews in those old black and white cine films, but modern classic sections are still too modern In my view, and in any case I have other, later bikes of which I prefer. One final thought, as discussed privately with a Scot's chum, I wouldn t mind seeing the Pre 65 Scottish changed to Pre 75. Whilst remaining a classic, I wonder if more people would now prefer this era of trials bike heading up pipeline than the 2015 pre 65's of today.

That is a lovely TY. I have recently bought the same model and year, not dissimilar in condition although mine has a hiccup when it comes to running. I have bought it as a sunny day runneraround not a serious trialing steed. Once we get it up and running will try and post. A very nice bike..

A little sarcastic tongue in cheek......50 year old ex schoolboy trials rider doing the best he can still,riding non stop and resisting going over to the dark side of stop...where I would then need a clutch and brakes..

that sounds just the ticket... will it fit neatly behind an SWM clutch cover... and er , what exactly is it...

Yes, have you tried an SWM clutch..

Fun boys Three.. that's a name from the past.. Anyway these boys are in and their team is registered....

Another quick thought... The weekend before this trial, there is a French classic round being held at Sardent, Nr Limoges Creuse. It will be using land also used for the well known classic four day trial, that many on here may well know or in fact ride. Its a new event this year and they would welcome any riders on their way down to Provence that may fancy a warm up. Its a two day event , although the championship is on the Sunday. Camping on site ..

The entry for this trial is now up to 450 riders, the organisers are now seriously looking to curtail any further entries, if you are undecided, or have just entered in the last week you may not get in and have your entry returned.

It was a good trialing weekend, with both him and Charles Coutard mingling and speaking with the riders. An autograph session Saturday evening, with them both signing pre printed action photo,s again a very well thought out addition to the weekend. However after wobbling round on Saturday trying not to make any errors, it became a different story when right on que sunday, the heavens opened and the cobwebs got dusted off third gear. I would think the 75 kg bike doubled in weight. Chapeau to Joel and his merry men for a fantastically well organized trial... made better in my opinion by the rain ordered especially for " Le Rostbiff,s " or so Joel said on the Sunday...

Yes, its worth doing..

I have just bought this and its got a list of illnesses , the main and really only one left, is a worn carb. I would like to replace the original TK for the equivlent Mikuni. After making some enquires it appears the dark arts of carburation are in force when it comes to this particular Yamaha. Would any kind person help me in pointing at the carb I might need, along with the relevent jet / needle sizes so I at least try and get it to run halfway right. I would love it to be a bolt on straight of the box , is this really too much to ask.. Thanks in advance

Hi Yes I cannot see a problem doing that, each one will have a different dossier number. Print all the different entries off and send in one envelope.. Et volia. Out of interest are there many Brits apart from the normal/ regular faces coming.

I have just entered myself, so you go to pre inscription there is a yes or no box to tick to start with concerning whether you need additional insurance.. I have the bike insure and are covered so its a no for me, as for riders in the uk I would think. Pre inscription you just fill it out for yourself like any other entry form. You do however add the name of the other team members in the box provided. Level.. Yellow easier route, Blue middle, Red Hard. You download your dossier, which will appear like a pre filled in entry, print it off and send it to the address indicated. Payment for non Frenchies is cash when you arrive to sign on. Don't forget you need to take driving licence, bike registration details and insurance details when you sign on. If I have missed something or anything else needs to be addressed I will post. Don,t forget the Helmet has to correspond to the regs I posted earlier in the thread, if not no ride. Lights must be fitted but don't need to work.

Did nt the Germans lend the greece the money so they could in turn spend the money in..... Germany. The Swiss are buying euros at the moment and with the bad news already in the rate I doubt the euro will go much lower. Lastly I find it amusing that the greek chap in charge is straight on the phone to francois Holland who is straight from the Russel Brand school of economics....what the f45k does he know, apart from throwing good money after bad...Perhaps they think and hope the same.

Just to update a little, the entries should be out today on the Ventoux trial classic site. Bike requirements... Engine sprocket guards must be fitted, along with rear swinging arm guards, where the chain and sprocket meet. lights as mentioned must be of motorcycle origin and not repeat not mountain bike type. The do not have to work. Due to some one trying to be toooooo clever last year , later aircooled mono engines 307/309 Fantic or Aprillias with twinshocks mounted will not be accepted . Helmets must adhere and be stamped ECE 2205 , whilst no expert all trials helmets of the last three years have this anyway.. Good luck and see you there.