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I ve been delveing a little further, and have come up with some more information. If you wish to ride in a French national championship trial under FFm rules you have to have been resident for a minimum of three years. To have a FFM licence and ride one off non championship trials, you can be a non resident but you have to belong to a french club etc etc, and there are no rules regarding over 50s and ECG scans. Remember this is for a normal yearly FFm licence not an one off international one, there is a difference it would appear. The sticking point as I see it. Since around 2005 before a license is issued, to anyone, you have to complete a course of competence "CASM" in a nutshell basic trials know how. So when you arrive at a trial you know how to sign on, start the bike in a safe manner, fall off in a safe manner etc etc etc............Now this is universal whether you have an FFM or Ufolep license. It doesn t matter if you have been riding in the UK for the last 100 years no way round it. Unless as stated in a previous post on this subject , Joel Correy seems to be able to circumnavigate this for Brits wanting a Ufolep licence for classic events and you join his club as well. All in all it is a lot of hassle certainly to ride only one or two events a year, again this was gleaned today on a cold French hill side from a enthusiastic French man speaking at 100 mph so I hope I understood it correctly and I am correct in what I have written. By the way is there anyway I can come home and ride the Phil king national next year and get a day licence as I no longer have one, or belong to the organising club. Bon soir

Here anybody can go and see any doctor, and that would apply to any non resident, most villages have them, no appointment just turn up and wait your turn. At the end of the consultation we ALL have to pay twenty euros. Living and being in French system this is reimbursed into our bank account, for someone on holiday or not in the system you would not recieve it back unless you had extra insurance. Perscriptions work along the same lines. I cant see how if you have you come to a trial here in France and have a medical it should or will cost more than twenty euros. If it does then something is not right... My doctor in fact just signs and stamps the medical everyyear, doesn t charge me as its not obligatory , I scan it onto the computer and use it for the numerous other things that require it over the course of the year. There seems to be a lot of hearsay regarding this and I am pretty sure what I have written is correct. As I mentioned in an earlier post the FFM are very rigid in their interpretation of whats right, the classic scene run under UFOLEP are just happy to get the riders and will in most cases be very accomodating.. Winging it in 99.9 pct of cases is usually ok but.................... Again hope this help Back to X factor...

Thats true, if you are taken ill, you are covered. However to ride a trial you either need a licence albeit a day one. If I ride an FFM event, usually once or twice a year, its 25 euros for a day licence. However, the clubs have lowered the enty fee for one day licence holders so in fact the whole days entry ie. entry fee plus day licence is only 5 Euros more than I would expect to pay if I had in fact a FFM licence. Out of interest I will make some enquiries as my local club is FFM, although we are trying to have a classic side with a UFOLEP affiliation as we speak. I will see if non residents can have a club licence and what would be needed to qualify for a FFM licence. Again hope this helps and after all, I thought now we are all " Europeans " you should be able to work and ride trials where you like...........hassle free..

It all depends on what type of event you wish to do in France, there are two federations that trials are run under. Firstly the FFM which is mostly modern trials with a few Pre 65 and twinshock trials, or UFOLEP which is in fact an association for all amateur sports, with a branch for trials. The later is under which the majority of classic trials run . The FFM is very strict with lots of rules and regs and UFOLEP is more laid back for example you can ride in your old helmet, without gloves, kill switch in the middle of the bars not by the clutch lever etc etc. With both, you are covered by insurance although with the FFM you bike should be registered and covered with the additional insurance that would come with road use. I dont know the true cost of club membership and FFM licence , but ball park around Euro 140/150 plus you may or maynot have to sit an exam to prove you know what your doing before they give you a licence. A UFOLEP club and licence is no more than EURO 70 however you need to have a medical for both adding Euro 20 to the cost. The amount of UFOLEP trials are on the up and many clubs are changing their affliation because of the license cost and the fact there is no difference in insurance cover, much to the distain of the FFM and as you can imagine there is not a good word between them I ride in Spain from time to time and they are happy to accept my French UFOLEP license but again these are classic events which are usually more laid back. If this is of interest to you and would like to apply for a UFOLEP license and club you could do no worse than contact Joel Correy at Trail 70 vesoul. He knows the system inside out, and most Brits living and riding in France use his club no matter where they live as its the easiest option to get going. Hope it all makes sense Bon soir

Recently we ran a club trial and I was surprised to see it was using the " open free " style of marking. My initial thoughts were trust the French to take something simple and complicate it. To a point I was right. Different coloured gates with differing values. If I understand it correctly you have a time limit in the section to which you must or can ride as many gates a possible and to which you are capable of passing through. You must not cross your tracks and to get to a gate you cannot pass any other gates the wrong way. Hope that makes sense. The observer ran behind me flipping over a scoring card counting the gates and their relevenent value. If you take on a high value gate but dab, you gain the gate value but loose points as you have dabbed and the higher the value gate when you dab the more points you loose, so when you walk the section and this is only allowed at the start , I beleive ,you have to really to think can I take this gate on and clean it otherwise ,valuewise it isn t worth it, I might as well play safe and go for the low value option just to stay clean. Then as I see it you have to keep any eye on the guys you want beat or are in your class to see what gates they are taking on. A little cat and mouse............ Now did I enjoy the trial, well it wasn t serious and it was a chance to have a go at something different. Its complicated to start with and you have a maths lesson at the end of the section counting up the gates, subtracting the points lost via footing, and I would think without several observers on each section the problem of accurate scoring would arise. Its not my cup of tea really, I like the simplicity of everyone in the same class riding the same route, but thats not to say its wrong, its just different, it may suit some riders as it is a variation of trials as we know it. Hope this helps in the discussion.

When talking about a TL 125, an expression a friend of mine uses from time to time springs to mind !!!! " You can polish a turd all you like but it will always be a turd.........." Sorry to be disparaging about a trials bike ,but harsh , but fair... I think. P.s And yes it was my first ever trials bike and remember it welll..............best

Hi looking for one too, tried Classic trial but is unable to supply, any other sources, or is it a case of spending even more time scanning ebay. Any ideas or help much apprciated. Thanks

Here in France all trials are unable to start unless you have a ambulance on site and a doctor present. If there it is a long lap, sections can only be laid out where there is access to get to any injured party and the organisers may have to have two ambulances and teams to take this into account. I think I am correct in saying also before a trial can take place on land it has to be homologated ie. inspected by the Fireservice, police and council etc to make clear any other safety issuses. Now on the face of it, this looks the perfect answer, accidents do happen, certainly with modern trials and their eagerness to mount incredible steps and extreme sections etc etc...but it adds huge cost and problems to the organising club. Each ambulance and first aiders Euros 300/400 and a doctor on standby the same.. and then tying to find someone certainly a doctor to give up a Sunday even for this type of reward is very difficult. So if you want the security of knowing someone is on hand it has to go on the entry cost and trials have attract enough riders so clubs do not lose out. Again, here elf and safety is going mad, and the price and general aggravation and of course putting huge responsibility on organisers is drivng clubs to think is it worth the hassle and financial risk, so the trials calander is starting to decrease and riders are losing out. By all means a first aider and a box of relevent bandages plasters etc etc but for me ease the sections so accidents are less likely to happen.

One of the Frenchies in the club has busted his back wheel, he has not yet told me what year it is but imagine its 98/99. Usual thing he has noticed things a lot cheaper in the UK and wants to source one here or in fact there.... Does anyone know of a possible source ie bike breakers etc so I can show willing. Thanks very much if any one can help Bonsoir

Sorry to get away from the original thread, but talking of modifications, I cannot see how you can really allow later Reed valve Fantic engines in 240 frames etc etc and then get upset when someone slots a Mono yamaha engine into a frame...... Its either right and accepted and not and unacceptable there really arn t any grey areas as far as I can see... Also trick Ariels have always attracted criticism in the Sammy Miller series this is nothing new but then again it was nt really set up to cater for them either.

They ll be fireworks if this carries on...

Whilst finances may dictate what bike you ride again this is not new to trials, years ago some bikes were always much more expensive than others. Sadly however way you spin the argument it comes down to gaining an advantage, and should this be allowed ???. Twinshock trials are what they say they are nothing more nothing less.... You can still buy twinshock bikes relatively cheaply, yes agreed the more " tricked and exotic " ones come at a price, but thats the same as everything , I.d like a Ferrari with a bike rack but that aint going to happen... You can still do well riding a cheap bike, and spending a fortune or even converting a mono into a twinshock will not propell you up the results if your level of riding cannot take advantage of the better bike. Again as I see it, if nothing officially is done regarding the rules and regs then I feel clubs will have to police it themselves or it may gather momentum.

Also what is interesting too, is that seven out of the top eight riders were ex Essex schoolboys trials club riders, now it would be interesting to dig out a set of those results and see who is still riding more than twenty five years later. Several now back on the bikes they rode all those years ago. Bonsoir

I think you ll find you need deeper pockets than that Woody... That might about cover the engine and a little of something else. I hear one ,might be coming to the Uk next year as well... No names though.....

Great weekend although my thoughts go out to the wife of one of the riders, having just left the road and riding down a wooded path she somehow lost control and fell off. Sadly in doing so she managed to get her hand between the chain and rear wheel sprocket and it had a finger clean off. I arrived no more than a minute after it happened and made the mistake of looking to closely ......... I hope she is OK and they managed to reattach it. I hope all the Brits enjoyed it and had a safe return and look forward to next years event although I hear it may be in two different venues Saturday then Sunday, problems with the ramblers apprently.........

Parked next to that Ossa yesterday at a trial, really not that nice in the flesh, and talking to a more informed person it would appear to be a bit of a bodge........his opinion not mine.. There were certainly better bikes from Spain mainly Bultacos they do like a bit of bling ... On a lighter note nice to ride the same sections as Eddie lejuern and Charles Coutard they may be old but they can still ride, very very well.

Just back from a trial down in deepest France and was really impressed with an Swm out after having a make over. Was interested to learn that the headstock had been moved... swingarm lenthened and exhaust had been breathed over. Was really impressed with the way that it went I was told it was a 1982 280. Are these really an undervalued .., but overllooked alternative in the competative twinshock trials market. Don t know as in many cases, whether the above mods are really worth the hassle and cost and at the end of the day the bike still has to be ridden but I was very impressed with the way it went , I might even be tempted or are they an aquired taste....... Thanks

It seems to me that most people are happy with any twinshock as long as it looks pretty much as it did when it left the factory. Bikes will without doubt be tweaked and modified but if it remains easily indentifiable as a Fantic, Bultaco Majesty, I dont see any problem. Hybrid one off bikes and certainly converted mono shocks do not fit, And for the life of me cannot understand why you would want to ride one knowing the controversy surrounding them as they are clearly being built, sold and ridden to gain an advantage and test the rules or lack of them , on machine eligibility. It will be very interesting how this subject progresses but it can start with the clubs policing it themselves and some hard decisions being made when these bikes turn up at trials.........

Great picture on the front of CDB this week showing what I feel Pre 65 trials is all about, then delve further into this issue and look at the whizzy Pre 65/70 Bantam. Great as it looks and clever as it is........ Should they compete against each other or should it be up against twinshocks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY local mate at trials club here in France is really peed off at the rule changes, when he marks out a trial each year he looks for bigger and bigger steps and the sections take longer and longer. This not because they dont enforce the time limit but when one of these young bucks fives it, he wont get out of the section until he has had at least another two goes at it. Modern trick riding is impressive but is it what trials are really about. Here trials are cancelled if we have some rain because they won t modify the sections accordingly and deem it too dangerous . I hope this encourages more bums on seats and I for one may now consider putting the Pre 65 aside and buying a modern bike.

You will never ever ever see any Yamaha involvement again with Scorpa.......... They are currently taking stock of many options with the new CEO off on holiday, reflecting in which direction the factory will take. Apparently nothing has been decided yet and will not for several weeks.

Talking of Roy and Helen Cary do they still reside in poshest Essex or is he living up somewhere else, I was only talking about them and there input to trialing the other day...

Someone is trying very hard to rescue this company, so don t write it off just yet ..............