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Ron And Doug "masters"


charlie prescott
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  • 1 year later...

Hi Charlie, I am new to this site so my response may be a little late, but in answer to your posting, the trial was the "Good Companions Trial" organized by the Leamington Victory Motorcycle Club and the trial was usually held in mid January. I last rode in that trial when I was about 18yrs old and rode a B40 engine in a Firefly frame (the one by John Lee). Although I didn't see Ron Langston go up King John's Lane I did see Scott Ellis, Jeff Smith, and Dave Langston on their works BSAs and Ray Round on his 441 sidecar outfit go up the hill. Scott was flat out in third but Jeff was a little more restained, lesser creatures legged their way up. This was almost the last section of the trial and was meant to provide spectator entertainment. There were always crowds on the banks either side of the lane. If you couldn't get up it was a very long ride out at the bottom and round the roads back to the quarry.

I notice you are from Banbury, I rode in a few Banbury club trials , the last being at Shennington. I think John Gleed was riding his B40. One year (1969 I think) I won the Banbury club's Big Banger trophy since Frank Night didn't ride his 500 Triumph that year and I was the only one with a bike over 250cc. I was 18 and weighed about 160 lbs, the B40 was way too heavy for me and seemed to get an awful lot of fives. I now ride vintage trials in Canada with a 500 Triumph and a 250 BSA. We don't have many true vintage bikes over here so we allow anyone to ride in our events. Typically we get about 20 riders with a mixture of monoshocks, twin shock TY Yamahas, a couple of cubs, and a 500 Triumph. We certainly don't have the trick cubs /BSAs and I have never even seen a B40 over here.

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Hi Guy's

Hi Martin.

You must remember some of the other NOBAC boys and clerk of the coarse Roy Steel. Frank Knight used to work at the Alcan Alloy factory in Banbury. in the research department and fitted the alloy swinging arm to the Triumph Trophy as a project. He also built a swinging arm out of old Ford Popular axle traction arms. Another of his projects was a trailer made out of alloy section and an old Ford or Morris axle, single bike would you know, and no suspension. Well Nobby Clements and I got a entry for the Knut trial down in the west country. First time out with the Goldie outfit. "Borrow my trailer" said Frank, "OK" so Nobby fitted a draw bar To his Austin A 35, in the time we should have been working on tractors, but bikes came first didn't they, well until the foreman caught us. Well have you tried getting a heavy old outfit onto a single bike trailer. and traveling it with no springing, and a 3/8 bolt as a draw bar pin. and a car that couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding. Then setting off on a wet autumn day on all them twisty roads down west. Riding for the first time with a powerful old outfit, looping it several times and the having to travel all the way back up with the bikes back wheel hitting the ground on every bump because the backbone of the trailer frame had cracked. One hell of a learning curve I can tell you. Incidentally I was talking to Douge at the Sam Cooper trial and he remembered the King's John's lane ride and said their only mistake was that they nearly rammed the back of Ray Rounds outfit at the top, as the speed they were carrying around the bend nearly cannoned them into to it with the brakes locked up.

Regard's Charlie.

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  • 1 year later...

Hi Guy'

Wow, did I really write that way back then.

Well It was chatting about this incident that set us thinking ,that it would be brilliant to try and recreate this sort of atmosphere at an event, It was then that we came up with the idea of the "Classic Trials Show".

It has taken a while as you can see, but it is now going to happen, and if you guy's would like to come along and help recreate this sort of sixties spirit, where all riders were happy, and talked to each other, you are more than welcome.

We intend to enjoy ourselves.

Regards Charlie.

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  • 1 year later...
 

Hi Guy's.

Thanks for the photo Pete.

Nothing like getting the youngsters involved early on.

As you Know? George Prescott (one year three months old), Now owns John Drapers C15/B40. This bike could be at the Classic Show,

If George will lend it to me! And It will be at the "Classic Trials Show" 2012, If you guys give me the support to organize the event again?? Check out the "Classic Trials Show" web site. www.classictrialsshow.com. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Regards Charlie.

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  • 4 years later...

Hi Guy's.

 

Today  I am seventy years of age.

 

 And I have seen to much of this faffing about  around a tree and down and up and down again to last me.

 

 And have had a Mail from Deryk today to say that it is time to start a NEW campaign.

 

 

 He coined the phrase "PRE 65" for a very good cause back then, but it has been abused ever since .

 

 So the New campaign is to try and get clubs here in the UK and elsewhere  in the trials universe.

 

To use this Phrase "Pre 65 "to mean the sections and not the machine.

 

 Perhaps we can suss out the old sections used in the day,and see if they are still available for use today.

 

 Or if not find sections that are similar.

 

 I for one am now on a mission to see if any of the Banbury NOBAC old "Pre 65" sections are still available like "King Johns Lane".

 

 To bring the passion and Glory back into "Pre 65" Trials, this is what we need.

 

 Sod, the around the tree type section, What we need is long blasts, like from the past. 

 

 To give the Meaning "Pre65 " back to where it came.

 

 Read the first listing in this page and then tell me that this is not what we want for Real Pre 65?

 

Happy Birthday to Me.

 

Regards Charlie.

 

 

 

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Hi Guy's

 

More like this,I very much think.

 

Ron nearly over-cooked it with the speed on the first part of the climb up "Camp" ,But with the power of the Long stroke Ariel motor, she kept pulling and soon found the revs again,

But Ron has never lost his touch.

A Very Happy Day.

 

Regards Charlie.

post-2608-0-76058500-1452075402_thumb.jpg

Edited by charlie prescott
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Hi Guy's

Deryk.

 

I think that a Pre65 section trial should be that and not an add on to the current crop of "Multi Trials".

 

I am sure that some clubs with perhaps older members that can remember 1965 and the trials held before that , Could set a current clerk of the course right on what the sections used to be like.

I can't remember more the one route for solos in most National trials, and a lot of the sections were also tackled  by us Barrow Boys.

 

I am sure that there are clubs in the UK that could be persuaded to have a go at one of these proper section trials, just to judge the water.

 

We won't know the response unless we try will we?

 

There is always going to be those with commercial interest ready to put the boot in.

 

But just look at the extra revenue that could be achived by getting the older bike and rider back out of the cobwebs.

 

Boots, jackets, tyres, plugs, head ache tablets, Ibuprofen, bandages, Carburettors, Fuel. ETC.

 

And what a Jolly time we would all have. 

 

Think about it Club members and committees  for the one that tries first will get the greatest reward.

 

Regards Charlie. 

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hi charlie  and deryk ,been away for a while but i am now back in the land of the living ,do i see common sense starting to prevail over this great sport that we used to enjoy lets hope so as i am getting on a bit (a sprightly 72 this week ) i have had to realise that a big panther outfit is becoming to heavy to pick up , so soon i will be out on a 250 panther outfit one of the later panther two strokes, with a few mods it should be fun to ride ,i met up with doug sherbourne back in the summer and we sort of decided to both come out and have a final fling at the sammy miller series and maybe show these youngsters a thing or two even it is only about enjoying yourself on  competetive trials outfits that probably cost not much more than £1500 to build and run,so keep up the good work . and if any organiser wants help and or advice on laying out real classic sections in the east ,you only have to ask  will 

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