Trials Riders Riding History - Just For Fun...

[kjax]

It sure seemed that things were kind of boring around here these days, so I came up with an idea for us all to share a bit about our riding backgrounds and what brought us to this crazy sport here in 2008.

I have been in many different modes over the decades, starting in 1969 with my Suzuki 90 - started competing in trials and enduro in 73 (Montesa) went to MX in 77(Montesa) then a long break from 79- 92. Back into Enduro and HS and Trials since then. Still ride street a little, but currently active in HS, Enduro, Trials and Vintage with too many bikes in the garage for my wife to understand. Rarely stuck with a single series for championship points- always tried to ride lots of mixed events- still do!

Let's hear from everyone else here on TC!

Edited November 13, 2008 by kjax

[tombo46]

In short, been riding bikes on the road since 16, passed my full bike test at 17 (before my car test!) and rode several bikes on the road, after passing my car test at 20 I decided to keep going with the bikes but only ride them when I wanted and in nice weather. Bought a ZX-6R which turned out to be fast but boring. got a stone chip in the radiator after riding it for 2 hours which cost me 600 quid to repair. The weather turned crap shortly after repairing it and I decided I was fed up and sold it to buy a trials bike (figured it didnt matter what the weather was like!).

Bought a 2006 Beta Rev 3 250 and had some bad luck with that, mainly the previous owner didnt tell me certain things about it. after fixing everything I decided I wanted a new bike so splashed out for a 2008 Gas Gas 300. Been riding trials a year now and absolutly love it =] hopefully gonna make it to the SSDT next year.

All the best

Tom

[the addict]

Got my first bike when I was 14 (Mont Cota 172) competed in schoolboy events for three years and packed up at 17. Used to ride Heart of England Trials,Banbury Nobac,Redditch and Dudley and had in that time the Mont 172,Mont 248 ,Mont 200 and an CCM

Had a few years on the road on an RD 125/250 untill about 20 then tramped round the country helping brother with his Road Racing career,didnt return to bikes untill I was 30 when I got a Fantic 301 (i think)

Entered the Hurran Trial on the hard route 2 weeks later and soon discovered just how much trials had advanced as well as the bikes (first section) and soon moved to a JTR 250 after abit of saving up. Rode Gassers for about three years then packed again up due to work and a new business, been off and on Trials bikes for the past ten years diverting to Enduro/Hare and Hounds/Road Racing and a brief spell of Karting. Came back to Trials three years ago and have never enjoyed it so much.

Had Rev3's,Sherco and Gassers since then and currently ride a 4RT which is mega fun, really enjoying my Trials the past few years,got some great mates to ride with and we travel about a fair bit doing the road events. Out of all the bike sports I,ve tried Trials is without doubt the best fun and a great laugh and a hell of alot cheaper than the others.

Edited November 13, 2008 by The Addict

[jordi]

I think you should have a box for NONE in your poll.

[kjax]

I think you should have a box for NONE in your poll.

Good idea...DONE!

[james_taylor]

i got my first bike when i was 9/10, was a lem 50cc motorcross bike, i wated one as my dad had a yz 490 even though that thing would beat me in 1st but anyway, i had it unitl i was 11, when i was 12 i was going to get a honda cr85 b/w but me and dad thought about trying trials biking, i got a 2004 sherco 125, now i have an 08 sherco 125 and a 50cc gielra enduro bike on the road, (50cc because the law's stupid and im only alowed a ped ). . . and my dad sold teh yz 490 and didnt ride for a while, well he has a v-max but thats hardly an off-roader, now hes restoring a bultaco sherpa that he bought as a whole thing for

[jse]

It sure seemed that things were kind of boring around here these days, so I came up with an idea for us all to share a bit about our riding backgrounds and what brought us to this crazy sport here in 2008.

Hmmm, I must have been 7 years old, so that means about 59 years ago, when I got my first taste of "powered flight". A friend and I pooled our allowances and went to a war surplus store (when they actually had "war surplus") and bought a beat-up Welbike. The Welbike was a British paratrooper scooter that folded up and could be dropped with the troops behind enemy lines. I think it had an old iron Villiers deflector piston 98cc engine in it and we literally rode the wheels off that thing and it's when I first learned to work on two-strokes.

My first introduction to four-strokes came a year or two later when that same buddy and I bought a basket-case Whizzer (a Schwinn bike with a small engine in it) and it was actually in three laundry baskets, completely apart. We kept it in my buddy's parent's garage, luckily the manual was with it so I spent some time putting it together and, lo and behold, it actually ran. I think that experience hooked me on bikes and learning all I could about them. My mother never knew about the bikes as I knew she wouldn't approve, "Dammit, Jon, you'll poke an eye out with that thing!".

There was a stint in and after with cars and dragracing (Flatheads, Chevy, Olds and Cadillac powered gas coupes/roadsters and then AA/Fuel Chrysler Hemi dragsters) that ended when I quit dragracing, when too many friends got killed (the front-engined dragsters were death machines), so I took up something "safer", flat tracking, so back on the big bikes for a time, throwing them sideways at 100 MPH+. One night sitting on the line with all the other gunfighters, waiting to be flagged off, I thought "Darn, this isn't fun anymore". So, sold the equipment and happened to attend a motorcycle show at the Cow Palace in South San Francisco soon after that (1971). PITS (Pacific International Trials Society) had a booth there and some Trials bikes to show visitors and they were very nice people, unlike the gunfighters, and invited me to ride an event. I thought "Well, heck, I'm a hard-core racer, I can kick all their grannybutts". The first event was a long series of humbly taking dirt samples, but it was fun and the people were helpful and encouraging. I feel that I really learned to ride motorcycles when I took up Trials.

Well, since then I've been involved in Trials and am having more fun than ever. I get to use my experience to help others and it's much better exercise for guys my age than walking on a treadmill and watching soap operas. I've been told that you don't choose your hobbies, they choose you, and Trials has certainly proved that true for me.

Jon

[copemech]

Bikes over years, best I recall!

5 hp Briggs minibike

Sears rigid frame something with a 2t motor

Honda trail 70(1970?)

Kawa trail 100

Suzi 125 Duster

Yam RD250

Penton 125

CZ 250

(added, forgot about the 125 RM Suzi)

Mont WR250

Husky WR450

Maico 450 and 501

Yam RD350

Kawa 500 triple

Kawa 750 triple

Yam RD400

Suzy (900 Yoshi) 750

82 CR 250

84 CR 250

84 XR200

Yam 750 Seca

---------------------------- big lay off

84 Yam 80 quad(still around)

98 Scorpa 280 Easy

Suzy 180 quad

'01 Sherco 2.9

'03 Sherco 2.9

Beta 2.5 Alp

03 Sherco 1.25

Suzy 250 quad

'05 Sherco 2.5

'06 Sherco 2.9

"07 Sherco 2.9

Latest is the Yam 225 Serow plaything!

I don't even want to get into cars, trucks, airplanes or boats!

Edited November 15, 2008 by copemech

[hensley]

I figured there would be more nones than they are in 1976 i traded a beat up RM125 for a Ossa 250 MAR and have only owned trials bikes since with no desire for any other bikes

my list

3hp mini bike

Honda 50 street (a 50 that would run 50 down a gravel road) cost $85

Honda 90 trail

Hodaka Wombat 125

Suzuki RM125 (1st ones out very fast for then)

Penton 175 Jackpiner

Ossa 250 MAR

Bultaco 350 Sherpa T

26 year layoff that included

SWM 320 i rode it maybe 5 hrs total

86 Yamaha ty350 rode it maybe 10 hrs total

97 Montesa Cota 315R (fell in love with trials after experiencing modern bike)

01 sherco2.9

03 sherco 2.9

04 gas gas300 pro

06 gas gas 280 pro

[kjax]

Gosh, with those great lists, you got me thinking....

Honda Z-50

Suz TS-90 (I think it was a TS - not the dual range trans)

Honda XR-100

69 Montesa cota 248

71 Montesa cota 248

72 MOntesa King Scorpian 250

74 Montesa Cota 248

76 Montesa Cota 248

76 Montesa 250 VR

Kawasaki 750 triple

Ossa 250 MAR

Honda CB 400F

6-8 snowmobiles from 71-78

Long break until 1992

Suz TS 185

Honda XR 250

1989 KTM 250 EXC

1994 KTM 125 SX

1992 Suz RM125

1996 Suz RM 125

1995 KTM Sx 125

1986 V500 Shadow

1985 V-65 Honda Magna

1987 Yam Yz 250

1997 Scorpa 250 EZ

1992 KTM 400 EXC

1992 Yam 250 YZ

1992 KX 100

2004 Sherco 290

2007 KTM 400 XCW

1972 Montesa Cota 172

a couple quads and few more of those darn snowmobiles again.

lots of of mini's as the kids grew up in the middle of all that too.

Wish I could have some of that money back now...........

[dabnabit]

Late bloomer didn't ride motorcycles till I was 28 (1980).

Moved to California and my dad had some bikes.

G5 Kawasaki 100cc

XL 175 Honda.

Went to the library to look for some books on the subject of dirt riding.

Carl Shipmans Boonie Book...Trials oriented.

Worked my ass off riding the under powered 100cc Kawi on rocky and tight trails, but I learned.

1981 IT 175

Did all the wrench report mods.

Motoed out, rode alot of tight trails and rocks.

While the IT was apart for suspension mods a friend lent me his 74 TY250.

Went to a trials school at Saddleback Park.

After riding the TY and attending the school, it was all Trials from then on.

1974 TY250

Fantic 240

1984 TY250

1991 Fantic 309

2003 ScorpaSY

Edited November 14, 2008 by Dabnabit

[copemech]

Gosh, with those great lists, you got me thinking....

wish I could have some of that money back now...........

Fast cars, fast bikes, lots of beer! The rest I wasted!

[b40rt]

Fast cars, fast bikes, lots of beer! The rest I wasted!

Fast women is the obvious omission to your list.

[zippy]

B40RT Posted Today, 07:20 AM

QUOTE (copemech @ Nov 15 2008, 04:47 AM) *

Fast cars, fast bikes, lots of beer! The rest I wasted! rolleyes.gif

Fast women is the obvious omission to your list.

If you were to ask all of his women about this they would say he was the fast one!

[copemech]

Fast women is the obvious omission to your list.

Unfortunately, an intentional omission!

I kinda like'ed the FAT women theory!

The other ones are like a Monty 4T, require too much money, a long warm up, and little return, yet better suspension!