johnnyboxer Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) The problem with our sport is it doesn't appeal to Joe public because the bikes are too specialised, people are inspired when they see something dynamic and skilful providing they can relate to it. If the bikes were more normal looking, like an Ossa Explorer or Gas Gas Randonne, they may think what the top boys could do with a normal(ish) looking motorcycle is genuinely amazing and be fascinated by it. This, coupled with people buying trail orientated motorcycles for commuting/trail riding will ultimately bring the cost of the sport down as the bikes are again multipurpose, like they were when trials was at it's peak in the seventies! The FIM has to have a total rethink of where the sport is going and homologate a motorcycle that has a taller seat height, fully functioning lights etc, that can be used by people outside of the sport as well as followers of the sport who don't ride anymore but still feel that they want to be a part of the trials community and go to spectate a trial on their Ossa Explorer! Just messing around with stop or no stop will not save the sport from going into decline. Not sure that's the answer, but I hear what you're saying As a schoolboy I rode a TY175 from New (and it was registered) from 14-17 (and after) When I was 17, in 1982 - I just bolted the lights & horn back on, attached a number plate, took it for an MOT and then taxed it Once I'd done that, I commuted 15 miles each way to work and back, daily for a couple of years and at weekends I'd just put my comp number on the front of the headlight grill to ride a trial Doubt you could do that on a modern bike so readily, those Yam engines were so forgiving and would take constant 50mph on the road all day long Edited November 10, 2012 by johnnyboxer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ducati996 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 The problem with our sport is it doesn't appeal to Joe public because the bikes are too specialised, people are inspired when they see something dynamic and skilful providing they can relate to it. If the bikes were more normal looking, like an Ossa Explorer or Gas Gas Randonne, they may think what the top boys could do with a normal(ish) looking motorcycle is genuinely amazing and be fascinated by it. This, coupled with people buying trail orientated motorcycles for commuting/trail riding will ultimately bring the cost of the sport down as the bikes are again multipurpose, like they were when trials was at it's peak in the seventies! The FIM has to have a total rethink of where the sport is going and homologate a motorcycle that has a taller seat height, fully functioning lights etc, that can be used by people outside of the sport as well as followers of the sport who don't ride anymore but still feel that they want to be a part of the trials community and go to spectate a trial on their Ossa Explorer! Just messing around with stop or no stop will not save the sport from going into decline. The trouble with our sport is it does'nt get advertised,local clubs dont advertise,the results dont get posted on to local tabloids,nobody knows about trials.Trials is a very secretive sport that happens on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon in a woods or bottom of valley miles from anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj65 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 is it just me that likes both. i like to watch somebody tear up a banking or river with out stopping but also like to watch jumps and wheelies with some hopping and bopping. its all impressive as far as im concerned. No, I like to see both, but I get a bit bored after a while watching stop allowed, its not flowing like no stop.I like to see people like Thorpey riding a difficult section No Stop, it amasses me how they can do it and there aren't many that can. Both styles require a great amount of skill, just different. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj65 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 The trouble with our sport is it does'nt get advertised,local clubs dont advertise,the results dont get posted on to local tabloids,nobody knows about trials.Trials is a very secretive sport that happens on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon in a woods or bottom of valley miles from anywhere. Who's going to pay, will anyone read it? The trouble is, how popular do we all truly want trials to be ? If another 5000 Joe Blogs were riding at weekends, would there be enough venues to cater for them, some trials are over subscribed (the best ones) if you found it difficult to get an entry, longer cues at sections etc, etc, would you be so happy about the sport getting bigger. What about practice grounds, illegal riding in sensitive areas (that could lead to clubs loosing use). It's a difficult dilemma, get bigger, with all the possible issues that may come with it. Importers want more riders, understanbly, because that's how they make a living, but will that bring the cost of bikes and spares down, sadly, I doubt it, the reason everything is so expensive at the moment, is due to the cost of raw materials, fuel and manpower and it's not likely to get any better with India and China becoming wealthier. We all have our own ideas about should and shouldn't be done and there lies the problem, maybe the answer is to do what the ACU have done, run two world championships (just like MX and SX). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ducati996 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Who's going to pay, will anyone read it? The trouble is, how popular do we all truly want trials to be ? If another 5000 Joe Blogs were riding at weekends, would there be enough venues to cater for them, some trials are over subscribed (the best ones) if you found it difficult to get an entry, longer cues at sections etc, etc, would you be so happy about the sport getting bigger. What about practice grounds, illegal riding in sensitive areas (that could lead to clubs loosing use). It's a difficult dilemma, get bigger, with all the possible issues that may come with it. Importers want more riders, understanbly, because that's how they make a living, but will that bring the cost of bikes and spares down, sadly, I doubt it, the reason everything is so expensive at the moment, is due to the cost of raw materials, fuel and manpower and it's not likely to get any better with India and China becoming wealthier. We all have our own ideas about should and shouldn't be done and there lies the problem, maybe the answer is to do what the ACU have done, run two world championships (just like MX and SX). Well lets just say Motocross manage to do it which is a lot more popular than trials with bikes that are a lot louder and damage the ground considerably more and as for the best trials being over subscribed,thought the entries were down and that was one of the reasons why the ACU want to introduce the no stop rule Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj65 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Well lets just say Motocross manage to do it which is a lot more popular than trials with bikes that are a lot louder and damage the ground considerably more and as for the best trials being over subscribed,thought the entries were down and that was one of the reasons why the ACU want to introduce the no stop rule Bike Sales are the reason. Trials is so small, I dont think the FIM is that bothered, it has an obligation to its members, but. MX in particular, has half a dozen or so races per event doesn't it, with 30 - 40 riders per race, paying a lot more to play for the day. They also have a lot of tracks to officially practice, that you pay a day fee to ride. They aren't riding amongst the public, which is what's possible (Breakheart Quarry, witch is a public conservation area/park). The more the land is used, the more likely to upset the neighbours, it's hard enough keeping the land we use now. A lot more competitors would be great, but at what price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cota kid Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Trials has received pretty good TV publicity in recent years on Men & Motors. A one hour slot from each Indoor and Outdoor round. I really can't see that continuing under no-stop rules. You can't polish a turd. But you can roll it in glitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboxer Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 No,only heard on messages from some of the top riders,Most of the top riders will not express there opinion publicly for fear of upsetting there sponsors who will be the manufactures or importers who are in favour of no stop. So..............just hearsay and not factual proof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboxer Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 The trouble with our sport is it does'nt get advertised,local clubs dont advertise,the results dont get posted on to local tabloids,nobody knows about trials.Trials is a very secretive sport that happens on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon in a woods or bottom of valley miles from anywhere. Our local weekly paper. Darlington & Stockton Times, which covers Darlington to Harrogate and the West to the Dales, has a full or half page Trials roundup report and pics, plus it also prints at list of forthcoming Trials for the coming few weeks with dates and venues, alongside the Footie and Rugby results But Trials is pretty big in Yorkshire, compared to other parts of the UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ducati996 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Our local weekly paper. Darlington & Stockton Times, which covers Darlington to Harrogate and the West to the Dales, has a full or half page Trials roundup report and pics, plus it also prints at list of forthcoming Trials for the coming few weeks with dates and venues, alongside the Footie and Rugby results But Trials is pretty big in Yorkshire, compared to other parts of the UK So advertising does work then,which is what the rest of the country need to do in stead of keeping it top secret and then not being able to understand why entries are down and they need to encourage youth riders into the sport because they are the future of trials and they aint gonna do that with old no stop rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neils on wheels Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Personally I welcome the return to no stop trials but would really like to see it as one part in a suite of changes. I feel too many WTC events are simulating an indoor trial outdoors. I feel the best rider in the world should be able to demonstrate a range of skills on a range of terrain in a range of conditions. I see this as preferable to being the best rider in the world at riding big grippy steps with no run up. The changes I would like to see include: Introduction of a wider variety of terrain Extending the WTC season to 9-10 months rather than the 3-4 months of the 2012 season Employing more natural terrain and eliminating man made sections As a package of changes this would mean the obstacles in sections become less extreme, the population of riders that can attempt them increases and the range of skills a rider demonstrates becomes broader. I would not expect this to greatly increase the population of WTC riders, but I feel it would be more interesting and varied and likely put more riders in contention for podium places. I do believe that the best riders will, over a season, continue to win. Doug Lampkin won world championships under different sets of rules and I fully expect Toni Bou will do the same. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ducati996 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 So..............just hearsay and not factual proof No its not hearsay had it from the horses mouth,admittedly i have not spoken to all of them,but like i said they are sponsored by the manufactures and importers so they aint gonna shout to loud,but if you go to the TC main page you will see the majority decision of the public by a long way goes toward stop allowed,no point banging you]re head against the wall ,common sense really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markmoyer Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) Not sure that's the answer, but I hear what you're saying As a schoolboy I rode a TY175 from New (and it was registered) from 14-17 (and after) When I was 17, in 1982 - I just bolted the lights & horn back on, attached a number plate, took it for an MOT and then taxed it Once I'd done that, I commuted 15 miles each way to work and back, daily for a couple of years and at weekends I'd just put my comp number on the front of the headlight grill to ride a trial Doubt you could do that on a modern bike so readily, those Yam engines were so forgiving and would take constant 50mph on the road all day long I feel that it would go some way to solving the problem, costs would go down as bike sales would go up, more manufacturers would become involved, publicity will increase as a result of more manufacturers taking an interest. Edited November 10, 2012 by markmoyer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ducati996 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Who's going to pay, will anyone read it? The trouble is, how popular do we all truly want trials to be ? If another 5000 Joe Blogs were riding at weekends, would there be enough venues to cater for them, some trials are over subscribed (the best ones) if you found it difficult to get an entry, longer cues at sections etc, etc, would you be so happy about the sport getting bigger. What about practice grounds, illegal riding in sensitive areas (that could lead to clubs loosing use). It's a difficult dilemma, get bigger, with all the possible issues that may come with it. Importers want more riders, understanbly, because that's how they make a living, but will that bring the cost of bikes and spares down, sadly, I doubt it, the reason everything is so expensive at the moment, is due to the cost of raw materials, fuel and manpower and it's not likely to get any better with India and China becoming wealthier. We all have our own ideas about should and shouldn't be done and there lies the problem, maybe the answer is to do what the ACU have done, run two world championships (just like MX and SX). 5000 extra Joe Blogs would be good for trials,especially if they were youth riders,then we would have plenty that could ride at top level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboxer Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 No its not hearsay had it from the horses mouth,admittedly i have not spoken to all of them,but like i said they are sponsored by the manufactures and importers so they aint gonna shout to loud,but if you go to the TC main page you will see the majority decision of the public by a long way goes toward stop allowed,no point banging you]re head against the wall ,common sense really. Fair enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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