Trail Bikes In Classic Trials

[laird387]

Hi,

Another of the, to me, unnecessary 'grumblings' in the background are the adverse comments against the inclusion of a 'trail' class in some trials. Such as the image of Andrew Harris in this year's Sammy Miller series round organised by the Ilkley club, seen below.

You see, I was one of the organisers who welcomed such riders to come and enjoy a day of controlled fun in the countryside - rather than taking their bikes off road, often where they were not welcomed by the landowners and just riding willy-nilly everywhere and ruining 'our' chances of getting back on the local land for our trials. Often there were even more positive results, because many of the trail riders were astonished when they failed to manage sections where they could see riders of antiquated old British bikes getting through..........

Some of them promptly went out and bought a suitable British bike and joined in.

Some, like Keith Wells seen in the Kinlochleven Pre-65 earlier this year on his little DMW, were introduced to the sport on his trail bike in a Sammy Miller round more than twenty years ago - but is still riding his British bike to this day.

Photographs by Jack Knoops.

Enjoy.

[laird387]

Hi,

And lo - the archive works! - Keith Wells back in his trail riding days, spotted by Mary Wylde in the 1997 Heads of the Valleys trial, one of the potential contenders for the Sammy Miller series that didn't make the grade. (Clubs had to prove they had section plotters capable of setting rideable sections for the average clubman rideable by all the classes........)

And at top left in the background is 'No-good boyo' Yoshi Adams, one of the Islwyn regulars who enjoyed anything on two wheels......

Enjoy.

Edited October 12, 2014 by laird387

[jon v8]

Deryk, I have to say I cant get excited about a trail bike class,if individual clubs want to include them that's fair enough. What I do think needs more debate and some action is the classes for the Miller series... Class 2 in particular,how is it fair to include Pre unit springers alongside Cubs,C15/B40's and all the trick James/Fanny B's ?

Last weekend at the West of Engand trial there were just 4 big 4 stroke solo's,me,Mike Holloway,Steve Allen and Gary Kinsman.Mike and I were in the rigid class with Steve and Gary in class 2.

There is little to encourage anyone with a pre unit bike to either keep riding or build fresh bikes while the classes are set like this.Maybe the organisers want it this way ? Is it going to be that the Talmag and Arbuthnot are going to be the only big trials of the year where pre unit bikes are catered for.I have now retired as trials sec for Bath Classic as I have finished what I set out to do,which was to ensure that the heavyweight bikes could still have a good day out on appropriate sections.There are clearly people who still have these bikes in a useable condition,I for one would like to see them being used and enjoyed - like I have today at the Golden Valley Classic club trial - a fun ride around, just right for the weather and ground conditions.

[andy m]

Trail lads are more inclined to do the LDT's , we include a trail bike class in our trial , not seen one for a few years.

[laird387]

Deryk, I have to say I cant get excited about a trail bike class,if individual clubs want to include them that's fair enough. What I do think needs more debate and some action is the classes for the Miller series... Class 2 in particular,how is it fair to include Pre unit springers alongside Cubs,C15/B40's and all the trick James/Fanny B's ?

Last weekend at the West of Engand trial there were just 4 big 4 stroke solo's,me,Mike Holloway,Steve Allen and Gary Kinsman.Mike and I were in the rigid class with Steve and Gary in class 2.

There is little to encourage anyone with a pre unit bike to either keep riding or build fresh bikes while the classes are set like this.Maybe the organisers want it this way ? Is it going to be that the Talmag and Arbuthnot are going to be the only big trials of the year where pre unit bikes are catered for.I have now retired as trials sec for Bath Classic as I have finished what I set out to do,which was to ensure that the heavyweight bikes could still have a good day out on appropriate sections.There are clearly people who still have these bikes in a useable condition,I for one would like to see them being used and enjoyed - like I have today at the Golden Valley Classic club trial - a fun ride around, just right for the weather and ground conditions.

Hi Jon,

I agree entirely with your comments but,sadly, I am in no position to be able to do anything positive about it. The entire problem lays squarely at the door of the A-CU and, to this day, they refuse to grasp the nettle of dealing with what I and many of my friends look upon as a failure to uphold the standards of the original series.

In your case it is not too far in travelling to look at the BMCA trials in the West Midlands and even into Worcestershire. It was having the mix of BMCA trials in the original series that made the A-CU conform to the required standards - but you can't turn the clock back, just enjoy the fact that at least the Arbuthnot and Golden Valley maintain the correct standards that give fair play to all the classes - I know the BMCA class A looks like a 'take all' class for the 'modernised' versions of Cubs, Fanny-B and James models but surely all the original pre-unit British fourstrokes have been rebored to render them into class B - over-350cc ?