sparks2 Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 OTF has been looking in my garage I think! Saracens with 125 and 200 Sachs motors, another 125 Sachs in a 1970 Sprite and an unwealdly looking Minarelli DOT. The 125 Saracen is very low and lacking power for todays classic trials whereas the 125 Sprite with it's iron barrel seems to have a bit more low down go in it but the wheelbase is very short. Although the DOT steers very nicely I can't get the Minarelli geared low enough and it has a strange power band but I guess thats how they were in their day. I'm thinking that my 200 Saracen Invader may have to be given a run out in this new series Westy You're not wrong, my Cotton Minarelli had something like an 11 or 12 on the gearbox and a 65 on the rear wheel. And about 25mph flat out in top, but not a bad bike. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Could we be saying, "Welcome back, Greeves Pathfinder, all is forgiven................" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie prescott Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Hi Guy's . Hi OTF. Would a "British Rival" be alright for your trials? has we have one lurking in a dust covered corner of one of the sheds. And I stubbed my toe on the spare Sachs engine under the bench only yesterday. Now it looks as though the "TRAD" trials thing is something that is not going to take off, I need to turn my attentions to something that might.? I can replace the space in the corner with the "Mini Otter" from last year. Regards Charlie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floydbassman Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 Anyone looking for a bike of this class, on ebay is a beautifully prepared Greeves Pathfinder. It has a Puch 125cc four speed motor instead if the 170cc 6 speeder. Learner legal for road work.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted January 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 Hi Guy's . Hi OTF. Would a "British Rival" be alright for your trials? has we have one lurking in a dust covered corner of one of the sheds. And I stubbed my toe on the spare Sachs engine under the bench only yesterday. Now it looks as though the "TRAD" trials thing is something that is not going to take off, I need to turn my attentions to something that might.? I can replace the space in the corner with the "Mini Otter" from last year. Regards Charlie. Charlie we would welcome anybody who wants to ride anything at our trials. I'm not sure what a "British Rival" might be but i'm sure we would have a class for it and if not then it would be interesting to see it being ridden anyway. If it has a Sachs motor then i am sure it would be in the spirit of "Forgotten era" . We had a home brewed MZ "trials special" at one of our events last year along with a Ken Ives replica Honda using a pit bike motor in a Honda 90 spine frame and very pretty it was too. I want to make our trials inclusive not exclusive. From this season riders of over 350 4 strokes machines will gain 2 bonus Championship points in their class and riders of rigids will receive 3 bonus Championship points. So potentially a rider of a rigid 500 would earn 5 bonus Championship points per ride on top of their normal Championship score. Hopefully this might inspire more riders of heavyweight and older machinery. We have routes from Clubman ( very easy) to Expert ( hard ) routes. So should be something to suit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie prescott Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 Hi Guy. Hi OTF. Check out the "Twinshock" Page. Below Ken Sedgley, builder of the one time "British Rival". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted January 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 Never heard of the " British rival " but Dalesman and Wassell of course I remember them and they are precisely what the forgotten era class was created for. Be great to see them ridden again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 HI otf, Here's another image to recall, I hope, your excellent Forgotten Era classification. It is Malcolm's brother Gerald Rathmell, riding a 125cc Sprite in the Scottish, photographed by Barry Robinson. There are plenty of similar photographs, without the visible watermarks, in our digital magazine, ORRe, and don't forget my offer, stacks of free publicity plus extensive Photoreports of any of your events in ORRe if we can. Enjoy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted January 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 Thanks Deryk. I fancy getting a Cotton Cavalier myself to enter on if i can find one cheap enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie prescott Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 Hi Guy's. Deryk, Just see what happened by 2007 though when Gerald got a trick Cub, even Eric was amazed! Old Stoney Mountain IOM classic. Regards Charlie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 Hi otf, I had, for a very brief period, a Cotton Cavalier - I regret to say I would suggest a name change for you to 'old trials masochist'......... I swapped mine very quickly for a Greeves Pathfinder, which was almost as gutless until I changed the exhaust for the Comerford's alternative developed by my old mate, Reg May. That transformed the bike and made it an enjoyable proposition - also the Wilkinson's swopped their exhausts to the Comerford's version on their works bikes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted January 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 Hi otf, I had, for a very brief period, a Cotton Cavalier - I regret to say I would suggest a name change for you to 'old trials masochist'......... I swapped mine very quickly for a Greeves Pathfinder, which was almost as gutless until I changed the exhaust for the Comerford's alternative developed by my old mate, Reg May. That transformed the bike and made it an enjoyable proposition - also the Wilkinson's swopped their exhausts to the Comerford's version on their works bikes. Ok perhaps i am but i have fond memories of the trials and bikes of the late 60's and early 70's which was when i first started. never had a Cotton but thought the later ones looked really nice with the one piece tank and seat. I had a Sprite Goldfinger with the Zundap motor but would have preferred the big fin Sachs one. A mate had a big fin Saracen but i seem to remember that always suffered from a lack of ground clearance. Swapped the Goldfinger for one of the first slimline Bultacos which i really really regret selling. Always thought the first 5 speed Bultacos looked right. Never liked the Montesa and i did once own an ex Chris Milner Ossa Pennine which was awful. VERY fast but terrible trials bike. always fancied a Pathfinder but remember them as really awful trials bikes but that was just possibly because they were never popular locally. Suppose i just would love to see all those old bikes that were around when i first started being used again. There must be some left that are rideable surely ? Perhaps not Oh well if you dont try eh ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2stroke4stroke Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 Cue rapid increase in prices of these scarce early machines as demand soars in order to take part in these events. A side issue of which is something that always puzzled me; why, after selling a trials bike in those days, did they never seem to be seen again - who bought a trials bike not to use it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 Hi 2stroke4stroke, "A side issue of which is something that always puzzled me; why, after selling a trials bike in those days, did they never seem to be seen again - who bought a trials bike not to use it?" The answer, I suspect, is possibly that they fancy being a competitor in the 'pretty bike arena' of shows. You see there is much concentration on compliance to sales leaflet looks in the show arena, and many road machines have awkward plastic panels, etc., etc. But trials models have, very often, alloy mudguards, chainguards, no awkward to find toolboxes, definitely a far less demanding restoration task. Moreover not many marque 'experts' remember the competition models, so as long as everything is nicely buffed and polished.......... just a thought.......... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialsrfun Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 (edited) I think it was due to owning a new but completely undeveloped, uncompetitive bike that was quite unsuited to trials especially when compared to the rapidly improving Spanish machines. Also they had very little residual value depreciating as fast as a freefalling brick. Edited January 27, 2016 by trialsrfun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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