Shortest Retirement in History

Ok, I admit it, I couldnt bear not having anything in the shed at all so I have bought a little 175 Scorpa 4 stroke to play on and keep my hand in....

I have spent a few weeks tidying it up and getting it set up how I want it and tomorrow I am giving it a run out at a Hereford Classic trial in the aircooled mono class.

Will update the blog and do a report tomorrow night.........

Eventpost 32 - Exmoor 2 Day Trial - Enough is Enough

We went down to Exmoor at the weekend for the Acorns 2 day Trial - perhaps a canoe or even a snorkel and flippers would have suited the conditions better as it didnt stop raining all weekend!

Still not fully recovered from my sprained wrist at Mamble, I wasn't really on it to be honest but I managed to finish 3rd on day 1 on the Clubman route and had a few decent rides even though every dab was painful on the slippery rocks as my knee just dodnt feel up to the job.

Over night the knee began to swell up and the wrist became more sore so I decided to give day 2 a miss and it got me thinking about whether I am actually enjoying it as much as I was - the answer honestly was no, so that's it - I have decided to pack it all in.

I put my Beta on Ebay last night along with some bits and pieces and have decided to stop.

Thanks for your comments whilst I have been keeping this blog and if you want to get in touch please use my email davedawson444@btinternet.com or join facebook and add me as a friend.

See you

Dave

Eventpost 31 - Dudley MCC - Mamble

On Sunday I rode a local ACU trial at Mamble and after burning myself to a crisp at the beach on Sunday I probably should have stayed at home because I just didnt feel right all day.

I felt like I was not actually in control of the bike and it was all too much effort, holding on too tight and trying to make the bike do what I wanted rather than flowing through the sections and it showed in the results as I found myself struggling where I really shouldnt have.

Anyway, I was wobbling around OK and picking up a few cleans here and there until the 3rd lap when I went for a dab on the bank of a rocky stream that wasnt there and ended up falling off the bank about 6 foot down into the stream on my head with the bike on top of me and a sprained wrist and knocks and bruises all over me!

I wonder if my body is telling me something??? It made me think that my head is telling me that I can ride the hard route and my body is telling me to be more careful..... time will tell.

Needless to say I didnt finish the trial as I couldnt put any pressure on the bars with my right hand - nothing too problematic as I am writing this on Tuesday and the pain has almost gone.

My next trial will be the AMCA Exmoor 2 day trial on the weekend of 9/10 Aug. I have decided to ride the clubman class to should be more sensible.

Will update with report and pics following the event..

Eventpost 30 - Stourbridge TC Cleeton Court

On sunday I rode at Cleeton Court, a venue that I last rode about 12 years ago in one of my first classic trials. The venue is generally a shallow rocky stream with sections that weave in and out of the stream.

The sections were marked out quite tight requiring good concentration and the ability to move the front and rear wheel also helped!

The hardest section was the last section in the stream with tricky exits from the stream across roots and a tight exit over rocks which caught most riders for some marks. A dab and a 2 on the first 2 laps were my total on this section with very pleasing cleans on the last 3 laps (see video clip of the section below). I understand that only myself and Simon Anderson recorded cleans on this section.

Overall I was pleased with how I rode and yet again my best lap was the last of the trial which I cleaned, this is new to me as I have previously had problems maintaining concentration and energy levels for the whole of the trial.

The one problem was once again a sloppy 5 on section 6 when I tried to clean the section and managed to stall the bike rather than taking a single dab to get back on line and save the score. This resulted in me losing the trial by just 1 mark but a good improvement and certainly getting used to riding the modern bike and the different techniques required to make it work.

Result - Hard Route

1. D Morris 12

2. D Dawson 13

3. S Anderson 16

4. J Pickering 27

5. B Woodcock 29

6. N Beddoes 35

7. E Thompson 37

8. N Wright 41

Eventpost 29 - Shatterford Dead Easy Trial

On wed 9th July I rode a beginners trial at Shatterford put on by the Bewdley Club. The even was one that I shouldnt have really ridden however I had promised to go along with my friend Steve in order to give him some trials practice on new ground and felt that whilst there it was better to ride than to watch.

Anyway the trial was completed on clean and it gave Steve some good experience so was worth it overall. It also gave me some more practice on the bike and a chance to ride the bike in different gears to understand what it is capable of. In fact I rode each lap in a different gear including the last lap completely in 4th and was amazed at what it could do!

Eventpost 28 - Wye Valley John Langford Trial

On Jun 29th I rode the Beta in its first trial at the Wye Valley Trial. The event was laid out in great woodland surroundings with good rocky streams and banks.

The biggest change was getting used to the capability of the bike which felt bery twitchy compared to the classic bikes and also the sections appearing to be much more difficult, however once I started to ride the sections the capability of the bike made life much easier.

I got off to a very shakey start with a couple of 5's from stalling the bike resulting in 17 marks lost on the 1st lap. Fortunately I soon got up to speed with the bike and began to learn how to ride it again. The following 3 laps were completed for an additional loss of only 5 marks to finish on a total of 22.

Although the damage was done I frlt that I had made good progress and ended up in 6th place on the hard route which considering the shakey start, was not a bad result.

Betapost 1

Whilst deciding what to do with my painful trials career coming to a close I decided that I should at least keep one bike in the shed and felt that the Beta ought to be the one to stay.

Over the past month or so I have got it ready to ride and done a few mods to make it suit me. As you know, modern bikes are designed for 11stone youths to ride not over weight middle aged blokes.

I have therefore obtained a stronger spring for the front forks and had a new rear shock made to suit my weight (Supplied by John Gaskell at Revs Suspension). I have also added a handlebar riser kit to lift the bars by 20mm. Together these mods have transformed it for me and I find it so much fun to ride.

As I wasnt too keen on the rather loud colour scheme on the 2008 bike (white and dayglo red) I decided to change the appearance of the bike. I got a full set of 2007 plastics from a Beta 4 stroke which fitted straight on, then added a set of Top Trial Team black stickers which I think make the whols thing look a little different from the rest.

Pics added today, show the bike how it now looks. Lets hope I get to ride it now and again!!

Hanging Up my Pre65 Boots!!!!

As regular readers of my BLOG will know, I have had pretty consistent problems with my knee for some time now.

After the last trial I rode on the Ariel I actually had problems even walking for the week after the trial and after visiting specialists and my operation in June last year, the diagnosis that arthritis is slowly taking hold has started to become more and more of an issue.

As I can't bring myself to ride the easy route, and most of the pain seems to stem from actually kick starting the bike, I have decided that something has to give so have taken the option to stop riding in Classic Trials.

I have sent the Ariel back to it's rightful owner - Steve Thompson has bought it back off me. I think its the right thing to do as Steve didnt really want to sell it but needed someone to 'do' it and turn it into the bike it is today - I am glad its gone back to a good home.

I have kept the Beta in order to allow me to get a trials fix on the odd occasion. It has a left side kick starter which helps and it is so much lighter so if I get in trouble it's not such a task getting back on track. Also, I can ride the easier route in the over 40's class without feeling that I am cheating!!

I will still go alongh to the odd BMCA trial and help out with my Dad so will still see the regular faces.

Cheers

Dave

Eventpost 28 - AJS & Matchless Trial Tardebigge

On Sunday I rode the AJS & Matchless trial at Tardebigge near Bromsgrove, put on by Andy Hunt and Joe Owen.

After a few dry weeks the rain certainly changed the going with pretty non stop wet stuff falling throughout the event and the going became understandably greasy.

Even with the sections eased for the weather it was still quite a tester and I think I learnt more in one day about riding the Ariel than I would have otherwise done all summer. I certainly learned how to put my feet down and gather 5's on the first lap as I simply tried to ride it like a 2 stroke (clutch and revs) and made a great job of going nowhere fast.

Over the next few laps I steadily understood better how to keep off the clutch, use the flywheel weight momentum and really felt by the last lap that I was getting to grips with it. Possibly over a hundered marks too late really but all the same I really enjoyed the trial and started to have some good rides by the end.

I understand that Steve Hay won on his Bantam on about 20 odd marks which was a fantastic ride in the conditions but I have not seen any other results yet so I dont really know what the damage was, about a hundred I guess but stopped counting after the first lap and put it down to a learning experience!

The video clip below was taken on my first lap and as you can see from the end of the section I was trying to drive softly on the mud rather than getting some momentum before the slippy part to enable me to shut off and use the engine over run to take me over it - the result being me looking like a millipede with feet down all over the place. By the last lap I was using a bigger gear, going quicker and getting through it with little bother when it was actually even more slippery. Plus I found that I still had about 12lbs in the rear tyre from the previous week's road trial which obviously didn't help the cause!



Results just received -

Class A
1. Steve Hay 27
2. Alan Taylor 54
3. Nathan Jones 76

Class B
1. Pete Peed 83

Class C
1. Dave Dawson 97

Eventpost 27 - Union Jack Trial (Sammy Miller Series)

Yesterday I rode the Ariel in its first trial and I must say that it performed perfectly all day. I think it was one of the best days trialling I have had in ages, the weather was good, the sections were sensible but not so easy that you didnt have to think about them and the new bike was so different after always riding lightweights it really was fun.

So, the result probably didnt reflect the fact that I was actually riding really well to be honest. I had a bit of a slip up in Saintbury on section 11 where I arrived still clean and at the exit to the section I got distracted by Colin Bullock's flashgun on his camera and lost the front end over a rocky step. Fortunately the observer gave me a re-run and I rode out for a dab which was OK considering it perhaps should have been 5 marks.

I got back in the groove after the lunch stop and started riding really well again, including a good ride to go through the 3 sections at Camp for clean. Section 20 at Bridges took me for 2 or 3 marks as I was one of the 1st through a big muddy bog. I am sure that there would have been a line with a solid bottom for the later runners but you cant hang around at every section just till it gets easy can you.

Anyway, all was going well until Dovedale where I lost one slack dab on a fairly easy section then went to a difficult section with a really steep slippery down hill entrance. I cleaned the section but the exit down a path in the woods that I didnt actually look at caught me out with a tree in the undergrowth which caught my front wheel and tipped me off for a silly 5 and doubled my score.

Well, I have to say I got mad with myself and rushed into the next section and as I selected 2nd for a steep climb I found that I was in neutral between 3rd and 4th and selected 4th instead and failed to make the climb - two 5's in two sections I am afraid so out of the running.

I put 1 more dab on the card so finished on 15 or 16 marks overall. I dont think there were enough hard sections to take marks from the top guys in the entry but happy enough to know that the 5 or 6 marks that I perhaps would have dropped, without the 5 minute lapse in Dovedale, would have put me in with a reasonable shout and I must remember that it was only the first time out on the bike so I have to feel positive about how it went.

Pictures today are from the sections in Saintbury.

Results

Class 2 (pre unit)

1. Martyn Wilmore 7

2. Mick Ash 9

3. Dave Dawson 16

Class 3 (2 stroke)

1. R Jones 2

2. M Chapman 6

3. C Gascoigne 6

Class 4 (unit)

1. Peter Gaunt 3

2. P Anstey 6

3. K Gardiner 11

Arielpost 10 - More Finished Pics

Arielpost 9 - Finished!

Chuffed to bits!!!!

Richard (My Step Mum's Nephew) has certainly come up trumps with the paint job on the tank. He delivered today as promised and I am sure you will agree it sets the whole bike off perfectly..

Dad put the tank on and it fired up 2nd kick! I am sure that there is a bit of tinkering with carburation and timing but at least it's built and ready for its MOT tomorrow.

Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think. {Tommo - dont be too sad about selling it, at least you can visit every now and again}

Arielpost 9

Fortunately I had a friend travelling from Derby down to the West Midlands today so he was able to collect the seat from Steve Gagg's place in Ilkeston and bring it down for us (Thanks Dave)

The seat has therefore been fitted and the rear mudgaurd cut and fitted using the stainless brackets that were present on the old frame. I decided to go with alloy mudguards rather than plastic, I dont know how long this will last but do look more period for a bike like this and I gave in to the badgering from Steve (our neigbour) who thinks its a crime putting plastic guards on a classic bike. I am sure that after dropping it a few times and they start looking tatty we'll be back on the plastic but for now I have gone with form over function.

We have heard tonight that the tank is painted and badged and the final coats of laquer are going on tomorrow morning so we should receive it tomorrow night. We are therefore still on track for getting it to MOT on Friday.

As you can see, the seat is pretty neat, wrapping round the frame tubes at the front and allowing a single bolt fitting at the rear of the seat. I think this looks better that some flat bases I have seen with a layer of rubber pad glued on.

Arielpost 8

Loads of work has gone into the bike in the last few days;

- The hub has come back from the powder coaters and the rear wheel built up.

- The footrest hangers have been and come back from the powder coaters.

- Dad has been to Steve Gagg's to collect a replacement primary chain cover as we found that the bike has an original gearbox shaft which is about 1/4 inch longer than some that the trials guys are fitting and therefore our case was a little too narrow. Anyway this has been replaced and fitted.

- The tank has gone off to the painters - no secrets to be given away on that yet, but I think it will look lovely when it comes back.

- The rear wheel has been fitted, brake arm made and fitted and chain fitted.

- The engine has been timed up.

- Cables and oil pipes fitted.

As you can see from todays pictures we now have the bike on its wheels and it is looking like a trials bike! In fact with tank, seat and rear mudguard on it would be pretty much finished.

I have been helping on the polishing mop today putting a bit of a shine on the primary case, timing chain cover, front rim, front fork legs and front mudguard - as you can see on the pics, I know its going to be a comp bike not a show bike, but it is nice to see them shiny every now and again.

The plan for this week is to make a chain guard, give the bike a once over with the spanners to make sure that all is tight and fitted correctly then we are in a position where we are waiting for the seat to arrive from Steve Gagg so that the rear mudguard can be cut and fitted. The tank is due back from painting on Weds night and we are hoping to get it MOT'd on Friday so that we can run it on Saturday and then ride the Sam Cooper trial in the Sammy Miller championship on Sunday.

I know it all sounds a bit tight but where would we be without some goals to stretch us???

Watch this space for the final pics of the bike at the end of the week.......hopefully.

Arielpost 7

Unlike many Ariel frames, we decided that an alternative approach to the footrest hangers would be to make plates that use 2 mouting points (the swinging arm spindle and the lower, rear engine bolt) to allow them to be removed if damaged rather than welding them direct to the frame.

These plates would then be able to be used to mount the rear brake pedal and also hold the chain tensioner and side stand too.

Patterns were made and then lazer cut from 6mm plate. Once the fittings are all in place we will then have the plates power coated so they look part of the frame too.

The pictures above show the footrest mounted on box section to position them out from the frame and ensure that the primary case and gear box do not get in the way of my feet when I am riding. It seems, from the bikes I have seen, that the footrests are often too far in and the rider has to ride bow legged to use the footrests and noy catch legs on the exhaust or primary case.

The rear brake pedal has been roughed out and the chain tensioner fitted. As you can see from the top picture, the front end is also now fitted with the yokes and forks fitted, lock stops made and the tank in place.

This week we hope to have the rear wheel built, and therefore the bike will be on it's wheels.

As I now do not have a Fantic I am hoping to give the Ariel it's first run out at the Sam Cooper trial in 2 weeks, it will be tight but you never know.

Modern Trials!!!

Having given it some thought over the last few weeks I have decided that the Fantic was not the best idea I have had.

With a really good classic bike I think that I will ride this most of the time and there is a classic class at most events that I go to. The other trials where I would be tempted out with the Fantic are really modern trials with a twinshock class. Therefore I decided that if I am going to be at a modern trial I may as well ride a modern bike!

I also decided that with my dodgy right knee, if I got a bike with a left side kick start I might save some of the pressure I have been putting on the knee from the continuous stabbing action of starting a 2 stroke.

Therefore a 2 stroke modern Beta would fit the bill. I managed to find someone that was looking to trade a 2 month old 2008 Beta 250 for a good twin shock and the deal was done!

I have been out on it today for an hour and honestly have forgotten how easy they are to ride, espectially in the brakes and suspension departments.

I will need to sort out the rather low bar position as I found some back ache after only half an hour, but that should be a fairly easy fix.

As you can see, it's in pretty good condition as its only done 3 or 4 trials from new, there were a few sticker scratches, which is why the rear mudgard is unbadged, but I will get some replacements for that some time soon.

Arielpost 6

All systems are go on the build as the frame is back from the powder coaters. They have made a really good jopb of the finish, even though its going on a trials bike, I do think a good finish on the frame makes all the difference on the final product.

As you can see, we got the engine straight into the frame and started building with the parts that we could put on.

The silencer is not yet finished as the end needs cutting and an additional pipe welded on to direct the exit out to the right to miss the rear damper.

We have gone with Betor shocks from Sammy Millers, I know that Falcons might be a little better and rebuildable in alloy, however I think Betors work well and for the price the can be thrown away after a season and new ones bought 3 times for the price of Falcons!

I thought I would add a picture of the bike builder doing his stuff today too - Thanks Dad!!!

Arielpost 5

The bike is coming along nicely and Dad is doing a great job of the preparation work. Since the last post the following have been done;

• Mounting points have been braised on for the tank and exhaust


• Shims have been turned and fitted in the headstock to allow the taped roller bearings to fit correctly


• Pattern made for the footrest hangers and sent off to be lazer cut from 6mm sheet


• Frame has gone to powder coaters


• Bash plate has been fitted


• Clutch fitted and belt obtainjed from Nigel Bower at NEB


• Mag fitted


• The damaged fork leg has been welded up where it was damaged at the mudguard stay mounting point by Bully and that has been collected and milled, shaped, drilled, tapped and polished so it's ready to go again
  

Todays pics are of the engine with the beautiful clutch fitted and just waiting for a powder coated frame to come and wrap itself around it. Should be back by the weekend so we can start showing some pictures of the build as it takes shape.

Eventpost 26 - Wye Valley MC (Hope Under Dinmore)

The run of bad luck continued on Sunday, I decided to take the Fantic out for it's first trial since the engine had been rebuilt and I must say, the bike performed like a dream.

The issues that we had experienced with the front sprocket throwing the circlip off have stopped, the warm starting issues have gone away and the motor now runs like a dream since it was rebuilt at Bill Pye's.

The trial, put on by Andy Pitt and the guys from Hereford was spot on. Considering the rain that had fallen they made good use of the banks, streams and rocks to mark out a sensible but challenging trial for all classes. Some of the sections in the stream, particularly those under the backdrop of a huge waterfall were really good with mossy rocks and slippy banks that were enough to give the whole field a challenge.

Anyway, 10 marks on the first lap and 8 marks on the second represented a fairly steady ride that reflected how rusty I was feeling but I felt like things were getting better and was getting used to how the bike was performing when the bad luck continued with a rear tyre puncture.

I attempted doubling up on the sections to save having to ride the whole loop two more times and managed the first 4 sections twice for a loss of just 2 marks even with the flat rear, however when I tried to ride the first rocky stream, the tyre was starting to move off the rim and I thought better of it to save the rim from damage and decided to retire.

Still, encouraging performance from the bike and a shame but a thoroughly enjoyablen trial. I will certainly try and get down to ride a few more trials in that area.

Arielpost 4

Dad started work on the build today and here are the 1st pictures of the progress made.

The engine plates have been fitted and drilled and the gearbox has been put in place to start the fitting of the new primary chain case.

The front of the new primary case is much smaller than the old case and the long term intention will be to mill out the webbed area that was the mounting point for the original primary case, however we didnt want to split the cases as the engine has recently been rebuilt so in order to fill in the area that would otherwise be a mud trap, we decided to make a circular plate to fill in the space until we next have the engine apart, when we can mill out the excess ally casting that is not required (see the middle picture).

We can now build the engine back up and leave it complete in the engine plates so that is can be put in and taken out of the frame as a complete unit without having to disassemble again.

Arielpost 3

OK, so the last post was all about the stuff we are not going to use and this is all about the bling that will be going on to the bike.

This is some of the stuff that has arrived;

Whitton yokes

NEB Belt drive clutch

Silencer

Bash Plate

Primary cases

I am already drooling at the thought of this built up and Dad is already starting to feel better - he's even talking about it being built for it's first trial by the end of May!

Will keep the BLOG updated with progress as it happens

Arielpost 2

The bike has now been stripped down and unbelievably this pile of Ariel is what we are not going to use. In addition I have what appears to be a complete Burman gear box in bits to go with it.

The intention was that Andy Pitt was going to have all that remained as he originally owned it, but as the time is not right Andy has had to pass and I have listed all my spare items on ebay.

Someone could have the basis of a pretty good trials bike for a reasonable price.

When you consider that a new frame is over £1000 and I doubt that this lot will reach anywhere close to that, it must be a good start to a fairly inexpensive project for the winner of the auction.

To be honest, an engine (£1000), pair of wheels (£4-500), Forks (£2-300) and £200 worth of cables, bars, levers and ancilliary bits and it seems that £2000 on top of my parts and someone has a really cheap Ariel that would be worth twice that just by putting it together.

Arielpost 1

We are still gathering the required bits and pieces to start building up the Ariel but some things are already in place;

The engine is already sorted, basically it's a short stroke 350cc engine with a bored Ally barrell to just over 400cc, a wide ratio trials gear box, a BTH mag and has only done a few trials sine a complete rebuild so no real work to be done there except a bit of elbow grease and some overtime on the polishing mop.

A new Bartram frame (oil in top and down tubes) is there (see pictures), as are the new Ally Ariel Tank (again see pics) and new NEB belt drive clutch.

The primary cases, bash plate and silencer should be with us this weekend and the following bits should come from Wrighty in the next few days;

Whitton yokes, new cables, ally mudguards, chain and footrests

We will then spend this weekend stripping down the bike, salvaging all the bits that will be used in the re-build and starting the clean up job before dry assembly over then next month.

Pics will be posted as we go and also as nice new shiney bits arrive

New Era!

Well, I have bitten the bullet, the Sprite has been sold and now lives on the East Coast with a guy called Mike Clay who will be riding it in the Poachers events in the lincolnshire area.

The Ariel has been purchased and Dad is chomping at the bit to get on with the build of the bike.

I bought the bike from Steve Thompson who has had it for a few years after purchasing it from Andy Pitt in 2005. The engine runs as sweet as a nut, in fact when I collected it there was no clutch on the bike so before starting to strip it down I put the clutch back on and it started literally 1st kick and ran like a sewing machine.

I took the bike over to the farm and managed to clean all of the sections that I rode so i am really looking forward to getting it built too as i am sure it can be competitive.

The bike came complete but had with it a brand new John Bartram frame, belt drive NEB clutch and a new ally tank, the engine had recently had a rebuild with new big end etc and had been fitted with a BTH mag so all the basics are there to build a great bike.

I have been in touch with Steve Gagg this week and he is making me a set of new primary cases that are smaller and narrower to fit the belt drive clutch better than the old cases, a new ally silencer and a bash plate. These should come this weekend.

I have a relative that is going to do the paint on the tank to make it look original. We are going for the burghundy colour with polished ally sides.

There will be some bits that Dad will be charged with producing, for example getting the footrests positioned and mounted correctly, repairing the mudguard stay mounting point on my old Norton Roadholder fork leg (taken from the Sprite before it sold), making a new brake pedal and brake rod, seat and rear mudguard mounts to list a few of the items that need replacing or improving for the final product.

The work will start at the end of this week when I strip the old bike back down and we can start to mount the engine in the plates supplied with the new frame.

I will keep the BLOG updated with pictures as the build comes together.

Dad has in his mind that he would like to complete it in time for a BMCA trial at the end of May but personally I would like to take the time ensure that it's finished for a roll out at the Bonanza trial at the end of June, which would allow for a bit of testing to get it right before stripping and powder coating for final build.

The pictures are of the bike as it was when I collected it. The bits that are coming off the bike (frame, tank, seat, oil tank, clutch and primary cases, yokes, footrests, rear brake pedal, mudguards etc etc) will be going back to Andy Pitt as he was the original owner and did the original work building it and wants to build another Ariel the same, so at least they are going back to a good home and will be used.

Sprite For Sale.....

I have decided to have a change and go for something a little bigger as the next project. I am thinking Ariel or at least a pre-unit bike bike. Anyway, to make way for the next bike I have decided that the Sprite will need to move to one side so it's up for sale.

If you are interested, please call me on 07725 644321 or email me at davedawson444@btinternet.com. In addition, I also have a new 32a engine that's just about finished with trials gears, pvl ignition and everything new... I will probably put both on ebay in a few weeks time but this could be an early opportunity if you are a regular reader of my BLOG...

Dave

Eventpost 25 Red Marley 2008/2

Here are a few extra pics from Red Marley including the trophy presentation in the evening

Eventpost 25 - Red Marley Trial 2008

Well, I rode the rigid Matchless on Sunday and I have to say it was a great experience.

I rode the clubmans route as required for the rigid class but the bike was a dream to ride. The engine was soft and allowed me to let the revs drop to nothing then feed the power in with good grip and loads of power and it actualy handed very well.

I lost most of my marks in one section in the stream where a little more ground clearance was required to get out of the section over a fallen tree from a muddy rut with no grip where it was not possible to lift the wheel high enough to get the sump over the log, so it meant running into the log then physically lifting it over to get out with anything less than a 5. I lost 4 marks on that section and the other marks were loose dabs here and there.

The rest of the trial went well and I found the tight sections on the banks in the wood quite fun to ride.

I am even considering building a pre unit bike for myself after this event as the engine was so easy to ride i think a good pre unit pringer would be competitive (doesn't seem to do the likes of Neil Gaunt any harm does it?). I think I might go down the AJS/Matchless route though as there are less of them being used.

Strangely enough, it was also funny to see that Joel Brayford, who also normally rides a Sprite, was out on a Matchless on Sunday and he seemed to be enjoying the day too....

Anyway, I managed to do the trial for a loss of 8 marks, which comfortably gave me the win in the rigid class and would have finished me 2nd in the clubman springer class, so I think it went pretty well.

The experts class was won by Neil Gaunt on 2 with Matt Neale and Alan Nicklin sharing 2nd place on 6.

I will post more pics and full results when I get them

Red Marley Trial

Easter weekend will bring the Red Marley Hill Climb and Trial which is always a good event.

This year the trial, run by the AJS and Matcheless Owners Club will take place on Sunday and usually attracts a good entry including a number of the riders that are not usually seen in the Midlands as they are down for the Monday Hill Climb.

I have been helping lay out the sections over the last few weekends and this week I have agreed to ride a Rigid 500cc Matchless in the trial. The bike is owned by Andy Hunt who offered me the opportunity to ride a 'REAL' bike for a change........ Who am I to refuse a challenge like that.

I will, of course, ride the clubman route in the rigid class, but after riding a lightweight 2 stroke (both the Sprite and the Fantic) this will be a very different experience I am sure. I have never ridden a Pre-Unit bike before in any guise, but a rigid too - should be fun.

I will update the site with how it all went after the weekend.

General Update

Hi, Not much going on at the moment so I thought I would do a general update.

I have added some useful links that might help and a quick link into youtube, check out some of the skills in the out of section trailer. If this is what they get up to for fun then it's no wonder that the boundaries of what riders are expected to do in sections on modern bikes are being pushed to ridiculous levels.

It seems like the capability of the riders and the bikes nowadays are putting modern trials out of the reach of new people coming into the sport. Unless you start off in classic or twin shock type trials I guess that the sections alone could be enough to make your average beginner think twice about even starting.

Its good to see that some clubs are committed to putting on multi route trials that cater for all sorts of bikes and rider capabilities to just turn up and have a good days riding without getting hurt. Certainly the trial I rode on the fantic a couple of weeks ago was in this category and a great trial too! I understand the South Shropshire, Golden Valley and Cheltenham trials are done in a similar way so I guess we will be doing a few more away from the BMCA to get the Fantic out more regularly. I think that the BMCA could open their doors to twinshocks and really make a name for themselves as fantastic trials with large entries, but I think the Pre70 classic scene is where they see themselves and it works for them.

Anyway, the next trial for me will be the Red Marley trial on Easter Sunday beofre the Hill Climb on the Monday. I have a new Villiers 32a engine being built at the moment by Steve Gollings at Villiers Services with a PVL ignition ready for easter weekend so i am looking forward to giving it a try. It will be a standard engine with trials 2nd and 3rd gears and the new ignition, it has a full circls crank and will have a standard iron barrel. Once his focus on the Pre 65 Scottish is over, the engine will then go to Alan Nicklin for the same porting and mods that my current engine has had. It will be interesting to see how the two engines compare for performance, though the old engine is feeling a little tired and rattly just now, so it could possibly be time for a rebuild on that too.

I spoke to Bill Pye today and my Fantic engine should be rebuilt by the end of the week. I decided that as the engine was the only thing that we had not touched, and therefore didn't know what state of repair it was in. After the few problems on the first run out, I decided that best be on the safe side and have it completely rebuilt back to 'as new' state. It wasn't that bad as it turns out but was time for service and replacement of the usual bearings and seals etc so at least we will have that bike as good as new in the engine department as well as the chassis.

Last Saturday I helped with some of the sections for Red Marley and next Saturday will be a bit more of the same. There is some good ground up there but the challenge is making the sections hard enough to take marks from the top few and yet not too severe that the majority of the field would struggle and not enjoy the day out. As the last few years have seen the winner on only 2 or 3 marks we have to add a couple of real testers into the mix to split the top boys up though. I am sure that 2 or 3 sections that give them somthing to think about would also attract some more top riders to the event, however it's a shame that it falls at the same weekend as the Exmoor 3 day event.

I will update the BLOG when I have something to tell you about the engines on their return or the Red Marley trial.

Oh, by the way, My Dad has decided to kep the Majesty for himself and has sold his Fantic to make way for it. I will post a pic of the Majesty as soon as I have one, but after a play on it on Saturday I can tell you that it's really good fun and certainly not under powered in is standard 175cc form. It handles well and runs like a dream so I think he's got himself a good one!


See you later.....

Eventpost 24 - BMCA Mamble

Somehow I dont think I am meant to have a consistent run of luck at the moment.

The Sprite had another ignition problem a few weeks ago and this resulted in a trip back to Simon Bateman at Nametab, where it was discovered that the source coil had burnt out, this is a mystery to us and to Simon, however a complete new ignition was installed and today I gave it a run out at Mamble.

It was the first time I have been to this venue and it was a fun trial with some good sections in the rocky stream and the ajoining banks laid out by Andy Hunt and Joe Owen.

The bike ran well and started first kick all day which was a good sign. I was riding well too with 2 soft marks lost on lap one and only 1 more mark on lap two up to section 9 when I caught my foot on the bank at the side of the stream and yet again twisted my right knee. I cant tell you how sick it knocked me, and two sections later when I came to put some weight on it I thought I was going to be physically sick so had to pull of of the section and ultimately the trial.

I understand that Nathan Jones won the trial on 3 marks followed by Steve Hay and Alan Borton both on 8 marks.

I am now going to have a few weeks off to rest the knee and will ride the Red Marley trial as my next outing. I am sure that soon I will manage to have both bike and body working well on the same day and again be at the pointy end of the results!

I have attached a short video clip of section 3 from this trial to see how it looks on the BLOG. If all goes well I will continue to add video clips in the future

Eventpost 23 - Central Wales Auto Club (Knighton, Powys)

I took the Fantic out for its first trial today and although things didn't go quite as well as planned, I was most impressed with the potential of the bike.

The trial was held in some great Welsh coutryside with rocky streams, roots and muddy climbs and cambers. The organisers put on some really good natural sections with challenges for even the best Experts on modern bikes, especially when a drop of rain after a couple of hours added a bit of a sting in some of the greasy banks.

There were 3 routes used, Red (Expert), Yellow (Clubman/O40, twinshock), White (non expert/pre65). I rode the yellow route and after a few months of riding BMCA pre 65 events it was a bit of a step up in levels of difficulty but the bike was well up to the challenge with grip and power in abundance, I certainly was not found wanting when it was clear that a lot of the more modern bikes were struggling.

The first 2 laps were pretty straight forward with a loss of 12 marks and I was getting used to the capability of the bike and the gears to use. I felt that I was on for a pretty good ride, however into the 3rd lap the bike started overheating, running very lumpy and became a dog to start.

Although, when running is was generally OK, it bogged a couple of times causing a couple of 5's and certainly disrupted the flow of the trial for me as it had to be cold again before it would start so I often had to wait for 10-15 mins before it would start.

My initial reckoning has me on about 37 marks at the end of the trial which probably puts me down the results a little more than I feel the quality of the ride would suggest, but it was an encouraging start and I feel that with a bit of work on the engine, we could be on to a winner with this bike.

The pictures from the trial were supplied by Keith Bowen at http://www.mx247.com/

Having now seen the results I am quite pleased to see that I wasn't to far off the mark, considering the two 5's through engine problems and the loss of momentum caused by waiting for the engine to cool down I am relatively pleased. The winning ride by Steve Plain was absolutely class, but after Steve I could have easily achieved 2nd on the day without the engine hiccups so I am pleased with the first outing and enthusiastic about the potential of the bike having never ridden it before.

I have now arranged for the engine to go to Bill Pye for a strip and rebuild to ensure that everything is as it should be and worn items replaced and renewed, it should be back in a couple of weeks so we can get down to the business of practicing on it and understanding what it can do.

Results

Twinshock Class

1. Steve Plain (Fantic) 7

2. Stuart Ruell (SWM) 29

3. Kevin Adams (Fantic) 33

4. Dave Dawson (Fantic) 39

5. Andy Pitt (Majesty) 50

Fanticpost 11

This weekend we're putting both the Fantic and the Sprite on show at the Classic Of Road show at Malvern.

As the Fantic is now complete and ready to ride I thought that I would post a couple of photos to show it in all it's glory.

Hope you like it!