Sorry for regular readers that I haven't done updates for a few weeks but we are currently working on growing up and moving to a proper website from the BLOG that's been running for a few years.
We will be at www.classicrider444.com and although things wont change too much, I am hoping to have separate sections on bike builds, events, picture galleries and places to advertise items for sale etc - basically the same but a little more organised. If you make or sell products and want to use my site to advertise, please let me know, I'm sure we can do something to help...
If you go to that address now you will see that it merely contains the stuff from the BLOG that we have moved across but over the coming weeks that will develop and when we're ready then this site will close down and you will be routed to the new site.
I hope you like the new logo too!! Stickers are available so if you want one just drop me an email and i will send you one!
Dave
Classic Trials
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Eventpost 66 - Wye Valley MCC, Trevor Hunt Trophy Trial
On Sunday the 19th Sept I went to the National Trevor Hunt Trophy Trial, run by the Wye Valley MCC.
The trial was run on the old ground used in the Wye valley Traders national back in the 70s/80s and I had been advised before hand that it was a really good trial.
I spent some time practising the day before the trial with my Brother in Law (see the Yamahaposts) and the bike was not running too well, having problems revving out cleanly. I put this down to some dirt in the jets of the DelOrto carb but as I had the Amal with me ready for some testing I dropped that on the bike to make sure that it was nothing more sinister than the carb and to my astonishment, it ran really well for the rest of the practice session.
I therefore decided to leave it on for the trial (and didn't take the DelOrto with me so no chance of a last minute switch like last time!)
Anyway, I got to the first section and with an early number I was one of the first to attempt a reasonably simple rocky gully followed by a bank up to a turn round the back of a tree and along a camber over some roots. As I turned onto the camber and shut off the all so regular feeling of the cough/stop/stall happened and a great start of fiving the first section of the day set me off in a great mood!
Still throwing my teddy out of the pram like a spoilt child I rushed off to the next section, a slippery rocky stream and took a half hearted look at the section before rushing in without any composure. I cleaned the section and stopped to realise that it was actually a double sub and before I knew it there was another 5 on the card!
I tried to get a rhythm going and it started to improve with a run of half decent rides, however at around 1/3 distance I came to a section that went up and across a waterfall in a piece of open water and having spent some time studying a tricky line across the top of the water I rode the section quite well but as I lined up for a cambered exit to the section I lost the bike in a hole that I hadn't seen under the water and the bars snatched out of my hands leaving me on my backside with a sore wrist.
I rode on for the next 6 sections paddling like a millipede and even asking for 5's where steep drops were involved in the hope that I would shake it off but as the sections seemed to be getting harder and I was both riding like a complete novice and not enjoying it one bit, I'm afraid to say that I returned and went home for an early bath!
I must say that it was one of the harder trials that I have ridden in some years but it would have been nice to at least finish, however not to be on this occasion!!
What I did notice though, was that the BSA was a little down on power for the big stuff on these harder trials - not an issue for the classic trials that I ride week in and week out, but these hard nationals with big climbs and steps I think more power is required unless I am going to drop a couple of stone! I rode round with Kev Nolan for the early part of the trial on his SWM Jumbo and was astonished at just how much the power made a difference on this type of going..... perhaps we need to do another twinshock project! What do you think Dad???
Photos were taken at the event (obviously early on before I headed for the early shower)
Yamahapost 6 - Build Finished!
The build is now complete and I think it looks quite tidy!
We took it out for a bit of a run at Shatterford last week and it runs as sweet as a nut too.
Thanks to Dad and everyone involved Ian is now the proud owner of the bike and he's learning fast!!
Yamahapost 4 - ready to start rebuild
With the frame back from the coaters the rebuild could start.
The fork legs were stripped of the original blue paint and polished, the stickers put on the tank, seat and mudguard and the build completed...
Yamahapost 3 - new bits and bobs required
Once apart there were a few bits and bobs that were required but generally it was in a really good condition.
The main things that were needed were as follows;
Air filter
Fork seals
Rear Wheel bearings
Footrests and footrest hangers
Chainguard
Side stand
Tyres
....and some new decals to finish the job
The rest of the makeover was really just painting and polishing in order to restore it to its former glory;
Yamahapost 2 - the work starts
First things first, and the bike was stripped for a bit of work on the frame.
The Yamaha Mono always had the footrests too high in my opinion so additional webbing was welded below the original footrest mounts to lower the pegs by about an inch and pull them back about 1/2 inch.
The frame was then whipped off to the powder coaters whist the other work was started.
Yamahapost 1 - New project
A little while ago by Brother in Law said that he's like to have a go at trials and started to look at budget bikes to get him going.
I put the feelers out and thankfully Ian Baker contacted me to say that he had a Yamaha Pinky with a good engine that needed a bit of a tidy up.
Perfect project bike I thought and cosmetic makeovers are just the thing that my Dad likes to do. So the deal was done and the bike came home....
Eventpost 65 - Bewdley MCC Group Trial, Coney Green
On 12th Sep I decided to take a break from the local classic trials scene and ride a modern trial at Coney Green, a few miles from home.
As I have not really ridden modern trials locally for some time I knew that this group trial would be a little harder than we are used to and the hard route would certainly be out of the question so I opted for the easier route.
Coney Green is located near to Stourport on Severn and is a wooded hillside with quite sandy soil. Although the majority of the sections were pretty straightforward, the drops and climbs were set for the modern bikes and I didn't ride them particularly well to be honest.
I lost a couple of loose marks on the first lap, mainly due to my own confidence on the steep banks and not really expecting the BSA to get up the steps, however as the trial went on the confidence increased and I lost fewer marks.
With the exception of 2 sections, a tricky loose turn on a steep bank and a long steep climb over roots which I either lost 3 or 5 each lap, I managed to clean each of the remaining sections, however I did loose too many marks and finished well down the results.
Alan Nicklin proved that it wasn't too hard for classic bikes as he won the trial on the easy route on only 5 marks and of the other classic bikes, Steve Thompson turned the tables on me from the week before, losing 29 marks to my 36.
Pictures are of the 3 of us on classic bikes at the trial..
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