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)
No comments:
Post a Comment