Thanks for posting that. Sidecars too, all on three lines, very impressive. Have you got any links to results or event reports?
That looks to be pretty much what I remember from the previously discussed Ormstown (Quebec) Off-Road Festival when I rode up there.
Geritol Trial. Great vintage event. Handicap system. Oldest rider and oldest bike. Every year newer counts a point. Handicap points are in the 3rd column, then loop scores. It's hard to beat Neil with that 54 Velo. What is the rule about consecutive wins?
I can count on one or two hands the number of times I have seen sidecars or rigids out, but they are accomodated. "Organizer's discretion" is the operating phrase (and proverbial bottom line) and three lines can become four. As these guys would probably be competing against themselves the real trick is to make sure they have a fun and safe time. There's no Repsol or Red Bull sponsorships at stake! The trick with rule structures is to be flexible enought to deal with occasional exceptions without being rigidly geared towards managing them. Most of the guys who come out on old iron know what they are doing and can easilly ride a novice line used for later twinshocks or even more aggresive lines.
It would look familar. It's from the organizer's website, and Ormstown is a regular venue in the Quebec vintage trials series. http://www.rocler.qc.ca/ariane/QVT.htm I posted a photo link here a few pages back which you may already have been copied on if you were there.
Looking at a 1976 Honda TL125, any known problems? What should I look for? What is a fair price? Thank you GTC
If you want something for gentle trail riding the TL125 is fine, but if you are looking for small capacity trials bike a TY175 or modified TLR200 are both an awful lot better than the TL. Main issues with TL are related to general wear and tear, and bikes which look neglected and badly maintained should be avoided, while those which look good and run well without any strange noises from motors, will almost always be perfectly ok.
I had one back in the early "70s. Nice little bike. The biggest problem for trials riding was the forks were raked out too far. I cut the frame and pulled em back a little. It was a lot better, but still a 125. Eventually sold it and got a TL250 for a Colorado trail bike and a 350 SherpaT for trials.
Interesting thing is even scored straight up, Howard would of been 3rd on a 2010. Beat by the `54 and a `93!
I would.... I just want to ride... Anywhere , anytime ,anyhow.. someone sticks a couple of pegs in mound of dirt I will ride around them.. .
Hey all, SO, does anyone have any pointers for looking for a pre-65' Trials bike? Any sites I should check out? I should add, that I am LOOKING. I don't really know how serious I am yet....
I would say dont bother, unless you enjoy standing in a cold shower tearing up $100 dollar notes, as well as spending plenty of time working on your bike.
From what I have seen the pre-65 trials crowd is a bit e-challenged! There's forums at Trials Central and some of the various competition organizations out there, plus a few bike specific enthusiast pages, vendor sites, etc., depending on what machines you are interested in. Unless you are really motivated towards a specific machine, have a clear vision of the bike/project you want and have the appropriate mechanical skills, resources and funds to do a project...you may want to be careful what you wish for!
Like Thumpermeister said. This is a good place to start: http://www.trialscentral.com/forums/forum/14-pre-65-bikes/
Based on that last line I would say buy a TL-125, add gas before each event and just ride! Otherwise, there's a couple good responses here already. Should you decide you are serious there are some resources out there once you are narrowed down to a specific machine. There are a lot of ways to approach this, depending on whether you are buying an existing competition-ready bike or looking for an all-out project. The former route is the easiest, and while the bike will still cost more and be more work (both riding and maintaining!) then a later twinshock...it might just be manageable for a rider with the committment and good mechanical skills. A project bike with engine work, kit frames, fabrication, aftermarket bits, etc. is a lot more work of course, but also lot of satisfaction IF that's what you want AND you have the time, resources and money...as noted by others here. Most of the bikes in the class are British as is most of the aftermarket support, but there are a few domestic sources as well. The good news is there is an active cottage-industry around these bikes, making parts availability often better then for many later twin-shock bikes and monos! There's a lot of variety within the pre-65 category, from the early light weight two-strokes (BSA Bantams) to smaller four strokes (Triumph Tiger Cub) and of course big singles (BSA, Matchless, Ariel) and even twins...with varying levels of availability, difficulty and cost. Hopefully you already have some idea here of what you want?
Here in the UK at least, most serious "P65" competitors have bikes built using modern chrom moly frames, highly modified motors, in some cases using few if any OE parts. These bikes are far more competitive than anything vaguely related to an authentic P65 bike, but cannot be compared to a well built 1980s twinshock, which works an awful lot better and costs about 25% of the price of a modern day "P65". Before making any sort of decision regards P65 bikes though, its a very good idea to try and have a ride on a few, purely and simply due to the fact that these machines are either love/hate, and certainly not suitable for everyone.
Well, thanks for the input. I am leaning toward a twin-shock Fantic actually.... I just wanted to see what was out there for pre-65.... I guess it would be a little more than I would like to get into at this point. I would be fun, but I think it would end up taking up to much of my time, or $$$$$$.
Yep. Generally guys with classic trials bikes have some history or natural affinity towards them. When it's second nature to you there is no issue running one. Of course, that's probably what a lot of modern riders think about twin-shock bikes!
