Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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~ TRIALS-A 6: By Gary Barton SPORl-fOR MOTORCYCLE fINESSE English trials, a motorcycle sport of tremendous popularity in England and ~ the European continent, is becoming a ~ sport of growing stature here in the ...J United States. ~ What are Engllsh Trials? English U Trials are a form of motorcycle competition that requires sk1lland the ability to concentrate without the hazards of high speed, wheel to wheel racing. Balance, throttle control, tiP-top machine preparation and concentration are the prime ingredlents for successful results. In Engllsh Trials the rider is required to ride obstacle traps of water, rocks, mud, sand, etc. Up and down hWs, through gullles, river beds, sandwashes and generally any natural obstacle that is challenging. Points are lost by putting your feet down, stalllng or riding out of bounds. , Bikes are placed in three classes, ultra-lightweight (O-125cc), llghtweight (126-30Occ), andheavyweIght(301-open). Riders are also placed in three categories, amateur, expert and master. The course can be any distance, a few miles or several. This depends largely upon the location of the day's contest. Riders wW generally , ride the course twice but if it Is particularly short it may be ridden more. Inside the course there wW be several sections, numbered and class1f1ed as either amature or expert/master. These are the areas where the riders will be scored. There will usually be seven to fifteen of these V) ~ sections with a scorekeeper at each section. At the end of the day, the scorekeepers sheets are tall1ed and the riders in each class with the lowest number of points are declared winners. Trophies are usually presented at the next event. Contests are held on the weekends with club members coming out onSaturday to layout the course and find challenging sections. No one is allowed to ride the sections previous to the actual competition. Saturday evening wW usually find this grouP around a nice cheery 'campfire with singlng, storytelling and good times enjoyed by all. Sunday is the day of the Trials and after the trophy presentation and rider's meeting, riders are sent off in groups of two or three at one minute intervals. Upon reaching the sections, you can park your bike and walk through it. This wW help you find the best Une to take ; The section cannot be altered, but in every section there ' WW be a Une of , least resistance that wW offer the most traction. The ability to 'read' the terrain Is something that only comes with experience but is a required ingredient for success. After walking through and deciding the best Une for you, you get back on your bike and walt for the scorekeepers signal to start through. As you approach the start of the section you should be standing on the pegs, in a suitable gear, usually low, and ready to enter the section with the bike under complete control. Enter as cleanly as possibly, at a speed suitable to the terrain and don't be afraid PITS For Trials In North. The headquarters for Northern Callfornia is the Pac1f1c International Trials Society (PITS). This organization was founded 5 years ago with 12 or1g1nal members. There were several reasons for forming the club. First of all Urals were almost non-existent in Northern California five years ago. These men decided they wanted more trials and would put them on themselves. Also, after a club was organized there could be a standardization of rules and an exchange of irials riding techniques and bike maintenance. Today there are three PITA chapters: Redwood City, where the clubwasfounded, San Jose, and Sacramento. There are over 225 members, ,with many entire farnWes involved. With PITS you can either get very serious about trials or just go out to have a lot of fun and get some riding in, too. Some of the PITS members can even tell you what trials the top British riders rode in this last week and where they placed. PITS members are entitled to be on the malllng list to find out where they have placed In previous trials. Members can advance to Amateur or Expert after they have earned enough points. Club trials, open only to members, are frequent. Sometimes the wives put on a dinner afterwards. If you're Interested in trials, want to meet the riders and learn more about it, you can attend the meetings. Guests are always welcome. The Redwood City Club meets on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays of the month at A & A Motors, 2771 El Camino, at 8:30 p.m, while the San Jose Club meets the 2nd.& 4th Thursdays at Brooks Cyclery, 1615 Almaden Rd. at the same time. The Sacramento PITS meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month at the Cluny Park Clubhouse and Library on Alhambra Rd. at 8 p.m. For only a $10 membership fee for adults and $2 for minors you can join PITS and become an automatic llfe member, no more' dues required. Anyone can join, even if they have never entered a trials or do not own a trials bike. At the meetings they have films on trials riding techniques, and other motorcycle events. Club members often talk about bike maintenance and give tips for converting your bike' to a better trials bike, which can be a great help to the novice. For more information call Alan in Redwood City at (415) 368-6475. , to be aggressive. Throttle control is most Important, and use the clutch as little as possible. Each time you disengage the clutch, power to the rear wheel Is broken and the resulting loss wW mean no traction. The clutch should only be used on extremely tight turns. The standing position is best position for several reasons. Standing wW lower the center of gravity, allow you to move back swiftly to gain extra traction, and also allow the bike to roll over obstacles without having to displace all the riders weight. Needless to say the standing position should be comfortable 'and on most bikes will require some customIzing. Handlebars are a matter of personal preference, but should be basically rather straight and also rather flat. F 001pegs may need altering also' and if so should be moved back and uP slightly from their original position. Tires should be of the trials or semi-knobby style with strong sideWalls capable of w1thstanding very low tire pressures. A few years ago satisfactory trials ' iron' was not available in the United States, but today 11 Is possible to purchase several makes of excellent trials bikes. These bikes are the same as those being used by the factory sponsored riders in Eurape, so you are able to be. riding the very latest equipment available. Some of the best 'iron' avaUable are the BultacoSherpa T,Cotton,Greeves Pathfinder, Montesa Cota, Ossa Plonker, Saracen and Dalesman. All these bikes are in the llghtwelght class (10125OcC). Many other bikes are suitable for trials and trallbikes are extremely popular. , At any trials you may attend, take time to observe a few riders of the Master class as they negotiate some of their extremely cI1fflcult sections. They will make most of the sections look easy. This is deceiving, because most Master sections are really extremely difficult and require the utmost in rider sk1ll and concentration. The challenge and feeling of accompllshment In ' cleaning' a difficult section are hard to describe, however. English trials are becoming extremely popular With the wives and children also, and have prompted one club to have a womens class and also a class for kids under 14. Everyone has a good time and a trophy or two on the mantle always looks , good, especiallY to the one who won it. As the popularity of outdoor sports continues to grow, so wW the poulartty of off the off the road sports equipment. The motorcycle has probably the largest following of off the road enthusiasts. Being of low cost, low mainteance and high reliability as well as compactness and also ,high manueverability. Trail riding and cross-country racing are proving to be two of the fastest growing sports in the country. English Trials wW greatly help these riders, as it wW help teach the fundamentals required for safe off the road riding. This not only goes for off the road riders but road riders as well. Balance and skill gained in throttle, brake and clutch control can help any motorcyclits become a better rider. If Engllsh Trials sound interesting to you, come out and observe 'one or better still bring your bike along and ride in one. You may not win your first time out but you wW learn much about what can be done on a motorcycle as well how much fun a bike can be. Jim Wilson Says, 'Ride Trials' By Maureen Lee Talking with Jim we said how in Europe the biggest champions ride trials when there aren't any motocross races going and asked if he thought it had improved his riding and what his advice to young riders starting out was. "Ride trials. It gives you absolute control over your machine and develops you balance. It might not seem competitive ' enough to some people but it is. And what you learn you may never use until you reach ' a crucial point at high speed in racing. Then it can make a difference between winning and losing. You know where the machinafs going and most Important you know what you can do with your body to correct the error. It just becomes automatic." So there 11 is. If you're starting out or even if you've started, try riding a trials or two. You'll pick uP on some tricks to handling a bike you'll never learn at high speed on a track. In the latest English papers are picture of people like John Banks puttering along uP a water filled rocky stream as it is now Europe's winter season and if It's gOod enough for people like that maybe you should think a little more about riding trials. We once asked one of the big European riders what he did in the winter, "Ride trials. I don't like It as much as racing but it really keeps your hand it." Jim Wilson is one of our hopes for an American motocross World Champion. If you've ever watched him ride, he is fantastic because he possesses a set of refiexes like a cat. Not only that he has full control of his machines under any conditions including those which would put a normal rider on his ear. . What made him that way? Well, naturally the reflexes come when you're born, you've either got ' em or you haven't but we had a talk with Jim and he thinks his trials riding when he was younger has given him that extra edge. In 1963 Jim had a little Honda 50 and learned to r ide on that. "I probably wore It out, " lie grinned. He was twelve then and switched to a Triumph Cub and it was off to the Trials. By the time he was thlrteen he was a Master, the highest you can go in Trials. • Even now he's switched to racing you'll see Jim puttering around the pits on a Greeves Angllan, the Greeves trials ' bike, wandering around at about half-amlle per hour, looking , for friends, checking score boards etc. and just generally keeping his hand in. ideal for TRIALS OR TRAILS Miteo Bultaeo We specialize in only Bullaco 1241 W. Orangethorpe, Buena Park (114) 522·6109 - UWASAII ooooooooooooooo ./ • 12.5 HP ( DIN ) at 7300 rpm • Fantastic handlin g • Perf ect geari ng Cycle Trends Super light (only 173 Ibs) with world-famous SACHS 12Scc S-speed engine. • Already proven winner in trials • 50" wheelbase • 10" grou nd clearance For further, details call or write CYCLE TRENDS. 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