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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The 'Trials of a Trials Club ,... '" ,... N a < ~ W Z w ~ (.) ~ (.) Yep, it's just as far down as it looks! By Ron Schneiders SADDLEBACK PARK, CALIF., April 18, 1971 - A low speed, precision balancing Trials was hosted by the Valley Observed Trials Enthusiasts (V.O.T.E.) in Saddleback this Sunday. But Saddleback, looking almost lush, it was so green, was the second choice of the club as a location tor their Trials. The first, an area in Los Padres Forest went by the wayside when the Forest Service pulled a bit of low cunning in what ~eems to be a more and more determined effort to Swenco Leading Link The Geometrically Perfect Front End lst AM l00cc Elsinore G.P. Danny Lynch-Swenco Hodaka 2nd NOV. l00cc 4 Aces G.P. Don Woodward-Swenco Hodaka 3rd NOV. l00cc Barstow to Vegas Don Woodward--5wenco Hodaka 15 finish.. for 15 starts 1970 Don Woodward-Swendo Hodaka ONLY OUR FRONT END CAN OFFER YOU THESE OUTSTANDING FEATURES... High strength seamless steel down tubes chrome plated for maximum protection. Special al!lminum alloy loop. Less unsprung wei9!t Easily installed. Six and one-half to seven-inch travel on five-way adjustable shocks. Available for most bikes. Approximate weight 16 pounds. PRICES l00cc and under $95.85 complete with Mota Cross shocks. 125cc and up $105.95 complete with Moto Cross shocks. . Special type price available on request. This is the advanced class for wheelie experts, gently but firmly ease motorcycles out of the forest. This time it was a list of 32 regulations (which normally are applied only to permanent lease holders) which were suddenly brought to bear against the club mere days before their event. Smokey the Bear was suddenly turned mean and the paw that held a shovel grasped a club. "You can hold your trials on government land," the rangers chuckled, "just furnish a $300.00 bond and slightly more liability insurance than was bought for the Elsinore Grand Prix." Since this was a non-AMA club, the cost would have been three"times the insurance cost of a Grand Prix - a cool $1.000 or $10.00 per rider entered in the event. Pretty neat, huumm ... ? Some of our elected officials have already heard about this transparen t bit of nastiness. How 'bout the ones representing you? The man So you think Trials is for old men. stopped 10 feet farther down. directly responsible is Forest S.uperviso r William H. Hansen. It would be nice to see him replaced. In spite of this mess and some intermittent rain, The Valley Observed April 4 & Services:Performance engine building and suspension work by MOYER. Swenco Cucamonga 9581 NINTH STREET CUCAMONGA, CALIF. 91730 PHONE 714-987·2914 from now on. Vic reminded them that ren t for the land was high, and the insurance was even higher, and besides he maintained a first aid car for their use. Nobody seemed very upset a the new fees, which was only logical. When they could be virtually kicked off their own land - several million acres of it how could they object to paying $1.00 apiece to use someone else's? The next major trials event will be the 2nd annual Timed Scottish Trials hosted by the San Diego Trials Association. T-wo 20-mile loops in very pretty country are promised. (Results on page 22) Fresno. California CMC Central Moto-Cross 1st 125 Senior BOB ROGERS Rickman Micro 125 Metisse 1st 250 Senior PERRY.KLASSEN Rickman 250 Motlt-Cross Scrambler March 28 Lewiston. Idaho_ April 4 Rickman 250 Moto-CrossScrambler accessories BMW Specialties Rickman 250 Moto-CrossScrambler Kiana. Washington Mota-Cross 1st 250 Expert MIKE RIDDLE April 8 SACHS parts & Mota-Cross 1st 250 Expert MIKE RIDDLE 411 West Whittier Blvd. Montebello, (;alif. 90640 (213) 724-9474 Ascot Park. California CMC Nite Mota-Cross 1st 125 Expert BRUCE BARON Rickman Micro 125 Metisse Aprill0 Elsinore Park. California TT Scrambles 1st Open Exp. JOHN SPRAGUE 1St Special Exp. JOHN SPRAGUE 1st Sweepstakes JOHN SPRAGUE April 11 Somis. California 1st 125 Senior 1st 100 Junior Rickman Weslake 700 B-Valve Bay Mare Moto-Cross BRUCE BARON Rickman Micro 125 Metisse DAVE MONTGOMERY Rickman Micro 100 Metisse Other Products: Hodaka extended Box Tube Rear Swing Arms Chrome 839.95 Prime 136.50 4" and 5" fiberglass Fenders Fiberglass Seat Tank Assembly Starburst Hodaka Heads. Trials boys prevailed and held their event. It was close. As of 8 o'clock the morning of the event only 4 of the 18 traps had been laid out and marked. In the hurry-up job that followed there was' not room for a whole lot of ingenuity so many of the traps had a familar look to them. (To say nothing of some well-worn ruts.) Even so, three times around 18 rather difficult traps is a pretty good day's workout and most of the riders seemed to have enjoyed themselves. Doing the checking for the club were the stalwart members of Honda, Ltd., a road riding club that has generously given their time on several occasions to the not-very-thrilling but very necessary job of checking. No one who hasn't done it can know how long 6 houn of checking in the sun can be. Without their help the trials would be a much poorer even t with fewer traps and less accuracy. Those who ride Trials know and appreciate their service. Richard Bledsloe was the star of the trials this week, defeating no less of a trio that Bob Grove, Bob Nicholsen and Kevin Walker on not one but two occasions. First was the regular trials which he won with the incredible score of minus 2 points! Next was the Master's Exhibition which consisted of two near-impossible traps which he also won. Second place in the Masters Class caused some difficulty. On first scoring William Smith and Kevin Walker were tied with minus 8 points apiece, and Smith was awarded the trophy because he had more "cleans". Walker protested that the score was wrong, that he had actually been given 5 points which he didn't deserve. The error was pinpointed and it looked like a checking error. Apparen t1y Walker was missed once when he went through and he didn't look to see that the checker had him marked. In trials, the checker's word is final; he wasn't seen. Walker somewhat angrily at first accepted the 3rd place trop-hy, then later "disqualified" himself. This made William Smith the second place trophy winner and put Bob Nicholsen into the money in third. Although the traps were somewhat routine, there were a couple of interesting pain ts. One was the placing of two traps end-to-end. This was something Kevin Walker picked up on his recent trip to Spain where not just two but sometimes 6 or 7 traps are strung end-to-end. The name of the game is "Don't Stop," because if you once stop, you not only lose 5 in the section you stopped in, you probably won't be able to get a decent start on the following section. At the end of the day (which was ou tstandingly beau tiful) the riders were addressed by Saddleback President Vic Wilson who wanted to squelch rumors that said in effect that trials riders werell't welcome at Saddleback. "Untrue," he said, "Saddleback wants very much to have the Trials riders use its facilities, only it has to make a little money from them." So they were going to be charged $1.00 apiece at the gate * 1320(. OIlMGUHORPE fllLL£RTOR CALif. (714 170·4"7 CYCLE CITY Q}:t> 34198 Coast Highway Dana Point. Calif. 92629 (714) 496-1001 SMtII Ora.e Tri. .b Headqlaners auzu... IVIOTO~CYCLe:S Ct_"