VOLUME 57 ISSUE 45 NOVEMBER 10, 2020 P91
obstacles on the bike that I'd be hard pressed to
get on with just my two feet. Like most other kids, I
grew up on a bicycle trying to balance on the curb,
jump onto electrical boxes, park benches and any
other neighborhood terrain. Unknowingly, these
were all odes to the real trials riders who are true
masters of their craft. When we got the call, I was
eager to see how I'd fare on a real trials machine.
In the day's lineup were three of the GasGas
trials machines, TXT 125, 250 and 300. Geoff
Aaron's two youngsters, Murphy and Beckett
quickly jumped aboard their 125s, leaving a 250 at
first dibs for me. The look of these bikes is obvi-
ously a far stretch from my familiar moto bike and
the ergos are just the same. If you've never thrown
a leg over a trials bike, you will quickly see how the
handlebars are mounted over the front wheel with
a steep head angle, while the smaller-than-usual
pegs feel farther back. The rider cockpit is more
stretched out and puts more weight over the front
of the bike and on the rider's hands. The shifter is a
far reach from the rider's left foot, but the brake on
the other side is conveniently placed under the big
toe. These two-stroke engines are equipped with
Keihin PWK carburetors while a radiator fan comes
standard on all models to keep them cool during the
slow speed riding. After a quick kickstart, I headed
out to track down the two Aaron groms.
As Murphy and Beckett rode off in their factory
GasGas kits, dad Geoff informed me that the 125
was the smallest of the "big bikes" and has been a
perfect transition for his growing duo. Trials riding
