outlawtrials.com

How far back can you go?? Adam Raga a few years ago.

Montesa and others made quite a lot of Trials mini-bikes for the kids back in the day.- mainly for the Spanish market.

==============================================>

Answer to the Saturday quiz - Charles Coutard  also known by the Brits  as Charlie Custard  and a young Martin Lampkin. - John Kitchener was first correct answer posting from the UK while Pete Varey also guessed it. - Brett thought it was Alan Lampkin !! Harlow was next with both correct.
==============================================>

This is the Calendar on our office wall sent by Face book - it shows various pics we have posted over the past year - the quiz today is from all the pics at the bottom - who are these riders?? - the small ones on the left might be tough!!

===========================================>

I watched a You tube video on Flat-track racing on Saturday - and it occurred to me  that The Yanks had a quite different approach to the motorcycle competition thing - first of all they held Hill climbs which were  very popular, then Flat Track was huge - and many of these riders also competed in Road racing - some like Dick Mann also rode some Trials and MX - as these were promoted by the European riders. However it was events like the Big Bear run and other desert races that set them apart, with the age of specialization taking over. - We have mentioned before how the Brits competed in Trials. Scrambles, Road Racing and ISDT events. - and this perhaps gave them an edge in overall ability.

Getting back to the UK scene - they also had speedway - I guess the forerunner of US Flat-track - and maybe the one sport that used extremely “Different” bikes - built for doing just one thing. -

The Yanks took the British bikes onto their long Flat-tracks and created a  big following, then came the Bultaco Astros and the  Harley’s followed  by  Yamaha’s etc - - who can forget the  Kenny Roberts OW 4 cylinder screaming  two stroke - and his famous comments “They don’t pay me enough to ride that thing” - Not that it mattered because it was banned by the US  AMA.

Fast forward and we now see Hard Enduro and Endurocross being dominated by former Trials riders - As Sammy Miller once said “If you can ride a Trials bike well - you can ride anything”
=========================================>

Still looking for that perfect Christmas gift for the Off Road rider in your family ?  We still have a few of our famous Outlaw hand made in the OK Valley  tool belts - many have a pocket to carry an extra fuel bottle or drink bottle. and they are still only $79.95 ( same price as in 1987) call or email.

=============================================>

The bottom line goes to pretty lady and Superstar of the Trials World - now an 8 time World Champ - Emma Bristow from the UK was in Rimini -Italy to collect her 2022 Gold Medal

Sorry had to delete pic as its posted copywright. - Did not want to upset anybody.
============================================>

We got the email for the latest”On the Pegs” mag today   — it has quite a bit of Trials coverage - but also a lot of US Trials riders ( Club events) are pictured not covering the clutch - especially a couple of riders going over logs.

============================================>

This is a great shot of Ernie Page riding in a Scottish Trial - Ernie was a very successful Scrambles and Trials rider in his day, and later his son David was one of the most promising youngsters competing in the new World Trials events on a much “Modded” TY 250. - Sadly David died at a young age of cancer, -  a devastating blow to the family.  - We met Ernie in 1994 at the Donner World round, when he was helping Martin and a young Dougie Lampkin. -I remember him saying to Dougie  on the Friday practice day - -      ” Right I’ve adjusted that fuel screw 1/2 a turn - so don’t come back and tell me it’s no better”  - At 11,000ft elevation all the bikes were running poorly - perhaps the worst was Jordi’s GG - Not sure what they did ( maybe shaved the cyl/head)  because he won the Trial. - Ernie later moved to the States to live.

=======================================>

Quiz for today - When mud sections were all part of World Trials - but who is this Bultaco rider ??

And quiz #2 - Who is this??

===============================================>

Back in the Glory days of Trials in England - they used to hold several “National ” or Trade supported events, when all the top Factory riders attended. - This one was held not far from where I lived, but I was not competing in Trials at that time, ( my interest had changed to other things)  although I see quite a few riders from my old Oswestry Club entered.  Wally Sagar was one of our best Club riders although not as good as his elder brother Alan.
This is just one sheet of the Pre-entry list ( 158 riders were pre-entered)  and it includes top road racers Geoff Duke and John Hartle  ( later killed at a Scarborough race) #16 also a road racer from Liverpool who used to ride our local Trials Ralph Renson - ( killed in the TT )  #25 is the famous Gordon Jackson who won the Scottish in 1961 losing only one point.

========================================>

Bernie Schreiber is back in the States for 2023.

==================================================>

This weekend the FIM have their big end of the year Gala and awards presentations - British Super Star Emma Bristow will be there to pick up her 8th World Gold medal.

Below is a pic  I took of of Steve Colley at the 1992 Scottish Six Days - which he won - my UK contact posted that this is Craig Lundie - as I could not remember  - But - I can tell you that it was p****ing down at the time, and did for most of the week - Walt was with me that time - glad he took his rain-suit.

===========================================>

More news from the Musical Chairs Trials Channel.

You can’t blame Toby for going for the best possible deal and money while he is on top of his game - rumor has him headed to Vertigo under Dougie Lampkin’s wing.

=============================================>

The month of December certainly   blew in with a winter storm in a lot of places - Vancouver was a real shambles with snow - here in the Valley we did not get too much snow - but it’s bitterly cold - had to plug my van in for the first time this year.

I must say I’m glad I no longer travel all over Western Canada  - I had quite a few “White Knuckle” experiences doing that for about 30 years.
===========================================>

I see that there is a very good letter posted on FB by the Scandinavian Motorcycle Association - it’s addressed to the FIM regarding the scoring system for Trials at World level - simply put - the NO Stop - does NOT work.

========================================>

The one thing that Social media does is give us the chance to keep in touch with people all around the World - we were just in contact with a former very good West Coast Trials rider Lonny Halsted - who moved from the States first to Cyprus - then settled in the UK not far from where we grew up.

========================================>

So here we are on the first day of December and have had snow on the ground in the Valley for a number of weeks  - not my favorite - but we do sell Opti snowmobile oil!!

The pic below shows Dougie Lampkin and his two boys  - out practicing - Doug says they can’t get enough of riding the Trials bikes, which much make him very happy - not all kids follow in their Father’s footsteps.

As posted earlier its the “Musical Chairs” season and   as expected Gas Gas (or KTM) have opened up their wallet in an effort to buy the best riders possible ( not that I would have done any different if I worked for them - I did the same for Yamaha)

Seems like Jamie Busto decided to get a new hair do to celebrate!! ( Order your new Busto Replica Gasser now!!)

This was the end of season party  for Nori  Haga - winning for Beta - before jumping ship to Gasser.

While Beta have now signed Miguel Gelabert a Gasser rider in 2022 - We won’t stop the music yet as there are sure to be more riders changing seats.

============================================>

As promised Wulfsport  emailed yesterday with info on the new Trials helmets, which are now  - ECE Approved AND we will get them next week - Plus we have put this first shipment on sale for $160.00. as a Christmas offer. (reg $169.95)

===========================================>

Answer to the Wednesday blog - The riders are Yrjo Vesterinen - Joe Gugellimelli - Pete Smith - and Lane Leavett

Roger who took the pic back in 1975 - got them all - Brett and Pete Varey got three of the four.

==========================================>

The Victoria Club held the Joe Brown Memorial Trial last Sunday  in perfect weather conditions - they had a good rider turn out of just over 40  in the various classes, with Thomas Cordner taking the Expert win on a Vertigo,

========================================>

Nice to see the Victoria lads getting some snow - they deserve it!!

I saw this pic posted of a Motorcycle in a clothing store and it reminded me of my first tour of my Yamaha dealerships in 1973 - This one was called “Hollowack’s Men’s wear”  - and it was located in Grand Cache. Alberta. - At that time this was a new mining town situated 90 miles North of Hinton, on a gravel road. ( This is now a paved Hiway 40 which goes all the way to Grande Prairie.

My trip proved to be quite eventful ( as most were back then) as the temperature dropped to -54 overnight at the Travel Lodge in Hinton where I stayed overnight. - All the breakers- went off and all the vehicles froze up!!  - However moving right along - I made it up through  on the snow covered road and met up with Wally the owner - a great guy, and we remained friends for many years. - Looking back now, I should have taken some pics of the various bikes on display alongside models dressed in business suits etc.

Below you see a Tax disc from a British Motorcycle  - which again reminded me of a story I heard regarding Mick Andrews being pulled over at the Scottish by the police who were checking riders bikes for these which had to be displayed on the left side of the bike.  Only problem was the one on Mick’s bike had a Beer Mat in the holder ( it looked similar from a distance) - I never did hear what the outcome of that was.

Quiz for today a pic by Roger Boothroyd from the 1975 Canadian World round - who can name all the riders?

Answer to yesterday - #1 is Bob Todosychuk #2  John Lampkin - Brett Clark  and Harlow got them both - Pete Varey got  #2

This video which is posted on You-tube is quite a good interview with Dougie and a lot of really good pics.

=============================================>

Remember this?? That caused quite a stir - and of course he went on to win the World Championship.

=================================================>

Yesterday the blog had only been posted about ten minutes before Pete Varey correctly guessed the rider to be  TRS UK Importer Steve Saunders - Steve rode a lot of different bikes in his quest for fame - including an Armstrong (Can Am) - Bultaco - Fantic and of course the wonderful Rothman’s Honda - Steve was an 11 times British Trials Champion.

Below we see a Top Canadian rider - Who is it??

==============================================>

An old Michelin advert - at a time when a few people could afford them!!!

===============================================>

Quiz #2 for today - Who is this rider ???

=============================================>

Christmas is coming - How about a pair of the Wulf Trials gloves which wear well and are priced at only $25.00

=========================================>

Not Trials although Barry Sheene seen here chasing Stevie Baker, did ride a bit before concentrating on Road racing -Did you know his first road racer was a Bultaco - sponsored by Bill Webster? - Although they look super close here, don’t forget the long telephoto lens cameras tend to condense the action.

=========================================>

As I’ve mentioned before -  in the 1950’s there were a ton of different British Motorcycle factories producing lightweight models for both commuting  and competition  using  Villiers engines. - the “Sun” was one of these - but not anywhere near as popular as the James and Francis Barnett of that era.

============================================>

When you see a pic of a rider looking up like this before tackling a section - you have to wonder “Was it possible ? or just plain dangerous?

=============================================>

It would appear that we are into a very “Wintery” week here in the Valley - very cold and a lot of snow!!

=============================================>

Some people may have noticed that I have been “Sharing” a lot of the Fawlty Towers comedy sketches on face book - These are a good way to forget about all the terrible things that are happening in the World these days. - Enjoy

============================================>

David Brooks from Vancouver, one of our regular readers - mailed to tell us that the image that Ossa used depicted a camera shutter - not a Shamrock as I originally thought - seems Ossa manufactured   movie cameras at one time and this was their logo - thanks for this info David.

============================================>

Another vintage quiz question - Who is this Bultaco rider who came so close to winning the World Trials Championship?

Answer to the Sunday quiz - Eddie took his first World Championship in1982 - Pete Varey was first in with the correct answer. - - Harlow was close behind.
==================================================>
Yesterday we posted a pic of Mick Andrews on the Ossa - which would of course be copied a bit by Yamaha - today somebody posted this old brochure - which made me wonder if I’ve got some of these tucked away in my archives. Perhaps the most interesting thing on this page - is the Shamrock or 4 leaf clover  at the very bottom - a decal that Ossa always used, so maybe Mick got them to use that - for luck.!
As most people know, I had one of the very first 1974 TY 250’s  ( A Yamaha Canada bike) -and won the very first Trial for the brand in Alberta. ( in Lethbridge)  But check out the weight !! a real heavy bike compared to the latest models. This brochure - printed mainly for the US Market - calls the TY “The Cat” - I never did find out why.

==========================================>

The UK always get their new bikes before we do in Canada  !! But with supply looking to be tight on both TRS and Beta - better give us a shout if you are THINKING about a new 2023.

================================================>

Believe or not - when I was a young lad - one of the things I used to love doing was “Jumping”  my James 197 high into the air. - This shows UK rider Chris Stay at the TRS test day earlier this year a great shot by Heath - Chris went on to have a great year in the sport.

=============================================>

I think this pic by Claudio sort of depicts what riding a Trials bike means for the majority - a way to get out into the Mountains and woods to enjoy  nature.

A great shot of Dan Clark who won the top class at the Costa Brava on his very nice (Trick) Beta

===========================================>

And the last word for this final week of November - Snow and cold !!!!  Humbug!!

===========================================>

While the recent Costa Brava Classic Trial featured at least three former world trials champions - it is  rather surprising that our old friend Mick Andrews does not ride this event, as we know he spends quite a lot of time in Spain with his wife Jill. - This pic shows him on  the Ossa that he helped design, and which became the pattern for the new 1974 Yamaha TY 250.

Eddie Lejuene  was riding at the Costa Brava - He won the World Trials Championship for Honda three times - but what was the year he took his first title??

==================================================>

Yesterday I watched a good Tape on You-Tube of the recent Southern Experts Trial - It is a good one to check out, showing just how slick the terrain gets in Southern England, where they are confined to small venues with not a lot of variation - and absolutely NO ROCKS. - but at least they didn’t have any of the man made parking lot stuff.  - Easy to see why Steve Saunders got to be so good riding mud sections.    ( But he did also win the Scottish 5 times)

Unfortunately there is no coverage of the Sidecar class at this event - which Steve won  (TRS) with his daughter Izzy in the chair.
=========================================>
I must apologize for some of the large pics posted here recently - I’m still having some issues in transferring  stuff to my blog.

=========================================>

This is a link to the Red Bull ride that the KTM boys did earlier this year - Chris Hrabb was along for the ride.
https://youtu.be/PYoFgh7a81I

===========================================>

Interesting to note that Trial Mag UK John Hulme  has been posting quiz pics on face book - wonder if he got that idea from clicking on my blog!!

=========================================>

The pic which just came up on FB says this was 12 years ago, when Steve stopped by and bought a new Wulf Jacket - We can still get these which are more of an Enduro style, but have zip out sleeves with a storage pocket at the back - very reasonably priced as are all the top quality Wulf items. - We are already starting to ship Christmas orders, so don’t be disappointed  gt your order in NOW - Any questions?  just give us a call we are happy to help  and can ship anywhere in Canada. ( Note!  The old Outlaw van was parked when it had over a million k on the clock - always run on Opti 10w40)

==============================================>