outlawtrials.com

When I was 15 years old, - the local Motorcycle Dealer had one of these in his shop window, and every night, myself and my buddy, would walk uptown and look at it. - One evening it was gone, and I felt shattered as I was saving up all my money from an apprentice  pay, to buy it.

Fortunately things worked out for the best when the following year James introduced the new Swing arm technology - and I managed to get  a 1955 James 197.

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Flashback to 1969 and my first Trial on a Bultaco at Lethbridge AB  - left to right John Jensen, Outlaw Dave, Terry Porter and Ron Harvey. ( Check out the bars on Ron’s Matador)

This  is Alex doing a bit of posing at Summerland yesterday - he is new to the sport but shows great potential.

The three “Amigos”  - Dale, Dave and Brent. - high up on a ridge.

Both the Beta Evo 125 and the new Wulf Trials boots performed perfectly. ( And I hate wearing new boots)

I must say that we enjoyed a brilliant day out riding yesterday, just rode the bikes out of Dales yard and up onto Crown Land - what a great area. - Dale took us on a long challenging loop with a couple of big hills that had me a bit apprehensive on the little Beta ( not knowing what gear to pull)  but glad to say it flew up no problem. - Some nice technical trails followed - a real good work-out.  - Later Babsy and myself went out for supper at the Lodge with our Daughter & Son in Law - a great ending to a perfect day.
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Meanwhile up in Yellowknife - it was a slightly different weather picture !!  But Dennis and his buddies likely had fun.

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Jim Snell explains the TRS Electric start system.

We think Turk Perepalkin is second from the right in the pic - no word on who the Canadian rider was that was killed in the article.
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Check out these videos from the past - all top riders in their day, and showing Jordi at his best.
Retro Trial Park

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So today I’m heading for Summerland for a ride - not the usual loop but one that local guy Dale Wellborn knows  ( he has invited me down) - - will take a few pics - I will be on the Beta Evo 125 and it will be my first real ride for  over a month ( maybe longer) sometimes stuff gets in the way.   - Without a doubt the Fall is absolutely the best time to ride in the woods, with the trees all changing color and a distinct smell of Autumn in the air.

Watch this space.>>

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A bunch of Vernon Club members were out on the hill yesterday, working hard to fix ruts and clear dead fall - Kudus to everybody that helped out.

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I see Marc Marquez won the final Moto GP of 2019 in OZ - thrilling battle with Crutchlow  2nd & local hero Jack Miller 3rd.

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This is neat video that Sammy posted - it shows him out playing with Steve Day & Alex Walton at Ioco - Sam’s first real ride on the Beta Factory 300 4T. >
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https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYyS5PSAsutE%26fbclid%3DIwAR0cIfT0hNoUPRUABwdfHWp3YuIHnVHxhc3W_6kYUItc_Si8QTYizm_Te-o&h=AT1xfspC-BDPU1EK-nAluvsOoG-K18bXusWXwdIFKezvJPCW3V6KxL3fvNR9eY5e6m5T6YWSHcGRom3Up1Pl11YLeXSFx8P_t1ihqOOTrvikattkcM__Ac1kAFosaEWw-jYg-NQRsoviiQ_zLtZyElXFl1KmBVNuezxJWwp9ONYvST8P6YXARu12GtaaHg-9LOdpG_BkblotGPytGNsE0X_U5dG6s1-9cR69vFlqfKGu-MdxMl4g7PUPqDPulBndXyTV7HnyvOs4N1bw0zY0csM1SJkHe5ksfUhgWBgnvAf54Q0GXAvQtB6zUgtSgVPWhDzQFQcjmgxCurSIA4HCKPl0tLpuE31MsvRbxoh1uxnPIHa9n3Sc35rcMZqQaqgYsRtA6Q5C-IZNABrmpLsU3ZDkZI9jHdGgV3Y28wAZLOnQEOcPJZmH6VZJNX8gHvjtGnY3VJV1HhX5lyW9QhCbF2IyYN4LFCBy7k

e194hwrB7WO1c

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This is a Norton v4 engine - built entirely in the UK. What a beauty.

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The answer to the quiz question from Friday is Mick Andrews - Mick got a Factory Works AJS ride at age 16 - maybe because his Dad   -( Tom Andrews ) - knew Hugh Viney the top guy at the factory - but no question he made a very good choice.  - Mick would go on to ride Bultaco and then sign for Ossa as an MX rider,- but soon made his name in the Trials World with first the “Plonker” then the MAR ( Mick Andrews Replica)  - After that he spent many years heading up the Yamaha Trials Team.  Mick is still very active in the Vintage Trials World and spends a lot of time in Spain, with his long time wife and companion Jill. ( Who he calls Liz)  We got  to know them quite well when working for Yamaha Canada.
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Just saw that Mark ONeil has had a nasty mishap - with a bad cut on his hand - reminded me of my serious accident in the 1979 Drayton Valley Cross Country - While chatting to Guy Laycraft last Sunday - he mentioned this - seems I was leading the race at that point, ( News to me)  and  he was behind me when the borrowed IT 175 with a blown rear shock, fired me over the bars - not realizing that I was hurt - both he and the other riders pressed on.

For those who have not heard the story -  The bike landed on me and my hand got caught in the rear sprocket - severing my thumb. -  With everybody lost -and nobody around -  I managed to get my hand out, but of course saw that I had a big problem ( I did not take my glove off)  - removing the belt from my jacket I tied this around my arm   ( thinking I might bleed to death ) -  out there in the woods - started walking along this trail - a couple of riders  stopped - I told them to send somebody out to get me - but after a long time I just carried on walking ( this ended up being 14 miles) - after eight hours  since the crash - I was in surgery at the Hospital in Edmonton, where it took the doctors 7 hours to stitch my thumb back on using micro surgery    ( This was all new back then)  Yes I was very lucky, and thanks to the Doctor and his Team ( seems I’m in the record books as  one of the first successful  micro surgery ops - one that I could certainly have done without.)
Best wishes to Mark hope his injury heals up fast.

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That was quite a wind storm we had yesterday - blew in from the North - shredded the sun blind on our deck, and knocked  the power out for about an hour. - Cleared later in the day and the sun came out.

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Trial at Ioco tomorrow  - not sure if anybody is going down  - weather looks good for driving.

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This a shot of Sammy Miller on an old Bultaco Matador - he rode one of these to a Gold medal in the Isle of Man ISDT in 1973.   - I had one on order in 1971, when I was supposed to go on the Team, but I broke my leg.

- Our buddy Turk from Victoria also rode one in the Island, and did well ( I’m sure he will send me details to refresh my memory)

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Dave Fair posted a bunch of pics on FB of the CMA National that went last weekend - looks like they had a pretty good turn out in the rain. Results are pending.  Here is a video - you might need to type in the link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xPwoTLXoog

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Anybody recognize  this AJS Factory rider ??   - Hint - he won the Scottish Six Days 5 times

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Here’s another video of some crazy Trials stunt riding

Moto Trials Riding in a Scrapyard

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Christmas Special for a Junior rider - Brilliant little Beta Evo 80 smaller wheels than it’s big brother -   call Outlaw Dave quick if you want us to hold this as it’s the last one.

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Check out this video of the TRS Xtrack - We have them on order and will also have a standard model in for looky-loos next week - Demos can be arranged .
TRS Motorcycles Factory

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As you all know - The Classic scene in Europe is the BIG  thing in Trials right now - the reason ?  the sections are more like the sport was intended to be, and the risk factor ( a REAL issue in modern Trials) is low  plus the laid back family/ party type atmosphere is more popular. - Not that the bikes are not “Trick” in fact most who ride these events spend thousands of dollars on making the old bikes perform better. - Take a look at this Ossa

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Perhaps another attraction with the old bikes, is the nostalgia - did anybody see the pics of the guy from the USA at the Outlaw/Ymir event on the 1956 Ariel ?  If you did not - please scroll back. - Looking back to 1986 - the first year I organized the Outlaw Trial - The idea was to bring your old plonker out on Saturday for a bit of fun at no charge - then ride your modern bike on the Sunday. - At this time there was no plan to make this an annual event !! - guess what I think we are now going into our 34th year.

In the past couple of years, the vintage class has suffered, mainly because I’ve not been able to get out there and promote it. - However, the Scotch Creek event turned out well and I see a lot of good things happening for 2020 in all  our Outlaw Series.  -   So this is the challenge !! who is going to work over the winter, and bring out the “Trickest” twin shock at the first round of the Outlaw Series in 2020?

Hmmm ! Maybe we should have a trophy for the best looking vintage bike?   - If you have an idea on this - shoot me a line.
Meanwhile I had better take another look at my TY 175 !!!  ( Psst I hear Stan has an old vintage Monty)

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Now this is vintage !!

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We have just received some of the new Wulf “Impact” Trials helmets - similar to the old model, but certainly some new graphics, - price is still the same at $159.00

The 2020 TRS Xtrack Electric start models are now starting to hit the showroom floors - we expect our first shipment around the end of November.  ( Looking forward to trying one of these) Sorry about the distorted image !!   Anybody wanting other pics please email me.

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Weather looks pretty good for this weekend - there is a Poker run  down in OK Falls on Sunday - some of our local guys plan on going down for that - we are not sure of what we will do, at this point
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With this being the last weekend in October - it’s already time to start thinking of Christmas ( for some)  but also time to take a look at the Calendar for 2020.

Without a doubt, this year was a huge success for our WTC clubs, with both the National, and the Outlaw Series - We would like to thank everybody who helped in promoting these events. We hope to have more news on expanding this series for next season.

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Team TRS in Germany have had a great year, winning two National Titles.

Some nice old bikes in this shot.

And for something a bit different - The Weston Beach Race - in the UK

We now have the new Wulf Trials boots in stock, which look really good - they have a new ankle strap, plus thicker leather, but still at the same price $295.00 ( We plan on testing them out)

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Tuesday night, was Club night with the Vernon Off Road  boys - great group, who work closely with the forestry to keep trails open on Vernon Mountain - the main focus is on family fun. We now have some of these families coming out to our Trials events.
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Anybody in the market for a Beta Enduro bike?  Bob Clark of Mountain Motorcycle in Coquitlam has some good deals on 2019 models - a couple of Xtrainers and an RR 300, plus one of the new RR200’s. - Give me a shout if you want more info:

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Me on the Beta Alp that I should never have sold - it was like new & brilliant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6Frrj-czg

Another great pic of Al Perrett with Turk and Bob - all great buddies (Taken a few years ago)

How  about this blast from the past - Dave Bickers on the Greeves at a snowy Scramble in England

As mentioned earlier - We heard so many stories while visiting Al Perrett last Sunday  - Al told us that  Mel Skaar had died   earlier this year. - Mel was a Mountain of a man - both in stature and when it came to drinking Whisky  - We all spent a lot of happy times with Mel, who had a wicked sense of humor - after he quit racing - he would stand on the other side of a river crossing at a Cross Country event, and yell for you to come this way “Over Here” - most of us who knew Mel, would take another route, but those that didn’t, usually found that “Over Here” mean’t the water was over the tank - then Mel would kill himself laughing - it was only the fact that he was such a big man, that prevented him getting lynched.

Other names that came up in the conversation were John Arcand, Ron Harvey, Ted MCann, and Denny McBee  - all dead now - plus Murray Nutt, who  last we heard had bone Cancer. - All very sad - but we sure had a lot of laughs remembering the special times we had back in the 70’s.

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Well! - There are a lot of disappointed people in Western Canada today, as the result of the election begin to sink in..  But no good dwelling on it - time to move on.
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