outlawtrials.com

This pic was taken on this day six years ago -( Roger just mentioned that 6 years ago this wasn’t a leap year!!! - FB posted it on Thursday & I just copied) - smart guy that Roger. - as you can see, not much snow.  Not sure who ended up with this  Beta demo that I’m sitting on - I know Flo bought the Airoh Helmet, and I still wear the Anson Jacket that works both as a full lightweight jacket or a vest - and the Raw pants & Gar boots are also still in Service - The Safety Glasses I’m wearing are my preferred eye protection, but this particular style is hard to find - They were very popular with many International Six Day riders, ( Like Helmut Klasson)
We have heard that some of the lads are planning a ride in this area Sunday - but  not sure of all the details.

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We had quite a rain shower last night - all good for melting the snow - not sure what the weatherman has in store for us today on the Leap Year February 29th.  Although we are expecting to have a visit from Chris Hrabb at some point -

Last night young Alex from Kelowna, stopped by to pick up some new levers for his Gasser -( I know he will be out tomorrow trying to break these!!!)   - He is one of our new keen riders and has some Talent.

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Tomorrow (Sunday) the CPTA have a  Kids Trial  at Ioco,  a new series being promoted this year - We have catered to the kids at our Outlaw Trials for many years, but don’t always get too many showing up. - The Vernon club have one of these planned for June.
We can supply Electric bikes from Beta and TRS, plus the gas powered Beta 80 models. ( We have one of these in stock)

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I have absolutely no idea what this says !!  But if you are looking for a Beta - give us a call. !!

More news as it happens>>>

The East Lothian MCC are devastated that they have had to cancel the first two rounds of the ACU British Youth championship that were scheduled for this weekend (February 29/March 1) at the Bob MacGregor Trials Academy.

Secretary of the East Lothian club, Margaret Mack, posted on social media, “The weather is against us as we have had a big dump of snow on the quarry and this would make the event dangerous.

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And this just posted on TMX

Blake from the local Vernon Club,posted these pics as a reminder of a fun day we had at Bear Ridge a couple of years ago ( maybe 2017?)  I took out both a Beta Evo 200 and a TRS 300 for the lads to try, and we had a blast. - Not sure who the guy with the beard is in the bottom pic, but I’m behind having a slack dab on the Beta.

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This is a short video clip of me trying out the all new Electric start TRS Xtract model - I have decided to keep this one as a demo - and must  say it’s very impressive - of course the E start is a real bonus for old guys with bad knees !!  And the seat will be nice on long rides, but this model has all the top of the line suspension of the Raga model, so can handle either sections or trail.  These will be in big demand, so if you are interested better get your name on the list now.  ( We have already heard from Turk on the Island, who has been out on his few times and simply loves it)
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( For those who might question why I’m not wearing a helmet - I had just had surgery on my forehead to remove some skin cancer - so it was a bit sensitive)
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Think you’ve seen everything when it comes to Trials Innovation? - Check out this 2 wheel drive SWM

And Jordan Clark of Calgary posted this from one of the old mags that I used to contribute to - I  seem to remember that Dirtco George put on that Peachland event, and he took me out to this spot, which had a muddy creek crossing - I made the comment that I thought this would get pretty bad after a few riders went through !! and sure enough it became a real “Bog-hole” - so bad in fact, that a lot of Alberta riders refused to come back to these events for a few years.  ( Many of the kids on mini-bikes were in tears)

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This is a pic of James Dabill  back in 2009 - Yes he was on Beta back then and is on one Now. - I think he might have changed his car though!!

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A couple of pics from my Yamaha days - the top one riding a Calgary Trial in 1974 - the bottom one shows The Team Canada MX lads - Tom Kratzer and Bill Maclean- ( both dead now) The # 6 bike was ridden by Japanese rider Nicki Kinoshita.

Trial in Victoria this coming Sunday  (St David’s Day for all our Welsh friends out there)

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And a flashback to one of our rides up on Bear Ridge in the snow with Barry Van As - Not sure what happened to Barry, as we seem to have lost touch, but we had some great times together back in the day, he won the Senior Class of the 2009 WTC Championship which featured a final round in Quebec.

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This is an old photo of Stan, taken by Harlow Rankin - Stan rode a 200 Monty in a number of World Trials, and one of him on this machine can be seen in Bernie Schreiber’s Trials book. - We ended up with this machine & took it all part to renovate it, but I can’t remember what happened to it. ( I have a pic of it somewhere all in bits)

This is a great pic of John Moffat on the big Matchless in Scotland. ( He still has that bike in his collection)

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Meanwhile back in the UK - this is Shrewsbury - not far from where we lived.

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This week looks like being busy, with Opti Oil coming in - plus other chores and my usual visits to the skin medical center. ( Old age can get a bit tiresome)  - Chatted to Chris H yesterday, & looking forward to him stopping by at the weekend. He says they still have 5ft of snow outside his place in Revvy, and doesn’t expect to be doing any riding (in that area) until late May - maybe June.

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Turn on the TV and all you hear about is Protests - but when I hear the word “Pipeline” all I think about is the Scottish Six Days Trial !!!

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This is the Section called Stanly Falls at Ioco - used in the 1980 World Round - Outlaw Sponsored the section., hence the big sign at the top. - The pic was taken by Harlow Rankin.

I think you could say that most of the top riders in the World, began by riding Trials - Roger was  a 2 time Champion of Belgium  and is seen here on a Greeves ( Sorry no idea who took the pic)

And here is Giacomo Agostini trying a Sherpa T.  ( For our younger readers - He was a many time World Road race Champ)

And a Flashback to 1975 and the first ever FIM World Round in Canada. ( Yes it was 69 miles long with 40 sections - - We managed to get close to a 100 Volunteers for checking duties )  Not sure where this result list came from, but there are a number of rider’s names misspelled   ( Sorry Roger !!)

But just look at the number of regular Canadian Club riders listed - How times have changed.

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Sad to see another British Motorcycle Factory move to Thailand !! - This just after the latest shut down of Norton with stories of fraud, leaving workers without their pension money.

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Another February snow pic - this from 2015 & shows Matt trying my Evo 200 demo at Bear Ridge - he later bought one for himself - but this bike was sold to a guy in Winnipeg.

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I see that the UK continues to have  bad flooding - some of the worst spots are close to where we lived in North Wales, with many roads impassable.

Looking out our office window today - it’s a dreary day with a mix of snow & rain.

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The last Sunday of the month, and the only riding we have done is around the yard - unusual, for us living in the OK Valley - I haven’t seen any pics of anybody else out on the bikes in our area either, although I’m sure many are getting pretty anxious.  I wonder how many people have remembered that this is a “Leap Year” with 29 days in February.
I saw a video of Dennis Brumwell   practicing balancing on the Monty -in the garage up in Yellowknife, while making plans for joining us down South for the Outlaw Trial in May.  Must be going stir crazy.
Yesterday, I didn’t do much - & ended up watching the golf from Mexico ( looked petty nice there!!)

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I saw this nice pic of John Lampkin on FB - I think Eric Kitchen took it but not sure, As most people know John is the Beta Importer for the UK and was a World class Trials rider, until a bad car crash broke his leg badly. - Stan Bakgaard rode with him in those days and often stayed with John up in Silsden. Yorkshire.

This pic was one of many being posted on the latest Trials Guru site which has already got over 1,000 people signed up for the ” Trials when a stop was a “Five” forum.

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Check this out >>>>>>>

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More News as it happens >>

Friday was a pretty cold day and in fact they are calling for more snow on Sunday - but we did get a visit from an old Sherco customer, who is now living back in the Valley, after a few years in Quesnel

- He is in the market for another Trials bike, having sold the Sherco a few years ago.  - As we had a new TRS e start Xtract on the hoist - this was the first one he looked at,  and was amazed at the new technology.  But perhaps the most interesting thing that happened, was when I started it. - I looked at his face and it was as if - 20 years had been erased - it was that incredible, the smile said it all.

Not that this is the first time this has happened - and also with the Beta either 2 or 4 stroke. - but for me it might explain why our Motorcycle enthusiasts like bikes - “THE SOUND”

As an old guy, I have been fortunate to hear the sounds of many exotic  racing machines including the first 4 cylinder MV Augusta and Gilera plus the V8 Moto Guzzi - followed of course by the scream of the 2 strokes pinned - at the Isle of Man.  Not forgetting the Norton Manx and the small lightweight MV’s and NSU’s. - Yes it’s all in my memory which I’m lucky to still have!!.

But something else that just stirred up these thoughts, was a face book video of a Spitfire doing a low level pass over an air base in the UK - the sound of the Merlin engine  almost made me choke up.

Many years ago, I was lucky enough to actually sit in a Spitfire at a place called Cosford in Shropshire England - I was there with a group of ATC cadets to  unofficially, take photographs  for the Newspaper I worked for  - I still remember both the thrill and how cramped it was. - For me, that day is still  etched in my memory, because I also got to go up in a glider - an open air cockpit, with a 16 year old cadet flying it. - I was so impressed, that the article I wrote for the newspaper along with the photographs - got very good reviews by the Editorial Staff. ( Wish I still had a copy)
But one of the main points of why I started this topic is “Sound”   - With all the latest hoo-haw about Electric bikes - I say Forget it - For me and I’m sure many others, we are in the sport for that special thrill you get down your spine, when you hear a Race Engine - Yes That’s likely why I’m pretty deaf right now !!! “Braap”
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My home country of Wales is being hit by big floods at the moment after a blast from the the East. - This is Llangollen - ( pronounced Thrlanngothllin)   - Its 12 miles from where Babs and myself grew up. - It was also at a Trial near here, that I won my first award as a lad. ( I still have it)

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What a beautiful day it was in the Valley on Thursday - The drive both to Kelowna, then back on the Westside road, is always spectacular when the sun is shining out of a clear blue sky - also, it’s a sign of Spring as you see patches of brown, where the snow has melted. - I did stop and take a few pics while going past Bear Creek - looks like a ride  could be possible, although our old entrance near the corner has been blocked off.

The farther North you go up the Westside road, the more snow you see, but with the warm Lake on the right, the area always melts sooner.  - I stopped off to see Roy at the Valley of the Sun, and we had a good visit over a cup of coffee - still too much snow at his place for a ride, but I’m looking forward to being out there on the Xtrack this year.
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Richard Lawrence posted this pic from an early ride he had on his TRS up near Smithers BC - This was the very first TRS we sold, and I’m amazed that he has never needed to buy any parts !! the only thing I sent him was a spare pilot jet just after he bought it. ( Update:  Richard contacted me to say he doesn’t ride the TRS much as he’s very involved with promoting Cross Country racing up in that area at the moment - but still loves the bike)

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Since posting  the pics I took yesterday, a couple of people have asked if the Bear Ridge area is open enough for a ride this weekend - the answer is, yes I think so, but be careful where you park and make sure you have all your paperwork in order plus a spark arrestor !!

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For people interested in learning more about the CCM project - check out this video on the Trials Guru site.
https://trialsguru.net/2015/12/27/ccm-built-in-britain/

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So for the people anxious to get out there on a new bike !   We have the following models in stock.

Beta  Evo 80 Big wheel

Beta Evo 125

Beta Evo 200 ( 2020)

TRS 300 Xtrack

TRS 300 Xtrack  e start.

We have heard that bikes will be in short supply this year, so if you want one, now is the time to get your money down.

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More News as it happens>>

A couple of years ago, in February, when Shane first got his TRS - we went flailing through the snow up on Bear Ridge - I took a great video of him shooting a huge “Rooster” tail

Here is a wonderful shot of Blackie Holden ( 197 James)  at the Scottish, taken I think up on Grey Mare’s Ridge. - pic courtesy Ian Lawrie.  - Wonderful view - I’ve hiked up there.

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Another blast from the past myself( on the right) with my buddy Malcolm ( who died many years ago) with our first bikes - he had a Francis Barnett and I had a 197 cc James Captain  - However, I soon got interested in Trials and exchanged the Street bike for a James Cotswold - and that was the beginning of my Competition days.

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This is a great Jimmy Young pic of one of the very rare CCM Trials bikes ( only 113 were built) the  defunct BSA parts & engines were bought by enthusiast Alan Clews, who  produced some very good bikes for both Scrambles  and Trials. Pic courtesy Trials Guru. ( I think the rider is Eddie Wise)

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Weather today looks to be quite nice, so I will make a trip to Kelowna - stopping off to see Roy on my way home via the Westside road - I will check out snow conditions at Bear Creek as I drive past, & maybe take a couple of pics.

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While we have had snow - the UK has been hit by big floods from the recent storms - Wales and Coastal areas in particular have been swamped, our thoughts go out to our many friends over there. - This is the River Wye in full flood.