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As we turn the page on another year - I’m sure we all look back and think of the past - if like us , you Emigrated from Wales - you will have a special appreciation of this - Wales the land of Song.

Thanks to Face Book - we have been able to get a neat 2022 Calendar, full of our pics from the past - This one is of course Sammy King when he first came over on Holiday from OZ - he sent me an email asking if I could help him out with a bike  while he was here. -  I did and put him on one of our Factory Beta 300’s - and fitted him out with Wulf gear. -  The next few weeks were full of great  rides with Sam - showing him stuff in the Okanagan - I took this shot of him at Summerland - the minder is   Matt Reading from Cherryville - ( We don’t see much of Matt these days - since he became a family man)

Those times riding with Sam were really some of the best I remember, plus of course, he came back to stay and we continued to sponsor him on both Beta and TRS. - Glad to say Sam has gone on to great things, with a sponsorship with Beta Canada, and he hosts really good Trials Schools ( The lad has done good)
I will post a new pic at the start of each month.

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And for all you people heading out onto the Hiways - remember  there are very good Truck Drivers - but also some who should not be out there. ( Check out the sign on the back of this crashed unit) - After being out on the road for some 30 years - I noticed a decline in the number of good Truck drivers during the last 10- 15 years - too many young inexperienced guys  maybe. I’m very glad that I don’t have to travel anymore, - I put on a lot of miles covering Western Canada.

The early years were pretty good - with lots of challenges - but I had a CB radio and would chat to the Truckers to relieve the boredom especially late at night.( 10-4 good buddy!!)
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Trial Tube - 4 Stroke VS 2 Stroke Beta 300 TrialTube TrialTube • 8.1K views 1 week ago

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The weather on this last day of 2021 is still very cold at -19 in Vernon, very hard on vehicles and bodies, we have mixed memories from this year, The Pandemic changed the way of everyday life for the whole World. - Then came the summer Forest Fires which devastated some places in BC - evacuation orders for many, including our area ( although this got rescinded) - after that came the floods in BC, washing out the Hiways, and cutting off supplies to the Interior, this was followed by the cold snap.

-  Yes it’s been quite the year, we have lost friends and family members, and been unable to attend funerals because of the Covid 19. - Plus most Motorcycle Trials had to be cancelled, so we did not see many of our regular friends and customers.

In spite  of all this, we have survived, and we look forward to better days in 2022 - who knows what the future holds?

Happy New Year everybody.

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This is a good Magazine we get via email - mostly Enduro but Shan Moore covers quite a lot of Trials stuff as well - I can forward the link to people if they want to see it.

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When I was a young lad just getting the Trials bug - there was only one book on Trials - put out by Max King - he had found that there was nothing out there explaining how to ride sections etc - and he  decided to write it - I must have read that first book   dozen’s of times - poring over the black & white images of Max on his Francis Barnett. - wish I still had that copy. ( the one below is a later Edition with Mick Andrews on the Cover -  and yes the quiz yesterday showed a young Mick on the James in Scotland. - Harlow was first in with the correct answer

In the old days we all tried to emulate the headgear of the “Stars” of the day - this is a shot of me in 1973 taken by John Whitby - a very steep 3rd gear climb in Alberta - I’m on a 325 Sherpa T-  a brilliant bike - wish I had kept it - but I joined Yamaha Canada later that year - Oh yes The cap is worn in Traditional Mart Lampkin style with the peak turned up!!!!

Another old issue.

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Don’t think any of these made it to Canada - John Kitchener will know - he rode them in the UK  ( pic courtesy Yoomee)

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This is a FB pic from this date in 2016 - my Beta shipment arrived - my Demo 200 was the first to be put together - not sure what the temperature was back then - but glad I haven’t  got any bikes coming in this week - too damn cold ( But we already have a brilliant 2022 Evo 200 in the shop - brand new for some lucky lad or lass.)

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Late yesterday I watched some good Trials videos on U.Tube - the events were in the UK and showed some interesting stuff

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We had an email from Stan yesterday - they are now down in Mexico in +80  - temperatures - we would appreciate a bit of that warm air in the OK Valley right now.

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An old Sammy Miller Catalogue - We likely have some of these stashed away in our archives as we bought stuff from Sammy for many years - including the famous NZI helmets.

And a pic of Sammy on the bike he built with a Hiro engine - but did not put into production due to financing issues.

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Quiz - Who is this rider and what is the bike??  - Nobody guessed the Christmas Day quiz - it showed Ontario rider Jamie McGregor.

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Now here’ a motley crew - taken at a Fruitvale  Trial many years ago  -  at the rear of my Outlaw Box van.

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The frigid weather conditions are still with us and another -25 morning in Vernon BC - We have been staying close to home over the Holidays, except for a Christmas day Family get-together  - The vehicles remain “Plugged in” .

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Did you know that the oldest Motorcycle Club in Canada is the Manitoba Club - founded in 1911? - I think the 2nd oldest is the Victoria Club.

Remember when they held the USA versus UK match series?  - this was a year when the Yanks won - some famous faces there.

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More Trials history - after this early start to the European Championship - it became the World Championship in 1975. - We set up the first ever Canadian Trial near Bragg Creek Alberta - won by Yrjo Vesterinen, but it was Martin Lampkin who became the first ever World Trials Champ.

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One Man’s Dream - The Britten Bike Story - Trailer - YouTube

youtube.com Knighter 101 combats Day 5 at the Dakar Rally (Full Highlights) | Episode 005 David ‘Knighter’ Knight took to the desert for Day 5 of the Dakar Rally on 5th January, and we caught the best of the action.Thanks to fellow sponsors Classi…

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Temperature this morning -21 brrrrrrrrr

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Boxing day fun in the UK - Heath and his buddies out playing in the mud.

Meanwhile out here in the Colonies !!! We spent the first part of the day shoveling snow  in the -19 degree temperature, - Started the vehicles as they had not been plugged in. - Other than that it was a quiet day - watched some old re-runs of “Heartbeat” on the Britbox channel

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Answer to the quiz - Arthur Browning  on the 175 Greeves Pathfinder. - Only Harlow got this one and also sent this pic of Big Arthur getting a check over by Sammy Miller. The bike is a very special Jawa that Arthur rides in Vintage Trials.  -   Browning has ridden in a wide variety of events, including Speedway, ISDE - Scrambles and Trials. ( Not sure if he might have also had a go at road racing)

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As we wind down what has been a traumatic year, to say the least, we would like to thank everybody for their Christmas Greetings and kind emails- for many, including our family, it’s been a year of sadness -  we have lost another brother in law and of course our friend Bob Work. -

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The view from my office window on Christmas Day  - the big winds had blown most of the snow off the trees. - The Lake is now frozen over. We hope everybody enjoyed a good Christmas with family and friends - - with blizzard style conditions in the Valley, our son in Law picked us up in his four wheel drive truck to take us over to our daughter’s house for Christmas dinner and celebrations.

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Today Boxing day - we are snowed in !! so won’t be going anywhere.
And this was a boxing day pic from 11 years ago - Barry looking up at an Eagle who was watching Rob from Hinton riding at Bear Creek.

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Little did I know when Harry McKay took this pic of me with the Yamaha TYZ Prototype, at the 1992 Scottish, that the production bike would be a big disappointment, when Yamaha did not listen to Mick Andrews suggestions. - This was my main reason for accepting Don Clark’s offer to become a Beta/GasGas dealer in October 1993.

Another Yamaha - the TY 175 that I campaigned in Vintage Trials for a while with success.

Quiz. - Who is this rider and what bike is he riding - on the famous Scottish section “Pipeline”

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The answer to our Christmas quiz - was Jamie McGregor  riding a Teeter Totter  at an Ontario Stadium Trial.

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Merry Christmas Everybody - Once again our lovely daughter Helen will be hosting dinner - this was a few years ago.

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A quiz for Christmas day - Who is this Fantic rider on the Teeter-Totter - a popular obstacle at arena Trials back in the day.

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Well the weather is certainly “Christmasy”   in the Valley - it did not stop snowing yesterday so we stayed home - Had a nice chat with Sam who called from Golden - he told us that traffic is backed up there because accidents on the Pass.

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Below you see pics of two young lads who have received wonderful Christmas presents from TRS - - top pic shows Jordi and bottom shows Steve Saunders. - Helping the younger riders succeed in Trials is perhaps one of the greatest joys for any Manufacturer - Distributor or Dealer.  - We have been lucky  to help out a  long list of riders in Canada, while also remembering one of the nicest dealers in Calgary - Bruce Cameron of Blackfoot Motorcycle. - Bruce not only supplied me with a Montesa Cota Trials bike at a very good price in 1971 - he also pointed me in the right direction when I decided I would like a career in the Motorcycle Industry.  Sadly - Bruce died too young, but at least his legacy still lives on.  As the years have gone by, we have tried to follow in the footsteps of guys like Walt Healy and Bruce Cameron to promote the sport, while helping younger riders.

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As we look forward to  another Christmas day with Family and friends - it’s difficult to know what the future holds for both everyday life and Motorcycle Competition. - The past year we have seen Forest Fires, Plague and Floods - almost biblical if you believe in those things.

I’m not sure how many of our readers take an interest in the History as it pertains to the Second World War - but it was at this time in 1943 when the Battle of the Bulge took place - launched by the Germans in  the Ardennes -a desperate last effort. - The weather was very cold with a lot of snow, making conditions unbearable. - over 20,000 allied soldiers died. - Lest we forget.

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Trials riding has been a Boxing day tradition for a very long time in the UK - and we continued to host these events when we lived in Kelowna - often we were riding in snow with the venue usually East Kelowna - it was all about having fun with natural sections always very slippery and the weather quite cold. - While most took everything in the spirit of the season - we do recall one guy ( who shall be nameless) who kept asking at the end “Who won” - Of course everybody just roared with laughter  as it was a tradition to have few flasks of warm stuff in pockets to keep the bodies moving. - nobody  bothered to keep score.
Back in Wales the Boxing Day Trial always started from a Pub yard  but with the stricter drinking laws now - things have changed a bit. I  have some good memories of these events, usually very muddy.
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The answer to the Thursday quiz - Geoff Duke was the World Champion road racer, but before that, he rode a lot of Off road stuff on Norton 5T’s - He was a wonderful man, I remember listening to the live radio broadcast of the 1952 TT races commentated by Graham Walker ( no TV back then) - Duke had a real battle for the win with another Norton rider - Artie Bell ( another “Great”)

Geoff was the guest of honor at the Oswestry Club dinner and presentation of awards in 1956 and I was lucky enough to meet him and shake his hand. - Later in 1958 I remember him passing me in the very muddy Picton Time Trial near Chester North Wales - He was on a Factory Prototype Ariel Colt. -( he won) - After retiring from racing, Geoff bought a Hotel in the Isle of Man a place where he had so many victories, and when he died - the funeral procession drove all the way around the 37plus mile TT course.

A few people got the answer correct - the first being Pete Vary from Ontario.
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Our copy of Trial Mag UK just arrived in time for Christmas - always full of great photographs and articles.   -  Also in the mail today - a customer’s cheque mailed in August  !!!! Did somebody say “Snail-mail?”

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Yesterday an old video popped up on FB, which I took at this time 7 years ago - It was a day of reflection for myself, thinking about Gerry Neilson  who had passed on - Gerry died at only 58 and was on the Canadian Team at the 1983 ISDE in Wales. -He retired when he collided with  a spectators car bending the rear wheel on his Husky  ( he was unhurt)  -The weather was superb with no snow on Bear Ridge - and I enjoyed a day of solitude.

Below you see one of the still pics I took from up on the ridge, looking up the Lake towards Fintry.  As usual at that time, I was riding one of the new Beta Evo 200’s.

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Answer to the Wednesday quiz-  Kenny Roberts resting - Kel Carruthers  wrenching - a few people got this - including Fraser McNeal.
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Blast from the past .>  Quiz - Which of these famous riders also won the World Road Racing Championship on a Gilera???

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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO OUR MOTORCYCLE FRIENDS EVERYWHERE - AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

There is a link to a video of this epic ride by Lawrence Hacking - a nice guy who worked at Yamaha Canada for a a while - The 2022 Dakar will be starting soon. - ( Now held in South America)

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Road Racing in the 70’s wasn’t all about huge Motor homes and fancy work trucks - so who are these Yamaha people both the rider and mechanic?

The answer to the Tuesday Quiz -Nigel Birkett - I asked him what he thought of the JCM - he said he liked it, so I chatted to the French Factory Team about Importing them into Canada - another of my not so great ideas.

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As we wind down the clock to Christmas day,  like a lot of guys - I will be out doing some last minute shopping - and the weather is supposed to turn a bit ugly -If you are still looking for that last minute gift for the Trials rider in your life, we can still help - as long as you call us to arrange a visit - Maybe a nice brand new Beta Evo 200?  or Wulf riding gear?  helmets, boots, shirts, pants, gloves, plus lots of other ideas -  low pressure gauges, toolbelts - etc etc - our land line is now up working (250) 545-6139 or you can email us.
I made the most of a good day for driving yesterday, and picked up my last skid of Opti Snowmobile oil - even so I saw one car go off the Hiway near Armstrong. ( people still driving way too fast)

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