MEET YOUR NEW FRIEND THE TRIALS BIKE
If you have never ridden a modern trials bike, you
simply don’t know what you’re missing.
The ability to negotiate rough terrain is unmatched by anything on two
wheels, but the real secret is how much fun they are to ride! The combination of light weight (160 lbs),
incredible low-speed handling and a torquey engine allow them to go practically
anywhere with ease. Not only will you
have fun, but you’ll experience new places to ride, meet new friends and learn
new skills that will take you to the next level of motorcycling. Intrigued?
You should be.
Most trials riders own other types of motorcycles as well. A trials bike is the perfect second bike because it compliments the riding you are doing now, whether it be motocross, trail or even street. You’ll find it’s the ultimate tool for cross training as well as “Adventure Riding”. We’ll explain it all here, and when you’re done reading this booklet, you’ll know all about trials and the funny looking bike with no seat.
A trials bike is unlike anything you’ve ever ridden. Comparing one to a conventional off-road bike is like comparing a Cessna to a 747. Imagine riding a standard off-road bike (XR, WR, EX/C; you name it) up a steep mountain trail with several miles of rock ledges, tight switchbacks and loose rubble. Unless you’re Ty Davis, you would soon become exhausted as you lifted, pushed and cursed your way to the top. Now imagine conquering the same trail with ease while lofting the front wheel over those rock ledges with full control and near-perfect traction. Then picture yourself floating the front wheel around those tight switchbacks in a continuous feet-up wheelie turn! You can do that and more on a trials bike, and you’ll have a blast doing it.
Trials riding can be difficult for sure, but the bike itself is not difficult to ride. It is actually quite “user friendly”, despite its amazing capability. Think about it. The bikes weigh only 160 pounds, have a low seat height, smooth power (although surprisingly snappy), soft, sticky tires and are easy to start. How could that be hard to ride? If you have any off-road riding experience at all, you’ll soon be crossing logs and climbing vertical steps that you never could have imagined before.
A TRIALS BIKE IS
THE ULTIMATE CROSS-TRAINER
Trials riding is physically demanding. When you first start out, you’re legs will
burn, your hands will ache and your arms will turn to putty. That’s a good
thing, of course, because eventually your muscles will adapt and you’ll be in
much better shape for all types of riding.
The sneaky part is that an intensive workout can be accomplished in half
an hour in an area the size of a backyard.
But there’s an even bigger advantage than physical conditioning. Your motocross, cross-country or street riding skills will dramatically improve because trials riding forces you to learn precise throttle control, peg-weighting, balance and line selection. And that’s a fact.
THE PERFECT BIKE
TO RIDE WITH THE KIDS
Every off-road riding parent wants to teach his or her child to ride well, but let’s face it; it’s difficult to ride together when your kid is on a Z-50 and you’re on a CR250. But with a trials bike, you can actually ride WITH your child while demonstrating proper brake and throttle control, turning and balance - the basic skills that are key to becoming a competent rider (trials OR otherwise). You’ll spend more time together and you’ll both gain more from the experience.
A TRIALS BIKE IS
A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ANIMAL
The modern trials bike is a purpose-built engineering
marvel designed to excel at extremely tight, difficult riding. The overall package is designed to be as
narrow as possible with each component designed to tuck in for maximum
protection.
Below are the specs for a 2002
Montesa, but are similar for all the makes:
Weight: 160.6 pounds
Wheelbase: 52.4 “
Seat Height: 25.6”
Rear Shock: Adjustable rebound and pre-load. 7.5” travel.
Front Fork: Adjustable rebound, compression and pre-load. 7.1” travel.
Engine: Purpose-built liquid-cooled, case-reed two-stroke (w/ electric fan)
Displacement: 249cc
Horsepower: 17.5 @ 5000 RPM.
Torque: 18 Ft./Lbs @ 4000 RPM.
Compression (actual): 8.2:1
Ignition: Electronic CDI with lighting output.
Gearbox: Five speed (first, second and third closely spaced for trials riding).
Clutch: Hydraulically actuated, wet multi-plate
Exhaust: Tuned expansion chamber with internal packing. Very quiet.
Frame: Aluminum Composite (Made of forgings,
extrusions and machined billet).
Maximum
speed: 56 MPH (Depends on final
gearing)
Front Tire: 2.75 x 21” Michelin X-11 Trials (tube type). Pressure: 5 PSI
Rear Tire: 4.00 x 18” Michelin X-11 Trials (tubeless radial). Pressure: 4 PSI
Front Brake: 4-piston caliper with 180mm stainless steel rotor.
Rear Brake: 2-piston caliper with 150mm stainless
steel rotor.
Fuel Tank Capacity: .70 gallons
Ground clearance: 13.7”
Skid-Plate: Heavy-Duty aluminum to withstand continuous rock bashing.
FORGET KNOBBIES
– TRIALS TIRES ARE MAGIC
The special trials tires are a key part of the bike’s amazing capability. The rubber is super-soft and the carcass is designed to flex at low pressure and grip better than anything you’ve ever tried before. The rear tire is tubeless and typically run between 4-5 PSI. Punctures can be fixed using a standard tubeless tire plug kit.
TRIALS BIKES ARE
EASY TO MAINTAIN
You’ve got the usual air filter cleaning ritual, of course, and a chain to lube. The gearbox and fork oil ought to be changed occasionally along with a check of all the nuts and bolts for tightness, but that’s about it. The engines are well designed, and since they don’t spend much time at redline, they seem to last forever. Piston rings last many years, as do chains, sprockets, clutches and brakes. About the biggest expense are tires, which cost about $200.00 a set, but they, too, last quite a while.
“WHERE’S THE SEAT”?
Everyone asks this question. There isn’t a seat in the normal sense, but there is a wide, smooth place to sit down. This “seat” is actually quite comfortable; the problem is it’s so low that sit-down riding is awkward, even for short riders. Why is this? Simple. Trials (or any technical riding) is done standing up, and the low seat allows your legs to absorb more impact before your butt hits the seat. This “leg suspension travel” is very important when crossing a three-foot log, for example, and contributes to the trials bike’s amazing maneuverability. Plus, the low seat allows you to “dab” (touch the ground) in spots not possible on a regular bike. And if the going gets really tough, you actually CAN sit down and “paddle” very effectively with both feet.
Most non-trials riders are unaware of just how fast a trials bike can be ridden through the rough stuff. The flickability combined with the snappy power and sticky tires makes for an awesome tight trail weapon! To prove this point, a group of local riders recently entered the famous Los Ancianos Hare Scrambles in Tecate, Mexico. Standing up the entire time, the trials riders distanced every contestant in the tight stuff and the fastest trials rider of the group finished the race on the same lap as the overall winner (riding a Honda CR250!) We don’t recommend you try this, however, because even though the top speed is over 50MPH, a trials bike is not designed for fast racing, and can be a real handful at speed.
After a bit of practice on the bike, you may want to
enter an Observed Trials competition.
These events test your riding skill against other riders with similar
skills. Six different classes exist
from Beginner to Expert, so regardless of your ability, there is an appropriate
class to enter. There is even a special
kids class with three separate divisions of its own. Most trials are held in the forest, desert or mountains, usually
far from any town. A typical event
consists of a fairly easy trail “loop”, three to seven miles in length and
marked with pink ribbon. Within this
loop, ten “sections” are marked with red and blue ribbon or tape. (Red marks
the right boundaries and blue the left).
Each class rides a different route through the section, and the goal is
to ride each one without “dabbing” a foot or crossing any boundaries. The rider can walk each section first to
become familiar with it, but is not allowed to pre-ride it. The “checker” (also called an observer –
hence the name “Observed Trials”) will score the rider and punch his
scorecard. Scoring is as follows:
0 Points: Called a “clean”, is the
best you can get and the goal of every rider.
1 Point: Completing the section with
only a single “dab” or a single feet-up stop.
2 Points: Completing the section with
either two dabs, two stops or a stop with a foot down.
3 Points: The “Three” is awarded for completing the section with three or more dabs, stops or a combination of the two. If you paddle your way through a section, but do not go out of bounds or stall the engine, you will receive a “Three”.
5 Points: The “Five” is given for failure to complete the
section. This could be caused by not
making an obstacle and stalling, riding out of bounds, falling down or moving
backwards.
At the end of each loop, the rider turns in his or
her scorecard and receives the next one.
If desired, the rider may take a few minutes between loops to rest, grab
a drink or snack and check over the bike before heading out on the next
loop. Because a trials event is not a
race, the atmosphere is much more laid back, and you are free to ride by
yourself or with anyone you choose.
Many ride with a group of friends and cheer (or heckle!) each other
on. It’s great fun! The event is over once you have completed
the required (usually three) loops.
Instead of a definite time cut-off, there is typically a “sweep” about
four or five hours after the start, and as long as you have begun your last
loop and remain ahead of the sweep crew, you are OK on time.
Novice is the beginning class and consists of
sections that are about as difficult as an easy trail ride. The next class is Sportsman followed by
Intermediate, Advanced, Master and Expert.
Only a select few are capable of riding Expert-class trials, but
everyone likes to watch! Even if you
aren’t ready to try trials just yet, come on out to an event and be a
spectator. It costs nothing, and you
are free to walk to the various sections, take pictures and get within a few
feet of the riders.
The
folks involved with trials are the best!
Nowhere will you find a more sincere and trustworthy group, and it is these
people that help make trials such a fabulous sport. No one knows exactly why trials attracts such a great caliber of
people. Perhaps it is because the sport
can be humbling and the hot-tempered ones lose interest and move on. Or maybe trials riding just brings out the
best in people. Whatever the reason,
it’s a unique group and one you will be proud to be a part of.
You can check out the entire ATA story by clicking right here!