Trail Rider Magazine

e Trials Section By Stuart Preston Hi everyone, my name is Stu, and a er more than 40 years of riding, eating, and breathing dirt bikes, I'm here today to try writing about them for the fi rst time. First, I'd like to start with a big " ank You" to Kurt for his enthusiasm and consideration to include a short monthly installment focused on sharing the latest in happenings and equipment for the semi-secret world of Trials riding! Now- adays it's becoming increasingly evident that the skills and techniques needed for success in "Hard Enduro" style of events are best learned in, on, and around Trials riding. In fact, I'd venture to say that most "Terrain Techniques" are actually "Trials Techniques" crossed over to other types of bikes and other riding disciplines. Point in fact, you can put an accomplished Trials rider on almost any other kind of competition motorcycle, be it mx, dirt track, roadrace, enduro or hillclimb, and odds are that the Trials rider will adapt rather quickly and do well early on. is is because Trials distills the skills down to their very basics, and helps you to build them up from there. When fundamental bike control basics become instinctual, well, that's when great things begin to happen! Soon we are building on these basic skills, adding new techniques and refi ning ex- isting ones along the way, and feeling the great rewards of progression in new and very measur- able ways. With other forms of dirt riding, I would some- times feel like I was ripping up the practice track, only to have the stopwatch tell me otherwise, and ever-changing track and weather conditions made it tough to relate one week's performance to another. But with Trials, the progress is un- deniable, such as when you fi rst manage a tough hill climb with a clean score, or conquer a big log crossing or rock step for the fi rst time where you could never make it before. e ability to measure your own progress in Trials is undeniable. When you go from needing both feet to push over a log or rock, to needing only one foot down, to even- tually riding thru with your feet on the pegs, you know you are learning something! e ability to work with the bike will be saving you untold amounts of energy, and your confi dence in tough- er areas will begin to soar and take you to new and more rewarding feelings than ever before. So here are some more great advantages of Trials to consider: First and foremost, the bikes do not ask for much as far as parts and maintenance, and once you have a bike in decent condition, it will easily provide you with many seasons of fun for little outlay. For example, a top-end bike seldom needs replacement for at least 500 hrs or so, chains and sprockets last for years, and even tires can o en last a whole season or more. Mod- ern Trials bikes come so well set up that there is no need to re-valve or re-calibrate suspensions for even the most demanding riders, and simple control placement of the levers and pedals are usually the only personal changes needed to enjoy the bikes to their fullest. Fuel consumption is minimal, with a tank of fuel lasting three hours or so between fi ll ups of under one gallon at a time. e most commonly replaced parts are control levers and occasional plastics, usually the result of dropping the bike here and there along the way. e bottom line here is that Trials is probably the most aff ordable and sustainable form of motorcy- cle competition out there!!! More advantages are that Trials bikes are general- ly very quiet and easy on the ground as well — so much so, in fact, that most riders are able to prac- tice in their own yards or driveways without any disturbance to the neighbors or neighborhood in general. We now have even more great elec- tric bikes for Trial, with silent running becoming more possible every day as this part of the market continues to expand. Accessibility is the key word here, as there is no need to load up your bike and equipment to go out for some fun training a er work, or whenever time may permit. Just throw on you boots, gloves, and helmet and roll the bike out for some balance and timing practice and get your dirt bike fi x on a more regular basis than ever before. Some simple obstacles can be easily placed for even more fun, such as a balance beam, 30 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com

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