Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 54 Spring 2020 i Classic Dirt Bike

The Pre-65 Scottish Trial Committee is very excited to announce that Sammy Miller will be the guest of honour at its May 1/2 trial. A spokesman for the committee told CDB: "We are very privileged to have Sammy this year and look forward to him sending our competitors off with his wise words and best wishes." The ballot took place on December 8, with 301 entrants included in it. A further 10 entries were received after the closing date and so were not included. The reserve list has been compiled in the four capacity classes and any withdrawals will be filled from the same class of the withdrawn entry. This is to keep the balance of entries as close to the criteria of the ballot. There are eight reserves in…

This year sees the 25th anniversary of this series. Although changes have been made over the years it is still basically a championship series which allows the best riders to race against each other. There are separate results on the day and awards down to sixth place are made at the end of the series in each of the three classes: Pre-65, Pre-68 and Pre-74. Six rounds are planned for 2020 – all six clubs are AMCA affiliated. They are: ■ April 26: Bath Classic MCC @ Yatton Keynell, near Chippenham, Wilts. ■ June 14: Acorns MCC @ Butterton, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs. ■ July 12: Mortimer Classic MCC @ Ameys Copse, Bennetts Hill, Theale, near Reading. ■ August 9: Westmorland MCC @ Crooklands, near Kendal, Cumbria (M6 J36). ■ August…

As fellow North East centre trials riders, 60-year-old Stephen ‘Butch’ Robson and I have known each other for a long time and we’ve been in the same motor club since the early Seventies. These days we ride under the Castleside Trials Club banner and enjoy proper trials. There the similarity ends as Butch – the nickname originates from his grandfather who was a master butcher – has enjoyed a lot more success in the feet-up game than I have. From riding a Dot round an orchard when he was six or seven and unable to put his feet down, to support from Montesa and Fantic, the lad has certainly made his mark. The early Dot went in favour of a Montesa Cota in 1973, a bike which brought him his…

In the 1979 world trials contest, Bernie Schreiber wasn’t among the favourites. Yes he’d had some great results the year before and earned a full team place, but after all he was still only 20 and in his second year in the series, and everyone knew it took years to build up to a title win… Well, maybe someone forgot to tell Bernie this. His start was not good as a crash in the first round in Ireland meant a bike too damaged to carry on; 11th in the next week’s British round didn’t suggest he would be champion either but he was beginning to climb the leaderboard. A series of top three placings and wins put him on top of the world. As the contest headed for the final…

The dawn of a new decade is always full of promise and 1970 was little different in that respect. There were those riding high, the UK still had a motorcycle industry… of sorts… our competitors were still the top of the competition tree. Things were to change fairly rapidly as the Middle Eastern oil crisis would impact on every aspect of the UK not just our world, and petrol prices were to rocket to the dizzying heights of more than 50p a gallon. The world would never stand for it! No one would pay that much for a gallon of petrol… would they? Well yes, they would, and while it might be grumbled at, the prices were paid, life went on, the British industry vanished and other countries’ products were…

As newly crowned British champion, and with a successful business to look after plus a dicky shoulder to heal, it could be assumed Bryan Goss ditched the scrambles jeans and put on his business suit, or possibly chilled out… errr… no. First of all he had his shoulder attended to and explained to the doctor who’d advised against racing that he’d incurred the damage “riding round a field”. Then he headed to the Twickenham Club’s 100 Mile Scramble. A special event with a large prize pot, the event was for teams of two riders. Badger teamed up with Ivan Miller for the event, others were Bryan Wade with Malcolm Davis and Vic Allan and his Greeves team mate Arthur Browning. These riders were the teams which shared the lead back…

Much of the delay in finishing the SWM came from the need to sort out the rear swing arm which was, not to put too fine a point on it… knackered. These alloy units are nigh on unobtainable, so finding a better replacement was not an option. The only, and somewhat daunting, way forward was to repair what I had. Resurrecting the all-alloy unit proved quite a challenge. One shock absorber mount had been poorly repaired in the past and looked awful, the other side was cracked through the weld while underneath the arm an ugly, large and incorrect boss had been badly welded on for a side-stand. It took hours of careful grinding and filing to neatly remove both the nasty boss and the two outer shock mounts ready…

1. Best foot forward Italian boot makers Gaerne have an excellent reputation in the trials footwear world, with their boots gracing the feet of any number of top riders. These are their latest Balance Classic boots and are imported into the UK by MRS – Malcolm Rathmell Sport Ltd. They feature all the attributes a trials rider needs, super grippy sole for those of us who need to dab now and again, fully adjustable clips to ensure the boots fit a rider’s leg properly and don’t flap around. Naturally they’re waterproof and stylish looking. What are they? Top trials boots What’s the cost? They’ve an RRP of £260 Where do you get ‘em? From your local MRS dealer, check www.mrsltd.co.ukfor your local stockist. 2. The Inside Line There are many…

Write to us at: ClassicDIRTbike, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ. CDBeditor@mortons.co.uk Break over *** I have finally got round to getting myself a trials iron to hit the twinshock scene again after a 38-year hiatus from my last ride on my 1975 325 Bultaco. I've bought myself a nice, easy bike to ride, an SWM 350 Jumbo – by all accounts they make a 340 Bult feel underpowered. Once I got the thing I had a quick spin and it has some serious throttle response. There is a practice ground at Buxton, about an hour away, so a lot of visits are planned and will be needed I suspect. The good thing is Hillsborough Motorcycle Club have their club meetings in a pub about a mile from my…

Depending on when you’re reading this spring issue of your favourite magazine, the Hagon Shocks sponsored Classic Dirt Bike Show is either upon us or already over for 2020. Make sure you check out the next issue for the show report if you missed the event. As we went to press some superb, tasty treats were being arranged to delight you at the event, including a massive line-up of 20 Montesa motorcycles from the early years of the marque in the UK and covering trials and MX. Yrjo 'Vesty' Vesterinen – more associated with Bultaco – won the coveted SSDT on a Montesa and he still has his winning machine, which we featured in issue 19. It will be on display. Also in this stunning line-up will be the actual…

Pre-65 Scottish Trial observer coordinator, Sally Burton, will be sending out invitation letters to last year’s observers... but if you have not observed before and would like to volunteer your services, please contact Sally as soon as possible, by email: observers@pre65scottish.co.uk or through the contact on the Pre-65 Scottish Trial website: www.pre65scottish.com. The Pre-65 Scottish Trial will again be attending the Hagon backed Classic Dirt Bike Show at Telford International Centre this weekend (February 15/16) and their stand will be in the usual place in Hall 1 – just look for the blue Pre-65 Scottish gazebo. So, if you are attending the show, pop along to see them, have a chat and ask any questions you have.…

Montesa, despite being the second of the Spanish manufacturers to enter the trials fray in the Sixties, soon had a worthy product, thanks to the help of riders such as Charlie Harris who suggested the initial mods needed to their trail type bike and indeed brought the Barcelona company its first successes. He was followed by Don Smith and Gordon Farley, who did so much to popularise the model and Farley was to take the British trials championship on his works developed machine. As ever, with such success to promote the machine, sales were on the up – it helped of course that the product was a good one and in many cases easier to ride than the opposition. Once Jim Sandiford got to grips with the importership, Montesa in…

“To be honest, I don’t remember much being done to the Bulto. It is 40 years ago. There were little things, which are pretty visible in the photos, though these were done to personalise the bike for me. This amounted to the footrests moving back a little, but they’re still standard rests and I matched these with DEP (Derek Elwell Products) handlebars to make a better riding position for me, as I’m quite tall. At the time, the factory had the idea to modify the rear frame loop and it looks a little more modern, I don’t know if it saved any weight but it looked lighter. The biggest thing would be to have the bike in as good a state of prep as it could be. Reg May at…

Traditionally championship contests had been the hunting ground of the works supported teams and their riders with factory fresh machines. Badger, however, was determined to do things his own way and used his own Husqvarnas, or those provided by his sponsor farmer John Coombes. When we had a word with Goss about this feature he was still full of praise for Coombes, stating the farmer was as much to do with the win as anyone else. Badger was also full of praise for Triss Sharp – one of the Sharp brothers who were also top line scramblers. Says Badger: “Triss and I have been friends for years, even before he started prepping my engines. Once he stepped back from racing full time and started preparing motors I could always rely…

Thanks to a reader with surplus mudguard stays from his own Triumph-based project, the CDB Triumph is now fully covered at the front. There is a slight issue with using a 21in front wheel with an enduro tyre on which brings everything a little too close to the underside of the guard, but a welder friend said: “No probs, work out how much extra length you want in there, we’ll cut it and re-weld…”. So while not sorted there is a plan for this bit. I’ve left the rear mudguard alone, it is still the original steel and rust one from my 650 and the shop soiled alloy one is still on the shelf for the moment because there have been other things going on and fitting a new rear…

❝ We go to shows for many reasons. To talk rubbish with like-minded souls, to see old pals, to flog some junk (sorry, I mean rare and highly desirable items) ❞ This piece is being scribed on wooden blocks (old time printers would understand!) before the eagerly anticipated Telford Show, so a show-related beginning would seem appropriate regardless of when it is read. When I tell my brother (who keeps his motorcycles in the house) I am going to a classic show, he always responds: "Waste of time, there's nothing new!" I know what he means – but he is wrong. The truth is virtually everything is new at classic shows. It is one of the reasons that so-called 'classic' machines are so popular these days. You can buy or…

Now an eagerly awaited fixture in the calendar, the Bob MacGregor Motorcycle Run will be on April 28, with special guest of honour Sylvia Bickers. As in the past, the event will be for Pre-75 motorcycles, though special dispensation can be given for something special. It will start and finish at McLaren Hall, Main Street, Killin, Perthshire, FK21 8UH, Scotland which is 37 miles north of Stirling. The circular route takes in the Killin-Loch Rannoch-Pitlochry area and follows A and B class roads, though there are alternative off-road sections for those interested. The first motorcycles will leave at 10am and the remainder will follow in groups of five-10 at one minute intervals. Entry is £15 – includes £2 donation to Bob MacGregor Trials Club – contact Pete Remington Tel: 07891076320…

It is a fact of life that life comes to an end and none of us can go on for ever. Here at Classic Dirt Bike we regularly deal with images of the stars of yesteryear, pictured as they were 40, 50 or more years ago, when they were youngsters. We know these riders have aged, in the main we see them as guests at events and are well aware of the passing of years. It is still upsetting to hear of such riders’ demise though and the off-road world has been particularly hard hit recently with Vic Eastwood succumbing to a long illness and Les Archer passing shortly after. Ian Berry has devoted his column to these two stars this issue but there wasn’t room for photos on his…

The chance to ride older bikes from our youth, on sections made famous in the Scottish, is a chance a lot of people want to take, which is why the Pre-65 Scottish, and now the Leven Valley Two-Day Trial fill up quickly. Butch got in for 2019 and was one of several riders who went clean on both days, which brought the tie-breaker in to action. The clearly stated rules are that in the event of a tie the oldest rider will take the win… See Butch, there are advantages to being our age...…

Whatever your feelings on the use of tobacco products, it was that industry’s money which sponsored many events and teams for a number of years. Their influence reached well into motor and motorcycle sport and many others too. There were notable teams which incorporated tobacco company names in their team names, not just in the UK but all over the sporting world. It all ended when governments started restricting the advertising of such products and I’m not even sure I’m allowed to print the British scrambles championship, for 1970 was officially ‘The Players No. 6 British Scrambles Championship’ ... but it was called that and maybe for historical accuracy we are allowed to say so.…

Pretty much the place for CZ stuff is Gerard Copping’s CZ Stuff at www.czstuff.com. As Gerard had worked on this motor we asked him for some tips on looking after CZ MXers and found they were almost boringly reliable. So, straight from the man himself is: “Just clean the air filter and oil the chain! “To keep the all metal clutch working smoothly, strip and clean occasionally and while doing so retighten the clutch basket and this will avoid the ‘my engine is totally knackered’ loose clutch basket noise. Other thing to stay on top off is keeping the swinging arm pin tight because if it is at all loose it will cause terrible engine vibration leading to carb flooding and ‘white finger’, oh and do not rely on lock…

Vic Eastwood (1941-2019) In April 1998, I had the pleasure of interviewing Vic Eastwood at the Portuguese GP, where his son Mark was racing. At the time I was starting out on my writing career and Vic was one of the riders I was keen to talk to. Over the course of the afternoon we discussed his beginnings in scrambling as a 15-year-old on a Greeves; the AMC and BSA days; his move to Husqvarna and the horrific accident he suffered at an icy Hawkstone Park, in December 1968; his fight to recover from that; and the resulting rides for AJS, Maico and CCM. In 1944 Vic Eastwood Snr moved his family from its native Lancashire to Kent, where he ran a transport cafe on the Rochester Way and…