Winter 2020 TRF Trail Magazine

The Members’ Magazine of the Trail Riders Fellowship British Library Reference: 007244108

Winter 2020

TÉNÉRÉ EXPERIENCE An in-depth look at Yamaha’s no-nonsense Adventure Trail bike

LAST CHANCE TO WIN A FANTIC CASA! All the latest TRF Raffle details inside

Ladies Day

RIDE LIKE A

Girl

THE UK TET

New excursions Part of our ‘Ride Like a Girl’ section includes into Northumbria’s novices and long-distance charity events Borderlands and wild West Wales

Directors’ Reports: Changing of the guard Green Road Mapping: The mammoth project goes live Pedelecs: Can E-MTBs provide it all?

Group Therapy: Wiltshire TRF takes a look at Devon Dolgoch Day: How to have fun in lockdown

Hands. Face. Space. www.trf.org.uk/COVID

EDITORIAL

W

elcome to the bumper end-of-year issue of Trail. All the doom and gloom of the intervening months since the last issue can’t have helped any of us. Is Boris bonkers? How come nobody has shot Trump? Then there’s the C-word and the B-word. I don’t know about you, but getting out there on the bike really does help. The only thing you have to worry about is not falling off or unintentionally going off piste – theoretically.

At this time of the year the seasonal TROs kick in and this can cause potential problems.

On my home turf in Kent, these mainly centre around misleading signage. When the permanent signs at the start of a byway clearly state ‘Closed to motor vehicles between 1 October and 30 April’, you might forgive the locals for thinking that this applies to motorcycles and quads. In fact, if you go on to the council PROW (Public Rights of Way) site, it tells you that exemptions include horse-drawn vehicles (?), motorcycles and ‘quadricycles’. I usually have the relevant map on my phone to show any interested parties but if you’ve got some numpty with a length of 4x2 in the way, you’re probably more likely to end up needing a new phone.

As you can see from the photo, the locals put up their

own signage – in this case a lockable gate across what is an unclassified country road.

It’s this kind of behaviour that makes you want to join the TRF! On a much lighter note, this issue of Trail celebrates our lady members, who often don’t get much of a mention. The ‘Ride Like a Girl’ section kicks off with the stories of seven members of the South West Wales Group, then joins a Ladies’ Day at Rotor Adventures and ends up with an epic John O’ Groats to Land’s End charity run.

Don’t forget that the delayed TRF 50th Anniversary party will take place at the 2021 Adventure Bike Rider Festival (see page 31 for TRF discount tickets). Speaking of discounts, you will also find a reader offer from Trackit247 (see pages 92–3) for a range of trackers that are useful if you ride on your own, or if you want to keep tabs on your bike, dog, husband, wife or tractor. Also in this issue is the last, last chance to enter the TRF Raffle, the draw for which has been delayed due to the dreaded pandemic, which has caused events to be cancelled.

From the team here at Trail, I hope you manage to experience both festive cheer and byway action!

Rick Kemp rick@trf.org.uk

Trail is published quarterly and is designed and produced by Rick Kemp Media Services, for the Trail Riders Fellowship.

The TRF is registered in England & Wales No.05884933Registered Office, 218 The Strand, London WC2R 1AT. British Library Reference:007244108 All advertising enquiries should be sent to charlie@trf.org.uk The views expressed by individual members in Trail are not necessarily those of the Trail Riders Fellowship.

Trail Winter 2020 01

CONTENTS British Library Ref No: 007244108 Contacts: Trail Magazine Editor: Rick Kemp Editor@trf.org.uk TRF Membership Team: Membership@TRF.org.uk T: 07958 316295 TRF Membership: Allen House Wetmore Road Burton upon Trent DE14 1TR Submit a Rights of Road notice: ROR@TRF.org.uk Submit an event: calendar@TRF.org.uk Published by: The TRF Board of Directors Directors@trf.org.uk TRF contacts can be found at: https://trail.trf.org.uk/contact-the-trf/

04 DIRECTORS’ REPORTS

12 RESIGNATION & TRIBUTES

TRF Chair, Doug Cartwright, introduces himself and outlines the challenges ahead

Mario Cost-Sa reflects on his resignation and pays tribute to fellow Directors Michel Sabatier and Stewart ‘Boz’ Bosworth

COMBER 06 THE COLUMN In part two of the new series, Sean Comber, Emeritus Chair of Devon TRF, continues his ode to his home county

Ténéré 700 20 Yamaha experience at yore TRF Heritage Director Steve Neville rides the new T700 Ténéré and gives his thoughts

road mapping like 08 green & film school 32 ride a girl Graeme Collins tells the latest on the GRM Project and Austin Vince schools us on adventure filming techniques

02 Trail Winter 2020

RIDE LIKE A

Girl

Mo Rapley introduces some of the ‘lady riders’ of the SWW TRF and shares their stories

be 60 here dragons

WINTER 2020 / Issue #14

We caught up with TRF Linesman and Trail web editor James Higgs to learn about Northumberland’s Borderlands Trail and James’s next contribution to the project, the tentatively named ‘Tetty Trail’

70 peddling uphill Bristol TRF stalwart Mike Wain opts for a pedelec workout during lockdown but is concerned about the general status of E-MTBs

76 dolgoch fun day 32 ladies’ day

RIDE LIKE A

Girl

Stan Watts of Rotor Adventures introduces Ladies’ Day at his off-road school at Rogershill Raceway in Dorset and we follow the exploits of beginner Milly Pitt as she dives in at the deep end

50 mid-life jogle

RIDE LIKE A

Girl

TRF Director Carla McKenzie recounts her dirt debut riding from John O’Groats to Lands End over the course of 16 days back in 2014

During the brief respite in restrictions in August Mo Rapley of the South-West Wales TRF Group attended a ‘Fun Day’ organised to allow members to meet and play within the rules

80 hints & tips In the first of a new series Marianne Walford of Trail Rides Wales gives her views on the subject of riding position and balance

88 turf war 20

Wiltshire TRF Vice Chair Steve Coward recounts the tactics involved in leading an incursion across two counties into North Devon

Trail Winter 2020 03

Chair’s REPORT

New Chair and Northern Group Director Doug Cartwright, doug.c@trf.org.uk, takes stock and outlines the challenges ahead

So where can I ride?

I

joined the TRF in 2004 and little did I know, 16 years ago, that the TRF would almost take over my life! I joined and asked the simple question, “So where can I ride?” A simple question perhaps but one which has a never-ending answer, a conundrum. It drew me in to the TRF and I soon came to realise that in asking that question I was also part of the solution and the fight for our rights. Earlier this year I was asked by the TRF Directors to be Chair. I was pleased, if not a little daunted, to accept the position in such unprecedented times. The challenge for me is still to ask and answer that question but also to make sure I have enough time on my bike. Trail riding is good for your health.

Change...

Nothing stays the same for ever and that goes for the TRF and trail riding. In the last few months there have been some changes to the TRF Board.

Stewart Bosworth, affectionately known as ‘Boz’, stood down as a Director earlier this year to pursue his activities as a Freelance Police Trainer. He remains the TRF contact within the Police Force.

Michel Sabatier stood down on 14 November 2020 as our long-serving Finance Director.

And Mario Costa-Sa will step back from the activities that came under his role as TRF Chair but continues as non-executive Marketing Director. This was covered in the Autumn issue of Trail magazine. He stands down as Chair on 31 December 2020.

As ever, these guys have done a great job in furthering the opportunities for us trail riders for which we are all grateful. I will leave it to others to cover their achievements in detail in this issue of Trail. From me it’s a big thank you for everything you have done – the future of the TRF is strong because we stand on the “shoulders of giants”. The good news is they have all agreed to stay connected in one form or another.

So the current line-up of Directors, elected

04 Trail Winter 2020

by you the members to run the TRF, is as follows: Andrew Byatt, Group Communications and Member Records Dave Carling, Conservation and Membership Doug Cartwright, Northern Group and Chair Mario Costa-Sa, Marketing Carla McKenzie, Advisory, Governance and Publisher of Trail John Vannuffel, Rights of Road and Technical

Unprecedented times We are truly living through unprecedented times as the world comes to terms with the pandemic and it has had a significant impact on our pastime of trail riding. We all know of fellow riders who have suffered and some of us will know of those who have sadly not recovered.

For the TRF it has been a challenging issue to deal with; indeed, it’s an event that all organisations have struggled to deal with. It has affected our ability to trail ride, hold group meetings and events. At times it has been a rapidly changing situation, making it almost impossible to decide with certainty on what we can and cannot do. I have certainly observed the division in society on the rights and wrongs of activities during this pandemic and it is the same across our membership.

In such difficult times it is important for us all to be tolerant and respectful of others’ views and actions. A time to be kind.

Looking ahead As I look ahead, at the moment there is much to look forward to. Encouragingly, the development of a vaccine now looks hopeful.

The TRF is on the cusp of launching the Green Road Map (GRM). By the time you read this we will have launched the beta version for limited release, which will give us a chance to iron out the inevitable snags. I truly believe this project will be the most significant TRF event since our formation 50 years ago in the Valiant Trooper! The GRM will provide us all with the answer to that question, “Where can I ride?”, by providing an accurate and accessible database of national green roads. Strategically, it will also place the TRF in a position to

take the high ground and will be seen as the ‘definitive authority’ on green roads.

As I talk to groups around the country I can see confidence and energy as events and ride-outs are organised for next year. This may include the possible extra mitigation activities of social distancing and government regulations. We will again be attending the Adventure Bike Rally (ABR) in Warwickshire and a chance to hold our delayed 50th celebrations! Make sure it’s in your diary: 25–7 June 2021.

We are experiencing a seismic shift in attitude towards public and personal transportation, driven by environmental awareness and the pandemic. There is much in the way of opportunity but there are also threats to trail riding. The TRF plans to be part of the solution and to aid that goal we are increasing our lobbying presence through membership and subscriptions of suitable organisations and associations. We hope to bring you more information on that in future editions of Trail.

Road-book Enduro Tours in France DATES FOR 2020 7/8/9 April 21/22/23 April 9/10/11 June 23/24/25 June 1/2/3 September 22/23/24 September 20/21/22 October 3/4/5 November 17/18/19 November

Dordgne Issoire Massif du Morvan Lozerien Bis Issoire Pyrenees Massif du Morvan Dordogne Normandie

Team TRF The TRF is a team of volunteers with a few paid contractors for critical activities. It’s fun to take part in TRF events whether it’s a ride-out in Yorkshire or a road working party in Dorset or researching Welsh historical records. TRF volunteers are relentless in asserting our rights with reluctant highway authorities whilst exercising diplomacy in dealing with those who wish our pastime to be extinguished. It’s more important than ever that we strengthen our team and pull together. It takes hundreds of people to keep the wheels of the TRF turning. Not everyone is able to devote time to Team TRF due to pressures of work and family etc but do take a moment to ‘hug a volunteer’. In these times of social distancing, just adding a few extra kind words on our various social media platforms works wonders to maintain the energy of the TRF Team.

Wishing you all the best for the holiday period and here’s to a safe, healthy and prosperous 2021 for you and your families.

Happy Trails

Doug

Trail Winter 2020 05

All trips are priced at £590 (660€) (payable to ABTA bonded and ATOL protected UK travel agency S&N Pickford). Price includes 3 days riding, 2 nights half-board accommodation, loan of road book and road book reader, support vehicle and driver, an opener and sweeper and a classy T-shirt. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like any further information.

Chris Evans, Sport Adventure Tel: 0033 662 487190 chris.evans@sport-adventure.com www.sport-adventure.com

THEComberCOLUMN

Sean Comber, Emeritus Chair of Devon TRF and current Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Plymouth, continues his ode to Devon

“H

ello again, I hope you are well and enjoying your riding under these trying times. Firstly, an apology.

In recent articles not all of the photos were mine. A couple were taken by Stuart Metcalfe, for whom I gave no credit and I take this opportunity to make amends.

As an academic I should know better …

I love the seasons, each brings something new: colours, smells, temperature, mood. I know the last couple of winters have been a bit dreary, but we always hope for that crisp, cold morning dew and wintery scenes of snow hanging from the branches giving off that Narnia vibe. This autumn the leaves of maples, sycamores and beeches all turned colour beautifully, along with vivid scarlet Virginia creeper draped over garden walls at the end of lanes. With all the Covid crap happening (again) it feels essential to get out while we can, just as we tried to make the most of spring, when we came out of lockdown first time around.

The state of the nation seems to hang heavily over a lot of us at the moment, struggling to make things work, or worried about having work at all. This malaise hangs over charity organisations, sports groups and

THE KEY THING IS , WE ALL KNOW THE BENEFITS WE GET FROM TRAIL RIDING AND THE RESPITE IT AFFORDS US FROM OUR DAILY TRAVAILS...

06 Trail Winter 2020

most hobbyists. There are no exhibitions, no ‘events’ and no fun. The TRF is not immune to this as an organisation and I’ve noticed a lot fewer rides posted on the Devon TRF forum.

Since June, after lockdown, only five runs have been posted up by three people. Why is this, I wonder? There seem to be plenty of riders out in the lanes, the local Facebook trail riders group seems active. From my point of view, there has been a slow but increasing trend towards ‘local’ groups on such platforms, including WhatsApp. For example, we’ve amassed a local Mid Devon TRF faction, most of whom are members or in the process of being coerced, all of whom live within a 15-mile radius of Cully and all are screaming to go out on rides. If this has been replicated across the country, then it is not surprising that there are less rides posted on central forums. Concern about mixing with other than known acquaintances could explain the trends. It does show (a) the power of social media/modern comms; (b) how good we are at networking, providing there is an instigator; and (c) that organisations have to move with the times to avoid becoming left behind. I do not see this trend changing any time soon.

The key thing is, we all know the benefits we

Photos: Stuart Metcalfe

get from trail riding and the respite it affords us from our daily travails; long may this continue.

Moving on, as promised, I will dedicate the space allotted here to complete the whistlestop tour from South to North Devon. Our lanes are shaped by geology. If you ride over shale, granite, clay, chalk or sandstone, then you will be familiar with navigating slippery slabs and steps, dodging boulders, riding ruts, slipping on your arse in the wet or riding through ancient hollow ways respectively. In some counties you will only experience one of these types of terrain. In Devon, however, from Plymouth to Cullompton, I rode through sandstone, slate, limestone, greensand and mudstone, and if I’d diverted east I could also have ridden on chalk. Going north there is sandstone, shale and eventually slate. As with the southern part of Devon, I have a choice of around 500 lanes riding north. But as we are debating ‘Devon’s Greatest Hits’, I would choose the excellent lane on the limit of the Red Devon clay, cut into the hillside at Greenslinch, high above the Exe Valley. It is a long steady climb, technically sufficient to keep you interested, without the chance of bailing unless you are particularly unlucky or incompetent. Crossing the Exe at Bickleigh, a very pretty little village nestling in a bend of the river, and on to another stony descent (riding east to west) at Cotton Farm, which hosts enduro track days, this is one of those lanes that never fails to put a smile on your face. During lockdown, unbelievably, even though we were in the middle of nowhere, we had to ride past three families all standing at the steepest and most technical section, cheering us on as we ‘cleaned’ the section.

The next lane of note tracking north is at Tidderson, where we transition from the warm hues of Devon clay into the monochrome starkness of grey slate and shale. With it goes much of the grip when wet, but this long lane through beech woods, with its watery whoops and a small stream crossing, is a delight. Crossing the busy North Devon Link Road at Knowstone brings you onto a lane of true slate, grey and slabby in places but not too steep. It offers tantalising views towards

Exmoor, a land of mystical lanes where my father rode his Honda XR200 all day, barely touching tarmac. All RuPPs are now all memories, sadly. Still, enough mithering. Sticking to the Devon side of the border I avoid bandit country and climb over the slabs of the UCR at Bottreaux Mill, up through Molland and on to the classic sunken lane at Twitchen. This is one of Devon’s toughest lanes, heading uphill south-west to north-east, with steps handlebar-deep, ravines handlebar-wide and rocks aplenty. Riding downhill still takes time and perspiration, but less butt-clenching is involved. It is a rite of passage for any trail rider. If you fancy more rocky climbs and nadgery sections, then sashay over to the Brayford lanes complete with slabs, running water and steep ascents which are tricky in summer, and, depending on your level of competence, challenging through to terrifying in the winter. Jinking west towards Goodleigh brings a fantastic series of lanes into play.

Starting at Stoke Rivers, a very remote hamlet, a long and varied lane winds down the valley through rutted and washed out sections before morphing into a steady slate/stone climb rewarded with stunning views down the Taw estuary to the dune-backed surf beaches of Saunton and Westward Ho! The lanes around Goodleigh and Snapper are all perched on the steep promontory above the River Yeo. The direction in which you ride them depends on the level of masochist you are with regard to riding wet rocky steps…

Skirting the ever-busy town of Barnstaple, around the once-mud-pit but now drained lane at Hartpiece, and riding up Bradiford Water Valley to Milltown before exiting the valley via a hairpin track, brings you across to Fullabrook Down. This long, flat and straightforward lane continues through an extensive wind farm, harvesting the natural elements blowing in from the Bristol Channel, which you can glimpse across the fertile pastures to the west. You’ll only be a couple of miles from Ilfracombe by now, so time to run down to the harbour for a pasty and ice cream before riding the coast path UCR from Ilfracombe to Lee. You’ll be glad to be alive and a trail rider!

”

Trail Winter 2020 07

GREEN Road MAPPING

At around 18 months, the elephant is credited with the longest gestation period on earth – that was before the Green Road Map (GRM) project was mooted in 2018. Graeme Collins explains

Birth of the GRM

I

n this article the aim is to bring members up to date on the story so far, starting with the great news that Group Officers now have the Beta version to start working with. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; like any good story, let’s start at the beginning.

Why is the TRF doing this?

Put bluntly, public-facing mapping provided

by Ordnance Survey (OS), local authorities and others is a mess. Selective filtering of information dilutes the status and reputation of green roads leaving trail riders confused as to where they can and can’t ride.

OS has significant lag in responding to changes in legal records and otherwise correcting mistakes. Council mapping is often tainted with misleading information on its websites. As those maps are the primary source of information for many trail riders, they can be misleading, causing misuse and manipulation by those who seek to stop access to MPVs (multi-purpose vehicles).

In some instances, other users’ access is reinforced where trail riders’ access is diluted, even though they have as much right to use a road that may appear to be a path.

The vast majority of the general public don’t know the existence of, or understand, the hierarchy of access on Public Rights of Way (PROW) when it comes to footpaths, bridleways, restricted byways and byways, let alone realise that byways are in fact roads. This situation is aggregated further by other road classifications including Unclassified Country Road (UCR), Other Route with Public Access (ORPA) and White and Yellow Roads.

Add to this poor and misleading local signage, and this unnecessary complexity serves to confuse the public, acting to the detriment of trail riders’ legitimate right to use these routes.

08 Trail Winter 2020

What are the aims and objectives of the GRM? There had been some confusion as to what the GRM actually is and aims to achieve, but clarification was provided in a series of papers released to Group Officers earlier this year, which featured the following five clear aims and objectives:

1) Road conservation Promote the term ‘green road’ and reduce the terms ‘BOAT/UCR’ etc to sub-classifications.

Recover the historical names of green roads (e.g. Smugglers Lane, Hexham Road) and elevate those names above administrative designations (e.g. BOAT 1237A), so supporting the preservation of a road’s heritage.

Improve the quality of the green road network for all users by securing their status and reputation.

Secure responsible and sustainable trail riding in England and Wales by enabling greater legislative protection for trail riding on green roads.

The Green Road Mapping scheme is key

Reduce unsustainable activity that is damaging to the conservation of green roads, including illegal riding.

2) Road conservation management Provide a critical tool to make the ongoing management of issues relating to Rights Conservation simpler and more sustainable for members and groups, both local and national.

Create a centralised digital historical record of green roads that supports the rights of trail riders.

Improve knowledge and record retention, reducing the risk of loss of important historical records and documents.

3) Enhanced TRF reputation and influence Strengthen the position of the TRF as the leading authority on green roads.

Demonstrate this authority through the ownership of the most influential publicfacing, evidence-based Green Road Map to authorities and partner organisations.

4) Member benefits Provide TRF members with an enhanced map of green roads enabling them to discover, explore and enjoy the network, and a better trail-riding experience overall.

to TRF members ability to continue ridin

g lawfully

5) Promote lawful trail riding Provide the wider community of trail riders with a limited mapping tool, so they can pursue legal and sustainable trail riding.

Reduce illegal riding that damages the reputation of trail riders, and in due course will lead to a reduced network.

Entice more people to join the TRF and enjoy the many benefits of the fellowship, increasing revenue and resources to further defend the network.

Secure greater public perception of trail riding as a lawful, traditional and proper rural pastime, enjoyed by respectable and law-abiding citizens.

The engine room – Road Conservation Hub The immediate and visible value to TRF members of the GRM website is the clear presentation of all green roads accessible by motorcycle on a choice of background maps, enabling them to discover, plan and explore new routes confident in the knowledge they are doing it in a legal way.

Behind the scenes, the Road Conservation Hub (RCH) serves in part to anchor the GRM, but more importantly deliver a critical tool to protect the rights of trail riders in the decades to come. It does so by creating a centralised digital historical record of green roads that improves knowledge sharing and record retention, reducing the risk of loss of important historical records and documents.

It will help make road conservation work more efficient, cost effective, simpler and sustainable for members, groups and the central technical team.

The fellowship in action

As responsibility for roads is managed at a local authority level, groups have been allocated counties so that work is not duplicated. It is appreciated that from the name of some groups it is not always obvious which county or local authority they are responsible for, so members should speak to their local group to get clarity.

Each group will have someone responsible

Trail Winter 2020 09

GREEN Road MAPPING

for input to the GRM, often the local Road Conservation Officer.

A number of clear criteria have been provided to Group Officers for a green road to appear by proving its legitimate legal status when it comes to motorcycle access. Beyond this there are a number of areas where enhanced information on individual roads can be provided by local members to both enrich the membership experience and help keep important user evidence and historical information safe.

Trail riders and beyond A wider public audience will also be able to register to access a version of the Green Road

Free Film School for TRF Members

L

ife member Austin Vince is offering a day’s free tuition in ‘film-making for trail riders’. Naturally, it’s only free for card-carrying TRF members!

Austin is well known for being the first to get adventure motorcycling on general TV with Mondo Enduro, way back in 1997. He

10 Trail Winter 2020

Map. This version will have less detail and it is hoped that more trail riders will be encouraged to join the TRF to get full access as well as enjoy the wider benefits of membership, knowing they are part of the only organisation in England and Wales dedicated to defending their rights. It will also provide the opportunity to generate extra income for the TRF through advertising on the public version.

The public version also provides the opportunity to reach out to other user groups, as well as central and local government, in order to help cement a deeper working relationship that further protects the interests of trail riders in the long term.

What it is and what it’s not The GRM has a website separate from the main TRF and Trail websites. Members will need to register to use it and will only have full access while they are a member of the

followed this with even more trail riding on TV – Terra Circa – in 2001. Both films were made long before actors arrived on the scene.

He is determined to get TRF members making better films and these workshops will show you how.

The tuition is all about style, technique and content. The instruction is nothing to do with camera equipment or editing at this stage.

The day is designed for total novices, who will be shooting film on their phones, not fancy cameras.

There are two identical days of instruction, from 10 am to 5 pm, the difference being the location: one is held in the North, the other in the South.

Saturday, 3 April 2021 – Todmorden, W. Yorks Saturday, 17 April 2021 – Windsor, Berks Austin has been curating the Adventure Travel Film Festival for the last ten years, so as well as knowing how to make a film, he has also watched hundreds of BAD films. Learn from his experience as he explains not only the ‘do’ but also the ‘do not’ rules of

TRF. The site will show green roads overlaid on a number of map types including OS Leisure maps. In the first release it is not designed as an App, or to be a navigation tool, and you won’t be able to download GPX files of individual roads or routes.

Come to where the action is...

Come to Catalonia!

The future Full release of the GRM is expected in Spring 2021, but the project is organic and constantly evolving, based on member and public input over the years to come.

There are already plans for features in future releases including a Ride Diary, where members can record use of a lane as historical evidence.

Back to my elephant; the other thing that elephants are famous for is their longevity – they can trace their ancestry back to prehistoric times. Let’s hope that’s a good omen for green roads.

On trails...

On tarmac...

Our rural, Our rural, off-grid of f-g rid F Finca inca is is the the p perfect erfect b ase ffrom rom w hich to to explore explore tthis his base which b eautif ul area area of of Spain Spain ior ior ttrails rails or or beautiful rroads, oads, ffrom rom the the m ountains tto o the the sea. sea. mountains R ide d own o ly o ver a nd explore explore the t he Ride down orr ffly over and rroads oads a nd trails trails u sing o ur n ew H on d a and using our new Honda C RF250L ttrail rail b ikes.

CRF250L bikes.

motorcycle film-making.

Only ten students are allocated per session. Grab your place by email (austin@austinvince.com) and your course leader will pick you up from there.

Trail Winter 2020 11

www.catalanadventure.co.uk w ww.catala nadventure .co.uk

RESIGNATIONS & Tributes

Mario Costa-Sa reflects on resignation and pays tribute to fellow Directors

I

n January this year, I openly raised my concerns with the TRF Board about sustainable leadership in the TRF and initiated a discussion on structural reform in the summer. My views have been reinforced during lockdown through observing the leadership of the country’s largest motorcycle groups in CoMOrg (the Coalition of Motorcycling Organisations).

The sustainability challenge ahead

Tenure TRF bylaws work for at least a three-year term and I have seen that three to five years of active service seems to work well for other organisations. I will have completed at least eight full years on the Board of the TRF on 11 November, far longer than is good for the organisation, and I have given notice that 31 December 2020 will be my last day as an Executive TRF Director.

Outcome of my watch 18 January will be the last day on which to hand over any legacy responsibilities, having given the TRF a full year’s notice of my withdrawal. I will make arrangements for the TM01

12 Trail Winter 2020

Moving forward Now that we have turned an important corner, there are several new volunteers looking to join the Board and take the TRF in new directions. I remain open to assisting the TRF Board in other capacities, should they wish, and to being of help to the individual TRF Directors who I have enjoyed working with.

Mario Costa-Sa, Director Pic: John Bentman

To my mind, the overarching priority for the TRF as a sustainable organisation is to identify a leader to engage members; a means by which to recruit the next generation of TRF leaders as volunteers, willing to spend time in executive office.

The TRF needs to progress this talent-spotting with Group Officers and members, and this high-level full-time role is, to my mind, separate and distinct from Executive Director responsibilities. The level of volunteering will drive the budget by continuing to keep overheads down, and the budget should be used to drive initiatives that lead to membership growth.

The leadership candidate should be open to nominations from the wider membership as well as the Board. It would be good to have a choice of candidates for the members, not just the Board, to vote upon at AGMs in the future.

form to be sent to Companies House.

The TRF is in great shape, with membership and financial performance at an all-time high.

Membership has doubled and there is no reason why, with the initiatives in place and continued tight financial controls, it will not double again. Financial performance has been equally strong with membership operations better than ever and, of course, the revival of Trail magazine under Rick Kemp continues to be a big success.

Michel Sabatier, TRF Finance Director

“To learn to see – to accustom the eye to calmness, to patience, and to allow things to come up to it; to defer judgment, and to acquire the habit of approaching and grasping an individual case from all sides.

“This is the first preparatory schooling of intellectuality. One must not respond immediately to a stimulus; one must acquire a command of the obstructing and isolating instincts.”

Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols

M

ichel stood down from the TRF Board in November 2020, having completed over five years of voluntary service both on the Board and as Finance Director.

Michel joined the Board in 2015. He had put himself forward in previous years but, despite his success in business and with an MBA from the London Business School, he was rejected by a Board firmly rooted in the past and reluctant to change. Through natural selection opportunity presented itself; Michel joined at a tipping point when the TRF had only three Directors and he immediately offered to look after finance. His clear explanations of the TRF’s financial situation, and pie charts on how the money was spent, increased member awareness of finances to an all-time high.

I recall being told that the only way to increase membership from a low of 2800 members was to cut the cost of membership from what was then £40. It was through an understanding of finances, enabled by Michel, that the TRF was subsequently able to increase the membership rate and so pay for a new Trail magazine and, in turn, drive the membership forward towards 6000.

Michel’s inherent frugality ensured that the TRF didn’t spend money unless it was really necessary. Acting as an unpaid volunteer, every last expense was scrutinised for value and our fighting fund reserves increased from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, giving us deeper pockets with which to challenge authorities and ultimately save more lanes from closure.

Yet finance was not his only skill as a

Director. Following his arrival in 2015, the TRF was about to endure a year of turmoil throughout 2016. Whilst personalities clashed and individuals fought like cats, Michel remained steady as a rock, refusing to get embroiled in disputes and bringing everyone together with his focus on superordinate goals whilst steadily getting on with the work in hand.

A small number of members do not understand why Directors volunteer for office for so long and give up so much time. The reasons are many but in Michel’s case it was in order to take a stand against “hate groups” that demonise the legitimate, and desirable pastime that we all enjoy.

As an experienced diver and sailor, Michel has always had an ability to remain calm under pressure. In 2014 we headed for the Alps and the Stella Alpina, a leisure ride on the Honda CRF250X. Michel had spent time in the area and decided we needed the additional challenge of the route Hannibal took with his elephants. We had failed in a previous year and this time, riding from the French side, we made slow progress, being outpaced by walkers over the tough terrain. We reached the peak and started to descend on the Italian side when, after a kilometre of dropping our bikes down ledges, I realised that we would need Graham Jarvis-level skills to be able to ride back up.

At a point traversing a pass totally washed away by scree, Michel fell and went tumbling down the mountain. When I got to him – which was no easy task – he was lying absolutely still, without movement, and I started to panic. Although injured, what he was actually doing was conserving his strength, assessing the situation, evaluating all the options, directing those around him and, after an hour of resting, preparing himself physically and mentally for a gruelling ten-hour descent on foot to get the whole team out of trouble.

The power and patience to analyse before acting is Michel’s hallmark, and one that the TRF has benefited from greatly over the past five years.

Mario Costa-Sa, Director

Trail Winter 2020 13

RESIGNATIONS& Tributes

Stewart Bosworth, TRF Governance Director

S

tewart Bosworth, ‘Boz’, stood down as Director this September after over three years on the TRF Board. A long-term TRF member, he was elected in January 2017 towards the end of one of the TRF’s most contentious periods.

As a senior Police Officer, Boz was used to dealing with disputes. The TRF was able to benefit from his experience and the introduction of a framework for handling people behaviour and managing discipline.

Boz loves to ride, and on-the-job ride training was his favourite area of TRF volunteer activity. He wrote the training programme for Dual Purpose Motorcycling adopted by the Police and took the TRF’s influence with authorities forward in one large leap.

I have had many great moments with Boz. I particularly recall training in the Peak District with South Yorkshire Police, where we were riding, with permission, on routes not normally accessed by motorcycles.

An irate local was so blind with rage he ignored all the blue flashing lights and stopped me, the only civilian and ‘Tail End Charlie’, to vent his spleen. He was proper mad, and I was equally lost for words to explain what we were doing and calm him down. Boz came along and defused this situation in seconds. It was then I realised the power of his skills, learned from many years of Police service.

Boz ranks amongst the best ride leaders in the TRF, excelling both in ability, knowledge and leadership skills. His experience of the trails around the country is encyclopaedic and he can keep any good riders busy should they wish to exert themselves.

14 Trail Winter 2020

I don’t believe the TRF has yet proposed someone for an honour or award. Amongst other reasons, these are given for making a difference to their community or field of work and long-term voluntary service, with an emphasis on achievement. I believe Boz has a good case for receiving just such an honour or award, and the influence of the TRF in particular and trail riding in general will be extended as a result.

We all wish Boz the best and I certainly look forward to riding with him in the future.

Mario Costa-Sa, Director

T R F RAFFLE

There is still time to buy tickets to win a brand new Fantic 125 or 250 Casa. Go to www.trf.org.uk/raffle to buy your ticket securely

“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry” – Robert Burns

T

he original intention for the Raffle Draw was to maximise member engagement by holding the TRF raffle at a ‘big event’, such as the TRF AGM or ABR Festival.

With the postponement of the big event, we then thought we should hold it at a smaller TRF Group event, e.g. the Hereford Hospice or similar. Unfortunately, as it turned out, even these plans were deferred.

The TRF Board remains keen that the raffle is concluded this year within constraints.

These include the number of people at the draw for meetings in person and for remote meetings the network availability at the time of the draw.

So we propose that the draw should be held on Christmas Eve on Zoom, with live

16 Trail Winter 2020

streaming to Facebook. If it is possible on the day, the draw will be made by a person unconnected with the TRF. Tickets will remain on sale until 20 December 2020.

Contingency plans The network availability on Christmas Eve is the main foreseeable risk, but we would like to keep the date in order to maximise the ‘Christmas gift’ whilst minimising the chance of disruption on Zoom and Facebook. Should there be a widespread network issue we will try again when service is available: on Boxing Day, or on other days between then and New Year’s Eve. Should even this fail, we will simply draw using an independent person with a witness and publish the result on all TRF communication channels including Trail magazine.

It has been a challenging year for all of us.

It is only right that it should end with one lucky member winning a brand new 2021 Fantic Trail Bike.

Mario Costa-Sa, Director

TRAKMASTER ROAD LEGAL MX TYRE

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For the latest details go to: trail.trf.org.uk/groups/ Hands. Face. Space www.trf.org.uk/COVID

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TRF Groups LIST

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Bristol Bristol (Central) Cambridge Cornwall Cumbria & Craven Derbyshire & South Yorkshire Devon Dorset East Midlands East Yorkshire Essex Gloucestershire Herefordshire Hertfordshire High Peak & Potteries Isle of Wight Kent (East Kent) Kent (West Kent & South East London) Lancashire Lincolnshire Loddon Vale Manchester

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45

Mid-Wales Norfolk North Wales Northumbria Oxford Peak District Ribble Valley Shropshire Somerset South London & Surrey South Wales South West Wales Southern Suolk Sussex Teesside & North Yorkshire TRF Enduro Club Tynewear Teesdale West Anglia West Midlands West Yorkshire Wiltshire Worcestershire

TÉNÉRÉ Experience TRF Heritage Director and clean air fanatic Steve Neville not only rides Yamaha’s Ténéré 700 he puts it and some of the other heavyweights into context Life is the storm before the quiet You either take shelter and see it out in safety Or throw caution to the wind And chase down all it’s got The chase is the way of The Seeker *

S

o begins the narrative to the most amazing motorcycle stunt film I’ve seen in recent times. What is its relevance here? Well, it demonstrates the off-road dynamics that a 200kg adventure bike like Yamaha’s new Ténéré 700 is capable of in the right hands.

Since its launch in mid-2019 the Ténéré 700 has made a big impression on the mid-weight adventure bike market. In this category not much was available other than the BMW850 and its antecedents, the Triumph 800XC (and new 900) and more recently the KTM790S and 790R. My personal experience of dirt bikes has been with 250s, 400s and 450’s. It’s a reflection of the type of riding that I’ve always done. But no trail rider can ignore the gradual appearance of the ‘Adventure Motorcycle’ on the scene in the past two decades.

These machines don’t just sell a means of two-wheeled transport; they sell a lifestyle.

The huge litre-plus behemoths like the BMW1250GS, KTMs 990/1090/1190 etc, the Ducati Multistrada and even Honda’s Africa

20 Trail Winter 2020

the Tiger was a bad bike. It was comfortable, had smooth controllable power and its suspension was superb. As an on-tarmac road bike I imagined I could ride it for hundreds of miles at a stretch.

The Tiger 800 had one fundamental problem in common with almost all big adventure bikes: weight. It’s not an issue on gravel roads but when the going gets narrow,

Twin, are not a sensible option for the more challenging of our green lanes.

After I’d ridden the Triumph Tiger 800XC (see my article on the Triumph Riding Experience in South Wales, Trail, Winter Annual 2018), I came to the conclusion that if I had one of my own it would not get a lot of use and that the WR450 fitted my riding preferences and needs much better. Not that

Trail Winter 2020 21

TÉNÉRÉ EXPERIENCE

gnarly and slippery, you get tired and start dropping it; then the enjoyment can rapidly disappear. The Triumph 800XC weighs in at over 220kg with a full tank. As part of the training we did exercises on fallen bikes and lifting one upright, alone, is achievable. You just don’t want to do it repeatedly. The WR450 by comparison is 129kg fuelled up and even that can seem heavy. Lifting the 260kg-plus Tiger 1200 was pure masochism.

On the other hand, there are limitations to using an enduro or trail bike for long distances, which is even more apparent if it’s a 250, and not a 450. The list of drawbacks is quite long: lack of saddle comfort, limited fuel range, lower cruising speed, less power, no cush-drive, poorer refinement, no wind protection, sensitive steering geometry, often

22 Trail Winter 2020

no ignition or steering lock, limited luggagecarrying capability, short oil change and service intervals; and on and on. So, everything is a compromise. The trick is to find a bike in the right ‘sweet spot’ for you.

Being a Yamaha ‘fan boy’, I’d always fancied trying out the Yamaha Off-Road Experience, near Llanidloes in Mid Wales. Keeping to the theme of ‘Adventure Motorcycles’ I thought I’d try out the new Ténéré 700, which was offered as an alternative to the usual WR250/450 experience. After all, the Ténéré has had enough media hype spent on it over the past year, so now it was my turn to pen my opinion on its prowess as an adventure/dirt bike.

The Ténéré is 187kg dry and fully fuelled is just over 200kg. Perhaps this bike will hit a

Steve’s usual ride the WR450

THE IDEA WAS TO DO TWO DAYS WITH THE TÉNÉRÉ AND THEN AFTERWARDS RIDE FOR ANOTHER COUPLE OF DAYS ON THE WR450 AS A SORT OF ‘BACK TO BACK’ COMPARISON was to do the two days with the Ténéré and then afterwards ride for another couple of days on the WR450 as a sort of ‘back to back’ comparison. I wanted to explore some of the green lanes in Mid Wales.

Having settled into my B&B accommodation (the recently opened and highly recommended Ty Capel), the following morning I rode down to the home of the Yamaha Off-Road Experience (YORE). This is located a few miles west of Llanidloes amongst some stunning scenery. We completed the signing on formalities and then gathered around for the riders’ and safety briefings. Our group consisted of 12 riders plus two instructors. On day one this was John Begley, who has served in the Armed Forces with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during which time

sweet spot between dirt capability and the comfort factor necessary for eating twisty tarmac miles. Certainly, the many road tests I’d read were positive based on hundreds of miles of mixed road riding.

My personal biking preference does not include riding for hundreds of miles on motorways and dual carriageways. I’m not interested in a motorcycle that is designed for these roads. I have a vehicle that’s much more suitable; it’s called a car. The bike follows on my trailer. So would my own Ténéré if I had one!

So in East Sussex, in early September, I loaded up the WR450 onto the trailer and attached it to my Audi A4, plus a load of kit.

It’s the perfect arrangement for a long journey up the A21, M25, M40, A422 and A44. The idea

Trail Winter 2020 23

Rowan found a steep hill that only two of us in the group managed; we did push the limits but the instructors assessed everyone’s abilities, so no-one felt obliged to do too much.

he has both ridden in and been a mechanic for the Armed Forces Motorcycle teams. He also knows the green lanes in Wales very well.

In addition, leading us we had the legendary Geraint Jones, who has been involved with the dirt bike world at least since 1983, when I remember him marshalling at the ISDE in Wales. Ten British Enduro Championships and eight ISDE Gold medals speak for themselves.

We were then introduced to the selection of Ténéré(s) and briefed on their specific details.

Whilst most were standard, some had lower saddles and suspension for the vertically challenged, but the most important adjustment was the substitution of proper ‘off-road’

24 Trail Winter 2020

TÉNÉRÉ EXPERIENCE

bike control. This raises the centre of gravity, even if your weight is pushing through the footpegs (see p. 00 in this issue). Much of this is alien to those who’ve misspent years riding motorcycles only on the tarmac. Dirt bike riders often counter balance the bike in the opposite way to a sports road bike. Riding position was explained, with elbows up and steering control through the footpegs demonstrated. We had a go at riding up and down some steep hills that you’d think such a big bike couldn’t manage.

I found that the Ténéré could be ridden fast around a set of gravelly bends just like my WR450, by sliding up and down the saddle,

tyres for the standard variety. We were warned about their lack of tarmac grip and also that cattle grids are lethal.

After a short road ride to get the feel of the bikes, we then rode off into the local forestry so we could gradually get used to the feel of forest gravel roads. Whilst it’s still a big bike, the Ténéré rode well on loose gravel. Then the group was split between the two instructors for a few set piece exercises. Low speed control was emphasised and the standing body position was explained. Basically an adventure bike mostly has to be ridden off-road in a standing position so that body weight can be moved around to gain the best

Trail Winter 2020 25

TÉNÉRÉ EXPERIENCE

The 200kg mass of the Ténéré really manifests itself when you are riding at a very low speed, or not moving.

26 Trail Winter 2020

the winner of the Bike Category in the Baja GB in 2007. So again we were in highly competent hands.

This day was more like an adventure bike tour you might actually ride if you owned a Ténéré. It was a nice mix of forestry gravel roads plus a few bits of gnarly single track thrown in for good measure. I really started to gel with the Ténéré and it felt more like a big, smooth and soft version of the WR450. For my weight, the suspension seemed spot on with only the occasional bottoming of the front fork when I hit a really deep pothole. Over the two days the instructors were careful to judge the relative off-road abilities of the 12 riders.

We would split into two groups according to our skill level. Whilst all but one of us had dirt bike experience, some of the obstacles were beyond many in the group. Rowan found a steep hill that only two of us in the group managed; we did push the limits but the instructors assessed everyone’s abilities, so no-one felt obliged to do too much. Pretending the Ténéré was just a fat WR450 helped me to get to the top, but it’s still a big lump.

The 200kg mass of the Ténéré really manifests itself when you are riding at a very low speed, or not moving. I fell off the bike twice, simply because I’d stopped off-camber and put my foot down into a void. Others did

sitting motocross style. By sitting, the centre of gravity is lower and you can push weight over the front wheel. This is often difficult or impossible to do on big adventure bikes as their saddles force you into one central seating position; so you have to stand. I think I’d fit the optional Rally Seat, which raises the saddle height but gives a much flatter dirt bike-like riding position, so you can shift your body weight more easily.

What was good was that riding the forest trails was interspersed with some tarmac road riding, mainly winding unclassified roads but occasionally we hit an A or B road. Then the power and refinement of a road bike became apparent. The Ténéré can easily cruise at the legal limit and still has plenty in reserve. As time went on I became more aware of what other road testers waxed lyrical about: the ‘Cross Plane’ CP2 engine’s power characteristics. It was possible to be in a high gear and yet the engine would pull strongly from 2000rpm with no flat spots or sudden surge of power. It is a real gem.

On day two Geraint’s son, Rowan, took the place of his father. He has won numerous national titles including British 250 4-stroke Enduro Champion and came fourth in the World Junior Championship plus numerous Gold and Silver ISDE medals; he was also

I would thoroughly recommend the Tenere Experience, I can’t fault the organisation or the format of the course.

And I’m pretty sure all the guys pictured above would agree!

Trail Winter 2020 27

TÉNÉRÉ EXPERIENCE

the same. There is a point of no return that comes sooner than on a sub-130kg enduro or trail bike. This is the main consideration as to whether or not to buy a Ténéré for significant amounts of green lane use: the low speed dead weight. Fortunately, the bikes we rode had fairing protection bars fitted; a good precaution. But you still have to pick it up.

The Yamaha Ténéré 700 only has switchable antilock brakes and no traction control. I didn’t miss this, thanks to the flexible engine.

Simplicity is the concept of this bike. The LCD screen is a bit plain and I’d have liked a colour display screen. The only close competitors are the two versions of the KTM 790 Adventure.

These are arguably better bikes because they have more top-end power, more suspension on the R version, ‘ride modes’, are ‘ready to race’ and cost a lot more (KTM discounts notwithstanding). But many adventure riders don’t want a bike that has race DNA. I’m told you have to keep the revs above 4500 and that the Ténéré pulls better at low rpm. The

28 Trail Winter 2020

Husky 701 or KTM690 are more dirt focussed and less comfortable on longer tarmac routes.

Then for the last two days of my trip it was back to my WR450. When I got on it and rode it back to the B&B I was shocked at how twitchy the steering felt, while the saddle was like a length of 4 x 2 timber and the engine harsh and unrefined by comparison with the Ténéré. I rode 150 miles over two days of mixed country lanes, difficult green lanes and a few main roads. Once I got onto the trails it was a different matter. The WR was more manoeuvrable, lighter and agile. But I did appreciate that the gap between it and the Ténéré was much closer than with the Tiger 800 or most other adventure bikes. On a multi-day adventure the Ténéré would be my choice.

What I did come to appreciate is that it’s the ‘dead’ or ‘static’ weight rather than the ‘dynamic’ weight that is the challenge of the Ténéré. Stopping, propping it up, dismounting and getting going again needs skill and practice. I must have stopped to open and close 50 gates in one day when on the WR450 and having to continually mount and dismount is a pain, even on a smaller bike.

Again, if you have a KTM enduro bike you’ll know all about the difficulty of getting it to stay upright on an adverse camber with the dodgy side-stand.

It’s well worth testing out a motorcycle properly over the terrain you are most likely to ride to see if you can do it. Do this before you spend up to £9000 at your local Yamaha dealer. If you are only going to use your Ténéré on tarmac, buy a Yamaha MT07 or Tracer 700 instead.

I can absolutely recommend the Ténéré Experience. I can’t fault the organisation or the format of the course. Perhaps a ‘Ténéré Experience’ T-shirt would have been an idea, even if added to the price? There is the potential for a more advanced Ténéré course and the GPX route supplied by John Begley was the one I rode on the WR450. I’m already thinking of booking another course in 2021.

I can also recommend the Yamaha Ténéré 700 for long distance adventure riding, especially if you plan to ride it over the green lanes on which you’d use a trail or enduro bike. Make sure you are confident with that extra static weight. I would not want anything heavier and would look to trim some extra kilos if I purchased my own.

Watch Pol Tarrés in The Seeker*, a short movie on YouTube. You will be astonished at how he seems to defy gravity with leaps and jumps on the Yamaha Ténéré 700. They would be impressive enough on a trials bike, let alone an adventure bike. The background music by Cherry Dolls is also cool.

Tenere 700 weight reduction and modifications

S

This pic: The Akrapovic end-can for the T700 costs a bit but looks awesome Below: There are a number of companies making sump guards and engine/fairing protectors

o, you have a Ténéré and want to use it extensively off-tarmac? You’ll want to not only reduce its weight but also add some extra protection. If your riding is mostly on tarmac, then why did you buy a Ténéré?

Firstly, just because it has a 16-litre tank does not mean that you have to fill it to the brim, especially when riding with your trail bike buddies. They will have 8-litre tanks and will be asking about petrol stations 60 miles into the ride. Half-filling it saves 5kg. FREE. The standard Yamaha end-can/silencer is huge and heavy. An aftermarket pipe and end-can will save another 3-5kg. Just make sure you get one that has noise approval and does not make your ears bleed. Price £350.

The Akropovic end-can will cost you about £650.

Lead acid batteries are heavy and are stored high up on motorcycles. Another 2kg can be saved by fitting a lithium battery. There are other battery performance advantages as well.

Shido LTZ10S. Price £100.

The standard number plate/tail light and indicator assembly is an ugly and vulnerable appendage. It can be replaced by a neater item available from a variety of aftermarket sources. Another kilo lost. T7Rally.com.

Price £40.

Who carries a passenger on green lanes?

Remove the pillion footrests. Another kilo lost.

FREE. There are various engine and crash bars to suit your level of paranoia over potential damage. Engine-only and complete fairing

Trail Winter 2020 29

Above: The Touratech water pump protector is great value at around £30.

This pic: The genuine Yamaha Rally seat will set you back a cool £308, but if you’re taller it could be worth the money

The Kriega Overlander Luggage System has 6/12/and 18litre bag options, this pic is the Tenere 700 specific base

crash bars are available. They are probably a good idea but will add weight and you can’t protect everything. Price £100-200.

The water-pump is vulnerable and needs a protector. Touratech. Price £30.

Handles on the rear will be necessary for when you need to pick it up. Adventurebikestore.co.uk. Price £79.

The standard riding position might be more ‘sit up and beg’ than you will be used to if you ride a lot of modern dirt bikes. If you are tall enough, consider the OE Yamaha one-piece ‘rally saddle’, which raises you by 35mm.

It makes it easier to do the transition from sitting to standing. Only fit bar risers if you are well over 6ft tall. Yamaha. OEM price £308.

For the vertically challenged, OE suspension lowering and seating is available.

The standard handlebar guards are not as good as aluminium reinforced Barkbusters or Racetech Vertigo handguards with aluminium bar. Price £100.

The navigation/GPS/phone mounting is 12mm in diameter and so you will have to find a suitable bracket for your choice of device.

I use an Ultimate Add-ons clamp with a spacer that I turned on my lathe out of aluminium. Price £20.

The standard tyres are fine for tarmac and gravel but they need to be changed for mud and slippery surfaces. The front is a 90/90 x 21.

The standard mixed terrain rear is a 150/70 x 18 but a slightly narrower 140/80 x 18 enduro tyre may work better in real ‘off-road’ use.

Price £120 plus.

Lowering the gearing will give better engine control at low speeds and more usable gear choices. Change the front sprocket for a 14-

30 Trail Winter 2020

tooth item. Price £20. The chain is a 525 size.

Rear luggage racks and hard aluminium cases will add a lot of weight and width.

I personally prefer soft luggage, such as the versatile Kreiga Overlander System (OS) with 6/12/18 litre bag choices. Price £250-300, depending on bag-sizes.

Some riders of the Ténéré state that the rear suspension is too soft. Then they admit that they weigh 100kg, are carrying another 10kg of riding kit and have 20kg of framework and luggage. The standard set up is for an 80kg rider. A range of harder springs is available from Rally Raid Ltd. Price £80. Also there are preload spacers for the front suspension. Price £12. If you think you have to spend a lot of money on the suspension, you have bought the wrong bike.

Even so, you can reckon on spending £1000 quite easily.

Finally, lose weight yourself, get fit and go on an Adventure Bike training course!

The Yamaha bar risers, er, raise the bars by 20mm

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RIDE LIKE A Girl

The rest of the headline meme reads, ‘If you can keep up’!

From very green, green road riders to hugely experienced black road riders, in this section we see how the TRF welcomes and encourages women riders to participate in what is generally perceived as a bit of a blokey pastime

Girls just wanna have fun Mo Rapley Introduces some of the ‘lady riders’ in the SWW TRF

Nicola Ross

W

e are a very mixed and friendly bunch down here in South West Wales. As the Group has grown, so has the number of lady riders. Here are some of our stories in the world of biking

Sarah Pugh

I was always a Daddy’s girl, so when my dad took up motorcycling in his early forties it was only natural that I would follow suit; first as his pillion and then by passing my test in 1996.

Sadly he never got to see me ride with a full licence, as he passed away suddenly a few weeks before my test was due. My motivation and reason for wanting to ride had gone, so once I had passed I sold my bike and didn’t pursue it any further.

Then 16 years ago I met my husband Richard, who, although he didn’t have a bike at the time, turned out to have a keen interest in motorcycles. Once he had passed his test,

32 Trail Winter 2020

RIDE LIKE A

Girl

Glenda Dougan Trail Winter 2020 33

the camaraderie of the biking fraternity, I wanted to feel part of it again.

The next problem was finding a bike that suited me. I started back on the road on a Honda C90 moped and rode the Taffy the next year on that, with Richard and David on another C90 but only doing the road routes.

The scenery was breathtaking and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, despite being overtaken by cyclists on the down hills.

That was when I decided I wanted to get a bike that would allow me to ride the ‘green lanes’ that everyone kept talking about. At 5ft 6in, I am probably the tallest of the ladies in the SWW TRF Group (but probably the biggest wuss!). Finding a bike to suit me became a full-time mission for Richard and during the past two years I have had a Beta Alp 200, a Honda CRF230L and a KTM Freeride 250F before finally settling on my Beta 300 X-Trainer, which I love! All but the Alp had lowering kits – being able to touch the ground is a big deal for me.

When I joined the SWW TRF I was very nervous as those green lanes I had heard about turned out to be steep, and sometimes

we spent our early married life biking around the Pembrokeshire countryside, with me as a pillion because I’d lost my nerve and didn’t want to ride any more. After three years our son David arrived, so Richard sold the bike and we took up boating as a family pursuit.

It wasn’t long, however, before David also took an interest in motorcycles, his first bike being a wooden motorcycle balance bike at the age of two, followed by a bicycle that looked like a motorcycle, and then finally moving on to an Osett electric trials bike at the age of six. My life started to revolve around bikes once more, but still as a spectator.

Richard also took up trials and then moved on to Enduro. Soon I was starting to feel left out, as he and David would go off riding together. One weekend in 2017, Richard, always wanting to involve the family in his love of biking, took us all for a family camping weekend to the then-named Taffy Dakar (now Taffy Drwg) motorbike orienteering event.

Whilst he went out on the trails, David and I visited the Dan-yr-Ogof caves nearby. It was during that weekend that I got my taste for biking back. Being amongst all the bikes and

RIDE LIKE A

Girl

Sarah Pugh 34 Trail Winter 2020

twisty and muddy, with ruts and rocks.

I ended up with two black eyes after one slow-speed tumble and felt like giving up, but the kindness and patience that Mo and Rob and the rest of the Group showed me made me want to go back and try again. I was never made to feel as though I was a burden or that I was holding everyone up (they always get a break and a catch-up chat waiting for me to eventually arrive, having dropped my bike several times along the way).

IT WAS DURING A WEEKEND AT THE TAFFY DAKAR THAT I GOT MY TASTE FOR BIKING BACK. BEING AMONGST ALL THE BIKES AND THE CAMARADERIE OF THE BIKING FRATERNITY

Glenda Dougan Being brought up in Northern Ireland, which has produced some of the best motorbike riders in the world, I have always had a keen interest in motorbikes. It wasn’t until I met my now-husband in 2010 that I revived that passion.

After spending hours tarting up the Suzuki DR Big, I made my maiden journey as a pillion to the Pyrenees. We spent most of our time riding the mountains and ski slopes as well as the fantastic roads. Returning to the UK I took the plunge and booked my CBT and rode through some horrid weather in preparation for my Direct Access Scheme (DAS).

I started with a DR125, followed by a DRZ400, which I was forever dropping as, for a 5ft 1in rider, it was too tall for me. I then purchased a Honda CBR400RR and a Gladius 650 before eventually acquiring my pride and joy – the last of the CBR600RRs. I have travelled throughout Europe, riding some of the hardest passes but thoroughly enjoyed them all. It never crossed my mind to try off-roading until my husband saw a couple of DR350s. We discussed the idea at length and took the plunge in February 2020. Then just when we had the bikes up and running, lockdown happened.

Once restrictions were eased slightly we spent time doing some gentle off-roading together. We decided we both liked it and joined the TRF when we were free to travel again. On my first introduction to the TRF, I dropped the bike because it was too tall, pulled my hamstring and was out of action for two months. I discussed different bikes with members of the SWW TRF, such a

Whenever the Group members were going to attempt a tricky section, Rob would plan the route so that Mo could take me around a different way and we would meet the Group further on. Once the sprocket came off my Freeride when Mo and I were doing one of our detours and I am still in awe of how she managed to fit the sprocket back onto the chain and get me back to the rest of the Group, where Rob, being local and knowing everyone, managed to procure a temporary bolt from a local farmer to keep me going. It was then that I knew I was actually enjoying myself as, despite the nerves and fear, I didn’t want to have to go home yet, there was still riding to be done and I completed the day.

As a Group we have had many adventures and good times out on the trails. Our abilities are mixed but when there is a novice ride-out I join in and can see how my riding has improved since my early days. Although still very slow and nervous, I have nothing to prove and just enjoy the sense of achievement from mastering a lane or a skill I couldn’t perform before. Also, when I do ‘plop and drop’ my bike as I call it, Richard or someone else is always there to pick it up for me.

Although I get annoyed when I do something wrong and drop my bike, it makes me more determined than ever and, with the support and patience of the rest of the Group, it is still a pleasurable activity that gives me a sense of achievement. I usually come back from a ride-out physically and mentally exhausted

but happy and with a sense of pride, often buzzing for days after a good afternoon with great company and beautiful scenery that just makes you glad to be out.

As well as making new friends and discovering a new hobby at 50, trail riding has also given my confidence generally a real boost. It’s amazing how that sense of achievement and enjoyment can carry over into your everyday life. I recently invested in some one-to-one training with Louise Hodgkinson, who specialises in ladies’ training, at the Sweet Lamb Adventure Bike Academy, near Llanidloes. In just one day she taught me new skills to practice, skills that have made me feel more in control rather than just holding on and hoping for the best.

I will probably always be the slowest member of the Group and continue to drop my bike and not go down the ‘difficult bits’, but it really doesn’t matter – no-one minds as long as I am enjoying it. That’s all anyone else in the Group seems to be bothered about.

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Facebook site and Emma offered me either her KTM or her trials bike when she was not using them. And what a morning I had on the trials bike. Three runs was all I managed, and my legs hurt from sitting down in a jockey position when needed and then standing back up on the pegs, but I was just so pleased that I didn’t come off.

The CRF arrived and was lowered to accommodate my short inside leg. I took it out on the road to get used to it before travelling the following day to Mo and Rob’s for a ‘Ladies Day’. Thankfully Rob had just received his new X-Trainer and was joining us for its maiden trial ride. Emma brought her KTM, Sarah was on her X-Trainer while her husband rode his monster fast machine. It was my first proper ride with them all! Such a great bunch – the encouragement, support, laughs, the sharing of experiences and advice was amazing. I spent most of my time shaking with adrenaline and fear but I learned so much and I can’t say thank you enough to the SWW TRF for making me feel welcome.

Chloe Jones

Mo Rapley friendly, knowledgeable bunch, who were willing to help as much as possible. I sat on some lowered bikes that members of the TRF owned and decided to go for the CRF250L. The matter of finding a bike for someone vertically challenged is incredibly difficult with so many choices available. I wanted something tame and forgiving from which I could get at least one foot down.

In the meantime the SWW TRF had a fun day, which we had booked, but my bike was not in the UK. I sent a plea to the TRF

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I have always been fascinated by bikes. I met Matthew on our marine engineering course at college. Would you believe it, we shared a passion for all things mechanical. After an introduction to the Long Way Round series, we dreamed up a couple of crazy bike travel plans. So I thought I ought to learn to ride at the very least.

Attempting a ride on Matthew’s Yamaha TY80, which did not have brakes and had a fast action throttle, I narrowly avoided a fence and then got dragged around like a harrow at the back of a tractor! But it was settled – I loved bikes. After no real research, just a love for the Honda MTX 2-stroke, we headed to Kent and brought it back to Wales in a Skoda Fabia.

The rest is history: lots of shenanigans, great rides with the TRF lot, and I even acquired a trials bike to get me into more trouble! I am looking forward to moving on to a bigger bike and more travels, and I am working towards a silly goal of going out on one ride with every TRF Group!

Mo Rapley Like many, my interest in motorcycling started with my dad. He was a keen ‘Rocker’ and when I came along a sidecar was added to his Douglas Dragonfly. This was our main form of transport, even after my sister arrived.

It was only when we moved to Wales back in 1970 that the family car was purchased and unfortunately the Douglas was stripped for maintenance and never returned to use.

It was sold off to finance some project or

commuter bike and the weekend tourer.

Two years later I met Rob and biking is what has filled the 23 years we have spent together.

I have been his F2 sidecar passenger, I’ve done a bit of solo road racing and hill-climbing on a solo and a sidecar built by Rob, and we have toured America and parts of Europe.

It was in 2012, having met Marianne from the Mid Wales TRF on the road racing circuit (she was racing a sidecar outfit in Tonfanau), that we took her up on a weekend of trail riding from the village of Staylittle. Being vertically challenged I rode one of the Honda CR230Fs. We caught the bug and by Christmas a Kawasaki KLX125 was found (smaller wheels meant I could touch the floor) and like kids we were out in the rain and hail

other and my father gave up the biking until the late 1980s.

I decided to get my bike licence in 1994, to mark my mid-life crisis at 30 years of age!

It was much easier then and, after passing a CBT on a hired bike, a Honda CG125 became my first bike for £30, fully MOT’d from a neighbour. I had instructions to bring it by trailer to Drefach Velindre to make sure it was safe to ride and its first trip then carried me home to Tring in Hertfordshire, proudly displaying its bright red ‘L’ plates.

I duly passed the ‘Part 2’ as it was known then and used my trusty CG125 in all weathers as a commuter. With full licence in hand in 1996 I relocated to Drefach Velindre and a BMW R80 was lowered to become both a

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Chloe Jones Trail Winter 2020 37

permitting).

A KTM Freeride 350F became a replacement for the Alp as my confidence grew. Local dealer E.T. James managed to space the rear shock and drop the forks through the yokes and again, removing all the foam from the seat, I was on tip-toes but had a great lightweight bike to play with. This was replaced last year by a KTM Freeride 250F, which I love.

I have more ground clearance than the 350 after spacing the shock again etc – an extra 40mm to play with due to the shorter engine.

Starting the South West Wales TRF Group has been a truly positive experience. We have been fortunate to meet lots of great people, many have become friends and we get to meet up and ride out of several areas as our members’ local knowledge and experience grows. I still have to mostly ‘follow the crowd’, having no sense of direction at all, but I’m happy to take any individuals on the ‘novice diversions’ when out on a local run. And I can now go a couple of months without dropping the bike. As long as I can get back in the saddle, I have no problems when I do.

Nicola Ross

Emma Warren between Christmas and the New Year. Rob had the task of map reading and I blindly followed wherever the trail led. We had no idea what to expect around the corner, so Rob got a lot of fitness training from picking up both me and the bike.

We were joined occasionally by friends on our trips around our area, the standing joke being that the bigger the group, the fewer times each member had to pick me up! And by 2016 we had established a good link with Marianne and headed up to Mid Wales regularly. Our introduction to the TRF happened through friends who had joined the Central Bristol TRF Group and we took part in an event in Bristol: ‘The Ubbly Muddle’.

We joined up that year.

Following this introduction I got a bit ambitious and decided to give the Brechfa Rally a go. I had upgraded to a Beta Alp and the ‘full size’ wheels added to the ground clearance, which meant not getting stuck quite as much, but the seat foam had to be removed to accommodate that shortage of leg length. I managed one lap the first year and have made it a ‘must do’ every year since (weather, fitness and Covid restrictions

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My introduction to motorcycling came quite late in life (aged 50 to be precise!). My only experience up until then had been riding pillion on other people’s fast road bikes, which I loved. When I met my current partner Miles, who has ridden road bikes all his life and off-road for the last 15 years, his experience and mechanical skills made it possible for me to pass my CBT on a 1970s Honda CG125 (it’s still in the shed) and eventually pass my full test on a Honda CB500, on the third attempt.

My next purchase was a Honda CB250RS, also still in the shed, followed by a Suzuki GS500, my current road bike.

My off-road bike came along a couple of years later in the form of a Yamaha Serow, good for the vertically challenged and very forgiving. Many falls later, but having had some fabulous rides, we joined the Mid Wales TRF, discovering new legal routes and meeting lots of new and lovely bike enthusiasts.

While some friends and family have raised a few eyebrows at my new hobby, the biking community, both male and female, have been incredibly supportive and encouraging. I’m always very pleased to see other ladies on days out as we do tend to be slightly in the minority. Go for it ladies!

Emma Warren My biking journey started with a CBT in the most horrendous weather in 2016. I should have known then that things were only going to get muddier. In the summer of 2018 my partner, Dan, and I had an Off-Road

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Mo, Emma and Chloe playing on the trials bikes

and off we went. What an amazing day. It had its challenges but was truly inspirational and we were hooked.

We soon realised that the SWW TRF Group is closer and very active, so we joined up for a Beginner’s Day and that’s where we met Mo and Rob, who gave us so much advice as to where to start. Since then I have not looked back. I upgraded my Serow that April to a KTM Freeride 250F, which I had lowered so I was able to at least dab.

I then went on to do the Beacon’s Rally that summer. I have no idea how I actually managed to complete the two laps but I do know that without the endless efforts, encouragement, support and patience of the members of the SWW TRF, including the lovely ladies, I would not have made it there!

I have recently bought a TRS trials bike to improve my technique and with many of my stupid questions answered by the Group I’ve just got a new Beta X-Trainer, which of course I’ve had lowered, so I’m looking forward to getting out again with this brilliant bunch of people, and as the ladies’ group grows hopefully we can do many more ride-outs together.

Experience Day with Black Desert training, who were great but got us right in the thick of it, doing rocky paths, muddy ruts and single track forest routes. With little confidence on a bike I should have run a mile but for some reason I couldn’t stop smiling. The hired bike was way too tall and I couldn’t touch the floor, so every dab ended with the bike taking a lie down and the guys needing to catch me at every stop. I moved on to do my ‘big’ test after buying a Triumph Street Triple later that year.

By this time life was all about bikes.

For Christmas, Dan bought me my first off-road bike – the classic tractor of a Yamaha Serow. It was great at ploughing through anything and more importantly I could get my tip-toes down. Dan was super jealous, so naturally it wasn’t long before he had a bike too and it was at this point that we signed up with the TRF. We had no idea what that membership truly meant, other than a number and some Facebook groups. We struggled to find much in our area and ended up joining the Mid Wales TRF group with Marianne. Our first ride-out was planned, but a few days beforehand the Serow wouldn’t start. I managed to hire a bike from Marianne

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Nicola Webb Nicola Webb In the middle of the current Welsh lockdown it is nice to be able to look back and reminisce over my biking history so far. The wind and rain are hammering at my window and it reminds me how much of a fine weather rider I prefer to be.

I have been riding bikes for 20 years. It all started with a DAS course and a shopping trip to pick up my shiny new Suzuki SV650S. Super sportsbikes, hyper-naked bikes, road riding, European and UK touring have kept my interest in bikes going – and the adrenaline flowing – for all these years and I have made many lifelong friends along the way. A few years back I thought I was short-changing myself as my bikes of choice were not being used so much in the cold, soggy winter months. The idea came to me that if I bought a trail-friendly bike I could use it to commute to work with the occasional trip out on the green lanes. I was now in my forties, so I could blame it on a mini-crisis.

My green laning interest came from many happy years as a member of GLASS (Green Lane Association) and several trips around the UK and abroad in our modified Land Rover TD5. I had a great collection of OS maps, some local knowledge and the love of the outdoors – but still no bike. I am only 5ft 3in, so I felt limited in terms of choice.

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I wanted something that I could ride comfortably on the road, as I didn’t want the extra expense of a trailer or van to get to the trails, and something on which I could pack a tent and luggage. There was only one contender for me and ‘Groot’, my new Honda CRF250L, was ordered complete with a long list of trail-friendly extras: tyres, Renthal bars, folding mirrors, bash plate, frame protectors, luggage rack and a complete FMF exhaust (essential). Let’s say I got to know my delivery driver well. My husband lowered the bike and I was ready to go. Well, nearly. I booked myself in for a Ladies’ Training weekend with the Sweet Lamb Adventure Bike Academy. That was it – I was hooked.

Next came a trail riding day run by Steph Jeavons and her mate Anthony from Trail Riding days.com. My bike was packed up with everything needed for a camping weekend at the Adventure Bike Rider Festival. What a weekend that was … more later. All these experiences added to my enjoyment but I also wanted to explore locally, so I joined the newly formed South West Wales TRF and met the friendly bunch of lads and ladies in this Group. My brother-in-law enjoys trail riding, so it was great to be able to get out with him and I encouraged him to join our local TRF Group.

Trail riding for me doesn’t come naturally and, as we know, practice makes perfect. So I joined a few rides to get ‘proper dirty’. The local lanes near us can best be described as challenging, wet and muddy, but with the help, support and encouragement of our TRF Group they can been ridden safely. We all have to face some setbacks, and mine came when out on a local ride. I had a slow speed fall and broke the radius bone in my wrist. My first break in 40+ years. Feet up and time to read my copies of Trail.

Back on the bike with a bit of back lane exploring, I was ready to go again. Off to the ABR Festival I went, trail riding, skills and test rides all signed up for. A few laps of the onsite trail course went well, my wrist was happy although my legs were a bit shaky, and I was having fun off-road again. Then let’s just say a ‘dancing’ incident resulted in another trip to casualty and a displaced radial wrist fracture that needed setting. I was breaking a bit too easily, as confirmed by a scan.

I made the difficult decision to sell my bike but the story hasn’t quite finished. A couple of weeks ago I went back to my friends at the Sweet Lamb Adventure Bike Academy and hired a KTM 390 Adventure R for some one-to-one training. The same feeling of achievement and excitement is still there, so who knows what the future holds.

Never say never…

LADIES’ Day

Based at Rogershill Raceway near Dorchester in Dorset, Rotor Adventures offers pretty much the full card of off-road experiences including, trail riding, off-road coaching and tuition, enduro competition development and adventure riding

The man himself, making sure everything is running smoothly The ladies all gathered together having had a fun but exhausting day!

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otor Adventures has partnered with several high-profile companies.

Crescent Motorcycles and Yamaha offer customers a hire option including the WR250F and WR450F Enduro bikes plus the Ténéré T700 Adventure bikes. Stan has also recently secured some 125 Yamahas including a small wheel option.

Further partnerships with Alpinestars, Pro-Grip and Acerbis provide the available protective clothing. Contact www.rotoradventures.com Heading up the operation is Stan Watts; he’s been there, done that, got the T-shirt and

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STAN HAS A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE AT ALL LEVELS OF OFF-ROAD RIDING BOTH AT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL Apart from the Rogershill site where there are purpose-built circuits for MX and Enduro training, Rotor has other sites for dedicated activities with courses ranging from ‘Taster’ to Expert level.

Stan has also had the foresight to organise Ladies’ Days. He’s not alone in doing this, which is great, because, without being stereotypical, women tend to be better ambassadors for the TRF and trail riding in general in any potentially confrontational situations that might occur with other byway users.

Rick Kemp

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survived to tell the tale. In fact he’s survived well enough to teach others how to do it.

In this case ‘it’ comprises National and International Enduro Championships plus World Extreme Championships, World CrossCountry Championships, completing the Baja 1000 as an individual rider and multiple Dakar Rally finishes.

For the more adventurous, you can get to grips with Enduro and Adventure Tours in the UK, Spain, Portugal and Italy. The guided trail riding experiences in different parts of the UK cater for different levels of experience.

We catch up with East Kent TRF member Milly Pitt who decided that a Ladies’ Day off-road tutorial was the way to go

W

hen asked to write something for the magazine about riding, my initial reaction was that I am definitely not qualified enough.

The month of October for me marked my first time riding off-road. However, despite this, a perspective from someone who is relatively new to the sport might give some confidence to those who, like me, just don’t know where to start, or who may get a surprised reaction when they tell people that they ride a bike.

Writing this piece also made me think about the reason I started riding in the first place.

I have grown up with a Dad and family friends

who all ride bikes, but it was something that I never thought I could do.

On coming home from America, where I lived for a year, I decided that I would like to try something new. Motorcycling had always appealed to me, so I asked my Mum if she would come along with me to a two-hour taster session. In those two hours she realised motorcycling wasn’t for her – riding pillion was still her preferred option. However, for me, despite my very bad braking, throttle and clutch control, this experience made me realise that motorcycling might just be for me.

One month later, and I had booked myself in for a CBT without telling anyone and

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Milly feels way more confident on her own bike now and is looking forward to many more miles

managed to pass. It was at that point that my family realised I was serious about it. Shortly afterwards I bought my first bike, a little Honda CBR125, and started going out for rides at the weekend and loved it.

I moved to Oxford during this time to go to college and it was there that I booked up to do my A2 licence test. After passing my Mod 1, Covid-19 hit, preventing the second section of my test. I managed to do the Mod 2 section six months later back home in Kent. During this time I read a couple of articles in Trail and a couple books from the likes of Lois Pryce, and I decided that maybe another sports bike might not be the best option for me. Travelling by bike and getting off the beaten track was what I wanted to do, so after much research I decided to buy a Honda CRF250L, so giving me the best of both worlds for each of the riding styles.

A couple weeks later an unexpected opportunity presented itself in the form of a Ladies’ Day off-road training at Rotor Adventures. My Dad had previously trained there and had heard that this was on offer.

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Despite her initial nervousness, Milly came away having learned much more than she thought was possible in a single day

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I duly signed up. I had never been on this type of terrain before, so to try and prepare myself just a little bit, the weekend beforehand I togged up and went out with my Dad on a couple of green lanes on my CRF. The objective? To try and rectify my newbie status and to get a feel for the mud.

The next weekend we drove from Kent down to Dorchester on the Friday night.

Despite the downfall of rain – typical England – and my initial nervousness, I had an amazing time on a Yahama WR250, learning more than I thought I would be able to in just one day, and the skies did eventually clear.

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I think the Ladies’ Day is a great opportunity to meet other women who have the same interests as you. There were women of all ages; some had brought their own bikes, others had no experience at all. We were split into groups based on our ability and I was trained by Rotor owner Stan Watts. I think I can speak on behalf of us all when I say that all the trainers made us feel at ease and confident enough to ride obstacles, some that I never would have even dreamed of attempting.

I learned that standing is important when riding off-road and using the pegs in order to transfer your weight. Although it took a little

Riding in groups based on ability really improved the experience

Lunchtime gave the girls a chance to chat and compare notes

getting used to, I have been told it makes the bike far more stable, enables you to control the bike better and gives a greater vision of the trail ahead. And looking ahead instead of focusing on the ground directly in front of me was something that I was reminded about at Rotor Adventures. The difference between road and off-road riding was really demonstrated in body positioning. For example, keeping relaxed and sitting far more forward than I am used to on a road bike centres your weight across the whole length of the bike.

A fun manoeuvre I learned was the skid turn, done by pulling the clutch and applying the back brake. At the end of the day I also

had a chance to have a little go at mastering a wheelie. I think ‘mastering’ may be the wrong word but I did manage to pop the front wheel up. One for me to practise in the future.

And the location, based in beautiful Dorset, ensured there were plenty of options for a fun-filled day.

If anyone wants to have a go at off-road/trail riding, and doesn’t know where to start, I would really recommend this experience.

It was a great opportunity to ride a different bike, meet other like-minded people and work with trainers who have a wealth of experience. It has also made me excited about riding many more miles on my own bike.

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Mid-Life

JOGLE

JOHN O’GROATS

EVANTON

In at the dirty deep end after 30 years on tarmac… TRF Director Carla McKenzie recalls her dirt debut

FOYERS MURTHLY

HALTWHISTLE

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n 2014 I turned the big Five-O and thought I had life sorted: a successful business and a garage full of beautiful iconic Italian motorcycles. I was emancipated, self-sufficient and content – little did I realise that life was about to change in a completely unexpected way.

KENDAL CLITHEROE HAYFIELD OSWESTRY RHAYADER HEREFORD

Left to right: Andrew Byatt, James Higgs, Carla McKenzie & Ben Hilton, Paul Blezard & Ben Clews at the start of the JOGLE in aid of the Dougie Dalziel Trust & Bike Tours For The Wounded

CALNE TIVERTON BODMIN LANDS END

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Carla, Andrew Byatt and an amazing view!

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owned and rode Italian bikes; across Europe, around circuits, to rallies and so forth. Always on tarmac and generally quite quickly. I also became an IAM Observer.

In 2010, following a pretty unpleasant divorce, I found myself agreeing to ride a Harley-Davidson 1200 miles up the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego to Seattle, carrying an amputee. It was the first ever Bike Tours For The Wounded (BTFTW) trip and the first time amputees had been taken on such a journey. We learned a lot. My passenger, Elaine, was a sergeant in the army, a tank engineer, and had lost her leg in a motorcycle accident – caused by a ‘white van man’ on a mobile phone. Elaine and I made it through the trip, the heat, and the highs and lows, to become firm friends.

After that first ground-breaking trip I rode two more journeys with wounded and injured

My early childhood was dominated by the family passion for motorcycling and gliding.

Dad was a Class 1 police motorcyclist and mum was the proud owner of a Triumph Bonneville sidecar outfit – the family conveyance in which everything was transported: kids, kittens and kit. Holidays were either spent at the Isle of Man TT races or on airfields – mum and dad were both competition glider pilots. So motorcycling and training were in my blood.

No-one in the family was surprised when I got a moped at 16 and joined the local RAC/ACU training scheme – mum had attended the same course 16 years before.

At 17 I passed my test and hopped onto a tatty second-hand Honda CB500T, which cost as much to insure as it did to buy. A few years later I bought my first Italian bike, a 250 Desmo Ducati, and for the next 25 years I

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Carla’s first major PR break came when Chris Evans wanted to interview her for BBC TV’s The One Show

RIDE LIKE A Carla still had a smile on her face even when things didn’t go according to plan!

female service personnel. On the third trip, in October 2014, I found myself agreeing to ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End (aka the JOGLE) on as many trails and byways as possible to raise funds for, and the profile of, the wounded. I had no clue what I’d let myself in for.

In December 2014 a friend put me in touch with Paul Blezard (aka Blez), motorcycle journalist and experienced trail and dirt rider.

I remember our first phone conversation as if it were yesterday; my naivety must have shone like a beacon on a hilltop at night, particularly when I suggested that if push

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came to shove I would do the trip on my fully-faired Aprilia Caponord 1200…

Thankfully, Blez agreed to help and his first piece of advice was to join the Trail Riders Fellowship (of which he’d been a member for more than 30 years).

My local group at the time was Wiltshire TRF and I remain indebted to the many members who took me under their wing and taught me to ride off-road. Two of them, Andrew Byatt and James Higgs, rashly agreed to join me for the entire JOGLE journey. They were a godsend and set about coordinating the various TRF groups that would guide us down

Bolton-based British manufacturer CCM came forward and offered to sponsor Carla with the loan of a GP450

There were actually five of us riding at the start: Andrew, James and I were accompanied by Ben Clews from the CCM factory and Blez, both on CCM GP450s.

MID-LIFE JOGLE

Getting the hang of off-road riding was a steep learning curve

the country, as well as ensuring full support from the national TRF for the project.

Dad found me my first dirt bike, a 2011 Husqvarna TE250, which was a bit of a handful for a beginner (and soon turned out to be terminally unreliable). I went for my first trail ride in February 2015. Nothing had prepared me for the experience of my first rutty, muddy, Wiltshire green lane. I had been lulled into a false sense of security by the first two hours, riding easy gravel trails on Salisbury Plain, and thought I had got the hang of it… Then, on the first muddy lane, too much throttle had me straight off into barbed

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Some obstructions were easier to navigate than others

MID-LIFE JOGLE

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Carla relaxes while trackside repairs are undertaken

wire and lying on the ground in shock. Having retrieved my bike for me, Steve Coward said “Well, you’d better get back on the horse”, and I did.

That first trail ride showed me that if I was going to survive 16 consecutive days of trail riding I had to have the right kit, more fitness and less ‘avoirdupois’. I had just over four months in which to prepare before the start from John O’Groats on 6 July 2015.

Back in December 2014 I had started to write about my ‘mission’ in a ‘Jogler’s Blog’.

In February 2015 the first major PR break came when Chris Evans interviewed me live on BBC TV’s The One Show following some news interest in women in their fifties return-

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ing to biking (which was the result of a Saga Insurance press release). This generated some significant publicity around the trip and, helped by Blez writing press releases, I found myself on local radio and in lifestyle magazines although, surprisingly, we got very little interest or exposure from the motorcycle press. By March I was feeling quite exposed and fearful of failure.

By the time we started the JOGLE I had lost three and a half stone, found kit I could get into and was considerably fitter. My weekly regime broadly consisted of two hours of PT, two days of trail riding and one hour of other fitness, such as cycling. Between February and July I had 22 tumbles on 12 different bikes.

All hands on deck trying to extricate Blez’s GS from the undergrowth

Many fellow TRF members turned up for moral support including Sean Nicholls on his KTM

Jimmy chose his trusty KLR for the trip

lend me one for the event anyway! (Andrew Byatt boldly decided to use his beefy BMW R1200GS while James Higgs chose his trusty Kawasaki KLR650.)

There were many obstacles. Land access in Scotland for motor vehicles is notoriously challenging and my endeavours included writing to HM The Queen in the belief that if she agreed to give us access to the trails on the Balmoral Estate other landowners would follow suit, but unfortunately she politely turned me down. However, by then we’d found ourselves featured on the front of the motoring section of the Daily Record and this in turn yielded some access for us.

By May I was completely focused on

However, I still had not mastered the art of standing up in a rut and steering by peg weighting.

There was a lot of discussion about which bike would best suit me for the JOGLE task, one that would achieve the right balance between decent pace on the road sections and yet be agile enough for the most challenging terrain on the byways. The Bolton-based British manufacturer CCM came forward and offered to sponsor my endeavours with the loan of a GP450, although in the end I decided to buy my own brand new machine from them, paid for in advance. Ironically, they failed to deliver it anywhere near the agreed date, and had to

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Everybody pitched in when the going got tough

Many thanks go out to those who came out and joined us including Danny Murray and Martin Wellstead

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preparation and fundraising in every spare moment. Trying to balance all that with my day job as the managing director of a successful hotel and catering consultancy was not an easy task. Clive Rumbold of Moto Scotland Training took me under his expert wing for a weekend of riding lightweight AJPs (and a BMW GS650) on the tracks and trails of the Argyll Estates, which overlook Loch Fyne near Inveraray. Blez and I headed up for my first session of formal off-road training. It was timely as I still felt like a complete beginner.

Finally, with all the preparation done, we departed from John O’Groats on the appointed day: 6 July. There were actually five of us riding at the start: Andrew, James

56 Trail Winter 2020

Group shot at the Calne campground

and I were accompanied by Ben Clews from the CCM factory and Blez, both on CCM GP450s. My friend and veteran of that first BTFTW tour on the Pacific Coast Highway, Lance Corporal Ben Hilton, turned up to see the team off. Ben is a double amputee, his first leg lost in an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) incident in Afghanistan, the second leg lost soon after while being carried on a stretcher. The charity that I raised the funds for is the Dougie Dalziel Memorial Trust (DDMT). Lieutenant Dougie Dalziel was Ben’s boss in Afghanistan, and he lost his life on his 27th birthday, clearing insurgents in Helmand Province. The DDMT is one of the smaller military charities and there are no employees;

Jimmy on one of the easier downhill sections with Andrew following behind

MID-LIFE JOGLE

Carla following Steve Burbidge of Burbidge’s Bakery on his Sym scooter?

all the money raised goes straight to those in need. This is important to me.

Our JOGLE route through Scotland included some interesting tracks, trails and sinuous single-track tarmac. The highlight was undoubtedly the 14 miles of unpaved eighteenth- century military road across The Corrieyairack Pass from Fort Augustus to Laggan (James made a great little 5-minute video of it, complete with commentary). After crossing the border into England, we met up with Greg Villalobos, the TRF’s digital and video meister, who led us a merry dance across Northumberland to Haltwhistle, just south of Hadrian’s Wall, including a tricky trail with a fearsome rock step, which was a

serious challenge for Andrew’s GS1200 and required a joint effort to get up!

Blez had to leave us at Haltwhistle while the three of us remaining had our first rest day and were joined by nine new riders at the start of the Bike Tours for the Wounded Byway Tour (BT4TWT). Originally, the BT4TW Tour was going to comprise the whole JOGLE but it was shortened to just seven days from Haltwhistle to Calne in Wiltshire, due to lack of time.

On the first day of the Byways Tour we were divided into two groups: those on big adventure bikes and those on enduro or lightweight trail bikes. Three of the adventure group were on two BMW GSs and a KTM V-twin and the only trail riding experience of their riders was a two-day, off-road skills course. Lack of preparation and training, combined with heavy bikes, led to injuries, frustration and damaged bikes as well as riders opting out and taking rest days.

We were a mix of experience and ages, but the camaraderie in the group was excellent as we made our way down the country, led by TRF and trail riding experts in each region; a daily routine of briefing, followed by riding and then après ride relaxation, usually in a local pub. There were some particularly challenging sections such as the Strata Florida ‘water splashes’ in Mid Wales (as used in the Welsh two-day Enduro). Every night I was also writing a brief account of each day’s riding for

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Exhausted but victorious at journeys end...

MID-LIFE JOGLE

RIDE LIKE A

Girl

And, heave...

Andrew, Paul, Carla and Lyn taking a well-earned break

my Facebook page and our ‘Jogler’s Blog’, which was edited by Blez (via email after he left us).

There is no doubt that most of the group were completely shattered by the end of the byways tour in Calne, where we had a celebratory barbecue. Blez re-joined our group there, riding his own BMW HP2 1200, and the four of us began the final part of the journey to Land’s End. For that morning we were joined by Steve Burbidge, the Andover ‘adventure baker’, on his SYM Fiddle 125 scooter and local lad Greg West on his WR450.

The route through Devon and Cornwall, led

by Paul Studley of Devon TRF, was glorious and included a climb used as an observed section called Tillerton Steep in the MCC’s famous Exeter Long Distance Trial. By this time I was running on adrenaline, completely knackered and trying hard to focus and not

58 Trail Winter 2020

fail just before the finishing point.

When we finally arrived at Land’s End the relief for me was immense. We celebrated with friends and relations, first at Land’s End, then in St Ives, having treated ourselves to a hotel for the first time since the night before the start at John O’Groats. After doing the obligatory write-up the next morning, we headed back east via the beach opposite St Michael’s Mount (near Penzance) after a little local negotiation to get onto the sand with official blessing.

The tour raised over £14,000 in hard cash and we achieved significant levels of publicity for the plight of wounded military personnel.

At 50, before doing the JOGLE, I thought I had life nailed; by the age of 51 and 16 days I realised that I still had much to learn, but trail riding had entered my bloodstream in the same way that road racing had as a child, all

Lower Clapton Farm in Somerset

organisations who sponsored and offered support and services, including Steve Burbidge of Burbidge’s Bakery, Andover, CCM Motorcycles of Bolton , Al Ranger of Rangers of Durrington, Gabe Bolton of Zen Overland, Clive Rumbold of Moto Scotland Training Off Road Skills and Touratech.

5-minute video of the Corrieyairack Pass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EmZr OOosdw

THE TRAIL-ORIENTED JOGLE ROUTE The traditional road route from John O’Groats to Lands End is 874 miles, and it can be done in as few as 837. At 1800 miles, Carla’s trail-oriented route was more than twice as long: The 1800 mile JOGLE trail ride, day by day

Blez powering up Tillerton Steep

those years ago. I have continued to ride the trails and am pleased to report that the ruts and peg weighting have nearly been mastered. I can thoroughly recommend using off-road and trail riding skills to improve your on road skills.

This has been only a brief summary of my preparation and the JOGLE journey itself. I hope some of you will take a look at the much more in-depth account on ‘The Jogler’s Blog’ that we created. It runs to some 40,000 words in total, illustrated by hundreds of photos, but all broken down into bite-sized daily chunks.

If you’d consider making a small donation to the cause, that would be even better. You can do it directly from the blog, which is at: www.jogler.wordpress.com Also, many thanks to those in the trail riding community who came through in support of the cause and to the many individuals and

PART ONE: Days 1-5: John O’Groats to Northumberland Day One: John O’Groat’s to Evanton, near Dingwall, Cromarty.

Day Two: Evanton to Foyers, Loch Ness.

Day Three: Foyers to Murthly, north of Perth via the Corrieyairack Pass.

Day Four: Murthly to Haltwhistle, between Hexham and Carlisle.

Day Five: Rest Day PART TWO: Days 6-10 (The Byways Tour). Northumberland to Wiltshire.

Day Six: Haltwhistle to Kendal, Cumbria, via Lake Windermere.

Day Seven: Kendal to Clitheroe, Lancashire.

Day Eight: Clitheroe to Hayfield, in the High Peaks, Derbyshire.

Day Nine: Hayfield to Oswestry, via Buxton.

Day Ten: Oswestry to Rhayader, Mid-Wales.

Day Eleven: Rhayader to Hereford, via the Strata Florida.

Day Twelve: Hereford to Calne, Wiltshire.

Day Thirteen: Rest Day (End of Byways Tour).

PART THREE: Days 14-16 Wiltshire to Lands End Day Fourteen: Calne to Tiverton, Devon Day Fifteen: Tiverton to Bodmin, Cornwall Day Sixteen: Bodmin to Land’s End (and thence to the hotel in St.Ives).

Trail Winter 2020 59

HERE BE Dragons

Have you downloaded the Trans Euro Trail (TET) yet? November’s update included a points-of-interest (POI) layer comprising over 500 locations and businesses of use to trail riders. We caught up with linesman and Trail web editor James Higgs to learn about Northumbria’s Borderlands Trail and James’s next contribution to the project – the tentatively named ‘Tetty Trail’

60 Trail Winter 2020

One of the easier river crossings

A

m I the only trail rider made mistyeyed by talk of the good old days?

A time when four-star petrol, cafeteria ashtrays, cat-calling and hyperinflation were as much a part of British culture as being shot at by furious landowners? I jest, but there’s an adventurous authenticity to the Tetty that puts it firmly up the RUPP of reactionary riders.

I didn’t really create the route so much as discover it; though perhaps only in the sense that Captain Cook ‘discovered’ what we now call Australia. My first voyage into the western half of Carmarthenshire was frustrated by finding many green lanes to be either obstructed or impassable, all of which I duly reported via the fixmystreet website in order to make Carmarthenshire County Council aware that someone was trying to use them.

I shared a similar list with the local TRF Group, although I was surprised to learn that I was riding in territory as yet unclaimed by the TRF. Astonishingly, both Pembrokeshire and West Carmarthenshire are too far south-west to be part of the South West Wales Group!

Nonetheless, I’m hopeful that local riders will embrace the route as a recreational asset and bring its lanes back into use.

Many – if not most – of the green lanes are either overgrown or in need of repair, and some are bisected by sizeable river crossings.

Accordingly, a degree of caution is advised.

Dismounting to inspect the route ahead is as essential as turning back becomes when

Trail Winter 2020 61

HERE BE DRAGONS

UNDERNEATH THIS TRAIL RIDING DYSTOPIA LAYS A FANTASTIC ARRAY OF SLIPPERY ROCKS, STONY GULLIES AND SUNKEN LANES... things prove beyond rider capability or nerve – the Great Western Trail this most certainly is not. Instead, the Tetty is something of a proving ground for the 5% of experienced trail riders who enjoy an adventurous challenge, with many of its lanes being an adventure in their own right.

Green lanes that would ordinarily take five minutes to ride can take upwards of thirty to complete on account of branches, brambles and thick vegetation growing above headheight from the carriageway surface. Some of the fords are so fast moving that they ought to be waded first, although most have a perfectly

62 Trail Winter 2020

acceptable bridge as an alternative for those riders not wishing to either attempt a river crossing or turn back.

Underneath this trail riding dystopia lays a fantastic array of slippery rock climbs, stony gullies and sunken lanes ripe for bringing back into public use by trail riding pioneers.

The riding requires a similar standard of skill and fitness to that demanded by the Usk and Wye Valleys, but with the added requirement of evaluating both circumstances and risk in a manner not usually needed during a typical trail ride.

I didn’t set out to create a challenging route

Checking the depth of a water crossing

One of the easier lanes

but enjoyed putting together what was usable in order to make one, which I think will take most competent riders three days to complete. It’s so different to the rest of the TET that I made cases both for and against its inclusion, so that TET HQ knew what to expect and how it could enhance the value of the project.

Pembrokeshire National Park has an established tourist infrastructure, although fuel stops, shops and green lanes are quite spread out. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy its stunning coastline too – with both a jet ski safari from Tenby and relaxing

Trail Winter 2020 63

This old road runs along a slippery watercourse

HERE BE DRAGONS

Stopping for a brew on the beach in the Borderlands

64 Trail Winter 2020

or deep after rainfall, with one necessitating the use of a bridge on account of there being no defined exit on one side.

In many ways the route is an experiment, and I hope that the few riders it attracts will be sufficient to bring the lanes back into use and keep them passable for the benefit of everyone. The majority of the trail’s 306 miles are tarmac roads, which is an unfortunate reflection of the degree to which the route is now either totally obstructed or impassable.

Why the Tetty Trail? Because there isn’t yet a tet.ie, so creating one in South West Wales was the most Irish thing I could think of doing to hasten it. The ports of Rosslare, Pembroke

on Pendine Sands at the end of a long day being highly recommended.

I researched the route over the summer using a CRF250L fitted with trials tyres, which was a good choice of machine if a bit heavy.

Excess weight and power put riders at a disadvantage, so adventure and enduro bikes ought to be left at home if a lightweight, low power trail bike such as a Pampera, Serow or Crosstrainer is available instead. Trials tyres will give an advantage over mud tyres for most of the route, although there are a few places where mud tyres will reign supreme.

Extra care ought to be taken at fords and river crossings as they are likely to be fast-flowing

View from a hilltop

Taking care not to disturb the local livestock

Tetty, the TET’s mascot bear...

Trail Winter 2020 65

HERE BE DRAGONS

The green valleys of Carmarthenshire

66 Trail Winter 2020

has to say about the 353-mile Borderlands Trail – an exciting new optional loop in a gorgeous part of the country: Lindisfarne, Hadrian’s Wall, unspoilt beaches, the Farne Isles, Hogwarts and Flodden – these are just some of the sites and scenes that await you on the Borderlands section of TET UK. Ridden in an anti-clockwise direction, it starts off offering a gentle introduction to the North as it wanders along a mix of minor roads and trails before reaching the North Sea at Boulmer, Seahouses and Bamburgh.

There are a number of fords along the route that can be easily avoided. After a visit to the medieval Holy Island, there is a tar section as

and Fishguard are now connected to one another, enabling riders from the Emerald Isle to enjoy a long weekend spent bashing through overgrown Welsh lanes before either heading back home or joining the TET proper at Llandovery.

Those who grew up playing hurling at school (a field game loosely combining the more physical elements of hockey and murder) are unlikely to find their otherwise scenic ride spoiled by a few brambles, gates or unlawful obstructions. After all, how could a route named after the TET’s mascot bear be anything but child’s play?

Here’s what TET head honcho John Ross

Many of the byways are a little overgrown, and a bit scratchy!

Pendine Sands, and yes, it is a byway

Trail Winter 2020 67

far as the Scottish border via a number of scenic villages. Turning one’s back on the Scots, the TET becomes more rugged as it heads southwards, skirting around and venturing into the mountains, reaching a height of 322m at one point before dropping down to Hadrian’s Wall and the forts on the edge of the Roman Empire.

It’s a route best followed on trail bikes, which are equally happy on country roads as on trails. At just over 26% of unsealed trail, you’ll value road comfort and the ability to push on but be grateful that you’re riding something light and manoeuvrable when on the trail sections or fording the rivers. Sticking to a group size of three or more ensures that

Linesman James Higgs

One of the more defined lanes

Sandy beaches in Pembrokeshire

68 Trail Winter 2020

the gates don’t become a pain.

John is especially grateful to both Northumbria TRF for their assistance in validating the route and Northumberland County Council’s GIS team for answering his queries and providing an excellent online mapping utility.

Both routes will be published on the TET website when Covid-19 travel restrictions have been fully eased. As with all TET routes, they are provided free of charge by trail riders for trail riders.

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PEDDLING Uphill Bristol TRF stalwart Mike Wain opts for a pedelec workout during lockdown but is concerned about the status of E-MTBs in general

The tide was out when I got to this BOAT, but it seems that you need a spring tide (a normal one is nowhere near enough), so I rode around Walney Island instead (this is a joke for the benefit of our northern fellows!)

W

hen lockdown became an imminent reality I’m sure many of you went through the same initial thought process as I did. You can’t realistically argue that you’re ‘exercising close to home’ while trail riding, especially if there are no legal lanes within 10 miles of your house! Plus nobody else in my household has a motorcycle licence and it’s too dangerous to do it alone anyway. I know some do, but I’ve been rescued twice now

70 Trail Winter 2020

from a position of being hopelessly stuck under my bike, once in a ditch and once half-buried in a small avalanche of loose earth and rocks, so for me that’s a no-no. With trail riding and my other normal fitness pursuit (six-a-side footy) both complete non-starters, how could I stop myself from going down the slippery slope to couch slob, something I am sure would be extremely difficult to recover from now that I’m 60?

I can’t stand exercising just for the sake of it,

and had not ridden a bike in 20 years or more.

I’ve not done much more myself, just a couple of hours at an MTB centre with the guys from work and occasional short rides around town when the van and motorcycles were all out of action. Plus, powering up a hill on a motorcycle is just such great fun – how can you possibly go from that to slogging up it on a bicycle, particularly when you’re both well past your prime and nothing like the super fit guys you see out on bikes generally? The solution, somewhat predictably, appeared to be the electrically assisted versions, also known as pedelecs.

Luckily the final weekend before lockdown featured good weather and I managed to locate an open E-MTB hire facility in the Forest of Dean. A short drive and £80 later, we set off to do one of the Horse Endurance event routes that I helped Gloucester TRF to steward last year. In the three-hour hire period we got from one end of the Forest to the other and back on the 33km route, which avoids all the nice flat cycle ways. Caz had a sore bum, but apart from that we were totally sold on the idea and started looking for bikes the next day.

Most mountain biking is about doing technical stuff, where carbon this, titanium that and high-tech suspension is king, but what we needed was something suitable for the lanes around our homes. Even after lockdown we would never be taking on downhill courses, so the requirement was very different: big fat tyres to get through the muddy bits, some very basic suspension to cope with small trail bumps and dried hoof prints, and the biggest battery possible to drive it up every single hill without rider effort all day! One bike stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of delivering this requirement and value for money – the £1200 NCM Moscow.

The NCM was delivered just days into the main lockdown and it was an absolute godsend. With great weather and little else to do, I was out trail riding every other night.

so jogging, weights and the sort of thing the Government probably had in mind when it came up with the phrase ‘exercising close to home’ were out. Only two forms seemed to tick all the boxes and it was obvious even before day one that just doing the bedroom exercises, for however long lockdown might last, may seem like a great idea on paper, but you really do need some fresh air.

So my girlfriend Caz and I started discussing the possibility of cycling. She is of similar age

So, how does it compare to my Yamaha TTR250?

The NCM is 100% legal to ride on UCRs, BOATs, restricted byways, bridleways and cycle paths, so it lives in a much bigger world.

It’s a bit slower on the trails than my Yamaha TTR250 but not as much as you might think.

The really big difference is that I can do a 10-mile loop from my door in the suburbs of Bristol to Severn Beach and back in around 40 minutes from the time I thought of the idea, without the need of a ride buddy for safety and barely touching tarmac roads. For motorised trail riding there is nothing on the

Trail Winter 2020 71

north side of Bristol until you get out to the Fosse Way, but for the NCM the whole area is full of legal trails that link up into dozens of great rides going to almost any area you fancy, generally with very little tarmac. Due to the pedals it can’t do deep ruts and large steps/rocks, but you rarely get those on bridleways anyway, plus the battery lasts all day and will drive me up steeper smooth slopes than are found on those lanes. I’ve done pretty much all the pedelec-legal lanes around Bristol now and there are lots of really good ones – it’s opened up a whole new world of trail riding right on my doorstep.

I can average 11mph on it all day, whereas the typical average speed when trail riding on the TTR is only around 22mph, which obviously includes a far higher proportion of tarmac, but also some more technical lanes and petrol/lunch stops. This is primarily because the surface is much smoother on the lanes with no motor traffic, so the pedelec rarely dips much below 15mph when riding, plus if you do get stopped by conditions on a lane you can just push the ‘walk’ button and walk it up, whereas the TTR might be stuck for some time.

So, what of the NCM Moscow itself?

Unlike some high-end bikes you can’t easily chip the NCM or change the programming to make it assist over the legal limit of 15mph, but this is not a serious handicap and, if you did, it would not keep going all day anyway.

Even if you plan an especially long trip, maybe overnighting in a pub, the charger is reasonably sized and only weighs 1.42kg, complete with leads. The battery is locked in place with a key and can be charged in situ or removed with ease. It has seven Shimano Altus rear gears and three front, which gives three sets of seven gears very well equated to tarmac, normal lanes and more technical examples.

These also work very well with the seven levels of assistance and 55Nm hub motor over the entire range of slopes and surface quality – much better than Caz’s bike with only seven rear gears and four assistance levels.

The only place where it fails is starting on steep inclines, as you need half a pedal turn before the electric kicks in. Even in the lowest gear this is sometimes not possible on the steepest slopes. The one improvement I would make to the power train would be to make the assist kick in after 1/8 of a turn or less but it does have a 4mph ‘walk it up’ function. Once you get going it will accelerate up any slope, through the gears, to the full 15mph with little effort but a bit of care is required to avoid looping. There is no throttle but you can thumb-operate the power mode buttons on the display quite easily for even

72 Trail Winter 2020

Easy Peasy for the NCM!

Caz had a more limited budget and a lower endurance requirement, so she settled for a Decathlon Rockrider.

more impressive uphill performance. This where it kills stone dead my fit young cyclist friends on their hugely expensive featherweight bikes.

For decelerating the Moscow Plus comes with hydraulic brakes (plus an even bigger battery and an extra gear) but my basic model’s cable-operated brakes are fine and are generally capable of outperforming the tyres, or looping the bike the other way, if the grip is good enough. The Tektro calipers do not float but adjust really easily, apart from the fact that the rear adjuster is blocked by the motor hub. It takes only two small screws to dismount the caliper but NCM should sort this out as there are several easy solutions.

The big fat Schwalbes give good grip and don’t sink into the mud, offering a huge

SO DOES AN ELECTRICALLY-ASSISTED BICYCLE SOMEHOW LEAVE THE REMIT OF THE TRF WHEN IT HAS PEDALS, ISN’T TAXED AND USES RIDER ASSISTANCE?

the aftermarket lights I fitted, but will not charge my mobile, so this feature is effectively useless. It is also heavy at 9.3kg but otherwise far exceeds expectations. NCM stands for Nickel Cobalt Manganese, which is the type of Lithium battery cathode technology used and should be good for 3000-plus charges. I’ve charged it four times in five months and done over 400 miles. Generally 100 miles is regarded as a good day’s laning on a motorcycle, so you are not likely to feel let down by the battery range. Serious punishment gluttons can always go for the 16Ah 768Wh Plus version, or just turn the assist level down.

The entire bike weighs 27kg, so it’s not light

by MTB standards, but unless you’ve somehow flattened the battery and are trying to drag it up a flight of 50 steps (I was testing

advantage over cyclo-cross bikes on thin tyres, with the pedal-assist counteracting their higher rolling resistance. They also compensate well for the basic hardtail and low-spec front suspension in the ride quality department. A large area of sun-baked hoof prints can find the limit and reduce your speed but this does not happen often as most bridleways have little evidence of horse use and those that are near stables are usually well surfaced. Just as I prefer the proper seat of my TTR250/PE175 to the Freeride’s perch, I’ve ditched the standard racing type seat for a nice big fat padded one – much better! For the hands the Velo ergonomic grips are an amazing step up from plain round grips.

The 48V, 13AH, 624Wh battery features a feeble USB outlet that will eventually charge

Stand comes as, er, standard

Trail Winter 2020 73

Rear grip on the NCM is far better than on a normal MTB due to the constant torque

The Decathlon Rockrider – big battery size, but average capacity

how far it would go and got lost up a deadend valley!), then this isn’t an issue. Generally it rides just like any other MTB except that it always feels as though you’re going slightly downhill, even when you’re going up a 1-in-3.

It will go up quite steep slopes with no more effort required than to gently keep the pedals turning and is very solidly built with a definite German quality feel to it, although I have had to make a warranty claim on the bottom bracket. This was no trouble, they sent me instructions and links to the parts and tools required, and then refunded the £30 cost to my Paypal account.

So, how does it compare to the Sur-Ron Light Bee, tested in the last issue?

Any reader of Blez’s article will have picked up the massive disadvantage of that machine in comparison to both petrol dirt bikes and this one – it cannot manage a day-long legal ride and you may end up having to push it home (or get a tow). For trail riders that’s all you need to know, end of comparison!

To make e-motorcycles a serious alternative to petrol for an all-day activity like trail riding really requires a step change in battery technology, or petrol stations that do battery swaps of standard batteries, neither of which seems likely any time soon, but this just doesn’t apply to the NCM. The E-MTB isn’t doing quite the same thing, but it surprised me how acceptably similar it is to trail riding on motorcycles. I won’t be giving up the full power version, but now we’re back in lockdown I’m not quite so depressed as I might have been and I’ll certainly be doing a lot of trail riding on it, both with cycling friends and with my

74 Trail Winter 2020

girlfriend. Many of us have different bikes for different types of trail riding. Where an adventure bike lets you keep going for days at a time with luggage, an E-MTB in the garage allows you to pop out for a local ride in the evening and to legally ride new lanes for full days almost anywhere in the UK. It opens up so many lanes and routes in comparison to motorcycles that even youngsters could potentially ride new lanes for the rest of their lives. I’ll be trying to do them all but as I’m already 60 I know I have absolutely no chance! The Sur-Ron just can’t do that unless you carry or pre-position battery packs, so it may be fun, capable and fast but it’s not really a viable trail bike.

So, what questions does the explosion of e-bikes ask of the TRF? Presumably owners of Zeros, E-Freerides, Sur-Rons etc would argue that it’s fine for them to be part of our fellowship of trail riders and I’ve never seen any hint of disagreement with that idea. So does an electrically- assisted bicycle somehow leave the remit of the TRF when it has pedals, isn’t taxed and uses rider assistance? In many ways it’s a far better trail bike. My TTR doesn’t have pedals, but often still needs rider assistance! Are trail riders on E-MTBs a different breed to be kept apart, or are they actually trail riders just like us? If one wanted to join, could they? Whatever you think of those big questions, for me this is trail riding and I recommend that you all try it before knocking it. You may just conclude, as I did, that a pedelec E-MTB is an essential addition to the garage, whether in C19 lockdown or not!

DOLGOCH Fun Day With 2020 throwing a few challenges our way with Covid-19, we have not been able to be as active this year as we’d hoped.

However, with a brief respite in restrictions at the end of August, we decided to get a social ‘Fun Day’ organised that allowed us to meet and play within the rules. Secretary of South-West Wales TRF Group, Mo Rapley, reports

Socially distanced ‘Signing On’ with sanitiser and signs in place

W

e were fortunate to have the use of some private land, which included wooded areas and pastures, to set up a course for riders of all abilities. Our thanks go to Matthew Fordham for his hospitality.

A novice-friendly shorter loop, with two deviations off it with more technical tracks, was set up, approximately 3.5 miles total length. A couple of river crossings that in the morning caused little trouble became ‘more challenging’ as deep ruts developed towards the end of the day.

But before we could get the event advertised there was a bit of paperwork to do!

So we started with the Risk Assessment and approval from TRF head office. This meant

76 Trail Winter 2020

providing copies of the event structure, a list of those involved in the planning and organising of the event and first aid cover, as well as rider briefing notes for the day and, of course, our Covid-19 precautions.

With that hurdle out of the way we confirmed a date with the landowner. Matt is an experienced rider and has competed in enduros and events in the past; he is also a member of the Dyfed Dirt Bike club (DDBC), which gave us a lot of assistance both prior to the event and on the day. A big thank you to Cefin and Rhys from the DDBC who assisted in designing the loop, the club for allowing us to use some of their markers and arrows, and all three for providing assistance on the day as travelling marshals and for taking the track

Steve B and Simon making the step over the hedge a little easier

down at the end of the event.

Dan Oliver and Steve Leonard from the SWW Group provided ‘SWW Organiser’ fluorescent tops, first aid kits and Covid-19 sanitising packs for the organisers to carry.

Thank you to them both. It was another item ticked off the list for the day.

Having decided on the track, Iwan, Owain, Rob, Steve B, Simon and myself spent a further three Saturdays ‘brashing’ – both by hand and using a mini articulated tractor and flail mower. We smoothed out some of the deeper ruts that crossed the track and made the banks in and out of the river crossing less steep to enable everyone to have a chance at completing the course. As this was designed to be a ‘trail ride’ type event, with no lap

Trail Winter 2020 77

scoring or timing, the main aim was for everyone to be able to challenge themselves but for nothing to be set at enduro level.

I think from the feedback during and after the event that we achieved this.

We have been successful over our two short years in existence in catering for riders of all abilities and our entry list confirmed this again. We also have a high percentage of lady riders in our group and five of us took part.

It was a great way for those who hadn’t managed any bike time this year to get back in tune with their machines and to try out trickier sections with the support of Leaders and Sweepers. Having an ‘open pit lane’ approach after our sighting laps enabled the more experienced, younger and fitter riders to do multiple laps in between breaks. Some of us did a lap and then de-briefed before the next lap.

The weather held out for us and we had sunshine all day. This allowed us to stand and chat, and have a good social event. If we had been subjected to the usual Welsh weather, everyone would have been huddled in their vehicles between laps.

We look forward to organising another

78 Trail Winter 2020

event with a similar format as soon as there is a little more certainty with regard to the latest restrictions imposed here in Wales. We had three riders booked in for August who were affected. Two live in Bridgend and Porthcawl, which went into local lockdown a week before the event, and one was from Llanelli, which was hit by a local lockdown on the Saturday night at 6.00pm.

Rob on his Goldoni tractor

HINTS

&

TIPS

RIDING Technique In the first of a new series to include workshop jobs, bike preparation, performance upgrades, navigation aids and anything else you might find useful, Marianne Walford gives her advice on riding position

“i

’ve been meaning to write about this for a long time, since the training feature with Dylan Jones at Yamaha Off-Road Experience in fact. Reading my old friend Blez’s article in the last issue of Trail (‘Back to School’) has spurred me into action, as there are several things with which I disagree” – Marianne Walford of Trail Rides Wales While enduro and trials training certainly has lots to offer trail riders, I feel that such training needs to come with some caveats.

In no particular order, my opinions are: Enduro training is aimed at competition riders wishing to ride fast to win, and the standing position is one of ‘attack’. Trail riders can adopt a more upright position for comfort. Most of the going is not as rough as in a competition and we may be riding for six to eight hours. Therefore consideration needs to be given to modifying techniques for distance, so making it easier for your body to cope with a long day.

The most important factor is the same as for road riding: look as far ahead as possible.

Okay, if you notice a tricky bit, such as gully between two rocks where you need to place your front wheel precisely, you will glance down as you approach, but you will have seen

80 Trail Winter 2020

it well in advance.

Unlike Harry Michael’s teaching at the Desert Rose Riding Academy in East Sussex, for trail riding you really want to have the middle of your foot on the footpeg rather than standing on the balls of your feet. Why? Because standing on tip-toe makes it harder to keep your balance and is tiring. On the ground your feet are flat. When standing on the footpegs, keep your legs straight but not

In tight turns posture and weight transfer are the key to staying on board!

Safely getting through a deep puddle on Strata Florida, near Tregaron

of which are for the faint-hearted!)

Very important for trail riding is keeping your legs close to the frame or tank of the bike; it is extremely rare that a trail ride has such tight bends you need trials techniques, but if you have a gap when riding fast rough tracks, you might get head shake on the bars.

New members who join the Mid Wales Group receive a welcome pdf and if they are novices, they can ask for a sheet of hints and tips. This is what it says:

WATER We suggest sitting down through puddles or streams if they are deep enough for water to go into the air filter if you were to fall off, i.e. about three inches. If you are unlucky and the

locked, and let the bike’s suspension do the work. Interestingly, all the pictures accompanying the Desert Rose feature show bent legs!

I have found that people who bend their legs tend to pull on the bars and find it difficult to operate the throttle smoothly.

I disagree with Blez and agree with Harry about the centre of gravity – it is lower when standing because your weight goes through the footpegs and not the seat. I also agree with Ady Smith [of KTM Off-Road Schools] about losing the rear brake – the front brake is the one that will stop you, and frequently I ride the steepest downhills with front brake only. (And I do mean steep – some readers will know the one that goes from the village of Ystumtuen down to Cwm Rheidol, or Tyddyn Briddell Hill near Happy Valley, neither

Trail Winter 2020 81

HINTS RIDING TECHNIQUE

&

TIPS

Crossing like this can be daunting. Hints & Tips can take you so far, but ultimately experience will get you through...

bike is going over, hit the kill switch if you can.

If your bike is a 4-stroke, do not start the bike until you have checked that there is no water in the combustion chamber; if so, pick the bike up and push it out of the water. If you press the starter button and the piston comes up, water doesn’t compress and the con-rod will bend. Two strokes allow the water in the combustion chamber to come out through the ports, so you don’t risk as much damage.

With a 4-stroke, you may get the bike started but later on the con-rod will break and there won’t be much left of your engine! Not much fun if you have only just bought the bike.

First look for a drain plug in the air-box (not all bikes have one). If water comes out or there isn’t a drain plug, take the air filter out and see if any part of it is wet. If it is, take the spark plug out and turn the engine over. Next, if any water comes out, and it is a fuel-injected bike with no kickstart, arrange for

82 Trail Winter 2020

Charlie Harris demonstrates a good riding position

Sometimes the ruts are so deep you just have to improvise!

RUTS

collection – you won’t be able to dry it out sufficiently on the trail, as it can take up to an hour to get water out of the fuel-injection system. If it has a carburettor, drain it, and keep turning the engine over until no more water comes through. Also drain water from the exhaust, as it can get into the combustion chamber if you are really unlucky.

RIDING POSITION

UPHILLS Attack with momentum and confidence in a gear that you think will get you to the top (usually third or second). Cover the clutch with one or two fingers and if the revs are dropping, but you are nearly at the top, slip the clutch.

Trail Winter 2020 83

Most of the time, you will get less tired and make better choices if you are standing up.

Stand with feet level or heels slightly down, on the middle of the peg, with legs straight but not locked, angled slightly back so that you lean forward at the hips. Keep legs and knees close in, as that helps to stabilise the bike.

Look well ahead, and don’t follow another rider too closely, as he/she will block your view of what’s coming up.

Generally it is easier to ride in the 4x4 ruts rather than the narrow muddy one which may form in the middle of the track. Ride in the highest gear your bike will comfortably pull, look well ahead and if possible keep your hands light on the bars. If you find yourself pulling on the bars, make sure you are not crouching or bending your knees, as that has the effect of throwing your upper body back which upsets your balance. Gentle acceleration will keep the front wheel going ahead and a light touch will allow it to centralise if it hits the edge. Do not try to get out of a rut – it never works unless you are some sort of trials or enduro God! Really deep or very slippery ruts may need to be ridden sitting down with feet out frontwards or paddling.

HINTS RIDING TECHNIQUE

&

TIPS

back round. Never pull the clutch in going downhill – you will go faster, and you have less (no) control.

DOING THE GATES If your bike has an electric start, it does no harm to a modern bike to use the kill switch to stop the engine. If the ground is uneven or downhill, it is best to stop the engine leaving the bike in gear, as it is less likely to roll off the stand and fall over. If the group includes some riders with kickstart-only bikes, it is considerate to allow them to do the flat or downhill trails so they can leave their bikes in neutral or bump start them to save the left leg (or right if you have an old Maico!).

YOUR BIKE Unlike a road bike that you tend to ride very much as it came from the manufacturer, trail and enduro bikes are often modified to suit their owner’s height and weight.

Trail bikes often come with handlebars too low for an average or tall person, and usually are not of strong metal. If you swap the bars for ones a little higher, such as Renthal 809, the cables should be okay, but if using bar risers you may find you need to obtain longer throttle and clutch cables.

At the top of a steep hill at Bwlch Coediog, near Mallwyd. It doesn’t look that bad from this angle, but anyone who has been there will know...

DOWNHILLS Look well ahead. If the hill is very steep and the surface is loose or slippery, you may not be able to brake much. Start from a standstill or walking pace. Use two fingers on the front brake and a light touch on the rear. As you become more experienced, you will develop a feel for the grip the front is giving you, and will learn to brake as much as is possible, releasing pressure just before losing grip. It is the front brake that will stop you, although extra pressure on the rear can be useful if there is a hairpin bend, as you can slide the

84 Trail Winter 2020

Front brake technique is fine, but pulling the clutch in at this point is asking for trouble!

Not all enduro bikes have fans on their radiators (particularly older bikes, such as the DRZ400), so bear in mind if you are riding in very slow conditions, or when waiting at gates, that it may overheat.

Many enduro bike stands are designed only to support the weight of the bike, not the weight of the rider as well. It is less likely to break if you get on and off with the stand up.

If your bike needs lowering, it is worth having it done professionally in order to keep the good handling that you bought the bike for in the first place. Lowering one end without the other can make a bike ride very strangely.

Most trail riders in Mid Wales use enduro tyres, but some favour trials or dualsport. If you are confused, Welsh wholesaler Cambrian Tyres would be happy to help. You can email former trail rider dave@cambriantyres.co.uk or phone 01970 624004.

SECOND OPINION

“A

nyone who thinks that lifting your body mass further off the ground will lower your centre of gravity just doesn’t understand what C of G actually is! But then it’s a physics concept rather than a bike one” – Mark Crowson, who attended the Desert Rose Riding Academy featured in the Autumn issue of Trail and who knows about these things.

“It doesn’t matter where the rider and bike are connected, or how, the centre of gravity simply considers the combined mass of the bike and rider and identifies an equivalent single point through which that mass would act if it had no volume, to exhibit the same characteristics in terms of forces applied as the combined mass of the original bike and rider.

To illustrate. If you take a 2m x 2m rectangle of uniform material standing vertically on its base on a flat horizontal surface, the centre of gravity would be at its ‘geometric’ centre point, 1m off the ground, whereas a 4m x 1m rectangle standing vertically on a 1m side has its centre of gravity 2m off the ground. Same

Illustrated is an official KTM lowering kit which can be a bit pricey! There are many companies out there offering link kits which are more affordable but still pretty effective

mass, same area, but by making it into a taller shape the centre of gravity is raised.

This is directly equivalent to standing up on the footpegs. The degree to which the centre of gravity is raised would depend on how much the rider’s body has been raised and the relative mass of the rider in relation to that of the bike, but it’ll always be raised rather than lowered.

However, I absolutely agree with Marianne that the bike becomes more controllable when you’re on the pegs.

I think that this is because you’ve decoupled’ the weight of the rider from the bike and allowed the two to move independently. The two no longer act as a single object, so you’re able to move your weight around in relation to the bike and use it to influence the loading on the bike, whether in a front/rear direction or side-to-side. This allows you to control the ‘attitude’ of the bike, i.e. to keep it upright for optimal grip in the mud by hanging off it, or push it over onto its side in a tight turn.

On the other hand, whilst you’re planted on the seat the bike and rider tend to move together and lean together as a single unit.” Ed

Trail Winter 2020 85

ADVERTORIAL LED indicator handguards and tough folding mirrors are included in David’s range...

...along with tail tidy and indestructible TUFF Lite rear indicators

TRAIL RIDERS Warehouse TRF member David Strachan has just established the online company Trail Riders Warehouse

S

o here’s how the story started...

I’ll set the scene. It’s February 2020, my wife is heavily pregnant, hormonal and due to give birth imminently. What better time to say, “I know your going to be off work for a while, and won’t earn as much, so I’m going to splash some cash on a new bike”.

Man’s logic says that she’s going to be annoyed no matter what, so might as well rip the Band Aid off and deal with the consequences. At the time there were some cracking deals about on new or nearly new

86 Trail Winter 2020

bikes. I was torn between a KTM 690/Husky 701, which offer great road capabilities but are heavy for trail riding, and a more focused bike such as a KTM EXC-F 250/350.

I had always had more road-focused bikes and the fact the EXC-Fs didn’t have keyed switches was a worry. After hours spent deliberating and a few KTM Motocross Experience days courtesy of Ady Smith’s KTM school, I found myself stumping up the cash for a EXC-F 350.

After paying for my bike I transferred my bike insurance policy, bizarrely saving £50 a year compared to the bill for my previous Suzuki DR. Then the next day I get an email from my insurance company asking for proof that the KTM meets their road-registered motorcycle minimum requirements and has lights, indicators and importantly a keyed ignition. This is where the Trail Riders’ Warehouse journey starts.

My immediate thoughts were, “Should have bought the 690! Wouldn’t have had to deal with all this hassle”. I started to ring round insurance companies to see if this was common, and found out that actually it’s written into the small print on pretty much all of the main insurance companies. Now I have two options: 1) admit to wife and new born that I’d made an expensive mistake, or 2) look for a fix.

As my wife Hannah says, you’re always looking for something to fix! So that seemed like a better way to spend my time.

Luckily my EXC-F came with factory wiring loom and bulky indicators in a box from the

dealer, so that would solve something, but the key kit was my biggest hurdle. I called dealers, and yet more dealers, and they all had the same response: “We normally just put in a hidden kill switch”. That’s great but wouldn’t solve my issue with the insurance company, so the internet search continued. All those early morning bottle feeds had to produce an answer – and then I found it.

SICASS Racing in America makes plug-andplay, keyed kill switches and isolators. Knowing that this was exactly what I needed I added it to my cart, as well as some cracking new LED indicator hand guards, a new tail tidy and indestructible TUFF Lite rear indicators. All the products would simply plug straight into my existing wiring loom, using the existing factory plugs. It seemed too simple. Why wasn’t anyone offering these parts here in the UK? My items arrived within two weeks – regrettably I’d forgotten to take into account customs and import charges and had to settle these before taking delivery. The parts were exactly what I needed and was impressed with the quality. I thought that was it. Problem solved!

Now March hits, my paternity leave is up and on my first day back ... Covid-19 UK lockdown.

I’m now stuck working from home until further notice. Just like thousands of others. Furlough follows.

During this time I start riding with my Riding Buddies and talking about my new great buys and that’s when it hit me – there’s actually a need for someone to sell these products in the UK, handle the customs and import duties, and offer a quick delivery domestically.

As my old man would say, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. Having run his own businesses for many years, I approached him with my idea.

Getting his seal of approval gave me the confidence to write a business plan and take action!

I contacted Mike Stapula from SICASS Racing with a proposal: to start a new UK business as their sole UK distributor. Whilst waiting for his response I ordered a dozen key kits to test the UK market.

After taking delivery of the new kits, they had sold within two days of advertising on my local Facebook groups. That was it, I was sold on the idea that my wife and I could use my furlough and her maternity time to set this up properly.

Most importantly, my sister Liz is a graphic designer and had created websites in the past.

The wheels were in motion, I was just waiting for the green light from Mike at SICASS Racing.

Then, one Monday afternoon a week or so later, we got it!

We secured email and website domains, Hannah and Liz designed our logos and website, and I set about building our brand and our required stock portfolio. We decided to stick with what was selling locally, so we stocked our website with key kits for the common enduro

Trail Winter 2020 87

Plug -and-play, keyed kill switches and isolators to comply with the insurance company’s requirements bikes, as well as folding mirrors, hand guards and LED indicator kits.

Fast forward to today and we have had great success and support from our local groups. We now sponsor the Herts TRF monthly prize draw and offer a fitting service to our local members by appointment. We’ll also video chat with customers to assist with fitting of our products.

We’re currently testing our next product releases, which we hope will be on our website in the new year.

From 1 January 2021 we will be offering TRF members a discount of 10% with the code TRF10. At present we offer 5% to TRF members with the code TRF05.

TURF War Wiltshire TRF Vice Chair Steve Coward recounts the tactics involved in leading an incursion across two counties into North Devon

A

fter ‘borrowing’ the idea from the Loddon Vale Group of spending a weekend riding around the stunning lanes of North Devon four years ago, this year’s Wiltshire TRF visit to South Molton looked in danger of being cancelled due to the ongoing Covid situation. However, with a lot of planning, support from members of WTRF as well as good social distancing practices at the venue, we were able to go ahead with a very successful event.

This year we were based at The Riverside Caravan and Camping Park, South Molton.

Having contacted them over nine months previously – and making sure we didn’t coincide with camper van rallies etc – all seemed well until Covid came along. As the time drew nearer to making a final decision as to whether or not it was safe to go ahead with the weekend, lots of emails flew between myself and the really helpful staff at the campsite. Their Covid-safe guidelines were studied, discussed within WTRF Committee meetings and eventually, with the support of my Committee colleagues, we decided to go ahead and advertise the event.

In the past we’ve had just over 30 members at this event weekend, but this year just over 40 members took part, in one form or another. I organise this as a “free” weekend, for which members book their own accommodation. I then “persuade” them to get into riding

88 Trail Winter 2020

groups of no more than six, provide them with our tried and trusted GPX routes of the area, and off we go. If only it was that simple!

This year the number showing early interest took me by surprise. Perhaps as one of the fastest growing Groups in the country there was a clutch of new members who had not taken part in the event before. But more than likely it was the pent up desire to get out and ride due to Covid restrictions that led to a surge in numbers. Either way, it was essential that WTRF was able to manage the event in a safe but enjoyable way.

Early on I contacted the Devon Group to

The coastline still looked amazing, regardless of the weather conditions

groups ’bubbles’ for the weekend came to the surface – a great idea, which eventually led to the success of the event.

With the vast majority of the members using the campsite as a base for the weekend, staying in static caravans, camper vans, caravans or tents plus the twin and double rooms the campsite offers, it was great to see them sticking to their riding groups, both around the site and in the bar/dining area as well as out on the trail. Have you noticed how we’ve all developed this technique of slipping sideways around other folk so we can keep our social distance?

inform them that we would be visiting their patch. “Just keep the groups to no more than six” was the reply. Then a Risk Assessment form was sent off to the TRF Directors and a positive response came back from them. So what else needed to be done?

It might sound easy getting members into groups of six, but the phrase “herding cats” comes to mind. Okay, there were several groups that organised themselves without any trouble. But behind the scenes it was suggested that members should contact each other to build up a riding group and at the same time the idea of making these riding

Trail Winter 2020 89

TURF WAR

Everyone had their own methods for keeping dry!

As for the riding, we had two great days, Saturday being the wetter of the two, following a week of heavy rain. This meant several of the streams en route had a good flow of water in them. Spending almost half an hour getting through one of the first trails up a depressed, narrow, stony stream bed where the level of the tree roots started up around our helmets, wading through the tumbling water was a real wake-up call to the majority of us who hadn’t been out on a bike for many months! With our route including several of the challenging Devonian stone-slabs-type climbs, we were glad to come across Jim and Phil on their electric mountain bikes. Phil just cruised up them – I could NOT believe how easy he made it look – whilst Jim was ready at the one place where the three of us came to grief. With a helping hand and really useful vocal directions he helped us out of a challenging spot. However, even with slipping clutches, the odd tumble and me making a

90 Trail Winter 2020

By making the riding groups ‘bubbles’ for the weekend everybody had fun wilst remaining safe

couple of simple errors with directions, we managed to make our way over Exmoor to Lynmouth where we had a hearty lunch stop.

Saturday evening was spent reliving tales of the trails in the campsite clubhouse, each riding ‘bubble’ well separated on its own table, with table service for food and liquid refreshment going down well after a tiring first day. Thanks go out to those members who drove down early on Saturday morning from Wiltshire, rode the day and then drove all the way back – an epic feat showing their commitment to joining the event.

Sunday saw a brighter start to the day as we headed out towards Ilfracombe. Longer flowing trails were the name of the game.

Unlike the previous day, we were able to keep up a rhythm which saw us reach the coast by late morning. Highlights of the ride? The rather long, deep-looking flooded sections of the trails, wind farms high up on the hillsides, riding across the cliff tops from Rockham

Beach to Lee Beach, the long single ruts between the Devonian hedges, plus that awful last muddy green lane that eventually broke us – oops, I mean the time was getting on, so it was back to base by road to make a sensible start to the journey home.

Looking back several weeks after the event, with another National Lockdown upon us, it seems amazing that we were able to get away and enjoy what we love doing most – putting on our riding gear and getting out and safely experiencing the joy of the green lanes in a different part of the country – away from the ruts, chalk and clay of the Wiltshire green lanes we are so used to riding.

Thanks go out to The Riverside Caravan and Camping Park, South Molton, for making this a safe place to stay, to those members of the WTRF who rode, smiled, laughed and enjoyed the weekend, plus the WTRF Committee and National TRF for their help in organising the weekend.

Trail Winter 2020 91

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92 Trail Winter 2020

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Trail Winter 2020 93

Flash BACK Bernie Schreiber still looks frighteningly fit

Together Sammy Miller (left) and Toni Bou span 50 years of World Championships and organiser Montesa’s Pedro Pi

B

ack in November 2018 a unique occasion took place in Barcelona, home of Bultaco, Montesa and Ossa, called Trial Legends. It was organised

by Oriol Bulto and the Guest of Honour was Sammy Miller, the Bultaco rider who spearheaded the ‘Spanish Armada’ of two-stroke machines which dominated trials championships for a couple of decades.

The idea was to reunite and honour riders who competed at national and World Championship level from 1964 to 1986.

Among the illustrious invitees was Trail team member Charlie Harris, who rode for Montesa for 14 years. Apart from Sammy Miller, the guest list included the likes of Charles Coutard, Yrjo Vesterinen, Martin Lampkin and Bernie Schreiber. More contemporary riders included Jordi Tarrés and Toni Bou, who has been Indoor and Outdoor World Trials Champion for Montesa from 2007 to the present day.

I was privileged to be at the event as a member of the Press and can honestly say that I have never seen so many heterosexual men hugging and kissing each other from joy at their reunion. It was a truly emotional and enjoyable occasion.

Rick Kemp

Mr and Mrs Martin Lampkin

94 Trail Winter 2020

The legend that is Yrjo Vesterinen

Charlie Harris with an original model Montesa

A pair of Charlies, Coutard and Harris

FOR UP TO DATE DETAILS PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE

Friends OF THE TRF

The following businesses are offering discounts to TRF members 58% Discount Suzuki GB bikes.suzuki.co.uk/owners/acu-licence-holders/ On parts for ACU licence holders 38% Discount John Banks Renault on Traffic Vans 25% Discount EBC Brakes Direct www.ebcbrakesdirect.com Brake and clutch components 20% Discount Custom Lids www.customlids.co.uk Discounts available on all motorcycle clothing Flexiplates visit: www.flexiplates.co.uk Quote code TRF15 Herbert & Ellison Discount on seat refurbishment www.herbertellisonupholstery.co.uk/ 15% Discount Cotswold Outdoor www.cotswoldoutdoor.com Cycle Surgery www.cyclesurgery.com Gear 4 Motorcycles www.gear4motorcycles.co.uk WM Moto (Carlisle) www.wmmoto.co.uk Available on parts and selected clothing Adventure Spec Motoz low-impact trail tyres www.adventure-spec.com J&S Oxford www.jsaccessories.co.uk Bikestop www.bikestop Off-road clothing discount MotoKing www.motoking.co.uk

Viewranger www.viewranger.com Discount on digital maps code: TRF2017 10% Discount Fantic CCM Gas Gas EC Spares www.hainesmc.co.uk Quote code TRF2020 with membership number on an e-mail after placing your order online Rally Raid Products www.rally-raidproducts.co.uk Discount available on all custom Rally parts Midwest Racing www.midwestracing.co.uk Available on parts, accessories and clothing Premier Bikes www.premierbikes.com KTM franchise with discount applying to parts and clothing Endurotek www.endurotek.co.uk Parts and accessories Manchester Xtreme www.manchesterxtreme.com Please quote your TRF membership number PC Advanced Motorcycle Training http://www.cbtanddas.co.uk Bolt Bikes www.boltbikes.co.uk Gerbing www.gerbing.eu Discount code is TRF10 EDZ www.edzdirect.com Base-layer clothing Discount code is TRFC_10 Bike Revival www.bike-revival.co.uk Shock Absorber specialist J&S Oxford www.jsaccessories.co.uk MX Zone www.mxzone.co.uk IAM www.iamroadsmart.com

Trail Riders Warehouse www.trailriderswarehouse.co.uk 10%off using code TRF10 Rewire Security Tracking, cameras, CCTV, alarms www.rewiresecurity.co.uk Dirtbikebitz Bike parts, riding gear and helmets www.dirtbikebitz.com Opie Oils & Service Parts https://www.opieoils.co.uk// Nomad ADV Lightweight travel & rally gear www.nomad-adv.com Fowlers of Bristol http://www.fowlers.co.uk Smith & Allen Lubricants https://www.smithandallan.com Transylvania Trails http://www.transylvaniatrails.com Bikefix Discount on servicing and repairs www.facebook.com/Bikefixyeovil Dirtbike Express https://www.dirtbikexpress.co.uk Fraser’s of Gloucester 5% on spare parts www.frasersmotorcycles.co.uk Various Discounts TrackIt247 www.trackit247.com Up to £18 off trackers and 20% off live tracking fees Centre Trail, France www.centre-trail.com 15 Euro cash back on booking Enduro Tyres www.endurotyres.com Special rates Trail Rides Wales www.trailrides-wales.com Free guides for members on selected days Bike Seal bikeseal.co.uk Catalan Adventure 10% off accommodation and 50% off bike hire

Check the website for up-to-date information on discounts offered at www.trail.trf.org.uk/members/benefits/

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