[darmst6829]

One day I'll do a trial with that much grip!

It looks like fun! No long-distance trials around here...

[stinkwheel]

It looks like fun! No long-distance trials around here...

Sometimes type 2 fun with a bike as heavy as a bullet though. On the trial in the picture, they made one section a "walk through" for the pre 65 Brit class. There were three Enfields at the back struggling to walk the bikes through in first (stood next to them!) while Ossas and Montessas were riding by feet-up. I sweated some that day, despite the temperature hovering around freezing.

[AzCal Retred]

What I've noticed from videos of old school 1950's era heavy iron trials was that the courses back then were a lot like what we were casual trail riding with our 2-stroke dirt bikes in the 1980's. The few actual trials I attempted in the early 80's with my trusty 1974(ish) 350 Sherpa-T were even then getting into "lift & carry" territory for old school 2-strokes like the MAR, Cota & Sherpa. The young tigers on 150 pound Italian specialty equipment were bouncing blithely from rock to rock, and then there were the rest of us footing along & scraping cases. I'm thinking that maybe a fun trail ride is a good place to keep your Bullet off roading focused on. Most of us are pretty old & brittle by now, bench pressing near 400 pounds mostly enriches the Chiropractic community...

[Paul W]

I’d definitely agree that a Bullet is, especially by modern standards, a heavy lump for off roading. I soon realised that when I was waiting to have my 350 scrutineered for the Edinburgh Trial in 2019. I got talking to another, younger competitor on a modern trail bike. He asked me what my bike weighed. He told me his was 80kg lighter and said there was no way he would want to try off roading mine because it would be like carrying a passenger! I looked it up, he’s right - he had a Montesa 4Ride. The declared weight is 82kg. My 350 weighs almost exactly twice that!

[darmst6829]

You just gotta throw yourself into the "void"! F-ck it like.

[AzCal Retred]

I've been to the orthopedics ward, no desire to go back. The spinal injuries center looked even a whole lot less fun than that. Real life does not have a reset button. There's fun and then there's f-'in stupid.

[darmst6829]

I've been to the orthopedics ward, no desire to go back. The spinal injuries center looked even a whole lot less fun than that. Real life does not have a reset button. There's fun and then there's f-'in stupid.

well of course. I was just expressing a certain bravado and matchoism as a representative of my current f-ck up condition. A joke.

[Mr_84]

Ride to survive always come to mind , survive and ride again next week.

Everything is relative, if your riding a 150kg bike of say 60s tech and think your going to compete against a bike of 2023 tech weighing 100kg and the rider is 20 maybe 30 years younger it’s going to be a tough ask , but if you enjoy the ride in your class against similar bikes it can very satisfying and in some cases more fun than the new bikes , friendships are made and friendly competition is healthy, somehow with all the new flash Harry bikes ,everyone finds themselves looking at , talking about and watching the good ol boys and there vintage bikes taking on amazing challenges

[Paul W]

You just gotta throw yourself into the "void"! F-ck it like.

I get the joke. But at my age, past the half way mark of my seventh decade, the void acts like a magnet. I try to keep a little further away from the edge. 

[darmst6829]

 

[stinkwheel]

The way I see it, if I was riding a really good bike, I wouldn't have anything to blame for poor performance other than the rider.

[AzCal Retred]

A "Really Good Bike" for current trials use might be the 160 pound "GasGas 280":
https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2022/07/13/2023-gasgas-txt-trial-lineup-first-look-11-fast-facts-61-photos/

For trail use the Honda CRF300L at 300 pounds might be considered a "Really Good Bike", or for over $$$ double the money $$$ the 350cc Husqvarnas & KTMs will drop another 60 pounds (240!) & add HP.

But if you are out & about and need to explore a dry Forest Service road by yourself on your Bullet, it'll do it well enough at plonking speeds. That ginormous flywheel, long stroke and passenger pegs can be used to advantage to a remarkable degree. But when riding with others, unless everyone has a Bullet, that'll make the advances in hardware over the last 60 years really stand out. 100 pounds (or way more) less weight, proper off road suspension and geometry, very wide range gearing, all of that really shows the age of the Bullet. When it was all there was in 1935, it was the best there was.

If everyone rides the same machine, results largely depend on rider skill. When the hardware is mixed purpose, generally the best suited hardware for the task at hand will become obvious. On any kind of performance-related venue, only the best suited hardware will be found first at the finish line. The rider skill level obviously makes a huge difference, but there is a limit to how much hardware deficit a given rider can overcome.

The Bullet reminds me of the Hodaka Ace 100B, a great general purpose platform that was successfully adapted into many venues. Eventually the sports grew, became more specialized, and the specialized equipment forced out the generalized equipment. The Bullet and Ace 100B are still fun to ride, but there is better equipment out there for specific applications. But both of these dinosaurs will still bring a smile to your face.

[darmst6829]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Uu1cBbLxdeYqJWMf8

[Karl Childers]

Nice mod! I'll have to take a look at mine to see how close to the float bowl my pipe comes.

[AzCal Retred]

Is that aluminum tubing? Maybe stainless? Was there a float-bowl boiling issue from the pipe proximity?