The Venerable TY

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David Lahey
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The Venerable TY

Postby David Lahey » Mon Nov 24, 2008 11:13 pm

Thankyou Greg for that terrific story about twinshock TYs. It reminded me of something that happened a few years ago. I get phone calls now and then from people looking for old trials bikes usually for their kids to have a go at trials so when someone phoned one night asking about finding a TY175 and was told that someone from the Rocky Trials Club had given them the number, I assumed it was yet another potential new member. Luckily I hadn't told him of any bikes for sale by the time I heard that he wanted the TY175 because they were really good for herding cattle!!! I stopped dead there and asked what was so good about a TY175 for herding cattle compared with an AG bike? He said they have a low seat, low gearing, are very light and run forever with next to no maintenance. I couldn't disagree and I also couldn't bring myself to giving him any leads for finding one either, thinking of yet another trials bike being consigned to oblivion riding slowly back and forth in the dust on a cattle station somewhere West of Rockhampton.
Another final resting place I just thought of for a TY175 is one of Shane Grant's bikes that had the misfortune to catch fire out on a ride on his property in the mountains behind the Sunshine Coast. The rusty remains are still out there.


relax, nothing is under control

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Re: The Venerable TY

Postby Trango » Tue Nov 25, 2008 7:08 am

David Lahey wrote:I heard that he wanted the TY175 because they were really good for herding cattle!!!
You would be surprised how good these farmers are at riding them. Farmers tend to put their cattle in the paddocks that are too rough to prepare for cultivation use. They chase the cattle over rocks, logs, up steep hillsides and usually the grass is chest high. Sadly though at lot of old TY's are being put into retirement in the back of the shed. 4wd quad bikes are becoming a lot more common on farms these days.



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gmcdesign
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Re: The Venerable TY

Postby gmcdesign » Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:28 pm

Thanks Guys,

I have had a soft spot for the TY for many years. I am a relative newcomer to the sport of trials having spent most of my early years on MX or Enduro bikes. Growing up on 300 acres of real mountain goat country you would've thought I might have twigged to the advantages of the trials bike on our farm (Dad had a TL Honda), but no, for me it was blasting up hills with plenty of speed, but no finesse. At sometime years ago a mate left me a TY250, when he went to the mines and it was some revelation indeed and for six months I had a ball.
Over the interim years I have at times seen the TY as it improved and always thought: I'd love to have one of those. But with new kids, new careers, etc. it always seemed to be a dream. Back in 2005, I decided the time was right to get a trials bike and to treat myself to a new one. Guess what? No TY Yamahas. Anyway, to cut this longer story short, since 2005 I have been riding trials, joined a club, competed locally and interstate and low and behold I ride a Scorpa!

Greg


Life is a trial.

David Lahey
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Re: The Venerable TY

Postby David Lahey » Tue Nov 25, 2008 7:32 pm

Two more cattle farmer stories

I just remembered that one of the cattle farmers who lets us practice trials on their property has used Beta trials bikes to check his fencelines since the mid 1990s and before that it was a Bultaco Sherpa T. The fenceline "tracks" cover some quite tortuous terrain and are perfect for trials practice. Visualising someone trying to get an AG bike or a quad bike around there is quite a feat for the imagination.

Another cattle farmer whose property near Miriam Vale we were planning to use for a 2-day Enduro showed us all the places he thought we would want to use and the access routes, but didn't say anything about a mountainous section in the centre of the property that seemed to be heavily overgrown, compared with the grazed parts he suggested we used. We started to plan the course and couldn't help but wonder about this ungrazed section. Eventually curiosity overcame us and we asked about it. "Oh that bit is too hilly and rough for us to get the cattle back out so we never let them in. You guys probably wouldn't like it, its very up-and-down and there are lots of fallen trees and rocks" Well of course that part of the course ended up as the most fun single-track section any of us (and the competitors) had ridden for ages in an enduro.


relax, nothing is under control


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