(almost) silent trials bike

[Jimmy]

I ride 450 4stroke at the moment but I am considering buying a trials bike. Can't get out to ride as much i would like and i have some land, but it's in suburbia...already got a few letters from the council to stop riding in the back yard...but if i had a silent, or almost silent trials bike i could have a bit of fun the yard.

Would be great if i could make it silent for the backyard which i assume would lower the power and then change it back to normal for bush work.

will consider buying my son the oset one so we can build a course and learn together.

what's a good enthusiast level 250cc+ bike that could be made to be almost silent? or is there affordable leccy bike available?

[David Lahey]

Some of the modern 4 strokes are incredibly quiet. I'm most familiar with the 250 and 125 Scorpa 4 strokes. They are about as noisy as an electric sewing machine but not quite as quiet as an OSET.
If you like older bikes there are also some amazingly quiet 2 and 4 stroke trials bikes made from 1976 onwards. They are that quiet because that was when design rules for vehicle noise were introduced, and the road registerable trials bikes had to be that quiet to get ADR approval. The quietest 1970s trials bikes I know of are the Bultaco Sherpa T 250 and 325 from 1976 onwards and the Yamaha TY175JC. From the early 1980s, the SWM and Italjet are also amazingly quiet. Many of the old 4 strokes from back then have had new, lightweight exhausts fitted and have lost their originally quiet status.
For training at home my favourite neighbour-friendly bike is a TY175 with standard main exhaust, TY175JC end muffler and TY175JC intake muffler. It is blissfully quiet but still performs very well.
The OSET is a revelation for quietness - so much so that I find myself having to pay great attention to the drive chain so I can't hear it rattling.
No-one is selling a full size electric trials bike yet but there have been quite a few prototypes and home builts.
I suggest having a listen to the bikes at a trial. You will soon see (hear) which ones are suitable for riding at home.

[Twinshock200]

Good subject Jimmy
David.
Not sure if you were aware but I am over in UK looking after family business for a while and have been entering Pre 70 events on a Cub that I've bought over here. Some of the quietest bikes at these trials, where there has been up to 85 starters, have been the old heavyweight Matchless's, AJS's and even a guy that some may remember, Arthur Browning on a 500 Jawa and the TLR's are a credit to the exhaust designer and the modern Scorpa four stroke is the obvious choice for a quiet new bike
I agree with your comments that some of the Cub's and similar have lost their originality in the quest for lightness, me included, but in all honesty I love the sound of an old lightweight four stroke on full song in 2nd or 3rd gear, and there's enough mud over here to test the neighbours ear drums.
Interest in the older bikes over here is incredible with some guys insisting on originallity and others simply wanting to get a ride every weekend on something that qualifies which is reliable and they don't care what it looks or sounds like.
David, If you get a moment or two drop me an email to; [email protected], I have a subject of mutual interest to discuss with you.

Apologies for deviating from the original post but the Scorpa comment was relevant
Cheers
Roger Galpin

[brownie]

TLR200/250's with the standard exhausts would have to be one of the Quietest bikes around
I bought a TLR200 after watching one of Davids Brooweena DVD's with the Missus, she encouraged me to buy one as the one being ridden could hardly be heard at all except for brake squeal, so not needing much encouragment to get another bike I bought one the only problem was it didn't have much else going for it in my opinion, lots of others seem to love them.

Roger I'd be interested to know if there is any Spanish bikes over there in the pre 70 class that your riding in.

[Stu]

most trials bike mufflers, if correctly cleaned and repacked are quieter than any mower!
Even my TY250a is on the loud side of quiet and I ride around the front yard without and complaints from the neighbours.

[Twinshock200]

Hi Brownie
I've seen a few radial finned and later Bultaco's but very little else, the M10 went on sale over here in 1965 but there's not many still being used, Cubs and C15's are more popular because of the amount that come on the market and there are an enormous range of products available to spec them up compared to whats available for a Bully
Cheers