Are there a lot of vintage club level riders in Aus?

[Takhli44]

After reading in this forum it seems like there are a lot of club level vintage riders in Aus. Here in the USA at our Wyoming club trial, a lot of vintage riders would be 5. More likely 1 to 3 riders compete in "vintage A" line which is one class above novice that is set up for modern bikes. We have a vintage B (novice line) which seldom sees a rider but is there for someone without experience or a really nice machine that they want to avoid scratching.

What are your thoughts?

[Twinshock200]

No there aren't a lot of Classic (Pre 65) riders in Aus, if you notice the posts that have been appearing its the same old "vocal minority" who pursue personal agenda's in the forums to get their point across.
If at any stage you were to count the active Pre 65 riders in all events during the winter season I doubt if you would get 20 names. There are others who occasionally dust their bikes off and if these were added in I guess you would get about 50 riders.
Our events are governed/controlled by Motorcycling Australia and controlled by their State organisation ie. Motorcycling Queensland, Motorcycling NSW etc etc . and we can travel vast distances to compete in exclusive Pre 65 or Twinshock events and there aren't too many of them, most of our rides are as separate classes in mixed modern / Pre 65 /Twinshock events.
Cheers

[TaffyEvans]

Hi, did you mean vintage riders, or vintage bikes?
Taff

[Takhli44]

Thanks for the replys, sounds much the same as here. The club trials "let" us ride with the moderns. Our local national (once a year) vintage is in conjunction with a modern event with the lower 3 classes aimed more toward vintage. Other nationals are all over the country. Google "itsa vintage trials" for info on that.

I have not had a modern for many years and ride my old beat up RL 250 at every trials that I can get to sometimes again moderns where they don't have a vintage class. Lots of fun in both classes.
A couple of us do this and as you say, others dust off their old rides and come out ocasionally.
Being a vintage rider on a slightly vintage bike I guess I'm asking about both. HA!

[petenz]

Over the ditch here in NZ,
Vintage / twin shock & air cooled mono's events are run
monthly in ChCh & though out NZ .. (No moden bikes need apply)
Over Xmas there is a Pre 65/twin shock trial & VMX weekend run
at the top of the south Island by the Old Thumpers group...
I'm doing up a 77 Cota 348 to get back into trials... not had a trials
bike since a KT in the late 70s...

Links....
http://www.custgp.com/trials.html
http://www.pohara.com/oldthumpers/

[pop]

how can anyone compete with NZ? Its like comparing sunday school to spam.

[Takhli44]

Hi Petenz,
Never considered trials in NZ. From the photos in your links it looks like a great place to ride. I have rode only one vintage only trial. It was the Pastmasters in Fredonia , Kansas, USA in 2000. Mick Andrews rode that one as well. We had about 63 sections (top riders had our 63 plus another 12) 2 loops on day 1 and 1 loop backwards day 2. Was a blast. No ribbons or splits, just a couple of flags to mark entrance and exit. Might have been ribbons on a couple now that I think about it but no splits.
I enjoy riding with the modern folks as well, great bunch of people in both groups. If not for the moderns, we would have no club trials. Not enough riders in vintage to support a club.
Welcome back to trials.
http://www.wmta.us/index.html This is our local club. There are a lot of photos there if you look around a bit.
http://www.wmta.us/photos.html Photos here.