Basket Cases

[NonstopRoss]

TL 250 seat update. Having ditched my aluminum seat, I've bought a new RS250 seat from Shedworks in the UK. Its been newly widened and arrived back last week. Having not worked with fibreglass myself, I had someone else (They make carbon-fibre canoes for Olympic rowers) add a 25mm plug down the middle works. Constant width from head to tail. Good old Honda must have just wound out the jig in the factory by an inch when they came to building the TL.


The excellent news is that the seat is significantly narrower at the tank as the orginal side covers flared outward to cover the frame tubes and the airbox. The RS250 has the carb protruding on the right hand side of the bike, where as the TL250 has a very cube-like airbox sticking out on the left. So the flare in the new seat base is on the wrong side!

[David Lahey]

Green Japanese bike riders

For those people wanting new mounting grommets for their KT250 sidecovers, Fred Carter (supplier of reproduction KT250 parts) has advised that they are the same as what is used on many other Kawasakis and are available from Kawasaki dealers.
Part number is: 92071-056

[Greg Harding]

Hi Everyone,

With the Brains Trust on this website, why do we still have world problems?

Ray, good to hear you will be back on your bike soon, look forward to catching up.

Ross, TL is looking good, did you keep a mould for the seat as mine are a little second hand?

David, off to Kawasaki dealer this morning, thankyou.

Just sharing what I have been up to lately:

Earlier in the year, my RL250 loan bike {See page 3 for photo and story} entered it's first trial at Camcota. At just half an hour away, it is the closest trial to home and I am very pleased to say there were 25 local riders!

A little while later, my TL250 loan bike {see page 5} entered it's first trial at Kyogle's Toonumbar Dam. About 3 hours away and a few local riders travelled up for a great day!

Last sunday, my TY250A {See page 4} entered it's first trial at Lynches Creek Wiangeree. About the same travelling time and more local riders turned up for a great day!

With these 3 bikes all doing their first trial since I have owned them, it was very enloyable riding parade laps on rattly, rusty, smokey dunger nuggets! Quite a few people have commented about them being: Pieces of Specialised History In Trials! One thing they were all good at is they seem very happy riding amongst the Cow Pads.

Come on old Girl, It's another hairpin!

Now for the bit that I don't understand, why is there not more people riding trials?:

All of these trials were held by Soutern Queensland Trials Association or SQTA for short, below is a link:
http://sqta.com.au/
Unashamedly, we are supporters, yet not members of this relatively new club. From the outside looking in, SQTA have their priorities in order with Observers first and everyone else being looked after very well! We have competed at several SQTA events mainly in NSW and the 2 day at Benoble last year, every one of them a success. Amazing what a group of like minded people can acheive when they set their mind to it, logistically very impressive, family oriented and focussed on having a good time!

So if you want to have a go at trials or have not ridden for a while, it is very simple as no licence is required:

Beg, borrow or buy a bike, contact Ian and the crew at SQTA to get directions, ask JB to check your bike and have some fun!

There is 8, yes EIGHT riding levels from Intro to expert, with splits between grades so one of them has your name on it no matter which bike you ride.

Look forward to the Jeff Gough memorial trial and hopefully some more old bikes!

[tat ty]

LOAN BIKES.

Hey Greg

I agree with you, though I dont think anybody (excepting Joe Henderson - yet to respond) criticises my loan bikes.

I have a dozen or so in the shed and the absolute best day of my year is the day that they are distributed amongst non bike owning
friends, who join forces with bike owning friends for our annual Southern Highlands Summer Twinshock Ride.

I'm currently planning the next.... Under a bit of pressure.... Just keeps getting better.

Are you on for it Joe?

Alastair.

[ianrogers]

Now for the bit that I don't understand, why is there not more people riding trials?:

Thanks for the plug Greg, I'm pleased that we are giving you and many others an outlet to ride your Specialised Heaps of Innocuous Trash!
As for your question, "why is there not more people riding trials?", and as I mentioned in my Lynche's Creek report, we are doing just that and have certainly seen a steady increase since becoming the sports consciencious objectors way back in 2008. I keep a record of all non member riders who request a ride with us and to date we have been responsible for getting over 30 of them back in the saddle and that's not counting the 45 or so current members who had retired early, for one reason or another, or were enticed in by what we were offering. We could debate why this is so but I think that's better left alone for what could be a another firey forum debate.
Whilst there is still a little fire in the bellies of our "like minded" bunch of enthusiasts we will continue to do what we do and welcome newcomers and early retirees back to the sport regardless of whether we have closed our membership for the time being or not.
See you t the JGI.

[Joe Henderson]

Dear Alastair,

You must forgive me for describing your TY 175 ridden by Jono Chellas at the NSW classic championships as "Seriously Ratshit"

All I was trying to do was emphasise the skill of the rider even when seriously hampered by the ratshittedness of the bike, Ooops, there I go again!

Anyone who can ride the way he did with seized-at-half-travel rear units can just go back to the planet Too Good A Rider as soon as he likes.

I had possesion ( not ownership ) of a ratshit Yamaha for a while back in the 70s It was an FS1E moped and it lasted about 20 minutes until I jumped it off the wharf and into the river Medina down at the cement mills one balmy Friday winters afternoon ( blame punk rock and Burt's bitter. )

How Alan Stay explained the rapid corrosion of the alloy parts ( after we had spent two hours and lost a grappling hook while retreiving the thing from 20 feet of tidal river and 3 feet of ooze) to the owner who had only taken it in to Stag Lane Motors for a gearbox oil and plug change, I never found out.

Hey, ho, let's go, as the Ramones sang in "The Blitzkreig Bop" ( see Ukelele Blitzkreig Bop on the young person's youtube )

Where, when and what dress code ( for both bikes and bodies, I have a new suit being made by the National Balloon Canopy Company in Akront as we speak ) for the annual old persons on old bikes highland debacle?

I really should make an effort.

Regards,

Joe Henderson.

P.S. Chris Stevens knows everything.

[David Lahey]

Hey Alastair do you have a date set for the annual Southern Highlands Summer Twinshock Ride yet? and are banana benders on old bikes welcome to participate?

[tat ty]

Hey Joe

Somehow I think we both know we are on the same wave length.

David; January, but there are a few unresolved contingencies. Will keep you posted.

Alastair

[restoremaz]

Love your bike yamaico! top effort!

[Greg Harding]

Hi Everyone,

Alastair, your Southern Highlands Summer Twinshock Ride sounds like a lot of fun, David has already asked, but can NSW banana benders join in as well?

In my experience, peoples reactions to not so shiny old loan bikes are even more diverse than the bikes themselves but I find if they want to have fun, that is what always comes to the surface!

We can all make jokes and poke fun at certain bikes (sometimes wonder, what the designer was thinking and why have they made it like that?)

That is what makes life interesting, certainly would be boring if we were all the same and only had one choice of bike!

Donna enjoying her Totally Loved Machine at SQTA's Lynches Creek trial!

The fact is everything has good and bad points, learning to compensate for inadequacies will make you a better rider. Would hate to think that someone citicising your choice of bike would change your mind about having a go at trials!