Trials Australia Forums

Hi Everyone,

I had a great time thanks Graham, both at the trial and on holiday. I was in Byron Bay on the Sunday night after the trials and back through Surfers the day after. I saw a Banana Plantation, Avocado Grove? and a sugar cane crop just to remind me of where I was.
I don't know about the Bulty though, I'm flat out keeping up to which foot to use with my Alpina on a trail, let alone in a section.

I must thank especially Greg or The Godfather who was kind enough to lend me Agent Orange the Jaundiced TY175 to ride.


Check out the pictures below if you wonder why i call him the Godfather.
(Thanks to Steve Spencer & Abbi Gomershall)

It was a few years ago now at the Aussie titles that the Godfather then on a Fantic 240 2 smoked me on the mighty TY175.
So I obviously wanted to have a shootout again especially since I missed my chance when he come to home turf for the Tasmanian titles a couple of years ago and I couldn't ride through injury.

The site at Merangandan was very much like Jericho in Tasmania. Rounded sandstone boulders and soft sandy ground in between with a few rubbley sections. It was very dry up there though.

The Queensland club is similar to Tassie to ride in, fairly laid back and casual. Although the President in Tassie doesn't normally wear an Akubra hat at riders briefing.

Big thanks to The Godfather again and all the Banana bending Mainlanders for making me welcome, it was a great event and I will be back.

Hi Everyone,

Kurt wrote:Hi Everyone,

Check out the pictures below if you wonder why I call him the Godfather.
(Thanks to Steve Spencer & Abbi Gomershall)

Yes Kurt, Steve does take some nice photos, here is one with our roles reversed, a negative digital if you like?



On another note, is anyone interested in one of these?


0428 789 854

Well Greg why would I be interested in a primary case that has the kickstart shaft on the wrong side and it won`t even fit on a real trials bike! A of course! Just saying. Hope you have a good time if you are riding in the Victorian and the Aussie Titles over the next couple of weekends. Graham.

Hi Everyone,

Continuing my GREEN THEME for 2008TEEN, it was KERMITs turn for some attention this afternoon. These don't seem to be common as they only come on later models and some people will even deny they exist! They were not fitted to KERMIT when I got him but they were in the spares with RUSTY Chrome legs. For some time now I have been chasing fork seals for the 31.7 mm sliders without any luck. The original seals are 31.7mm x 45mm x 11mm or 12mm and it seems are no longer available. I did however find 31.7mm x 42mm x 7 to 9 fork seals out of a Binelli scooter so I machined up these adaptors:

Yeah I know, they look like egg rings! Here they are fitted

And here are the forks back in the bike with 242 front wheel:

Greg I`m very sorry to inform you that you have now diseased a very good front brake arm on that Imitation Spanish Trials bike! That looks to me like a front brake arm on that thing which calls itself a trials bike but is in fact not a trials bike. I feel sorry for you and I hope you will recover very soon.

Nice job on the fork seal spacers though!

Very nice Greg. How is the action on those forks?

I wonder why they used 31.7mm (1 1/4") fork tubes? They may well have sourced the steel for the tubes from the UK, but why?

Hi Everyone,

David Lahey wrote:I wonder why they used 31.7mm (1 1/4") fork tubes? They may well have sourced the steel for the tubes from the UK, but why?

David, I am not sure but maybe in 1976 and economical problems it was cheaper to buy imperial chrome tube/bar stock?

David Lahey wrote:Very nice Greg. How is the action on those forks?

That is a question I can't answer as I only had enough oil for assembly so I will have to get some more. The forks were pretty good with the round sliders so I assume they will be the same with square ones. My question is how much oil, I think I guestimated last time? The seals were so bad that at one point they must have been perfect like a dead clock that tells the right time twice a day?
The right amount would be a good starting point!

Bully fanatic wrote:Nice job on the fork seal spacers though!

Graham, aluminum can be tricky to get a good finish, I used a bit of scaffolding tube which I don't think is the best for machining. The rough texture will hold it all in place as there were no circlip grooves.

Bully fanatic wrote:Greg I`m very sorry to inform you that you have now diseased a very good front brake arm on that Imitation Spanish Trials bike! That looks to me like a front brake arm on that thing which calls itself a trials bike but is in fact not a trials bike. I feel sorry for you and I hope you will recover very soon.

Graham, I think you are right, here is an original brochure photo showing a round end:

This is how it came to me from Chippy:

.......and I did not realize until now. I liked the patina on the backing plate and hardware, the hub was painted and I laced the wheel with reworked secondhand spokes.
Now that I think about it, and go together like Ham and Cheese, Salt and Pepper. A veritable match made in Heaven like Bacon and Eggs!

Greg Harding wrote:Hi Everyone,

David Lahey wrote:Very nice Greg. How is the action on those forks?

That is a question I can't answer as I only had enough oil for assembly so I will have to get some more. The forks were pretty good with the round sliders so I assume they will be the same with square ones. My question is how much oil, I think I guestimated last time? The seals were so bad that at one point they must have been perfect like a dead clock that tells the right time twice a day?
The right amount would be a good starting point!

Are the square ones from a later model 172?
An oil quantity that is fail-safe in forks from that era is the top surface of the oil at 125mm below the top of the tubes with the sliders fully up and no air trapped in the bottom anywhere. Proof that this is enough oil is that when you then extend the sliders to the bottom, there is still oil covering the top end of the damper rod.