Trials Australia Forums

Greg Harding wrote:Hi Everyone,

David Lahey wrote:Maybe without the :Honda: motor, the rest may well weigh the same as a normal trials bike. I hope you do a weight comparison Greg.
It does look very "strong" though

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Here you go David, Just under 11. 5 Kg or one Piuma frame and 4.5 Kg of ballast.

Wow, that's really heavy for a trials bike frame. I guess that means there is an opportunity for significant weight savings by using a lighter frame. I wonder what frames they used for the TL250-based bikes that the top USA riders had (and did so well on). Time for some reading

Hi Everyone,

David Lahey wrote:Maybe without the motor, the rest may well weigh the same as a normal trials bike. I hope you do a weight comparison Greg.

David Lahey wrote:Wow, that's really heavy for a trials bike frame. I guess that means there is an opportunity for significant weight savings by using a lighter frame. I wonder what frames they used for the TL250-based bikes that the top USA riders had (and did so well on). Time for some reading

David, I think you were on the money with the motor being very heavy and yes the frame is solid and overweight. Is this one of those top USA riders you are talking about?

Kanbe Werst has similar bike skills to Captain Risky:

The frame looks standard to me but he did say he was going to Touch the Sky:

Greg Harding wrote:Hi Everyone,

David Lahey wrote:Maybe without the :Honda: motor, the rest may well weigh the same as a normal trials bike. I hope you do a weight comparison Greg.

David Lahey wrote:Wow, that's really heavy for a trials bike frame. I guess that means there is an opportunity for significant weight savings by using a lighter frame. I wonder what frames they used for the TL250-based bikes that the top USA :Honda: riders had (and did so well on). Time for some reading

David, I think you were on the money with the :Honda: motor being very heavy and yes the frame is solid and overweight. Is this one of those top USA :Honda: riders you are talking about?

Thanks for the clues, Greg. I easily worked out that the bloke crashing around on the TL250 in a stars and stripes helmet is supposedly Kanye West however I would have thought that the bloke in those blurry photos looks too skinny to be him.

I've looked at lots of old photos of top level 1970s trials riders on TL250-based trials bikes and came to the conclusion that pretty much as soon as TL250s arrived in the UK and the USA, the top riders sponsored by had bikes with frames that look quite different to a TL250 frame. Some were obviously from the same workshop that made Sammy Miller Hiboy frames with their plated finish and bronze welded joints. Others had very similar design to the SM frames but look to be of fusion welded construction and painted finish which I suspect were made by in Japan.
I remember reading an article in US Dirt Bike magazine in about 1976 about one of the Marland Whaley bikes but don't remember much detail except for the enthusiasm of the magazine writer about how trick the bike was compared with the standard TL250. It will be a fun read if I find it

Hi Everyone,

David Lahey wrote:Thanks for the clues, Greg. I easily worked out that the bloke crashing around on the TL250 in a stars and stripes helmet is supposedly Kanye West however I would have thought that the bloke in those blurry photos looks too skinny to be him.

Interesting theory David, so do you mean that he got a stunt double with almost no bike skills?

On another note, I picked up these TY 175s up a couple of months ago:


Anyway old Mate dropped in with some more parts:



The TY parts are easy for me to identify but the other tank and toolbox is a bit of a mystery? Can someone help me out, are they off a Classic?

Greg Harding wrote:Hi Everyone,

David Lahey wrote:Thanks for the clues, Greg. I easily worked out that the bloke crashing around on the :Honda: TL250 in a stars and stripes helmet is supposedly Kanye West however I would have thought that the bloke in those blurry photos looks too skinny to be him.

Interesting theory David, so do you mean that he got a stunt double with almost no bike skills?

No it just confirms that I have little idea what Kanye West actually looks like

Excellent barn find/basket case TY175s there. There must be so many TYs still out there gathering dust

Is this the same Kanye West that has put up his hand to run for usa president ?

Thanks to tat ty taking his beautiful original TL250 tank to a paint shop and having paint mixed up to match the red and silver and posting the paint up to central queensland, this TL125 fuel tank love job can now proceed from the cutting, panel-beating, welding and final filling stages onward to the pretty/shiny stages

This is the insides of seat from a 1972 Alpina. The original seat foam, like many motorbike seat foams and furniture foams back then, had cylindrical holes moulded into it.
Eventually, the original foam would have weakened and sagged. A previous owner has then taken the cover off and inserted new foam pieces into the holes in the original foam to stiffen it up again. The original foam in the photo is now 50 years old and solid/rigid/rock-like.
Fairly creative approach hey

I have seen that on a few Bultaco seats I have recovered David. It does make you laugh. Especially now when you can buy new seat foams really cheaply instead of them being made from unobtaimium as they were years ago! That 1974 Aussie Title report was a good read too!

Hi Everyone,

eagle wrote:Is this the same Kanye West that has put up his hand to run for usa president ?

Yes and I am pretty sure there is only one Kanye West.

David Lahey wrote:This is the insides of seat from a 1972 Alpina. The original seat foam, like many motorbike seat foams and furniture foams back then, had cylindrical holes moulded into it.
Eventually, the original foam would have weakened and sagged. A previous owner has then taken the cover off and inserted new foam pieces into the holes in the original foam to stiffen it up again. The original foam in the photo is now 50 years old and solid/rigid/rock-like.
Fairly creative approach hey

So that is what they are like inside, some foam breaks down much quicker than that.

Bully fanatic wrote:I have seen that on a few Bultaco seats I have recovered David. It does make you laugh. Especially now when you can buy new seat foams really cheaply instead of them being made from unobtaimium as they were years ago! That 1974 Aussie Title report was a good read too!

That was an interesting read Graham on Magazine Articles (page 17), I especially liked the section line drawings and descriptions.
Just sharing what I have been up to:


So that puts the frame weights midway between and TL250. You guessed it Graham, I am now in the same boat as you, looking for a M199 motor for this frame. It makes me wonder if anyone is at the helm?