Don Morley riding his ex-works 250cc Greeves Anglian in the 1995 Pre’65 Scottish Trial. Photo Copyright: Iain Lawrie, Kinlochleven, Scotland. When Don Morley was made aware of this very image, he was keen to obtain a copy and willing to pay for it. Iain Lawrie immediately provided Don with a copy with his compliments!
Words: Trials Guru
Photos: Don Morley; Iain Lawrie & John Knight
Trials Guru recognises the talents of a man from Redhill, Reigate in Surrey who has brought literally thousands of wonderful and exciting colour sporting images into magazines, periodicals and books the world over. His name is Don Morleyand what’s more he’s a trials rider! Well actually, Don is a frustrated road racer at heart as he didn’t have the funds available to race when he was a young man, so took up trials riding instead, being the less expensive motorcycle sport option!
Don Morley aboard his 1949 ex-factory Royal Enfield (HWP731) – Morley is an acknowledged expert on the marque. (Photo supplied by Don Morley for this article from his personal collection)
Described as the ‘Godfather’ of sports photography by Fast Bikes Magazinein the article they ran on Don in their September 2010 edition, Morley is respected the world over by riders, athletes and team managers because of his uncanny ability to press the button just at the right moment.
Raised in Derby, Don started taking photographs for a living in the 1950’s when it was all glass negatives, progressing to processed roll film. He began his motorcycle photography as a staff photographer with Motor Cycle News in 1957.
Morley is a 100% professional sports photographer, joining forces with Tony Duffy’s “All-Sport International Photographic Agency/Don Morley” in the 1970’s, his images of sporting events and competitors are highly sought after around the globe.
Puiblished by Osprey, Don Morley’s book on Classic British Two-Stroke Trials Bikes is a much sought after publication. Truly a collectors item now.
Don is also an accomplished author, writing several books which include: Classic British Trials Bikes& Classic British Two-Stroke Trials Bikes; Spanish Trials Bikesand Trials: – A Riders Guide, to name but four!
Published by Osprey in 1984, Don Morley’s Classic British Trials Bikes book was a top seller. Original copies fetch high prices to this day.“TT – In Camera”, One of the many titles written by Don Morley over the years, with foreword by Geoff Duke.
Morley has photographed many events, not just sporting events, witnessed the Munich Olympic Games terrorism atrocity to name but one major international incident and much, much more. He has had a varied and interesting life as a sports photographer.
Don has owned several ex-factory trials machines in his time as a rider, including the Johnny Brittain Royal Enfield 500 Bullet HNP331 and another ex-factory Enfield, LUY86. He appeared in the BBC TV series, ‘Perpetual Motion’ in an edition which covered the Royal Enfield and Enfield of India story in 1992. Morley is an acknowledged expert on the Royal Enfield marque. He built a few special trials machines including a BSA B40 and also wrote a series of articles on the development of four-stroke trials machines for the ‘Classic Motor Cycle’.
Don Morley (right) recieves his chain of office from Chairman, Ken Brady – Photo: John Knight (former British Trophy team member ISDT)
Don was one of the first to take up Pre’65 trials competition back in the early 1980’s on an ex-Brian ‘Tiger’ Payne AJS.
The one thing you notice about Don is his serious nature, he is a professional after all, he took photographs to make a living, but he does have a good sense of humour as well.
Trials Guru’s John Moffat met Don Morley many years ago at the Pre’65 Scottish at Kinlochleven, initially it was a frosty meeting as ‘The Guru’ intimated that Don had made a “slight mistake with a factory registration number” in one of his books! After a good frank chat, it was all ended very amicably, as this was merely an amateur enthusiast correcting a professional. Let’s face it EVERYONE can make a mistake. Happily, from that day on ‘Trials Guru’ and Don Morley have been good friends, their paths crossing occasionally and they are always happy to meet each other.
Don saw the funny side of the argument and said jokingly: “John, that’s OK, as long as you don’t want Osprey to reprint my book to make a correction!”
Morley once took a photo of ‘The Guru’ on his G3C Matchless with the great Gordon Jackson standing alongside, at Kinlochleven, the machine which was loaned to Jackson for the 2000 parade at the Scottish Six Days. The image has been a prized possession of ‘The Guru’ ever since.
Photo copyright: Don Morley (All Rights Reserved)
So, the next time you see a photo credit as “All-Sport/Don Morley” under an image of a racing bike at speed, you can say that this image was taken by a true enthusiast and … a trials rider!
Don Morley, Reigate, Surrey, England. – Trials Gurusalutes you, because you are an enthusiast as well as a photographic professional. – Thank you also for the kind permission to use one of your wonderful photographs on this website.
Beyond the call of duty! – Don Morley was lying on his side taking this shot of racer Dennis Ireland on his RG500 Suzuki. Unfortunately the throttles stuck wide open, the machine went out of control just a split second after Morley clicked the button. Don suffered a broken leg, Ireland more serious injuries, spending five months in hospital, having eleven operations on leg, ankle foot and tendons. A truly evocative image taken by a true professional. – Photo: strictly not for reproduction without permission of Don Morley – All Rights Reserved. Worldwide copyright.
The intellectual property formerly of ‘All-Sport’ photograph agency is now owned by Getty Images UK.
Please remember, all Don Morley’s photographs and those of his company ‘All-Sport’ are world-wide copyright and must not be used without prior express permission.
The North-East based Bedlington Club organise the annual Alwinton 2 Day Trial. Photo credit: Colin Battensby
We recently brought all you trials enthusiasts a West Country (South West) trials page, now we have spoken to a couple of like minded enthusiasts in the North East of England who are happy for their photos to be shown on Trials Guru. So it’s a case of watch this space for North East Trials!
Details of photographers willing to share their photos to be announced shortly!
South west trials is now in the spot-light on Trials Guru. With help from trial enthusiast, Sarah Turner, we now bring you photos of Devon and Cornwall area riders in action.
Trials Guru tells the story of a trials rider turned movie stunt performer.
Words: John Moffat
Photos: Iain Lawrie; Debbie Evans-Leavitt
Debbie Evans number 112 (Yamaha 175) at the 1978 Scottish Six Days, this is the final machine inspection in down-town Fort William parc ferme. Number 109 is Mick Wilkinson (Ossa).
Over the years there have been numerous female riders compete in the annual Scottish Six Days Trial, which had traditionally been a male dominated sport. Times have now changed with female competitors very much the norm.
Before the Second World War, there was Louie McLean, Edyth Foley and Marjorie Cottle. Post-war, the 1950’s had Mollie Briggs, Lesley Blackburn, Olga Kevelos and Gwen Wickham; the 1960’s had Jill Savage and Renee Bennett. They had one thing in common, they were all British, but in the late seventies a female rider emerged who inspired even more women to compete in trials and the ‘Scottish’ than ever before, and she was the first female rider from overseas to compete in the SSDT, an American called Debbie Evans.
Trials Guru was fortunate to catch up with Debbie, now Evans-Leavitt having married her trials riding boyfriend Lane Leavitt, during a hectic schedule in Glasgow city centre, Scotland in September 2012 when filming for ‘The Fast & the Furious 6’ an action-packed movie which was released in May 2013.
Debbie refuses to slow down in an amazingly tight schedule which took her to England, twice, Scotland and Tenerife for filming plus a short break to go home to the United States to see her first grandchild born. I still couldn’t believe that I was talking with a stunt-performing grand-mother!
Born in 1958, Debbie, originally from Lakewood, now resident in Santa Clarita, California has been in the movie business for just over thirty-three years. She has stunt-doubled for some of the world’s best known superstars including Carrie-Ann Moss in ‘Matrix Reloaded’ – 2003; Linda Hamilton in ‘The Terminator: Judgement Day’ – 1991 and many more. Have a look at the credits of some of the world’s most famous action-packed films and you will see the name ‘Debbie Evans’ appear in more than just a few. Her speciality is car and motorcycle stunt performance and she has appeared in over two-hundred movies and TV programmes which included ‘CHiPS’ & ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’.
The Scottish connection…
Debbie Evans on Blackwater sections in 1978 on her 175cc TY175 Yamaha. Debbie came 109th position on 473 marks. Photo copyright: Iain Lawrie, Kinlochleven, Scotland.
Having followed the history of the SSDT and watched Lane in action at the Six Days, I got to know Debbie and her three time AMA National Trials Champion husband back in 2007, when I put together an audio-visual presentation of the SSDT in the February of that year for the Fort William Mountain Film Festival.
Permission was sought to use material from Debbie’s website as part of the presentation, just for a bit of extra interest for the audience, which she willingly gave.
Debbie had entered the 1978 Scottish Six Days Trial on a TY175 Yamaha supplied by Gordon Farley Motorcycles, Aldershot, Hmpshire, England and her airline ticket was paid for by Yamaha USA. Lane had also competed in previous Scottish Six Days his first being 1973, as a supported rider for both the Spanish Bultaco and laterly Montesa factories.
Sunday lunch…
Having discovered that she would be in the UK during filming for the forthcoming ‘Fast 6’ movie, Debbie sent me a message via Lane through facebook which read: “Hi John, I’m sending my wife to Scotland in a few days. Maybe you guys can get together? She may have some cool stuff for you!”
On making contact upon her arrival in England, she suggested that we meet up with her one Sunday afternoon, when she was between filming schedules in Glasgow. Part of the car chase footage was shot late at night in city-centre Glasgow, including the famous George Square area.
After a pleasant lunch in Glasgow’s Princes Square, we all go back to Debbie’s hotel and ‘Skype call’ Lane in the USA, who takes us a virtual tour around the couple’s home. Lane picks out their Scottish Six Days trophies and Debbie’s stunt trophies and awards; culminating in a quick tour of their impressive garage.
Debbie was an accomplished trials rider when she began motion picture stunt performing at the age of twenty. I asked her how she entered into the movie business.
She explained: “I wondered why so many stunts involving women were carried out by male performers dressed to look like females? I thought… hey, I could do that… I researched it further and eventually obtained the necessary regulatory permissions and began training for my new chosen career with established professional stunt performers.”
The rest is history, Evans-Leavitt is a multiple award winner obtaining seven Red Bull Stunt ‘Taurus awards’ and was inducted into the American Motorcycle Association – Motorcyclist Hall of Fame in 2003.
Unique…
Debbie is probably the only competitor world-wide who can static balance a trials motorcycle upside down with her head on the seat, the bike is not supported in any way and the only extra piece of equipment is a rubber band on the front brake lever! Eric Kitchen was on hand in 1978 to photograph this very stunt, right in the middle of the traffic roundabout at the West End of Fort William, now an iconic SSDT photo.
Debbie performing her world famous ‘head-stand’ on the roundabout in down-town Fort William, Scotland, prior to the 1978 Scottish Six Days. Photo: Worldwide copyright, Eric Kitchen. All rights reserved.
In movies, she is best known for the 2001 award-winning scene where she doubled for actress Michelle Rodriguez in the Fast & the Furious. Debbie drove a tuned Honda Civic hatch-back under an artic semi-trailer at high speed, ending in a barrel-roll when emerging out the other side.
“…being a stunt-woman is that you get to ride fast motorcycles and drive real cool cars” – Debbie in a classic Jaguar with son Daniel – Photo: Lane Leavitt Archive – All rights reserved.
Debbie says: “I have to keep physically fit and in shape but the real neat part about being a stunt-woman is that you get to ride fast motorcycles and drive real cool cars!”
Dreaming…
Back to that Scottish Six Days ride at Fort William in May 1978, it was for Debbie the event of her lifetime. Debbie takes up the story:
“I had harboured a secret wish to ride in the ‘Scottish’ when I was quite young. I got into trials at the age of six with the help of my father Dave Evans, who was already an established trials and enduro rider in the USA and it was he who taught me all I know about bike control. I then read all about the Scottish Six Days in the American motorcycle press. I never really thought it was possible until an Englishman called Bill Emmison of BERM Specialities, a UK company which imported US off-road products. Bill on a visit to source parts asked me what I really wanted to do and on hearing my crazy wish said he could arrange the trip to Scotland and make it all happen. I was overjoyed at the thought of actually competing in the Six Days, for me it was truly a real dream come true. I hadn’t told anyone previously, because I believed it to be too wild to ever come true!
I packed my heavy bags and took a pair of handlebars, grips, foot-pegs and my Bell helmet and spent a few days sight-seeing in London on my own, before heading north to Fort William.
Bill supplied me with some riding suits, my riding number was one-hundred and twelve and so I rode all week in the company of Mick Wilkinson and Rob Shepherd, two of the best riders in Britain at the time and guys who knew their way around Scotland. The whole experience for a nineteen year old girl was really awesome; the Scottish was a great adventure!”
She continued: “Riding over the tracks and moors with Mick as my guide was great fun, Lane told me to ‘stick to this guy like glue’, which I did! However, I probably stuck to him too well and one day when hauling across a moor, Mick suddenly pulled up, I sat and waited for a little while, then he turned around and said, ‘Debbie! Can you sort of disappear for a minute, the call of nature beckons’ – or words to that effect?”
Wilkinson…
Mick Wilkinson remembers all too well the 1978 event with Debbie Evans in tow!
Mick recounts: “Soon after the trial started, I said to Rob (Shepherd), come on Rob let’s have a bit of fun, let’s leave this American lass on’t moor. We took off at a cracking rate as we knew where we were going and after a few miles we looked round. To our surprise, there she was, slap bang on our back mudguards. We didn’t try to pull that trick again!”
After their marriage Lane and Debbie had planned to ride once more in the 1980 Scottish together, but when they discovered that she was expecting their first child, Steve, this put paid to that idea and she reluctantly but sensibly withdrew her entry. The couple had another son, Daniel born in 1994.
On the left is Alan Wright, former Suzuki team rider and Telford Show organiser. On the right, Debbie Evans-Leavitt, the American trials rider turned movie stunt perfomer. Photographed here at the Scottish Six Days Trial on Pipeline in May 1978 by Iain Lawrie, Kinlochleven, Scotland. (All rights reserved.)
Inspiration…
But by then, Evans had already unwittingly captivated a whole new generation of women trials riders, one of which was Lisa Bayley (then Lisa Jones) from Sutton, Surrey who herself was inspired by reading about Debbie’s 1978 ride to compete herself in the 1981 Scottish at the tender age of eighteen on a 200cc SWM modified from a 125cc by her Father, Derek Jones.
Lisa Jones was so inspired by Debbie’s SSDT ride in 1978 that she trained hard and entered the 1981 event on a 200cc SWM prepared by her father Derek. – Photo: Derek Jones, Surrey, England.
Having read and been inspired by Evans, Lisa never actually met Debbie in person, although she did get to know former US National and World Champion, Bernie Schreiber during his time at Comerfords, Thames Ditton in 1979 and later, when on trips to the US riding Fantic.
Debbie on Town Hall Brae in down-town Fort William in 1978 – Photo: Iain C Clark, Fort William, Scotland (All rights reserved)
Fitness coach Lisa commented: “I was truly inspired by Debbie Evans’ 1978 ride at the Scottish which I did twice. For me it is the most brilliant event in the world. I have run in both the New York & London Marathons in 2005 and 2006; they were far easier by a long shot than the 600 miles and 180 Scottish sections of fantastic challenging and on some-days, impossible terrain. In my lifetime I have risen to the challenge of the hardest marathon and finished New York in three hours forty-eight minutes and London in three hours thirty-eight minutes, well within a veterans’ respectable timeframe, but still the SSDT was the hardest ever human achievement and the most enjoyable I have ever undertaken.”
Debbie in the 1978 Scottish Six Days. Photo copyright: Jimmy Young, Armadale, Scotland. (All rights reserved)
Bloodline…
Motorcycle observed trials is in Debbie’s blood, her father, Dave Evans is the guy who wheelies a Bultaco Sherpa for miles near the beginning of the Bruce Brown film ‘On Any Sunday’ the definitive bike-sport movie of all time. Her sister, Donna Evans is also a stunt performer, having worked with Debbie in a number of motion pictures.
Debbie in 1979. The top right image is Debbie doubling for Lynda Carter in the TV series, Wonder Woman – Photo copyright: Michael Vendrel, USA.
Debbie: “Being a trials rider really helped me throughout my stunt career, because you walk the section and memorise in your head many things, like when to go up or down a gear, where to brake, where to make the turn or change direction, which part is slippery and so on. The same thing applies when performing a motion picture stunt; you walk the set and plan everything, very carefully. It’s technical, just like trials. However, I knew that I would never make a living from just riding trials, at that time there were very few who were professional riders world-wide, whereas I could at movie stunt-performing. I grew up with trials riding ‘no-stop’; stop-allowed was alien to me. We do stunts no-stop too!”
Debbie in a scene from the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ a CBS network TV series. She doubled for the postmistress and Hazzard Gazette reporter, Miz “Emma” Tisdale who delivered parcels by motorcycle.
Debbie stayed fairly loyal to the Yamaha brand during her riding years, having gained support from the company via their USA importers and promoted the brand wherever she rode.
After a eighteen years away from the sport, Debbie made a brief return to competitive trials in 1998, when she rode in the Women’s World Trials Championships. She was now forty years of age, but came a creditable eighth place overall, riding a 250cc Gas Gas.
Today…
Debbie tries out Lane’s Bultaco for size in his office. Photo: Lane Leavitt.
Lane, now a respected stunt technician in the US movie business still has a collection of interesting Bultaco trials machines and some modern road bikes to hand, as the area in which the Leavitts live is ‘canyon country’ and a Sunday afternoon ride out with the family is very much the order of the day.
Leavitt reckons Debbie would still be riding in trials competitively today had she not suffered a very serious accident when stunt doubling for the 2008 movie “Yes Man” starring Jim Carrey in which she was hit by a car when riding a bike during a sequence which went horribly wrong.
British actress Amanda Holden was trained by Debbie and Lane to do stunts for the UK TV series ‘Amanda Holden – Fantasy Lives’ in 2010 in which Debbie and Lane both appeared.
Debbie, Dick Mann and Lane at Dick Mann’s house discussing a Matchless build. Bike is one of Dick’s creations, a Triel (Triumph engined Ariel)
Return…
Debbie really enjoyed her film work in Glasgow; she even cultivated a Scots accent during her stay. Both she and Lane are planning a return trip to spectate at the SSDT in a few years time, once their youngest child, daughter Rebecca, graduates from high-school. It will be really nice to have the couple back at the SSDT where they have so many happy memories of competing many years ago.
Debbie Evans-Leavitt and Trials Guru’s John Moffat taken in Glasgow, during a break from filming ‘Fast 6’ in Glasgow, September 2012. Photo: Trials Guru copyright, all rights reserved.
Both Debbie and Lane felt honoured to be asked to write a few lines each for the one-hundred years celebration book on the SSDT that the Edinburgh Club produced in 2011. Only problem was they didn’t get a copy, as the limited edition book was quickly sold out! However, after a plea, Kinlochleven trials enthusiasts David & Lorna Dougan who had a pristine copy, came to the rescue and gifted their copy to Lane and Debbie. The photo of Debbie in the book was taken by Eric Kitchen on Grey Mare’s Ridge, only half a mile from the Dougan’s home.
Finally…
Oh yes and finally, the ‘cool stuff’ she gave me as a memento of our Glasgow meeting? A commemorative tee-shirt and poster from the ‘On Any Sunday Re-union’, all signed by some of the all-time greats of USA bike-sport – now that’s what I call neat!
Apart from ‘Fair Dealing’ for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988, no part of this article may be copied, reproduced, stored in any form of retrieval system, electronic or otherwise or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, mechanical, optical, chemical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the author as stated above. This article is not being published for any monetary reward or monetisation, be that online or in print.
The ACU Benevolent Fund, the only registered UK charity that provides for motorcycle riders, has just benefited by the tune of 200 GBP from initial sales of John Moffat’s book, Motorcycle Competition: Scotland 1975-2005.
Released for sale on 30th March, 2015, it covers the four main motorcycle sports organised in Scotland during that time frame and features many of the Scottish champions who went on to British, European and even World championship status.
The book’s forward was written by eight times TT winner, Jim Moodie and has 134 pages and over 200 photographs, many never seen before from photographers such as Eric Kitchen, Jan Burgers, Graham Milne, Jimmy Young, Iain Lawrie and Ronnie Weir plus many more.
Copies are still available online through Trial Magazine UK website: Here
The ACU are delighted at receiving the sum of money, every penny of which goes to rider benefit.
James Dabill gives Vertigo its first national championship win …
Dougie Lampkin celebrates with James Dabill (Centre) the Vertigo Combat first national championship. Photo copyright: Trial Magazine/Trials Media – 2015.
Dougie Lampkin won this years’ Scottish Six Days so now the Vertigo can claim to be SSDT winner and British Championship winners in the same year.
Dougie Lampkin will be the official UK importer when the machines are available for general sale later in the year.
Photo Courtesy and copyright of: Trial Magazine UK/Trials Media.
Trials Guru is always looking for something new or old, unseen or forgotten….
‘Kimages’ photographs are copyright: Kimages/Kim Ferguson, Fort William.
We have just added two new ‘selections’ on the front page which link into photo collections of ‘Kimages – Trials Photos‘ and ‘Heather Mead – SSDT Photos‘.
Both are female photographers who have built up a sizeable archive of trials photographs over the last couple of years, particularly at the Scottish Six Days as these are Scottish based photographers.
Kim has lived in the Fort William area most of her life and has a love for motorcycle sport and trials in particular having grown up with the SSDT passing her door-step. Her brother rode in trials too, so there are family connections.
Heather became involved taking photos at the Parc Ferme in Fort William, a place that is usually inaccessible to spectators, so we can see SSDT competitors preparing for their daily battle with the terrain and elements.
SSDT 2013 An official goes over the route card with rider 20, Ian Thompson – Photo Copyright: Heather Mead Photography, Dingwall.
Heather Mead and Kimages (Kim Ferguson) have recently given Trials Guru permission to display their handy-work. Please remember photographs are copywritten and are the property of the photographer, so please be respectful of that. There is no implied permission to post these images anywhere else unless by express permission of the copy-holder. This also applies to our other photographers, Jimmy Young, Armadale; Jeremy Whittet; Neil Sturgeon; John Hulme; Iain Lawrie, Kinlochleven or any other images on this website.
Trials Guru have used some individual photos, which are the property of Mortons Media, Hornchurch this was done with their prior and express permission, for legal reasons, these are not for onward publication.
Rob Edwards had a secret practice ground somewhere in North Yorkshire.
Here is a photo taken in 1978 of some stars of yesteryear who swapped machinery.
Left to Right: Malcolm Rathmell (Suzuki); Charles Coutard (SWM); Colin Bell, Irish Champion; Martin Lampkin (Bultaco 325 Factory machine); Dickie Bowes and on the far right, the rear of Rathmell’s Suzuki. Photo: Rob Edwards.
Different location, but a practice session outside the old Montesa Espluges factory in Barcelona in 1977.
Felix Krahnstover, the multiple German Trials Champion on his 348 Cota practices over the rock garden at the front of the Montesa Espluges factory in 1977. Photo: Rob Edwards Private Collection.
Watched by the Montesa factory mechanic, Nigel Birkett and Brian Fowler, Rob Shepherd puts his factory Honda through its paces outside the Montesa Factory. Now Honda owns the Montesa brand! Photo: Rob Edwards Private Collection.
TRS ONE – Launched by former World Trials Champion, Jordi Tarres. The official UK importer is 10 times consecutive British Champion, Steve Saunders.
TRS launches to hit the market strongly with the new TRSONE.
The new trial Brand announced its creation end 2013 and is now ready to
start the definitive arrival with the new trial model TRSONEin three
displacements, 300, 280 and 250 cc.
During these two years previous to the presentation of the bike, the TRS
engineers and technical crew, have used the support from all kind of
professionals contributing to assure the right and proper evolution, reliability
and quality of the model itself.
TRS will soon start its production at the industrial facilities that the brand has
in Sant Fruitós del Bages (Barcelona), where the company has the R & D
department and from where bikes and other related products will de supplied
to the domestic market and the rest of the world (North and South America,
Europe as a whole, Japan and Australia).
TRS has arrived precisely on a tumultuous situation concerning the world of
trial in general terms and some of its factories more concretely, with a full
business plan for both, the product and the sporting activity.
SOME WORDS FROM JORDI TARRES: “TRS was born thanks to our passion for
Trial and experience accumulated over more than 30 years.
Due to the size of the project, we decided to work with lot of care since its
conception, design and industrialization using always the best and most
advanced technologies.
We have achieved our goal, a compact and light motorcycle in terms of weight,
with the necessary reliability and robustness to fight against any kind of
obstacle.
We have managed to supply a new and different feeling when riding it, due to
its geometry and suspension, becoming a real attractive and easy adaptation
for al kind of riders regardless of their level.
65 kg. offers a real feeling of lightness without damaging stability and giving the
real possibility to climb up to the top.
The engine has been developed and designed specifically for the practice of
trial, taking into consideration each and every single part of it to ensure the
best performance and maximum power, and placing inside numerous technical
improvements that make it unique in the market.
We have brought the bike at the highest level of “stress” during the time of
development and testing, to ensure the best success when reaching the
market”.
Prices are yet to be released, the official UK importer is Steve Saunders who is confident that supplies of this new machine will be available in the UK by October, 2015.
During the ninteen-seventies, Honda Motor Company decided to create a purely ‘Racing’ division, separate from their normal motorcycle production activities and core businesses. This saw the advent of Racing Service Center Corporation or ‘RSC‘ for short. Later, in September 1982, they developed from RSC, Honda Racing Corporation or HRC for short, which exists to this day and controls the racing activites of Honda. HRC produce and sell racing/competition motorcycles and spare parts. The parts, although well made and of high specification, are by their nature, not warranted for street use as they are for ‘racing applications only’. HRC European headquarters are based in Aalst in Belgium. The world HQ is at Asaka, Saitama, Japan. Below we can see some of RSC & HRC’s creations over the years.
Honda RTL300 – Short Stroke ‘Racing Trial’ of Nick Jefferies, 1977. Photo by Heath Brindley, Bristol.
Rob Shepherd aboard the factory 305cc short-stroke Honda. This rare photo was taken by Rob Edwards outside the Espluges Montesa factory in Barcelona. Photo courtesy and copyright: Rob Edwards, Middlesborough.
Honda RTL 300 Long-Stroke – Marland Whaley (USA) from 1977.
1977 – Scottish Six Days Trial at Glen Nevis – Marland Whaley on his factory Honda RTL300 (305cc) who finished in 13th position losing 102 marks for the week. Photo: Copyright Iain Lawrie, Kinlochleven.
Marland Whaley on Blackwater in 1978 on the Honda RTL300 – Photo copyright: Iain Lawrie, Kinlochleven.
1984 – Honda RTL360 – Eddy Lejeune (Belgium) at Fersit, Scottish Six Days Trial. Factory only machine, not on general sale. Photo: Mark Lamplough, Coventry.
HRC RTL360 motor from 1984. Photo: Patrick Pissis, France.
February 2014 – Telford Off-Road & Racing Show. Jean Caillou (left) and Patrick Pissis from France, show their RTL360 from 1984. Photo: Copyright: Trials Guru/MoffatRacing 2014
Telford, February 2014 – RTL360. Photo, Copyright: Trials Guru/MoffatRacing, 2014
RTL360 generator side close up. Photo, Copyright: Trials Guru/Moffat Racing, 2014
Full factory machine, this is the RTL270SW Honda Racing Corporation/Rothmans Racing of Steve Saunders seen here at Ben Nevis in the SSDT from 1986 Photo: Trials Guru/John Moffat – All Rights Reserved
The RTL250SW was for factory Honda riders only, not available for general sale and had the single down tube frame with offset exhaust port.
1986 – SSDT Steve Saunders (Rothmans Honda RTL270SW) on Ben Nevis – Photo Copyright: Iain Lawrie, Kinlochleven
1986 – RTL270SW (270cc) Honda Racing Corporation/Rothmans Racing – with single down-tube frame and oil cooler. Strictly factory only.
Tommy Sandham’s Book – ‘Four Stroke Finale?-The Honda Trials Story’ Click… Honda/Four Stroke Finale?
John Moffat (Trials Guru) was fortunate to be permitted to take the ex-Eddy Lejeune 1982 RTL360 for a brief excursion at the Highland Classic 2 Day Trial at Alvie Estate in June 2015. This machine is now in the ownership of Jean Caillou.
The 1982 Honda/HRC RTL360 shown above was once the factory machine of World Champion, Belgian, Eddy Lejeune.
Jean Caillou, a French trials enthusiast who has a passion for the Honda brand was fortunate enough to meet with Lejeune at his home in Belgium. It was during this meeting that Eddy revealed that he still had the 1982 ex-factory machine in his possession. The RTL360 was disassembled, but all the parts were there at Eddy’s house.
Jean Caillou: “I met with Eddy Lejuene at his home and he explained that he had just bought his daughter a horse. So he presented me with the invoice for the horse and said that if I paid him the same figure that he had just recently paid for the horse, then I could have the Honda. I did not hesitate further and the deal was agreed. I had effectively paid for Eddy’s daughter’s horse, but I now owned the Eddy Lejeune 360!”
EDDY LEJEUNE:
Eddy Lejeune from Verviers, Belgium was three times FIM World Trials Champion (1982-1984) and seven times Belgian National Champion (1980-1986). He rode Honda for the majority of his trials career, switching to the Spanish Merlin in 1988 and then to the Honda owned Montesa for 1989/90 when he retired from top flight trials.
The Montesa Cota 4RT 260cc is the modern day equivalent of the RTL with the motor supplied by HRC. In Japan these machines are sold as Honda RTL260. Photo: Trials Guru/Moffat Racing.
TRIALS GURU - DEDICATED TO TRIAL 