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Either use the ‘Index’ feature, located on the home page … or simply type in keywords into the search box located on the bottom right of the home page menu where it says ‘Search…’
From our ‘Rob Edwards Story’ – 1975 in Germany – Dave Thorpe; Alan Lampkin & Martin Lampkin – Photo: Rob Edwards
For many trials enthusiasts, Trials Guru is becoming the ‘go to’ website for the history of the sport.
We didn’t set up Trials Guru to be a reference work, but given that we speak to many of the sports former riders, sponsors and journalists it was inevitable that we are a place for more than just looking at photographs.
From our Honda Trials ‘section’ – Eddy Lejeune in 1984 on his RS360T Honda – Photo copyright: Colin Bullock/CJB Photographic
We have set up a variety of ‘sections’ on Lampkins, Sammy Miller, Yrjo Vesterinen, Bultaco & Honda motorcycles and much much more. Still more to come when time allows.
We have also directly collaborated with trials websites: todotrial in Spain, retrotrials in the UK and The Honda Trials Story to bring you a variety of information, photographs and articles from the world of motorcycle trials.
We have brought you archive material with the express permission of Mike Rapley; Colin Bullock; Iain Lawrie; Jimmy Young; Rainer Heise; Kimages; Heather Mead; Justyn Norek and many more.
So sit back and enjoy Trials Guru … Dedicated to the sport – free of charge!
Well-known author Tommy Sandham has penned a short article for Trials Guru and trials fans, especially of the Honda marque.
Tommy wrote four books on the Scottish Six Days Trials and of course ‘Four-Stroke Finale? – The Honda Trials Story’ and now we get the inside story of how and why it was written.
Trials Guru’s John Moffat and Tommy have been friends for more than forty years, tracing their friendship back to the 1970s in the Lanarkshire Motorcycle Club in Scotland, when Sandham started riding in trials on the ex-JimSandiford BSA B40 (776BOP).
Read all about this exclusive, only in Trials Guru Honda Trials ‘section’.
Recently opened, the new ‘section’ on Trials Guru – dedicated to the Honda trials effort over the years.
With direct co-operation to Trials Guru from ‘The Honda Trials History’ website, Honda author Tommy Sandham and many more!
Rob Shepherd in 1977 at the Scottish Six Days Trial with his factory Honda TL300 (PEL2R) the number 69 machine is that of team-mate Nick Jefferies (PEL1R) – Photo copyright: John Hulme
Exclusive to Trials Guru – Dedicated to the sport.
Go straight to the new ‘section’ for you to ‘observe’!
Coming soon only on Trials Guru, the story of the most successful Scottish Trials rider of all time, Gary Macdonald.
Read about the Kinlochleven lad who practiced hard and took on the best rider’s in Britain and the world – only on Trials Guru.
Gary Macdonald from Kinlochleven is without question, the most successful Scottish trials rider of all time, having won more Scottish trials championships than everyone else and a British title!
We have noticed that viewings of Trials Guru have increased considerably throughout 2015 and as such we would like to thank all regular and new viewers of the website accordingly. We hope you enjoy what you see and read about our great sport – Trials!
Trials Guru would not exist for your enjoyment without the continued support by our generous photographers and contributors. We are extremely grateful to them for allowing Trials Guru to display their images of the great sport of trials on these pages.
Scottish Six Days Trial 1979 – Martin Lampkin inspects the rear tyre of his Bultaco, with Reg May offering advice. John Metcalfe is watching closely. A fantastic period photo we are allowed to display by kind permission of a true enthusiast of trials – ‘The Maestro’ Mr. Eric Kitchen – Image is world-wide copyrighted – all rights reserved.
We have added a few new pages recently including Mike Rapley’s Recalled by Rappers; Lampkin of Silsden which will shortly be expanded and Bultaco – Spain, dedicated to the Spanish marque which brought you the famous Sherpa T. We have also added a dedication to three times World Trials Champion, Yrjo Vesterinen.
Yrjo Vesterinen features in his own tribute page and Bultaco, seen here in 1983 – Photo: Colin Bullock/CJB Photographic
There is much more to come in the next few weeks including a tribute page to the most famous trials rider of all time!
So stay tuned wherever you are to Trials Guru – Broadcasting to Trials enthusiasts throughout the World!
The name ‘Lampkin’ is synonymous with off-road motorcycle sport. It has to be the most famous of all families associated with motorcycling in the world.
Trials Guru are proud to release a feature page dedicated to the Lampkin family, with informative articles and photos from our regular contributors. We start with Alan R.C. Lampkin’s story of a life in motorcycle sport.
Scott Trial Re-Union supremo, Alan R.C. ‘Sid’ Lampkin seen here with Trials Guru’s John Moffat in November 2014 – Photo: John Hulme/Trials MediaMartin Lampkin (Bultaco) Photo: Mike Rapley
As close family friend and former trials competitor, Blackie Holden said: “The Lampkin family can be summed up in one word – winners. There is something very special about them, from a very early age I remember their tremendous ‘will to win’ it is immense. Whether it be a game of noughts and crosses or a 500 GP, the competitive element with them is incredible. It’s not in a nasty way, they just have to win”.
Read all about ‘Lampkin of Silsden’ on Trials Guru
TRS Motorcycles at Sheffield Saturday 9th January, 2016 ….
Adam Raga on his ‘TRS one’ has done the seemingly impossible and won the Sheffield indoor Trial, round one of the 2016 FIM X-Trial Championship, to become the 2016 King of Sheffield.
Photo: Trials Media
Adam led the event all night with the best performance on the qualification lap and then returned after the break to perform brilliantly once again in the final, where he lost just two penalty marks and one on time, to keep reigning World Champion Toni Bou at bay.
Adam Raga (TRS) at Sheffield 2016 – Photo: Trials Media
After a scare when he punctured his rear tyre on section two on the qualification lap, requiring a quick change of wheel before returning into the arena, the rest of the night all went to plan.
Raga and TRS – Photo: Trials Media
It was an evening of firsts, the first world indoor for 2016, the first World indoor for the new to the market TRS one and also the first opportunity for the British public to see the bike in the flesh .. and of course, first place on the podium for Adam Raga.
We are always looking at new features, articles and of course photographs here at Trials Guru … so what about sidecars?
British Experts 1983 at Hawkstone Park – Scott Rowland and Tony ‘Antman’ King on their 156cc Fantic outfit – Photo copyright: Torbjorn Eyre, Macclesfield
So that’s exactly what we are doing, a dedicated page on the three-wheeled brigade for all the sidecar trials enthusiasts out there.
Mike Rapley, himself an accomplished trials sidecar driver, who has been working hard to bring us ‘Recalled by Rappers’ on Trials Guru, has unearthed sidecar photos which we are currently preparing for viewing on Trials Guru – Some never seen before. Already we have had offers from sources throughout the UK with more material, so it’s an exciting venture.
We at Trials Guru are indebted to Mike Rapley for his efforts and co-operation in both these ventures. Mike is truly a life-long, 100% enthusiast of the sport of trials and enduro.
Keep checking on the new page we have created – a space has been cleared on Trials Guru for Chairmans View – Sidecar Trials.
Bernie Schreiber in 1982 – Photo taken from publication ‘Observed Trials’ by Len Weed & Bernie Schreiber
Back in 1980’s during the heady days of twin-shock trials and well before the advent on the internet, information on trials was only available in paper format. No checking the results of your trial ten minutes after you got home on ‘Facebook’, you waited until Wednesday for the Motorcycle News or Friday for Trials & Motocross News to see if you had made the podium! There were books written on the subject by the stars of the time including Sammy Miller, Don Smith and where our story begins America’s Bernie Schreiber.
In the mid 1980’s Bernie co-wrote with American journalist Len Weed, a publication called ‘Observed Trials’. One-hundred and ninety-two pages of tips and techniques on every aspect of the sport accompanied by many photos of Bernie showing you ‘how to do it’. Many of the photos are from world rounds over a number of years, whilst some of the technical sequence shots were taken in America, with Bernie riding his 320 and 350 Jumbo SWMs.
Bernie Schreiber’s 1982 TL320 SWM – Photo: Martin Matthews
One particular owner of a well worn copy of said book is Martin Matthews, collector of SWM’s and the man behind the UK dealership, MotoSWM, the only full-time parts suppliers for the brand. Back in November 2014, Martin was contacted via his Facebook page from a lady in Los Angeles who told him she had an SWM for sale that her husband had bought from Bernie Schreiber about 30 years ago.
The 1982 SWM of Bernie Schreiber in ‘as found’ condition – Photo: Martin Matthews
A couple of photos followed of a slightly tired looking, but mainly unmolested 1982 TL320, that exhibited many similarities to the bike Bernie was riding in the book. Whether it was the same bike was difficult to say, but the story sounded convincing, so a deal was struck, and many months later the bike arrived in England.
On first inspection there was one very big clue that it was the real deal, on the front hub Bernie’s initials.
SWM front hub showing Bernie Schreiber’s trade-mark initials – Photo: Martin Matthews
A few years earlier at the Malvern Off Road Show, Martin had displayed Bernies 350 Jumbo that is owned by Stu Clements, which has the very same markings. Other similarities to the bike used in the book included decals, headlamp, trimmed down front mudguard and wider footrests.
Headlamp detail of the Schreiber SWM – Photo: Martin Matthews
Obvious works parts from the SWM factory included alloy swingarm, short kickstart and front brake arm.
SWM factory brake arm – Photo: Martin Matthews
Looking at the bike and comparing it to the book, Martin was convinced it was the real thing, but there’s only one sure way to prove it, contact the the man himself. That’s where invaluable help arrived from the extremely enthusiastic James Brown. James had interviewed Bernie for his ‘Retrotrials’ website a few months earlier and was one of the few people within the sport who had his contact details.
Martin Matthews: “A very in-depth report on the bike was submitted to Bernie direct, and after several e-mail exchanges over the space of a few weeks, he confirmed it was indeed his machine without question”.
Non-standard footpegs – Photo: Martin Matthews
Martin Matthews: “I have decided to keep the bike in as close to original condition, the motor has been rebuilt with new bearings and seals and apart from some minor cosmetics, it will remain the same as it was back in 1982 with original paint and even the original tyres”.
SWM short-kick start lever with normal item shown for comparison – Photo: Martin Matthews
Trials Guru’s John Moffat was indeed fortunate to meet Bernie Schreiber during one of his rare appearances in 2008 at the Robregordo Classic 2 Day Trial near Madrid, Spain. Schreiber was the Guest of Honour at the event and rode a Bultaco supplied by enthusiast, Carlos Bosch. By a fortunate set of circumstances, Schreiber was invited to attend as a result of a chance meeting of Sotobike club’s Manuel Casado who was on a business trip who literally bumped into Bernie at an airport. Dialogue exchanged and phone numbers taken, the result was Schreiber back riding in Spain in 2008.
Trials Guru, John Moffat (left) with 1979 World Trials Champion, Bernie Schreiber in 2008 at the Robregordo Classic 2 Day Trial, Madrid, Spain – Photo: Trials Guru/Jean Moffat
It’s great to hear of these very special finds of old factory bikes or machines with history such as the Bernie Schreiber SWM featured.
Bernie Schreiber in action on an SWM on his way to win the 1982 Scottish Six Days Trial – Photo: John Honeyman, Markinch, Scotland
With special thanks to Martin Matthews of MotoSWM – Click HERE for MotoSWM website
Thanks also to James Brown of Retrotrials for permitting a link to his comprehensive article on Bernie Schreiber in 2014. Worth a read – on the RETROTRIALS website – For the full interview with Bernie Schreiber – Click … HERE Retrotrials
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