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
Tommy Robb was a keen trials rider in his youth and also in later life as a racer to keep fit over the winter months
TOMMY ROBB 14 October 1934 – 12 December 2024
Tommy Robb was a well-known Ulsterman who rode for Honda, Yamaha, Seeley, Bultaco and a whole host of private sponsors, including Terry Hill in a career that started in 1950 and went on until the mid 1970s.
Tommy Robb’s first ever trophy, won on 3rd November 1951 a time trial in Ireland
In 1962, Robb was the first non-Japanese factory rider to be signed by Honda, the year he was runner-up in the 350cc World Championships. He is a five times winner of the North-West 200 and has won the Lightweight 125cc TT in 1973.
Tommy Robb in the Hurst Cup Trial of 1953 on his DOT
He wrote an autobiography called ‘From TT to Tokyo’ a fascinating recount of a works riders life on the ‘Continental Circus’
From TT to Tokyo – Tommy Robb’s autobiography
Tommy been friends with Trials Guru representative John Moffat for some years now, having been interviewed by Trials Guru at the Scottish Motorcycle Show near Edinburgh.
Part of Tommy Robb’s impressive collection of trophies, yes those are Isle of Man TT replicas! – Photo copyright: Tommy Robb
What is not generally known is that Tommy was also a keen trials competitor both in his youth and in later years to keep fit when not travelling the world racing motorcycles.
Tommy Robb on a Bultaco Pursang in 1967 at an Irish International motocross event – Photo courtesy: Tommy Robb Private Archive
Recently Tommy had a very pleasant surprise and contacted Trials Guru.
Here is what Tommy sent Trials Guru:
“Hi Big John, – A very happy New Year to you, your family and Trials Guru’s everywhere!
I thought the attached Certificate (Factory Rider) would be of interest to you. This arrived on the 2nd January 2016, from the DOT Motorcycle Club, whilst all the major personalities were getting their Knighthoods, MBE’s, and OBE’s I was delighted to receive this award, from 1954 -1958 and inscribed:
‘Special Award made to Tommy Robb, from the DOT Motorcycle Club in recognition of your Achievements as a rider representing the DOT Motorcycle Factory in the Golden age of British Motorcycle Competition’.
This, believe it or not, dates back to the mid-fifties when I rode factory 196cc and 250cc DOTS in grass tracks, scrambles (in those days) and trials in Northern and Southern Ireland. When Burnard Scott Wade was the MD of the Company.
It was a pleasure to receive this recognition some 62 years after the period concerned when I was 18 or 19 years old at the time. To have it in my trophy cabinet at 81 years of age, amongst my TT Replicas is indeed a surprise and an honour”.
The certificate presented to Tommy Robb by the Dot Motorcycle Club in 2016
We are always looking for something different, special or unusual at Trials Guru, so we thought Trials Guru readers would enjoy this.
Trials Guru’s John Moffat (left) with great friend, Tommy Robb at the Scottish Motorcycle Show at Ingliston, Edinburgh – Photo: Trials Guru/Jean Moffat
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.
Off-Road and Racing enthusiasts throughout Europe will be heading to Telford, Shropshire for their annual pilgrimage to the Classic Dirt Bike Show at the International Centre on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st of February.
Originally run by super-enthusiast, midlander Alan Wright, the show was bought by Morton’s Group in 2014 after many years run by Wrighty and his immediate family. Wright is still involved as a consultant, thus preserving the original ‘feel’.
Alan Wright on his BSA in the Pre’65 Scottish – Photo copyright: Iain Lawrie, Kinlochleven
For 2016 the show has a new sponsor, Hagon Shocks of Essex. Many of the show-goers are riders and ex-riders who spend as much time catching up with old friends as taking in the exhibits, listening to the speakers and hearing the bike start ups. Oh yes, they also buy stuff at the autojumble and from the variety of stall-holders!
This is the pre-season place to buy just about anything for a pre’65 or twin-shock trials or motocross (or should I also say scrambles) machine!
Special guest include top motocross rider, Scot, Jimmy Aird who rode for CZ; AJS and CCM, Nick Jefferies who rode for Honda in trials and was an accomplished road-racer, speedway legend Barry Briggs and Channel Island star Wayne Le Marquand.
On display will be Alan ‘Sid’ Lampkin’s works BSA C15T 748MOE which is the last British four-stroke to win the Scottish Six Days Trial 50 years ago in 1966.
The 1967 SSDT programme cover featured the 1966 winner, Alan Lampkin on his factory BSA 748MOE – Image from Trials Guru Archive of programmes SSDT
This machine will be ridden in this year’s Pre’65 Scottish Trial in April by Alan’s son, James Lampkin. Take a close look at it at Telford.
Gates open: 10 am to 5 pm both days with early autojumble from 9 am.
Prices are £11 adult advance booking (£13 on the gate), with under 12’s free entry. Early bird advance £14.
Mont Ventoix 2015 – Jordi Tarres (SWM), Phillipe Berlatier (Bultaco) & Steve Saunders (Honda) – Photo: Claudio Trial Pictures
Our Index page was used extensively, which shows there is a lot of interest in our archive material, free to use at any time. We pride ourselves at Trials Guru in that we don’t manage forums which distract from the real meaning of Trials Guru, to preserve trial history and celebrate all the great riders and events from all over the planet.
AGBikes, Low Row, Richmond, Yorkshire receive free publicity on Trials Guru. The firm is family run by a rider/enthusiasts.
We run without subscription and income from adverts. All the businesses featured on Trials Guru are featured here only by personal recommendation and they pay no advertising charges for space on our Useful Links page. That is the unique way we work for the true trial enthusiast.
Trial Magazine and Classic Trial are both recognised publications of quality by Trials Guru and receive free publicity on this website, read about Debbie Evans-Leavitt story on Trials Guru – find it easily on our ‘Index‘ page
We hope to bring you more photos, more articles, more facts about the great sport of motorcycle trial here on Trials Guru throughout the year.
Bultaco publicity photo of Martin Lampkin on his factory Sherpa T model 92 – Image courtesy of the John Hulme Catalogue Archive/Trial Magazine UK – Read the Bultaco -Spain page on Trials Guru
Guru – The syllable ‘gu’ means darkness, the syllable ‘ru’, he who dispels them, Because of the power to dispel darkness, the guru is thus named.
Bultaco publicity from 1975 showing Manuel Soler and advertising that Bultaco Motorcycles and Soler were Spanish Trials Champions.
Bultaco trials motorcycles now have their own page on Trials Guru!
EAA60D, Sammy Miller’s 1966 Sherpa T, is now owned and been restored to its former glory by Yrjo Vesterinen – Photo copyright: Neil Sturgeon, Darlington
It was always the intention to have a page on the site to celebrate the brand, but due to other articles taking precedence, it has only been possible to do this now.
Charles Coutard with his 1977 factory Bultaco Sherpa – Photo Copyright: Claudio Picture
This particular page will be modified and expanded through time, so please keep checking back for new items going forward!
Back in 1977, having previously acquired the tooling and stock of the BSA competition shop at Small Heath, Alan Clews decided to create a trials machine. It is believed that Sammy Miller had already approached Clews to supply him with BSA motors to power a trials machine of Millers own design. Clews’ CCM (Clews Competition Machines) brand was by then already well established, having risen from the original ‘Clew-Stroka’ motocross concept from 1971, by using BSA B50 motors as the power-plant, but with the capacity increased from 498cc to 600cc.
CCM had built their motocross brand from the 1971 concept of ‘Clew-Stroka’ which at heart was an uprated 498cc BSA B50 motor – Photo: Justyn Norek, Turin
Clews had built a reputation of making high quality motocross machinery which performed as well as they looked. In the hands of Lancastrian, Bob Wright; Cumbrian Mick Barnes and later Vic Eastwood and Scot, Vic Allan, the CCM was a serious racing motorcycle.
1978 CCM 350T MKII – Photo: Justyn Norek, Turin
Based in Bolton, Lancashire, England the company had grown considerably from modest beginnings. Mike Eatough made the frames, before setting up his own venture called EMC.
There seemed to be a market for a four-stroke trials machine and Clews was eager to fill the void and to produce one, Made in Britain! Honda had already launched their TL125 and for the US market, the TL250 trials models, developed with the help of Sammy Miller and the company’s ‘Bials for Trials’ programme.
Drive side shot of a 1978 MKII CCM 350T
The eventual CCM production run of their 350T machine was very modest, with just over 100 machines ever produced by the factory. It utilised a variant of the BSA B40 – 343cc unit single, which CCM claimed the capacity as 345cc by using a bore of 79.25 mm and stroke of 70 mm, with compression ratio as 6.2:1.
Original sales leaflet for the MK1 CCM 350T specification from 1978
Quality components were sourced from European manufacturers, From Italy, Marzocchi supplied both front forks and remote reservoir rear shocks, German ‘Magura’ controls, the Italian, ‘Grimeca’ hubs and brakes and gold anodised Spanish ‘Akront’ wheel rims. With American-made Preston Petty motocross red plastic mudguards also fitted front and rear. This particular combination, with the chromed chassis made for a ‘good looking’ machine, this in itself did not make a 100% competitive trials machine however.
Nick Jefferies on his factory CCM 350T in the 1978 SSDT at Altnafeadh on the first day of the event – Photo: Jimmy Young Archive on Trials Guru
The B40 motor was treated to an Amal MK2 concentric carburettor and a revised primary drive alloy casing, finished in black with the CCM motif in relief, with a novel little oil breather/catch bottle fitted to the nearside crankcase. But at heart it was still a BSA B40 which had been developed from the 1959 C15 design.
Given the more modern riding position, the gear pedal was fitted in such a way that it was accessible by the rider standing up on the foot-pegs. The gear pedal passed behind the kick-start lever.
Backed by Castrol Oils UK, riders of the caliber of Dave Thorpe, (who left Bultaco to ride the CCM prototype) and Nick Jefferies were employed to develop the CCM 350T for the factory.
Jefferies entered the 1978 Scottish Six Days Trial riding number 220 on the 400cc CCM prototype, backed by Castrol, but failed to finish the event.
Thorpe entered the 1979 SSDT on the 360cc CCM factory machine with riding number 250, with Thorpe shadowed most of the week by motocross rider, Dick Clayton whose riding gear had been rumoured to be literally stuffed with spare parts.
Private owner, Mel Ross from Monifieth, Dundee on his CCM 350T at a Dunfermline Trial in Scotland in 1978 – Photo: Jimmy Young Archive on Trials Guru
Dave Thorpe did finished the 1979 SSDT in 95th position on 397 marks lost, which was not a good day at the office for him, having been 11th position the year before on a Bultaco!
V. R. Moyce from Wickham rode a production CCM 350 in the 1979 SSDT and finished in 190th position on 597 marks lost.
The late Willie Dalling, former clerk of Course for the SSDT riding a borrowed CCM 350T in 1978 at the Aberfeldy Two-Day Trial in Scotland – Photo: Jimmy Young Archive on Trials Guru
Many of the Bolton built CCMs were bought by private riders who wanted something different.
Lancashire’s Eddie Smith on a Sandiford CCM 350T in 1978 at the Aberfeldy Two Day Trial – Photo: Jimmy Young Archive on Trials Guru
In 1979 Honda launched their own British built four-stroke trials machine, the TL200E (the ‘E’ stood for ‘England’) made by Colin Seeley in England, but ‘adopted’ by Honda UK as their own model and marketed through their comprehensive motorcycle dealership network.
The production MKII CCM 350T of 1978
The frame was made from Reynolds ‘531’ tubing, argon brazed and finished with chrome plating to both frame and swinging arm.
The wheelbase at 51.5 inches followed almost the same dimensions as the Bultaco Sherpa it was designed to beat in competition.
A fairly original October 1978 registered CCM 350T MKII, all except for the two-tone coloured seat and red handlebar grips
Whist the CCM 350T was never destined to become a trials ‘world beater’, the machines did sell reasonably quickly. They were not produced in significantly high numbers, hence now they command extremely high prices for their rarity value alone.
CCM later became part of the ‘Armstrong-CCM’ brand, but that is another story!
Three legendary drivers Bultaco together on this photo: Yrjo Vesterinen , Manuel Soler, and Charles Coutard (in action) – Claudio Picture
Trials Guru is proud to announce a new page featuring the work of freelance photographer, Claudio from France.
Claudio attended the 2013 Highland Classic Two-Day Trial with his Andorran friend Joan-Pere Santure and enjoyed the experience, meeting Trials Guru representative, John Moffat at the event.
So please have a look at Claudio’s page for some fantastic photographs of people from the sport of trial.
The triple world champion Yrjo Vesterinen was able to arrange the Bultaco trial team for the Highland Classic 2 Day Trial, which took place on the 8/9th of June, 2013 in northern Scotland on the Alvie Estate. Oriol Puig Bulto Side-car,from the left: Yrjo Vesterinen, Ignacio Bultó, Manuel Soler and on the right Juan Oliver, Jaime Puig, Charles Coutard, and on the far end Javier Cucurella. A great picture to remember a great event – Claudio Picture
TRIALS GURU - DEDICATED TO TRIAL 