Summer 2019 TRF Trail Magazine

Summer 2019

The Members’ Magazine of the Trail Riders Fellowship

KTM’s

NEW 790 ADVENTURE R

Event Reports Red Ride and Wessex Wanderers

at the launch of the Sweet Lamb KTM Adventure Bike Experience

Artisan Racer AJP PR7 Tested and Hafren Rallied Appointments, finance and 50th Anniversary plans Conservation and restoration in the Wye Valley Isle of Man’s greenways Circuit de Pyrenees rediscovered The cream of Devon’s lanes

Garbage Run Nathan Millward wants to get us all out there

THE TRF TEAM TRF Chair & Marketing Director: Mario Costa-Sa mario@trf.org.uk 07721 480000 After 4pm please unless urgent Conservation Director: Dave Carling dave.c@trf.org.uk 07586 325260 Financial Director: Michel Sabatier finance@trf.org.uk 07801 187304 Police Liaison & TRF Governance Director: Stuart Bosworth stuart.b@trf.org.uk Heritage Director: Steve Neville steve.n@trf.org.uk Membership Director: Carla McKenzie carla.m@trf.org.uk Safety & Northern Area Director: Doug Cartwright doug.c@trf.org.uk Technical Director: John Vannuffel john.v@trf.org.uk 07730 796215 Training Director: Chris Barrable chris.b@trf.org.uk TRF Membership PO Box 4829 Shrewsbury SY1 9LP Membership Secretary: Sharon Connor sharon@trf.org.uk 07958 316295 IT: Adrian Allen web@trf.org.uk Equestrian & Events Liaison: equestrian@trf.org.uk TRF Learning Platform: learning@trf.org.uk Press: pr@trf.org.uk Creative Communications & Website Editor: Greg Villalobos greg@trf.org.uk Advertising: Charlie Harris charlie@trf.org.uk 07768 855019 Editorial: Rick Kemp rick@trf.org.uk 07941 233777

Editorial AT The beginning of this year i promised myself that i would try to ride several TRF events. After all, reading about them in Trail they’ve always seemed like fun. Well, here we are halfway through the year and i’ve done half of one event, the Wessex Wanderers, which you can read about in this issue. The other group motorcycling activity i enjoy are LDTs. i’ve also only managed one of those this year and that was the Reigate, Redhill & north Downs LDT in which i came dead last. This was due to my escorting a friend, who had lost his front brake lever, back to the start/finish area. Under normal circumstances i might not have been penalised for course cutting if the person involved had been a competitor in need of assistance, but in this case he was a travelling marshal. As in the rest of life, the small print needs to be read. i’d like to acknowledge the contribution of Trail online editor James higgs to this issue. here’s a photo of him bending over backwards to go the extra mile!

TRF members are fantastic at giving their time to help the Fellowship and in this issue there’s a Situations Vacant section, see page 13, asking for volunteers to help with the various shows and events over the summer season.

The importance of these events is huge. They act as a platform for showing and explaining to the general public what we do and what we stand for. As you know, persuading the public that we’re not all tarred with the same brush is difficult enough. now we have the opportunity to do this on so many levels.

Our involvement with the Adventure bike Rider Festival will help member recruitment and also provides an opportunity to interact with the motorcycle manufacturers and distributors, who will be out in force trying to gain market share in the most buoyant sector of the industry – Adventure Sport sales are up 34% year on year. At the north and south Countryfile Live shows we can lay out our stall, including our equestrian credentials, to fellow countryside users and, perhaps more importantly, to country land owners. it’s shaping up to be a busy summer all round, shows, events, holidays and possibly a new ‘b’ word. Don’t forget to make time for riding your local lanes, that’s very important. happy Trails.

Rick Kemp rick@trf.org.uk Trail is published quarterly and is designed and produced by Rick Kemp Media Services, for the Trail Riders Fellowship.

The TRF is registered in England & Wales No.05884933 Registered Office, 218 The Strand, London WC2R 1AT. All advertising enquiries should be sent to charlie@trf.org.uk The views expressed by individual members in Trail are not necessarily those of the Trail Riders Fellowship.

CONTENTS

SUMMER 2019 Issue #8

The Members’ Magazine of the Trail Riders Fellowship 03 Directors’ Report: From the Chair, Mario outlines his recent activities 05 AGM: Introducing new director Andrew Byatt 06 TRF strategy and forward plan: Plus the winner of the Kawasaki KLX250 raffle 08 Finance Report: Director Michel Sabatier reveals the state of the TRF’s finances 10 Heritage Report: Director Steve Neville has some ideas for the TRF’s 50th Anniversary year 13 Situations Vacant: Your Fellowship needs you 16 Groups Map: All the contacts for TRF Groups in the UK 18 A Quick Leg Over a…KTM 790 Adventure R at Sweet Lamb 28 Artisan Racer: Aled Morgan reviews and rallies the AJP PR7 36 Red Riders: A top-notch weekend of trail riding for Honda CRF250L owners 42 The Only Way is Wessex: Wessex Wanderers Weekend with AGM was a success – for some 50 The Garbage Run: Nathan Millward’s plan to get more people riding and make a buck 60 Manx Greenways: Visit the beautiful Isle of Man, but be sure to ride respectfully 68 The History Boys: Rick and Charlie revisit the classic Circuit de Pyrenees event 78 Road No Longer Closed: A joint effort reopens Chapel Hill Road in the Wye Valley 82 Cream of the Crop: Love your local lanes, Sean Comber from Devon TRF does 88 Friends of the TRF: Member benefits from companies that support the TRF

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Nathan Millward’s trusty Royal Enfield Himalayan in the Scottish Highlands on the Garbage Run

DIRECTOR’S REPORT Mario Costa-Sa, TRF Chair, outlines his recent activities – bikes, business and more bikes

performer or a small upgrade from the standard model. Even Stewart Bosworth, the TRF’s Director for Police and Training, was impressed and he is a very strong rider, was looking at the Rally’s suitability for Police duties. I can see myself owning one in due course.

Picture courtesy of Honda UK

In the last few weeks I was pleased to ride the TRF Technical Director, John Vannuffel’s Husqvarna 2014 TE250 2 stroke on the South Downs way, and new LVTRF member LVTRF Tim Barnes’ current model CRF 250 Rally on the Wessex Wanderer.

I can see the attractions of both bikes.

I knew before riding the TE250, that there are those, including my son Joshua, who love to spend a few hours wrenching their arms from their sockets while hanging on to an angry wasp. It was also good to see how my showroom-floor perception of the CRF250 Rally against the standard CRF250L changed after riding it.

Since its launch, the CRF250L Rally seemed on paper to offer all of the disadvantages and none of the advantages over a standard model. More low-down plastics to break, more weight, a little more unnecessary seat height, a longer wheelbase and a higher purchase price. Basically, a perfectly good bike, mucked about with. What I didn’t realise before riding one, is how well the dash design works for the trail rider. Plenty of space now for the Monterra, the Galaxy tab and a phone behind the CRF250 Rally’s ‘tower’ style headlight arrangement. The small seat height difference will be unnoticeable to confident trail riders, and the plastics may best be removed and replaced by a cheap aftermarket set and kept pristine for the next owner. With its lighter weight, lower seat height and less vulnerable plastics, the standard CRF250L still has a clear place as a “go to bike” for the new trail rider. The CRF250L Rally is a great bike for an established trail rider wanting an all-round

Pic by: J Bentman

Bikes

Summer 2019 Trail 03

Picture courtesy of Husqvarna

John’s 2014 TE250 was a hoot to ride.

Having dreaded kickstarts on high seated bikes from experience with XR250 and CRF250Rs, I was impressed at how easy this kicked into life. Once the battery had charged up it started on the electric start button in a dab of the switch and ran faultlessly.

Business

This is an exceptionally light and precise ride. Very quick at accelerating from 30-50 mph it will rev all the way to around 100mph.

Where the very strong rider, John on his 690 was lumbering and crashing through ruts, I could skip around them. In the hands of a rider some 30kg lighter, this bike would be awesome.

For me this type of bike would have to be a later model, post 2015 I believe, with the counter-balanced engine. As it is, the buzzing of the 2-stroke gave me a few hours of vibrating my internal organs when I sat, and the equivalent of onset of Vibration White Finger or Raynauds in my feet and ankles when I stood. The carb set up worked well, at certain times the bike’s mixture was not quite right and felt as if the choke had been left on. If you have spare £8,500 to spend, I can imagine the current 2018/2019 model will cure these small issues. If you don’t, less than half that amount should buy you the great bike that I rode.

Attendees at the TRF Strategy Meeting back in March

In the Spring issue of Trail we reported that in March we held a Directors Strategy Meeting which covered a revision of our Aims and Objectives. This also engaged many TRF Group Officers who volunteered to get directly involved in the Central TRF Boards management processes and input into a debate on strategic issues. This prior debate set us up well for a harmonious AGM in May where any remaining questions were simply answered, allowing the TRF to get on with the business in hand.

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Andrew Byatt

AGM MANY THANKS TO Wilts TRF for hosting and Andew Tuckett for chairing the AGM along with Jim Cairnduff. A big thank you to the team of James Peet and Andrew Byatt for all their work in organising this on top of the Wessex Wanderer. The catering was superb and the combination of holding an AGM at an existing major riding event saved the TRF the expense of hiring a special venue and avoided the risk of a non-quorate meeting.

The proposals successfully re-elected two existing directors and one new director was elected. Out of 104 members voting the following Ordinary resolutions were passed with none against and one abstention.

1. Receipt of the Directors Report and Accounts 2017 – 2018 2. Appoint Andrew Byatt as a director.

3. Re-appoint Mario Costa-Sa as a director 4. Re-appoint John Vannuffel as a director.

The minutes of the AGM are available on www.trf.org.uk/agm We are now actively looking for a group to host the next AGM in May, June or July 2020 – and Andrew Byatt has started looking into this as well as his other TRF

Director and company compliance activities.

Andrew had this to say regarding his appointment. “I am honoured to be have been appointed a new TRF Director and hope my contribution to the existing hard-working Directors can be worthwhile and I look forward in working with them and assisting in the continued development of the TRF. “I am particularly looking forward to working with Carla McKenzie and Sharon Connor to continue to enhance the members experience of joining the TRF. I hope to be able to liaise with all regional groups to look towards developing a membership pack that takes the best experiences of existing groups, many of whom have already developed extremely professional ‘joining packs’, and I believe it makes sense to build on the good work that already exists in the regions. I believe the first few months of a new member joining the TRF are some of the most critical.”

On the subject of membership, as of the end of May the total was 5440, which means that the numbers are remaining steady. Over the last four months we’ve had approximately 400 new or returning members so have averaged about 100 new members/month with all groups attracting new members.

The top 10 by numbers for attracting new members over the last four months (in order) are: Somerset Devon Hertfordshire South London And Surrey East Midlands Wiltshire Teesside And North Yorks Kent West Midlands Northumbria Thanks to Sharon Connor, Membership Secretary, sharon@trf.org.uk

Summer 2019 Trail 05

TRF Strategy and Forward Plan

Raffle THE RAFFLE PROVED to be a big success with around £7,000 raised towards TRF funds.

Many thanks to White Dalton, our sponsors of the Kawasaki KLX250 which was won

by East Midlands TRF (EMTRF) member Des Slater. You can see the moment Des was notified by the EMTRF Chair Lee Jordan on trf.org.uk/raffle.

We are now looking for a new sponsor for a bike and other prizes for the winter draw at Motorcycle live in November and a raffle based on the AGM in Summer 2020.

06 Trail Summer 2019

AS WITH MANY volunteer organisations, co-ordinating volunteers on projects can be a challenge. Using programme management techniques borrowed from “Agile Software Development”, the TRF now operates many programmes and projects on Trello boards, including marketing programmes, events, and asset tracking. We have started to use this to record members items for sale.

Perhaps the most important use has been

creating a forward plan to guide the TRF and collaborative remote working between the Board of Directors. Directors are planning to meet five times per year, scheduled a year in advance. We aim to encourage member engagement in our policies and procedures.

Following on from our Directors Strategy Session in March, sessions will be open to members who wish to participate directly in the management of the TRF and perhaps even take on a project in an area of interest and become a TRF executive or Director.

The Directors next meeting will be around the ABR festival at Ragley Hall, Worcestershire over the weekend of 12-14 July.

Examples from the forward plan There are 53 cards on the Forward Plan at present each representing an action or programme managed by TRF Directors and TRF Executives. Some examples drawn at random from the 53 current activities are: Working with and relationships with partner organisations – LARA, BMF, MAG, ACU, RoSPA, MCIA and Police on key issues affecting all motorcyclists. This recently included making the industry aware of the issues caused to trail riders by current number plate legislation, preventing additional legislation that would make compliance onerous e.g. a ban on bolts on number plates and seeking new solutions e.g. flexiplates. This is a long-term programme of change that, like other legislation affecting us, may take five years to put into practice, partly due to the focus on Brexit.

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Change in approach for outdoor events After a few years of working on events we know what works and what doesn’t.

The directors will be asked to approve a new plan for summer events, focussed around riding and membership benefit. This will be closer to our work on the ABR festival and supporting large public events such as Countryfile Live through offering marshalling services in a similar way as we offer equestrian marshalling.

TRF 50th Anniversary preparations – what when and where will the TRF be doing and coming up with programmes for industry and partner engagement.

Volunteering opportunities – there has never been a better time to volunteer with the TRF and the number of volunteers that we have engaged is at a record high.

These range from simple tasks such as making the coffees for the TRF team at the ABR festival to being Chair or Treasurer of LARA, the umbrella organisation and forum that brings together the leading national associations in motor sport and recreation.

Please take a looks the Situations Vacant on Page 13 for our current opportunities.

Summer 2019 Trail 07

All trips are priced at £560 (payable to ABTA bonded and ATOL protected UK travel agency S&N Pickford).

Price includes 3 days riding, 2 nights half-board accommodation, loan of road book and road book reader, support vehicle and driver, an opener and sweeper and a classy T-shirt. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like any further information.

Chris Evans, Sport Adventure Tel: 0033 662 487190 chris.evans@sport-adventure.com www.sport-adventure.com

FINANCE REPORT Michel Sabatier, Finance Director fills us in on the numbers for the six months from September 2018 to February 2019 IN SUMMARY, THE TRF financial situation is good and has improved year on year.

Over the period, income has increased to £150K, an increase of 29% in comparison to the same period in the previous year. This is due to a small increase in membership but also the rise in membership fees.

Donations to the fighting fund were £15K, mainly from the crowdfunding campaign for Stonehenge.

Membership costs have increased from £64K to £80K, this is mainly due to the reinstatement of the members magazine and to a lesser extent to the increase in the number of members. Excluding Trail magazine, costs per member (everything except RoR) have decreased slightly in comparison with last year.

We have spent £120K on Right of Roads.

Of this we have recovered £33K of legal costs from the court cases we won. This is significantly more than last because our RoR team has been very busy.

The net cost of our RoR activities is 52% of our total spend. We broke even. Our total reserves have remained constant at £200K. One of the challenges of increased activity in our rights-of-road activities is that it has a corresponding increasing drain on our reserves. Earlier this year, in Spring Trail, we explained where the money is spent.

To keep up with the pace of our RoR and campaigning activity we would like to increase the reserves by £30k this year.

I am pleased to announce that Wilts TRF presented the us with a cheque for £10,000 taking a big step to achieving our funding target. This came in addition to another generous donation of £1,000 from Gloucester TRF also presented to us at the AGM on 11th May. Thanks a lot to both groups.

08 Trail Summer 2019

If any groups are holding funds that you would like to donate to the fighting fund now is great a time to release them. We have large cases and a great deal of activity spread around the country that needs supporting.

You can contact me directly at finance@trf.org.uk. We accept donations by cheque, PayPal and bank transfer.

Many thanks, for your continued support.

Top right: Michel addresses the troops at the AGM

Above: Michel receiving a cheque for £1000 from the Gloucester TRF

Above right: A massive donation of £10,000 from the Wiltshire TRF, being handed over by Becky Burbridge

www.cambrianway.com Tel: 01550 750274 email: info@cambrianway.com

Summer 2019 Trail 09

To advertise in Trail magazine contact: Charlie Harris T: 07768 855019 E: charlie@trf.org.uk or visit www.trf.org.uk/trade

HERITAGE REPORT Golden Years – Heritage Director Steve Neville outlines a plan for the TRF at 50

10 Trail Summer 2019

became light enough to be put into a two-wheeler.

We need other clubs like the VMCC to help here. I’m thinking we should look at bikes in three groups (there’s that THREE again). Pre 1970, so pre-TRF; TRF early days from 1970 to 1999 and finally trail motorcycles of the new millennium.

I’d like to compile a collection of articles on the above. To keep it under control I want to limit each to 1000 words.

For instance someone might want to write about the AMC range of “off road” type machines. Also articles on the development of Japanese trail bikes like Yamaha’s DT range. These can be embellished with as many photographs as is necessary.

In fact it would be great to create a gallery.

What’s important is the description i.e where, when, what and who.

The focus next year will be on various events.

These should be both national and group based.

The TRF Directors will support groups in this.

We will need to produce TRF at 50 19702010, T-shirts, riding shirts, mugs, pens etc.

Maybe a TRF labelled beer (Green Lane Ale) and/or power drink?

The inaugural ride was in January 1970 on green

AS YOU KNOW the TRF celebrates its 50th anniversary next year. Now is the time to start making plans for how we do this and for the TRF to partner with other motorcycle clubs.

While this maybe the TRF’s 50th we are but part of a much larger motorcycling community; many clubs with a rich heritage that they are also proud of.

Anyway, to make some sort of focus I’m thinking that our celebrations should focus around three main areas. Firstly there are the people past and present that have stories to tell. This might be about their motorcycling experiences on green lanes (we now call them “roads” but once they were “lanes”) or perhaps their part in some sort of legal challenge fighting for our access rights.

Then there are those green roads. Stories about our minor untarred roads could make a book in itself, as each will have a tale to tell from its origins as a road, through its historic uses and status right up to the present day.

There are the motorcycles. In my lifetime we’ve seen big changes and yet the fundamental concept is identical to 120 years ago when petrol engines

Photo: R. Schedl

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A selection from the photos supplied by Mike Cowling for the 50th Anniversary publication.

If you have any photos going back to the early days of the TRF and would like to share them please contact the Editor, rick@trf.org.uk

lanes that are now closed to motor traffic.

I will plan to ride this on my electric bicycle; but perhaps not in January! The starting venue was the Valiant Trooper pub near Tring. Any ideas on how to appropriately commemorate this will be welcome.

The big one I think will be at the ABR Festival at Ragley Hall. I’m thinking that we create a TRF Village and showcase the TRF as part of adventure motorcycling; I think the bikes could be a focus. The logistics might be challenging but a series of marquees arranged along what we could call Green Lane. TRF groups are welcome to have their own plot to highlight their

12 Trail Summer 2019

own group and region.

Maybe we could run a pub called the Muddy Boot and have a “village” war memorial commemorating the dispatch riders of the Great War and other conflicts.

Presentations in the village hall from trail and adventure riders. Cricket on the village green…my mind wanders…

SITUATIONS VACANT ABR Festival, Ragley Hall Worcs 12-14 July 2019 THIS SUMMER, THE TRF are helping visitors to the ABR Festival get out and enjoy local green roads in trail riding groups. It’s a great way to show off what the TRF is all about, make new friends and get involved in what promises to be a fantastic adventure bike weekend.

In addition to full weekend event passes, volunteers will have exclusive access to a pre-event Thursday 11 July evening meal an open bar provided by the ABR team. They will also get fed on the Saturday riding day with breakfast and dinner by the TRF catering team led by catering professional chef David Blackhurst Saturday 13 July is the main riding day where we will focus our efforts.

We have 20 TRF volunteers and are looking to recruit 10 more to help with ride leading, stand and event management.

We are looking for: 7 more Run leaders: (approx. 2 hour run with GPX provided if required) currently 17 and we want 25 Catering volunteers: 2 or 3 per day needed Coffee barista: 1 on Saturday and Sunday AM Stand volunteers: 2 on Friday 1 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday Event Project Manager: 1 for the event Friday /Saturday & Sunday - 5 mile Off Road Adventure Trail We are have also been asked to help with: 3 to 6 ACU Clerks of Course Several riding marshals to police the course and moderate riding across the event To find out more and register as a TRF volunteer please visit www.trf.org.uk/abr and register for the event.

Countryfile South, Blenheim 1-4 August 2019 Event Manager: Project Managing and planning the TRF participation in the event Stand volunteers: Talking to visitors about the TRF – 2 on Friday 1 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday.

Simply register at trf.org.uk/events and click on Countryfile or email countryfile@trf.org.uk or call Mario on 07721 480000

Countryfile North, Castle Howard 15-18 August 2019 Stand volunteers: Talking to visitors about the TRF – 6 to 8 per day required.

Simply register at trf.org.uk/events and click on Countryfile or contact Jo Johnston countryfile@trf.org.uk

Caring for volunteers and catering at TRF Events Over the last few summers, the TRF has organised catering for the TRF members volunteering at our Summer events especially Countryfile Live. This year, TRF member David Blackhurst, a professional Catering Consultant and Chef will be managing the TRF’s catering at the summer shows.

MENU Breakfast: In addition to the traditional bacon and egg roll and croissants at briefing we will be adding Bircher muesli with locally sourced apples.

Main Meal: We will be focusing on two simple popular items; high quality burgers made with locally sourced meat, and pasta and tomato sauce.

We will attempt to cater for special dietary requirements including veggie, vegan and gluten-free with notice.

VOLUNTEERS We will be looking for volunteers to help with catering. All food service volunteers will have an appropriate Food Safety qualification and the TRF

will provide volunteers who need one with NVQ certified training before the event. We expect to need two volunteers per event in addition to the Chef to focus on the catering and clear-up. A third volunteer would be useful to assist with tea and coffees in the morning – we have a suitable espresso & latte machine.

EQUIPMENT We are looking at sourcing the following equipment; Kitchen equipment – tongs and large pans A grill and gas burner/hob A fridge/refrigerated trailer for large events

EVENTS We expect to be catering for volunteers at the following Summer events; ABR Festival, Saturday 13 July Countryfile Live, Blenheim 1-4 August 2019 Countryfile Live, Castle Howard 15-18 August 2019 If you would like to volunteer at any of the above events, help with equipment or request that the TRF catering team attend any of your local events please get in touch with events@trf.org.uk

Membership Administrator Working with Sharon on administrating the TRF’s growing membership department.

LARA Chair: Responsible for the direction of LARA LARA Treasurer: Responsible for organising the finances of LARA

LARA www.laragb.org/ Lara is the umbrella organisation and forum that brings together the leading national associations in motor sport and recreation including the TRF, GLASS, ACU, MSA and VMCC as well as other organisations.

Vacancies from the local groups: Herts TRF Group Meetings Secretary: Organising the Herts TRF Monthly meeting programme including venues and speakers

14 Trail Summer 2019

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TRF Groups

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1 Cornwall TRF Contact: Martin Goddard | admin@cornwalltrf.org.uk | 07787522674 | http://www.cornwalltrf.org.uk Meeting details: 3rd Thursday of the month, 8pm at The Hawkins Arms, Zelah, TR4 9HU 2 Devon TRF Contact: John Heal | johnheal@blueyonder.co.uk | 01626 832413 http://www.trfdevon.org.uk/ Meeting details: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7:30pm at The Dolphin Hotel, Station Road, Dolphin Square, Bovey Tracey, TQ13 9AL 3 Somerset TRF Contact: Josh Cook | keeperjhc@hotmail.co.uk | 07590 281296 http://www.somerset-trf.org.uk Meeting details: 1st Thursday of the month, 7:30pm, at The Maypole, Thurloxton, Taunton, TA2 8RF 4 Dorset TRF Contact: John Williamson | wjwilliamson@btinternet.com | 01929 553640 | http://dorset-trf.org.uk/ | http://www.facebook.com/groups/1655657811402165 Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, 8pm at The Royal Oak Hotel, Bere Regis, BH20 7HQ 5 Isle of Wight TRF Contact: Andy Hawkins | 01462 811654 Meeting details: 1st Wednesday of the month, 8pm at The Eight Bells Inn, Carisbrooke, Newport, PO30 1NR 6 Southern TRF Contact: Ben Plummer | twine007@me.com | 07769652656 | http://www.southern-trf.org.uk/ Meeting details: 3rd Thursday of the month, 8pm at Southampton & District MCC, Cranbury Centre, Cranbury Road, Eastleigh, SO50 5HT 7 Central Bristol TRF Contact: Darth Speede | hello@centralbristoltrf.co.ukv | 07766090190 http://www.facebook.com/cbtrf/ Meeting details: 3rd Tuesday of the month, 8pm at the Nova Scotia Hotel, 1 Nova Scotia Place, Hotwells, Bristol, BS1 6XJ 8 Bristol TRF Contact: Glen Summers | mail@trfbristol.org.uk | 01454 619246 | http://www.trfbristol.org.uk/ Meeting details: 4th Monday of the month, 8pm at The Portcullis, 130 High Street, Staple Hill, BS16 5HH 9 Wiltshire TRF Contact: Jim Cairndu | trf.wiltshire@gmail.com | 07840 352996 | http://www.wiltshiretrf.co.uk | http://www.facebook.com/groups/WiltshireTRF | http://www.facebook.com/wiltshiretrf/?fref=ts Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, 8pm at The Pilot, Bowerill, Melksham, Wiltshire SN12 6TA 10 Loddon Vale TRF Contact: Dave Carlingv | http://www.lvtrf.co.uk/ committee@lvtrf.org.uk | Meeting details: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 8pm, The Swan, Basingstoke Road, Three Mile Cross, Reading, RG7 1AT 11 Sussex TRF Contact: Andy Wardrobe | sussex@trf.org.uk | 07414 529298 http://www.sussextrf.org.uk Meeting details: last Thursday of the month, 8pm at Ashington Village Hall, Mill Lane, Ashington, RH20 3BX

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For the latest details go to: trail.trf.org.uk/groups/

12 Kent TRF Contact: Steve Neville | sneville@blueyonder.co.uk | 07887 478552 http://www.kentishtrf.org.uk Meeting details: Last Wednesday of the month, from 7.30pm, Eynsford Riverside Club, Riverside, Eynsford, Dartford DA4 0AE 13 South London & Surrey TRF Contact: Tony Rowlands | grouprep@surreytrf.org.uk | 07772 333328 http://www.surreytrf.org.uk/ Meeting details: 4th Tuesday of the month at 8:30pm, Ripley British Legion, 25 Rose Lane, Ripley, GU23 6NE 14 Oxford TRF Contact: Martin Welch | chairman@oxford.org.uk | http://www.oxfordtrf.org.uk/ Meeting details: 3rd Thursday of the month at 8pm @ The Original Swan, Oxford Road, Cowley, OX4 2LF 15 Gloucestershire TRF Contact: James Osborne | hello@trfglos.org | 01531 822728 Meeting details: 1st wednesday of the month, 8pm at the Wagon Works Club, Tuffley Avenue, Gloucester, GL1 5NS 16 Hertfordshire TRF Contact: Mark Brown / join@hertstrf.org.uk | 07958 506066 | http://www.hertstrf.org.uk/ http://www.facebook.com/groups/HertsTRF/ Meeting details: 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7pm, different venues around London and North Home Counties Schedule on Facebook or contact local rep 17 Essex TRF Contact: Graham Coker | 07789 922537 graham@cokerg.freeserve.co.uk Meeting details: 1st Wednesday of the month, 8pm at The White Horse 2 Church Street, Witham, CM8 2JL 18 Suffolk TRF Contact: Colin Poutney | vraptor@ntlworld.com | 07981 116310 Meeting details: First Monday of the month, 8pm at The Three Kings, Fornham All Saints, Bury St Edmunds, IP28 6LA 19 Norfolk TRF Contact: Rupert Trigg / info@norfolktrf.org.uk | 07899 918276 | http://www.norfolktrf.org.uk | http://www.facebook.com/groups/norfolktrf/ Meeting details: 2nd Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm at The White Horse, Trowse, Norwich, NR14 8ST 20 Cambridge TRF Contact: Andy Lonnen | 07753820520 | newmembers@cambstrf.org.uk http://www.facebook.com/TRF-Cambridgeshire-624123620992268/ | http://www.cambstrf.org.uk/ Meeting details: 3rd Thursday of the month, 8pm at St Ives Outdoor Leisure Centre, California Road, St Ives, PE27 6SJ 21 West Anglia TRF Contact: Geoff Groom | ggroom@btinternet.com | 07929 275465 Meeting details: 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, 8:30pm the Scott Bader Social Club, 122 High Street, opp Parish Church, Wollaston, Wellingborough, NN29 7RJ 22 West Midlands TRF Contact: Steve Whetton | enquiries@westmidlandstrf.co.uk | 01527 451089 / http://www.westmidlandstrf.co.uk Meeting details: 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month, 8pm at Wilmcote Sports and Social Club, 16 Aston Cantlow Road, Wilmcote, Stratford upon Avon, CV37 9XX 23 Worcestershire TRF Contact: David Walters | davidwalters101@hotmail.co.uk | 07767 204730 Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, 7:30pm at The White Hart Fernhill Heath, WR3 8RP 24 Herefordshire TRF Contact: Graham Hutton | graham.hutton671@btinternet.com | 07581023924 Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, 8 pm at the New Inn, Fownhope, Herefordshire, HR1 4PE 25 Mid Wales TRF Contact: Marianne Walford | 01686 430522 marianne@trailrides-wales.com | http://www.facebook.com/groups/354419968236284/ Meeting details: Last Thursday of the month except December, no fixed venue.

26 South Wales TRF Contact: Christian James | christian@swtrf.org.uk | 01446 410073 Meeting details: 1st Thursday of the month at 8pm at the Ty Nant Inn, Nr Radyr, Morganstown, CF15 8LB

27 South West Wales TRF Contact: Rob Williams | rwmotobiker@aol.com | 07974 102372 Meeting details: Last Thursday of the month, 7pm at Hagans Café and Fish & Chip Shop, 2 Pensarn Road, Pensarn, Carmarthen, SA31 2BS 28 Shropshire TRF Contact: Mike Price | alwynmike@hotmail.com | 07718902682 Meeting details: 3rd Thursday of the month, 7.30pm the Acton Arms, Morville, WV16 4RJ 29 East Midlands TRF Contact: Lee Jordan | lee@jordaninstall.co.uk | http://emtrf.co.uk/ Meeting details: 2nd Wednesday of the month, 8pmthe Clock Warehouse, London Road, Shardlow, Derby, DE72 2GL 30 Lincolnshire TRF Contact: Nev Cooke | cookie60@btinternet.com | 07845 067047 | http://www.facebook.com/groups/253106844849995/ Meeting details: 1st Thursday of the month, 8pm Woodys, Woodland Waters, Willoughby Road, Ancaster, Grantham, NG32 3RT 31 Peak District TRF Contact: Alan Gilmore | a.gilmore_home@outlook.com | 07807818542 Meeting details: 1st Thursday of the month, 8pm the Fisherman‘s Rest Belper, DE56 2JF 32 High Peak & Potteries TRF Contact: Russ Unwin | russ.u@hotmail.com | 07968 770629 Meeting details: 2nd Thursday of the month, 8pm The Black Horse, Endon, Stoke-on-Trent, ST9 9BA 33 Derbyshire & South Yorkshire TRF Contact: Bob Morley | bobmorleycbs@gmail.com | https://www.facebook.com/SOUTHYORKSHIRETRF/ Meeting details: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 8pm the Dusty Miller, Sheffield Road, Barlborough, S43 4TW 34 North Wales TRF Contact: Neil “Timpo“ Thompson | timpo@bikerider.com | 07980 555874 / http://www.facebook.com/NorthWalesTRF/ Meeting details: 1st Wednesday of the month, 8pm The Burntwood Pub, 26 Burntwood Road, Buckley, CH7 3EN 35 Manchester TRF Contact: Phil Kinder | philmancunian@googlemail.com | 07809647293 http://www.facebook.com/groups/13477365684/ Meeting details: 4th Monday of the month, 8:30pm at The Sycamore Inn, 4 Stamford Square, Ashton under Lyne, OL6 6QX 36 Lancashire TRF Contact: Keith Westley | keith.westley@outlook.com | 01704 893215 http://www.facebook.com/TRFLancashire/ Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, 8pm The Rigbye Arms 2 Whittle Lane, High Moor, Wrightinton, WN6 9QB 37 West Yorkshire TRF Contact: Tim McEnhill | info@wytrf.org.uk | http://www.wytrf.org.uk Meeting details: 1st Thursday of the month, 7:30pm Cue Garden, Stadium Mills, Stadium Road, Bradford, BD6 1BJ 38 East Yorkshire TRF Contact: Julian Mamo | julian.mamo1@googlemail.com | 07583694431 http://www.facebook.com/groups/959312044201559/ Meeting details: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7:30pm the Bay Horse Inn, 75 Market Place, Market Weighton, York, YO43 3AN 39 Ribble Valley TRF Contact: Paul Stewart or Gary Barker | admin@ribblevalleytrf.org | 07791 934041 or 07711 064574 / http://www.ribblevalleytrf.org Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, bi-monthly, at 8.00pm commencing 5th June 2018 Contact rep for full details. The Petre Arms, Whalley Road, Blackburn, BB6 8AN 40 Teesside & North Yorkshire TRF Contact: Leo Crone | leocronektm1190r@outlook.com | 01325 463815 http://www.facebook.com/groups/teessidenorthyorkshiretrf Meeting details: 3rd Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm The Lord Nelson, 40-41 St James Green, Thirsk, YO7 1AQ 41 Cumbria & Craven TRF Contact: Nigel Summers nigel_summers@sky.com | 07891 403992 http://www.facebook.com/groups/1631280750485319/ Meeting details: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7:30pm the Cross Keys Inn Milnethorpe, LA7 7AB 42 TyneWear Teesdale Contact: Paul Smith | smip694@aol.com | 07980 144446 Meeting details: 4th Tuesday of the month, 7:30pm The Golden Jubilee Pub, Yarm, TS15 9XN 43 Northumbria TRF Contact: Greg Villalobos | ride@northumbriatrf.org.uk | http://www.northumbriatrf.org.uk/ Meeting details: 1st Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm, Petros Restaurant, Spa Well Road, Winlaton Mill, Blaydon on Tyne NE21 6RT

A Quick Leg Over a...

KTM 790 Adventure R

Summer 2019 Trail 19

Accepting the invitation to ride KTM’s new 790 Adventure R at the launch of the Sweet Lamb KTM Adventure Bike Experience Media Day wasn’t difficult. Not least because it was the first time Trail magazine had been included in a mainstream motorcycle media event, despite it being the only trail bike magazine in print currently in the UK. Words: Rick Kemp. Photography: Too Fast Media

HALF A DAY’S riding isn’t really long enough to evaluate anything, let alone a complex piece of machinery. But it’s probably long enough if you really hate something. You can tell straight away if something’s not quite right, or if it’s just plain wrong. A fellow journalist on the launch, who knows about these things, told me that “KTM don’t make crap bikes”. So that was an encouraging start.

The last KTM I’d ridden was a classic 495 MX 2-stroke, brain off, rocket ship and as for Adventure bikes, well, as a trail rider I tend to leave them well alone as they’re a bit like trying to thread an articulated lorry down a narrow country road. I did test a Marlboro BMW Dakar Replica back in the day, which was huge fun to ride as a loud, proud, road bike in London (ironically, the natural habitat of most present-day BMW Adventure bikes).

As a result of the above I was anticipating a small lorry with the power output of a one-litre tourer (95hp). When I arrived at the

impressive KTM Adventure Bike Experience at Sweet Lamb, the bikes were all lined up in pristine fashion, as they would be in a dealership, and they looked surprisingly benign for a product coming from a manufacturer of aggressive dirt bikes, incidentally, the most popular brand among TRF members.

Size Matters The KTM Adventure programme began in 1997 with the 620 Adventure. Since then, capacities and engine configurations have altered to include 640, 950, 990, 1190, 1290, 1050, 1090 and now 790cc. The compact LC8c parallel twin, DOHC motor was an ideal starting point for the new Adventure bikes.

The 490 Adventure is billed by KTM as “The Most Offroad-Capable Travel Bike” with the ‘R’ version being “The Most Travel Capable Offroad Bike”. You get the picture.

Now there aren’t many bikes with bash plates on the fuel tank but that’s precisely

The KTM 790 Adventure R from the side, that big black plastic thing obscuring the engine is the fuel tank. Not exactly attractive but it does keep the C of G low...

20 Trail Summer 2019

what the 790 has, not because KTM expects its customers to spend a lot of time upside down but rather because the base of the 20-litre pannier tank is the lowest, widest point of the bike (apart from the handlebars) and forward of the engine. KTM claims a range of 280 miles on a tankful. Even thirty miles short of that it’s still respectable, even for a touring road bike.

22 Trail Summer 2019

Technology The KTM lodge at Sweet Lamb with its changing room facilities and indoor and outdoor seating, all suitably themed in KTM orange, was the venue for our briefing on the day’s activities. We didn’t get much briefing on the tackle we’d be using, but I guess we’re supposed to know these things. For those who don’t, here goes. The motor is also

Sweet Lamb from the air

found in the KTM 790 Duke but has been remapped to take advantage of the widest band of usable torque. The ride-by-wire tech and on-board electronics provide riders with a choice of Street, Off-road, Rain and Rally modes. Lean-angle sensitivity assists the Motorcycle Traction Control (MTC) and cornering ABS. An optional extra, and fitted to our test bikes, was Quickshifter+, which

partially explains the use of a low-tech clutch cable. Quickshifter+ assists the gear change in both directions; on the down shift sensors allow the engine speed to be matched to the lower gear speed. No blipping necessary – a hard habit to break. Still, at least most of the rider aids can be switched off.

As with so many functional things, if it looks right it’s probably there, or there abouts.

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The 790 Adventure R isn’t quite like that. It’s that fuel tank again, you know why it’s where it is – to keep the centre of gravity low – and in a funny way I couldn’t wait to get on it to see if it all worked.

Mark ‘Moly’ Molineux, top man at the KTM Adventure Experience, put us through our theoretical paces with a static demonstration with his bike on its centre stand. Standing on the pegs, weight-shifting to help turn the bike, looking where you want the bike to go – that sort of thing. Re-emphasising the technical reasons for doing things, some of which you perhaps do automatically. It was a very good exercise if, like me, you’ve got into some bad habits over the years.

We were led off by Moly on our numbered machines – mine was ten. We had been informed that the bikes were in standard specification, as they came out of the box, and that included the Metzeler Karoo 3 tyres (21-inch front). Though some KTM Adventure models have adjustable seat heights, the R versions are fixed, and in the case of the 790 that’s 880mm, and given that – full of fuel – this bike weighs over 190kg, climbing aboard presented no problems for a slightly overweight, average height male.

So embarrassing when you drop a bike trying to get astride it.

Like I said, I was curious as to how this bike would feel. In a word, superb. Bouncing on the well-positioned footrests moved the front and rear WP units by about the same amount. Likewise, alternately weighting the footrests pulled the bike one way or the other entirely predictably. Even though there’s a stonking amount of power on tap, it doesn’t feel excessive. Sure, you probably could do doughnuts and leave black lines everywhere on tarmac but on the loose, forestry-type tracks at Sweet Lamb the power delivery was very controllable and therefore confidence- inspiring – and all this without the aid of knobbly rubber.

Credit for a lot of this bike’s good manners must be down to the electronics. Initially the fuelling felt a bit clunky but that turned out to be down to incorrect mode selection, which should have been Off-road not Adventure – Stupid Boy. On the large figure-of-eight track

Mark ‘Moly’ Molineux, top man at the KTM Adventure Experience

The Briefing Room

that we started out on, it only took a lap to get the speed up to ‘brisk’ level, which says a lot about the bike’s predictability. Next came some open grassland where you couldn’t read the ground too well and had to trust the suspension to soak up any surprises, which it duly did. This is the major difference between the ‘R’ version and the straight Adventure – more suspension travel and 48mm diameter tubes as opposed to 43mm.

In some instances, like entering a quick corner, when I should have been standing on the pegs I was sat down, Old-School style, with my inside leg hovering above the floor.

These bikes are designed to be ridden standing up, as Moly kept telling me.

Summer 2019 Trail 25

Perhaps the best compliment I can pay the 790 Adventure R is that after an hour or so of riding it all my ‘Adventure’ preconceptions had been blown away. A front ‘tower’ large

enough to house a surround-sound 4k TV was thankfully absent, allowing the rider to adopt the standing, head-over-handlebars position without the helmet chin bar interfacing with the top of the screen. The 790R is equipped with KTM My Ride which, with the appropriate app, facilitates navigation, audio player and phone functions.

We also had a chance for a bit more learning at Sweet Lamb with the slow-manoeuvring areas. Okay, hands up, I went base over apex on the full lock turns. Standing on the pegs, ‘bars on the lock stop and using the rear brake, clutch and body lean for control, I stalled it and landed on my arse. However, the bike was unscathed. Just as well given its twelve-grand price tag. Perceived value?

A tricky one – as Paul Simon once sang, “One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor”.

The Full Experience I would’ve liked to have got to grips the 790R on the road, after all that’s part of the bike’s design parameter. Perhaps another time. The experience opened my eyes not only to the state-of-the-art Adventure bike but also to the adventure playground that is the Sweet Lamb KTM Adventure Experience. Sweet Lamb has got everything going for it with the possible exception of the weather. Situated in Mid Wales at Llanidloes, it comprises 6,600 acres and encompasses amazing scenery, tracks, streams, big hills, mud and, of course, specialist skills areas.

The very knowledgeable staff includes ACU-qualified instructors who can cater for all abilities. The dedicated rider can graduate through Bronze, Silver, Orange and Orange Pro. There are 12 different training areas and all the other facilities one would expect in terms of catering and relaxation. In terms of motorsport, Wales has long had the reputation of being the Playground of the English but more recently the Welsh have taken ownership of the situation and given new meaning to agricultural diversification with the number of off-road academies available to the public. Sweet Lamb is definitely the Orange standard.

Contact: Mark Molineux: 07794 937 011 info@adventurerallybike.co.uk

Vital stats

Engine: DOHC, 8-valve Parallel Twin Capacity: 799cc Power: 95hp Gearbox: 6-speed Clutch: Cable-operated slipper type Starter: Electric Fuel Capacity: 20 litres Wheelbase: 1528mm Seat Height: 880mm Dry Weight: 189kg SRP: £11,999.00

Summer 2019 Trail 27

Artisan Racer The only electronic aid the AJP PR7 has is fuel injection.

As Aled Morgan discovered this can be a good thing as there’s no need to worry if you’re in the right ‘mode’ – you can just get on and ride the thing.

SweeT LAMB AdvenTURe Bike Academy in mid wales was the venue for the first UK test of the highly-anticipated AJP PR7. AJP, for any of you who don’t know, is a Portuguese company started by Antonio J Pinto (hence AJP), specialising in small-displacement, single-cylinder, 4-stroke motorcycles. The welsh weather was predictably wet, which for a UK test means that conditions are

perfect. Any trepidation from our test rider Mark Molineux before we start the test ride is purely down to not knowing that much about the bike. All of this however was put aside as soon as the PR7 was wheeled out the back of the van by Bob Allen from AJP UK. The bike really does look a beautiful piece of hand-built Portuguese Rally Bike, Adventure Bike or Trail Bike, it ticks all three of these boxes.

28 Trail Summer 2019

The finish of the bike is very neat with some lovely added touches, such as the air intake sitting directly behind the headstock, a dorma exhaust to add to the already purposeful looks, cush-drive rear hub, Galfer braking disks, heavy-duty chain and a beautifully crafted swing arm as well. The more you look around this bike, the more details you discover. A welcomed site included seeing the Husqvarna red top 600cc

engine which is renowned for its proven reliability, comforting in the fact you know the heart of the motorcycle has a pedigree.

The bike even comes with a Samsung Galaxy tablet for your information screen.

A gentle push of the button and the bombproof engine fires into life, the first thing that strikes you on riding the bike is the willingness of the engine. The gearing is quite high to cope with road work, however this

Summer 2019 Trail 29

30 Trail Summer 2019

made no difference, it was smooth as silk and brought a huge smile to our faces instantly.

ABS didn’t need to be switched off, traction control didn’t need to be messed around with. You didn’t need to set this or set that, it’s a simple motorcycle which delivers an uninterrupted experience, exactly how it should be.

Chassis genius whoever designed the chassis was an absolute genius and knew exactly what they were doing. The way the bike steers, handles and tracks through corners is absolutely incredible, even with the standard trail tyres that were fitted. The feel of the bike is very similar to a 250 until you explore the 60bhp motor and then you are quickly reminded that you are not on a small-capacity motorcycle. The same suspension that comes standard on Beta enduro bikes is featured here with 48mm Sachs forks providing 300mm of travel on the front and a Sachs shock with 280mm of travel on the rear complement each other, for trail riding the bike is set up perfectly and traction is provided everywhere. It was smooth, predictable and confidence building and just encouraged you to push harder and faster everywhere. Out on the tarmac the big single just punches you through with ease, as it was brand new we took it relatively easy however it shows 70mph with complete ease and no issues whatsoever. we were so impressed with its handling capabilities and light and agile feel that we decided to take it to the Rally course for more of a shakedown. At this point Bob from AJP’s eyes widened considerably and did remind us that the bike was brand new and to look after it! we did take care but also pushed it enough to find some areas in need of potential improvement.

The suspension for hard-core rallying is too soft though it still held a line and remained poised, however slightly stiffer suspension would have been preferred. This being said we were pushing at a rally pace and the majority of bikes require suspension set up and fettling in order to get the best out of them when you are riding at a rally pace.

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with the added bonus of having Martin from Torque Racing on hand with AJP UK this would be a very simple fix.

Continued on p34

Could do better? while we are talking about points of improvement we will list everything we found, we are getting picky because we want to offer a completely transparent review. The screen we felt was too high when getting into the more technical off road going such as steep inclines as it does become noticeable. we feel the fuel filter may be slightly small however it would be very simple to add a secondary inline filter for added security and peace of mind. The levers felt very square, this is quite a personal point but we would have changed these. Finally, the wheel nuts, this may seem rather sad, but some wheel nuts with a machined shoulder would have really set off the bike, especially against the gorgeous swing arm. The standard ones just don’t quite do it justice. As you can see, these are all minor points and mainly personal preferences that would not take long at all to sort.

32 Trail Summer 2019

The question: AJP PR7. Adventure bike, Trail bike and Race bike?

begin the first sighting lap. each lap featured three special tests, with two laps being timed, making three laps in total and a raced distance of 135 miles. So close to double the distance the AJP had covered to date, and at race pace. A fair test of any bike!

Sighting lap 09:04 rolls around and we are let loose, through Sweet Lamb and quickly into the Hafren forest, both of which were featured in the welsh round of the world Rally Championships not two weeks before. The course is mainly fast, flowing forestry track, but what is noticeable very quickly is the tracks are extremely slick, the wRC cars polishing the tracks meaning that grip was definitely not at an all-time high. Catching out numerous riders throughout the field over the course of the three laps. we quickly arrive at the first test, all tests on

Summer 2019 Trail 33

Continued on p35

LIKe wITH eveRYOne else, life has a way of getting firmly in the way of bike time, meaning that before the start off the 2018 Hafren Rally, I have managed less than an hour on the bike clocking up just under 70 miles.

The AJP PR7 has the power up kit fitted, bringing it to around 60bhp, a set of mousses and some Maxxis enduro tyres, other than that it is straight from the crate. The night before the event, I remove the indicators, other than these bits the bike sits exactly how you would buy it, including the Samsung Galaxy A6 tablet as a dash.

An uncharacteristically dry and mild Hafren Rally morning greets us on the way into Sweet Lamb before 07:30. The paddock is already full, the final rally of the season never fails to get a good turnout.

Signing on is a simple affair after which the race numbers are applied and the transformation to full on rally bike is complete. A turn of the key and a flick of the button and it purrs into life. I snick it into gear and begin tootling through the pits to go to scrutineering. Rally pits are always full of rare and exotic machinery, but you know you are sat on something a little bit special when it feels like the entire pits comes to a standstill to look at what is coming through. I felt like the new pretty girl at school with the amount of eyes on me. Scrutineering was a breeze, as it would be on a brand new bike. The hardest part of the whole process was getting back to the bike to go down to the van because of the amount of people around it!

Courtesy of AJP UK I was supplied with AJP Clice race kit and a new Just1 Racing helmet.

As I’m kitting up in the back of the van there is a constant stream of people stopping and looking at the bike, asking all manner of questions about it, I really couldn’t get over the amount of interest in this machine.

First bikes away is at 09:00, with the number 12 that gives us a start time of 09:04, I gently make my way to the start line to

A rear-mounted, under-seat 17-litre fuel tank puts all the weight lower down helping the feel of the bike. The filler cap is located in front of you in the generic location and feeds the fuel tank through a funnel system under the seat, a lovely touch and avoids the issue of the fuel cap getting filled with mud on the rear and also means you don’t have to remove your saddle bags every time you fill the bike up. The seat is beautiful, comfortable and not too wide allowing you can get your legs into the side of the bike easily.

So, the main question, would we spend our own money on this bike? In a world of computer aided motorcycles, where the ability of the rider is consistently being comprised with the latest sensor, this is a breath of fresh air. A real world traveller, trail conqueror and rally tamer, whichever you decided it to be, which can be worked on by the side of the trail with simple tools and basic knowledge if the need arises.

Get in contact with AJP UK and organise a test ride, just make sure you have the blessing of the bank manager or an understanding wife as you will want one!

Vital stats

Engine: dOHC, 4-valve Single (eFI) Capacity: 600cc Power: 60hp (with power kit) Gearbox: 6-speed Clutch: wet multi-plate Starter: electric Fuel Capacity: 17 Litres Wheelbase: 1540mm Seat Height: 920mm Dry Weight: 145kg SRP: £8,500.00

Contact

AJP Motorcycles UK Ltd Unit 3 – Low Farm Brook Road Bassignbourn Cambs SG8 5nT Phone: 07957 635504 Email: info@ajpmotorcycles.co.uk

34 Trail Summer 2019

this lap are untimed meaning we have an opportunity to look at lines and try to gather a rough idea of where we are going. The first test sets off down a fire road and quickly puts us into tight single track between trees with one narrow deep rut. This theme continued throughout the entire test only separated by a few stitched-in parts of fire roads. definitely more suited to the enduro bikes the single deep rut meant we had to be fully focused in order not get caught up on anything. The underslung exhaust made the bike slightly wider than the rut. not typical rally going but we can make up time on the faster sections.

A relatively long liaison section then through fast fire roads and fire breaks between the trees, the bike truly is coming into its own. It’s a joy to ride, as soon as the track opens up slightly this bike takes some beating. It flicks left to right through corners with the slightest of inputs and just encourages you to push harder and harder.

It’s also a nice change to race something that actually has a comfy seat too! we eventually arrive at the second test which is held on the Yamaha Off-Road experience part of the Hafren forest. Following on from a very similar theme to the first one in terms of going and layout a similar attack strategy is going to be needed. Smooth where we have to be and minimise mistakes, then push where we can.

A short liaison section to the third and final test, this test is much more suited to the AJP, faster more open going, and it drops back to finish onto the motocross track at Sweet Lamb, it was the longest of all the tests but I definitely felt the bike come alive on this test.

Back to the van to fuel myself and the bike.

45 miles is done and we have a half an hour wait until it’s time for the racing laps.

Race pace what followed was 90 miles at race pace with six special tests. The bike didn’t miss a single beat, I didn’t touch the chain, didn’t tighten a single bolt. It was faultless. The only thing I needed to do was fill it with petrol each lap, even though it has a 17-litre tank, I tried to run the petrol relatively low, we were racing it after all!

At race pace the bike really did impress me, the engine is solid, has plenty or torque out of sharp corners and allows you to pull a taller gear in order to get the grip down.

At high speed it sits completely composed and inspires confidence. The brakes are fantastic and I didn’t suffer even the slightest bit of brake fade or squeak throughout the entire rally. The handling of this bike is where it really excels though, especially through the fast switch back corners, it allows you to tighten or widen your line just by looking at the line you want, it really is beautiful to ride.

The main question then, can you race it? well, not only can you race the AJP PR7, you can also place it second in its class with less than an hour on it before hand, and with a set of mousses and enduro tyres being the only alterations.

The bike didn’t miss a single beat, I didn’t touch the chain, didn’t tighten a single bolt. It was faultless. The only thing I needed to do was fill it with petrol each lap!

Considering how standard this bike was, we hadn’t set up the suspension, it was on standard gearing, nothing other than indicators were taken off to make it lighter, it was still even running the AJP app on the Samsung tablet, I think that result is a testament to the pedigree of the bike.

I have no doubts that I could have ridden the bike home and it wouldn’t have batted an eyelid, just remember to plug the indicators back in!

The verdict: AJP PR7, Adventure bike, Trail bike, Race Bike – Confirmed.

Thanks: Bob Allen and Martin wittering from AJP UK, Hafren dirt Bike Club for putting on the event and Sweet Lamb Adventure Bike

Academy.

For 2019 Aled Morgan is supported by AJP UK in competing on the AJP PR7

Summer 2019 Trail 35

Red Riders

each year the Walford family organise a weekend of top-notch trail riding exclusively for owners of Honda CRF250L models – though you certainly don’t need to own one to enjoy riding in north Wales.

This year’s Ride Red was based in Dolgellau and made extensive use of the stunning scenery of Snowdonia national Park.

Words and photos from Trail’s online editor James Higgs

HAvIng mISSeD THe previous two Ride Red events on account of my own apathy, I took it upon myself to email marianne a full five days before the event and (to my surprise) was allocated a place with Colin, who led he ‘intermediate quicker pace’ group. marianne, Colin, and daughter Lucie together run Trail Rides Wales – a well-

36 Trail Summer 2019

established guiding business observing best practice and making the most of the sustainable, rocky roads in an area shared with fellow guides Tony Williams and Phil Steinhardt from Trail Riding Days and Ride the Wild, respectfully.

After a cursory night’s sleep in the Silver Lion, I assembled my bike and joined the

Heading west on ‘Kings Road’

Tom Walsingham, the

‘Limbo King’

twenty or so riders who had already arrived at the meeting point, where a much-needed cup of tea set me up for the first lane of the day (or so I thought). Heading west out of the town Jason, Bill, Wayne, Tom and myself followed Colin to what appeared to be a no more than a rocky field on the side of a hill, which thankfully found definition in the form of parallel, four-hundred year old dry stone walls which mark the boundary of ‘Kings Road’- a spectacularly scenic combination of stone, gorse and heather.

An involuntary dismount (from a stationary position) caused by a pinched throttle cable threw me into the carriageway with sufficient force to knock the camera from my helmet and leave me with a bruised shoulder a full

Summer 2019 Trail 37

Looking out over Barmouth from Cadair Idris

month later – thank goodness I always carry anti-inflammatories!

Soon we were skirting the northern edge of Cadair Idris, where clear skies over Barmouth Bay enabled us to see Pwllheli and the Lleyn Peninsula beyond. We were fortunate with the weather, which could have turned the ride from a photographer’s dream into a fierce battle against the elements.

A fallen tree obstructing a gully at Llanegryn compelled us to undertake a ceremonial limbo-off (with celebratory distribution of jelly babies) shortly before we reached the bottom of the Dysynni valley near Bryncrug, where by chance we crossed paths with global circumnavigator, Steph Jeavons. I did not recognise Steph (or Rhonda) at first, and assumed her to be a Ride Red participant awaiting recovery.

Thankfully a modicum of rationality enabled

38 Trail Summer 2019

The Silver Mountain

Experience

d his Checking out Bill an

me to remember that the 250L is largely unbreakable. midway through the three-mile long Happy valley byway we met Tony Williams, who was happy(!) to exchange pleasantries whilst working. I first met Tony at the inaugural Bike Tours for the Wounded byway tour in 2015 where he graciously gave two days of his life to guide riders from Oswestry to Hereford. He was the first rider on the tools when a savagely buckled rear sprocket on Strata Florida threatened to end someone’s tour. Ten minutes with a pair of locking pliers and the sprocket was as good as it had ever been.

Colin stopped at the end of Happy valley to ensure that we cleaned our number plates before riding to machynlleth, where DyfedPowys Police have a reputation for enforcing number plate legislation ‘to the letter’. We

a bike after a mishap on

cambered rock slab

didn’t encounter the Heddlu, though I heard a group from Wiltshire had recently received £100 fixed penalty notices for having unlawfully small number plates. If you’re new to motorcycling in Powys, the advice from locals is to expect police checks in urban areas – particularly at weekends.

Heading south we rounded Lake Syfydrin and exchanged pleasantries with a small group of 4x4 drivers who were enjoying a BBQ aside its waters, which are darkened by the area’s peat-rich soil. Our progress was steady, save for a cambered rock slab which we rode individually in the interests of safety.

Bill parted company with his bike here, though thankfully both man and machine were undamaged.

A buffet lunch awaited us at The Silver mountain experience where unfortunately Jason had to retire because his upgraded Öhlins shock was leaking oil after just 600 miles of mainly tarmac use. We saw him off on the roads proper before taking the more scenic route back to Dolgellau, passing the same group of 4x4 drivers who by now were very much full of bravado.

Sunday was clearly still a traditional day of rest, with about one-third of participants retiring in spite of marianne’s assurance that

Summer 2019 Trail 39

it would be a more sedate day. We headed north along Sarn Helen through Coed-yBrenin before meeting Lucie’s group near Bwlch goriwared, where we decided to ride as a larger group after appreciating the futility of trying to leapfrog one another at each and every gate we encountered. After a quick stop at a memorial made from the engine of a de Havilland mosquito which tragically crashed in 1945 we took lunch at meirion mill, where more tea, cake and sandwiches awaited us.

Whilst heading back I asked Colin about two routes just north of the town - the old Bontddu to Llanbedr road, colloquially named ‘Pont-Scethin’ after its bridge, and Bwlch y Rhiwgyr - ‘The Drovers’ Pass’, which is part of the Trans euro Trail. Colin advised me that the remoteness and geology of the roads made solo use unwise, and that I would instead be welcome to join a small group that he was guiding there later in the month.

In the time it took us to ride the last few miles to Dolgellau Colin had changed his mind, and kindly offered to guide me over the mountains. Tom – our last remaining team member – needed to leave because of work Colin on summit of the

Llanbedr road

40 Trail Summer 2019

e memorial

The Mosquito engin

Jason riding Happy Valley

commitments so Colin and I duly set off on Lake Syfydrin an anti-clockwise loop to Dyffryn Ardudwy and back. It didn’t take long to appreciate Colin’s advice about solo travel, as the route required a good degree of concentration at times – having to extract a stricken motorcycle could easily take hours, if not days. It was all worth it though as the views here are breath-taking, and I wondered how long it took the Welsh to construct the many walls which enclose the mountains.

Proceeds from the event went to mid Wales TRF, who this year are supporting the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Society and a number of smaller local causes that support farming communities. Look out for their ‘mid Wales meander’, ‘Hafren Hunt’ and ‘Santa Ride’ later in the year.

Summer 2019 Trail 41

The only way is

Wessex

The Editor participates in his first TRF event and sets an example of how not to do it THE WIlTSHIRE GRouP held its annual Wessex Wanderer Weekend of guided trail riding in May, which saw 110 TRF members led around Wiltshire and surrounding counties by a dependable team of volunteers.

The event was once again held at the superb Blackland lakes Campsite and sold out in less than two days, though entries were limited by the number of volunteer ride leaders rather than the venue’s size or availability of suitable routes.

This year marked the first time that the event had been organised by someone other than Keith Johnston, who has diligently presided over his idea from its earliest

42 Trail Summer 2019

inception in 2006 until his retirement last year. Duties are now split between Andrew Byatt and James Peer, who handle the work with admirable meticulousness not to mention a few late nights.

The choice of the WWW was influenced by being free that weekend, and being interested in all that ancient stuff that James Higgs has written about in Trail, due to my having spent time in Bradford-on-Avon, Somerset and Stockbridge, Hants, where I was deeply affected by the countryside.

My first bad decision was choosing to drive from Kent early on the Saturday morning rather than the night before (didn’t want to

get involved with the pre-weekend exodus from london). I arrived at the Black lakes Holiday Park, signed on, got my breakfast wrist band, scoffed a sausage, egg and bacon roll, slurped a cup of coffee, unloaded the bike, and put on my riding gear by which time I was ready for a little lie down. ‘Ping’, a text from Darth Speede, who turned out to be my group leader. “Where are you? Please go to your group assembly point by the sign-on marquee.” on the previous day I had collected a straight-from-the-crate Fantic 250E Casa, thanks to Clements Moto. I know this bike reasonably well, having tested the 2018 model for the Autumn issue of Trail, but there are a few improvements for 2019, more of which later. So, no bike prep to do. How did I manage with the rest of it? Not great.

I decided to ditch the Aquapack in my Acerbis Adventure jacket as I would be carrying a camera in a backpack and didn’t want too much weight. I anticipated not having to unroll my minimal tool kit as the bike’s milometer was still in single figures.

The Wessex Wanderer is a much wider ranging event than I had imagined. I must admit that my knowledge of Anglo-Saxon England was a bit hazy but nothing that Google can’t sort out. The core of Wessex comprises the modern counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset.

WWW takes in all of these plus most of Gloucestershire and no doubt some other bits I don’t know about.

The Fantic purred into life on the button and I rode off to find the group 10 muster point and Darth. When booking for the

Summer 2019 Trail 43

Amesbury Byway 11 near Stonehenge.

Saved thanks to the TRF!

event you’re given the choice of Gentle and Scenic, Intermediate, and Adventure, and there is a ladies group but ladies are at liberty to ride in any other group as well.

There were ten Gentle and Scenic groups (I was in GS10), 13 Intermediate groups and a single Adventure group. Group numbers are a very manageable maximum of five.

I was informed that we were going to ride the Plain (Salisbury) on the Saturday, which I was pleased about as it could be termed one of the ‘classic’ rides. We left Blackland lakes under an overcast sky with group leader Darth having only three riders to chaperone.

I was in the company of KTM and Huskymounted companions as we headed for our initial taste of Wiltshire countryside and the beauty spot of Morgan’s Hill, the first photo opportunity of the day. Selecting the Gentle and Scenic option was a good plan because

44 Trail Summer 2019

you get the benefit of actually being able to appreciate where you are and what you’re doing, rather than your immediate surroundings being a blur as you focus on the next bit of ‘technical’ going.

The Fantic is easy to ride, and it has no obvious ‘quirks’ you have to take into account. The bike has everything you need to do the job, all the controls are straightforward and there are no annoying fiddly bits.

It wasn’t long before we came to some muddy slots round the Vale of Pewsey.

Tackling these is down to what speed you feel happy at and the resulting gear selection – second or third (of six) for the most part seemed to do the trick.

Darth slowed us to a halt and, with a glint in his eye, informed us that there was some water up ahead and we’d do best to keep to the left. At this point I nipped ahead of my

Peasedown St. John near the Fosse Way

other group members so that I could keep Darth firmly in view. The water was almost knee high and of course, you can’t tell what’s underneath. I followed the leader with a few revs on in second gear, which worked a treat.

There were a few more deep splashes to come, all thankfully negotiated without getting too wet.

By this time the day was getting warmer, and so was I. With no Aquapack. Heading towards Avebury and West Kennet we stopped for another photo opportunity and our first glimpse of a standing stone. At this point we were passed by several cyclists on a mission. That particular byway ended in a farmyard with tables set out with refreshments – for the cyclists – only. At this point I realised that I’d also forgotten to pack my Gluco Tabs – I tend to get through five or six of these on a day’s ride, as I find they keep

me sharp when the energy levels to drop.

Avebury was the designated lunch stop where the choice was between a pub and a National Trust café. Somehow the café won.

However I did feel better, if poorer, after a sweet drink, a giant flapjack and a bottle of water for the back pocket. leaving Avebury presented another photo opportunity with the bikes and more standing stones (I’m sure they are rearranged every year with a JCB, specially those ones inches from the road.)

From there it was on to the Plain. The rain on the Plain… There must’ve been heavy rainfall on the days prior to the WWW because there was a good deal of standing water and one of our group had filled his boots. Salisbury Plain is a unique area, in part because of the MoD presence and the topographical features that attracted the military there in the first place, ie not many. If you’re

Summer 2019 Trail 45

View from Morgan’s Hill

lobbing high-explosive shells about the place it’s a good idea to be able to see where they’re going with the naked eye.

There are many ways across the Plain, hardly surprising, given that it covers about 300 square miles. You’ve got tracks, trails, lanes, byways, bridleways, metalled and unmetalled roads and open and closed military roads. Good job we had Darth as I don’t think GPS would be much help. Just when you thought you might be coming to the end of a particular section there’d be a turn off and another vista would open up – great riding and I didn’t fall off all day.

We didn’t come across any unexploded ordnance or dead military hardware, though there were some personnel carriers whizzing about the place looking purposeful. The Mitas EF 07 Enduro tyres on the Fantic handled every surface, gripping or slipping as

46 Trail Summer 2019

demanded by the throttle.

There was a fair bit of road work back to the campsite, where it was time to sign on for the AGM and get your wrist band for supper. I was parked next to Alcuin Wilkie from Central Bristol TRF, who being the gent that he is, offered me a glass of wine and another. This is an important health warning and I do know better. If you’ve been out riding all day with not enough liquid, do not drink alcohol as this will further dehydrate you – drink plenty of water first. I could add to the list another useful warning – don’t sleep in your car (thanks Mario for the Airbnb tip). Anyway, long story short, Sunday morning didn’t find yours truly all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Even the cooked breakfast in the company of half a dozen goslings didn’t help and when I discovered that the car wouldn’t start I decided to ring the RAC and call it a day.

Climbing Fovant Down towards Old Shaftesbury Drove

benefit from both public rights of way and permissive byways in the Salisbury Plain Training Area. These permissive privileges could be withdrawn by the MoD at any time and it is imperative that we do everything we can to behave respectfully and reduce any noise impact that we may have. of course, we also have the recent pressures regarding the World Heritage Site at Stonehenge.

We respectfully request that those who have non-legal and noisy exhausts consider whether this is appropriate for trail riding in general, that those who ride illegally in our area (whether our members are present or otherwise) jeopardise our hobby, and we would remind everyone that this is something the Wiltshire TRF will expect adherence to at future events.

James Peer and Andrew Byatt: wiltshire.trf.ww@gmail.com

Summer 2019 Trail 47

Fantic 250E mini-test p48

However, “I’ll be back”.

Post event message from the organisers Thank you for attending the WTRF Wessex Wanderer this year as either one of the 110 attendees or the 45 ride leaders and support staff. We hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as we did. We believe it was our most successful Wessex Wanderer Event to date.

Firstly, and positively, the campsite reported back to us that several of their other nonmotorcycling guests had commented on how courteous we all were around the campsite, which was nice to hear. Secondly, unfortunately more negatively, several ride leaders commented about noisy exhausts.

Thankfully, this was the only complaint that we are aware of.

Wiltshire TRF have worked hard over the years to try and maintain a good relationship in the area and we are fortunate enough to

Fantic 250E Facts

THERE WAS oNlY one other Fantic 250 E at the Wessex event which makes it bit exclusive considering that there were truck loads of KTMs, Huskies, Hondas etc. okay, this generation of Fantic hasn’t been around that long so you won’t see any ten-year-old models like you would with other brands.

The Fantic range in the uK is expanding, the Street Scrambler 500 is uber hip with the Bike Shed crowd and this year’s newest model, the Rally 500 has got dual-sport appeal. And, as you can see from the adverts in this issue, Fantic caters for the youngsters with a 2T 50cc and learners with a Yamaha engined 125 so the rider progression within the brand is there.

I like the Fantic and not just because the uK distributor is local and loans me a bike from time to time. It looks the part, at the WW many people said how smart it looked and were impressed by it’s £4,899 price tag. It’s got all the twinkly bits; red fork tubes, gold triple clamps, digital dash, tapered fat bars, Domino grips, wavy discs, black anodised rims, Arrow silencer and a ‘made in Italy’

48 Trail Summer 2019

decal – what’s not to like?

Despite also having an ‘enduro’ decal, that one is probably down to marketing, in this country anyway, it’s sold as a down-to-earth trail bike developing just under 30hp and weighing in at 104 kg. Those two stats alone tell you that this is not a scary bike. When you add in an immaculate chrome-moly chassis and very capable suspension and brakes you begin to get the fuller picture.

You don’t need to keep backing off, this bike can take the punishment and that makes it deceptively rapid from A to B. The gear ratios may not be to everyone’s taste but you can quickly adapt your riding style to suit or there is a smaller gear box sprocket available. In standard trim you could just about nudge the legal limit in top gear on the flat which means that you don’t need a larger capacity bike to cope with the road work which of necessity we all have to do to join up the good bits.

The seat is firm and its height is 915mm so you wouldn’t want shorter than average legs.

The seat nose/tank plastic area is narrow

Come to where the action is...

Come to Catalonia!

On trails...

enough to help reach the ground and also on the move, if you’re sat down it’s easy enough to have a dab. It’s all about creating confidence.

Ride this bike for half a day and you’ll get the message, it’s very capable and it can make you look good in the process.

Vital stats

Engine: SoHC, 4-valve single cylinder Capacity: 249.9cc Gearbox: 6-speed Clutch: Wet multi-plate Starter: Electric Fuel capacity: 7.7 litres Wheelbase: 1420 Seat height: 915mm Dry weight: 104kg SRP: 4,899.00 Contact: Clements Moto T: 01227 720700 W: www.fanticmotoruk.com

Summer 2019 Trail 49

On tarmac...

Our rural, Our rural, off-grid of f-g rid F Finca inca is is the the p perfect erfect b ase ffrom rom w hich to to e xplore tthis his base which explore b eautif ul area area of of Spain Spain ior ior ttrails rails or or beautiful rroads, oads, ffrom rom the the m ountains tto o the the sea. sea. mountains R ide d own o ly o ver a nd explore explore the t he Ride down orr ffly over and rroads oads a nd trails trails u sing o ur new ne w H on d a and using our Honda C RF250L ttrail rail b ikes.

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The Garbage Run Bike traveller and TRF member Nathan Millward explains more about his project to both make a living and get more people riding TeN yeaRs ago, I was lucky enough to ride a motorbike around the world. It was an old aussie post bike and for a good few years after the trip I didn’t really ride it that much. I got married and bought a house instead. after a few years I began to miss heading off on the bike so had the less than original idea to ride the postie bike from Land’s end to John o’groats.

50 Trail Summer 2019

On the way from New York to Los Angeles

I wasn’t bothered about going too far on it – I didn’t really have the time or money – but just fancied putting some more miles under the wheels. The trouble was that I kept finding excuses not to bother.

In the end I put a post up on Facebook, asking if anyone wanted to join me and if they did that I’d meet them down at Land’s end at 8.30am on a saturday morning in mid-May. about 35 riders said they were going to join in and with the date set I had no choice but to do the run. about 30 turned up in the end on everything from C90s, CB200s and a Vespa, up to a gsX1250 and a V-strom 1000. The garbage Run was born.

The plan was to ride only back roads, starting in Land’s end and finishing in John o’groats. We’d take a week, camp along the way and ride about 200 miles a day. The route was up along the Cornish and Devon coast, around Bristol and over the old severn Bridge just over the border into Wales. From there up to Dom’s Bike stop in Leominster for a night, onto the Peak District and all the way up through the yorkshire Dales, Cumbria and the scottish borders, taking the ferry from

52 Trail Summer 2019

gourock to Dunoon at the foot of the Highlands. Up then to Inveraray, onto applecross and then the remainder of the NC500 coastal route all the way around to John o’groats.

I called it the garbage Run just because it seemed to suit the cheap and cheerful theme.

It was just meant to be that one run but at the end of it the riders said they’d enjoyed it and that I should do some more and start charging for it. I did another one that year, then three in 2018, plus some shorter runs in Wales and the south east, then the big one across america; guiding 12 riders on their own bikes from New york to Los angeles in what was the inaugural garbage Run Usa. In 2019 there’s plan to take a group on postie bikes across the outback, plus another lot around Iceland. My wife is glad of the peace and quiet. at the moment most of the tours are Tarmac based. I’m apprehensive about the green-road stuff as there’s a lot more to go wrong and you’re so much dependent on rider ability and condition of bike. I did run a Welsh safari for Bennetts customers, taking a

dozen novice riders on a trail riding weekend around Rhayader. again, we had everything from big bikes to small and it worked out okay in the end, making use of a good local guide. only one guy stuffed it through a fence, the rest were okay.

The main thing to me is encouraging people to get out on their bike a bit more and part of that is breaking them in gently.

It only takes one bad experience to put them off for life and I think with trail riding people are generally apprehensive to begin with. It’s why in 2018 I also worked with sweetlamb adventure Rally academy to put on a Beginner’s Trail Riding weekend, which turned out to be a great way of giving novice riders a bit more confidence and skill to take away with them. Most went away saying they were going to do some more trail riding in the future, with the oldest rider the ripe young age of 82, riding a liquid-cooled R1200 gs no less. No excuses from that man.

In many ways it feels wrong charging

people for putting trips on and organising stuff like this. Ideally, you’d do it for nothing. But goodwill sadly doesn’t pay the bills. The main thing is to charge a price which doesn’t scare people off, that gives you a bit of profit for doing it and maintains a healthy level of expectation of what people are going to get for their money. If you can offer something that riders couldn’t easily or otherwise do on their own that’s the main thing. There’s nothing to stop people riding across america or even Land’s end to John o’groats on their own, but I guess they’re paying you to make sure they ride some of the best roads, stay at interesting places and not have to bother organising and researching it themselves. Meeting other riders is also a big thing and it’s the social aspect that seems to make the biggest impact, people organising their own events after meeting on a garbage Run and seemingly becoming riding buddies for life, which is nice. some people say it’s the dream job; making money out of taking people on bike trips, and sometimes it is. It gives me an excuse to get out on the bike and likewise, I’ve made some good friends out of it as well. The negatives are the pressure you feel in being responsible for people; making sure people are safe

54 Trail Summer 2019

and that they’re enjoying it. Riding is unpredictable at the best of time and there’s a lot to go wrong with a big group. The grey area over liability is also a constant concern.

I have public liability insurance as part of tour operator insurance, but it’s still a worry if someone has an accident or injury on one of your trips because you could quite easily get hauled over the coals. The run across the australian outback is something to be concerned about and the reason that I’m taking a support vehicle on this one; just trying to mitigate against anything that might go wrong.

‘Group Tours with Official Guides, 500km around the mountains of the Via Lattea’

‘Baltic to Atlantic Rally for all abilities’ Bikes over 145kg

‘Extreme Classic & Discovery’ Bikes over 145kg

‘Road/Adventure Bikes’

‘Guided TRail Riding’

My bike this year for the trips has been a Royal enfield Himalayan. Not the fastest or most glamorous choice, but it’s been a good work horse, reliable in 16000 miles and whilst ground clearance is a limiting factor on the trails, it’s still better than I was expecting in the dirt and on the road does everything I need it to. otherwise garbage Run has certainly meant a big change in direction for me. Before this I’d been working for the bike magazines as a freelancer and before that editing adventure Bike Rider magazine.

To be honest there’s not much room for truth in that game anymore and there’s not enough money in it either. Taking people on adventures seems to be a better career choice for the time being.

I’m not sure what I’d have been doing if I hadn’t have set off on that postie bike back to england all those years ago. I’d probably still be working for the council or something like that. Meanwhile, my advice for anyone wanting to set up their own little tour business is have a think about and focus on what you can offer that’s different to anyone else because there are lots of companies out there offering similar things. and most of all

56 Trail Summer 2019

remember there’s no right way to do it; do it your way and people will hopefully come. get in touch if you want to come on a run or just want the route maps. I’m always happy to send those. www.thegarbagerun.com Footnote: Nathan will be joining in the TRF’s learning programme and has expressed interest in event management training, TRF Run Leader training, TRF aCU Coach accreditation and aCU Clerk of Course.

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RIDING

At Spanish Enduro Trails there are several packages on offer and all represent great value. Customers can expect the latest, expertly maintained Beta RR 350F and 300 2Ts to ride and you only need to pack jeans and a T-shirt because all riding gear can be hired on site for a flat fee of £10.00.

As part of the all-in deal fuel for the bikes is also included.

Unlike some trail destinations, you can ride from the complex into the countryside without touching tarmac. Once you’re on the trails, there’s lots of terrain to choose from according to your ability. Three levels are offered: Easy, Intermediate and Demanding, and the appropriate level should be specified when booking.

Riding in the spectacular countryside of south-eastern Spain you will take in everything from forest roads to mountain trails including river beds and rocks. Come lunchtime you’ll get to enjoy traditional Spanish tapas for less than €10 a day.

RELAXING

When off the bike, Cortijo del Centeno offers a very homely and friendly family atmosphere with shared accommodation in which to rest and play. Breakfast and an evening meal are also part of the package. Facilities include a 1000 square-metre pool complex featuring a beautiful natural rock pool, a pool bar, games room, jacuzzi and a small gym. Additional sports on offer are tennis and basketball, and horse riding can be arranged nearby. Wi-Fi is provided.

PRICES & INFORMATION 3 nights stay with 2 days riding: £450.00 4 nights stay with 3 days riding: £650.00 Flights and transfer costs are down to the riders Nearest airports: Murcia, 1hr 20mins Alicante, 1hr 45mins (greater choice of flights and cheaper) EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) is compulsory Personal insurance is discretionary

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Manx Greenways

The words ‘Isle of Man’ tend to conjure images of super-hero TT racers tearing around pretty villages at death defying speeds.

But, to increasing numbers of trail riders, the words ‘Isle of Man’ also conjure images of pristine green lands criss crossed by some of the best green roads that the British Isles has to offer. Trail riding on tracks that are signposted as motorcycle or horse friendly, passing smiling farmers who are happy to stop and chat about everything that is great about green laning and the Isle of Man in general.

Photos courtesy of Manx Trax & Trails m: 07624 454833, e: info@manxtrax.co.uk w: Manxtrax.co.uk

Isle of Man ‘stop over’ Julian Wood is the Isle of Man’s aCU Rights of Way officer and is also a key member of the island’s unique Green lane User Group (GlUG). Here he explains what makes the place so special and illustrates how every trail riding visitor has a responsibility to make sure greenway roads are a positive fixture now and long into the future.

Trail: so, Julian, to anyone who hasn’t been to the Isle of Man yet, how would you sum it up?

Julian: I guess you could sum it up like this.

In england, football is the national sport; here on the IoM our national sport is motorcycling. It’s part of our culture, it’s in the fabric of every-day life and that doesn’t just mean the Isle of Man TT, the world’s greatest Road Races, It also includes our rich off-road heritage which boasts several Manx World Champions in enduro, Motocross and Trials.

It could be argued that one of the reasons we have so many top-class riders is due to our love of motorcycling in general and the unique approach we take to The Island’s Greenway Roads.

There is a sense of community that exists on the IoM that is inclusive. for example, most of the people that I go green laning with enjoy every aspect of the outdoors and will also be or have association with walkers, mountain bikers, 4x4 enthusiasts and in a lot of cases family members will also own horses. In addition, being a small community it is very likely that a member of the group will know who owns the land the greenway is crossing. This brings a level of ownership,

Summer 2019 Trail 61

responsibility and tolerance that is unique and inclusive to all user groups of the Island’s historic unsurfaced highways. sense of community is a big deal here which quickly gets under your skin. You become a part of it and become just as passionate to protect it as the people that were born here.

Trail: Why do you think that this situation has grown on the island when it’s so different to any other part of the UK? Is it because of the financial implications of motorcycling tourism?

Julian: We genuinely welcome responsible riders coming to enjoy what the island has to offer and we’ve seen the contribution that green-lane tourism delivers to the Manx economy steadily increase.

This, in part, could be down to the shift in the demographic of motorcycling in general. a lot of people that had road bikes in the past

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now typically own a green-lane bike as well and bring both bikes when visiting the Isle of Man to enjoy the roads and green lanes. This is a trend we’ve certainly seen during the TT in June and Classic TT and the Manx Grand Prix festival of Motorcycling in august, the green-lane bike being used to reach fabulous vantage points from which to watch the racing that would otherwise be out of reach.

Trail: from how I hear you describe it, green laning is part of the fabric of the Island. Your authorities welcome responsible visiting motorcyclists. You have reasons for people to bring their bikes including the races that happen throughout the year. It all sounds perfect. so what’s the problem?

Julian: Before I get onto the problem let me go back and explain a little more about GlUG. It was set up more than 15 years ago to work in partnership with government departments

such as the Department for Infrastructure, the Department for environment, forestries and agriculture, the Department for enterprise and the Isle of Man Constabulary. It exists to promote the responsible and sustainable use of the IoM greenway network for all user groups, (in much the same way that the TRf does in england and Wales – ed).

The authorities on the IoM recognise that the greenway roads are not reserved for the use of one particular group to the exclusion

of others but totally inclusive to all user groups and an asset that, if managed properly and responsibly used, can bring enjoyment and additional revenue from motorcycling, mountain biking, pony trekking and hiking. so, who better to work in partnership with the government than representatives from those very same groups who use them the most and have the most to lose.

The diversity of the groups that are represented is it’s major strength. We have people from the walking groups on the IoM, the British Horse society, the Manx 4x4 club, Manx Mountain Biking Clubs and of course the resident motorcycling community, including the aCU. GlUG assists in the monitoring and maintenance of the network itself, looking to identify any areas or tracks that are in need of repair, and also set up volunteer groups that carry out maintenance tasks such as clearing draining ditches and culverts and anything else that can be done with bodies rather than machines. GlUG also promotes a code of conduct which is really

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all about responsible use and enjoyment of this valuable asset. so, “The problem?” The majority of issues that we see are down to trespass – people riding where they shouldn’t. There was a perception created many years ago that you can ride anywhere on the IoM – this is not the case. for most of the year we see very few problems but do still see a spike in complaints during TT, Classic TT/ Manx Grand Prix festival of Motorcycling. During TT 2018 a slightly larger number of cases than usual were reported and I would like the help of all visiting TRf members to reduce this to zero.

Going off piste not only has an impact on the land itself but also on the natural habitat of rare species and of course people’s livelihoods and I would like to ask that all visiting motorcyclists stick to the 75 miles of legal highways we have and enjoy them responsibly. Please also be mindful of the Winter Closures Policy that ‘rests’ sensitive lanes over winter to give them a break and prevent unnecessary erosion.

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There’s a sense of ‘self policing’ here on the IoM, where in most situations we appeal to people’s common sense and fairness. The more incidents of trespass and property damage, the more this “good-will” will be eroded until we get to a point where the authorities have no option but to crack down and we lose the support of local land owners – a situation that no one wants to see.

We need the support of local land owners and farmers to stage key events such as the Manxduro, the Manx 2-day Trial and the end2end MTB race along with certain Rally events which use a mixture of private land and the greenways to connect stages or actually form a part of the course itself so we desperately need their support or the events simply would not happen. so for people to think “hey it’s not going to hurt just lifting this gate off and nipping across here”, it does – and will have a negative impact on the entire motorsport events industry here on the IoM as it’s a small place – you will be seen.

We want people to come and enjoy all the Isle of Man has to offer but treat our greenway roads with respect and of course come back again!

Trail: so what you’re saying is that there is a reason why the IoM is such a trail riding paradise, but that reason is delicate. You want people to come and enjoy themselves, but do it with respect and consideration?

Julian: That’s exactly right. and if your members need someone to show them around just give me a shout! I can point you in the direction of a good local guide which, in my opinion, is the best way of experiencing exactly what the Isle of Man has to offer and is extremely cost effective. I can even put you in touch with some of our more famous enduro riding locals who (if available) are always happy to act as a guide and give you a day out to remember.

We also have a Greenway Recommended Route Map which provides two good days of

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trail riding and has the all important fuel and refreshment stops marked. These can be purchased from the Welcome Centre that is situated Douglas sea Terminal or if you are a paid up TRf member you can download the Route Map from the TRf Website.

THe Isle of Man is a short ferry ride from Heysham, lancashire or liverpool.

If you are interested in visiting feel free to drop Julian a line to see if he can help you get the most out of your stay. If you are feeling generous why not offer to donate one hour of your holiday to help repair a lane and make sure that the IoM remains one of the top trail riding destinations in the British Isles?

A couple of years back Rick and Charlie loaded up a brace of enduro bikes and headed off to Pau, the capital of Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of France, to re-create a classic motorcycling event.

Words: Rick Kemp. Inspiration: Charlie Harris

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Main pic: Jon Bentman

THe CiRCuiT de PyRenees or as referred to in english by the French Motorcycle Federation (FFM) the international Rally of the Pyrenees was last held on the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of June 1986. On that occasion the event was brought to a halt by members of eTA (euskadi Ta Askatasuna), the Basque separatist movement, firing on the competitors. On 8 April 2016, eTA disclosed to the French Police the whereabouts of its remaining weapons and explosives, said to be 190 firearms, several thousand rounds of ammunition and three tonnes of high explosives. so we figured it was safe to return. eTA was, perhaps inadvertently, responsible for the restoration of democracy and the spanish monarchy. in 1973, eTA targeted Franco’s appointed successor Luis Carrero Blanco. They dug a tunnel under the road that he used daily to drive to church and packed it with explosives. Apparently Blanco’s car cleared a five-storey building. His death left the way open for the return of exiled Prince Juan Carlos. eTA’s first victim was the head of internal security in san sebastian in 1968 and its last claimed victim was another French policeman shot in 2010. safe to say then that eTA didn’t hold the police in high regard. That the event was organised jointly by The Motorcycle union of Pau and the national Police Motorcycle Club probably didn’t help its cause. The Metropolitan Police had been invited to field a team over several years so

many uK-based teams and individual riders became associated with the event.

One of those riders was Charlie Harris, an old mate, we worked and played together in the days when making magazines and riding dirt bikes for a living was fun. it was sometime in 2016, we were sitting around talking bollox, as one does, and Charlie pointed out that it was 30 years since the Circuit de Pyrenees was run, he knew this because he’d come across a folder at home with all the original maps and course notes. Cue lightbulb moment; we had all the basic information to retrace the route so why don’t we? Back in the day, you’d just chuck the bike in the back of your van or preferably someone else’s and off you’d go. Braver folk competing on bigger bikes were known to have ridden them down to Pau where the event was based.

Pau is an interesting town particularly for petrol-headed Brits. For a start, many of the streets are lined with Armco, possibly not the most scenic of materials but it does define the permanent street circuit that is home to the Grand Prix de Pau, won this year by the double amputee Billy Monger in his comeback event, and the Historique Grand Prix

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over the last two weekends in May when you can witness a full program of contemporary single-seat, saloon, and GT4 races followed by the historic equivalent the following weekend. Other races on two and four wheels take place throughout the year but the Grand Prix is the big one. An ideal excuse to ride or transport your bike down there, take in some excellent street circuit racing and trail ride in the Pyrenees while you’re at it. Result.

The Brit connection with Pau began shortly after the duke of Wellington gave that napoleon chappie a sound thrashing and the soldiers of the winning side arrived at the spa town for some R&R. The Brits have been going there ever since, the heyday was probably in the Victorian period as they liked a good spa. They took several bad habits with them, a couple of which still survive.

Fox hunting is practiced in the area and the first golf course in europe was built at nearby Billere in 1856. But perhaps the most significant occurrence in Pau must have been the creation, in 1909, of the world’s first flying school by the Wright Bros. it must’ve been like having stephen Hawking setting up a time-travel academy in Cheltenham, why mess about with a dodgy franchise when you can have the real thing?

And talking of travel; what were we going to use and how were we going to get there? in true Top Gear fashion the producer says you have a budget of £2000 each to buy something suitable. We would be facing mountain roads and trails so to make it easy on ourselves, something light, nimble and powerful enough to drive out of sharp bends enthusiastically and squirt along the straight bits to the next turn and also not be a handful on the loose stuff. The perfect description of an enduro bike wouldn’t you say? in the end we managed to come up with a Honda XR250R 2000 vintage and a Kawasaki KdX220 from 2003.

Pre-event preparation consisted of an oil and filter change for the Honda and chains, sprockets, brake pads and tyres all round.

Many thanks to BikeTyrestore and to Bikeseal whose puncture prevention solution was applied to all the tubes. The transport of choice was Charlie’s Citroen dispatch van, being a Francophile (absolutely nothing to do with under-age French girls) and having ridden in France on and off most of his competitive life and lived there for some years, he’d got the transport thing nailed.

Remove the rear seats and there’s enough room for two dirt bikes, tools, spares, riding gear as well as evening attire and also counting heavily in the dispatch’s favour is that its dimensions qualify it for car rates on

euro Tunnel.

Having split the journey with an overnight in Poitiers we arrived in Pau in time to try and persuade the Office de Tourism that as we were going to encourage more visitors to the town by our activities we should be extended the courtesy of five-star accommodation with secure parking for our vehicle, we failed.

However the nice mademoiselle did make helpful suggestions and booked us in at the Hotel Central which has its own secure parking.

The ‘Rallye international Motocycliste des Pyrenees’ in 1986 had three routes all beginning and ending at Pau. On the saturday there was a night loop of 70 miles with the first machines away at 23.00. Then on the sunday the main event kicked off at 6.00 to cover 264 miles including three special tests and back and back to Pau in time for lunch at 13.17. At the same time, for pre-’65 machines there was a shortened ‘ Vieilles Motos’ route of 140 miles.

The times were based on an average speed of 60kph (37.2mph) including the pre-’65s.

The regulations also warned that there would be ‘unexpected time controls… to verify that competitors didn’t exceed the average speed by more than 33%’! The classes comprised 125cc, 175cc, 250cc, 500cc, over 500cc and sidecars. The cups awarded were many and various, more than 30 in a field of 150 competitors and included one for the first French competitor, civilian or Police in the overall classification. you almost expected there to be a cup for the first Velosolex with rider wearing a beret with a string of onions round his neck. you can also see why it was targeted by eTA as in every class there is a separate cup for Police or Army. incidentally, Harris must have been on the pace as he only suffered gunshot damage to his rear mudguard and numberplate. so there we were in Pau with two fettled bikes, a load of maps some with hand-written course notes. For instance on the night route; ‘between Lasseure and Belair 2km GRAVeL on 2 sharp corners, leaving Ribenacq GRAVeL for approx. 4 km’. This was in the pitch black, no rural street lighting back then, the headlights on enduro bike lights aren’t exactly for

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seeing with on a straight road let alone mountain twisties. Fact; thanks to age-related macular degeneration (AMd), in the dark a 60-year-old needs twice as much light (lumens value) to be able to see what a 16-year old can. As both Charlie and myself have had a bus pass for several years, we carried out a risk assessment on this particular section and thought we’d give it a

miss due to the high probability of death. in case you’re wondering, unlike most events today, competitors had the opportunity to ride the course the day before hence the course notes.

As far as we were concerned of the two daylight options left given that our machines were no longer state of the art and nor were their pilots, the pre-65 route seemed the most appropriate. in fact the Vieille Moto route includes the same special tests of Bois du Bager, La Mouline and Col de Marie Blanque and all the forestry roads but less road work. not for us the roaring crowds of mainly up-all-nighters of 30 years ago as we pulled out of the Place de Verdun at 7.40 and down Rue Marca to the Pont du 14 Juillet. instead, it was a motley collection of probably halfasleepers waiting for busses to work and young women in hi-viz overalls with brooms trying to tidy the streets which paved our

way out of Pau and towards the mountains.

We had printed off and loaded the turn-byturn road book which was on the Kawasaki as it mounted on the handlebar brace and the Honda had a fat bar with no brace. We soon abandoned the road map in favour of ‘Villes ou Localities’ which provided us with the names of the towns and the road numbers to get there and also included the road book info of total and interim mileages, time checks and check points.

We decided to make our first stop after 30kms at sevignacq-Meyracq on the d934 where a handy trig-point told us we were 577 metres above sea level. Over a cup of coffee Charlie said that the place names and events were beginning to comeback to him after all, he had ridden the event five times and spent numerous additional days on two wheels and four scouting the route. Wobbly fade flashback to a younger, fitter, Charlie Harris who with his trials and motocross experience was a very competent enduro rider and back then all the two-day national championship enduros featured teams from the armed forces and police.

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“The Metropolitan Police contacted me because their team performance was, frankly, pretty pathetic. i was asked to give them a bit of training, it felt a bit odd telling a load of coppers what to do. it felt even stranger when i was co-opted into the team for that year, had to stand on a box for the official team photograph.”

Taking stock of the first 30 kms we concluded that, apart from the architecture, the morning rush hour could’ve been Croydon with extra garlic and better air quality. With the benefit of hindsight Charlie pointed out that the roads were better surfaced, there was a lot more traffic and the biggest difference of all was there were no police on every junction stopping the traffic and waiving you through. Actually doing one time check clean would be virtually impossible. But we would see how things panned out.

From sevignacq-Meyracq it was on to Louvie-Juzon and the first time check then west on the d918 to the Bois du Bager the site of the first special test. The Old Boy reached deep into his memory bank and we were looking for woodland track which ran roughly parallel to to the road. Thirty years is obviously a long time in forest management, it’s a long time full stop, because despite several excursions into the undergrowth (intensional) nothing looked quite right. The original was more of a forestry road used for timber hauling and maybe those activities had ceased due to lack of sustainability and the ‘bois’ had reclaimed it.

This would have been one of the places where an enduro bike would have obviously been an advantage allowing some time to be made up against the more powerful road bikes on that stage. As Charlie recalls: “The only place the bigger bikes would really overhaul you were on the longer straights and they weren’t many of them. Of the bikes i rode the suzuki Pe250 was quick and particularly the yamaha iT250 was bloody fast.

Obviously in this kind of event good brakes were an advantage which enduro bikes didn’t really have so you had to work that much harder. For the French police honour was at stake and one year they rode Kawasaki GPZ 500s and were very quick but as it’s a timed event, everyone’s racing the clock and not each other – theoretically.”

From the Bois du Bager we pressed on to Arette then swung south on the d132. Just out of interest there was a time check at Arette and another one, 17 kms later where you leave the d132 on the forestry road in the

Forret d’issaux. in between is the La Mouline special test of very tight zig-zags which climb about 1000 metres overall. To average 60kph means that the 17kms obviously has to take no longer than 17mins. Taking into account sloppy manual timing we managed times in the mid 20s. Mitigating circumstances were that the special test would have been a closed road allowing you to make up time on all the corners. An interesting, though ultimately futile, exercise which left me slightly breathless and experiencing some body leakage even in the cool higher altitude with all the vents in my Acerbis Adventure suit open.

The forestry road was, by comparison, a joy to take in at a more leisurely pace before joining the d241 at Lourdios-ichere and over the Col d’ichere followed by the somewhat rude appearance of the n134 which we leave at escot, about the half-way mark and take the d294 headed for the famous Col de Marie Blanc which at 1035m is a mere pimple compared with what comes later. The d294 is a hazard, motorhomes struggle on the ascents with the diesel variety pumping out particulates as they attempt to overtake aged, wheezing, cyclists trying to emulate their Tour de France heroes. not to mention old boys on motorcycles trying to…

The best thing about the the Col de Marie Blanque was the sign that prohibits motor cars and bikes from following the track to the very top, it had been shot and snapped in half when we got there. The special test was marked off on the road on the steepest part just to the west of the summit. From here it’s a gentle descent to Bielle on the d934 and a straight run to Laruns where you take the d918 east and climb to Gourette at 1400m.

At this point came a major disappointment.

The 1891-metre Col d’Aubisque was closed due to snow and there was no way round that, the promised spectacular climb and views were denied us so we headed back to Pau to change, shower and sample the delights of the Rue de Pyrenees and small streets full of bars, restaurants and young people enjoying themselves. A mug of hot chocolate can be very comforting at these times, so i’m told.

The next day we drove the Citroen back to Lys as the Pau morning rush hour had lost its appeal and unloaded the bikes to ride round the other side of the Col d’Aubisque.

We had a gentle ride round till we got to the enchanting village of etchartres where Charlie suggested we turn off to the Col de spandelles on a forestry road which was part of the main Circuit, this was excellent fun through the trees and the type of terrain

these bikes were really built for. We retraced our steps to etchartres then head on up for the other side of the Col d’Aubisque as far as the Col du soulor which was through lots of tunnels and switchbacks, going from bright sun to to black in literally the blink of an eye, could cause a few problems under competition conditions. And that was pretty much that so we headed back to the van.

Apart from being shot at, which Charlie only discovered after the event, there were other local hazards to contend with namely the removal of road signs. “After a while,” says Charlie. “you could see the telltale signs, lots of tyre skid marks in the road where riders were unsure of the route.” Charlie reckoned that if he used our time as a sighting lap that he could probably still be on the pace – yeah, right mate.

We had a great time in the Pyrenees, the roads are amazing and even if you’re not trying to follow some old event, just go to Pau, head south and pick up the signs for espagne and you can’t go far wrong.

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Ffordd Ar Gau No More The rock steps further down the lane that usually form part of one of the Wyegate LDT sections

Great work by all concerned and another example of motor vehicle user groups working together to keep green lanes open.

Kelvin Varney reports LIMekILn AS ITS generally known, or Chapel Hill Road as it is officially known, is a classic green lane in Tintern in the Wye Valley, Monmouthshire. It rises uphill in a southwesterly direction and starts quite close to the popular Tintern Abbey ruins. The lane is popular with trail riders both local and from further afield. It is a challenging lane noted for the slippery rock steps halfway up. It is also known as Hole in the Wall, or Coldwell Lane, Coldwell being the stream that runs alongside the lane into the River Wye. A minor landslip had occurred in the sunken part of the lane approximately twothirds of the way up and close to the start of the Coldwell stream. Water running off and under the adjacent land appeared to have eroded the bank and exposed tree roots.

Several tons of soil plus a few small trees had slipped into the lane creating a blockage.

With the high banks and fields on either side there was no alternate route. The lane surface in the area was also quite muddy and ruts had been formed by passing traffic.

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I first became aware of the issue on 19 January when a post was put up on the TRF Trail Facebook page by Dean Allen reporting that the road was closed. Further research indicated the lane had been closed since a council engineer’s inspection on 31 December 2018. A six-week temporary traffic regulation order came into force on 30 January 2019. From other Facebook posts it appeared the local GLASS area rep, John Askew, was already aware of the issue.

Having recently joined GLASS in December, I decided to make contact with John to see what help I might be able to provide. It was evident that John had good links with Monmouthshire County Council, as he had mapped the county lanes by studying council documents. He had also been trained by them in the use of a chainsaw.

A good man to know! John had made contact with the engineer in charge and together they had visited the site to establish what needed doing. Separately Rod Jones, a member of West Glos and Forest of Dean

The South St Arvans end (top) of Chapel Hill Road

Water flowing out of the land slip

Rod Jones the Wyegate LDT clerk of the course giving some scale to the banks and land slip. The trees on the slip having been cut back on the North side by the landowner

motorcycle club and also a TRF member, had been chivvying the council to make progress.

Rod, being this year’s Clerk of the Course for the Wyegate long distance trial, knew that the lane was a key feature of this classic event. At least one, and sometimes three, sections are marked out on the lane. I had ridden the lane a few times both up and down and was entered in last year’s Wyegate LDT but couldn’t make the rescheduled date.

The original date was cancelled due to the heavy snow at the time. If I wanted to ride Limekiln in the Wyegate this year, I needed to do something to help get it open again, the trial being scheduled for the end of April.

On 13 February 2019 the local newspaper – the Monmouthshire Beacon – ran an article reporting that the landowner on the landslip side had been confronted by Monmouthshire County Council, which said that they would pass the bill for the repair onto the landowner. In a later edition letters were published from locals complaining about the use of the lane by MPVs. John Askew contacted the reporter and managed to get a balanced reply, putting the motorised green lane user’s perspective, published the following week. As people started to offer help in reply to more information I’d posted on the TRF Trial Facebook page, I decided

Lane grading on the muddy section just North of the slip.

to get more involved. From reading about previous TRF and GLASS activity in helping to conserve green lanes I realised there was a risk the council would, or could, do little or nothing. Or it would take a long time to repair the lane, MCC, like most councils, being strapped for cash and having more pressing priorities. Further, there were noises of a campaign to challenge the green road status of this lane.

GLASS arranged a groundworks contractor to visit the site and quote for the repair work.

I thought it worthwhile getting a competitive quote – a new South Wales TRF member offered and quoted for the work. GLASS ultimately stayed with the contractor A. P. Price, who they had previously used to repair a green lane in Happy Valley in north Wales.

The council’s requirement for £5m public liability insurance on highways limited who could do the work. Monmouthshire County Council agreed to provide the stone needed to grade the muddy part of the lane. At about the same time GLASS asked if the TRF would like to go halves with the repair cost. Reading the Conversation section of the TRF website led me to think that we could do this by raising funds via the Just Giving site and the TRF’s matched funding scheme. I set about compiling the Just Giving page and was

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Charlotte the contractor’s daughter ‘guarding’ the top of the lane

The North end of the lane after grading with stone

The area of the slip post repair works

staggered to have the needed £750 in just over 24hrs from starting it. I promoted it on the TRF Trail and local TRF group Facebook pages as well as through West Glos and Forest of Dean motorcycle club. A couple of great donations from Bristol TRF and WG&FDMCC, and in total 44 donations from the trail riding community, meant the fund raising was in a good place. I submitted the application for matched funding to Dave Carling, the TRF Conservation Director, and he replied that this is just the sort of initiative that the scheme was set up for. GLASS/Treadlightly footed half the contractor’s cost and the TRF members and West Glos and Forest of Dean MCC footed the other half.

A date was set for the beginning of March to conduct the repair work. Fortunately the landowners on both sides trimmed the hedges unprompted a few days before and a little further pruning in the lane provided the access needed for the machinery. The contractors were offered volunteer help but declined. This was probably no bad thing from a safety perspective as the lane is quite narrow and no wider than a dumper truck from the top down to the slip. It was also quite muddy at the slip and the machinery

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needed to move up and down the lane frequently to move the stone. However, many thanks to all those who did volunteer.

The contractors moved in to start the repair on Friday 1 March. The stone was dropped at the south (top) end of the lane, right at the entrance, so the contractors had to clear a path through the stone to get their machinery onto the lane. They used a digger to level the lane and distribute the landslipped soil and then back-filled the uneven and softer parts of the lane with the stone using a dumper. They also removed the remains of the tree stumps that had slipped into the lane. The landowner recruited labour to trim the trees on the north side in preparation for re-fencing at some future point. The bank along the north side of the lane at the section of the sunken parts remains susceptible to water erosion. It is hoped that cutting the trees back at this time of year will promote root growth and help to bind the bank soil. The work by the contractor took three days to complete and, on 9 March, just nine weeks after the original slip, the Road Closed signs were removed and the lane reopened after a council inspection.

Events

Summer 2019 Events

12-14 JULY Adventure bike rider ABR Festival & trail riding Ragley Hall, Alcester

21 JUNE HAT Hardalpitour ‘Extreme, Classic & Discovery’ Bikes Via Lattea, 20060 Mediglia MI, Italy

13 JULY Central Bristol TRF Ladies Training Day Central Bristol TRF, Bristol

21 JUNE TRF Trip to Gibraltar rally Gibraltar

21 JULY Ladies Day at Sammy Miller Museum new Milton, Hants

22 JUNE Herts TRF Dawn To Dusk Royston, Herts

25 JULY TRF at the Gamefair Hatfield Park, Hatfield

22 JUNE Surrey TRF The Longest Day Farnham, Surrey

28 JULY Somerset TRF 2nd Annual Griffin Long Distance Trial (ACU regs) Raleghs Cross, Watchet, TA23 0Ln

28-30 JUNE TRF Trip to HAT Sestriere Adventourfest Serestriere, Italy 28 JUNE TRF at Sweetlamb Adventure Bike School Mid Wales, Sweet Lamb Rally Complex Glanrhyd, Pantmawr, Llanidloes SY18 6SY 30 JUNE Somerset TRF Exmoor Ride Day Minehead Tickets www.somerset-trf.com

1-4 AUGUST Countryfile Live South Blenheim Palace 3-4 AUGUST TRF at Llangollen BikeFest Royal International Pavillion, Llangollen 11 AUGUST Meet the TRF at Brackley Festival of Motorcycling Brackley

15-18 AUGUST Countryfile Live North Castle Howard 16 AUGUST Deadline for Autumn Trail - Sept 2019 London 29 AUGUST - 1 SEPTEMBER Meet the TRF at The Overland Event 2018 Hill end. Oxford OX2 9nJ 31 AUGUST Mid Wales Meander Machynlleth 1 SEPTEMBER Hafren Hunt Llanidloes, Mid Wales 1 SEPTEMBER TRF visit to the Paddy Dakar Doon, Ireland 13-15 SEPTEMBER Moors and Coast Camping Weekend Teesside & north Yorks TRF 14 SEPTEMBER Hereford Hospice Trail See ad on page 65 of this issue

For latest information check www.trail.trf.org.uk/events/

Cream of theCrop Devon TRF’s number one scribe Sean Comber comes over all lyrical as he highlights his home county trails

On top of Lobb looking out across Braunton Great Field and Taw/Torridge Estuary

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Honda XR200 – what can I say, elegantly simple in construction, utterly effective in execution) I can access North Devon where I was born and raised, the South Hams, all of East Devon and west Dorset and all lanes associated with some of the many river valleys of Devon, namely Axe, Exe, Dart, Teign, Taw, Torridge, Otter and Tamar. Having moved back ‘home’ two years ago, I’ve been slowly but steadily extending my range and utilising the Devon TRF overlay of over 1,000 legal lanes in the county (worth the TRF membership alone) to explore either pootling on my own or with fellow TRF members.

For me, riding a new lane I’ve read or heard about which say provides a view over rolling countryside, a dead end lane ending at a beach, a coastal county road or a ride over the moors is what constitutes an adventure in its own right. It may seem a bit tame, but riding for the first time a notorious gnarly technical lane can put the fear of god in you!

Verity in The splendid ural lt cu , be Ilfracom … on ev D of b hu

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READINg AbOuT pEOplE’S motorcycle adventures on the other side of the world is a fantastically vicarious pursuit. The exotic food, fascinating people they meet and tales of adventures; the immense excitement with a frisson of danger all let my imagination run rampant and help fill dark winter nights. For me, however, I lack that inherent ‘wanderlust’ gene, job, family commitment, blah blah, blah, and do you know, enjoying a day out or a long weekend away on the bike taking in some of britain’s most beautiful countryside is what ticks all of my boxes. So I’m going to take a few words to hopefully enthuse fellow green-laning, trail-riding enthusiasts to enjoy what we have on offer closer to home, and in particular in my beloved county of Devon. living in Cullompton which is sort of central Devon means that within an hour of cruising on one of my archetypal trail bikes (Yamaha TTR big bore 325, Honda CRM250, the ‘ultimate 2-stroke trail bike’ or 1980

a Ilfracombe on Selfie above e Le to be ‘Com UCR linking

So in order to encourage folk out on their bikes, I thought I’d talk you through one of my favourite lanes in Devon.

Riding the South West Coastal Path There are many excellent lanes in north Devon, the ancient geology named after the county dating back almost 400 million years, and characterised by well known sites such as Hartland point and Valley of the Rock provides many slatey, mudstones and limestone-based technical climbs. The lane I want to describe though is the one between Ilfracombe and lee bay which forms part of the Southwest coastal path. One of the few places where it is possible to ride along cliff tops in the country let alone Devon. Riding either direction is fun, though I’d suggest from Ilfracombe to lee is best as there is a bit of a climb over the greasy slate before enjoying the view. before riding the unclassified County Road (uCR), I suggest a run down through Ilfracombe past the slightly faded Victorian hotels and ‘tinsey bit garish’ slot machine infested arcades to the harbour. Here you’ll find fishing and leisure boats bobbing about when the tide is in as well as the now

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truncated outer pier which once hosted the Campbells steamers which brought tourists from bristol and South Wales (including my mother and grandparents) on the Oldenburg and Waverley for their summer holidays.

The harbour is now dominated by “Verity” the controversial 20m high bronze installation produced by Damien Hirst who now resides in the local vicinity. look beyond the faded Victorian grandeur and Ilfracombe is a beautiful natural harbour bounded by Capstone point and lantern Hill on one side and Hillsborough Hill on the other, and on a balmy late May morning when I rode my DR350 into town, with the turquoise sea lapping gently against the side of the boat hulls, barely a zephyr of wind to disturb the water’s surface it has so much going for it.

The sun beat down warming my hands after an hour’s run up the link road from the M5 at Tiverton I enjoyed the views across to Wales, lurking hazily 20 miles away on the horizon, whilst licking a clotted cream and honeycomb ice cream, what a great way to start the day!

Finding the start of the uCR to lee is quite a challenge as you wind your way past the Tunnels beach where Victorian holidaymakers arriving on the newly constructed railway or aforementioned steamers, enjoyed bathing

Looking back toward Ilfracombe with Wales in the far distance

large detached villas. Ilfracombe’s imposing many-storeyed terraces were built around this time, their bow windows providing wellheeled gentlefolk with magnificent sea views.

Turning into langleigh lane takes you away from town out towards the coast path along a narrow lane cut into the slate, with

at segregated beaches accessed via tunnels driven through the cliffs. The road leads up to the Torrs past the old station, the railway line long since gone and now forms the Tarka Trail footpath. The Torrs are where Ilfracombe’s elite once lived, the park was laid out in the 1880s, with cliff walks and

ards Lee Looking tow

spring time ideal for enjoying the best the local flora has to offer, sweet smelling yellow gorse on the wide open spaces, large pillows of sea thrift adorning the cliff edges and in the deep Devon lanes, all manner of campion, wild garlic, primrose, bluebells, foxgloves… the list goes on and on. passing through the gate takes you into open country with cattle possibly grazing so be mindful to close the gate behind you.

The lane seems rarely used by vehicles and depending on when you visit you are invariably going to meet walkers so be courteous and take it steady. Stop on the top of the hill and enjoy the view east towards Ilfracombe, the harbour just visible below you and beyond that Hangman along the coast near Combe Martin, standing out at almost 1000 feet above sea level. On a clear day looking out to sea as well as behemoth container vessels chugging up to bristol you’ll see the Welsh coast with the gower to the west all the way east to porthcawl and beyond. look down and you may be lucky to spy a seal bobbing amongst the rocks which give way to the deep blue bristol Channel water. It is a great opportunity to eat a pasty bought down on the harbour front.

To the west lies lee bay and bull point, the lighthouse tucked around the corner, now unmanned but still warning shipping of the treacherous coastline which has claimed so many ships and lives over the centuries.

Thankfully the advent of engines, satellite

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navigation and radar mean such tragedies are now thankfully very rare.

Of course Devon folk are not entirely guilt free when it comes to luring boats onshore to pick over as part of the ‘wrecking’ industry prevalent in the county during the 17th century and still even in 2007 were seen assisting ’lightening the load’ of the Napoli when she foundered off branscombe beach. pasty partly digested, it is time to stick your head back inside your by now probably sweaty helmet, pull on you gloves and swing your leg back over the bike to head on. The lane is well defined, hard going under a small amount of mud and cow pats but the going is suitable for any bike, any adventure bike with a half decent tyre will not be challenged by the terrain. passing between the flowering gorse and patches of birdsfoot trefoil or egg and bacon plant as it is more colloquially known, you will begin to drop off the hillside and within a mile you come to another gate and enter a steep, narrow lane dropping into lee bay. lee itself is worth stopping for (another) ice cream or cup of tea, there is a café and pub to keep you suitably fortified. The bay itself nestles between the imposing cliffs either side and is a tranquil location even in high summer and great place to take the kids rock pooling at low tide. The tiny roads leading in and out can be frustrating if you are in a car during mid summer, but on a bike there are no issues, beyond anticipating something coming around the next corner. If you are on an adventure bike then there are a number of excellent lanes to ride nearby, the uCR/byway over Fullabrook Down is worth a ride, providing majestic views towards the coast and Exmoor and takes you through the extensive wind farm development which was constructed a few years ago.

For those with a slightly more adventurous outlook, then lanes around lobb, braunton and Trimstone, vary between narrow hedged rutted farm tracks, open fields and a few slightly nadgery slatey gentle climbs. If views are your thing then wind your way from lee

Fullabrook Down wind farm with accompanying unmetalled road

along the coast road taking in Woolacombe bay, over the hill to georgeham and up a ‘white road’ past the communications pylons above lobb to the top of Saunton Downs.

The lane is easy, though a bit overgrown in places, at the end you have to turn around and ride back, but stop first and enjoy the stunning view over Saunton beach, braunton great Field, the Taw and

Torridge estuaries and towards lundy Island in the distance, you will not be disappointed!

So there you have it, join the TRF and you’ll always find volunteers to take you out and around the county, showing the best Devon has to offer. It may not be the Serengeti, Road of bones or patagonia, but come summer, the heat of the day lingering in the scent filled air, bees busily buzzing around searching for nectar, looking out across the cliffs and aquamarine sea, there are few places in the world where I’d prefer to be.

following businesses are offering Friends of the TRF The discounts to TRF members 58% Discount Suzuki GB bikes.suzuki.co.uk/owners/acu-licence-holders/ On parts for ACU licence holders 38% Discount John Banks Renault on Traffic Vans 25% Discount EBC Brakes Direct www.ebcbrakesdirect.com Brake and clutch components 20% Discount CCM Spares www.sparesccm.com The place for CCM owners quote membership number Custom Lids www.customlids.co.uk Discounts available on all motorcycle clothing Flexiplates visit: www.flexiplates.co.uk Quote code TRF15 Herbert & Ellison Discount on seat refurbishment www.herbertellisonupholstery.co.uk/ 15% Discount Cotswold Outdoor www.cotswoldoutdoor.com Cycle Surgery www.cyclesurgery.com Gear 4 Motorcycles www.gear4motorcycles.co.uk WM Moto (Carlisle) www.wmmoto.co.uk Available on parts and selected clothing Adventure Spec Motoz low-impact trail tyres www.adventure-spec.com Memory Maps www.memory-map.co.uk J&S Oxford www.jsaccessories.co.uk

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Bikestop www.bikestop Off-road clothing discount MotoKing www.motoking.co.uk Viewranger www.viewranger.com Discount on digital maps code: TRF2017 10% Discount Rally Raid Products www.rally-raidproducts.co.uk Discount available on all custom Rally parts Midwest Racing www.midwestracing.co.uk Available on parts, accessories and clothing Premier Bikes www.premierbikes.com KTM franchise with discount applying to parts and clothing Endurotek www.endurotek.co.uk Parts and accessories Manchester Xtreme www.manchesterxtreme.com Please quote your TRF membership number PC Advanced Motorcycle Training http://www.cbtanddas.co.uk Bolt Bikes www.boltbikes.co.uk Gerbing www.gerbing.eu Discount code is TRF10 EDZ www.edzdirect.com Base-layer clothing Discount code is TRFC_10 Bike Revival www.bike-revival.co.uk Shock Absorber specialist J&S Oxford www.jsaccessories.co.uk MX Zone www.mxzone.co.uk IAM www.iamroadsmart.com

Rewire Security Tracking, cameras, CCTV, alarms www.rewiresecurity.co.uk Dirtbikebitz Bike parts, riding gear and helmets www.dirtbikebitz.com Opie Oils & Service Parts https://www.opieoils.co.uk// Nomad ADV Lightweight travel & rally gear www.nomad-adv.com Fowlers of Bristol http://www.fowlers.co.uk Smith & Allen Lubricants https://www.smithandallan.com Transylvania Trails http://www.transylvaniatrails.com Bikefix Discount on servicing and repairs www.facebook.com/Bikefixyeovil Dirtbike Express https://www.dirtbikexpress.co.uk Fraser’s of Gloucester 5% on spare parts www.frasersmotorcycles.co.uk Various Discounts Centre Trail, France www.centre-trail.com 15 Euro cash back on booking Enduro Tyres www.endurotyres.com Special rates Trail Rides Wales www.trailrides-wales.com Free guides for members on selected days Bike Seal bikeseal.co.uk Catalan Adventure 10% off accommodation and 50% off bike hire

Check the website for up to date information on discounts offered www.trail.trf.org.uk/members/benefits

NEW FOR 2019

RALLY 500

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