Summer 2021 TRF Trail Magazine

The Members’ Magazine of the Trail Riders Fellowship British Library Reference: 007244108

Summer 2021

Another Slice?

Paul Blezard gets his gammy leg over a couple of Cakes

Riding Out of Lockdown A Great Western Trail Adventure

Used & Abused

HONDA HEAVEN? The CRF300L might just be one of the most significant bikes of the decade. Steph Jeavons puts it to the test

A selection of classic trail bikes from Sean Comber

Signs of the Times The first step in recognising all trail users

Chair’s Report: Doug Cartwright keeps us up to speed Green Road Mapping: Members can now access the prototype Lockdown Lovely: A bright green MZ for green lanes Hints & Tips: How to get a trail-friendly KTM Tested: Pro-layer clothing from AS and a Kenda Equilibrium tyre

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EDITORIAL

H

ooray! We’ve reached the Summer issue! It’s been touch and go since the Spring edition. Would anything be able to happen in time? Would ‘hopeless’ Hancock make another cock-up and have to lock us all down again? Suddenly everything’s gone into overdrive – just in case we have to put the brakes on again.

Here in the South East there have been three Long Distance Trials in almost as many months. The first one, based at Canada Heights, was a real eye opener as to how countryside activities have changed over the lockdown months. The narrow tarmac lanes are rammed with runners, being overtaken by cyclists, with cars attempting to overtake them. On more than one occasion I was confronted by a vehicle on my side of the road on a blind bend – fortunately there was a soft hedge...

Judging by the accounts of some of the contributors to this issue, I’m not the only one who has noticed an increase in rural traffic on black and green roads. In ‘Signs Of The Times’, Mo The Timber Woods Long Distance Trial at Rapley from the SWW Group Canada Heights and Graeme Collins from the Lodden Vale Group report on some really constructive initiatives on signage. I can think of one sign that’s

lacking in my area as recently I nearly T-boned a quadruped being led across the Pilgrims Way – ‘Beware Llamas Crossing’.

Global circumnavigator and TRF member Steph Jeavons has got the cover story this issue. She’s reviewing the Honda CRF300, available as a customer bike at her Moto Junkies operation, and compares it to her own 250 version on which she has crossed seven continents. Paul Blezard is still on his electric hobby horse in this issue – this time it’s a Swedish thoroughbred!

Closer to home, the membership process is to be streamlined, with plastic cards only being issued to those who specifically request them. I skilfully managed to get this issue out just after the ABR festival, and I hope those of you who managed to get tickets had a really good time.

As ever, the TRF relies on volunteers to get certain tasks completed for the benefit of the rest of the members. If you feel inclined, contact your local Group Chair to offer your services – always much appreciated. Also, if you have any ideas for contributions to Trail, please get in touch.

Stay safe Rick Kemp, Editor@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. British Library Reference:007244108 All advertising enquiries should be sent to Editor@trf.org.uk The views expressed by individual members in Trail are not necessarily those of the Trail Riders Fellowship.

Trail Summer 2021 01

CONTENTS British Library Ref No: 007244108

60

Contacts: Trail Magazine Editor: Rick Kemp Editorial & Advertising: Editor@trf.org.uk TRF Membership Team: Membership@trf.org.uk T: 020 3855 5846 TRF Membership: Allen House Wetmore Road Burton upon Trent DE14 1TR Published by: The TRF Board of Directors Directors@trf.org.uk TRF contacts can be found at: trail.trf.org.uk/contact-the-trf/

04 DIRECTORS’ REPORTS

24

TRF Chair, Doug Cartwright, is definitely looking on the bright side and outlines a few new membership improvements

ROAD 06 GREEN MAP PROJECT Members can now access the Green Road Map but it is still a ‘work in progress” as Graeme Collins explains

COMBER 10 THE COLUMN Sean Comber considers whether we will ever get our lanes back?

02 Trail Summer 2021

16 HONDA HEAVEN? The ubiquitous CRF250L has been the default trail bike since 2012. Steph Jeavons gives her appraisal of the new CRF300L. So what’s the verdict?

& tips – 50 hints bike preparation David Strachan shows how to go about turning a KTM or Husqvarna into a dedicated trail weapon

SUMMER 2021 / Issue #16

46

somerset 56 sunny ride day Martin Keswick of the Somerset Group shows that careful planning can lead to much fun being had by all

& 60 used abused Columnist Sean Comber reveals his ownership experience of some classic trail bikes

24

RIDING OUT OF LOCKDOWN

Looking back four weeks to his Great Western Trail adventure Steve Coward ponders that it seems like a lifetime ago

of 32 signs the times

46

68 TESTED

lockdown lovely

Back in the day, MZ were a force to be reckoned with in off-road circles. Phil Speakman from the Lancashire Group gives a 1985 MZ TS125 the green-lane treatment and a new lease of life

Rick Kemp gives us his opinion of some of the latest products on the market The new CRF300L with many small but significant changes

David Warren from Loddon Vale TRF stresses the importance of clear and accurate signage out on the trails

34 another slice?

Paul Blezard struggles to get his leg over a pair of lightweight but rather tall Swedish cakes...

16 Trail Summer 2021 03

Chair’s REPORT

TRF Chair and Northern Group Director Doug Cartwright, doug.c@trf.org.uk, is definitely looking on the bright side and outlines a few membership improvements Now that summer’s here...!

I

n just the last few weeks it would appear that summer has arrived – in fact, by the time you read this we will have reached the summer solstice! I have taken the opportunity to get out on my bike, starting with a rather chilly but glorious trip to Scotland. Not many trails up there but, for me, some of the roads with passing places out on the southern Hebrides were just as good. The scenery is sublime and my vintage Kawasaki trail bike never missed a beat. I even managed a mid-week trip down to the South Coast and did my planning using GRM. We did two full days of trail riding, and the information was 100% correct! Which is more than can be said for my riding. One bruised rib and the need for new helmet but otherwise I’m out again tomorrow…

What a great tool GRM is going to be for Trail riders. I hope most you have been able to access it and explore its potential. Created ‘By Trail Riders For Trail Riders’ it is now released to all members in beta (or for us oldies, prototype) form while we refine and improve the content. It’s been great to see so much complimentary feedback given to the TRF GRM Team, which does so much for the motivation of our volunteer team. It’s a fantastic effort on the part of John, Graeme and Gavin, and the extended team of Rights of Road knowledge experts, and those of you who send in information and data for inclusion. Keep it coming and make this the go-to tool for trail riding, it is only as good as you make it. Keep the compliments coming too…

Again, by the time you read this the ABR rally at Ragley Hall will have taken place.

Garret and his team will have laid on a full itinerary of socialising, riding and informal presentations and displays. I’m looking

04 Trail Summer 2021

forward to meeting those of you lucky enough to have a ticket and also exploring the trails on the estate with my electric KTM … a glimpse of the future maybe (the bike, that is, not me!).

Can you step up to the plate?

There is no doubt that we are all getting out and about more on our bikes as we emerge from the pandemic. The recent sunshine has helped too and there have been some excellent pictures and ride reports on our social media pages too, showing the happy faces of our varied and diverse members of the Fellowship and their machinery. As ever the TRF is about Conserving Green Roads and to do that we continue to ensure that Green Roads are kept open either through repair, researching, volunteering, hard graft or where necessary legal action. To do that we need to maintain and grow our membership through a broad range of volunteers and Directors.

Right now, we need to strengthen that team and we shall shortly be holding our AGM to ensure we have a full team to be voted in by members and to approve changes to our Fellowship. If you can fill a role, or provide a support role in any way, please do get in touch. Drop me line at the address above if you want to explore what is possible. We are especially in need of those with knowledge of conservation and sustainability, and rights of road knowledge too.

As some of you will have unfortunately experienced, our membership system has developed a few glitches and for that we apologise. The membership team, and in particular Becky at membership@trf.org.uk, has been working hard behind the scenes firstly to support member queries and secondly with our suppliers to implement the fixes, but there is only so much you can squeeze out of a system that was not designed to handle the current complexity.

We have taken the decision that we will need to replace our membership system and we currently have a study underway to define our needs. Additionally, we have taken the decision to stop routinely supplying plastic membership cards. As a conservation

organisation it just did not feel like the right thing to do. Membership feedback has indicated that some of you do still value those cards and be rest assured they will still be available for you on a request system.

Membership confirmation will now be by email and will contain all the details of your membership that our suppliers may require in order to avail yourself of the TRF discounts.

And finally, we are planning once again to supply TRF stickers, and these will be included in the quarterly Trail magazine. These stickers will be extra sticky and have been proven to resist anything green roads or a pressure washer can throw at them!

Oh and another good read: Two Fingers on the Jugular by Lawrence Bransby. A fascinating long distance trail ride through Russia.

In the meantime, stay safe, practice safe distancing, and enjoy the summer!

Come to where the action is...

Come to Catalonia!

On trails...

Doug 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 explore explore tthis his base which 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 n ew H on d a and using our new Honda C RF250L ttrail rail b ikes.

CRF250L bikes.

Roll of Honour

Apologies for these omissions from the Roll of Honour included in the Spring 2021 Issue Paul Liversidge Mike Stoddard Colin Townson Roger J Carvill Danielle Ward

East Midlands North Wales Ribble Valley West Midlands Loddon Vale

46.5 YEARS 35.5 YEARS 35.5 YEARS 35.5 YEARS 35.5 YEARS

Trail Summer 2021 05

www.catalanadventure.co.uk w ww.catala nadventure .co.uk

GREEN Road MAPPING

This is a fantastic achievement and promises to be a major TRF asset. Members can now access the Green Road Map but it is still ‘work in progress’, as Graeme Collins explains

By Trail Riders, For Trail Riders

M

embers have welcomed the first release of the Green Road Map and Project Lead Graeme Collins brings us up to date with progress.

The wait is finally over with members now able to access the first “beta” release of the new Green Road Map website. Members are reminded that this is a limited first release and there is still much work to be done – despite the thousands of volunteer hours already put into the project!

What is the GRM? The GRM is an online platform that provides the TRF with a centralised digital archive of information to more effectively, efficiently and sustainably manage Green Road conservation.

At the same time, it provides a map dedicated to Trail Riding displaying where it is lawful for motorcycles to explore and enjoy the Green Roads in a responsible way.

Work in Progress Whilst a huge amount of work has already been done by a dedicated few, there is still much to do. There are three very import points to remember when looking at the map: Not all Green Roads are included YET Some roads may have been recorded incorrectly Individual Groups are working in different ways so please appreciate that what might be true in your Group’s area may not be true in another

The Devil is in the Detail The information included on the membership GRM will continue to grow over the months ahead and currently uses the following colour code to identify road types: Solid Green – Full access 365 days a year Dashed Green – Access restrictions apply, click Green Road for details.

Blue – Temporary motorcycle restrictions apply, click Green Road for details Red – No motorcycle access Grey – Sealed through road with motorcycle access

OS Map: The key reveals the diffe

rent Green Road types displaye

06 Trail Summer 2021

d on the map

Click on a road to reveal a dialogue box where more details can be revealed beneath the map. The information on each Green Road will expand over time

local issues, as well as photographs.

The idea of “grading” roads was considered but not adopted for two main reasons; firstly, what one rider considers easy another may find a challenge and secondly weather conditions can have a significant impact and what would be considered by most as “easy” in the dry are an entirely different experience in the wet!

When a road is selected a dialogue box appears with limited information. Click on “More detail” and an area beneath the map is revealed with more information. This includes links to the relevant Local Authority website, length, and details of any no-through-roads. Over the months ahead more and more information will be shared in this area including any terrain features and

Trail Summer 2021 07

GREEN Road MAPPING

Road Map: Green Road s

can be displayed on a

number of different ma

Time To Get Involved Each TRF Group has been allocated counties/unitary authorities and there is a GRM Project Manager in each Group, often the local Road Conservation Officer, who is responsible for co-ordinating the Group’s input to the GRM. These individuals have already spent many hours checking the legal status of individual

p types

Green Roads and will benefit from the support of other local members. By “adopting” a number of roads and providing extra information about the road including photographs, the member experience is enhanced, and important user evidence and historical information secured.

Each Group will be managing this process in a different way so contact your local Group for more information.

the details n Hub both manages the Road Conservatio for road conservation matters s ne sce the d hin Be e Green Road Details: ntralised digital archiv as well acting as a ce displayed on the map

08 Trail Summer 2021

Road-book Enduro Tours in France DATES FOR 2021 1/2/3 September 22/23/24 September 20/21/22 October 3/4/5 November 17/18/19 November

Issoire Pyrenees Massif du Morvan Dordogne Normandie

The Future’s Bright – The Future’s Green Currently there are around 9,000km of Green Roads recorded which, it is anticipated, will grow to around 10,000km by the end of 2021.

A limited public map will be released in the months ahead, but will have far less detail on it. It is hoped that this will encourage more Trail Riders to join the TRF enabling them to get full access as well as enjoy the wider benefits of membership, as well as knowing that they are part of the only organisation in England and Wales dedicated to defending their rights. It will also provide the opportunity to generate extra income to the TRF through advertising on the public version.

The public version of the GRM also provides the opportunity to reach out to other user groups, central and local government, to help cement deeper working relationships that further protect the interests of Trail Riders in the long-term.

Trail Summer 2021 09

All trips are priced at £590 (660€) (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

THEComberCOLUMN

Sean Comber, Emeritus Chair of Devon TRF and current Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Plymouth considers whether we will ever get our lanes back?

E

arly April, lockdown easing, Paul and I decided to spread our wings a little and head down to the coast at Budleigh. It was cool and overcast but we needed the air. Here in mid Devon it’s generally quiet, even in mid summer so the lanes on the Honiton road including Wilderness Lane, a favourite of mine, flat, rocky and a bit washed out in places was devoid of humans. Similarly the lane off of Hembury Fort, stony and

10 Trail Summer 2021

increasingly eroded was a pleasure to ride as always. So far, so good. Slipping and sliding up the deep hedged lane the increasingly well used Maxxis IT Pros searched for grip under the TTR’s chassis, but still provided forward motion amongst the ferns and verdant foliage.

In all these lanes even during the last year of lockdowns I’ve only seen a few people the whole time. At Alvington we did see a randomly attired dapper looking gentleman

Photos: Stuart Metcalfe

wandering along, but we do see the odd walker in that lane so no surprises. Dropping off the west side of East Hill Strips, being mindful of the fist sized stones deflecting our front wheels, the Otter valley opened up in front of us. Things started to change as we crossed the river at Tipton, the wide, dryish tracks around Metcombe are always likely to turn up a walker or two, but hordes of folk were out even on this dull and dank day. But

THE COUPLE OF WALKERS WE DID SEE IN THE WOODS, SMILED BACK AT ME AS I BEAMED FROM MY OPEN FACED HELMET...

there again with West Hill, Tipton, Newton Poppleford nearby they are accessible for an amble out. I guess the UCR to footpath ratio is also quite high so folk find their way into ‘our’ lanes…. Similarly down along the lanes of Venn Ottery and through to Southerton had us on full alert as to what was around the next corner.

As we tracked south, however, the density of folk in the lanes seemed to increase. Riding across East Budleigh Common to Dalditch is always ‘interesting’ as you ride through the woods on an unmarked path which looks like it is barely a footpath then out onto the open common, an ecological goldmine of nightjars, small brown birds and rare butterflies typical of this valued pebblebed heathland habitat.

Thankfully there were few people around today and a couple of walkers we did see in the woods, smiled back as I beamed at them from my open faced helmet. There being only two of us helped, quietish bikes, riding considerately, did us no harm. There seems to be a strong correlation with miserableness towards trail riders versus age and rambler ‘attire’. Two old biddies with walking poles, knapsacks and, heaven forbid, gaiters, you know you are not going to get a reciprocal smile as you pass….

We skipped the Sidmouth lookout honey pot as again a lack of signage often involves lengthy rights of way explanations. So the question is… will we ever get out lanes back?

To try and get to that answer we need to examine peoples motivation I guess. People are desperate to escape their houses but have to stay local. So that forces them into any local rights of way and after a year, people have been driven to find more and more alternatives to their ‘local’ footpath.

Ultimately it is not surprising they wonder what a UCR is and how easy it is to walk down, then realise it is a bit like any of the footpaths, bridleways or byways they’ve walked previously. Some narrow, some wide farm tracks. I’d be curious what they think when they see bikes passing them at a respectful speed (I hope) and with smiles on their faces, assuming their faces are visible.

As I’ve already noted, from my point of view

Trail Summer 2021 11

THEComberCOLUMN folk have been pretty smiley on the whole, so may be a bit quizzical but seem to be accepting. I think the reality is that few actually understand rights of way. How could anybody? They are arcane, biased and mired in what seems like feudal practices. Many people I know think bikers can use bridleways.

Wouldn’t that be nice… Even in Devon where we have a good relationship with the council, there are still lanes with no signage, some weird ‘public way’ ones, which make little sense, lots of ‘unmetalled roads’ and a few ‘unfit for motors’. Some UCRs are even labelled footpaths purely because it starts half way down what is a UCR. This lack of consistency helps no one.

EXPECT ANYONE OR ANYTHING TO BE COMING AROUND THE NEXT CORNER. THE LAST THING WE NEED IS SOMEONE BEING RUN OVER IN A LANE...

Why weren’t these people in the lanes before Covid? They travelled further afield, went to a café, went to a pub, maybe they stayed home more often and are only out now to ‘escape’ the house? Some are furloughed and will hopefully go back to work, some would have been in the gym, some on the golf course, etc. So post Covid I reckon it will be quieter, but not as quiet as previously, because people will have ‘re connected’ with their local environment, they’ll realise like us that UCRs provide access to stunning countryside, with fabulous views, pretty hedgerows, deep and ancient holloways and as always a breath of fresh air.

There are a few thoughts to add to this though. Firstly, take it easy out there, the last thing we need is someone being run over in a lane. Not only is this a terrible thing (obviously) but the press would have a field

12 Trail Summer 2021

day. Expect anyone or anything to be coming round the next corner. Secondly, smile. An open faced helmet is great for this and I know I’m sounding like an old fogey, but I always like to ride with the wind in my face, albeit it may also include dust, bugs, trees etc, but I do like to ‘feel’ like I’m outside rather than behind a perspex screen… Respect by all for what others like to do in the countryside, people need to appreciate folk are motivated for different reasons to be out in the lanes, but we are a crowded little country with increasing pressure on our green spaces, so everyone should put themselves in others’ shoes occasionally. Keep groups to six or less, it’s the TRF code and completely makes sense.

Noise annoys – so fruity end cans releasing an extra 1bhp to your back wheel have no place in the lanes. Noise seems to be increasingly on folk’s agendas now so why give the anti’s ammunition?

It is the local authority’s responsibility to fully sign lanes in a consistent, accurate and unambiguous way. I’ve noticed there are a number of new signs on UCRs on the north side of Exmoor – yellow oak leaves I think – denoting some kind of ‘public way’ or route, but they sort of look a bit like a footpath I hope not deliberately. So clear ‘unmetalled roads’ signs will do just fine, thank you. Other examples include the Sidmouth viewpoint dead end lane, it is crying out for signage to denote it as a vehicular right of way. I would immediately diffuse any friction regarding the legality of the right of way. I know folk will still argue no doubt – but signage has got to help.

The TRF Green Road Map may help here as it would at least highlight legal lanes to all. In a much more radical proposal, I’d be happy to trade off a few honeypot lanes for say access to twice as many current good quality, sustainable bridleways out in the sticks inaccessible to most folk without bikes.

But that is probably far too pragmatic and radical… Finally, better education for all would be useful regarding rights of way.

Anyway, the important thing is to get out there and enjoy those lanes.

Take care

Sean

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

Protect the NHS. Save Lives. www.trf.org.uk/COVID

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TRF Groups LIST

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Bristol Bristol (Central) Cambridgeshire Cumbria & Craven Devon Dorset East Midlands East Yorkshire Essex Gloucestershire Herefordshire Hertfordshire High Peak & Potteries Kent (East Kent) Kent (West Kent & South East London) Lancashire Lincolnshire Loddon Vale Manchester Mid-Wales Norfolk

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North Wales Northumbria Oxfordshire Peak District Ribble Valley Shropshire Somerset South London & Surrey South Wales South West Wales Southern Sussex Teesside & North Yorkshire TRF Enduro Club Tynewear Teesdale West Anglia West Midlands West Yorkshire Wiltshire Worcestershire

HONDA Heaven?

The ubiquitous CRF250L has been the default trail bike since it’s inception in 2012. Last year Honda decided that an upgrade was due. More power, less weight, extra trick bits, so what’s the verdict?

Globe trotter Steph Jeavons clocked up 74,000 miles on her 250L, so that should give her a rough idea how the CRF300 compares

16 Trail Summer 2021

W “THE CRF300 IS A GOOD ALL-ROUNDER, IT’S SUITABLE FOR ALL LEVELS IN MY OPINION”

e received our three brandspanking new Honda CRF300Ls for our Moto Junkies enterprise about two months ago now.

Before they were even run in, we had them working on the trails testing them out and doing reconnaissance runs from our new base in Welshpool.

Tony and I work together on Moto Junkies, but we are very different riders. Tony is the big kid at heart enduro rider if you like! The guy who loves to ride on the back wheel where possible (on our private training ground of course), and to save on tyres. Apparently! I am more your sensible rider, pottering along with just the odd blast on the straights (I can’t believe I just described myself as sensible!

My mother will be proud!).

Since then, we have had customers of all shapes, sizes and ages on our CBF300s, riding the trails of Wales through mud, bogs and ruts not to mention the good old Welsh rocks and river crossings. So, what do we think, 1200 miles on with roughly a 70/30 split of trail and road?

Tony is a man of few words. He’d rather ride it than talk about it, but these were his initial comments: “The CRF 300 is a good

Trail Summer 2021 17

HONDA HEAVEN?

all-rounder. It’s suitable for all levels in my opinion. Like any motorcycle, it’s built to fill a price bracket and you have to take it for what it is. It doesn’t have an all singing all dancing spec, and if you’re a fast rider, you will soon find its limits. With that said, it really is an excellent dual-purpose motorcycle that is more than capable of taking you on many adventures. It’s a cheap to buy, run and maintain package.

I agree with Tony completely! As a ‘not particularly fast’ rider, I have already found the bottom of the rear shock on many occasions.

Just like the 250L before it, it is pretty soft and will have you bucking out of a pothole if you hit it too hard. It’s something to be aware of, but it’s also fixable if you want to spend a couple of hundred of your good pounds on

18 Trail Summer 2021

upgrading. We have a couple of sets of RG3D racing shocks on order to try them out. They have set us back around £350 each, but there are cheaper alternatives on the market that will do well for you, depending on your riding style. The key is, like most things, to do your homework before you spend hundreds on potentially unnecessary upgrades.

If you are familiar with the 250L you will not be surprised by this, but you will also know that the pros far out way the cons on this mighty little trail bike.

Is it an Enduro bike like the CRF250RX? If you are looking to race enduros on the weekend, then you could choose a lot worse than the CRF250X (one of my favourite bikes for the really gnarly stuff). They may look similar, but the differences are endless. From

weight to power ratio, to service intervals, to comfort! So many people get this wrong and opt for power over all other aspects of their ride.

The X is a competition bike made road legal a few years ago to allow you to ride those sections of road between the trails. Nothing more. Simply put, it is made for performance over comfort and durability. It is also quite a lot more expensive than the 300L at over six grand compared to the L which is currently on

the market at around five grand.

If you are looking to go out with your mates on the trails on a weekend, and even take a comfy commute to work during the week, without hours of maintenance or the hefty price tag, then you have found your bike in the CRF300L. So how does it compare to the CRF250L? A bike we have come to know and love.

Particularly me, who loved it so much I rode one around the world for four years!

Upping the engine size is of course in response to the Euro5 emissions regulations.

Increasing capacity means the bike can use less extreme valve timing while still seeing a useful boost in power and torque. The Horsepower has increased marginally from 24.4hp to 27hp at 8500rpm while torque is upped from 16.7lbft to 19.6lbft and now peaks 250rpm lower at 6500rpm. The weight has come down 4kg by taking weight out of the frame and swingarm.

Does this mean anything to you? What you really want to know is – how it feels, right?

Putting the figures on paper aside, do you really feel any difference in the bike, or is it basically the same bike that now fits in with new regs?

Tony and I were sceptical, not expecting to feel much difference, but after 1200 miles, we both agree that we can…and we like it!

Trail Summer 2021 19

HONDA HEAVEN?

I am personally very happy to lose that 4kg.

I drop my bike at least as much as the next trail rider, and despite the right lifting techniques, no one is going to complain about that decrease, right? Especially, after a long day with tired arms. Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. The 300L also feels that little bit more playful in the dirt. That combination of a little less weight and a little more horsepower (breaks into an Elvis song*) gives it a spring in its step above the 250L without making it

20 Trail Summer 2021

feel aggressive or challenging to handle at slower speeds.

Riding position Whilst the seat height has annoyingly gone up slightly from 875mm to 880mm, it does allow a little more ground clearance, which is always handy. With my short legs though, believe it or not, I do feel every millimetre!

The riding position feels a little better to me overall. The tank size remains at 7.8 litres but

it’s a little narrower (and slightly lighter as a consequence) than its predecessor and seems to sit better between the knees. The bars have been pulled back slightly and the foot pegs lowered. Tony is 5ft 8in and I am 5ft 5in and we both feel comfortable on long days in the saddle with few aches and pains to report beyond our normal ‘old war wound’ complaints. It’s comfy to ride on the road too and still pulls at 60mph with little sign of strain and a fairly low vibration for its size.

Conclusion The CRF300L has a smooth throttle and a forgiving, playful nature that somehow manages to put a smile on riders’ faces from novice to expert alike. We love it. Our customers love it, and it seems the whole country is loving it, with Honda struggling to keep up with 2021 demand!

We at Moto Junkies give it a big thumbs up!

Want to try before you buy? Visit us at motojunkies.co.uk

Trail Summer 2021 21

The CRF

Pedigree H

onda has had a 250cc 4-stroke trail bike for what seems like forever but in the UK it was about 1972 the XL250 twinshock, the later version of which had possibly the longest Showa shocks made as lay-down units were in fashion at that time.

The single overhead cam, air-cooled motor was used in other models around the world and many are still in everyday use – there’s a lot to be said for simple, no-nonsense design.

Having said that, the big step forward for competition and trail riding was ProLink rear suspension; a single inboard shock absorber which was attached to the swingarm via a rising-rate linkage. It was all the rage at the time, other manufacturers had Uni-Trak, all variations on a theme and a lot more complex in design. In essence, these systems are still in use today. The centrally mounted shock units are certainly less vulnerable at the cost of increased maintenance.

The CRF 250L arrived in 2012 having been a 230 before returning to the larger capacity.

The new model was powered by a completely redesigned liquid-cooled, single featuring an

The starting point.

This is a 1973 model, XL250 Motorsport

advanced DOHC valve train. The valves were positioned at a very narrow angle resulting in a compact and efficient cylinder head that looked much tidier and more modern than the old finned cylinder and head.

Nearly another decade on and we have the Euro 5 compliant CRF300L. Steph has filled us in on most of the changes and how it behaves and feels to ride. However, there are some subtle goings on in the chassis department.

Thirty millimetres have been lopped off the front down tube and the lower cradle rails are 3mm thinner, also the top cross member has lost 20mm. These changes and the addition of a cast aluminium swingarm have obviously

The original CRF250L launched in 2012

The motor, up 2.5bhp and 1.9lbs-ft

22 Trail Summer 2021

Engine: Capacity: Bore x Stroke: Compression ratio: Fuel Injection: Power: Torque: Transmission: Clutch: Suspension Front: Rear: Brakes Front: Rear: Wheelbase: Seat height: Ground clearance: Fuel capacity: Weight:

Honda CRF250L

Honda CRF300L

Liquid-cooled DOHC single 249.6cc 76mm × 55mm 10.7:1 PGM-FI 24.4bhp 16.7lbs-ft @ 6,750rpm 6-speed constant mesh Wet multiplate hydraulic

Liquid-cooled DOHC single 286cc 76mm x 63mm 10.7:1 PGM-FI 26.9bhp 19.6lbs-ft @ 6.500rpm 6-speed constant mesh Wet multiplate hydraulic, slipper assist

43mm, USD Pro-Link

43mm, USD Pro-Link

Twin-piston, single-wave disc Single-piston, single wave disc 1,455mm (57.3ins) 875mm (34.1in) 255mm (10in) 10.1litres (2.2gals) 146kg (322lbs) wet

Twin-piston, single-wave disc Single-piston, single wave disc 1,455mm (57.3ins) 880mm (34.3ins) 285mm (11.1ins) 7.8litres (1.7gals) 142kg (312lbs)

contributed to the weight reduction but more significantly, and the reason why the changes were made in the first place, have decreased the chassis’s lateral rigidity.

Why would you do this? Well, there is some relatively new thinking here that says if a single-track vehicle has some flexibility, it will more easily find grip of its own accord, therefore having to rely less on rider input.

The CRF300L may well turn out to be a more important model change than meets the eye. Rick Kemp

Steph’s bike, on which she covered over 74,000miles!

The new CRF300L with many small but significant changes

Trail Summer 2021 23

Riding out of LOCKDOWN

24 Trail Summer 2021

The dark clouds in the background set the scene for the entire ride...

Sitting here on the hottest day of the year so far and looking back four weeks to our Great Western Trail adventure it sure seems like a lifetime ago ponders Steve Coward

A

s you can see on the TET/GWT Facebook pages, more and more riders are using the GWT to get out and explore – especially with the present travel restrictions due to Covid. Whether these lanes are being overused or not – an interesting debate which I am sure will ebb and flow – hopefully levelling out when foreign travel is back on the agenda – myself and a group of mates decided to ride the GWT towards the end of May. Having already had two foreign bike tours cancelled due to travel restrictions, we decided to ride the GWT from our base in Wiltshire, down to the north of Plymouth and back – missing out the more road orientated sections in Cornwall.

Having looked ahead by several months,

Trail Summer 2021 25

I booked the accommodation, no camping for us, which considering the biblical weather we rode through was a blessing in disguise. As our ride would also take place in the first week after indoor hospitality would open, I also booked our evening meals, again something most GWT riders would not need to do in advance but, as it turned out, a good move as we were sure of both a warm, welcoming bed as well as hot food without having to hope if a pub or restaurant had any spare availability.

So, with many hours on our Messenger group discussing tyre choices, which type of luggage to use, more importantly would the two new 701s arrive in time to use on the trail, we met at Tilshead Garage on a blustery, but rain free Thursday morning. (Here I need to remind myself of the epic rainfall we had all suffered for the past week – more of that to come!). Having decided to use my KTM 790 Adventure S, we also had two brand new Husqvarna 701 enduro bikes – still being run in on the trip, two seasoned KTM 690s and a solid workhorse Honda 250L. Off we went; through the Salisbury Plain section, thankfully little drama on the slippery chalk sections apart from when the rear wheel of Mike’s 690 got stuck in a hole on a narrow trail and Marcus took a nosedive into the chalky waters slipping over as he heroically helped push Mike out of the rut.

1st rule of GWT, keep out of the water!

The rest of the morning and afternoon was

26 Trail Summer 2021

spent with ever increasing rainfall until we emerged from one lane to hunker behind a hedge near Cranbourne Chase looking across the Plain at rain being driven horizontally across the horizon – oh well, onward and upward.

Despite the rain, which eased off as we reached Beaminster, we had made good progress. Should have kept my mouth shut as I managed to break my throttle grip when I crashed my 790 on a steep stony climb to the north of Newtown. I had replaced the original throttle with a pair of Oxford Heated grips. To do this I had to modify the plastic end of the tube to fit the electronic throttle body. The resulting fall managed to break half of the end of my grips – so, no throttle at all as there was nothing to push the tabs around on the electronic side of the throttle.

RIDING OUT OF LOCKDOWN

“Go on lads – I’ll call the AA – I’ll get home, put the original grip back on and meet you in the morning”. With that I freewheeled down the trail, rang the AA, used “What 3 Words” and within 40 minutes the AA van arrived. What a top bloke! He disconnected the throttle, looked at the broken section, and was then able to modify it so I could use the throttle.

If you look at the map of the route, I then rode back to Swindon, replaced the grip, slept the night, then rode back to Exeter down the M4 /M5 in the most horrendous rain and high winds I can remember, to meet the guys in a petrol station to the east of Exeter.

From there on it was plain sailing. Well the amount of water we rode through plus the ever constant rain made it feel like we were sailing along the trail rather than riding it. But a great group of mates who were able to take

Trail Summer 2021 27

RIDING OUT OF LOCKDOWN

the p—s out of every situation, then help you get out of the rut you were stuck in, or lift your bike up when it had fallen over made a great team in such horrendous weather conditions.

Highlights of the rest of the ride? These included lunch by the seaside in Shaldon looking across the estuary at Teignmouth, our surprise at the amount of people around in Tavistock when we tried to get a coffee there, the variety of different lanes we rode through, short stone climbs, long flowing trails under a canopy of trees, slimy, slippery, grassy sections made even worse by the constant rain, the beauty of Fingle Bridge on the Castle Drogo estate, and of course the challenging mud pool at the entrance to the short, but epic lane out of the trading estate up Goar

28 Trail Summer 2021

Knap to the south of Yeovil.

What a lane. Martyn, our heroic leader, full of extra beans from the coffees we had just enjoyed in the local Costa, surprised us all from the main road when he seemed to just stop dead as he entered the green lane.

Moments later, a fair amount of local mud exiting his rear wheel, he managed to break free, only to tell us to “keep to the left!” The message being passed back down the line, as we entered the lane we could see a large muddy swamp greeting our

arrival. Duly keeping to the left we all made it through, or so I thought.

Sadly, our Tail End Charley, Mike, seemed to have forgotten his left from his right, went straight through the middle, stopped stuck in the mud, wobbled his short legs about and gradually, as in slowmotion replay, fell over, with a slurping noise only to see his lovely 690 lying glued to the surface of the mud pool.

Merriment ensued followed by a rescue of one rather crap encrusted bike and rider. Never mind, once out into the open the torrential rain cleaned most of it off. I must admit, after pushing four bikes through the narrow gap between the fallen trees, over the roots across the trail, up the narrow single ruts 50 metres up the trail I decided to turn round, ride back down the trail and meet the guys on the bypass to the east of Yeovil – too much energy had been expended and there was no need to push my heavier bike through all that chaos!

Trail Summer 2021 29

RIDING OUT OF LOCKDOWN

Would we suggest you ride the GWT? Certainly, we would. It is a fantastic route put together by Wiltshire Rights of Way Officer and the TET’s Linesman, Jimmy Kawasaki, comprising an amazing flow of trails across stunning countryside. Would we use the same bikes again? Probably, although smaller more enduro focused bikes would manage it much easier than larger adventure-style bikes.

I was happy that the 790 managed all bar two climbs – my fault not the bike’s – and bearing in mind the constant rain we had during the five days I am sure during dry spells most bikes would manage the ride.

Do we need to be careful about overuse of the GWT? – probably, but everyone we came across in the places we stayed, had coffees, or ate were more than glad that we were bringing a small but important piece of the economy back into the area.

Where next? Well, with our present tour of

30 Trail Summer 2021

the Picos being cancelled the Welsh TET is a possibility, although I think having ridden some of it previously the 350 might well be making an appearance rather than the 790.

SIGNS

F

David Warren from LVTRF with Colin Bird of The Ramblers Association and Andrea Sparkes riding Kaizen from the BHS

of theTimes

ollowing a long year of lockdowns and restricted travel here in South West Wales it was like last day of term on the final weekend of April 2021. The weather was good and the long anticipated wait to get out and about was over.

We had already decided to restrict group sizes in recognition of ‘public perception’ following no riding of the local lanes being undertaken by our group during the lockdown period. Groups of two, four and six made their way around the lanes of all three counties in our area.

By the first Bank Holiday in May, we were being stopped on many of our regular routes being asked ‘where are you from?’ and ‘do you know where the right way is?’ Having engaged with our neighbours and some landowners that we had not met before, our members were being told of the high level of

32 Trail Summer 2021

traffic using the lanes compared to pre-lockdown numbers.

It would appear that the Trans European Trail’s ‘Welsh TET’ route and TRF’s Green Lane Mapping ‘GRM Project’ has reached many riders over the past year, (which is a good thing), however, it has also brought with it a number of issues too.

We received four complaints in the first week of lockdown ending regarding gates being left open and some riders not being able to follow their maps/GPS. And unfortunately, having been active in the area since 2018, it is only the past month that we have had access to some lanes denied by landowners. They accept it is not the correct thing to do but feel there is no other way to ensure their stock doesn’t get let out on to the main A and B roads.

As I have reported regularly, we are naturally a very positive bunch of riders here in our

group and despite the lack of support from some other TRF Group’s members regarding this issue have been addressing this on a local level. We have a project in its early stages, starting with the meeting of landowners and trying to help with clearer signage and assistance in repairing/re-hanging gates.

Sarah and Richard Pugh had these signs made up at their own expense and have put them up with the land owners approval and assistance. Sarah is one of our lady riders and Richard is one of our Group officers.

Our plans include asking for ‘matched funding’ to move our conservation and signage project forward over the next months.

If any rider, local or visitor, finds a lane blocked by natural or man-made obstacles they can report them via ‘fix-my-street’. We would respectfully ask that individuals do not use social media to undermine the good work being done by TRF members locally. The SWW TRF Group members and officers are riders and volunteers. As in most areas they are not an extension of the local council to keep the highway network open, just a facilitator as and when they are able.

We welcome anyone who would like to see and appreciate our wonderful countryside at any time. If you are a lone rider who would appreciate company discovering some of our gems please feel free to contact any of our officers and they will be able to organise something either midweek or at weekend.

Mo Rapley – South West Wales Group Trail Riders are constantly challenged by other users on Public Rights of Way, a situation which got worse during lockdown as there was a huge influx of people into the countryside.

Loddon Vale TRF in partnership with the British Horse Society and The Ramblers Association recently produced “Share the trail signs” in conjunction with Bracknell Forest Council

Much of this caused through a lack of awareness by other users that they are in fact on a road, albeit unsurfaced, made worse by inadequate and often missing signage from Local Authorities.

Loddon Vale TRF in partnership with the British Horse Society and The Ramblers Association recently produced “Share the trail signs” in conjunction with Bracknell Forest Council which have been installed on a number of byways across the borough.

Graeme Collins – Lodden Vale Group

Sarah and Richard Pugh had these signs made up at their own expense and have put them up with the land owners approval and assistance.

Trail Summer 2021 33

ANOTHER Slice?

34 Trail Summer 2021

Lee Robinson with both versions of the street-legal Cake Kalks in the Surrey Hills. Left, the Öhlins-equipped Kalk, and right, the cheaper LalkINK&

Paul Blezard struggles to get his arthritic leg over a pair of lightweight but rather tall Swedish Cakes

I

in big numerals, the Cake had just 2.6 written in white on its battery… Furthermore, I knew that the cheap’n’cheerful £3,000 SuperSoco electric moped I’d ridden across London to the event was equipped with a 1.8 kWh battery and had room for a second, to double its range.

Six months earlier I’d bumped into an old schoolfriend I hadn’t seen for decades. Turned out Simon was still into motorcycles and we kept in touch. Last year he told me that another motorcycle enthusiast friend of his had recently signed up to become one of only two Cake dealers in the country. And so it was that I found myself at Lee Robinson’s place in Guildford at the end of May, with both versions of Cake’s street-legal trail bikes lined up for testing on the byways of the Surrey Hills. In the meantime, last September, I’d also seen an episode of the online electric vehicle TV programme, Fully Charged, in which Scotsman Andy Torbet tested both the OR off-road only Cake and a street-legal one. It

first saw an example of a Cake electric motorcycle at the last BikeShed Show at Tobacco Dock, east London, way back in May 2019. The organisers had presciently set aside a whole room for electric machinery and the Swedish machine was mixed in with the hub-centre-steered but ill-fated £90,000 ARC, the £40,000 ‘V-twin’ Veitis, a £40,000 Belgian Saréola, several custom-painted Zeroes and a couple of lightweight one-offs. In that company, the Öhlinsequipped Scandinavian machine seemed almost cheap at ‘only’ eleven grand but it was in motocross trim and didn’t even have a sidestand, let alone lights. However, the Swedish gentlemen with it assured me that a roadlegal version was on the way, and so it proved.

First impressions were: striking, ‘designeresque’ but very angular; lightweight, but very tall; small battery. Like the Zero DSRs I’m most familiar with, the Cake has its battery size in kilowatt hours emblazoned on its side. But whereas the Zeroes proudly display 14.4 kWh

Trail Summer 2021 35

ANOTHER SLICE?

36 Trail Summer 2021

19-inchers at both ends, incidentally, and come with Cake’s own design of ‘Trail Saver’ tyres, whose tread reminded me of US flat track hoops, but much skinnier, at only 3-inches wide. Both machines come with lights, indicators, steering lock and a pair of mirrors, plus a spindly sidestand, of which more anon…

As we headed for the Surrey Hills on a back road out of Guildford I was surprised by how ‘roadie’ the riding position felt, with much more of a lean forward than I was expecting.

Within a few minutes we were at the start of the first trail, near Gomshall, and Lee re-set the modes, upping the power/speed setting from 2 to 3, and the regen braking, from 1 to 3.

It struck me as slightly ironic to go from restricted power on the tarmac, to full power on the trail, when I’m used to doing the opposite on Zeroes, but the American machines are all much, much more powerful than the Cake – even their relatively light 135kg FX trail model is capable of 90mph…

Low bars, high seat The INK& felt much more poky in Mode 3, and really light and flickable, as I led the way up the steep climb of the Hackhurst Downs but as I stood up on the pegs the lean-forward ‘roadie’ feel of the riding position persisted and I found myself wanting a bar-riser. Mind you, I also wanted a seat-lowerer! Whenever I

was all very positive and beautifully shot, but the seat still looked very high, especially on the road, and when Alvin the 6ft Swede said “Anyone can ride it” I thought, what if you’re a 5ft 2in woman, or a knackered old git like me, with arthritic hips? You’d need a mounting block! And so it proved!

The Cakes certainly look classy when they’re nice’n clean and shiny. The Swedes make great play of the fact that while the machines have something in common with mountain bikes, their parts are all much beefier, yet are much lighter than those of conventional motorcycles: ‘All parts and components are developed from scratch to keep the weight down, with highest possible performance. Everything from the rims, hubs and stems to the custom Öhlins suspension is engineered and dimensioned specifically for the Kalk and this new category: lightweight electric motorbikes.’

Before we set off, Lee gave me a brief rundown on the difference between the two machines and their rather bizarre model designation. Kalk means ‘lime’ in Swedish, by the way. The black bike is the Kalk INK&, and is the basic, street-legal trail bike, costing £9,000.

The white Kalk& is the Öhlins-equipped version, which also has different wheels and costs a full three grand more at £12,000 but weighs 4kgs less, (79kg compared to 83kg for the still very light INK&). The wheels are

As I stood up on the pegs the leanforward feel of the riding position left me wanting a bar riser

By the time we got back to base the battery indicator was showing empty, with exactly 30 miles covered.

I’VE RIDDEN ALL THE TRAILS WE RODE THAT DAY FOR FOUR DECADES AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN THEM SO WET AND PUDDLE-FILLED Blez gives the black Cake a serious water test, and it came through with flying colours

Trail Summer 2021 37

In 2021, a 2.6kWh battery is really rather small, especially on a £9,000 bike

The Cake picked up a fair amount of debris on our ride, but nothing a quick wash couldn’t rectify...

decided to stop for some photos I literally had to look for a hump to pull up alongside in order to dismount! Of course, a high seat is much less of a problem if you have a good, strong sidestand with a decent-sized foot at the end of it, so that you can put your left foot on the footpeg before swinging your right leg over the seat. Unfortunately the Cake has neither – the lightweight sidestand is more like a blunt alloy pencil, and has no foot to it whatsoever! It could have been designed to sink instantly into any ground softer than concrete. It really needs a redesign, with a large, weight-spreading foot.

38 Trail Summer 2021

While we were taking some snaps, a fellow trail rider came by on a WR450, and the contrast with the silent Swedish bikes was striking. The Yamaha wasn’t outrageously loud, but it still sounded bloody noisy compared to the Cakes and I was reminded once again how much better for public relations any electric machine is compared to anything with an ‘infernal’ combustion engine – especially on the trail.

Thankfully the rain that had threatened at the beginning of the ride did not materialise, but there was a lot of evidence of the uncommonly wet month of May we had this year.

ANOTHER SLICE? The sheep observed with their usual air of indifference

I swapped onto the Kalk&, the Öhlinsequipped bike, just before we rode the flinty, cobbly, trail known as Hogden’s Lane which leads up to Polesden Lacey. The dash layout was different, but the mode choice the same.

One slightly irritating aspect is that unless you’re happy to ride in moped mode with no regen you have to reset the modes every time you restart, although it only takes a couple of seconds. Upping the regen from 1 to 3 makes a hell of a difference, rendering the disc brakes almost redundant in most situations on both road and trail – just shut off to slow down and twist again to go. It’s like the difference

I’ve ridden all the trails we did that day for four decades and I have never seen them so wet and puddle-filled. Some were almost unrecognisable from the last time I rode them.

Not ideal for an electric motorcycle test, you might think – but you’d be wrong. On the contrary, both bikes kept going through the deepest puddles without missing a beat, or should that be a ‘whir’? On the other hand, the black INK proved to have temperamental wiring as far as the lights and indicators were concerned. They all disappeared without warning for a while, only to return, then disappear again.

Trail Summer 2021 39

ANOTHER SLICE?

Lee and Blez pause to chat with Kaya (left) who has just recently discovered the joys of green roads

Lee Robinson gets the front wheel up over some roots on the Öhlins-equipped Cake Kalk&.

between the engine braking of a 125 2-stroke compared to a 600 4-stroke thumper.

The Öhlins suspension definitely felt more ‘plush’ but not three grand’s worth more and I have a feeling the INK’s slightly clunking suspension could be improved for a lot less dosh than that. Then again, we were taking it steady in a responsible TRF fashion; I dare say that if you were ‘pressing on’ in enduro special test style, you’d appreciate the difference more. In fact, if you want to see what an Öhlins-equipped Cake OR can do in the hands of a top class rider, there’s a great YouTube video with brilliant on-board footage of works Yamaha rider Robert Kvarnstrom passing all and sundry in the Gotland Enduro and setting the 5th fastest time out of 118 mostly petrol-powered riders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM0AGvpUdQ

40 Trail Summer 2021

Learner’s Puddle Test I actually gave the Kalk& an unintended test of waterproofing when I managed to drop it in one of the biggest puddles on Hogden’s Lane – a beginner’s error due to optimistically trying to change ruts in a foot of water.

Definitely my wettest prang in 40 years of dirt

riding and all captured on video by Lee’s Go Pro! The bike was completely unscathed apart from the loss of the toe-piece from the rear brake. It’s cleverly designed as a separate, bolton part, so the bolt snaps, you retrieve the toe-piece and refit it with a new bolt. A neat piece of design that contrasts with the flippin’ useless footless sidestand on the other side of the bike. Unfortunately the toe-piece disappeared into the puddle and I didn’t notice it was missing until some while later – another neat aspect is that the footbrake is still perfectly useable without it since the whole length of the brake arm remains in place, intact and unbent. Both mirrors survived intact too, and they give good rear vision on the road, although hinged, foldaway ones would make more sense on such a trail-capable machine.

Talking of learners, it was shortly after this incident that we bumped into a learner trail rider called Kaya who’d ridden the twenty-odd miles out from South West London to discover the Surrey byways. It was great to hear him talk with enthusiasm about the joys of trail riding and how he was planning to move up to a more powerful machine as soon as he passed his test. At 32, he was actually not that

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young, and had been riding on CBTs for a decade, but had only just discovered the delights of ‘green roads’. He had heard of the TRF though, and said he planned to join us soon. The TRF – and motorcycling in general – need more like him!

CBT-Compatible All the Cake models are A1 licence-legal, like a 125, with a claimed (continuous) power output of 10kW (13.5bhp) for the road-legal bikes and 11kW (15bhp) for the off-road-only OR machines. Torque is a gutsy 42Nm (30lbft) for both, which is only one less than the heavier KTM FreerideE. And remember, as all EV nerds know by now, peak power is always much more than the continuous figure. In fact, in the US market where they don’t have any of the learner restrictions we have in Europe, the figures Cake claimed were only 9kW continuous, but 15kW or 20bhp peak. For comparison, a Honda CRF250L has 23bhp, but only 22Nm – barely half – the torque, and at 144kg, weighs nearly twice as much as the Cakes! And of course, the electric bikes are all ‘twist and go’, so there’s no clutch or gears to worry about. In fact the OR models come with

Battery Size Matters – And so does the PIMG

R

ight now, in 2021, a 2.6kWh battery is really rather small, especially on a £9,000 bike, no matter how light it is. And it’s one of the reasons that it is so light of course. There are lots of electric two wheelers with a lot more battery for a lot less money, and they’re not all made in China either. Take the Spanish Silence SO1 maxiscooter, for example: 62mph (claimed) top speed and a quick-release 5.6kWh battery pack, more than double the Cake’s capacity, all for £4,995. Mind you, that’s with the UK government’s Plug-in Motorcycle Grant (PIMG), worth £1500. The Cakes should be able to get approval as soon as someone at the company gets around to doing the necessary paperwork, which would bring the price down to a much more tolerable £7,500.

In stark contrast, the KTM FreerideE is not eligible for the grant, due to its crazy ‘ready to race’ one-month warranty, even though the battery pack itself is guaranteed for the necessary three years! So un-

42 Trail Summer 2021

the rear brake on the left handlebar which, being used to both Zeroes and maxiscooters, would be my preference for the road-legal models too.

It started to rain as we rode down the A246 for a couple of miles, and I began to wish I’d worn my jacket but by the time we got to the next pair of trails it had stopped and I remembered that the last time I’d ridden them I’d been searching for clues in the Surrey Rally of Discovery on Carla McKenzie’s Zero DSR, which she kindly lent me for the event.

We got a couple of nice scenic shots and Lee managed to pop a couple of respectable wheelies. If you look on t’internet you’ll find photos and videos of skilful fearless folk putting Cakes completely vertical on the back wheel with no trouble at all.

Slippery when wet…

I’m a lot less ‘gung ho’ than I used to be, but when Lee suggested that it might be a good idea to miss out the last long trail he’d planned, since it included a gnarly descent on what would now be wet chalk, and that he and our friend Simon had both fallen off last time they went down it on the Cakes, I said,

less that changes, the KTM, with its 3.9kWh battery pack, will stay at £10,399 when it could cost less than £9,000. Yet the rip-snorting (but heavier) Zero FXS, with its 7.2 kWh pack, (nearly twice as much as the KTM, and nearly three times that of the Cake), comes in at a bargain £10,045 with the grant.

ANOTHER SLICE?

Paul Blezard with the KalkINK& on a Surrey byway (spot the red arrow on the post). The ‘No Motorcycles’ signs apply to the bridleway which starts on the left.

of Shere and we stopped for an outdoor beer at The William Bray hostelry around the corner – my first pub pint of 2021! The two Swedish machines attracted a lot of interest from passing customers, several of whom admitted they weren’t aware that electric motorcycles even existed. They all liked the idea of the silent running, even the guy who reminisced about British bikes from half a century ago.

Range Limitations On the last few miles back to Guildford we touched 50mph, briefly, for the first time all day (claimed top speed is 56mph) and by the time we got back to base the battery indicator was showing empty, with exactly 30 miles covered. Bearing in mind that we’d been riding gently on backroads and byways, with very little full-throttle thraping, I think Cake’s claim of ‘up to 50 miles’ of riding from that 2.6kWh battery is optimistic, to say the least.

You would have to ride at the 15mph (25kph) assisted legal limit of an electric mountain bike to achieve it, in my opinion, whereas Cake strongly imply that you could go 50 miles, or three hours, in Mode 1 at the 28mph(45kph) moped limit. Frankly, I haven’t got the patience to check – I’d much rather ride the Cake in full power Mode 3 all the time, and doing that, you’ll have to avoid thrashing it to get even 30 miles.

The best range Lee has managed so far is 34

‘Nah, let’s do it’. After all, I’d ridden down that trail on my GS1150 back in the early noughties, how hard could it be on a featherweight electric bike with stonking regen braking? The answer is…more difficult than I’d expected! I stopped about half way down, before the really tricky section, and discovered that Lee had already fallen off behind me.

When he restarted, I waved him past and promptly dropped the Kalk& as the back end slipped away beneath me on a super-slippery ridge between two ruts. I’m going to put some of the blame on the shallow-treaded ‘Trailsaver’ tyres, which were definitely out of their comfort zone on wet chalk. However, you may conclude that I’m just an incompetent old has-been-who-never-was!

Of course, one of the great joys of a really light bike is the ease with which you can pick it up on your own, as I discovered with the even lighter Sur-ron that I dropped several times while testing it last year! Unlike the Sur-ron however, which has a seat even lower than a Serow’s, the Cake’s high seat makes simple paddling much harder and it’s not as if all that seat height comes with lots of nice, comfy padding either. The Cake seats really are like the proverbial plank, and actually feel wider than they look. As any short-arse will tell you, seat width is as important as height when it comes to getting your feet down onto terra firma.

That last tricky trail comes out in the village

Trail Summer 2021 43

ANOTHER SLICE? Oops!

miles while reconnoitring the route for the forthcoming London to Brighton Electric Vehicle Rally. He’s confident his Cake will make it the full 50-something miles with a battery swap at the half-way point, which seems entirely reasonable. Cake claim that the battery can be swapped in 90 seconds, but Lee said that it’s a pretty fiddly operation and he’s actually modified the slotting system to make it easier. It definitely can’t be done with the ease of a KTM FreerideE battery swap, which I have seen done with my own eyes in a matter of seconds. It’s easier on the cheap’n’cheerful SuperSocos and Sur-rons too, for that matter. Then again, you need to know that a spare battery for a Cake will set you back three grand (€3,500) which is pricey by any standards. (KTM’s FreerideE battery unit costs €4,000, but it’s 50% bigger in capacity – 3.9kWh vs 2.6kWh for the Cake.)

Also, it’s worth bearing in mind that both the KTM and Zero have built-in chargers, whereas the Cake’s is separate, like an electric bicycle’s, so has to be carried around on your person if you want to charge away from base. Small batteries mean quicker charge times of course, which is why the Cake can be recharged from ‘empty’ to 80% in ‘only’ two hours, and to full in three from a normal

44 Trail Summer 2021

13amp socket. But battery capacity equals range, just like the size of a petrol bike’s fuel tank. The only snag is those hours rather than minutes it takes to ‘fill up’ – unless you’ve got a spare battery pack to hand. It follows that the Cake, like the KTM, is perfectly capable of competing with petrol-powered machines on a closed course (or non-competitive trail park) where a lap isn’t too long and you can swap the battery while others pour old-fashioned and highly flammable fuel into their tanks.

Personally, I would advise the Swedes to redesign their road-legal machines so that they can slot in a second battery, if required, which would double the range at a stroke without adding too much weight – they would still only weigh 100kg even with 5.2kWh of battery, compared to the KTM’s 110kg with 3.9kWh. They need to add a few more grammes for a sturdier sidestand of course, and an on-board charger would be good too. And a more off-road riding position, ironically, with at least the option of a bar riser. If they really want to widen their machines’ appeal, they need to bring out a ‘Serow-style’ version with a seat that’s at least four inches lower! Finally I’d change the model names to something that doesn’t look like a typographical error!

CONCLUSION As they stand now, the Cake Kalk& and the INK& are wonderfully light, road-legal, dirtcapable trailbikes that are great fun to ride, but their range is distinctly limited and their seats are very high and somewhat uncomfortable.

You’re paying a high premium for that lovely CNC-machined aluminium and light weight, especially for the Öhlins-equipped model, and especially without the £1500 plug-in grant. My racing days are definitely over, so I really hope they’ll make a lower, more comfortable, longer-range version soon!

Huge thanks to Lee Robinson for a thoroughly enjoyable day out, and for help with the photography.

Website: leebikes.com Email: lee.robinson@leebikes.com Cake website: ridecake.com Cake test on Fully Charged: https://fullycharged.show/episodes/ cake-motorbikes-all-electric-no-ice/ On YouTube: Cake OR in Gotland Enduro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= NM0-AGvpUdQ

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LOCKDOWN

Loveley

46 Trail Summer 2021

The original 4 bikes bought as a job lot

MZ used to be a pretty famous name in off-road circles with good reason. Phil Speakman from the Lancashire Group gives a 1985 MZ TS125 the green-lane treatment

1985 MZ TS125

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originally bought “Maple” (reg letters are MPL) to rebuild as an adventure tourer, in order to enter the Mongol Rally alongside a mate, sometime in the mid 2000s. We bought four old MZ TS125/150’s as a job lot, then sold two on and covered the costs of the two we kept.

Unfortunately life got in the way and the rally’s rules changed to disbar bikes over 10 years old. By the time I got around to doing anything at all to Maple, other than giving her shed room, I’d been made redundant, spent two and a half years in Afghanistan, set up a new business (The MZ Shop Ltd), become engaged and was on a steep learning curve on how to be a dad to an eight-year-old step-daughter.

By 2015, Cara was 13 and during the school holidays, it seemed like a good idea to teach

her some practical, hands-on skills by dismantling Maple for a complete rebuild.

Although initially apprehensive, within a few weeks, we stripped the 125 down to its component parts and shipped the cycle parts and tinware off to the local powder coaters.

As the bike was to be a green lane bike, the tough finish of powder coating seemed preferable to the superior finish of a paint sprayer. By now, Cara was even asking to go to Halfords to look at socket sets.

My Mongol Rally mate, James, was kind enough to show us both how to re-lace the wheels with new spokes, after Cara had cleaned the aluminium rims and hubs with Scotchbrite pads and Brasso.

Unfortunately due to a communications failure, Cara had it in her head that Maple would return in a British Racing Green colour scheme instead of the bright Kawasaki racing green that we had interpreted her descriptions as. After that, with increasing pressure from

Trail Summer 2021 47

Lee from TigWeld4U in Widnes cut and shut the Bantam Bushman exhaust and fabricated the stainless heat shield

school examinations Cara understandably lost interest and Maple was dispatched to the loft in cardboard boxes for an unknown future as we were increasingly busy with building our second business, a real ale Micropub (The Skew Bridge Alehouse).

Fast forward to May 2020 and our pub was closed to customers, yet still trading successfully by delivering beer to local addresses in the early evenings. This gave me more time in the afternoons with which to finally get around to reassembling Maple as a bespoke green-lane ride, suitable for the gentleman rider in his mid 50s who knows he’s not getting any younger.

The motor’s bottom end was put out to a mate for a complete rebuild with new bearings, con-rod, gaskets and seals. With copious quantities of diesel, oil and a wooden drift, I managed to remove the seized piston and had the head & barrel vapour blasted, then rebored to 2nd oversize with a new piston.

Being a major supplier of MZ components, the bike soon came together on the bike lift, being rebuilt with all new stainless fasteners.

However, it was the modifications that provided the most interesting problem solving solutions.

The front mudguard was raised to take off road tyres, simply by fabricating riser plates in stainless steel. The rebuilt motor was converted from a 6V dynamo system to a 12V Vape alternator which was sealed from water ingress where the clutch cable enters the right hand engine cover.

The bars were swapped with Simson enduro bars and I chose to fit later MZ ETZ levers and switchgear, simply because the clutch and brake lever blades are readily available and

48 Trail Summer 2021

easily swapped in the event of a breakage.

Indeed, I carry a spare of each in the offside side panel, along with 2-stroke oil, tool kit and spare plugs and fuses.

With no indicators fitted, much of the new wiring loom wasn’t even required. Ebay provided an excellent set of very robust bark busters in a perfectly matching green, leaving only the high level exhaust, aluminium belly plate and pannier frames as the final pieces of the jigsaw.

This is where I called in the assistance of TigWeld4U in Widnes for their welding and fabrication experience. Lee and myself have completed many successful projects both previously and since, for both of my businesses. We work well together in finding practical solutions and modifications.

I’d bought a high-level pipe for a BSA Bantam Bushman exhaust, which is the same diameter as the MZ TS 125 pipe. Lee was able to cut and shut the pipe to line up with the MZ silencer, suspended from the top pannier frame mounting which he’d also modified to strengthen the two point mounting frames with a third mounting point to the rear pillion foot peg bolts.

The pannier frames are original MZ units, designed to accept the DDR manufactured hard luggage. However, with a rethink, they were modified to accept a pair of Touratech panniers which I’d never got around to putting on Ebay, having sold the Tiger 955i on which they were fitted. I’ll only use them occasionally for camping trips, but it’s nice to have the option.

Lee fabricated a silencer heat shield from stainless and the last job was fabrication of the bash plate, utilising the top two inches of the broken aluminium centre stand to form

LOCKDOWN LOVELIES

The pannier frames seen here on the bike were modified to support a pair of Touratech panniers

the two rear mounting points, whilst the front mounting is shared with the motor securing bolts.

Once a switched USB port had been fitted, my iPhone could run the ViewRanger app, allowing me my first day out ever, following a downloaded route, off road in the Peak District and the bike performed impeccably.

I may choose to lace in a 21” MZ ISDT front rim which is in my shed, to give me more tyre options than the 18” TS rims. But if it carries on doing as well as it did on its first trip, I might not even bother.

Lee seen here fabric

ating the sump guard

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HINTS

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BIKE Preparation How to go about turning a KTM or Husqvarna into a dedicated trail weapon. David Strachan from Trail Riders Warehouse provides some fine tuning advice

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here’s good reason that in the UK the KTM EXC and Husqvarna FE/TE models are some of the most popular trail bikes.

Starting with the competition prowess of these bikes means that they are a great platform to start with as they are powerful, lightweight, there’s abundance of spares and performance parts available and most importantly they are designed to be fixed quickly at the trackside. This also means that some carefully selected tweaks can turn a great bike into the perfect trail weapon ready for any adventure.

For those of you who are considering these bikes we would recommend thinking about what you are going to use it for and avoid the hype around any particular engine size or variant as they each have their pros and cons.

When making your choice consider how much road riding you will be doing or if you are planning on doing hardcore trail/enduros.

This will help narrow your search straight away to maybe one or two different models.

Here is our guide to offer you some starting points.

If you’re new to riding trails the EXC-F or FE 250 4t is a great platform to learn, it is light, agile and will grow your confidence rapidly.

They might be an entry-level KTM but the

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‘ready-to-race’ mantra is so very obvious. In the hands of an experienced rider these bikes can leave any novice gasping in disbelief.

For more experienced riders wanting to get into the tight technical extreme end of trail riding and enduro events you will probably be best suited to a 250/300cc 2t thanks to the lightweight and zappy 2-stroke engines.

Those of you looking to go further, try rally events or weekends will likely steer towards the KTM EXCF 500 4t for that little bit extra weight, power and gear ratio making it more practicable for the road sections.

And if, like us, you are looking for a good all-rounder that is capable at all of the above – the KTM EXC-F 350 is your choice! It weighs the same as a 250 but has heaps more bottom end torque to make it easy to ride at low revs, open the throttle wide and you’ll need to hold on tight! Whichever you choose, everything shown here will help you focus these bikes for your riding style, making them more personalised for the demands of UK and foreign trail riding trips such as the Trans European Trail.

Road Riding Upgrades Like many modern bikes, these do not come with a key ignition, adding one is a cost-effective way to protect your bike from opportunist thieves while you are stopped for lunch or

of the way and less likely to get damaged in the event you drop the bike.

The standard indicator switch gear is also an afterthought and upgrades are available like the SICASS multifunction switch which is a lot more intuitive to use. For rides where there are lots of gates and start stops, getting an “over/under” kill/start switch makes this effortless as both controls are right next to one another.

We have tested heaps of mirrors and the

fuel. Just as important is ensuring you bike is road legal. If you plan on tackling any trails in Europe, you will need to ensure you have indicators and often mirrors when travelling across Europe. When purchased new a “road legal” kit is supplied with mirrors and indicators and loom, but these were obviously a cheap afterthought. To solve this, we recommend keeping it simple with the SICASS undertray with built in number plate light and flush mounted indicators that are tucked out

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HINTS

ones we use time again are the Double Take Enduro or Scrambler. They mount neatly onto the brake or clutch clamps and having a RAM system means they can be easily flicked in and out when on the tough trails. We prefer the Scrambler model as its smaller, we find you do not actually need to move it in when on the trails.

There are plenty of GPS and phone mount systems available that can be mounted to handlebars, we prefer the type that mounts directly in the centre as its less likely to take a knock in the event of a crash.

Key Ignition £60 Indicators and loom £250 Upgraded multifunction switch £50 Over under kill switch £50 Performance upgrades Straight out of the factory these bikes are lighter and have more power than any road bike of a similar capacity. This means you won’t need to fork out for expensive exhaust

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systems, or power mods and unless you’re a pro rider you wouldn’t tell the difference anyway.

To truly get the best out of any off-road bike you need to get the suspension set up to your weight and riding style. This is often overlooked but this is the single most important upgrade as it will make the bike perform how the factory designed it to and in turn will help your confidence and ability.

As a general guide, the factory settings on new bikes are for a 75kg rider, which includes the gear the rider is wearing. Now that is probably only around 10% of riders that use these bikes for trail riding, so if you are buying a used bike be sure to check if the suspensions been altered, and if in doubt get it set up professionally. Pound for pound this is the best place to improve performance.

Suspension setup £200- 500.

If you plan on hitting the loose gravel or rocky ruts, a suspension damper can really help the front wheel to track where you point

it, they can also reduce fatigue and arm pump.

They are adjustable and you can change the settings on the go to explore how they work.

The industry standard is the Scotts Damper but these are expensive and a complete kit from an unbranded alternative will cost less than a 1/3 of the Scotts damper on its own.

They will still offer all of the same features without the premium price tag. Steering Damper £250-750.

Comfort There isn’t a bike that fits every ride, so making some changes based on your height and ergonomics when riding can make a massive difference on how confident and comfortable you feel. I’m 5’9” and 90kg, our KTM EXC-F 350 has been set up for my weight, but because I only have a 30” inside leg I’ve added a Seat Concepts comfort low seat. This is not only far more comfortable that the standard 4x2 wood seat but its also 15mm lower to combat my short legs. We also have wider foot pegs and thanks to the steering damper and 25mm taller handlebars – no need for bar risers to suit my riding style. Custom seat £100-350. Handle bar risers £20-100. Rally pegs £25-150.

Protection Parts Again, protection parts are proportionate to what you want to use the bike for. We have stuck with the OEM plastic skid plate. So far, it’s never let me down and the bike doesn’t get used for Hard Enduro so adding a heavy metal one just isn’t worth it. We have added Polisport swingarm and engine covers. These parts offer protection from wear and impacts, whilst not adding much weight.

Wrap around handguards are a must, they protect your levers (and hands) in the event of a crash and we really like the SICASS ones as they have the option to have LED indicators built into the deflectors. It’s a smart feature, and one you can add at a later date using the replacement light kit. When viewed from the front they give a really positive message to oncoming traffic. When you consider a crash that damages a radiator is a day-ender and is likely to be around £100 for a replacement radiator, a good set of radiator guards is an obvious solution.

Fuel tanks Our bike has the standard 9.5L Fuel tank. Its plenty big enough for trail riding in the UK and

we top up normally at lunch breaks. If you are going to be travelling to areas where fuel is restricted there are many ways to increase capacity. You can either take fuel cans or cells such as the Fuel Friends available in 0.5/1.0/1.5l variants that can be strapped to the fenders or you may want to consider a larger fuel tank.

Its important to understand that increasing the fuel tank capacity will have an impact on the bike’s centre of gravity, the suspension and performance. Consider carefully actually how much fuel you need to carry before buying the biggest fuel tank available. Common upgrades are 11.5, 15 & 20 litre fuel tanks and the 11.5 is the only one that uses the existing radiator scoops. Larger Fuel tank £200-300.

Emergency fuel can £20.

Trail Riders Warehouse can supply many of the parts mentioned within this article and TRF members get a 10% discount using code TRF10. www.trailriderswarehouse.co.uk

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Sunny SOMERSET Ride Those of us who just turn up and ride at TRF-organised events might not fully appreciate the work put in by members particularly if the event goes without a hitch. If the odd snag is encountered, a few participants tend to get somewhat vociferous. Here, Martin Keswick from the Somerset Group reveals a few secrets of a successful outcome

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56 Trail Summer 2021

caused by that many bikes on the tracks and trails and ground in the forest. It is fair to say the Maxxis Trialsmax is a great tyre and can make an average rider a ‘Trials God’.

The general feedback from riders was they had a cracking day and really enjoyed the riding and challenges we set out.

What are the things we at Somerset do to make this type of event happen?

A suitable venue Agreement with a landowner for the use/payment A parking location An Event Director, Deputy, Safety Officer, Head Marshal, A broader group of people able to assist in the set up and running of the event A detailed Safety Plan completed and approved by TRF Directors for insurance approval IOPD (International Organisation of Professional Drivers) Permit to run an event ‘off road’ Ambulance Toilets Food Eventbrite to manage the tickets and comms Quads, Tape, arrows, posts, cones, staplers, mallets, signage, gazebos, tables Our next event in July is already sold out.

We are trying to secure a new venue for an event in August. We have a charity fun Scramble/Grass track day in September and our next Forest Ride Day will be in October.

ooking back at the weather this May we could write it off as a dead loss, however on Sunday the 2nd of May, it was fantastic and the end of a generally dry, if cold month of April.

We were lucky to pick that Sunday for our Somerset Forest Ride Day at Combe Sydenham Country Park.

A few of us started the main loop forest track layout selection the week prior to the event using quads, with the main set-up being completed on the Saturday with 24 Somerset TRF eager members on their bikes and quads.

The set-up day is always a good vibe with people able to explore options and be creative with the sub-loops that they make. The Bramble Hill Climbs and Dean Allen Goat Tracks always test the best and other Enduro Loops and Trials Sections being added, in all about 10 sub-sections graded into Moderate, Severe or Extreme for people to attempt.

With 250 riders including 11 under-16 riders, it was a full house, however the forest never feels busy, at times you feel you are riding alone in this stunning venue with its Elizabethan Manor House, lakes and views of the Quantock Hills, Bristol Channel and over to Wales.

These Somerset TRF events are open to TRF members, you must have a trials block pattern rear tyre fitted such as Maxxis Trialsmax or a Pirelli MT43, this point does make a huge difference to the amount of ground damage

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The Kids Are Alright Where can under 16s ride in a controlled and supervised way on defined tracks on private land without it being a competition? In truth, not many places.

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t the regular Somerset TRF Forest Ride Days we have been welcoming junior riders for some years now.

Our non-competitive Fun Forest Ride Days which are typically held in beautiful scenic private forests on Exmoor are the perfect controlled venue, we hold two or three of these events a year with up to 250 TRF riders. The prepared tracks and challenges we have created suit all abilities from beginners and Juniors (85cc +) to Enduro Expert-level riders. We have a Main Loop around the Forest that could be four miles long, off this loop we have varying technical levels of sub-loop which then re-join the Main Loop.

The events are set-up and managed by Somerset TRF members and run in private forests and land (not Forestry Commission), we have the Event Permitted by the IOPD (International Organisation of Professional Drivers) and complete a full Safety Plan (30 pages). The Safety Plan covers all aspects of the event from officers responsibilities including a safeguarding officer for juniors at the event, risk assessments, first aid measures, accident procedures, rider sign-on forms, junior rider parental consent forms and riding marshall briefings. All of these documents are approved by TRF Directors for insurance acceptance.

Under 16 riders (Juniors) are encouraged to ride our events with Free Entry, but they must be under the supervision at all times from a riding TRF adult. At our October event we had eight junior riders and in our recent May event we had 11, the feedback from everyone has been very positive.

Specific aspects of the events that Somerset TRF organise that cater for Junior Riders: A route that has no 2-way traffic anywhere

A route that is suitable for small wheel bikes to complete. Typically our events are suitable for the 85+cc sized bike, not toddlers on 50cc autos A riding parent or guardian that is responsible for the Junior rider at all times A parental Consent Form A Safeguarding Officer An ambulance and First Responder on site at all times Burgers and Coke We will continue to cater for the junior riders and encourage more, it is great to see parent and child riding together for the day, what a great way of building skills and shared experiences and introducing the next generation to trail riding.

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Columnist Sean Comber reveals his ownership experience of some classic trail bikes

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railbikes are a bit like Trigger’s Broom, they can go on for ever, you just have to keep changing stuff. Eventually the stuff you need, becomes less available and more expensive, and if you have a bike long

enough, it’s rarity value starts to make you think of it as an investment rather than a functional machine to throw down the lanes. My twin shock XR200 now over 40 years old, should fall into that category, but I love riding it so much, it

YAMAHA

still earns it’s corn in the garage. I’ve written about the XR200 so I’ll move on. The interesting article in the last Trail on the XR250 and KDX, made me realise I have plenty to offer on the classic trail bike front, so i’ll share my thoughts.

TTR 250

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YAMAHA TTR250R

Honda CRM250R I’ve a Mk2 CRM, now over 25 years old, dating back to 1992.

The Mk1 first released in 1989 had conventional forks, a torquey made for the trail (not enduro) 2-stroke, oil-injection engine, water-cooled with an electronically controlled power valve making in the order of the high 30s bhp; more than enough for trail riding and if geared appropriately would cruise at motorway speeds on the tarmac. Importantly it

weighs around 125kg wet – not super light, but light enough to manoeuvre in the lanes. Seat height is 35 inches with a plush Prolink rear and Showa front end, which is more than adequate if not pushed too hard. A 10-litre tank provides a more than adequate 100 mile range. The very different Mk2 arrived in 1991 and benefited from funky blue anodised upside down forks, stronger frame holding its oil, a bit bigger and more powerful all round.

The Mk3 changed little between 1994 and 1996, oil back in a tank, better suspension and tweaks to the frame and bodywork, but engine the same. In 1997 the AR arrived and lasted through to the end of the production run just before the millennium. The AR or Active Radical was a reasonably successful attempt to squeeze yet more torque out of the engine whilst reducing emissions by positively encouraging preignition through some clever electronics and a throttle position sensor. Apparently it feels quite different to ride compared with its predecessors, almost 4-stroke like on the overrun apparently.

Back in the day Trail Bike Magazine raved about the CRM and had it as one of their favourites, torquey engine, straight tracking, well suspended, with that 2-stroke fun factor when the power valve kicked in, with Honda build quality and none of the pre-mix shenanigans to faff about with at the garage. I bought a Mk2 over five years ago for a very reasonable £1,100 (try buying one for that now….). It was well cared for by a chap that rode it about a 100 miles round Devon lanes a year. I knew when I clapped

The Yamaha TTR250 was a stalwart of the Devon TRF scene for years, largely driven by the original TTR guru himself, Brian Sussex, who handed on the mantel to Steve Attfield a few years ago. Ample parts supply through the Totally TTR shop and one of the best forums for any bike available meant it drew strong local following. The TTR has been through a few different incarnations with pros and cons associated with each.

Released in 1996 to 2004 as the TT250R (electric start only) a chain-driven double overhead cam, 250cc 4-stroke, followed by a ‘Raid’ version from 1994 to 1996 (Japan only, again lecky boot only) and the blue tank TT-R250 version from 19992006 (kick and electric start).

A kerb weight of around 124kg was bang in line with the Honda CRM250 and very manageable, a simple yet effective semi-double cradle frame, 10ish litre tank with 100 mile range and seat height of around 35 inches, again just like the CRM. Power was around 30 BHP, so a little down on the CRM, but again, plenty enough, particularly after a couple of mods to the airbox, jetting etc perked things up a bit.

It is a simple, functional tool.

Being a DOHC it was happy to be revved, but for trail riding the monoshock and conventional forks, sensibly shrouded to keep out grot the engine and suspension provided a stable, plush, nicely balanced ride on its comfy seat. The seat is still a fair way off the ground and I again have a lowering link on mine. In an increasingly enduro bike driven trail-riding world, the TTR offered a sensible compromise between

power and ability. On paper the blue-tanked version is probably the most popular owing to the options for starting the bike, plus it is a bit lighter. The only real weak point appears to be the sprag clutch which if not replaced (not cheap) when it starts to go, will result in chipped teeth and metal-onmetal wear back through the idler gears all the way back to knackering the starter motor.

So as soon as you start to hear the clanking on starting and stopping, get your cheque book out…

The TTR is an excellent trail bike, I know, because I have one. Not just an ordinary one either, a big bore 325 Brian Sussex special, which provides all the advantages described above with a bit more power and grunt all over the rev range. TTRs are easy bikes to live with, nothing scary about the power delivery, robust and reliable they are best described as dependable. Not as mellow as a XT225/Serow and not to be confused with an enduro either. Although they’ve been out of production for a while, there are normally a couple for sale at any time, currently at around £2,500, may be a couple of hundred quid cheaper for a non-blue one.

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CRM250R

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It constantly flatters me. I can barely remember the last time I had to pick it up. It tracks straight in the lanes, finds grip everywhere, and always leaves me with a smile on my face.

You can’t ask for more than that. Parts supply is still excellent thankfully via Wemoto, LeisureTrail, David Silver and CMSNL. So at least for the moment, no worries there. The only concern is that given they are at least 30 years old, they are getting collectable. A quick look on eBay suggests you are going to have to pay upwards of £2000 for one and nearer three grand for an AR. However it will appreciate in value if looked after so well worth seeking out.

I like to think of them as an olden days Beta X-trainer but probably more reliable.

SUZUKI DRZ400S/E My final review of this triptych of classic trail bikes is the most recent one. DRZ400s ran from 2000 to 2009 and came in the form of DRZ400 (kick only and rareish), DRZ400E the ‘enduro’ version and the DRZ400S more of a trail bike with metal tank, proper lights, indicators and even pillion pegs. It was a major development from the old tech air cooled DR350 and offered a bit more all round from suspension, power, chassis and ability. Although advertised as an enduro bike, they were always outshone by ‘pukka’ KTMs, Husabergs, Huskies etc. But again, Trail Bike Magazine raved about the DRZ’s DOHC water-cooled power plant which just keeps on giving, reliable, and a flat

eyes on it, it was a keeper.

Mind you I think that of all the bikes I see for the first time, those bloody rose-tinted glasses…. It had around 15,000 km on the clock, if you believed it and sounded sweet.

I lowered it with a Kouba link to suit my wee legs and since then, I’ve put on about 1,000 km a year and other than the usual, bearings, chains, sprockets and decent quality 2-stroke and gear oil regularly changed, I’ve not touched it.

I’ve heard they can do 20,000 miles before requiring fiddling with the engine.

To ride it is a pleasure, I love that 2-stroke smell, so counterculture nowadays. I’ve got it ridiculously high geared, not sure why, but it would probably pull a ton in 6th… Still it lugs up lanes like a good ‘un.

1992 CRM250 out in its natural habitat

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DRZ400S-E

torque curve which provides linear go from tickover to WFO. Pumping out a reported high 40s BHP for the ‘E’ version and around 8 or so BHP less for the ‘S’ version, it is pretty tall at 37 inches, but with a practical 10-litre fuel capacity giving a 100ish mile range. The suspension has lots of adjustment should you wish to fiddle with it. Its weight is acceptable, 120 kg dry for the ‘E’, a bit porkier at 132kg for the ‘S’. There were complaints even by TBM regarding the fruitiness of the exhaust which was toned down a bit over time, but the noise was still above trail biking standards was the conclusion.

Although often considered to be of poorer quality than say Honda and Yamaha in terms of paint and finish, it is a very practical bike. Grease nipples on the axles, tidy and robust controls, vulnerable things

64 Trail Summer 2021

tucked away – an exercise in simplicity really so little to go wrong. As long as you don’t expect the decal’s to stay on long (but do they ever on any bike?) then it will prove to be a reliable and lovable machine to live with. A DRZ400E was my ‘lockdown’ investment and I cannot deny after replacing the head bearings and the bushes on the starter (sprag clutch and gears and starter a lot cheaper than the TTR by the way) and a dribbling carb, it has been a hoot to ride.

I was worried that a brutish 400cc ‘enduro’ bike would wrench my arms off and be practically unrideable – in fact the opposite is true, it will put from tickover and go as fast as you turn your right wrist.

The suspension is more than adequate at trail riding speeds meaning it goes where you point it and it finds grip every-

where. The seat is not as comfy as the TTR or CRM and obviously I’ve had to lower it….

If geared up you’d make easy progress along A roads or MWays to the lanes. There is little not to like. Being the youngest of the trio, spares are not an issue and there is plenty of after-market kit available.

Prices seem quite volatile but they retain their value well, especially the Supermoto version for some reason. You’ll currently struggle to find a good one for less than £2,500, but worth every penny and like all the bikes mentioned, you’ll get your money back when the time comes to sell as long as you have looked after it.

Don’t ask me which is my favourite, it would not be fair and as I rotate between them with each ride, they all put a smile on my face from starting to putting back in the garage.

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66 Trail Summer 2021

Ti-100

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Trail Summer 2021 67

TESTED ADVENTURE SPEC MONGOLIA JACKET ADVENTURE SPEC AQUA PAC JACKET AS MONGOLIA £299.00 – AS AQUA PAC £235.00 www.adventurespec.com

The AS Mongolia jacket

N

ow that we’ve passed the Summer solstice, doubtless members of the Wiltshire Group would have been down to the Henge in their finest robes, the perennial question of seasonal riding gear pops up. A phone call to Adventure Spec for their advice produced a Mongolia Trail jacket and Aqua Pac over jacket, all part of the ADV Layering system.

The Mongolia jacket is designed as an outer layer for hot weather riding, just what’s required for 30 degrees C conditions. It is supplied with CE certified Forcefield, Level 2, five-piece armour. The construction and use of materials is quite complex; military-grade mesh forms the body of the jacket then 1000D Ballistic Nylon panels are used to reinforce the key impact and abrasion areas which are edged with hi-viz silver material.

Features include two good sized front zip pockets, and a large rear pocket, zipped at either end, in which I stored the Aqua Pac (which folds into its own pocket), a 500ml water bottle and a pair of gloves.

After a six-and-a-half hour event including a break for lunch I felt comfortable. I’d had one minor off, ridden through a single shower of rain which got quite cool as I had convinced myself it was going to stop at any moment so didn’t get the Aqua Pac out. I can see that as

68 Trail Summer 2021

the only drawback, The AS Aqua Pac has clever because if you get wet and draw strings top and bottom to keep everything dry keep riding, a high-airflow mesh jacket will dry quickly and you loose body heat. Hot tip – when it rains, stop and get the jacket out straight away.

Under the Mongolia jacket I had a Craft long-sleeved ventilation T-shirt which was just about right for the conditions. The jacket cuffs have Velcro straps for adjustment, as does the Aqua Pac, which accommodates virtually any type of glove.

The Aqua jacket has clever draw strings at the top and bottom and is waterproof and breathable and it comes in handy for walking the dog on warm, wet days too.

The Adventure Spec layering system is very versatile and makes a lot of sense. It may have been developed for the Dakar Rally but it performed pretty well around Dorking too.

Rick Kemp Contact: www.adventurespec.com 01422 882997 Adventure Spec is offering TRF members 10% off from now till 20 August.

The discount code is TRF-STAY-COOL. The AS Aqua Pac waterproof outer jacket

TESTED KENDA EQUILIBRIUM www.kenda-moto.co.uk

T

here are some things you know you shouldn’t do. Fitting a tyre you haven’t used before on a Saturday for an event on the Sunday is one of them.

The tyre in question is the Kenda Equilibrium, Kenda, as you can see supports the TRF by advertising in Trail. The Equilibrium is a hybrid tyre half way between a trials and an enduro tyre. It is described as having trials-type centre tread in a sticky compound with braking ‘scoops’ and motocross-type shoulder blocks for more aggressive cornering. The tread is moulded on a soft carcass to allow for maximum grip.

The Equilibrium is road legal and only available as rear fitment. It comes in two sizes 110/100-18 and 120/80-19 and can be paired with any Kenda front enduro or MX tyre.

It’s an impressive-looking doughnut of a tyre particularly when compared to the OE Mitas on the editorial Fantic. A quick check on the rolling circumference measurement gave the Kenda about 75mm (3ins) more which has the effect of raising the overall gearing by 3.6 %.

Any way back to the fitting, the tyres were changed and with the wheel back in the Equilibrium proved to be a rather snug fit in the swingarm. So snug in fact that the wheel had to go back a good way in the adjusters to get clearance between the tyre and the front of the swingarm. Long story short, original chain was now too short, had some spare 520 but needed another spring link to join it on, then discovered that all 520 link pins aren’t the same diameter… Only thing left was to change the tyre back to the original and load the bike up ready for the Sunday’s LDT. By the time the next LDT came along six

70 Trail Summer 2021

weeks later I was sorted, new longer chain (old one was knackered anyway) and the rear wheel spinning without the tyre rubbing. It was during the hot spell in early June, you know, the one after the wet spell. So the going was pretty good, the open byways were dry but not dusty and it was soft through the woods with the occasional water splash.

Twelve psi rear and 16 psi in the front tyre were my, finger in the wind, tyre pressure settings.

On tarmac the Equilibrium was fine, I used the rear brake occasionally just to see how the tyre worked and it didn’t lock up unexpectedly and it drove out of corners well with no squirming. After a short while I just rode the bike with full confidence that the tyre wouldn’t do anything unexpected. On the green roads it was pretty much the same story. The rear end felt planted on the soft, level surfaces and the grip on slimy adverse cambers was impressive even when trying to explore the limits. When it came to the water splashes, the bike never threatened to get plugged in the gloop even at slower speeds which suited me as I don’t favour the high speed approach and then having to stop and clean your goggles/visor.

Getting grip instead of spin was something of a novelty but I must confess to not having trail ridden with a standard trials tyre.

However this characteristic is part of the Equilibrium’s eco appeal, leaving tracks rather than grooves is preferable when it comes to conservation. So far so good, I’ll be keeping the Kenda on for a while yet, because I like it and I want to see what sort of mileage its ’sticky’ compound can deliver.

Rick Kemp

THE

MOTOR CYCLING CLUB

Motor cycling adventures in 2021/22 The Motor Cycling Club has been organising long distance car and motorcycle trials as a test of reliability and endurance for over 100 years.

The MCC is pleased to extend an invitation to TRF members to enter our trials as ‘Associate Members’.

All you need is a sense of adventure, a suitable motorcycle or sidecar outfit and an ACU licence.

Our 2021/2022 calendar reads; [subject to COVID19 restrictions] The Edinburgh Trial 1st/2nd October 2021 The Exeter Trial 7th/8th January 2022 The Lands End Trial 15th/16th April 2022 www.themotorcyclingclub.org.uk

Friends OF THE TRF

The following businesses are offering 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 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/ Home By Seven Get a copy of Steph Jeavons book at stephjeavons.com by using code TRF20 for 20% discount 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 J&S Oxford www.jsaccessories.co.uk Bikestop www.bikestop Off-road clothing discount MotoKing www.motoking.co.uk

Viewranger www.viewranger.com Discount on digital maps code: TRF2017 10% Discount Fantic CCM Gas Gas EC Spares www.hainesmc.co.uk Quote code TRF2020 with membership number on an e-mail after placing your order online 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 Trail Riders Warehouse www.trailriderswarehouse.co.uk

10%off using code TRF10 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 Moto Junkies motojunkies.co.uk 10% discount on guided tours on trail and tarmac in the Welsh countryside Various Discounts TrackIt247 www.trackit247.com Up to £18 off trackers and 20% off live tracking fees 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 at www.trail.trf.org.uk/members/benefits/

72 Trail Summer 2021

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