Winter 2021 TRF TRAIL Magazine

Winter 2021 / Issue 18

The Trail Riders Fellowship Members’ Magazine

The Broomway Riding an ancient and mysterious byway to Foulness Island

Desert Storm Taking on the Blackthorn Rally post-lockdown

Ger’ off my mushrooms!

Doug Cartwright heads for the Pyrenees

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EDITORIAL

I

n these dark days we’ve made a special effort to brighten your lives. First off, I hope you like the lighter, brighter Trail redesign, instigated by our new Head of Marketing, Graeme Collins. Hopefully the contents should be uplifting too – riding in Morocco and the Pyrenees is good for the soul. If you don’t like trail riding in the dark, check out the Product Review on an LED helmet light kit and grab yourself a TRF discount. The striking cover image is part of an off-shore byway – yes, really – see ‘Myway’. Lifetime TRF member Austin Vince becomes a columnist and prolific Trail contributor.

Lots of you have sent in accounts of what you’ve been up to, in words and photos, which is great to see and can be inspiring for other Groups. Unfortunately the editorial Fantic hasn’t had much of an outing lately but, as is the way of these things, I have managed to fix a couple of things in The Repair Shop, which have

been driving me bonkers. The transparent cover on my roadbook holder, which is attached to a handlebarmounted AS mini fairing, resonates at certain rpm.

After careful consideration I decided to resort to an old trick. I have a box full of used inner tubes (you never know when you might need one). If you cut across the tube you have a hoop of rubber – a super-tough rubber band. Two of these, one at either end of the roadbook case, did the trick. No more resonating.

In the Summer issue of Trail I described the partially successful fitting of a Kenda Equilibrium rear tyre.

Basically, I had to fit a longer chain so that the wheel could go further back in the swingarm to get enough clearance. It was a bit too long and would only get worse with wear, so I thought I’d do the usual and remove two links and replace them with a link and a half. Getting said link and a half proved virtually impossible, so I rang Haines Motorcycles of Cinderford, Glos, where I get all things Fantic and had a word. They told me they’d had a customer with a similar problem and that the solution was to cut off the stops on the swingarm adjuster plates, so that the wheel could go further back. They could always sell me some new ones if I changed my mind at a later date. It was a lateral solution and that appealed to me greatly. I did it, and it worked . There is absolutely nothing about my Fantic 250 Casa that niggles now.

Happy Trails Rick Kemp, editor@trf.org.uk

Sometimes the simplest fixes are the best

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.

CONTENTS

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Trail The Trail Riders Fellowship Members’ Magazine

British Library Ref No: 007244108 Contacts: Trail Magazine Editor: Rick Kemp Design: Andy Riley 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

Front cover and Broomway photos: Nick Aird and Jules Tomson

Join the TRF 02

COLUMN 04 COMBER

FROM THE TRAIL 08 VIEW

Sean Comber ponders on membership of the TRF and the lasting friendships he has formed over the years

Head of Marketing and GRM Project Lead Graeme Collins reflects on what it takes to go from grumpy to gungho

VOICE 06 VINCE’S

news 10 group

In the first of Austin Vince’s columns for Trail he asks simply: What can I do for the TRF?

Here we highlight some of the many charitable events the TRF groups have instigated over the past year

Winter 2021 / Issue 18

20 gallery

A RED DRAGON 50 RIDING

The second of a new series highlighting some of the amazing scenery encountered by our members while out on the trail

Gloucester TRF’s Mike Wain describes active duty as a marshal at an equestrian event in the Black Mountains

of law 22 point

TECHNIQUES: BRAKING 56RIDING

Andrew Dalton from White Dalton Solicitors clarifies the legal position with regard to mousses and their uses

Jake and Carl Venter from Technical Enduro Skills explain the finer points of braking without falling off

the broomway 24 myway:

DO DIRT 60DUFFERS

Nick Aird, and friends tackle The Broomway, one of the more unusual and inherently dangerous public byways

Herts TRF member Mark Bayford demonstrates a ‘Carry On Regardless’ attitude on a novices’ adventure with his mate Phil

STORM 32 DESERT

& ABUSED 66 USED

Kent TRF member Roger Pitt’s idea of adventure was to get out amongst the desert lands of North Africa

Hereford TRF Treasurer David Harris still going strong after 10,000 trouble-free miles aboard an ‘unreliable’ 2019 KTM 250EXC-F Six Days

KEEPING UP WITH JONESeS 38 THE

review 70 product If you venture out after dark on a regular basis you might be interested in the Oxbow Voyager helmet light kit

Decrepit old stager and TRF member ‘Blez’ observes a ‘beginners’ class at the YORE offroad training school in Mid Wales

OFf MY MUSHROoMS! 46 GER’ Doug Cartwright, forsakes ‘God’s Own Country’ for six weeks in the Pyrenees

66 03

THE COMBER COLUMN

Photo: Stuart Metcalfe

Sean Comber, Emeritus Chair of the Devon TRF and current Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Plymouth, reflects on membership of the TRF and lasting friendships he has formed over the years

A

s the year drifts on towards thoughts of Christmas and colder days, and road bikers put their scoots into hibernation, bikers of the dirtier variety are only just getting started. Lanes have been flailed ridding us of the face-pealing brambles and briars, the dust has gone and the technical levels of the lanes rise with wet rock, ruts and greasy roots.

Happy days! It is also a time to reflect upon what has been another challenging year; one we’ve not really recovered from yet. Devon TRF is in a bit of disarray, losing committee members with disappointing ease and alas they are not being replenished with new blood. Meetings which have resumed face to face since August have attracted only a handful of members even with the offer of free beer – yes, free beer! Over the past few years numbers have been dwindling and COVID-19 has exacerbated that.

It seems that nowadays you won’t attract people to an evening out solely on the bias of chatting about rights of way and lane clearing; there needs to be more: guest speakers, gpx demos, technical demonstrations, etc. But these things need arranging and with a reduced committee we are in a Catch-22 and what feels like a downward spiral, despite having

Photos: Sean Comber

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hundreds of Devon TRF members out there…

Times, they are a-changing, and I am partly culpable.

Social media, and for me, WhatsApp, means I can now tap into a network of 15 local trail riders when it comes to sorting out rides. Most are TRF members, but most have never logged on to the Devon TRF forum, historically the first port of call for arranging ride outs. A quick look at the forum shows only a handful of rides have been arranged in the last year –

AFTER A WEEKEND SPENT TRAIL RIDING, THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TRF CRYSTALLISED IN MY MIND. WITHOUT THE TRF I WOULD NOT HAVE THESE SPECIAL PEOPLE IN MY LIFE so it’s not just me and it’s not just COVID-19. This has forced me to take stock. The locals who have joined the TRF have done so to access the overlays of the lanes, to support lane access and as I forgot until recently, to get money off kit and parts. Martin pointed out on Sunday that he’d paid for his membership in discounts from bike shops in the last couple of months. Well he does have a KTM… More importantly, last month a number of us pitched up to Stuart’s new gaff on the Wales/England border for a weekend of stupendous trail riding, Simon, Pete, Stuart and I all met at least 10 years ago via Loddon Vale TRF. Richard is a Surrey TRF member who I met whilst whilst working with my son on a building site, and Paul is a Devon TRF member, who I met after moving down to Devon the county nine years ago. After a weekend of banter, intense philosophical discussion and bike chat around the fire pit in the evenings and days spent seeking out high trails and deep valley tracks, including the stunning Wayfarer drove road, the

A weekend of banter, intense philosophical discussion and bike chat

importance of the TRF crystallised in my mind.

Without the TRF, I would not have these special people in my life.

Now, one could argue, you will always build relationships via social media and probably be able to seek out groups of trail riders through a few words keyed into a search engine; but I’d counter this by saying the TRF is more than the sum of its parts. It’s bigger than the petty bickering that flares up now and then, it’s not just a riding group. The TRF has 50 years of history. Has preserved access to lanes which, I’m sure, would have been extinguished by now and has been the go-between when negotiating lane clearing and repair between landowners and the local authorities’ Rights of Way Officers.

Without the TRF, with it’s network of contacts, folks with diggers, hardcore, ‘special tools’ etc all available at mate’s rates, then some of our best lanes in Devon would be closed to all. And so, as we move into post pandemic (hopefully) times, we need to take stock and

be thankful for what we’ve got. We need to share best practice, advice and successes across the groups to avoid making the same mistakes and to ensure our hard work yields the best results. Somehow, we need to move with the times, reinvigorate our membership, set aside differences and attract active, and ideally younger, members to contribute to the core principles of our fellowship. The discussions as to how we achieve this will be ongoing and of course the AGM is imminent. I don’t think I have the answers, but the first priority is to regain a full complement of committee members, whether through voluntary or incentivised means, to share the load and plan for the future. This will provide the impetus necessary to see us through this rough patch and allow us to ride into those sunlit uplands (criss-crossed by fabulous green lanes) so promised by our elders and betters.

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VINCE’S VOICE Lifetime TRF member Austin Vince is well known for his long distance adventure motorcycle expeditions: twice round the world as part of the Mondo Enduro and Terra Circa trips, both of which were produced as TV documentaries. In the first of his columns for Trail he asks:What can I do for the TRF?

Ask not what the TRF can do for you...

I

saw one of those ’inspirational’ speeches online recently. The occasion was a graduation day at the University of California and the speaker was Arnold Schwarzenegger. If you’ve seen it, you probably know what’s coming but if not, search it out on YouTube (it’s called ‘Life’s Six Rules’). Brilliantly, he finishes with ‘Give something back’ (rule no. 6). As I watched this clip I simply didn’t see this one coming and – I put my hand up – I was very impressed at its inclusion. Arnie’s key point was that giving something back doesn’t apply only to friends, family and colleagues. He was talking about a bigger ‘ask’; putting time and effort into a project from which you yourself may profit very little.

“THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE IN LIFE, GIVERS AND TAKERS” I FEAR THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T EVEN REALISE THEY MIGHT BE ONE OR THE OTHER

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We all know that charity work, or charity ‘giving’, should hopefully be a natural part of our lives but life is nuanced and I strongly feel that by putting something back into the TRF you are performing righteous and important work.

I would be interested to read the responses if the membership was asked: “What does the TRF mean to you?” It could be even more illuminating (or depressing) to read those responses if asked of trail riders who are NOT members or, heaven forbid, trail riders who have consciously decided to allow their membership to lapse! Well, having a column means that I don’t necessarily have to tow the party line.

Instead, I may be able to plant a seed…

Dave Lomax of Adventure Spec once said to me, “There are two kinds of people in life, givers and takers”. I fear that most people don’t even realise that they might be one or the other, or perhaps they career between the two. But Arnie came to realise it, although when he first moved to California, desperate to break into movies, I imagine he probably wasn’t thinking much about putting something back. And I have come to realise it, too, with regard to the TRF. What does the TRF mean to me? It means the place, the body and the community that gives me a focus, and after 25 years of sensational UK trail-riding it’s made me think about putting something back.

I was on the TRF stand at the NEC a few years ago and a bluff old geezer strode up to our podium.

As he approached, as if rehearsed, he bellowed out: “So then, if I join the TRF, what do I get for my subscription?” Hey folks, I don’t think he’d graduated from the University of California…

The TRF Film Making Scholarship An opportunity to help the TRF and to have fun on the way. Doug Cartwright explains how

A

ustin Vince, who has spent 25 years as a film-maker, Pyrenees tour guide, teacher and all round committed trail rider, will be running a first-ever five-day film-making course in Spain next summer, 5–11 June 2022. This is an extended version of his successful UK-based film-making day, attended by members last year. A residential course, accommodation is provided in a stunning Pyrenees farmhouse.

It is aimed at motorcyclists in general but trail riders in particular. Each day you will trail-ride into the hills and spend time setting up shots. In the late afternoon and evening you will learn how to edit images and start creating film sequences. In addition, together you will critique key film sequences and so build up knowledge of ‘the grammar of film-making’. It’s a great opportunity to make friends, socialise and experience some stunning scenery as well as topping up your CV skill set.

Come to where the action is...

Come to Catalonia!

On trails...

On tarmac...

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

CRF250L bikes.

The ideal TRF student will have imagination, a trail bike, a laptop, a smartphone and a video camera – and, of course, the desire to give something back to trail riding. Be aware that a Go-Pro and its mounts are in no way considered essential. The TRF will cover the course cost of £1550, which includes all food, accommodation, petrol and ‘beverages’. All you have to do is get there. Only six spaces remain, of which the TRF has secured one. If you are interested and would be prepared to work with the TRF marketing team to help assemble a minimum of four short videos, then email Membership@TRF.org.uk with a short bio of yourself and why you would like to be selected.

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

VIEW FROM THE TRAIL Head of Marketing and GRM Project Lead Graeme Collins declares that when it comes to The Fight, he’s up for it

FromWhatsit to Warrior I

didn’t see it coming. It crept up on me when I wasn’t looking. And it really isn’t my fault. But I am here now and reflecting on what I am going to do to not perpetuate the stereotype of being “that grumpy old whatsit from the TRF”.

From a background of mountain bikes, I was a late comer to motorcycling and trail-riding, but when the bug bit, it bit hard. Clueless, a mate said join the TRF as they were the guys to talk to about my exciting new hobby – so I did.

My first club night wasn’t what I was expecting, with a big part of the evening dedicated to something called ‘Rights of Road’ where a series of people spoke passionately about byways with odd names and the fact that [they were] under threat because of X,Y and Z. This was not what I signed up for – all I wanted to do was ride my bike. Turns out so did everyone else in the room.

THE CONSTANT BATTLE WITH THOSE WHO SEEK TO DENY OUR ACCESS WHEN ALL WE WANT TO DO IS EXPLORE THE COUTRYSIDE ON OUR BIKES

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The months passed, my knowledge and skills grew (slowly) and I began to understand the challenges that a trail rider faced. I also learned that not everyone was a fan of the TRF for a variety of reasons, but my own experience was not the ‘secret society of grumpy old men’ but rather a warm and friendly bunch of people willing to share their expertise and time for my new-found passion.

Eventually I became a Group Officer and then a Group Chair. Over the years a number of wise souls shared with me their points of view, some of which I have to be honest and say I took with a pinch of salt at the time, as I was sure that things were not as bad as they were portrayed.

A few years on I now find myself ‘preaching’ many of the same messages shared with me but I remember the younger me, thinking “Christ, what is wrong with all these old farts?” So, what is it that turns a fun-loving trail rider into what is perceived from the outside as the ‘grumpy old whatsit’ from the TRF? Simple – The Fight.

The constant battle with those who seek to deny our access when all we want to do is explore the countryside on our bikes. What makes it worse is that sometimes the challenges are from our own kind.

Trying to educate them on what upsets the average, moderate countryside user and fuels the anti’s arguments can feel like a full-time job and not a hobby to enjoy. Social media has amplified the visibility of attitudes, behaviour and opinions that don’t help the cause and which can lead to, er… becoming grumpy!

The BBC is reporting some protest or other from the latest oddly named activist group and I wonder why they don’t get accused of being grumpy, when they fight for the thing they are passionate about… That’s it; I am no longer a grumpy old whatsit, I am an activist – a Green Road Warrior. Bring it on, I am up for the fight! I am going to break the news to my wife the next time she accuses me of spending all my time on my hobby, or ‘obsession’ as she likes to call it!

EVENTS FOR 2022 APRIL

Date: 1,2 & 3 Event: Teign to Tamar Group: Devon TRF Invited: Members/Non members Type of event: Guided rides, stay in lodges Event manager: John Heal E-mail: teign2tamar@gmail.com

MAY Date: 6,7 & 8 Event: Dales Delight Group: North Yorkshire TRF Invited: TRF members Type of event: Camping w/e, guided trail riding Event manager: Dick Brew E-mail: nytrfsec@gmail.com

Road-book Enduro Tours in France

JUNE Date: 11 June Venue: Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum Invited: Members/Non members Type of event: Off-road bike day ride in E-mail: sammymiller.co.uk/events.php Date: 22, 23 Event: Coast to Coast Group: North Yorkshire TRF Invited: TRF members Type of event: Ride out, guided trail riding Event manager: Dick Brew E-mail: nytrfsec@gmail.com

DATES FOR 2022 Due to the ongoing situation please contact me for details of availability and restrictions that may apply

Date: 24,25 & 26 Event: ABR Festival Group: Central TRF Invited: Members/Non members Type of event: Festival/Ride outs Event manager: Garret Felton E-mail: garret.f@trf.org.uk

JULY Date: 9,10 Event: Kielder Group: Cumbria & Northumberland TRF Invited: Group members only Type of event: Ride out

SEPTEMBER Date: 9,10 & 11 Event: Gerry Hayden Memorial Event Group: North Yorkshire TRF Invited: TRF members Type of event: Camping w/e, guided trail riding Event manager: Dick Brew E-mail: nytrfsec@gmail.com

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.

Date: 10,11 Event: Hereford Hospice Group: Hereford TRF Invited: TRF members Type of event: Ride out Event manager: Graham Hutton

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

GROUP NEWS CENTRAL BRISTOL

Sprung Loaded Back in September 2021Central Bristol TRF got together for a suspension set-up day.

Phil Yarnal discovered why adjusting your suspension is so important

I

’m on a trail ride and as I go over the crest of a small hill, and then into a wide flattish right-hand curve with a few ripples, the front washes away from me and there is a moment before I sit the bike up and brake to a stop. What happened there?

Later, as we ride a series of medium rises with hollows between them, my bike sits lower and then bottoms, bouncing me out of the seat and for a moment it feels like I’m out of control. Then it all calms down and as I stop to take stock, my riding buddy rolls on in front like it was nothing. What happened there?

Many of us recognise these and other situations where the handling of our bike doesn’t seem to be up to

10

the trail and we may wonder why a friend in front, on a similar bike, had no problem. Which leads on to the thought, “Am I really that bad a rider?”

Well, it turns out that our bike’s suspension set-up is more important than perhaps we think and can help us to have a safer ride.

When I discussed the issue with my riding buddy later at a coffeestop, he mentioned the need for suspension set-up. I listened and learned a bit about the basics of setting the Static and Rider Sag, having the right spring for my weight, and what those mysterious clickers on my front forks and rear shock were for. Going to an expert on my own seemed extreme as I just ride trails. Also it might be costly and how

Suspension that had been set up correctly gave great grip for the climbs on our test trail

Darth Speede and Jon Williams brief the members on safety before we started

AT THE END OF THE DAY THIS BAND OF WEARY BUT HAPPY RIDERS LEFT WITH BIKES THAT WERE NOW MUCH EASIER TO RIDE

Suspension Expert Archie Church discusses with this rider his riding needs before the adjustments are done

would I know if I’d had the right things done? Wouldn’t it be great, I thought, if we had a Group suspension day, where there was an expert on hand and a closed trail to ride, where we could test the bikes after they were adjusted?

And so it began…

Planning for the day We needed a friendly suspension expert, a big space to simulate our trails (but is private so we don’t upset the locals) and a time when Group members could get together, preferably a weekend with fair weather. We asked our members if they would be prepared to pay a small fee to cover costs and have some left over for the coffers. A loud “YES” was the

response and Group Vice Chair Darth Speede took on the responsibility of organising the event.

Firstly, Central Bristol Group member Nick Burdge offered the use of his very large field. It has a lot of space with a variety of mud and rock surfaces, typical trail-riding undergrowth and some large drops or challenging climbs. We cleared the cows, set up a trail with markers and we had our venue.

Next, we needed a suspension expert. Jon Williams and Darth recommended a local suspension specialist Archie Church, of RC Race Prep. Archie is based at Star Farm in Marshfield. He agreed to advise.

Finally, the date was set for a Saturday in September when the

11

weather hopefully would be dry.

Darth and the Group’s IT expert John Bradwell set up the invitations and the ticket/payment process for our event, which was limited to 20 participants, the day was advertised and quickly sold out! A handful of people met at the field on the Friday evening, set out the course and rode it for an hour to beat down the undergrowth. We had created a trail to act as the test for our bikes with their new suspension set-ups, but would we notice the ‘before’ and ‘after’ difference?

The suspension event The day itself was a great success; the weather was fine and sunny, but not too hot. We had all brought packed lunches, lots of soft drinks and water. A gazebo was put up to define the suspension set-up area and after a safety briefing, we “let the riders see the trail”. Then after riding the trail to warm up both themselves and their bikes, the members went through Archie’s set-up process.

Every bike was initially set up for Static and Rider Sag – this sets up the geometry of the bike so that the suspension can work as designed.

Archie commented: “This is a simple initial bike suspension set-up, but it gets the rear ride height right and produces the right angle on the forks, which amongst other things engages the front wheel on the trail and makes it easier to get around corners”. Archie also spoke with each rider separately about their set-up needs for the type of riding they do and then set up the front forks compression and rebound damping, as well as revisiting the rear shock damping to suit their height, weight and riding style.

Then the riders set out for their all-important “Can I notice the difference?” ride, using our test trail.

The overwhelming response was that they could!

Stories from the day One of our female riders, Nat Pinto, brought along her new bike: a 2021 Beta XTrainer, 300 two-stroke. It was her first ride since collecting the machine earlier that week, so the

12

Group Chair Jon Williams with his nephew in the riding seat make an effective test of his Honda suspension!

set-up day was great timing. Nat (far lighter than most of us) told us that before the suspension was set-up by Archie the rear felt hard and as though it was washing out.

Archie commented: “It was too hard for her at the back, so we lowered the back slightly and made it softer on the rear to enable the bike to squat more on the exit of corners. It was borderline as to whether the spring needed changing,

but this adjustment will be ideal for Nat’s trail riding”.

Nat responded: “It was a pretty dramatic difference, and afterwards the bike felt more stable in general.”

Another experienced Central Bristol rider, Nick Luget, took his Husqvarna TE300 along and discovered that the rear on his bike was set too soft and the compression damping needed adjusting as well. He said: “The rear of my bike used to sit too low and the front then had a tendency to wash out. After the adjustments by Archie, the bike felt more stable and my riding performance was loads better – many thanks Archie!”

Matt Bale, who was riding a 2018 Beta 300RR that he had had for a year, commented: “Riding the test trail my bike felt solid on the front.

Archie checked, and although the rear was fine the front needed a lot of adjustment to soften it. Also the forks had pumped up and needed bleeding – it felt a lot better afterwards.”

Simon (Sid) Siddle reported: “Archie made my 20-year-old DRZ a lot more responsive and the advice he gave was sound.”

Additionally, our Group trainer Adie Jennings held some rider training in the field, either offering to ride our trail with riders delivering one-to-one coaching, or training small groups in trail skills such as riding over logs, riding the ascents and descents, etc.

Nat responded: “I also enjoyed Adie’s tips and the friendly atmosphere.”

It was apparent that everyone got what they wanted from the day and there was a lot of riding on our test trail – which we reversed in the afternoon to provide variety. The usual friendly chat and gentle banter kept us all smiling and we ran out of soft drinks! Come late afternoon the trail route was taken down, the marker sticks were stored for next time and this band of weary but happy riders left with pleasant memories and bikes that were now easier to ride. Roll on the next trail-riding weekend!

Nat Pinto, one of our female riders, was enjoying her first ride on a brand new Beta 300. Once set up for her light weight she showed the way!

Suspension terms explained: Many modern bikes have comprehensive adjustments available on their suspension. Here’s our quick explanation of the common terms we use.

Ride height: Ride height is the adjustment required to raise or lower the seat height of the bike using the rear shock.

Static Sag: Static Sag is how much your machine settles on its suspension when at rest.

Compression damping: This adjustment can be made on either the front or rear shock absorber. It attempts to keep the wheel from leaving the ground when going over a bump. Too hard and the energy from the bump doesn’t dissipate in the springs and instead travels to the headstock and frame, causing the bike to “pop” up and again the wheel leaves the ground.

Rider Sag: Rider Sag is the amount the suspension compresses as you sit on it when at rest.

Spring weight: From the factory, trail bikes come with a spring rate chosen for people of average size.

This typically means someone of 75 to 80 kilos. If you are lighter or heavier than that, the spring won’t perform as well for you.

Preload: Front fork preload is simply the amount the fork spring is compressed while the suspension is fully extended. Adding more preload just means the fork won’t need to compress as far for the spring to be fully compressed, so the bike will sit a little higher at the front. This can be done for the rear spring to adjust the rear ride height.

Rebound damping: Rebound damping controls the speed at which your fork or rear shock recovers, or bounces back, from a bump and returns to its static position. Too much rebound damping and the wheel will not return to the static position before the next bump and the bike may wallow, or not have enough suspension travel for the next bump. Too little and the spring will still be oscillating up and down when the next bump arrives.

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GROUP NEWS SOMERSET

Air Raid

£2500 was raised for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and all they had to do was have some fun. John Boulton reports on the proceedings

S

omerset TRF is very fortunate to have a farmer within its ranks: Hugh Loxton.

Hugh is a third-generation farmer of the land and currently around half the farm is given over to Miscanthus (Elephant grass) biomass cropping.

The rest is used to grow fodder crops for a local dairy farmer with around 1000 cows. We normally host our charity event in the spring, when overwintered grass has been harvested ready to plant maize in May, hence the grass-track name.

Due to COVID-19 we had to postpone the event but were able to fit it in after harvesting wheat from the field at the end of August. The field in question will go back to grass over winter, ready for maize again in the spring, so in theory we could run the event in May but we’ll probably

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Jon Boulton being overtaken by a faster rider?

Andy Wyatt on his BSA B50 scrambler

do it in a different field for a change next year. The farm has a number of different rotations due to the variety of fodder crops grown, so one way or another we can always guarantee to fit in the event.

The actual building of the track takes a couple of days and involves five or six of us to mark out, build obstacles and set up the admin and parking.

For track preparation, we use a deep cultivation and rolling of the stubbles to around 5m wide. The layout is fairly random but we always have a number of off-camber turns and a 400m uphill straight, giving a total track length of 4km in a 30-acre field. We use Hugh’s 5-tonne digger and for the last two years have been kindly loaned a 13-tonne machine by a dealer member of STRF. Having a semiretired digger operator member available enables jumps, berms, spirals, whoops, tabletops and other

Diane and Paul Foulds from Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance receiving a cheque from TRF member and landowner Hugh Loxton

Some our younger family members enjoying the day

Martin Keswick and Keith Williamson on a KTM 640 outfit

challenges to be rapidly built. The designs are based on the experience of members who regularly compete in enduro and trials, some at quite a high level. We end up with around 10 obstacles. It is all about drawing on resources that are already within the Group membership.

Whilst the big boys inevitably chase each other, Somerset TRF makes a huge effort at all our events to cater for the younger generation.

They are the future of the TRF and should be encouraged and made to feel a part of the event at all times.

It’s great to see the grins on their faces as they experience the joy of motorcycling. We also provide a totally separate, supervised junior track for around 35 youngsters from the age of five upwards, who can take part for free.

The main track is what I would describe as an old-style scramble track, with an alternative route around the jumps for those who may

find this a little intimidating. The event is open to all types of machine, not just the new and shiny. Our ethos on days like this is family fun, with the added advantage of raising money for a worthy cause.

The evening entertainment included a massive bonfire and a fantastic firework display from Roger, one of our Somerset members who does this as a day job.

I recently had the need for the Air Ambulance whilst out trail riding on a pleasant Saturday, when one of the Group collided with a tree. Within the Somerset TRF all ride leaders are issued with a first-aid kit to carry on ride days. We advise riders to add https://what3words.com/ to their phones, as this is an excellent app giving your location within three square metres. Being prepared is key when you are involved in an incident, and on this occasion Darren’s injuries outweighed what I had in my rucksack. After calling the

emergency services, they decided to send out the Air Ambulance as Darren was struggling with breathing due to a number of broken/cracked ribs, 11 cracks in total!

We gave our location and within 10 minutes the big yellow bird arrived at the scene, a very comforting sight for us all.

As with all our events, the STRF regards health and safety as the number one priority with professional on-site First Responders and a 4x4 Ambulance in attendance throughout the day – and, I’m pleased to report, with little to do on this occasion.

As always, these events take a lot of teamwork to set up and we are lucky enough to have a great team of volunteers, with a huge amount of different personal skills to offer the Group.

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GROUP NEWS EAST YORKSHIRE

Farm Friendly

TRF novice Pippa Unwin gets involved with a Big Boys’ Toys fundraiser.

In total £3500 was raised for the Marie Curie charity and fun was had by all

The baby Versys looks right at home

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figured I’d share something a little less ordinary from the East Yorkshire contingent – marshalling a charity tractor run!

That said, I think it’s out of the ordinary, but as I’m a brand new member, who is unfamiliar with all things green lane and off-road, maybe I stand to be corrected.

So, the question is, how do you go from being brand new to the TRF, to standing for an hour at a junction waiting to usher 50 tractors safely on their merry way?

Let’s take this from the top.

A week earlier I walk into my local Group meeting, I’m 20 minutes late, I’m the only girl in the room, and I

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don’t think the gents would mind me pointing out that my arrival considerably lowers the average age of the Group! Despite my tardiness, I am warmly welcomed by everyone and feel immediately at ease. It’s the AGM, so it’s all a bit official for a while and then we move to AOB. It is mentioned that a previous tractor run has just been marshalled and we have been asked to marshal another one the following weekend, and are there any volunteers. In the spirit of inclusiveness the lads started talking as if I would obviously be there, so it seemed like this was a really good way to dip my toes in the water.

Seemingly some of the local farmers are quite nice to us, and in return we offer to marshal their event, to give

See – a huge smile!

Above: All the fun of the farm Left: Doin’ a grand job!

Right: The normally forbidden towpath

something back as it were.

I arrive on the day and get my team allocated. I have to say, our organiser Terry is clearly very good at this stuff – we are given laminated maps with team numbers and the junctions we need to mark, the whole route showing on and off-road sections, timings – basically everything you could possibly want, including the TRF high viz vest. It’s working well and I head off with my group of four to mark our first junction. We’re not officially meant to stop traffic to allow the procession, but actually cars naturally slow down when they see 50 tractors turning across them, so it’s fairly straightforward.

The marshalling was done with

ease at our first junction, and this is when we get to have a little fun, riding to the next junction. I’m on road tyres on my little Versys 300, and being a complete novice there are a couple of sections where I forget to breathe! Mostly, though, the day is flat across farmland and tracks, so it’s not too taxing. We ride along the grass riverbank, which is never normally open to us but we have dispensation for the day. I stop to chat to a narrow boat owner, who is watching our comings and goings with interest. We have a long wait for our next junction, so some of us take the opportunity to ride along these normally closed sections. The boat owner jokes with me that I won’t be able to keep up with the big boys –

and he’s not wrong, but I reckon the smile on my face is bigger!

Mostly, though, there is a lot of waiting around and not doing very much, but it’s a chance for me to meet members of the Group and generally ask loads of, probably stupid, novice questions. Never once did anyone make me feel uncomfortable or out of place. We marked three junctions in total, with one being a very busy intersection. Everything went smoothly and the organisers were very grateful for our help.

I really enjoyed the day and look forward to spending more time with the East Yorkshire contingent – what a great bunch of guys they are!

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GROUP NEWS SOUTH WEST WALES

Motor on Regardless South West Wales TRF set up a fundraising event in support of Motoron Cymru after one of their members was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease

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unday 5 September saw six teams navigating the lanes around the Carmarthen and Brechfa forests for a local charity that has been set up by one of our SWW TRF members. Bob Gledhill has a personal link to the charity we were supporting – Motoron Cymru.

After noticing problems gripping things with his left hand, Bob was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in October 2020.

For a fit and active 52-year-old this was devastating news. After a few weeks, the Gledhills – as a family – started to adjust to a new reality and a different future. The realisation dawned that they could not and

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would not let Bob’s diagnosis take over their lives and that they would make the most of every day. They were determined that their lives would not be defined by MND and that they would just carry on as normal for as long as possible – after all, a positive mental attitude can carry you far.

Unlike Scotland and England, currently no active research into MND is being carried out in Wales, with West Wales patients being particularly poorly served. To make matters worse, as health is a devolved government issue, gaining access to such centres across the UK has proved almost impossible.

And without access to facilities such as the Euan McDonald Centre in Edinburgh or the Motor Neurone Research centre in Oxford, it is

incredibly difficult to enrol on a clinical trial and so contribute to finding a cure for MND. To date, this has been their greatest challenge in learning to live with the disease.

And so a fundraising event was planned. It was to have a ‘scatter rally/treasure hunt’ format, with maps and clues provided, that would lead to a box containing a stamp. Each of the lanes had points awarded according to the difficulty/technical grading determined by the SWW TRF Group Officer and organiser Steve Leonard.

The weather was with us for a change, brilliant sunshine following a dry spell, which meant all the river crossings were low and one ford was totally dry. The conditions couldn’t have been better and meant even Dunlop Hill was easier to navigate

Thanks are due to several businesses that donated prizes for the event: Jeff at M@P Swansea HP at JT’s Motorcycles Swansea Christine at Pure Adrenaline E T James Shaun Clarke at Kelsion Kennels

NO ACTIVE MND RESEARCH IS BEING CARRIED OUT IN WALES, LEAVING WEST WALES PATIENTS PARTICULARLY POORLY SERVED

than when wet, especially that last slate slab corner towards the top of the climb.

A pit-stop at a regular Sunday ride-out watering hole in Abergorlech, the Black Lion, allowed everyone to bask in the sunshine, take in much needed fluids and re-group for the remaining lanes and route that would take us all back into Carmarthen.

Spectacular views greeted us from Paxton’s tower over the Towy Valley through to the picturesque Brechfa trails and joining back roads; we all had a great day out and about.

A big thank you goes to Steve, who had to re-schedule the event due to COVID issues in 2020, and then had the task of negotiating the inevitable rush of events that filled the calendar following the easing of lockdown.

And finally thank you to Rob Williams, Iwan Davies and Owain Davies, who assisted Steve as marshals on the day and helped with the planning and recce rides as well as putting out and collecting in the boxes (ready for the next time!).

We raised an additional £210 from the auction at the end of the day of caps, tops and T-shirts. And a total of £450 was donated via the Motor On giving page.

If you would like more information about MND, or would like to donate to this worthy cause, please follow the links on https://motoron.cymru/ Donations can be made by BACS, Credit/Debit Card and Paypal.

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GALLERY

Richie Bullen on the KTM 350EXC enjoying a stream in Cwmbran.

Photo by Phil Bullen

A regular feature in Trail celebrating the amazing sights that get captured out on the trails. To get your photos featured in the next ssue, email them to editor@trf.org.uk. Please ensure the files are high resolution and include a caption and photo credit

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Recent foray into Devon, from our Dorset base. Close to Axminster, close to the end of a long day. Paul James, Steve Quincey, Chris Corkhill, Alun Trowbridge, and Dick Nunn Photo: Paul James

A recent day out in the lakes on the 640 adventure with Ian Daintith and Simon Goodall. I couldn’t tell you exactly where we were other than the lake district close to Ullswater Photo: Neil Flowers

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POINT OF LAW

Passing the Mousse Test

Andrew Dalton

Andrew Dalton from White Dalton Solicitors clarifies the position

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s I am sure most readers will know, mousses are technically illegal. I use the phrase ‘technically’ because I have never heard of anyone being prosecuted under the Construction and Use regulations which specify a tyre must be pneumatic. The test for ‘pneumatic’ is: can the tyre be inflated or deflated so that the tyre wall collapses. Can you see a problem here with some top-selling 50/50 tyres? I can. I have had a puncture on a Michelin Anakee Wild and ridden my bike home for 15 miles and the tyre certainly did not have a side wall collapse but the tyre is E-marked, and therefore legal and most definitely has a pneumatic chamber. In this case, a punctured one. Had a police officer pulled me over, as I was riding home at less than 40mph with very gentle braking, he would have had a panoply of powers at his disposal to make my life hard. One of the advantages of the uber tough 50/50 tyres is they can be ridden, cautiously, on sidewall strength alone so long as you modify your riding, but you would be running the risk of a run in with the police.

I run mousses and am prepared to

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Andrew is a long qualified lawyer, originally a barrister but now a solicitor and senior partner of White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors. He is a keen trail rider having ridden from the Sahara to the Arctic Circle on various adventures. He is recognised by the leading guides to the legal profession as absolutely expert on matters of tort law involving motorcyclists. He has been involved with the TRF and providing legal support to the TRF for many years.

take the chance that Britain’s most officious copper will not only have to stop me, for some suspected road traffic offence (not difficult with a trail bike – flexi plate, number plate or lights or reflectors covered in mud, reports of tosser-on-crossers ragging around on footpaths) but he also has the power to have my tyre pressures checked. If your tyre reads one atmosphere, then it isn’t pneumatic and you have committed a non-endorseable offence. So, use a bit of common sense. If you are riding in an area where there is a crack- down on illegal riders (or for that matter legal riders) then be super-squeaky clean. If the police want to seize your bike for being dangerously unroadworthy on the basis of a zero tyre pressure, then they can impound the bike or force you to get the machine taken away in a van or on a trailer with a rectification notice. If you are in a crack-down area the police can give your bike a virtual roadside MoT in coordination with VOSA and

tyre pressure would be an obvious check to carry out.

I am growing away from mousses as I get better at changing tyres and once my current mousses wear out and disintegrate I will be running super thick innertubes and green slime on my dirt bikes but it is a fairly finely balanced point. The legality or illegality of mousses is not really an issue for me. I know they are a C and U breach and I was prepared to take that risk to avoid carting around tyre irons, an innertube and a pump but as I now have short, strong Motion Pro levers, a reliable little battery pump and I have got handier at popping enduro tyres on and off with levers, I choose to have innertubes and slime but I well understand the attraction of mousses. Your insurer might try to wriggle out of a theft claim on the basis of mousses but, sadly, many will try to wriggle on any basis, real or imagined.

MYWAY

Tell us about your top-rated byway; what it’s like to ride and why it’s special to you.

Send to Editor@trf.org.uk

Essex.What comes to mind? Young blokes in XR3s covered in half of Halfords and women named after supermarket wine? Well, you are in for a surprise.You see, Essex has a secret. This secret is an ancient and mysterious road, now lost in mist and sand, leading to Foulness Island – The Broomway. Nick Aird dips his toe in the water

The Broomway T

here has been a recorded pathway here since 1419. It runs for almost 10km along the Maplin Sands, about 400m out to sea. It was named after the ‘brooms’, bundles of twigs attached to poles, that once marked the route. Since a bridge was built over the river to Havengore Island in 1922, the path has been disused and exists only as a compass bearing with no markings at all, but still retains its status as a byway. It is actually – like really – dangerous. There are deep channels leading from the land into the sea that change with every tide, there is

quicksand and the threat of the incoming tide that comes in at a fast walking pace and, if that doesn’t get you, there are unexploded shells about the place.

You are advised not to touch them. Spoilsports – ‘elf an’ safety gone mad…

I have been aware of this path for many years but haven’t found anyone else foolhardy enough to give it a go. That is until I met Mark, Neal and Jamie. We were out on an easy ride in Oxfordshire on a scorching day in August when the subject of a more challenging ride came up and I mentioned the existence of The Broomway. The rest, as they say, is history.

It’s late September, 7.00am, and still dark with a thick fog. We meet at the Ministry of Defence gatehouse (access to The Broomway is via an active artillery range, did I mention that?). The MOD has decided that it will be using the range that day and

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Photos: Nick Aird and Jules Tomson

If the barrier is down.

Come back another day.

tells us to go away, despite the fact that we had spoken to them a few days earlier to confirm that it was OK. Fast forward to early October. We find ourselves back in Essex, this time standing on the sea wall at Wakering Stairs, the start point, staring out to sea at what we’d come to do. This was it. The Broomway.

Mark, Neal and Jamie got ready while I discovered that the starter relay on my Fantic Casa had decided this was the day to fail and it wasn’t going to let me go anywhere. After attempting to fix it, I decided that

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MYWAY: THE BROOMWAY

Be sure to heed the warnings.

You can be arrested!

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even if we could bypass it, going out onto the sand with a bike that wouldn’t start if it stalled wasn’t sensible. Suddenly, I was casualty no.1.

So Mark, Neal and Jamie ventured out onto the sand without me. There are the remains of a pathway for about 100m and then about 100m of soft sand, but a fair dose of throttle – which sprayed mud everywhere – got them to the firmer sand beyond. After about 400m Jamie’s XT 600 decided that it didn’t like the seaside and stopped. After some fiddling and walking back to the shore to get a jump pack, he got the bike going well enough to get back to dry land. Two bikes down.

Neal on his Husky FE 250 and Mark on his KTM EXCF 350 by now have long disappeared into the sea haze. I hadn’t heard any explosions, so after a slightly

To all intents and purposes it looks like we’re riding out to sea.

Which can be a little nerve-wracking!

anxious wait of an hour or more I was secretly relieved when they came back into view in a haze of spray and mud, Mark triumphantly wheeling his way across the sand like Roy Rodgers on Trigger!

As Jamie and I didn’t have functioning bikes, Jamie took Neal’s Husky and I took Mark’s KTM and it was our turn. Jamie led as there was GPS on Neal’s Husky with the route. We went out onto the sand to a point where the coastline was barely distinguishable, turned left and headed parallel with the shoreline – there are

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no markers or reference points, so GPS is essential.

The ground was generally firm sand with about 50% water cover and many narrow streams flowing into the sea. Mostly these were about foot-peg deep and a metre or so wide and were easily crossed.

We eventually came to the remains of the pathway leading to Rugwood Head. This is the point where the path re-joins the land and we turned inland. We had been warned that we might encounter dark mud just below the high tide mark. Neal had got stuck in it earlier and it took him and Mark a good half-an-hour to get out. When we got to the same spot we could see evidence of this, so Jamie and I decided not to do the same thing!

We thought we could just follow our tracks on the way back, but it seems they disappear quite quickly in the soft sand and it’s easy to get disoriented. As I was

Neal watching Jamie attempt to fix his bike

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MYWAY: THE BROOMWAY

IT IS ACTUALLY – LIKE REALLY – DANGEROUS. DEEP CHANNELS CHANGE WITH EVERY TIDE, THERE IS QUICKSAND AND THERE ARE UNEXPLODED SHELLS ABOUT THE PLACE...

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MYWAY: THE BROOMWAY

DON’T ATTEMPT THIS ROUTE IN BAD WEATHER. YOU’LL GET LOST AND DIE

Neal got stuck in the mud and it took him and Mark a good half-an-hour to get out!

leading, eventually Jamie had to take over with the GPS to find the route back to Wakering Stairs.

We’d done it and, apart from a couple of irritating technical glitches, we were unscathed. Most dangerous path in Britain? Pah. Morecambe Bay here we come…

A few notes on The Broomway We didn’t find it as alarming as we had been led to believe. We found the sand mostly firm and easy to ride on, but you’ll get wet and salty so be prepared.

Otherwise it was a fairly easy ride. The softer, muddy bits may be challenging on a big adventure-type bike.

It’s only accessible when the range is closed, usually Friday pm and all weekend – call the range on 01702

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We made it!

383211 to check, preferably on Friday morning.

The sands are disorienting and it’s often misty, so don’t attempt it in bad weather – you’ll get lost and die.

Take GPS with the route and a back-up, even if it’s a compass and a paper map.

Check the tide times. We were there two hours before low tide and left about two hours after, the sands were still uncovered, but the sea comes in fast.

The locals we met were very friendly and interested in what we were doing. It seems that very few bikes use the pathway – there were a few other people at Wakering Stairs but mainly walking the coast path.

If you go ashore at Rugwood Head, stay on the byway and don’t go off poking about as the MOD takes a dim view of this and will arrest you. Don’t get

stuck at Rugwood Head by the tide and try to ride back through the range – you’ll get arrested. Don’t try to go ashore other than at Wakering Stairs or Rugwood Head or – you’ve guessed it – you’ll get arrested! They like arresting people in Essex.

If you get into trouble there is no one to help, so don’t go alone, take a rope and a shovel and a phone.

If after reading this you are still interested, Mark has a YouTube channel called Dynamo Tightstar, which includes a video of this and our other adventures.

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FEATURE

Desert

Storm

WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF BEN AND LINCOLN AND THE CONFUSED SUPPORT OF MY FAMILY I WAS ON THE FLIGHT. I HAVE NO REGRETS 32

There are adventures and there are adventures. Going to the supermarket can be an adventure but for Roger Pitt from the Kent TRF Group his idea of adventure was getting out there amongst it in the desert lands of North Africa

Ben and Roger in the foreground

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s a relatively new member of the TRF circa 2014 but a lifelong motorcyclist I wanted to share an awesome trip I have recently experienced.

I think it is fair to say most of us are looking for the next big thing and of course that is very personal.

We will all have had different opportunities and stored great memories along the way and for all of us, our own experiences are not only special to ourselves but can also spark aspirations in others.

Well, this opportunity for me started back in 2019.

What possibly could go wrong?

The 2020 trip, alias BR20 (Blackthorn Rally), was all meticulously planned: tickets were purchased almost before confirmation of the dates such was the excitement; T-shirts, cap branding and everything else were prepared from generous sponsors, and then bang – lockdown! What next? Nobody really knew.

Our planned trip to Morocco, five days of off-road riding organised by the legendary Motoaventures, was off, probably the closest most motorcycle enthusiasts will ever get to riding the sort of terrain a Dakar rider of the 1980s and ‘90s would experience.

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DESERT STORM

Ben in action

Lamin Manneh and Spencer Bull being legends

Dark and uncertain days lay ahead … blue lights flashing … neighbours clapping … news dominating … mask covering … identity crisis looming … family warming … furlough supporting … long walks daunting … cycles sold out … everyone zoomed out … just want to get out … whatever next?

Inspirational event founder Ben Farrell then announces, 16 months thereafter, that the trip is back on for September 2021. In disbelief, those who are able to do so quickly re-book their holiday allocation with family and work. It’s now getting a bit boring as this is about the third time around. Trusted BA at the last minute had to cancel flights to Morocco, but was fortunately and swiftly replaced by Royal Air Maroc, which welcomed flights to its distant lands, and the rest is history!

It was on, or was it? I so wanted to go on this trip.

Everything was in place: double vaccinated, PCR test in and out covered, all sorts of insurance cover booked and possibly double-booked. But a week beforehand I decided I shouldn’t go. Morocco was awaiting a possible Red warning from the UK, France already had it listed as Red, COVID-19 cases were reportedly rising. I rang Ben and explained my predicament. He was calm but somewhat surprised.

I had managed to convince myself of every single reason I shouldn’t go – risk aversity increases with age I have discovered – but then…

Long story short, with the leadership of Ben and Lincoln and the confused support of my family I was

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on the flight. I have no regrets. It was absolutely brilliant. Motoaventures organised a great trip through Morocco, challenging but achievable given a degree of motorcycle experience. Ben and his team are probably the best in the world to be with on such an adventure. For the story of the BR trips, of which this one celebrated the 5th Anniversary, with an inspirational twist, read on.

Ben Farrell started the Blackthorn Rally in 2015.

It came about as a result of a group of ex-military personnel looking for an adventure. After 23 years as a colonel in the Irish Guards, Ben left the army. “I had grown up with motorbikes – my first bike was a Fantic 125, many years ago. And I always had an interest in rallies, particularly the Dakar.”

The plot was hatched in the comfortable surroundings of the Cavalry and Guards Club in London. The next step was to make contact with someone who knew about organising motorcycle events in North Africa. Enter Su Downham of Motoaventures who did exactly that and Ben arranged to go on a trip to Morocco with eight other ex-military enthusiasts in 2015.

“This year there were 24 of us on the first week and the same number on the second week of the

Dan and Ben looking pensive

Living the dream!

Blackthorn. So it’s grown every year since it started.

Also this year, the second week was dedicated to helping injured, wounded and sick ex-servicemen and I’m also Chairman of the Invictus Games Foundation Programmes Board.”

The Board helps to devise adventures and challenges for the wounded ex-servicemen, which they are encouraged to complete and which, in turn, gives them a sense of achievement and purpose in what they do.

“We took the Blackthorn Rally as an idea and working with another charity, Future Terrain, which rehabilitates ex-servicemen through motorsports, we had 18 participants. Most were wheelchair users, with disabilities ranging from one chap with no legs and one arm to another with MS. Polaris sponsored us, providing some 2021 Razor two-seater vehicles.”

The route is 1500km covered over five days and it’s a seven-day trip from flying in to flying out. For Dakar

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DESERT STORM

Roger getting in the way of some amazing scenery

fans, part of the route followed a section used in one of the legendary events. The first week is for solo motorcycles; then the whole lap is repeated during the second week for the more disabled participants. For 2021 the September daytime temperatures were in the high 20 degrees C and there was a 3% chance of rain, so it was a good time to have planned the rally.

Taking care of the nuts and bolts of the operation was adventure tour specialist Motoaventures. The company was started in 1996 and is still owned and operated by John Griffiths and Su Downham. It is headquartered in Andorra from where the original guided tours of the Pyrenees and Portugal operated.

As far as the Blackthorn Rally goes, Su takes up the tale. “All the participants get themselves to Marrakech and we sort everything from there: the transfers, the luggage, the supply of bags, bikes, fuel, 4x4 back up vehicles, water, food and even alcohol if requested.”

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In Morocco Motoaventures is based at Ouarzazate and this is the start and finishing point for the Blackthorn’s 1500km loop. The hardware currently comprises 12 KTM 450s, 5 Yamaha 450 Quads and 5 Polaris Razors. Navigation and comms equipment isn’t a luxury in a desert landscape, it’s essential – one sand dune looks pretty much like another.

Su says that personal safety has always been paramount at Motoaventures and it was the first adventure tour company to fit GPS to its bikes as standard. The routes are preloaded, so all riders have to do is keep the arrow on the runway and they’ll get to the lunch/rest stop. Additionally, should you inadvertently head-but a rock the Garmin tracking unit will allow you to be located, usually by a back-up vehicle not that far behind.

This event offers the perfect opportunity, as Roger pointed out, to either tick something off the bucket list or see what all the fuss surrounding desert riding is about. Whichever, you’ll not find a simpler or safer way to find out. This page from the Blackthorn Rally handbook perfectly illustrates the pace and attention to detail you could expect as a participant.

Yes the sand did get everywhere. Did we care? No

Now that’s what you call a great day out – and you’ve got four more to come

Blackthorn’s Lincoln Jopp and Ben Farrell

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FEATURE

Keeping up with the Joneses Going back to Cymru for a tasty bit of dirt-riding instruction, decrepit old stager and long-time TRF member ‘Blez’ observes a ‘beginners’ class at the UK’s longest-established off-road training school, in Mid Wales

Dylan Jones briefs all the riders at the start of the day

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’ve known Michaela since she was a teenage motorcyclist in the 1980s (complete with a full licence). However, like many others, she had a long break from bikes, imposed by the demands of three children. Thirty years on, with the kids fully grown, she felt the lure of two wheels again. Early in 2019 our

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mutual friend James Higgs of Wiltshire TRF found her a Yamaha Serow 225 in great condition, at an unbeatable price. We did the last Yorkshire Rally of Discovery together in the spring of 2019, when I had the Royal Enfield Himalayan on test, and I learnt from that weekend that her main problem, both on and off road, was lack of confidence but she still had plenty of riding skills.

What with moving house, renovating the new one, and the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, Michaela hasn’t had much time for riding over the past couple of years, but this autumn, having got the Serow MoT’d

and taxed again, she was keen to have some proper off-road riding instruction. She looked at several websites and was impressed by the clarity of the explanations of what was on offer at the Yamaha Off Road Experience. While the Yamaha ORE offers a selection of dirt bikes, complete with all the kit and clobber required, and a day’s training all for £250, Michaela was pleased to see that she also had the option of using her own trusty Serow for only £90, which fitted her budget much better.

Fortunately the stars aligned, a couple of spaces became available on a suitable Saturday and so it was that we descended on Glyn Hafren, near Llanidloes, last October.

The briefing The Yamaha Off Road Experience is now run by ex-enduro champion Geraint Jones’s sons, Dylan and Rowan, who were both top competitors in their own right. There were 18 trainees present (including me), and Michaela was pleased to see that she wasn’t the only female. She wasn’t the only person using her own bike either – there was a Beta two-stroke and a KTM350F standing apart from all the Yamahas laid out in front of us.

Once everyone had got themselves kitted out, Dylan gave us a comprehensive briefing, first about the day in general, then about the bikes in particular. These days the main steeds in use are Yamaha’s WR250 enduro

THE INSTRUCTORS CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT OF GOOD-HUMOURED ENCOURAGEMENT AND WEREN’T PATRONISING IN THE SLIGHTEST...

Dylan demonstrates the correct standing position, complete with only one finger on each lever

John Begley helps pick up the TT-R 230

riding up and down the grassy hill, and we were encouraged to stand up, but I liked the way Dylan emphasised doing whatever felt most comfortable at this stage.

We were soon divided into two groups, with Rowan leading the more confident/advanced group of 11 riders, while Dylan and his

both) and how to pick a bike up.

The first training area was a sloping, grassy field on top of a hill, about a mile from the ORE base at the Jones’s farm. To get to it you have to climb a steep track with quite a few lumps and bumps to negotiate, which made me feel sorry for the lightweight TT-R’s soft suspension, since it was sagging somewhat under my 16-stone bulk. The traditional air-cooled, carburetted motor pulled willingly enough, but it felt very low geared.

With Dylan in charge, we practised various exercises in ‘follow my leader’ mode, turning left and right and

machines, with some rare (in Europe) TT-R230s also available for less confident or smaller riders plus a few WR450s for those who prove themselves capable of handling extra power during the course of the day.

They’re all four-strokes of course and, more importantly, they all have electric starters! I plumped for a TT-R230 to start with.

Dylan finished off the briefing with useful advice on riding technique: the advantages of standing up on the pegs, getting properly forward on the seat when sitting down (he also demonstrated the right and wrong ways of doing

Above: The advanced group in the depths of the Hafren Forest

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KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES John Begley and Dylan Jones instruct riders in the correct sitting position for cornering on the dirt

assistant John Begley took charge of the remaining seven of us and led us on a short ride to an old quarry. No spills so far!

The flat-ish central riding area in the quarry had cones laid out to create a small circuit which included a couple of zig-zags. Dylan demonstrated the right and the wrong way to ride sitting down, and how to stick out a leg on corners, and we all had a go. Then he showed us the right and the wrong way to ride standing up, again followed by our attempts to do it correctly. Dylan and John gave individual instruction to anyone they spotted whose stance could be improved. It’s very easy to deceive yourself about your own riding position until you see a photo or a video of yourself with your legs bent and bum barely off the seat, when you may have thought your legs were practically straight. The importance of getting your elbows up was also stressed which, I must admit, is something that I’ve always found hard to maintain.

40

Michaela practising cornering sitting down, in the old quarry on her trusty Serow

The riding quickly became more challenging when Dylan showed us the ‘advanced’ route around the outside of the quarry. This started at one end with a steep climb and sharp turn, and finished with a steep descent-with-turn at the other. The steep climb-with-turn soon claimed a few harmless get-offs but everyone managed it before too long. At the end of the quarry session I swapped steeds with a guy called Dan who, as an off-road beginner, was finding the

WR250F a bit too lively for his liking.

We moved on to more open going on the dirt roads of the forest, interspersed with narrow, winding and undulating tracks to keep us on our toes. I enjoyed the extra power and suspension of the WR and it occurred to me that the strippeddown, fuel-injected, liquid-cooled 250 probably had more power than my trusty air-cooled XR600 from the 1990s yet less weight than Michaela’s fully road-equipped 225

Dylan talks to the beginners in the top field in the morning

Blez in the quarry earlier in the day

Sitting and standing on TT-R230s on the more challenging route around the outside of the quarry

Blez competing in the 2006 BajaGB

the Hafren Rally. At one point on our ‘follow-my-leader’ ride, John turned off a dirt road to take in a really steep diversion to a track higher up on the hillside. I remember thinking, “Blimey, that’s going to be a bit of challenge for some of this lot” and I was impressed that only one failed to ‘clean’ it. Easy sections of fire road were interspersed with progressively more challenging tracks and trails in between, and I was equally impressed by the run leaders’ ability to assess what their pupils were capable of as they progressed during the course of the day.

Serow. (Yes it does, on both counts – I’ve checked!) I certainly enjoyed giving it a ‘thrape’ while catching up with the group up after pausing to take some photos.

We rode back to base for lunch, where I discovered that Dan, with whom I’d swapped bikes, was a sub-mariner in the Royal Navy and rides a Honda CBR600 road bike, while the other female rider in our group was his wife Brigit, an engineering project manager who’d

only been riding for a couple of years but had recently moved up to a Suzuki GSR750.

As we rode out of the farm and back up the steep, bumpy climb to the top of the hill after lunch, I was happy to be on the WR250, with its extra power and firmer suspension, rather than the TT-R. After some more dirt-road riding, the ‘advanced’ group of 11 was divided into two.

Rowan went off with the best riders, and Dylan took the new ‘middle’ group, which also included our most capable ‘beginner’, so our group shrank from seven to six. John took on the role of leading us for the afternoon, with his colleague Geraint Waters bringing up the rear as ‘sweeper’.

John led us for several miles through the Hafren Forest, along tracks some of which suddenly looked familiar from what used to be my yearly pilgrimage to compete in

41

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES

The two more advanced groups, led by Rowan and Dylan Jones in the afternoon. Spot the two-strokes!

A little later, John stopped the group on another section of dirt road and suggested that I might like to take the steep, narrow trail off to the side in advance of the others in order to get some photos. I followed it for a few hundred yards down the hillside before stopping at a suitable location for snapping in both directions.

Everyone came past except for Michaela and Geraint, our sweeper.

After a few minutes she appeared, looking poised and very much in control of her Serow. However, she later told me that she’d fallen off right at the start of the steep descent, adding that she much preferred steep climbs to steep drops downhill!

The next trail we did was the only time I wished I was back on the TTR230, with its soft, gentle power.

It wasn’t difficult at all, but it was full of lumps and bumps that required a lot of throttling ‘on and off’. It was actually a loop, which we did twice, and on the second lap I experimented by sitting down intermittently.

That actually worked better for me, while Michaela stayed up on her pegs throughout.

We had an official stop for a breather afterwards and, to my surprise, Michaela said that – for her – it was the most enjoyable bit of riding we’d done all day. Geraint had noticed that her forks were slightly twisted after her get-off and got

Dan, Brigit, Ben and Gerry stop for a quick water break

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Michaela back in control of her Serow after a tumble further up the trail

them straight again, which impressed Michaela as she hadn’t noticed!

Father and son Gerry and Ben Speich enjoyed it so much they went and did a third lap while the rest of us were chatting. I kicked myself afterwards when I realised that I could have tried different engine mappings on ‘my’ WR250 just by pressing the bright blue button on the left handlebar. There was almost certainly a ‘softer’ setting that would have made life easier for me on that section. Dylan had mentioned the mode button in the initial briefing, but it had completely slipped my mind, not being used to such things on serious dirt bikes.

Our ‘beginners’ group trainers John Begley and Geraint Waters had both been involved with events in the Hafren Forest for many years and we did some reminiscing about the various Hafren Rallies and also the Baja GB, named after the Mexican

Bikes and Kit Dylan Jones gave me a run-down on all the machines and equipment on offer Damage limitation “All our bikes are fitted with Renthal bars and Renthal Intelli-levers. And it’s great that Renthal still makes all their products at its factory in Stockport. We have tried wrap-round style guards in the past, but moved away from them because of the issue of people’s hands coming off the bars in a crash and then getting caught between the bar and the guard, causing injury. Handguards would be good to keep the weather off, but get broken off far too easily to be practical for our use.

“When we have new bikes, we remove all the lights and speedos, as we don’t need them and they would get damaged. All the original bodywork is removed and replaced with aftermarket plastics. When we sell the bikes all the new original bodywork, lights and speedo are fitted back onto the bikes. We usually change our WRs after about 150 hours of use if there are enough new ones available. Sometimes we have to run bikes for the whole season. Both we and Yamaha prefer to keep the bikes fresh and current, so everyone gets the best experience.”

Blez poses with a WR250 on the left, and a TT-R230 on the right which are specially imported from New Zealand for use at the training school

use Yamaha’s own motocross and “W eadventure clothing, Alpinestar Tech 5 boots,

May the force be with you “We run trainingsessions for the armed forces, usually in the ‘off season’. We also do training for a number of police forces, including South Yorkshire. It works well for both Yamaha and ourselves that a number of the police forces use Yamaha dirt bikes, such as the WR250 and now the Ténéré 700.”

Forcefield body armour, Acerbis helmets and waterproof jackets together with army Goretex waterproof trousers if it’s particularly wet.”

The bikes “The main fleet of WR250s includes some that have been lowered to make them suitable for those who are less than 5ft 5ins tall. As you know, we also have the TT-R 230s. It’s a much more beginner-friendly bike than the WR, which is why we import them specially from New Zealand, as they are not available in Europe. One of the downsides of fuelinjected bikes is that the throttle response can be very abrupt and difficult for beginners.

“We also have some TT-R 125s with large wheels for smaller women and younger riders. If we feel a rider is up to it, they can try a WR450. The bikes marked ‘R’ and ‘RR’ are restricted. With the WR 250F being very much a competition machine, we find that for a number of customers they are too powerful and responsive in fully unrestricted form.

“All the WR250Fs and WR450Fs now come with a mode button as standard on the handlebars. The bikes come with two pre-set maps – softer map (blue light on) and a more aggressive map (light off) – and you can toggle between them on the fly using the mode button.

You can also send different maps to the bike’s ECU via the tuning app on your phone.”

Above: The fleet of Ténéré 700s used for training purposes Left: All bikes are equipped with aftermarket plastics, Renthal bars and Renthal folding Intelli-levers to minimise damage from the inevitable offs on the trail

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KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES

event. John both rode and spannered for army motorcycle teams for many years before joining the Off Road Experience team, all of whom are qualified as ACU Commercial Instructors.

On one of the last trails through the woods I was following Michaela as the trail descended fairly steeply before taking a right fork, where the riders in front had stopped. I had a nasty feeling that Michaela might struggle to scrub off enough speed in time – and so it proved. She locked the front wheel, the bike went down and she was thrown off to the side. I was relieved to see her jump back up and, with Geraint’s help, she was soon back in the saddle, with no harm done to herself or the robust little Yamaha Serow.

Back at base, with all the ORE kit and clobber neatly stowed on the purpose-built racks and the bikes all hosed down, I got some very favourable feedback about the day from the other five riders in our ‘beginners’ group.

How was it for you?

Michaela was equally positive about her Off Road Experience. “On arriving I was slightly intimidated as everyone looked ‘proper pro’ but once we’d got out into the first grassy field my nerves settled – in any case, by then there was no turning back! The instructors created an environment of good-humoured encouragement and weren’t patronising in the slightest. I found them really reassuring, and not at all judgmental about my lack of ability.

Everyone was just out for a good time and it was a wonderful, brilliant day. It was good to be able to get wet and muddy and fall off, without hurting yourself. And it wasn’t full of testosterone, so I’d say it’s good for women of any age. It was an inclusive environment with nothing but positive vibes. There’s no reason not to give it a go, even if you’re a

The entire YORE crew: from the left to right , John Begley, Geraint Jones, Rowan Jones, Geraint Waters,Wyn Hughes, Endaf Hughes and last but not least Dylan Jones

50-something woman – don’t be scared of the difficulty, just go for it.

There’s joy in it all as part of the whole experience. I found the downhill ruts tricky, but didn’t have any problems with the climbs – they were fun! It‘s a great day out.”

For me, too, it was a great day out on the trails. What impressed me was the way all the instructors provided positive support throughout the day with helpful tips, whatever level of riding the trainees were at.

Sometimes top riders struggle to instruct those who are still at the most basic level, but Dylan and his team seem able to put anyone at their ease and help them improve.

It was great to see the founding father, Geraint Jones, again. I was shocked to discover that he’s actually just turned 70, but he looks as fit as a fiddle and is still working pretty much full-time as a farmer, despite all the demands of the Off Road Experience. And it’s not just the Jones family either; back at base, quietly hosing the bikes down, was Wyn Hughes, a man I well remember from my trail-bike rally days as one of the fastest men in the pack and a top enduro rider. Now he’s got a teenage son, Endaf, who helps out too. The experience should be even better next season, when a new main building – all built from locally grown larch – is due to open.

Full info at www.yamaha-offroadexperience.co.uk

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Dan and Birgit taking a quick break

New building in progress

Father and son Gerry and Ben Speich on an XT230 and a WR250

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FEATURE

Ger’off my Mushrooms!

Doug Cartright admits to being a European at heart when it comes to trail riding as he forsakes ‘God’s Own Country’ for six weeks in the Pyrenees

I

have been trail-riding since the early 2000s when I purchased, quite innocently, a WR250 and thought “That looks like fun”. Little did I know that I was about to be drawn in to a pastime that would become totally absorbing. Like most people I thought I’d just buy a bike and go. Well, here I am, almost 20 years later, and if I have learned anything it’s about everything other than the bike! I’ve had a WR250, followed by a BMW G450, then a Scorpa 125, several KTM Freerides (a 250, 350 and the full electric model) and just

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recently a vintage Kawasaki 250.

But it’s not about the bike, and this year I realised that my preferred ride was none of these but one that I was given as a loan for the day (yup, the KTM broke down…). It was a Honda CRF 250L belonging to the hombre rojo and what did I like about it? Well, nothing. In fact I can’t remember anything in particular about it but, boy, did I have a great day’s trailriding: 12 hours in the saddle. It was a day on which to appreciate the surroundings, smell the coffee and get back to the hotel in a fit state to savour a nice glass of red. For me, a bike that remains in the background is perfect for trail-riding – no fuss, no bother, I loved it!

Recently I have been in the

fortunate position of having been able to retire relatively early from corporate America, although I do qualify for my state pension next year. In 2013 I was introduced to trail-riding abroad and each year since then I have been able to head overseas. Retirement has the added benefit of not having to indulge in that quick dash to distant shores and then the dash back for work on Monday morning.

In my quest for utopia I started riding in Europe. I have since ridden on organised and self-guided events in several countries and now my preference is to spend a few weeks each year riding the trails of the Spanish and French Pyrenees. My first trip, as a complete rookie, was

to the French Pyrenees with Chris Evans. Needless to say, I fell off way too many times but at least I had the common sense to retire gracefully after the first day. However, a quick operation to shorten my legs (ok, a lower bike) and some tuition gave me the basic skills.

I live in North Yorkshire and I can say that without a doubt the trailriding scenery and access is without equal. Unfortunately, as I get older, I find a day out in the snow, ice and a bit of rain a challenge but invigorating nonetheless. For me, the perfect day is about 80 miles of trail, no tarmac, no rain, a Mars bar and a cuppa along the way with some lighthearted banter and camaraderie with my buddies.

This year, post-Brexit, post-lockdown and a major dose of ‘cabin fever’ had me packing the van and heading off to the Spanish Pyrenees for six weeks. I had elected to join Austin Vince and Chris Evans on their respective tours and in-between do some self-guided trail-riding including events cancelled during lockdown in 2020, so, all in all, four organised events.

As it happened COVID restrictions forced the delay of the Chris Evans tour until 2022. Chris’s tours are traditional road-book events. He

The road to Santa Maria

Sunset over Pedraforca

The signs are clear.

Keep your hands off the shrooms!

gives you the road book, route and off you go. Full back-up, accommodation and catering is provided. He is even known to give old buffers a compliment or two: “Dougie, I have never seen a Freeride go so fast.”

The Vince navigation events, on the other hand, are based on self-guiding, either by map or gpx. His Mondo tours are led and include catering and accommodation, either in hotels or campsites depending on your preference. Austin’s focus is on big outdoor adventures, camaraderie and copious amounts of humour – and a rollicking if you go too fast!

A byproduct of these events is that I get to meet a great bunch of people and over the years we have become a band of buddies who get together as often as we can but for most of us it’s once a year in Spain. This year the group comprised Richard (or Rykov, Raytcho), Nige, Dangerous Dave and Bert (not his real name!).

There is nothing better after a tough day on the trail than sitting around a log fire putting the world to rights, along with a bit of lighthearted banter. I say lighthearted but I can recall discussions about the structural integrity of Spanish arched ceiling tiles and tutorials on the square root of minus 1. (Answers on a postcard please.)

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GER’ OFF MY MUSHROOMS!

The chaps

This year I managed a total of 22 days of trail-riding varying from 12 hours (or 200 miles) in the saddle during the navigation events and shorter days (around 80 miles) with longer lunches on the days of self-navigation.

I normally visit in June or September when the weather is just perfect, with hot sunny days in the mid-tohigh 20 degrees C and only a slight chance of rain. And when it rains, it rains, but it’s much warmer rain than Yorkshire’s! The trails can vary from beautiful, lush, almost sunken lanes as in the UK, with alpine woods and cols, to endless rocky roads that will loosen your fillings; from valley bottoms to long, steady 2500-metre climbs. If you are a fan of film director Sergio Leone, then you can lose yourself in make-believe gunfights (it’s where they filmed the Spaghetti Westerns); if you’re into sci-fi and space travel, then you can find topography that resembles how I imagine the moon or Mars to be.

There isn’t anything too technical (or at least we managed to avoid it), apart from what we refer to as Heart Attack Hill or Legend’s Climb. Big vistas grab your attention and force you off the bike to stare in wonder; ancient deserted villages just beg to be explored. A particular favourite (not mine) are the endless acres of olive groves on the lower slopes.

Try navigating your way through those with a map or even GPS without losing your bearings and patience! And yes, mushrooms.

I have never seen so many mushrooms. Just when you think you are the only human for miles, you come across happy families gathering baskets of mushrooms. I recommend

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End of the trail

Local support

ceps to go in your omelette but don’t pick them yourself!

By comparison with the UK, Spain has fewer restrictions regarding trail riders and in all the times I have ridden in the Pyrenees and Europe I have never once come across the equivalent of a selfish, anti or grumpy Yorkshire farmer, hollering “Ger’ off my land”. There are, however, plenty of prohibition signs – translated they say “Ger’ off my mushrooms!”

In case you are wondering how we faired in our navigation event, I am pleased to say we managed to achieve the highest score of all the teams but in our enthusiasm also managed to get ourselves disqualified (it’s a long story). The winner, of course, was camaraderie, friendship and big adventures.

Roll on 2022!

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FEATURE The TRF has a reputation for volunteering its members for active duty at equestrian events. The two-wheeled horse can cover the same terrain as the four-legged variety and can be very useful to the organisers as Gloucestershire TRF’s Mike Wain explains

RIDING A RED

DRAGON ...no, it’s not about one of those old Maico 500s!

THE RIDERS’ DUTIES INVOLVE PUTTING OUT AND TAKING DOWN MARKERS, OFTEN IN GLORIOUS WEATHER AGAINST THE AMAZING BACKDROP OF THE BLACK MOUNTAINS...

50

Below: At this particular event riders have permission from land owners to ride bridleways, footpaths and private tracks

Jacky with fully kitted bike, ready for action

A

RayNet volunteer tries to impress Mark with his Salsa moves

down side there is a lot of work to do, which must be completed to very specific schedules.

The preceding Thursday started with briefings from Jacky and the event organiser on the route, who all the different land owners are, their attitudes and how they want the gates managed, plus a reminder as to how to do the marking. Day 1 is always hard work and lower mileage, as it takes time to decide where to put the markers. Normally it is a case of loops of dayglow that are put in trees/bushes but on the open moors flags must be stuck into the ground, which means getting off the bike every time. We started after lunch and I only managed about 50km but the weather was glorious with fantastic views all the way to the Black Mountains. With eight of us split into three teams we got all the routes for the Friday ready with time to spare.

The organisers provided a place to bed down or park a camper, excellent showers and food for the four days we were there. As there was no catering in place on the first night, three of us went to the Ginger Leaf Indian in town, famed for its unusual menu. I had minty lamb with

lot of people are understandably surprised at the remarkably good relationship between trail riding motorcyclists and horse riders, but perhaps the peak of that relationship occurs when the horse riders are also endurance buffs! The British Horse Feeds’ and Golden Paste Company’s Red Dragon Festival of Endurance is one of the premier horse endurance events in Great Britain. Run from the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, it is seen as a bucket list event for most endurance riders and requires the cooperation of a host of individuals and organisations in order for it to happen, one of which is the TRF. Although other groups also provide support to horse events, Jacky German, Mark Holland and Damon Northeast of the Gloucester TRF Group are among the main players.

I have been a volunteer helper for a few years now at the Red Dragon and other events in Caldicot, the Forest of Dean, the Marlborough Downs and Cirencester. For this one, the 2021 Red Dragon Festival, 24-26 September, we were joined

by Jim Weaver, Ben Emerson, Michael Cordery and Ronan Vance.

The difference between this event and ‘normal’ trail riding is that we spend almost all the time off tarmac, as the event organiser will have got landowners’ permission for our motorcycles to travel where they are not normally allowed to go, for example on bridleways, footpaths and private tracks. For the Red Dragon the 100km course has to be laid out, patrolled and then removed – only about 20% of it is tarmac.

The percentage is even lower at most other venues, often comprising just a few road crossings. On the

51

RIDING A RED DRAGON

My TTR with the Black Mountains in the background.

Despite being MOT’d the day before, the TTR held ran well for the duration of the event

mango curry, a superb mix of Welsh and Indian. You go to the bar in the pub next door for drinks – a great arrangement with more choice and better prices, plus the waiter takes the empties back! For the rest of the time there was a bap van at the showground doing breakfast and lunch, but we patronised the excellent Roast Ox by the midway vet station in Painscastle rather than go all the way back to Builth Wells. The evening meal was in the on-site restaurant and bar, which did an excellent chicken curry and ribs on the other two nights.

The reason there were eight of us was to provide sufficient back-up in the event of machine or rider failure, three teams of two being the minimum required to do the job. As the only shakedown ride on my Yamaha TTR had been a trip to the MoT station the day before, after several months of being stripped to the frame and the engine down to the bottom end, I was a bit worried that

52

I might be the one to eat into the contingency. However, as it turned out, the only work I had to do was swap to a trials tyre as it was so bone dry on the hills. We had no falls at all this year, but lots of topples while trying to open gates and do other silly things for which we really should have got off the bikes. In addition,

Above: Damon riding a private track where there is no PROW at all!

Below: Jacky and Michael, festooned in orange!

and quicker than putting them out, as it can almost all be done from the bike, often while still moving, so we usually catch the horses up and have to wait until they get ahead again.

This year we caught one at a farmyard (well known for the mannequins displayed in the windows!) and stopped to chat to the farmer, who cautioned us that about 50 cattle were due to be driven down from the fields. By this time we were on a mission to get the job done and go home so, led by Mark, the three of us went up anyway and soon found ourselves head-on with the cattle (or this would not have been a story worth telling!) Fortunately, there were masses of brambles to the side, so we all rammed our bikes into any gap we could find before the herd trotted past. Most of the landowners are really helpful, many removing their livestock from fields that the routes pass through so that the gates can

Running repairs after a mishap in the famyard!

be left open and/or granting permission to use routes where there is no public right of way. By the end of the day I had done 128km, which is a lot when such a high proportion of the route is on the rough.

The permission to ride areas normally off limits, plus an excellent PR boost for trail riding and the TRF, are not the only benefits. The organisers recognise the big part we play in the success of their events and make a donation.

The Gloucestershire Group alone has raised more than £40k for the Fighting Fund over the last 20 years.

As Jacky says, it takes a certain kind of trail rider to not mind sitting

Ronan rode into me once and punted me into a thorn bush! Mark dropped his bike in a hard, stony farmyard but was able to make temporary repairs that kept him going until a proper job could be done in the evening.

There was only one horse-related incident this year: a fallen rider with a suspected broken leg. Another rider reported this incident at the next checkpoint, where the RayNet radio hams were able to alert SARA (Severn Area Rescue Association) and us. One of our teams arrived just before SARA and assisted with recovery of horse and rider.

Day 2 started before daylight in order to get out onto the hills at the crack of dawn and check the marking before the first horses came round. This is the fun bit as we ride parts of the route marked by other teams to see if we can follow them, making changes where we don’t understand it and go off-track. We had to put in a few more markers as it was quite foggy in places, but that soon cleared and it turned out to be another nice day. Later on, for my team it was back to laying out more routes required for Saturday, with others on standby to respond to problems such as fallen or missing riders, resetting wind-blown markers or route sabotage. On the Saturday morning we did find a flag that had been moved from one track to another at a junction way up near the top of the hills, and also a herd of fell ponies had knocked a series of flags over. At the end of the day we rode parts of the course to check that the ground was not getting too cut up, and gates were in the right positions, etc. By this time the hills are pretty much deserted, so we get some more good riding. Saturday is pretty much a repeat of Day 2, but with a lot more horses riding more routes and the first day of the main British Championship event round the 80km course. I averaged 88km on these two days.

Sunday starts with the longest route check yet, then either a long rest (as at this event) or acting on standby to respond to calls as the horses go round. RayNet lets us know when the last horses are on each route and then we start sweeping behind them, removing all the course markers and resetting all the gates to normal. This is much easier

Michael explains what’s going on to walkers and horse trekkers not in the event

53

RIDING A RED DRAGON

around between tasks, to get up at the crack of dawn, follow a pedantic system of placing markers, ride miles and miles with no tarmac, endure spectacular views of the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons – or maybe persisten pea-soup fog and/or rain! Luckily for her (recovering from a bad knee injury), the riding was way easier than usual as this year’s event followed a long period of dry weather, but sometimes the horses cut up the ground really badly in wet areas.

Curiously, the main event was won by the horse that finished last.

Comparing it to the other competitors, which seemed to be largely huge, evenly coloured and perfectly manicured chestnuts, I described the winner at the time as a rather scraggy looking little grey horse.

However, it seems I may have done the rather strangely named ‘HS Echo’ a disservice as it turned out to be a 15h pure bred Arab. Jacky had mentioned that there would be quite a few Arabs coming to the event and I had assumed that she meant riders originating from the Middle East rather than the horses! Anyway, as it turns out the endurance for the horse is not just a straight longdistance race to the finish as there are regular stops where the rider has 20 minutes to prove to vets that the horse is fit to continue over the next stage of the route. This means that managing the horse over the 160km two-day National Championship course is a complex affair with eight opportunities to get excluded if you get it wrong. So Janice CockleyAdams, the rider of ‘HS Echo’, played an important part in the victory as well as this year she was the only Championship rider to get this right.

On Day 2 all the other competitors had been eliminated early on by the veterinary panel. Janice and ‘HS Echo’ then trotted gently round the rest of the 80km course to become National Endurance Champions 2021 – the only team to finish the course!

Above: It was quite foggy in some places, but the weather soon turned out for the better Left: Jacky, Ronan and Michael outside the Roast Ox pub

Below: The winner of the event, Janice Cockley Adams and her pure bred Arab ‘HS Echo’

As Russell Benney, my old Team Manager of three-times motorcycle World Champions Phase One Endurance, used to say: “To finish first, first you must finish!” But I don’t think it was ever quite so poignant in motorcycle racing!

Photo: Kerry Dawson

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RIDING TECHNIQUES In this issue Jake and Carl Venter from Technical Enduro Skills explain the finer points of braking without falling off

BRAKING A well set up bike like this can make trail riding so much easier and safer

would not allow reach that far down.

In last month’s article we discussed the benefits of standing up while riding off road. Small clarification: we said that you lower the centre of gravity when standing up – this is not strictly true according to physics. What we meant to say is it ‘feels’ as though you are lowering the centre of gravity of the bike because it changes the balance relationship with the bike and it allows for better leverage through the pegs.

Regardless, the bike becomes easier to control, easier to steer, you can see further ahead down the trail and be more active on the bike. We are often trying to simplify concepts to make a point, appeal to a broad audience of clients and to disentangle topics to get the message across.

Back to braking… braking is a very useful tool not only to slow the bike down but also to stabilise the bike in motion, keep the bike tracking a rut, load the suspension, and so on. So let’s look at how your brakes should be setup.

1: Brake lever set up

I 56

n the last couple of years, working with clients at the enduro skills training school, we have come to learn that many riders would benefit greatly from better use of their brakes, that is plural, not only the front brake but also the rear brake.

A lot of riders arrive for a training day and some, quite proudly, would proclaim never to have used (or in some cases) needed the rear brake. On some bikes, when we look at the position of the rear brake lever, it’s often obvious that the rear brake would be almost unreachable when in the standing position because it has been set so low that lack of boot ankle flexion

As far as the front brake lever goes, most modern off-road bikes have very powerful brakes. So much so that you should not need to use any more than one finger on the lever to affect a full stop pretty quickly.

Your lever should be set up in a neutral position, not too far up and not too far down. When standing up you should be able to rest the palm of your hand on the handlebar for comfort while keeping one finger resting on the brake lever. The brake lever’s bite point should be far enough out so that when you pull it hard, it does not touch the handlebar grip. You should be able to activate the brake and pull it to the point where it almost completely locks the wheel without it touching your other fingers.

For most trail and enduro-style bikes, the rear brake lever should be set up level with or slightly above the foot peg. This is important so that you can activate it easily while standing but you should still be able to reach and activate it while leaning back while going down a downhill.

Riders who sit down a lot often prefer the rear brake lever lower down so that it’s comfortable to use when seated but unfortunately this means that the lever will be out of reach when standing, especially standing going downhill.

Above:You should be able to activate the brake and pull it to the point where it almost completely locks the wheel without it touching your other fingers!

Below:You should still be able to reach and activate the rear brake while leaning back going downhill

1

For most trail and enduro-style bikes, the rear brake lever should be set up level with or slightly above the foot peg

It takes a while to develop good feeling through the boot but it is absolutely worth taking the time to develop that sensation

57

RIDING TECHNIQUES

2

Braking mid-corner often makes the bike want to stand up and go straight or might make the wheel break traction and slide. The goal is to apply pressure to both levers and take feedback from the bike to see just how much pressure you can apply for the given condition

2: Brake balance When riding off road you should almost always be using both brakes to scrub speed and slow down. In dry conditions the front brake does a lot of the work but the rear brake is still very important. In wet and slippier conditions the bias will change slightly more towards the rear brake, but it is still important to apply both brakes in as many situations as possible.

How much of each brake you should apply at any given moment depends on body position, the design of your tyres, the grip/traction level on the ground, upcoming terrain and the quality of your brakes.

A simplistic way of looking at it would be to say ‘always brake in a straight line’ and for the most part that is true. Ideally you want to get as much of the braking possible done before entering a corner.

Braking mid-corner often requires the bike to stand up and go straight or might make the wheel break traction and slide. The goal is to apply pressure to both levers and take feedback from the bike to see just how much pressure you can apply for the given conditions. When using the front brake effectively a lot of weight will shift onto the front wheel and it is often surprising to riders just how much lever

58

pressure they can apply.

But keep in mind, the more weight shifting forwards onto the front wheel means less weight is holding the rear wheel down which will make it very easy for the rear wheel to lock up. More effective braking takes places if you can find that magical balance point to effect maximum braking force from both wheels.

Top Tip: Some of us use a larger rear brake tip. To us, it increases the feel we get underfoot. It takes a while to develop good feeling through the boot but it is absolutely worth taking the time to develop that feel and awareness because it will lead to much greater control over your machine and a safer ride.

3: Ruts Ruts can be your friend! Ruts can almost steer the bike for you… if you do most things right. You can use ‘brake trail’ while in a rut for better stability. This means dragging the front and/or rear brake slightly all the way through the rut, while accelerating against it. You’ll have a more settled feel all the way through the rut, especially in corner ruts. Finding the right balance between dragging too much or too little is a constant battle but with experience it will feel more natural and

BRAKING

3

BRAKING IS A VERY USEFUL TOOL TO NOT ONLY SLOW THE BIKE DOWN BUT ALSO STABILISE THE BIKE IN MOTION

Ruts can be your friend! Ruts can almost steer the bike for you… if you do most things right

allow you to ride ruts faster and with better control.

Usually, by carrying a little more speed it can also help stabilise the bike and stop you falling out of the rut.

4: Unpredictable terrain When dealing with unpredictable levels of grip, such as very slippery conditions, unusually bumpy terrain, roots, rocks, leaves, etc, it is often better to shift braking bias and body weight slightly towards the rear, while feathering the front brake, feeling out front wheel traction carefully while slowing down. Due to the increased rear brake bias the front suspension will ride slightly higher. allowing the front wheel to deal with whatever is there. It is best never to brake on top of roots, etc, only before and after.

5: Transitions At the training school we practice a lot of transition work. This is where you will transition from braking, to coasting, then to accelerating. It’s quite a difficult thing to get right for most riders as a lot of things are happening quickly almost at the same time. Starting to

accelerate at the apex of the turn, then push down on the outside foot peg for better rear wheel traction and drive. Take your time while mastering the techniques and pay attention to the feedback from the bike!

Team Venter

We hope this helps. You can contact us on our Facebook page, Technical Enduro Skills Training to join one of our training sessions or to ask for advice. carlventer@enduroskills.com https://www.facebook.com/technicalenduroskillstraining https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGplMioNKHMmjmfp0OQd9Yg/videos

59

FEATURE Demonstrating a robust ‘Carry On Regardless’ attitude, Herts TRF member Mark Bayford recounts a novice’s adventure with his mate Phil

Duffers Do Dirt I

thought I would share what was supposed to be a simple TRF route from Baldock to Hunstanton and back, using mainly byways and green lanes.

Our rendezvous was the Tesco store at Royston – as I was heading up from Bushey in Hertfordshire and my travel buddy, Phil, was coming from Enfield, this was a good meeting point.

Weeks if not months of meticulous planning had been put into this trip. Having had our bikes serviced and with new luggage and cooking equipment, we were all set for a 6.30am start.

The route was downloaded from View Ranger and uploaded to my trusty Garmin Montana. After a quick pit stop for coffee and to top up our massive 2-gallon tanks we set off and planned to follow the pink line all

WHILE WE THOUGHT WE LOOKED LIKE DAKAR RIDERS, THE LOCALS PROBABLY JUST THOUGHT, “ALL THE GEAR AND NO IDEA”...

Signposting was very clear.We only got lost whilst relying on a temperamental Garmin SatNav app

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We stopped briefly in the Fens for some sustenance in the shape of the ubiquitous pot noodle

the way to Hunstanton. A great plan, and we headed off east into the rising sun. Sadly, just outside Royston and a mere 5km into the route, the Garmin decided to implode and sent us round and round in circles until the screen was full of pink lines.

Luckily we both had phones that could download the View Ranger app and after half an hour we had the software and the route in hand and headed off again. A shout out to the TRF Herts members, who were on hand to give us all the help we needed (and some we didn’t).

We found the trails and in no time at all we were in the Fens (not literally). We decided that, as we were only marginally behind schedule now (last check-in at the camp site was 9pm), we would not be adventure riders unless we cooked lunch on the trail. The options were a tasty ‘boil in the bag’ all-day breakfast or a pot noodle. We opted for the latter to save washing up.

The newly acquired OEX pan-and-lid combo did a

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DUFFERS DO DIRT

sterling job and boiled water for pot noodles and coffee in a matter of minutes. A good buy for £22 and it fits in the R40 side bag.

After a quick adjustment of my brand new Mosko Moto Reckless 40, we were back on the trail and eager to continue. The weather gods were with us and at a toasty 23 degrees C we needed to shed a layer or two. However, the navigation gods were not with us, as we were having issues with the View Ranger app, but a quick shout out once again to the Herts TRF chaps and we were back in business. That is until Phil lost his phone on a rut-ridden trail.

This is where the 100 years of knowledge between us came in handy. We tried ringing the phone number but no luck (the phone was on silent) and the undergrowth was too dense. Then we had a lightbulb moment – the phone was in range of Phil’s headset,

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A quick photo stop was required after we encountered a flock of emus!

Mark Baylford (left) with co-rider Phil

so we called and the headset took the call. We then turned off the headset so that the phone could take over the call. Phil was despatched, shouting, up and down the lane until I could hear him on my phone.

I dialled him in and behold – an undamaged phone in a blackberry bush!

We continued on our merry way and by this time we were well and truly behind schedule and losing light. But we were on our own little adventure and what possible harm could come to us, riding the Peddars Way in the dark?

We popped out of one lane, not entirely sure of our location. And I wasn’t sure if it was the heat, lack of water or the pot noodle additives, but there was a flock of emus ahead! A quick photo stop was required to confirm we were not delirious.

But there was no time to waste, we were destined for fish and chips at Hunstanton before the last checkin at the camp site. We continued along the Peddars Way, which was nicely signposted – the TRF lets you know what can and cannot venture down the lane.

It was 7.30pm by now. We had both left Royston at 7.30am, we were 12 hours into our schedule and

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DUFFERS DO DIRT

At the final camp site we opted for a pair of camping pods, if only to spare me from Phil’s snoring!

had not even reached Hunstanton, yet people do this round trip in a day. We were not deterred, however, and could now see the sea and almost smell the chip shop.

It was the final push. We arrived in Hunstanton in the dark with the newly acquired ferris wheel guiding our way. No time for photos – it’s chip time. Having only had a pot noodle and a fuel station sausage roll all day, the thought of freshly cooked haddock and chips had kept our spirits up – only to be told “Sorry, darling, we are closed – no fish”. We were offered a substantial alternative, though: a giant battered sausage and the remains of the chips, which could have fed a family of four. We accepted and stood by our bikes, munching our way through the seaside delicacy. While we thought we looked like Dakar riders, the locals probably thought “All the gear and no idea” …

We made it to the camp site with 15 minutes to spare and opted for two camping pods rather than a tent. After tenting at the ABR festival earlier this

64

year, Phil’s snoring is something I do not wish to endure again. We both agreed that at the end of this monumental ride it was a good call. A quick change and off down the lane for a well deserved beer at the Feathers Inn in Dersingham.

This was what adventure riding was about, spending time with your mates, getting lost, falling off (yes, I missed that bit out, Phil) and finding a pub. It may well be a small trip compared to the Overlanders but this was our first stab at this ‘adventure’ malarkey and it won’t be our last.

Day two saw monsoon weather in Thetford, and the lanes, ruts and whoops of Standon were full of water, but we continued. By 4.30pm the rain was relentless and we took the option of hitting the road rather than the trails. We arrived at our respective homes by 7pm or thereabouts.

The love of my life greeted me with a bowl of chilli and a glass of red wine, what a star.

After reading what we achieved I can’t wait to do this again (not sure about Phil though…). If you need any advice on planning a trip, ask a professional and let us have their details!

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

USED & ABUSED As a newbie to this green lane biking lark, I went along to a Herefordshire TRF meeting to see what it was all about. Having been made very welcome, I was invited on the next ride-out and while I did seem to spend a lot of time picking up my bike (by the end of the day I was a broken man), I thoroughly enjoyed the whole outing. David Harris, Herefordshire TRF treasurer, reports

2019

KTM

250 EXC-F 6 DAYS

F

or someone relatively new to this motorcycling malarky, bike choice all seemed rather confusing. I enjoyed using the green lane network; namely, poring over maps (for which I have an unnatural affinity), trying to navigate the correct route on the ground and finally hanging onto the bucking (yes, bucking) machine. But what bike to progress onto?

Despite warnings of unreliability, we’re at 10,000 miles and still going strong!

The standard 2019 KTM 250EXC-F 6 Days as it came from the factory

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Once I had been on a few outings I soon realised that the combination of fat old bloke and rather heavy old yellow bike was not ideal. It was then that I made my first real mistake.

I asked at the next meeting what bike I should go for... There were 20 people at the meeting, and I got 40 opinions! There was all the usual banter, I am sure you have all heard it before: Reds are reliable but boring,

Centre and above: Enjoying fun outings with fellow members of the Hereford TRF

IT WAS THEN I MADE MY FIRST REAL MISTAKE. I ASKED AT THE NEXT MEETING WHAT BIKE I SHOULD GO FOR...

Yellows are heavy, Blues are unremarkable (but seem to be in the local ascendency) and Oranges are unreliable. This is before everybody got onto the inevitable two- versus four-stroke debate!

As an unfit, overweight motorcycling beginner, navigating green lanes was a godsend for me.

Indeed, I am very lucky in that my “long-haired officer commanding” encourages me to get out at least once a week, as riding seems to be pretty good exercise. Well it is for me!

So, I got into a routine of riding once a week (COVID-19 willing) over a variety of terrains, ably supported by a few hardy individuals from the HTRF.

67

After starting with a Yellow (cheap but reliable) DRZ 400 for a year or so, I then moved on to a Red CRF250X, great little bike that I still use as a spare. But then I then noticed that the local Orange motorcycle dealer had a deal on a 250 EXC-F 6 Days. How could I resist?

In fact four other HTRF members could also not resist. Imagine my wife’s surprise when, in July 2019, she found a new Orange toy in the garage!

Given the heated debates about how unreliable Oranges are, I thought people might be interested in my experiences over the past 28 months, during which time I have covered 10,000 miles, yes 10,000 miles, in 450 hours. The bottom line is that Orange has needed no work other than routine maintenance.

There have been no unscheduled repairs, no new piston, no being left by the side of the trail, no being embarrassed (apart from when I filled it up with super diesel – what a muppet). I had hoped to clock up the magic 10k before the two year mark but COVID-19 and a slight off that caused a few cracked ribs resulted in a three-month lay-off, otherwise the 10k in 24 months would have been on the cards.

In case anybody is interested, the box-out above right is a complete list of everything that Orange has devoured since new, not sure where this leaves the unreliability debate?

I think, use it regularly, service it regularly and Orange will just go on and on.

Above:Well that was deeper than it looked! However, there is always a helping hand available!

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I think I was trying to give a thumbs-up here, but my hands were too cold!

Item

Oil and Filter Change Air Filter Front Tyre Rear Tyre Front Pads Rear Pads Rear Wheel Bearings Front Wheel Bearings Fuel Filter Chain and Sprockets Front Mousse Rear Mousse

Number

15 3 2 4 3 (+ 1 Disc) 2 3 3 2 3 (+1 set of guides) 1 1

Approx Total Cost

2019 KTM 250EXC-F 6 DAYS

So, in summary, Orange has managed the 10k in completely standard trim apart from having a key fitted (insurance requirement) and LED headlight (old bloke requirement). That said, I have made little use of ‘Power 2’, preferring the more gentlemanly, soft, ‘Power 1’ with traction control!

Finally, while I am not sure that my riding has got much better, I do seem to fall off less. I put this down to ‘Orange moments’ when, quite frankly, I have given up hope of staying on and just leave it to the bike to sort me out. Most of the time this is successful! Now for the next challenge: how much further will Orange go before it needs some proper engine work. Anybody care to take a guess?

Cost £ 375 60 160 400 205 50 120 120 20 605 130 130

2375

Parts: Cost only except for tyres and mousses that were fitted by Dual Sport of Ledbury (who are excellent).

Orange has managed the 10k in completely standard form. apart from having a key fitted and an LED headlight

69

PRODUCT REVIEW

Oxbow Voyager Helmet Light Kit (RRP £100.00)

B

y the time you read this, the shortest day of the year will have just passed. If you want to extend your riding time, the most lightweight helmet light on the market could well be worth a look: the Oxbow Voyager helmet light kit.

This tried and tested kit comprises a 2100-lumen CREE L2 dual LED light with three power settings, a high-capacity Lithium-Ion battery offering up to 12 hours of continuous use, a power cable extender and USB charger.

The light attaches to your helmet or bike using the supplied Go-Pro 360 mounts, and the battery can be stowed in a backpack or worn on a belt loop. The Oxbow Voyager is

70

supplied in a handy travel case, so all the relevant bits can be kept together in one place whenever you come to use it. No “now where did I put that” moments.

Helmet lights have become increasingly popular for night-riding on the lanes because they tend to light up exactly where you’re looking, as opposed to where your bike’s front wheel is pointing. And we all know that when you’re riding a motorcycle you look where you want it to go. You focus on the place and your body movement almost automatically guides the bike there – doubly handy when you’re on loose ground in the dark.

Optional accessories These include: amber lens to reduce white-out in heavy rain or dusty conditions; 12v hardwire kit so the Voyager can be used as a bike-mounted auxiliary light; splitter kit, allowing one battery/hardwire kit to power two Voyager lights; and a spare battery and chargers.

The Oxbow Voyager is exclusively available at Trail Riders Warehouse, and TRF members can get a 10% discount store-wide using voucher code TRF10.

Contact: www.trailriderswarehouse.co.uk

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 Exeter Trial 7th/8th Ja 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 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

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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

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