Trials Riding Wishlist
Trials Helmet in Gulf colours: $76
Trials helmets are specialists. They aren't designed for highspeed riding because trials bikes generally don't do high speed riding, but they are designed to let you breath freely while offering you maximum vision, especially down as you're picking your way over obstacles.
I'm a child of the 70's and the Gulf colours take me back to the mighty Ford GT40 race car dominating Le Mans. A good design article on this colour scheme is here.
'94 Fantic 250cc Trials Bike $2500
This lovely thing has been up for sale on Kijiji for some time. He's asking $2700 but I suspect I could talk him down a few hundred.
I'd actually prefer a basket case I could completely rebuild (and then paint in Gulf livery) but trials bikes are vanishingly rare and (like dirt bikes) strangely expensive. Maybe something better will come up that lets me do a full engine rebuild and restoration.
This one's a step closer to a project bike but newer and more expensive. It needs brake work and fork seals. The photos are terrible and it looks like it's been well used, but being newer it'll perform better than the 80's tech in the Fantic.
As a project this one isn't a complete rebuild but it does need some TLC.
There ain't no such thing as a cheap off roader. This beaten up old things costs almost as much as a brand new Chinese trails bike so it doesn't make much sense.
The Amateur Trials Association of Ontario
The ATA runs regular events throughout the riding season in Ontario. They have an active Facebook group and seem very keen to welcome new members.
They have Tenaci-Wong TWA150A 150cc new trials bikes for about $3500+ PDI/shipping/taxes on the FB group. That means a new adult sized trials bike is about four grand plus a few hundred more, which suddenly makes the abused and ancient things above seem like a bad idea.
The ATA?ECTA schedule runs from the end of May to mid-October and offers a busy August of events. If I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive way to combine competitive sport with motorcycling, this might be the thing. I'm terrible at exercising just for the sake of it but given a reason to work out, I do. This might be just the thing to get my chasing fitness again.
A new Tanaci-Wong 150cc trials bike and competing in the ATA/ECTA events wouldn't cost much more than new hockey equipment and a season of beer league, and it would let me improve my bike riding skills. I also happen to have a backyard built for trials practice.
This one's on the to-do list.
