OUR BIKES
Such a cool bike. Note shock oil leaking all over the swingarm
of tank and seat. But all to original spec, with
no cut-and-shut to the frame as you see keen
classic trials riders do. So the TLR will look
original and sharp, but not concours as I don’t
want to be afraid to ride it.
And through all of this I’d like to ride trials
fairly regularly. Throughout my life I’ve been
racing, in road races, enduro, even rally. Truth
is I couldn’t afford any of it and mostly my
lack of funds has meant I could never do any
to the degree needed to improve my game.
Trials, costing just £20 an entry, and probably
less than £5 on fuel, negligible tyre wear etc
– hey I don’t even need a van – is something I
can afford. And these twin shock trials – not
calling for the high wire acts that modern
trials call for – really feed into practicing
machine control for all the other riding I do.
And it’s great fun, very sociable and in these
caring times relatively environmentally
friendly and sustainable.
Yeah, so, the TLR is with me for life. It’s a
tangible link back to my wonderful days in
NZ, and to my friends there. And together,
the TLR and I, we should have a fun future
of quiet enjoyment.
46 KIWI RIDER