I wrote this for the Ariel Owners' Club but thought that you guys might like to see the real and pseudo-Classic bikes as well. It is full of references to 'HT' Ariels but there are other makes & models in there as well.
I have added the links to my Photobucket folders for those that want to see all 1,000 pictures!
The Scottish Pre-65 Two-Day Trial, Kinlochleven – 2nd & 3rd May 2014
The Scottish “Pre-‘65” Two-Day Trial takes place at Kinlochleven which is a few miles south of Fort William as the Crow flies.
It is held on a Friday/Saturday around the beginning of May and forms a warm-up event for the Scottish Six-Day Trial that starts from Fort William on the following Monday.
In the past, a couple of friends and I have booked accommodation in Kinlochleven and have taken in both days. This year I was on my own and hadn’t booked so decided to do a couple of day trips. In the event I only managed to attend on Day-1, Friday 2nd May. Its three hours on the road and requires an early start. I was late leaving on Friday evening and by the time I got home I realised I hadn’t got time to prep the bike for an 06:30 start, copy all my camera cards to my main computer and get some food and sleep before starting the whole process again!
I decided to ride up and took my 1988 BMW R100 ’GS’. I was thinking of taking the ’58 Ariel ‘VH’, but it is far too like the competition bikes and there are lots of vans around. I’m sure it would have been left alone while I walked to the Trial Sections but for peace of mind I took the Black & Yellow ‘Beemer’.
Kinlochleven was a centre of industry and was the site of a giant ‘Alcan’ Aluminium Smelter. Power came from a loch in the hills with the water flowing downhill through some enormous pipes to a turbine hall where the generators were housed. It closed down in 1996 but the infrastructure is still there and the water now powers generators that feed into the National Grid. The smelter house is now home to shops, a café and a world-class “Ice Wall” Climbing Centre.
One of the “Pelton Wheel” turbines is on display in the park outside the hall.
The ‘Day-1’ route is quite extensive and it is practically impossible for a spectator to visit all sections. The land is private and spectator’s cars & bikes are not allowed off the public roads.
This is the Day-1 map from the programme:
I have a couple of favourite viewing points and after taking a load of photos around the start I settled down at the side of a rocky stream known as “Camas Na Muic” – See “E” on the map. Unfortunately I don’t speak Gaelic so don’t know what the name means.
I got a bit carried away and, with no-one to talk to, just photographed every competitor that came past. I was using a Nikon D200 with an 18-200mm DX/VR lens.
After a picnic lunch I moved to “Pipeline” – ‘N’ on the map - and settled myself down near the start. I am more interested in the bikes than the results so photographed the bikes starting the section (nearside view) and, where possible, got them returning through the trees in the background (offside view).
At the end of the day I had taken 1,007 pictures! They are all on Photobucket separated into three sub-folders. My Broadband is very slow and it has taken me weeks to upload them; 10 pics typically take 30 minutes and loading 30 a day is quite boring enough!
I’ll show a few selected shots from each location but for those who are interested I’ll put the URLs of the sub-folders at the end of each section.
So, to the meat.
We start at “The Start” which is in the old Alcan Car Park in the centre of Kinlochleven. Spectators bring a wide variety of bikes and the bike park is always worth a look.
The Start is well organised but still has a ‘laid back’ feel. Bikes leave in pairs – odd numbers taking one route, even numbers doing the reverse circuit.
Competitors are buzzing all over the place on their bikes as, with 181 starters, it can take a couple of hours to get everyone away. Here No 84 – Colin Bailey from Whitby heads to the start on his ‘HT’.
Its not all blokes either, here No. 73, Janice Proctor of Stoke on Trent heads away from the start on her 175cc BSA.
It’s a good place to see Ariels – Here, no. 78, Matthew Neale from Bungay successfully starts.
No. 84, Colin Bailey again, completing the start.
However, there are other bikes in the event as well – and all of them are interesting. Here is No. 83, Kevin Chapman of Darlington on his 350cc ‘Trifield’:
A collection of some of the higher numbers waiting to go into the starting arena.
This is No. 175 – Tim Hartshorne on Melbourne (England) on his 350cc Matchless.
Aaaagh! This is where the system breaks down. This looks like an Ariel to me (timing cover says 350cc ‘RT’) but the programme says that No. 173 is Steven Hancox of Cheltenham on a 500cc Triumph. Maybe its his reserve bike or maybe it isn’t him at all . . I don’t know.
I give up . . . No. 163 is a very smart Ariel ‘HT’ yet the programme says No. 163 is Jonathan Harrison of Sheffield on a 250cc BSA. Just enjoy the pictures!
A nice little Cotton:
No. 149 – Paul Edwards of ‘Near Ashford’ gets in a bit of practice on his 500cc Ariel before the start!
He is joined by No. 151 – Neil Sinden of Romney Marsh, also on a 500cc Ariel.
I haven’t done an analysis of the starters’ list, but I expect Triumph T20 “Tiger Cubs” outnumber any other single make/model. They are small and light and do very well in the competition (thinks . . must put mine together and get it on the road).
I have a soft spot for AJS singles as a 350cc ‘Model 16 Sceptre’ was my first real motorcycle. I went all over Britain on that and also took it to the TT and Manx Grand Prix a few times.
Here is No. 156 – Gordon Muir of Kilwinning on his 350cc AJS.
I doubt that when Triumph designed a utilitarian 500cc side valve twin motor to power a generator for the military that they foresaw it turning up here.
It’s a Triumph “TRW” – but unfortunately the programme says that No. 106 is Paul Ray of Woking on a Matchless !
Nevertheless, the Triumph was going well (and I have seen it in past years too).
Its not all Brits, either. Here is no. 110 – Alexis Cautain of Boissey Saint Leger, France, on his 500cc Ariel.
In fact there is a healthy turn-out of foreigners – probably in part due to the Scottish International Six Days Trial (ISDT) starting from Fort William on the Monday.
If you want a small, lightweight Trials bike, I guess you couldn’t go far wrong with a BSA Bantam.
Well, I’ve put a lot of pictures here, but if you want to see all 91 that I took around the start – they are here:
http://s227.photobucket.com/user/Be...ay 1 start and the surroundings?sort=2&page=1
Moving on – so how did the bikes fare in the field??
I spent the Morning on the bank of a small stream called “Camas Na Muic” – see location ‘E’ on the map.
There is a small grass vehicle park near the Trial Section. I parked next to a well-used combo – Was Kenny there ??
Airheads have to stick together !
It’s a great place on a dry, sunny day.
From my position overlooking the stream I could see most of the Section so took each competitor a few times as they came through.
They start by walking the course. In fact, the stream can get quite crowded and riders have to pick their way through pedestrians on occasion.
A typical sequence goes like this:
No. 3 – James Morton of Sorn (Scotland) on his 230cc Triumph (a bored-out Cub).
Some are riding bikes that you might not expect to see in a Trials event . . .
No 7. – Chris Haig of Huddersfield on his 350cc Velocette!
Its not all plain sailing . . No. 1, Donny McLeod of Biggar, takes a tumble on his 247cc Greeves, but gets going again with fortunately only his pride damaged.
No. 29 – Simon Heyes on Bolton - does a good job on his 350cc BSA
Here’s someone you might know . . . The fellah in the blue “Classic Dirt Bike” jumper is Tim “Biffa” Britton; past Editor of “Classic Bike Guide” and “Old Bike Mart”. I guess he is now Editor of “Classic Dirt Bike”, I’m sure I saw his wife driving a van decked-out in the mag’s livery.
Tim was on his usual 343cc BSA B40, running No. 143.
I guess you get the idea now so I’ll move on.
Those who are in hospital in traction, serving life in solitary or who are dedicated Ariel-Spotters can view all the pictures I took at this section. The rest may decide to do something useful with their lives.
There are 557 photos here !
http://s227.photobucket.com/user/Be... at Camas Na Muic rocky stream?sort=2&page=1
In the afternoon I moved to “Pipeline” (location ‘N’ on the map). By its very nature this is going to be up in the hills and it’s a fair climb – particularly in full motorcycle gear and carrying a back pack.
The pipes run down the hillside to the turbine hall and the trial section is up the washed-out rocky track at the side.
On completing the section, competitors turn right and make their way back down through the scrub and trees.
The section start is a bit of a free-for-all but the Lady Marshall had them whipped into line. She was advised by radio when the next bike could start.
The next one away here is No. 78 which is Matthew Neale of Bungay on his 500cc Ariel .
Andrew is closely followed by No. 84, Colin Bailey of Whitby on another 500cc Ariel.
In case you think that a “Pre-‘65” is a sham, full of tricked-up modern bikes masquerading as Classics . . Have a look at this solid-framed Norton, No. 76, Clive Dopson of Norwich on his 490cc version. I hope the Putoline Rep is on hand to re-fill his oil tank .
No 58 gets some air under the wheel at the start. This is supposed to be Ken Oates of South Shields on a 199cc Triumph ‘Cub’ – but it looks more like a Tiger 100 to me!
This is Lennart Frannesjo of Visby, Sweden showing his 500cc Royal Enfield in its natural habitat.
No. 124 – Richard Allen of Rushden - waiting for “The Word” before launching his 250cc Dot at the hill.
Gotta love the outfit . . . No. 102, Mika Jansson of Saltsjo-Boo, Sweden – about to campaign his 550cc Norfield.
A man who is happy in his work . . No. 158, Douglas Bald of Culross, on his 250cc Triumph.
No. 101 – Len Hutty of Camberley – on his very nice 410cc Matchless.
And here’s Tim Britton again – No. 143.
And I’m going to leave it there. If you want to see all the “Pipeline” pictures there are 359 of them here:
http://s227.photobucket.com/user/Be...5 Trial Day1/Day 1 at Pipeline?sort=2&page=1
I unfortunately missed ‘Day-2’, but here is the course. It starts at Kinlochleven School and follows a slightly shorter course.
The full Photobucket folder for the event is here:
http://s227.photobucket.com/user/Beemerbob/library/2014 Scottish Pre65 Trial Day1?sort=2&page=1
This has been a bit of a Magnum Opus and has taken a lot of time. I hope members enjoy the pictures.
Bob.
I have added the links to my Photobucket folders for those that want to see all 1,000 pictures!
The Scottish Pre-65 Two-Day Trial, Kinlochleven – 2nd & 3rd May 2014
The Scottish “Pre-‘65” Two-Day Trial takes place at Kinlochleven which is a few miles south of Fort William as the Crow flies.
It is held on a Friday/Saturday around the beginning of May and forms a warm-up event for the Scottish Six-Day Trial that starts from Fort William on the following Monday.
In the past, a couple of friends and I have booked accommodation in Kinlochleven and have taken in both days. This year I was on my own and hadn’t booked so decided to do a couple of day trips. In the event I only managed to attend on Day-1, Friday 2nd May. Its three hours on the road and requires an early start. I was late leaving on Friday evening and by the time I got home I realised I hadn’t got time to prep the bike for an 06:30 start, copy all my camera cards to my main computer and get some food and sleep before starting the whole process again!
I decided to ride up and took my 1988 BMW R100 ’GS’. I was thinking of taking the ’58 Ariel ‘VH’, but it is far too like the competition bikes and there are lots of vans around. I’m sure it would have been left alone while I walked to the Trial Sections but for peace of mind I took the Black & Yellow ‘Beemer’.
Kinlochleven was a centre of industry and was the site of a giant ‘Alcan’ Aluminium Smelter. Power came from a loch in the hills with the water flowing downhill through some enormous pipes to a turbine hall where the generators were housed. It closed down in 1996 but the infrastructure is still there and the water now powers generators that feed into the National Grid. The smelter house is now home to shops, a café and a world-class “Ice Wall” Climbing Centre.
One of the “Pelton Wheel” turbines is on display in the park outside the hall.
The ‘Day-1’ route is quite extensive and it is practically impossible for a spectator to visit all sections. The land is private and spectator’s cars & bikes are not allowed off the public roads.
This is the Day-1 map from the programme:
I have a couple of favourite viewing points and after taking a load of photos around the start I settled down at the side of a rocky stream known as “Camas Na Muic” – See “E” on the map. Unfortunately I don’t speak Gaelic so don’t know what the name means.
I got a bit carried away and, with no-one to talk to, just photographed every competitor that came past. I was using a Nikon D200 with an 18-200mm DX/VR lens.
After a picnic lunch I moved to “Pipeline” – ‘N’ on the map - and settled myself down near the start. I am more interested in the bikes than the results so photographed the bikes starting the section (nearside view) and, where possible, got them returning through the trees in the background (offside view).
At the end of the day I had taken 1,007 pictures! They are all on Photobucket separated into three sub-folders. My Broadband is very slow and it has taken me weeks to upload them; 10 pics typically take 30 minutes and loading 30 a day is quite boring enough!
I’ll show a few selected shots from each location but for those who are interested I’ll put the URLs of the sub-folders at the end of each section.
So, to the meat.
We start at “The Start” which is in the old Alcan Car Park in the centre of Kinlochleven. Spectators bring a wide variety of bikes and the bike park is always worth a look.
The Start is well organised but still has a ‘laid back’ feel. Bikes leave in pairs – odd numbers taking one route, even numbers doing the reverse circuit.
Competitors are buzzing all over the place on their bikes as, with 181 starters, it can take a couple of hours to get everyone away. Here No 84 – Colin Bailey from Whitby heads to the start on his ‘HT’.
Its not all blokes either, here No. 73, Janice Proctor of Stoke on Trent heads away from the start on her 175cc BSA.
It’s a good place to see Ariels – Here, no. 78, Matthew Neale from Bungay successfully starts.
No. 84, Colin Bailey again, completing the start.
However, there are other bikes in the event as well – and all of them are interesting. Here is No. 83, Kevin Chapman of Darlington on his 350cc ‘Trifield’:
A collection of some of the higher numbers waiting to go into the starting arena.
This is No. 175 – Tim Hartshorne on Melbourne (England) on his 350cc Matchless.
Aaaagh! This is where the system breaks down. This looks like an Ariel to me (timing cover says 350cc ‘RT’) but the programme says that No. 173 is Steven Hancox of Cheltenham on a 500cc Triumph. Maybe its his reserve bike or maybe it isn’t him at all . . I don’t know.
I give up . . . No. 163 is a very smart Ariel ‘HT’ yet the programme says No. 163 is Jonathan Harrison of Sheffield on a 250cc BSA. Just enjoy the pictures!
A nice little Cotton:
No. 149 – Paul Edwards of ‘Near Ashford’ gets in a bit of practice on his 500cc Ariel before the start!
He is joined by No. 151 – Neil Sinden of Romney Marsh, also on a 500cc Ariel.
I haven’t done an analysis of the starters’ list, but I expect Triumph T20 “Tiger Cubs” outnumber any other single make/model. They are small and light and do very well in the competition (thinks . . must put mine together and get it on the road).
I have a soft spot for AJS singles as a 350cc ‘Model 16 Sceptre’ was my first real motorcycle. I went all over Britain on that and also took it to the TT and Manx Grand Prix a few times.
Here is No. 156 – Gordon Muir of Kilwinning on his 350cc AJS.
I doubt that when Triumph designed a utilitarian 500cc side valve twin motor to power a generator for the military that they foresaw it turning up here.
It’s a Triumph “TRW” – but unfortunately the programme says that No. 106 is Paul Ray of Woking on a Matchless !
Nevertheless, the Triumph was going well (and I have seen it in past years too).
Its not all Brits, either. Here is no. 110 – Alexis Cautain of Boissey Saint Leger, France, on his 500cc Ariel.
In fact there is a healthy turn-out of foreigners – probably in part due to the Scottish International Six Days Trial (ISDT) starting from Fort William on the Monday.
If you want a small, lightweight Trials bike, I guess you couldn’t go far wrong with a BSA Bantam.
Well, I’ve put a lot of pictures here, but if you want to see all 91 that I took around the start – they are here:
http://s227.photobucket.com/user/Be...ay 1 start and the surroundings?sort=2&page=1
Moving on – so how did the bikes fare in the field??
I spent the Morning on the bank of a small stream called “Camas Na Muic” – see location ‘E’ on the map.
There is a small grass vehicle park near the Trial Section. I parked next to a well-used combo – Was Kenny there ??
Airheads have to stick together !
It’s a great place on a dry, sunny day.
From my position overlooking the stream I could see most of the Section so took each competitor a few times as they came through.
They start by walking the course. In fact, the stream can get quite crowded and riders have to pick their way through pedestrians on occasion.
A typical sequence goes like this:
No. 3 – James Morton of Sorn (Scotland) on his 230cc Triumph (a bored-out Cub).
Some are riding bikes that you might not expect to see in a Trials event . . .
No 7. – Chris Haig of Huddersfield on his 350cc Velocette!
Its not all plain sailing . . No. 1, Donny McLeod of Biggar, takes a tumble on his 247cc Greeves, but gets going again with fortunately only his pride damaged.
No. 29 – Simon Heyes on Bolton - does a good job on his 350cc BSA
Here’s someone you might know . . . The fellah in the blue “Classic Dirt Bike” jumper is Tim “Biffa” Britton; past Editor of “Classic Bike Guide” and “Old Bike Mart”. I guess he is now Editor of “Classic Dirt Bike”, I’m sure I saw his wife driving a van decked-out in the mag’s livery.
Tim was on his usual 343cc BSA B40, running No. 143.
I guess you get the idea now so I’ll move on.
Those who are in hospital in traction, serving life in solitary or who are dedicated Ariel-Spotters can view all the pictures I took at this section. The rest may decide to do something useful with their lives.
There are 557 photos here !
http://s227.photobucket.com/user/Be... at Camas Na Muic rocky stream?sort=2&page=1
In the afternoon I moved to “Pipeline” (location ‘N’ on the map). By its very nature this is going to be up in the hills and it’s a fair climb – particularly in full motorcycle gear and carrying a back pack.
The pipes run down the hillside to the turbine hall and the trial section is up the washed-out rocky track at the side.
On completing the section, competitors turn right and make their way back down through the scrub and trees.
The section start is a bit of a free-for-all but the Lady Marshall had them whipped into line. She was advised by radio when the next bike could start.
The next one away here is No. 78 which is Matthew Neale of Bungay on his 500cc Ariel .
Andrew is closely followed by No. 84, Colin Bailey of Whitby on another 500cc Ariel.
In case you think that a “Pre-‘65” is a sham, full of tricked-up modern bikes masquerading as Classics . . Have a look at this solid-framed Norton, No. 76, Clive Dopson of Norwich on his 490cc version. I hope the Putoline Rep is on hand to re-fill his oil tank .
No 58 gets some air under the wheel at the start. This is supposed to be Ken Oates of South Shields on a 199cc Triumph ‘Cub’ – but it looks more like a Tiger 100 to me!
This is Lennart Frannesjo of Visby, Sweden showing his 500cc Royal Enfield in its natural habitat.
No. 124 – Richard Allen of Rushden - waiting for “The Word” before launching his 250cc Dot at the hill.
Gotta love the outfit . . . No. 102, Mika Jansson of Saltsjo-Boo, Sweden – about to campaign his 550cc Norfield.
A man who is happy in his work . . No. 158, Douglas Bald of Culross, on his 250cc Triumph.
No. 101 – Len Hutty of Camberley – on his very nice 410cc Matchless.
And here’s Tim Britton again – No. 143.
And I’m going to leave it there. If you want to see all the “Pipeline” pictures there are 359 of them here:
http://s227.photobucket.com/user/Be...5 Trial Day1/Day 1 at Pipeline?sort=2&page=1
I unfortunately missed ‘Day-2’, but here is the course. It starts at Kinlochleven School and follows a slightly shorter course.
The full Photobucket folder for the event is here:
http://s227.photobucket.com/user/Beemerbob/library/2014 Scottish Pre65 Trial Day1?sort=2&page=1
This has been a bit of a Magnum Opus and has taken a lot of time. I hope members enjoy the pictures.
Bob.
