This is the actual bike I bought in Denver, '86 TY350.

It is a lot dirtier now.

Look ma, no dents.

Note state-of-the art mono-shock w/ tank.

Check out the speedo/odo @ right wheel!

400 some miles.

Made it up rough 4x trail to:

road up a side road to some antennae @ ~13, 400 AGL.

Clean.

Cake on this trials bike.

Love.

Just back from Portugal where I will now live for half the year, my builder Bruce is into off-road bikes and will find/build me one for next year. Looking at my finances and seeing if I can afford a CRF250 to get me off-road proper here.

Years ago in the UK I had an Aprilia 350 and did only a tiny bit of trials stuff, remember it was fun, but the then MrsB put a stop to that for the sake of the kids.

These Ausis seem to have right attitude although my mid-life crisis happened a bit late

Yes, Papa I am jealous, but don't get mad get even............

MY NEW FAV:

 

I think trials type exercises are a good way to learn/hone off-road riding skills, especially for old arthritis gits like me. Specifically you don't fall off much and if you do the speeds are low, so just a joint twist to worry about.

 

I am taking the Lifan to northern Laos two up with the missus later this year and may encounter some soft stuff. Both of us standing doesn't seem feasible, so we settle for tandem arse our of the seat positions. Nice!

 

Looked at a lot of training stuff on Youtube, however there is nothing which covers riding two up off road. My Tesco run is still an off-road course though it is a little more tame nowadays.

Papa has been very enjoying the Yamaha ’86 TY350 he bought mid-July.  

Been riding it as a trail bike on the many single-tracks and rough 4x-trails in the mountains here. 

It was in fine condition when  purchased it @ July. Papa paid $2500 for it and spent another $300 or so on tires/tubes, plastic & other bits.

I’ve crashed it about a dozen times, so its is scuffed now.  Bought some replacement plastic fenders, so can restore it to nice condition if i choose to sell it.

But why would I sell it?  Well, yesterday I just bought from my friend Roy, another TY350 …  “85 model; highly modified for trials competition:

The head has been milled for more power. 

A Mikuni carb has been fitted, increasing performance at lower/mid RPMs. 

Quick-throw throttle and CRL250 levers have been installed

Nice Dunlop trials tires, with Tubebliss® system in the back.This device, popularised by enduro riders, is an inflatable toroid that, when filled to 125psi, locks the tire bead to the rim allowing low pressure in the trials tire, like 4 psi, for optimal grip. Also seals spokes/rim from air leakage.

The most noticeable mod is the the lowering and shifting aft of the foot pegs…a weldending project.

Papa very like this so far…15 minute test ride.

Roy bought the bike for $750 in rough shape shape…no tank.  Put a total of $2300 cash into it plus, much of his expert time.

At $1200, the bike seems a real good buy.

The bike has been completely gone thru (chain, bearings, break pads) prior to recent National level competitions, 

[finished 2nd & 3rd in class]

Roy owns over a dozen dirt bikes, mostly rare models. He has owned eight TY350s.

Plan to thoroughly test ride the ’85 today.

 

So papa has been having very good fun riding the trials bikes around on the trails here in the Colorado high country.

Paradise.

I oil the chain on the '86 TY350 and it picks up a lot of dirt.

A lot.

Removed the chain (original. non-o-ring style) this morning and washed it off real well in several changes of gasoline.

I melted a big candle in an old skillet and soaked the chain in that.

Drained and reinstalled, no prob.

Old Boy Scout trick.

 

papa will be back Thailand in a couple of weeks, if anybody wants to do some trail ridin', holler.

 

2 hours ago, papa al said:

So papa has been having very good fun riding the trials bikes around on the trails here in the Colorado high country.

Paradise.

I oil the chain on the '86 TY350 and it picks up a lot of dirt.

A lot.

Removed the chain (original. non-o-ring style) this morning and washed it off real well in several changes of gasoline.

I melted a big candle in an old skillet and soaked the chain in that.

Drained and reinstalled, no prob.

Old Boy Scout trick.

 

papa will be back Thailand in a couple of weeks, if anybody wants to do some trail ridin', holler.

 

 

Clutch wonders what do the Boy Scouts do with the old gasoline ?

16 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

Clutch wonders what do the Boy Scouts do with the old gasoline ?

Keep the camp fires burning ?.

What are you gonna do when you get back Papa, with all these skills, back on the Cross-dresser?

Remove the seat and tour LOS?

Join a circus?....The "Wall of Death"?

 

 

Plan to train on the Yamprilia for the wall o death.

Maybe should get new tires first.

Hillbilly TY350, Denver

"...tank is not original ..."

papa actually did laugh aloud upon reading that so 

LOL

(my first)

On October 4, 2559 BE at 9:15 PM, ktm jeff said:

Keep the camp fires burning ?.

thats how we do 'merka.

On October 5, 2559 BE at 9:53 AM, AllanB said:

What are you gonna do when you get back Papa, with all these skills, back on the Cross-dresser?

Remove the seat and tour LOS?

[Battery, paperwork, etc. would get wet/dusty so bad idee]

Join a circus?....The "Wall of Death"?

 

 

 

el dad...did you do the various rides hosted in Colorado throughout the summer? Lotsa riders doing trail rides with $12k KTMs, ouch. I bought a '98 Yamaha WR250Z used....in baskets! A true basket case. Came with a Scott's Steering Damper. Really, paid $800 for the Scott's and got the bike for free.

 

Restored moto to its former glory, great ride. Yes----many trail riders install Dunlop 808s on their trail machines for a defter touch rock climbing with rear wheel vs knobby. Happy re-entry to Northern Thailand. I had a 1991 Yamaha 350XT---bulletproof bike. Versatile.

 

 

On September 17, 2559 BE at 7:08 AM, papa al said:

 

Nice Dunlop trials tires, with Tubebliss® system in the back.This device, popularised by enduro riders, is an inflatable toroid that, when filled to 125psi, locks the tire bead to the rim allowing low pressure in the trials tire, like 4 psi, for optimal grip. Also seals spokes/rim from air leakage.

 

 

 

On October 14, 2559 BE at 9:54 AM, burgdawg said:

el dad...did you do the various rides hosted in Colorado throughout the summer? Lotsa riders doing trail rides with $12k KTMs, ouch. papa ride alone except 3 days.I bought a'98 Yamaha WR250Z used....in baskets! A true basket case. Came with a Scott's Steering Damper. Really, paid $800 for the Scott's and got the bike for free.

Restored moto to its former glory, great ride.

Great bikes, fast.

Blue?

Yes----many trail riders install Dunlop 808 806s on their trail machines for a defter touch rock climbing with rear wheel vs knobby.

Happy re-entry to Northern Thailand.

Pattaya, but riding the ceeber up in Nov for, you know....

I had a 1991 Yamaha 350XT---bulletproof bike. Versatile.

this looks like a nice one, papa would buy

https://fortcollins.craigslist.org/mcy/5838771427.html

 

 

So my usual practice area behind the condo... .

During my 3-months absence

the trash has been removed [good]

and a loader has dumped a 2 foot high furrow of dirt across

the access to discourage people from further dumping.

Tractor scooped up some of my favourite practice mounds for the dirt [rats!!]

Must have been wet because the vegetation is all a meter higher more all over.

So papa shifting trials operation to 

Khao Mai Kaeo, some 20 km east.

Found a local near park who will let me keep bike in a shed.

Ordered some Michelin X11 trials tires.

So will get those mounted and

will deliver the bike to mountain about Wednesday.

That's the plan. 

Some gnarly single track there.

papa behind on above-mentioned plan.

Waited for new tires to get in, then installed.

Then papa sick for a few days.

Then Climber running really bad.

Took to shop.

They checked fuel and carb but still bad.

Plug black and wet, but that is symptom, not cause.

Then checked out magneto system and finally replaced the two pictured parts.

Notice that the wire pointed to is frayed, and likely the problem.

Luckily the RZX parts are in stock & cheap.

Running strong again; 630baht. 

 

...to the mountain....

 

papa hauled the Climber to Khao Mai Kaeo mountain refuge, 20km east from condo.

Paying B500/month to keep her locked under-cover there.

Riding the trails is tough.

Very.

Steep, rutted, roots, rocks, mud, limbs and brush.

Kicking papa's rear.

Taking a machete 2mor.

found this on YouTube:

The section at 4:30 

papa hasn't been able to ride that clean

yet

Final signage

"F--- ME MOUNTAIN"

Been playing around with tyre pressures on my Lifan, lost another tube as a result, with tyre rotating on the front rim, along with the tube. Got the rims de-greased inside , just in case that was helping the rotation, tubeless not practical on these cheap rims, even if the tyres were available.

 

Before I was running at 20psi, not sure how low I dare go, these tyres are so grippy it puts a lot of load on the adhesion between rim and tyre.

@KhaoMaiKaeo

Hadn’t ridden the Climber in a few days and she dint wanna start yesterday, Saturday..

Much kicking and then

rolling down the street to bump just wearing out papa.

Fooey.

Thought i might try and roll her to a local shop for some help,

so jumped back on the ceeber to scout one out.

Found none, so tried the trials bike again and the Yamaha engine hit and ran fine,

so had nice ride around the mountain, finding some new tracks.

Slowly getting the hang of it .

Had a good ride, made some new friends today, Sunday.

Rode the 25km out to KMK on the ceeber, arriving about 3:30.

Started raining buckets so sat under an awning at a little shop with a Thai guy, Toon, on a CFR250 & his son, Gun, 6 years old, on some little 10”-wheeled- cobbled-together dirt bike with a Honda125cc engine.

We all went riding together when the rain abated.

Fairly tough slick trail; papa worn out afterword.

papa has been paying 500baht/month to park under cover, but

Toon living nearby,

insisted papa park at his place.

He has a lot of old dirt bikes sitting around.

Was able to use his hose to wash my bike.

Gun’s rear tire is worn out so papa will try to find one 

10 x 100/80 knobbie.

Hope to head out 2mor for some more.

A good day.

Interesting thread.

 

I love riding on the pegs, though I haven't ridden in years.  Always wanted a real trials bike and also a real enduro/ISDT type bike.  I used to ride my little Honda SL-125 in the woods in Virginia (USA).  I'd come home so covered in clay mud, all you could see was my smile.  My brother had a trials version of the Honda 125, though it was pretty heavy and tame.

 

My brothers and friends all had decent MX bikes back in the 70's, so I've had a chance to briefly ride a few.  Maico 400 was scary.  Rickman/Metisse with a 250 Montessa engine was nice.  Stuff has come a long way since then.

 

This fellow who does trials riding on a bicycle scares me.

 

 

 

I am riding more and more on the pegs on my ride through the roadworks to Tescos, it is helping to strengthen my arthritic knees a little. Now I understand when they built the CRF a little taller as the Lifan bars are a little low when standing. The roadworks are now into the second year, building a railway underpass and are different every day.

 

My son used to do that trials stuff when his was around 15, spent a fortune on the bike with no saddle and scared the crap out of us. Came home drenched one freezing winters day when it tried to jump over a near frozen canal and didn't quite make it, then we were called to a messy accident with one of his friends. They had all been riding down the steps on the hand rails and one lad fell backwards, never seen so much blood come out of someone's head, when he fell backwards and hit his head under the helmet. His mother who was an anaesthetist arrived and didn't seem too bothered, I guess she had seen it all before. Anyway we were all relieved when the lads went off to university and the bikes were left at home.

 

I keep these accidents in my thoughts when I am riding, one accident and my knees will be a huge problem. They often spray the dirt at the roadworks and that makes things more interesting especially two up. 

Knee pads

not expensive

 

• Went riding the Climber @ KMK yesterday [12th].
• First time in 11 days as papa took the ceeber for a ride up north.
• Bike started right up after a few kicks.
• No choke needed.
• Found a large section of single-track i had overlooked before.
• Excellent challenging track.
• Sometimes see cattle grazing in the jungle.
• Yesterday, a flock go goats.
• No people.
• Extremely happy at having found this site.

Been getting out on KMK daily.

 

Yesterday met 4 [from Patts] faring riders on

the trail.

One of the guys was a guide.

Riding an enduro on this terrain would be far to hard for me.

Today, as papa was climbing the north side of F   k me mountain 

passed 3 Thais head-on.

They were on Waves.

 

Went KMK this afternoon for a ride.

Turns out the annual Enduro Race happening.

Quite a good turnout.

22km, run twice.

Sweed guy on KTM said it took him ~50 min for first lap.

So papa tried the course after all had left for 2nd run.

New ground on the north. 

Stymed by Monkey Mountain tho.

Had to double back and got a little lost.

Lost my kick-start lever somewhere up there.

Very glad to find my way back to start area before dark 

or running out of gas.

Exhausted/shaking...too mut.

Even after resting & H2O,

got a little lost riding ceeber back to Patts,

on roads I ride all the time.

Sheesh!

Wasn't able to ride yesterday,

had to recover a bit.

 

Was able to purchase a new kick-start lever at the neighbourhood shop tho.

B150.

 

So went out today.

Was unable to remove the old part with open end wrench.

Scouted a nearby shop who had a 19mm socket, so B20 fix.

 

Rode a good bit, 

maybe hour & a 1/2.

Was able to ride <deleted>> Me Kountain without falling.