Hit the Trail With A Trialer

HIT THE TRAIL WITH A TRIALER

Turn Your TY250 Into A Dual-Purpose Bike

Walt Fulton

Choose just about any aspect of motorcycle production that you like, and chances are one or another of the Big Four manufacturers has it all over the rest of the industry in that respect. This was the case with the Yamaha TY250, the first trials bike to come out of Japan. Among its firsts it also boasted a genuine spark arrester and primary kickstarting. Both of these features are important. . .particularly the spark arrester.

Engine-wise the TY is equipped with what is perhaps the smoothest trials power plant on the market. But this smoothness has its price, for it affects the ability of the engine to rev, which hinders its acceleration and top-end power. The importance of this may seem minimal to some, but that's far from the true story. Acceleration is most necessary in tight trials sections. The probable cause for this lack of performance can be traced to the reed-valve. At the low speeds at which the bike is run most of the time, the reed-valve pedals must be soft to allow the fresh charge of fuel into the lower end with minimum suction. At higher speeds these pedals have a tendency to float. This is one of those design compromises that everyone will have to live with, at least for the present.

The TY was designed by Mick Andrews, once the top rider for Ossa. With this in mind, it's no surprise that the TY handles and steers much like the Ossa Plonker. Next to the Plonker, in fact, the TY is the fastest handling trials bike around.

The suspension is better than some and worse than a few others. . .a fact that isn't too surprising. Actually, it is adequate and will do the required job. Brakes on the TY are some of the best fitted to a trials bike.

What all of this boils down to is a rather nice trials bike, but that isn't what this story is about. After a short recap of the TY, it should be obvious that it is a prime target for things other than trials. The Bultaco Alpina serves as a good illustration of the TY's potential. Basically, the Alpina is a Sherpa T (Bultaco's trials bike) with slightly different running gear fitted. This makes it possible to use the machine in events or conditions other than just trials.

Because of some overzealous production on the part of Yamaha, they now have a warehouse and many dealerships full of these 250 trials bikes. Quite frankly they expected the trials field to come alive and create more interest than it has. Mind you, they sell more trialers than Montesa, Bultaco and Ossa together; but then they also produce many times more.

So this year there isn't a new TY, but there is a conversion kit that will transfer this trialer into a fun play bike suitable for enduros, trail rides or just afternoon outings.

Actually, the TY conversion does not come in kit form, but rather as separate pieces. The price story goes something like this: Seat—$36; peg conversion (including the swinging arm pivot shaft, long brake pedal, peg brackets and all the hardware to attach these parts)—$1 9.95. So, for $55.95 and about an hour's work, you've got yourself a pretty decent multi-purpose motorcycle.

And, by the way, to reduce the cost of the original fiberglass skid plate, Yamaha now has available a plastic replacement. It sells for $17.95, as opposed to approximately $40 for the original. This part works quite well with the "trials" set-up in place, but the skid plate must be cut away with the longer brake pedal.

Flandlebar shape is a rider preference and varies from person to person, but we have found that replacing the trials bars with a pair that are a little higher and that sweep back somewhat offers more comfort and control. R)J

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Where were you in 1967?

A bit of nostalgia to remind us of the people and machines that have made the world of MX what it is today.

Fernando Belair

AS THE fastest-growing aspect of the sport of motorcycling, motocross attracts more newcomers than any other form of motorized, two-wheeled competition. Currently, machinery is at such a highly-advanced and superbly-engineered state, that I find it difficult to imagine what the next major revolutionary modification will be. But I know, as sure as I'm sitting here typing this, that it will come, and that it, or the next, or the next, won't be the last. And of the riders?

Will there ever be another Joel Robert, or Roger DeCoster, or another ironman like Adolf Well? Of course there will. Maybe not now, or even in the near future, but someone some where will come along and rewrite the record books.

So much for the future of the sport. We know that we have good things to look forward to, but what about the past? What of those men and machines that became the stepping stones (and in some cases still are), for the marvelous bikes and fiery competitors we have in the sport today?

Questions such as these sent me dig ging through CYCLE WORLD's files in an attempt to piece together the past. Although I only went back about eight years, the difference between what was being raced then, and what the present holds, sure is interesting. Not only are the bikes themselves different, but many of the riders are gone, and the appearances of those who remain have changed drastically. Protective gear, too, has advanced by leaps and bounds since the middle to late `60s, as witnessed by the fact that Joel Robert was World Champion four times before he ever wore a Jofa.

In any case, I know that you will appreciate some of these photos, be cause what you see here is a good part of what has made motocross the highly successful, ever-competitive sport that it is today.

Where were you?

Where were you?