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 Post subject: Re: Twinshock trail riding
PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2017 8:16 pm 
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650 cc Monster
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Posts: 5141
Location: East Sussex
Thanks guys.
My thought was misguided.
Rose tinted glasses.

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2014 KTM 690 Enduro R ABS - 2015 Husky FE 450 - 1967 Triumph Trophy TR6R
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 Post subject: Re: Twinshock trail riding
PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 8:47 am 
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400 cc

Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 10:50 pm
Posts: 1122
Location: Yorkshire
davidscott wrote:
Thanks guys.
My thought was misguided.
Rose tinted glasses.


A twinshock bike still may have better suspension than your 690 though :)

It'll certainly be lighter and lower

Depends on what you are doing and your skill level

At the TRF recommended speed of 25 mph a Twinshock will be fine

Now if we're racing along at 40 mph on the trail then it won't

Trail speed is a whole different argument

I like to think of trail riding as pony trekking on a bike

Pottering is preferable to racing on the trail for me and I'd sooner go out alone than in a group of 8

A Twinshock is great for pottering

I think trailriding has become keeping up with the jones, when you have to have the latest snazzy bike which most riders can only extol 10% of its potential on the trail - so to my mind a new £8000 KTM is a waste of money for trail riding, but plenty buy them

Plus people ride in £700 suits, with neck braces and full body armour & it's overkill for pony trekking

When I ride my (kickstart only)15 year old XR 400 I get some glances meaning we'll be slowed down by him or he'll never start that - but the bike keeps up fine

I've had KTM exc etc but much prefer the charm of a 2002 XR 400 to ride the trails on

Horses for courses, but we rode much harder, gnarlier trails in the 1990's on Twinshocks or DR 350 XR 400's without a problem because that is the only bikes we had and now a lot of harder trails aren't available anymore, so why do we need a top flight Enduro bike for the easier trails we can only ride now ?

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 Post subject: Re: Twinshock trail riding
PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 10:13 am 
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Joined: Fri May 04, 2012 10:06 pm
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Because you pay your money and you make your choice :D I ride a Husky fe 350 , by far the best trail bike that I have had , but that's only my opinion ;)


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 Post subject: Re: Twinshock trail riding
PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 11:04 am 
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300 cc
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And I wear a neck brace because I have one,
id look a right twat if I broke my neck and the brace was hanging in the garage rather than being around my neck!


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 Post subject: Re: Twinshock trail riding
PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 1:10 pm 
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650 cc Monster
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Location: East Sussex
I do wear armour trail riding and it has proved valuable.
Never owned a neck brace so never crossed my radar.

We used to ride all round the south east of England, even up to London and back from Hastings, back in the 70's and 80's summers in trainers, jeans and tee shirt with thin nylon jacket. Not always gloves.

Our European trips only had bike boots, jeans, unarmoured Belstaff jackets and leather gloves. Sometimes you think people can go too far but I would never talk anyone out of wearing whatever they want and feel right in.

There was no such thing as full face helmets when I started in 1972 (except maybe Bell but they would have been out of my price league).
Really don't like them in the road or trail now as I feel too exposed but do wear one for horse trials.

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2014 KTM 690 Enduro R ABS - 2015 Husky FE 450 - 1967 Triumph Trophy TR6R
Liable to sudden and unintended changes in speed and direction.
Araf!


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 Post subject: Re: Twinshock trail riding
PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 1:53 pm 
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the last time I wore a piss pot I was so concerned as I was flying through the air that id smash my face in, when I hit the deck, I broke with best practice of "tuck and roll" in favour of a 2 handed plant on the ground breaking 3 bones in my wrist!!! all that so I could keep my lid on and smoke on a cold days ride!

as for the good old days of bruised knees and wet feet, wearing the belstaff, a pair of jeans and some rigger boots and any helmet you could find at a boot sale for a fiver! I wouldn't go back to that!


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 Post subject: Re: Twinshock trail riding
PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 4:47 pm 
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Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:08 pm
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If you spectate at a LDT, you will see a proportion of the entrants on twin-shocks doing rather better than some on modern stuff.

Some years ago I was at an enduro with my then wife...she didn't know much about dirt bikes then.

"The little silver bike is much better on the hills than the big plastic bikes," she observed.

The 'little silver bike' was a BSA Victor 441 from the late 1960s: indeed the combination of low seat height, heavy flywheel and stiff suspension meant it could climb hills that were leaving the KTMs etc floundering.


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 Post subject: Re: Twinshock trail riding
PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 5:43 pm 
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Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 10:50 pm
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Location: Yorkshire
12inches of suspension travel and 50 bhp is lethal in the wrong hands :)

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 Post subject: Re: Twinshock trail riding
PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 6:18 pm 
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Location: East Sussex
Oh dear. My 690 is 64bhp :o
Off tarmac, I suspect I may use 30 of them.
But I use them all on road.

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2014 KTM 690 Enduro R ABS - 2015 Husky FE 450 - 1967 Triumph Trophy TR6R
Liable to sudden and unintended changes in speed and direction.
Araf!


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