Just found this video. Fantastic! In high school in '73 the Montesa Cota was the bike to have, but not for a poor school boy. It was in the 1990s that I joined AHRMA and competed with both a '72 and '73 247 Cota and 348 Malcolm Rathmell Cota. Superb bike that 348. Sold them all off and raised a family. Great times and a great sport. I'll take vintage no-stop Observed Trials over modern any day.
Montesa motorcycles were very dominant in trials competition. and they were always distinctly recognizable. because they all were red. and the fuel tank would go down and back under the seat. they were also very narrow bikes. their ability to be so dominant in that sport. is what allowed the Spanish motorcycle manufacturer to survive as long as they did. they also made motocross bikes. they had a big bore bike that had so much torque that it only needed four gears. they were my favorite motorcycle when I was younger. I always wanted one real bad but they were very hard to find in the United States. the closest I ever came to owning a Montesa was a Husqvarna. a sister company to Montesa is Bultaco.
i grew up riding these bikes. family would go camping in the mountains in Wyoming and ride in the national Forest, back then you still could. thanks fer the video!
When you have been over the bars 10 times.. sat in rivers. Picked the bike up for the 50th time. It was great to change clothes and go for a few pints. All the aches and bruses forgoten. Start planning next year
I can still smell the scent of the water steaming off the exhaust and engine -- and trying to remove the baked on mud after the event without damaging the cooling fins. Great memories.
great to see this again. I was observing up Storthwaite Gill that day, in the middle of nowhere, so we thought when a helicopter suddenly appeared and dropped a film crew off. Day was complete when local lad Rob Edwards was overall winner.
When men were men and sheep were scared! Eeh, proper job, that! Makes me want to put on me Barbour n' wellies and go out on't 100kg smoker! Simpler, happier (?) times. And no blooming' hopping! Thanks for posting!!!
I remember working in a bike shop and checking out real trials tyres. Eraser soft Pirelli's or Michelins, can't remember which, not just Japanese rim covers. Poor bas... who bought a Japanese bike and rode it standard.
Quando la regola unica del trial, era; il mozzo della ruota posteriore NON PUO' ...arretrare Un saluto ai vari Baldini, Tosco, Adamoli, Teobaldi, Bartorilla e il suo Guzzi Stornello, e anche a Rampini, di Moto Sprint che li recensiva all'epoca. Una prova del CI fu fatta a Villa Ada a Roma, c'ero, così come a Stroncone (Tr) per un paio di anni di seguito. Poi comparve...il Gatto e non ce ne fu più per la vecchia guardia! Vidi anche un Mondiale in provincia di Torino, che faticaccia..
Thanks, 1974was the year I started riding trials, and first bike I see in the video is a sherpa t bully.back in 74 you could buy a 325 for 990 Australia dollars. . Un po 'in ritardo spero hai avuto un felice compleanno presidente mr.. also the kiwi team of 6 will be riding this coming weekend in Spain then the trials da nations. .patRick..nz.
Watching this and looking as my picture of my second attempt 2000 2002 of me on REV3 riding up surrender. Can`t imagine riding a twin shock on the Scott and finishing.
In those days the distance between an amateur rider and Martin Lampkin, for instance, was not big and therefore trials attracted a lot of people. Nowadays in-between distance has become astronomical, champion riders are just aliens hopping on the rear wheels and outdoor trials have no public at all.
Cause enduro back then was what a family enduro is today, motocross back then was mostly grass tracks with small jumps... bikes improve so tracks and trails get harder to challenge them
