Trail ride - Glenn Murray - 27 November 2011

Most of our local trail rides are organised by co-operation between Mr Motorcycles (a bike shop) and local community groups.  Land-owners provide their land for a day, the boys at the bike shop set up a main track of around 40km, a family loop of around 5km and a PeeWee track of around 1 km.  The local community group provides logistics of signing riders in, collecting money and selling sausages and drinks.

Dobsy bought the old XT250 early in 2010 so that he and I could take it in turns following the kids around and we intended to head out on the occasional big loop. I'm finding it fun and forgiving to ride but a handful if I try to stop in difficult terrain so I'm not as much help to the girls as I should be.  I'm finding enough challenge on the family loops for now!  Eadlin has settled into the family loop scene.  She is slow and steady but looks nicely in control.  Hillberry is making the transition.  Not a fast enough transition for Hilby's liking!

I prepared for the first Mr Motorcycles trail ride of the season with a bit more dithering than was really necessary.

I knew my XT had a problem with fuel at the end of last season but I never did manage to schedule workshop time among all my other commitments.  So I checked Hillberry's PW50 and Eadlin's TTR50 for all the obvious things and stuck them on the trailer.  Hillberry's PW has always had a cracked bearing cap on the steering head  but it hadn't got any worse.

At the last minute I realised I couldn't really let Edie go out on the family loop alone and it would be a waste of money (and dull) to keep her on the PeeWee track all day.  So I loaded my bike up and picked up a bum-bag to carry a screw-driver and an adjustable so I could keep the XT running and not get stranded.

The first run around the family loop with Edie went well enough until the final big, lumpy uphill.  I was in front and didn't want to stop on the hill so I plugged away until I found somewhere I was happy enough to stop.  Unfortunately I couldn't see the track behind and waited ages for Edie to appear.  Eventually she did just as I was heading back on foot (someone else had helped pick her bike up).  Then, when I went to follow her I dropped the XT in a rut and had to wait for someone to help me!  I can pick it up on most ground but it had managed to land IN the rut with the wheels up higher.  Then of course the carb was flooded so I got hot and knackered trying to kick it over before applying the tools and then it started first kick.

I'm not proud to admit that I don't take failure well so back at the car I had a bit of a tanty and called my bike bad names.  It took me a little while to calm down and the rest of the day was a breeze.

I decided the family loop was a bit too steep and lumpy for Hilby's PW but they had some fun swapping bikes on the PeeWee track.  We met a lad they know and Edie had a go on his PW80 and fitted it very well.  Hillberry said Edie's bike went round corners better than hers.

Finally it was time to load the bikes back on the trailer and I found that the PW front end was just about ready to fall out!  I don't know how Hilby was still riding it.

Next time I'll take my camera.