Anatomy of a winner
Way back in time when the UK had a decent sized motorcycle industry, accepted wisdom decreed success in trials required a four-stroke single of 350cc or 500cc capacity, with no rear suspension – woe betide anyone who dare say otherwise. The problem with accepted wisdom is there are those who have little time for it and go against it either intentionally or because they feel it doesn’t matter.
Looking at the rear suspension aspect to begin with, Royal Enfield works rider Johnny Brittain had little option but to ride a trials bike with rear springing, as that’s what his employers made. He was pitied for this as the world stayed rigid… until fate stepped in and one of his contemporaries also tried rear suspension – suddenly the world went sprung.
“Okay,” said the pundits “but they’re still riding big bikes so we were right…” Nobody mentioned this to Bill Lomas when he rode a 197cc James two-stroke to success in a national trial,
