Motorcycle Trials Riding

Motorcycle Trials Riding

by Chad Ison

Publication Date: March 2001

Recently the Extremz Magazine team received an invitation to check out the "Extreme Stunt Show" at the Carl Caspers' International Auto Show. "Team Extreme" Motorcycle Trials and "High Action" Bicycle & Inline Stunts were the highlight of the extreme show held in the performance arena of Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY.

Spectators were treated to a captivating show of extreme air and stunts, featuring the team of High Action and their bicycle and inline daredevils. However, the highlight of the evening was what many consider the newest extreme sport on two wheels - Observed Motorcycle Trials, featuring Jess Kempke.

Trials riding is a sport that challenges a rider to keep their feet off the ground while riding through a completely radical obstacle course. A mountain goat scaling rough, cliff walls may be the closest comparison to what these riders must do on two wheels. Imagine a motorcycle launching completely vertical up a 10-foot wall, or launching in the air to land on a platform that is six inches narrower than the length of the bike! It is precision at its best.

I spoke with Jess for a few minutes before the show. He explained that the Team Extreme Trials Showcase (Sponsored by RPM Promotions) is a national show tour designed to develop awareness to the sport of Observed Trials and provide an avenue for the public to find out how to get started.

Jess is no newcomer to the sport of trials riding. This 23-year-old rode in his first trials when he was only five. He has been dubbed the "Bad Boy" of trials since his amazing rookie season finish of fourth place (best ever by a rookie) in 1993 when he was only fifteen. In 1997 he finished number three with three national wins, making him the second most winning rider in the U. S. National series. Jess Kempke's no fear approach to Trials riding makes him spectacular to watch.

Observed Trials originated in England, where the small amount of open land made other motorcycle activities less practical. Motorcycle Trials originally were nothing more than a motorcycle ride over a specified distance on roads that existed in the early days.

Soon, motorcycles became too reliable for a simple road-trip to be meaningful and sections of difficult off-road terrain were inserted to increase the challenge. Early bikes were simply street bikes with the more breakable items, like lights, removed. By the 50s, factory trials bikes were offered by the British manufacturers and were fitted with trials tires, thin seats, low gearing and a high exhaust pipe. Most were heavy 4-stroke singles.

As the sport evolved, riders began to remove excess bike weight from the heavier bikes. The sport quickly expanded throughout various countries in Europe and eventually into America. The original trials mainly consisted of rough, steep trails with minimal sized obstacles that balanced the task of maneuvering the heavy bikes. Competitions expanded from regional competitions to national and World Championships.

The evolution of Trials was greatly accelerated as manufacturers of Trials bikes developed some of the most radical design innovations of motorcycles. Titanium and Aluminum became a necessity as designers sought to reduce the weight and narrow the bike designs to make them as light and controllable as a bicycle. As the designs evolved, so did the competition terrain.

In the mid 80s and into the 90s, the image of a trail riding sport shifted toward more extreme competitions as huge, completely vertical walls and cliffs became the standard. Trials riders found themselves in tight corners requiring 180 degree flip turns to get the bike into position only to face a vertical wall of six or seven feet.

The cutting edge designs of bikes have rapidly evolved the sport in the last few years. Trials motorcycles have become as light as 160 pounds with neck-breaking torque. Each new year introduces lighter, more compact and powerful motorcycles. When you combine these specially designed motorcycles with perfect balance, expert techniques and nerves of steel - trials riders, such as Jess Kempke, make this impossible sport look easy.