Brief history of Trials
The first historical reference we have of the trial is found in the celebration of the Scottish competition in 1909. Scottish Six Days Trial in 1909. This championship, which has been held uninterruptedly up to the present day, with the exception of the periods between the wars, is evidence of the prior existence of this motor sport in Scotland. In the following decades, trial became popular in different European countries such as Holland and France, and became deeply rooted in Spain. In the beginning, the riders used conventional motorbikes with four-stroke engines that they adapted according to the type of trial. It was not until 1960 when the Irishman Sammy Miller lightened his Ariel HT5 model and modified the steering to be able to overcome obstacles better and make tighter turns. Miller's success led manufacturers to reduce the weight of their bikes and the Bultaco company signed Miller to develop modern two-stroke trial bikes.
Joan Soler and Martin Lampkin
Shortly afterwards, in 1964, Bultaco's friends and sales and export managers -CLIment and CEriola- started to manufacture boots, which they distributed through Bultaco. motocross gloves which they distributed through Bultaco. Great trial champions such as Yrjo Vesterinen, Bernie Schreiber, Manuel Soler and Martin Lampkin used these garments. CLICE was a reality. In the 70s, other Spanish manufacturers started to develop their own trial bikes and circuits all over the world were filled with Bultacos, Montesas and Ossas. Hot on the heels of these brands, famous Japanese companies such as Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki produced their own designs, although they did not ride as well as the Spanish models. It was then that Honda took Miller away from Bultaco and developed the TL250, a bike with a lighter frame and higher ground clearance.
Honda TL250
In the 1980s Spain entered an economic crisis that directly damaged the manufacturers, ending their reign. At that time, Italian brands such as SWM, Italjet and Fantic took over and started winning championships. At that time, trial bikes still had the same design that made Bultaco famous in the 60s, but with less weight, more power and longer suspension travel. That changed when in 1984 Yamaha introduced the TY250 model with a central monoshock and low seat, a revolution that other manufacturers quickly adopted for their bikes.
