A very important week has just concluded, where the guidelines that our sport will follow in the coming years and some really interesting tracks have been revealed. I can tell you that everything about the Jordi Tarrés’ project with JTG has been the undisputed number one of the most read songs throughout the year in Trialworld.es, followed by everything related to electric motors, which we have developed with both Gas Gas and the “homemade” prototype prepared on a Montesa 4RT.
Is it really a coincidence that the most popular themes are also the protagonists of the Milan Motor Show? Probably we trial riders are not satisfied with the suggestive offer of models that we have on the market Nor does the user trust the poor information provided by brands at face value. Not to give credit to the online Trial magazines, but the traditional magazines that talk about the bike have forgotten Trial.
We don’t even care what we see in the races.
Is the Montesa 4RT the best bike?
Probably the Montesa de Bou, whose cost is speculated to be approximately 300,000 euros, could be. The standard version, which costs almost 8,000 euros, is the most outdated trial sports bike on offer today.
Does the 4T reign supreme in Trial? Absolutely not. Apart from Bou’s excellent role in competition, which would do the same or better with a 2T, users have “swallowed” an absurd premise imposed in 2005, where the winners, economic and simple 2T seemed to have dug their deathbed. Thus, from motorcycles of 68 kilos and 4,500 euros, we go to motorcycles of 75 kilos and 7,500 euros.
All this legend has lasted only 4 years and, I would even dare to say, that “almost” no one buys a brand new (sporty) 4T nowadays. Of course, it is also fashionable to “tune” the 4T and for preparations of up to 6,000 euros (total sum = 13,000 euros) enjoy a highly competitive whim. Very dignified too.
All of this has helped us to Learn several things, the first is that users We still don’t see any progress from the brands to make it easier for us to access the forest, and secondly, that we have already become accustomed to crossing the barrier of 6,000 euros to buy a new motorcycle, something unthinkable a few years ago.
With these premises, the future is presented to us in three very different ways: 2T with injection, 2T with traditional carburetion and electric propulsion.
Powering
a 2-stroke through an injection system
has been Ossa’s doing. If we compare performance foruse at user level with a carbureted 2-stroke, there are almost no differences. Well, yes, even with the injection, the starting is much more imprecise. The bottom line, in my opinion, is that it was not until 2012 that the Q2 injection was achieving the expected results; In other words, as we learned from a member of Ossa, the 2011 was released without being sufficiently tested.
To refer to the
carbureted 2T, I’m going to refer to the “JTG case”,
even though it’s the only bike of all the ones mentioned above that I haven’t tested. Maybe it’s anticipating too much, but
I see JTG as the team with the most future and will end up winning titles
. The name of Jordi Tarrés is an integral seal for the brand, as it guarantees commercial visibility and the experience of a rider who managed to change the philosophy of Trial towards what we know today. The rest of the figures that appear next to him have positively surprised me, since
almost all the members that make up the JTG team are ex-members of the Gas Gas competition team – Adam Raga
with extensive experience in development and fine-tuning. Claudi Obrador has been at Gas Gas for many years, being Raga’s trusted mechanic and the father of the evolution of the TXT Pro. He was the one who created the shapes of the tubular frame that we saw in mid-2008 in Gas Gas, in addition to many other merits. Ismael has also been with Gas Gas for a long time and teamed up with Claudi and Raga. As there are no two without three, Sam, who has also spent many years at Gas Gas (and Scorpa), is also part of the technical team. The icing on the cake is Marc Arañó, whom we interviewed at Trialworld, a Marketing and Sales specialist with experience in Hebo, Derbi and Gas Gas. A fundamental gear to give visibility and meaning to all the work of the team in competition and dealerships. 2012 will be a year of evolution for them,
that’s why they have chosen Pol Tarrés
, a pilo
It can give them their first title (Junior World Championship) and it is also an excellent test bed for the bike to make its debut in the World Championship in 2013.
In short, it’s a winning and hard-working team. To top it all off, I’m sure that in 2013 we’ll see Raga or Bou on a JTG. Here it is said.
Thirdly and finally,
let’s talk about electric propulsion
. It’s great, no doubt. Merit. However, do you think it would solve the problem of access to the mountain and we would all train without problems wherever we wanted? Unfortunately, taking weight/power ratio values as a reference, they would end up limiting us if we don’t accompany this action with something else. Good for the environment and new energy solutions. Let’s hope that brands can accompany this good work with work that allows them to enjoy their advantages in the mountains without being persecuted. Finally, a fact: the Gas Gas electric only weighs two kilos less than, for example, the JTG, which if the announced weight of 65 kilos is verified, will become the lightest Trial bike in history.
Text: David Quer, director of Trialworld.
