If you want an opportunity to practice your navigational skills and off-tarmac riding then you could do worse than enter an MCC Trial. What’s the MCC? Have a look at MCC | The Motor Cycling Club - 100 Years of Motorsport to find out – probably the UK’s oldest motorcycle club.

The club runs 3 overnight long distance classic trials each year. These are the Exeter in January, the Land’s End at Easter and the Edinburgh in October.

The trials aren’t much like the kind of rock hopping acrobatics for which a proper trials bike is needed. Instead they consist of a course of around 200 to 300 miles, on public roads, with about fifteen short excursions off the tarmac to observed sections that usually consist of a longish hill climb that must be traversed without the rider footing or ceasing forward motion. To give an idea of the severity of the hills, sidecars also compete as do two-wheel drive cars (although the bikes go round before the cars).

The events run overnight and usually finish around midday the day after the evening start. There are compulsory rest halts and meal breaks. Navigation is by roadbook.

Suitable bikes? Well, just about anything that's robust and has a degree of off-road capability. Hardcore enthusiasts generally ride small trail bikes but it’s not unusual to see an Enfield road bike or a BMW GS twin. One winner used an Africa Twin. For the less skilled rider there is an easier route to follow.

Costs? I estimate about £200 per event including entry fees, fuel, meals, accommodation for the night afterwards and consumables such as tyres.

If you’re interested send me a private message to me or visit MCC | The Motor Cycling Club - 100 Years of Motorsport

Thanks

Ian Thompson

Motorcycle PR
The Motor Cycling Club.

Are the MCC still running events? I thought they'd choked themselves on their over burdening rule book.

Don't forget to remind any perspective participants about the angle of their registration plate .

Exactly where to fix their riding number, and perhaps anymore 'rules' they may have recently added, and they wonder why entries are falling !

__________________
'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'
Never confuse the map with the journey.

Cool, does that mean I can turn up with bald tyres and you put nice new ones on just before we go out for the run?

So they can be used 'Off road' as well then? I always wondered about that one!

I believe Caminando rides an AT, if he was not banned he would be abusing you again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

__________________
'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'
Never confuse the map with the journey.

Ian,
Way back I use to marshal on one of these trials, it was in the peak district and I think it was the Edinburgh trial.
All sorts of characters and vehicles and bikes.
I remember one year someone competed on a Z1000 with knobblies, some of the sections where quite demanding. Another time I was marshalling a stop / start obstacle in a steep gorge at the bottom of a steep bank, a heard of cows came to watch the goings on and the bank collapsed and deposited 3 distressed cows on to the course.
Loads of good fun but bloody cold, I did look at entering myself but I think you have to be a club member for a year before entering, I may remember that wrong but something got in the way.
A truly English event and worth spectating.

Steve

You have to be a member before entering, but not for a year. Simply join up a few weeks before entering.

As you say truly English events, and I guess one of the few competitions where you can reasonably compete on your typical adventure tourer.

Would 'Truly English event' be another way of saying 'Crap weather, crap catering and ran by people with a Sense of Humour Bypass?'