Trial: one of the best disciplines to learn how to ride a motorcycle, manage weight and balance and discover a technical sport in contact with nature.
Our column on road safety and how to improve your skills also includes the obstacles of the Trial and learning its basics. In one afternoon with Andrea Buschi we learned a lot and we feel even more masters of the bikes we ride, especially for those who drive maxi-enduro and crossover.
Content index
Andrea Buschi and the Trial school
Andrea is not a kid, after all we are talking about a European Champion as well as a Federal technician (of those who teaches to teach so to speak). But on his face, in addition to experience, we read in huge letters I LOVE TRIAL. A true passion that goes beyond the profession, which helps, not only technically, to learn with greater enthusiasm all that he explains.
Between one race and another, Andrea Buschi devotes himself full time to his Trial school, not only to train athletes and agonists of the international stage but also to bring many young people, including children and not a few adults, closer to this beautiful discipline.
The School in 2013 was the first in the Trial Italy to be certified by the Italian Motorcycling Federation and for this it makes use of collaborators who have obtained the qualification of FMI Driving Technician, a guarantee of safety, competence, quality and method.
From 2018 The school with its youth project "Learning while having fun”Avails itself of the sports collaboration of SPEA, a leading company in Test Equipment which has allowed them to carry out training experiences in Spain with the direct involvement of Toni Bou and the SPEA-RFME “Spring of Trial”.
Trial bikes
Trial "bikes", actually real sports equipment, are really different from those we are used to, but they are precisely designed for a totally different handling from the ordinary. The saddle, superfluous, has disappeared because you only drive standing (reappears only in some models for moto-mountaineering). The handlebar, nice wide, has a bend made to find the "centralityWhich is the best position for control and balance, together with the slightly rearward footpegs. 2-stroke engine, pedal start and a lot of power all at the bottom, complete this strange tool, to which you get used to it immediately, like when you learned to ride a mountain bike as a kid.
La cycling it is designed to have an impressive steering angle and a very responsive suspension for maneuvering when stationary. Speed is not contemplated, even when it is done motorcycle mountaineering, at a slow pace with the aim of enjoying nature, landscape and obstacles of course.
The course and the day
The course we did lasted just over two hours, enough to understand the first basics and get out of it like after 4 hours in the gym.
It starts with the On the spot, that is to stand still, the basis of the trial for each subsequent movement, whether it is a simple curve or the jump of an obstacle. It seems difficult, but in reality, when Andrea explains, the facts arrive immediately. Of course, at 46 and with 34 years of experience in other disciplines, it is not easy to "get rid" of track or enduro positions and movements, but already on the third attempt we prove that we are not too bad.
Then we move on to simple exercises like slalom between skittles very close, where Andrea "dances" I limp in jerks, but I finish almost well, again thanks to the teaching techniques of Andrea Buschi. Following small climbs and descents, the soaring (not to make tamarri at the bar) and first courses small obstacles.
Why try
Your safety on a motorcycle, especially on the road, depends on many factors, first of all on yourself. For this reason, the best investment is not only in motorcycles and safety devices but above all in one's riding skills, in all conditions.
For this reason we recommend everyone to try at least once what does it mean to do trial, above all because you realize that all those tips can be useful even in trivial situations like the traffic, as intechnical enduro, as in a tight hairpin uphill.
Last but not least, the Trial is an extremely fascinating, technical discipline and an excellent training school for the little ones, away from the dangers of the road and in close contact with nature. For info and costs you can contact Andrea Buschi through the buschitrialschool.it website
Trial equipment
For the Trial course with Andrea we used a suit HEBO extension, the Spanish specialist in clothing technician and protections:
- Helmet ZONE 5 AV H-TYPE
- Boots Trial Technical 2.0
- Trial jersey and pants Tech H
- Knee DefenderPro
See you at the next episode of Drive Better!
