11/04/2010.

Interest in the site continues to grow, and I am getting interesting comments and goodwill from all parts of the globe. I will continue to put as much effort into the site, and the cause, as time will allow...

Pass on to  other people you think would be interested in the site, and history of the mark, (especially if they own a BSA or Foster "Otter" of their own), of the sites existence.

 As soon as there are enough owners who would like to ride in  a trial with the numbers mainly made up of bikes of this type, whatever the engine fitted, I will set too and organise such an event.

Its down to you...

12/04/2010.

Peter Limbert from Australia,   has asked me about the frame on the "Top Cat" Cub.

I have told him that I will get the little bike out of its winter storage, in  a few days time, and take some more pictures of the bike finished, and find time to write up the story of its build up, I think you will find it very interesting!!!

 18/04/2010

As you now know I spoke to Colin Dommett  this week, and while doing so I thought it would be a good idea to have the first ever meeting of the BSA "Otter" Owners Club, at the Classic Trials Show, that takes place on the 21-22 of August 2010.

 Details about the show can be found if you look on my links.

 So I pulled a few strings, and that date is  now set to be the first rallying point for all of you Otter owners out there, so put that date in your diary, and get busy with the restorations or rebuilds.

21/04/2010.

I have been told that the entry's for the Open classes at The Stoneleigh trial have started to roll in.

(But they would with a £250 prize for winning the class, wouldn't they).

So, You Boy's with "Otter's" out there, that are thinking about sending in a entry to this event, do so now before it is to late.

 I have been told that the Sections, are not going to be that "trick", and  will be more like sections from the sixties, where possible, with some  good "blasts" uphill.

01/05/2010...

I have had loads of interest with  My pre 65 rules page, and it may have spurned a "Revolution", Check out the page.

04/06/2010...

Wow what a month that was.

Well I must have spent over 100 hours  finding phone numbers of riders, for the Classic Trials Show, and then ringing most of them.

 Also I was set the task of finding  trials bikes of each make, in the Don Morley book Classic British Trials Bikes, for a show stand, next to our "Otter" stand.

 I have orderd  the banner for our stand, so we can park the bikes proudly underneath it. Don't forget dig the "Otter" out of the shed now, and get her ready for the event. There is a prize for the best "Otter" in the Open class at the trial too.

Now you know what a glutton for punishment I am.

So when told to get the spare B40 ready for the trial by Big Bruv. I got it out of the shed, where it has stood part built, for the past two years.

 I took one look at the steering angle on the converted WD B40 frame, and shook my head. Now that might be alright for a sidecar-outfit but not a solo trials bike.

Just recently I have had comments about how much a  "Trick" Brit bike  cost's to build, by a Honda man.

So we will see.

Yes, yesterday I set too, to build another "Otter" Frame for the WD B40 engine unit, With anything that was knocking about the workshop. I found some off-cuts of T45 tube in the bin, one was a tad short but a sump on the end of the seat tube will put that right.  I spent 3 hours turning up a steering head, and frame spacers, so that is a start.

I will now start a new page for the rest of the build, "Otter" On The Cheap".

11/06/2010...

I have been told that I can have six places for the Classic Trials Show, open class on the two days.

Well I intend using one of these, if I get the "Otter On The Cheap", finished, and make no mistake it will be. So you guy's with Otter's need to contact me NOW, if you want a guaranteed ride in the trial...

 02/07/2010.

Bob Wright, from Bob Wright motorcycle, has just contacted me, to say he has a Harry Foster framed bike, one of the first ten built, or was that the only ten? Anyway, Bob's bike has a WDB40 engine fitted, seems like they were the preferred engine at the time, but they were plentiful then. I will try and get Bob to send me some photos of the bike. I will now include him as a "Otter" owner, along with Peter, who has a very special BSA engine fitted into his "Otter", I am again waiting for more information, and photos for this bike.

While working on the "OOTC" bike this week I came to the conclusion that I would now be lost without my old lathe, the amount of hours I have spent turning up small parts, and indeed big ones, makes me realise, anyone without this facility, must struggle to get a machinist to make up the parts for the bike they are building, it is not just the cost but the inconvenience of having to wait for the parts as well.

Richard has asked for more pictures of the "OOTC" build, saying that most of us boys get just as much pleasure building the bikes up, as we do riding them, I agree  most adamantly...

06/07/2010.

I have just been informed that the entries to the open class, at the Classic Trials Show, are closing in two weeks... So if you want to ride, contact me for a entry form, Quickly...

16/07/2010.

I have been asked if it would be possible to use some pages to show BSA engine tuning tips and rebuilds,  along with the parts to put together a top line engine. Well what I have decided to do after the Classic Trials Show. Is to sorce all the information I can from the top BSA engine builders in the UK, and also put an engine together using the best parts available. I will then put this information onto pdf files that you can upload to use as a reference while building your own motor.

12/08/2010.

OK,

I know it has been a while, but the pressure over the past few weeks has been intense.

 Not only have I had the "OOTC" to finish, but I have had to prepare eight, yes eight other bikes, ready for the Classic trials Show, and you know your self every job takes three times as long as you think.

 I have also had people to find and ring, mostly “Stars” from the past, and this has taken longer than expected.

Anyway the only way to find out if my efforts have been worth it is to come along to the Classic Trials Show and see for yourself.

Well I have fired up the "OOTC" today, a full report on the finish of the build will be put up, with Photos has soon as I can find a few minuets. Promise.

  26/08/2010...

Well the party's over just, just finished clearing the site from the Classic Trials Show.

 Just a big thank you to all you guy's that came to look at the "Otters" on show, and the ones being ridden. We even had a celebrity on one, Corries, Bill Webster, video to follow...

The list of new members to the "Otter" owners club is huge.

I also met  a good few owners, and potential owners, that had made a point to come and find me on the show ground. I should have liked to spend more time attending the stand, but had so many jobs forced on me. A good result for us "Otter" boys, is that the winner of the main event on Sunday, Dave Wood, is just about to start building his BSA into a "Otter" frame.

I will over the next week set to and finish columns started, and put pictures up of new members and machines.

One final big thank you, is to Pat Slinn for bringing along his superb BSA, and to Jim Rose for bringing his bikes along, Jim is now a "Otter" owner. Thank's you two for your support over the week end. Take a look at the photos on the Classic Trials Show web site  now  www.classictrialsshow.com  (Now Closed photos have a page on this site)...

19/09/2010.

Is it really nearly a month since the Classic Trials Show?

Well after a week trying to get my head back together after the show, I decided while I had the frame jig out, I might just has well finish the frame for the "Noriel" that I was building. So spent a week building that. Now you may say what has that got to do with a "Otter". Well for a start the tube used is the same size, so the jigs for the "Otter" frames were pressed into use. Working on this frame it becomes more evident where the origins of the "Otter" frame came from, and had it not been Pat or Scott, that had come up with the idea of using the principles of the Ariel HT frame, It would have not been long before someone else, had twigged that this layout was a good idea, and the ideal place to carry the engine oil was in the frame tubes. Anyway while building this frame, I made another steering head, and have decided to scrap the Tiger cub frame that I was converting and will be making another "Top Cat" Cub, but using a bolt on tiger-cub sub frame like the Scott Ellis bike. I have updated the build on this bike if you look.

I am already collecting information about building up BSA B, and C, engines using the best parts available out there, and will start  with the crankcase's shortly, and then follow with the parts need to build a top engine from this.  And I will update the members bikes, with information, and pictures shortly. Promise.

26/10/2010.

Hi Guy's,

Sorry I have not updated the site for a while, But I have just suffered the tragic loss of my partner Kate, We knew it was going to happen, but you still keep on hoping to the end, don't you.

Anyway I will get my head back together, this next week, and really would like to get back into these projects, as these were what kept me sane over the past couple of years with her having cancer. That's it for now, but I will be Back.

16/11/2010...

OK I have just finished gearing up Jim Rose's Triumph Cub engined Faber "Otter", by fitting a larger back sprocket, the bike was built in the Isle of Man, and was originally geared to lap the TT circuit at over one hundred, by the way it was geared before, (I am Joking), but it has got me back into thinking about bikes.

 I have had several e-mails of condolence over the past few weeks from you guy's, and I thank you very much for them, if it was not for the legal side of the affairs I could get back  one hundred percent into bikes, but it will happen. I have also been mailing a few of you guy's on different subjects about your bikes over the same period, and I will update what I told you on this site, in the future. It is good to be back anyway.

8/12/2010.

It really is taking a time getting back to as normal has it will ever be in the future, but I am getting there. I am amazed at how many New visitors to the site, I have had over the past couple of weeks. Is it that the BSA "Otter" is now becoming popular? Or is it the cold weather we are having  in the UK? But there again I am getting guy's from all over the World, so it can't be that...

Anyway, Paul Nixon has asked me to try and find him a set of wide ratio gears, so I am on a mission looking for them. I am also gathering information about our Late type BSA C15 engine build, and have started to gather around me the parts to accomplish this task. And there will be some surprises, as to what is going into this motor, and all the parts I use, will be available, eventually.

Frame information for you build it yourselfers next week when I have had a chance to draw them up.

18/12/2010.

So the snow is now set in for the foreseeable future?

Anyway, Just put a few more photos, into the Gallery, and updated the Scott Ellis page.

I was talking to a twin-shock friend of mine yesterday, about the new P78 class that seems to be around the corner, he was saying how outragous the price of replacement frames had become for "Twin-Shocks", we then discussed how they could be made a lot cheaper.  After passing comments on most frames, and why Honda did not produce a new TS trials bike, I took a look at a TLR frame I had in my shed at home. This has a 250 Loncin engine fitted into it.

 After thinking what we had said about frames, I came to the conclusion that this motor would sit very nicely into an "Otter" frame, and I could build it, with the construction methods we had discussed. So look forward to a new project on the site in the new year, a Chinese engined "Otter".

Must go, the Carol singers are singing, Deep and Crisp and Even.

21/12/2010.

Well has you can see I have started the New page for the BSA C15/B40  New, engine build...

And has I have said, I intend to build this engine into what I feel, should be the best BSA unit trials engine that we can build, with the parts available today, I will be calling on some of my friends who produce some of the best parts available already. And any parts we cannot source we will make, or have made our self.

So watch the BSA engine build page, and see how we get on.

One thing I can tell you is that this motor aint going to be cheap...

16/01/2011.

Hi,

Has you can see, I have set up a page for those of you who want to have a bash and build your own "Otter" frame. First off, it wont be easy, it may look like it will, but it wont!!

The pictures are in the gallery.

I have spent hours, over the past couple of weeks researching the BSA engine bits. And have now come up with a load of the answers you have all been waiting for... This information has come from the "Horses Mouth" so to speak, and also has been confirmed. So we now know most of the bits that need to go into a Top Line BSA trials engine. All that it remains for me to do, is to collect or have made the parts that have been suggested. The crank can now be made, now we know it's specification, and as soon as this is done we can start the build.

The new year bike build is to be the Chinese engined economy framed bike, has I have said previously, but I am going to make it so that this engine, can be swapped with a Triumph Cub engine, if I don't get on with it. Should be fun though...  13/02/2011,Update! The Cub engine is now going in.

21/01/2011.

I have been asked where to buy T45 tube from, well the last lot I bought was from Elmdon Metal, but these have now been bought by a company in Northhampton, they call themselves PDA, or Winged Aviation. If you Google T45 tube you should find one of them. You will have to buy 1 length of each size you need, unless they have any offcuts "Ask"...  A length of 2" 16g, last night was priced at £59.94. But there is enough length to build 2 or 3 frames if you use it sparingly.

I am thinking about doing a page on suspension (Forks and Shocks) for the "Otter".

I am going to put a question on what best to use (Length,Type,ETC) on Trials Central, and see what answers I get.

13/02/2011,

I have researched hard for this subject and will be doing a page shortly.

Plans to test ride the "OOTC" are on hold, as Lee was ill when we were due to take the bike for a sesion with Mick Andrews, Mick has now gone to NZ for a while.

I have another Foster "Otter" that has come to light, we are seeking information about this bike!  Photos in the gallery!

New News at top of the listings...