Celebration
Club Honda RTLR
In Spanish a ‘pata negra’ machine is an extremely rare and unobtainable one, typically an ex-works machine, and a collector’s dream. There were quite a few of them at Jordi Pascuet’s Offroad Centre in September at the RTLR Club Europe’s third general meeting in Spain. ClassicTrialMagazine was privileged to be part of the RTLR party.
Jordi’s pretty sister Dolors is the master of the kitchen
and also a capable rider, like everybody in the family. Some RTLR club members may be missing but it’s all smiles under the sun at Jordi Pascuet’s wonderland. Yuki Kudo shows he has lost none of the skills that made him the world wheelie record holder since 1992. Patrice Pissis completed the restoration of Eddy Lejeune’s unique 1985 prototype just
days before the meeting, thanks to Franck Chaplain’s help. There were also several ‘stock’ machines of interest such as a 1973 TL 125 K0 imported from America. Olivier Barjon’s handsome 1974 Millerframed TL 250 is the grandmother of all the works Hondas. Another just-restored machine was Jean Caillou’s ex-Rob Shepherd 1979 RTL 360 seen here with a little sister.
The collectors of Honda trials machines do not just like to admire them they also like to ride them but, whether they are rare or not, they have to be four-stroke. At this unique meeting for club members only it is always a good opportunity to compare notes and test the latest restoration projects, some of which are very interesting as was the case this year. Not just to be admired, this Spanish location is also ideal to put the machines through their paces.
Previous RTLR meetings had taken place in the Alps but club president Patrick Pissis headed to Jordi Pascuet’s Offroad Centre at La Bastida de Tost in the Pyrenees (www.pascuetoffroadcenter.com) where he had previously taken his daughters to a training course; it would be a perfect choice! The selection of wide open riding spaces and tracks are at times a little challenging but the man himself, Jordi Pascuet, is always on hand and knows the area very well.
And as soon as someone spotted a nice place to mark out a hazard to test the machinery on section, and believe me there were plenty, the party would stay there for a while until everybody’s arms and legs were aching and the tireless Japanese TV man Ryosuke Ikuno had recorded everything on video. The two-wheeled star of the party this year has to be Patrick’s painstakingly restored RTL 360. This was Belgium’s Eddy Lejeune’s monoshock prototype machine that was condemned to the scrap heap when he only finished second in the 1985 world trials championship.
Franck Chaplain is the son of former Honda France race spanner man Christian who, with loving care and dedication, spent many hours working on the machine and finished the work started by Kerlo Classic. The finished machine was incredible and ran for the whole three days of the meeting without ever missing a beat, much to Frank’s surprise.
Also to help keep the crowd entertained was Japanese guest to the meeting Yasuyuki Kudo. He is the official Guinness Book’s record holder for carrying out the longest wheelie ever on a motorcycle — of 331km (205 miles) on a TLM 240 two-stroke way back in 1992. He was asked to perform his favourite stunt on many of the machines, from a modern 4RT to John’s breathtaking vintage TL 125 from 1975. It was a real treat to watch a master at work.
The whole party atmosphere of the meeting was endorsed by Jordi’s pretty sister Dolors. She wined and dined the whole group and such was the cuisine on offer we all made our minds up that we must return as soon as possible – roll on next time.
If you fancy joining this celebration of four-stroke Honda trials machines named the RTLR Club Europe then it’s worth dropping an email to the club president Patrick Pissis: patrick.pissis@wanadoo.fr