TTR 600 Belgarda

Contact Me On; Belgarda@hotmail.co.uk

Having Missed Out on the Years Events...

Looks like I should finally get out for the Radnor Rally in September. Will confirm details soon.

Rydale Rally

Regs are out for the Rydale Rally to be held on 4th of July. These can be obtained at the NEEC web site

WTRA Events.

WTRA are running a new rally this year; The Brecon Rally. Apparently another to day event. Sadly however the Red Kite is not running, which is a shame as I was hoping to crack this one after last year's retirement.

HDBC

Regs are now avalable for the Tarenig Rally, which has been refloated as the HDBC are not dealing with the World Enduro round. The Tarenig the 10th of May and Will hopefully benefit from some nice early summer weather

TTR600 Plastics Still Readily Available.

After spending many hours cruising the web for TTR plastics I took a visit to Motorcycle Mart in Kidderminster. Instead of the usual indecisive umming and aaaaghing I'd become used to I got "yes mate, shouldn't be a problem". Having provided my frame number and Code (paper sticker found on the rear sub-frame) they provided the parts without any bother within a couple of days.

They were as shocked as me at the prices of the plastics;

Front Muguard £11.50 (white)

Fork Guard £7.50 (red)

Rear Fender £16.50 (white)

Headlight Cowel £22.00 (red) 

Transfers are also available but tend to be a bit more pricey

The TTR600 Belgarda is a 600cc single cylinder with kick-start. It is slightly taller than the UK TTR but is otherwise essentially the same on the surface. As far as I am aware the belgarda only arrived in the UK in red/white/black where as the later UK models came in blue/white. Having bought the TTR two years ago with 16000km I have used the bike on the road, for general green laning and for UK trail bike rallies. The bike is no ball of fire in the engine dept with the same as the XT engine mouted in a superior frame, however there is pleanty of grunt if you don't mind the front wheel staying planted.

 Road;

I have found the TTR to be great fun on the road but to be realistic it is hard to see it as any more than a comuter in its standard form. One of the main issues is the size of the fuel tank. About 120km sees it near reserve on a good day so its a good idea to know where the next fuel is and you need to plan relatively short journeys. The seat is not the most comfortable but its certainly not the worst and a good days riding is ok but you might feel it after day two. Once set using the ample adjustments the TTR is great fun on the twisties, especiolly if there is traffic due to the high seating position. This bike has waved ta-ta to its fair share of sports bikes with a smile.

Trail;

On the trail the TTR is quite happy and great fun. Its not the lightest bike out there but as a big thumper you really can't ask for more. The bike is perfectly capable on all kinds of off road surface but its advisable to keep it rolling on the hills. Its not a bike you want to push! Gearing down from the standard 15 tooth front sprocket is highly recommended.

Events;

Much the same as the trail basically. This bike is no ball of fire but how much power do you need to spin a back wheel. The TTR is happy throughout its rev range if it is set up properly and this can be a huge advantage on muddy hills and in the thick stuff when you need to have control over your revs to maintain motion. Its very satisfying to plod past lighter higher reving sports bikes on steep muddy hills sometimes.

 The content of this review is dedicated to my personal bike and only represents my experience and opinions.

Trail Bike and Rally Forum; http://trailbikeandrally.freeforums.org/index.php?sid=b6d5ef6ee63d6be648a1238a4974a3de

Big Bike Challenge; http://www.bigbikechallenge.co.uk/big-trail-bike-rally-dates-information.html

Hafren Dirt Bike Club; http://www.hafrendbc.co.uk/

Welsh Trail Riders Association; http://www.ukoffroad.info/