Devon TRF Group Forum

Tigerman · Expert

Good Publicity for the TRF

Tigerman · Expert

http://www.bridgemotorcycles.com/honda-news-a-events/662-a-ride-in-the-woods-on-honda-s-crf250

And some more..

-- Edited by doug9270 on Thursday 6th of June 2013 07:38:29 AM

John Leah · Clubman A

Pete wrote:
... but I'll have to take your word for it because the script is so small I can't read it.

Nor could I and I have a big, clear monitor which shows how important it is to consider the medium being used for reading a publication; were this a PDF (as are our newsletter and Trail) then there'd be no problem as it could be resized on screen.

My solution was to print the relevant pages to a PDF document and read that - if anyone can tell me how to upload it to the forum I will, otherwise I can e-mail it to those interested (7.7mb though).

Cheers,

John

-- Edited by John Leah on Thursday 6th of June 2013 03:22:59 PM

Pete · Devon's Best

The motorcycle trader piece may be good, but I'll have to take your word for it because the script is so small I can't read it.

The Honda video is a superb advert for the TRF and that girl can really ride.

delvey91 · Devon's Best

I just used the zoom button lol

Pete · Devon's Best

Some pdf's will allow you to save a a slideshow. Then you can post the jpgs.

RichT4 · Champion

delvey91 wrote:
I just used the zoom button lol

+1 biggrin

TBH I thought the riding style of the members on the video was a little more spirited than I'm use to seeing on videos that are being used to promote respectful riding aww , I enjoyed it all the same and it was nice see & hear Mario rather than just reading his posts.

TTR · Powermonger!!

In Chrome, just click on the page to zoom in and move around - simples wink

jt · Powermonger!!

Anyone scouring the monthly

new vehicle registration figures

will be hard pressed to find

any good news on the bike sales front.

Even so, there is one major crumb

of comfort. Despite overall bike sales

being down 10.4 per cent year-on-year

at March end the lousy winter and

squeezed economy have obviously

taken their toll the Trail/Enduro

category total is up by a substantial

23.8 per cent.

True, the figure is just 1,249

machines, but thats still a whole lot

better than the only other category

that experienced an uplift, Touring,

with just 709 sales representing a

17.4 per cent upswing. In my End

User column here in

Trader

, Ive

regularly banged on about the hidden

treasures to be mined by catering to

the off-road fraternity, but lets look

closely at the organisation that is

arguably responsible for this relatively

stable phenomenon, the Trail Riders

Fellowship (TRF).

The TRF has been around for 43

years. Its original remit was to save

green lanes as relevant now as it

was then, if not more so. Successive

governments have introduced

legislation, much of it implemented

by vindictive or cash-strapped local

authorities, that has reduced by more

than a half since the TRF was founded

the number of (technically unsurfaced)

public roads, AKA green lanes, legal

for vehicular use.

During that time, the TRF has

amassed a great deal of expertise in

fighting the legal cases necessary

to prevent these routes from being

downgraded to bridleway or footpath

status, and thereby maintaining our

right to ride on them. Thanks to this

background work, the Fellowship is

now unarguably stronger and better-

equipped to win such cases, as it has

recently against the Brecon Beacons

National Park, the Peak District

National Park Authority and English

Heritage. Indeed, the TRF is the body

other motorcycling organisations turn

to when seeking advice on fighting

anti-motorcycling and Rights of Way

(RoW) battles.

Vital trade

Vital though the TRF is to anyone

who rides off-road, and thus to the

trade that supplies these people with

machines, consumables, clothing

and accessories, with around 3,500

members, it is still a relatively

small outfit tiny when compared

to, say, the 80,000-strong British

Motorcyclists Federation (to which it

is affiliated). So, just who are the TRF,

how does it work, and how can we

help it work for us?

As TRF press officer Richard

Simpson notes, We dont have

detailed demographic information

but any TRF group is likely to bring

together men and women of all ages

from 16 to senility and from a wide

variety of occupations. Ive ridden

with everyone from a horse trainer to

a coffin maker! Bikes range from 50cc

trail mopeds to 1,200cc BMW GSs,

with most members favouring middle

to lightweight Japanese and European

machines.

Like any specialist-interest group

these days, the TRF has about 3,500

paid-up members, but its very active

website and forum has over 7,000

registered users double that number

in terms of monthly traffic. This

represents about half of the estimated

30,000 UK trail riders substantial

numbers however you cut them. But

as Simpson points out, We are a real

organisation as opposed to a virtual

one.

There are fact some 40 local TRF

groups spread across the country. The

largest Devon has over 300 active

members, who monitor attempts

to close green lanes and the damage

done to them by fly-tipping and

illegal obstruction by cantankerous

landowners, and carry the fight

forwards where necessary.

All of which is reason enough

for trail-riding newbies to join a

local group. Many of these riders

have abandoned road-riding because

its become too expensive and

unrewarding on todays over-trafficked,

heavily policed roads. With the TRF,

theyre able to join regular ride-outs

led by those who know the lanes well,

and each group has its own RoW

officer, most of whom have years of

knowledge literally on the ground and

furnished by their colleagues. These

officials are also able to draw on the

resources of the TRFs national RoW

officer Robin Hickin for specialised

legal knowledge and back-up. Hickin

is a member of the TRFs national

executive, chaired by Andy Gerrard

whose business experience has

proven invaluable in modernising the

organisation.

Spreading the word

That modernisation has been focused

as much on increasing awareness of

the TRF and its role among the wider

biking fraternity as it has on building

an online presence and streamlining

communication to and from local

groups. The TRF was in attendance

at the annual Dirt Bike Show, but as

Simpson explains, We would meet

relatively small numbers of people

there, most of whom already knew

about us and many of whom were

members. We now go to Motor Cycle

Live! at the NEC, where we meet

many more [road] motorcyclists, the

majority of whom appear to know

little about green-laning but would

like to find out more.

Many of these are owners or

prospective owners of adventure

bikes. The TRF is making efforts to

facilitate green-laning by the riders of

such machines where conditions are

suitable... We are returning to the Dirt

Bike Show later this year.

The TRF has long been a supporter

of the BMF shows, and last year

its stand was runner-up in the Best

Club Stand competition. We found

some folk there thought trail-riding

had actually been banned, and were

delighted to find out that it was still

legal!

jt · Powermonger!!

Efforts to involve members in

other rural pursuits to form alliances

with fellow lovers and defenders of the

countryside rather than be enemies

as some, such as the powerful lobbying

group the Ramblers Association would

brand the TRF have been enhanced

in recent years, too. TRF stands at

agricultural shows and county fairs,

and particularly in providing outriders

for horse trials, have proved very

effective in this respect.

Observing rules

Despite mutterings from some

members about sleeping with the

enemy, the TRF was instrumental

in importing the successful American

TreadLightly campaign into this

country along with a leading four-

wheel-drive organisation Glass,

with whom it shares legal and RoW

expertise. TreadLightly encourages

riders and drivers to respect sensitive

terrain and others who enjoy it; as

such, it is in many ways a companion

piece to the TRFs own, long-

established code of conduct, which

members sign up to when they plonk

down their £40-45 (depending on

circumstances) to join. The codes

strictures include commonsense but

easily ignored rules such as Give

way to walkers, horses and cyclists,

Ride quietly, and Use only vehicular

rights of way.

As well as paying the annual fee,

members are invited to donate to the

TFFs Fighting Fund, which, as its

name suggests, is used to pay the often

substantial legal fees to the solicitors

and barristers whom its obliged to hire

when fighting major cases. In recent

years, brands including Continental,

Touratech, Suzuki, AJP and Trail Bike

Magazine have all supplied the TRF

with either financial and/or material

support, and the organisation is now

stepping up its efforts to get more

trade involvement.

One example of this is working

with Motad on a range of quieter

aftermarket silencers for popular trail-

bikes. The TRF has been encouraging

local groups to negotiate discounts

with retailers in their area. This is

certainly worth looking into, since

chains, sprockets, tyres and fluids

have to be replaced far more often on

off-road bikes than on their road-

going counterparts. Trail riders also

spend a lot of money on clothing and

modifications to their bikes, which

they tend to change quite regularly.

Very few trail riders are fair-weather

bikers, and hence over 100 new Honda

CRF250Ls the hot trail-bike du jour

were sold in March alone. Theres a

burgeoning market in used off-road

bikes, which several canny dealers,

such as ET James in rural Powys and

Leisure Trail in Nottingham, have long

recognised and exploited.

Too valuable to lose

Any dealer not already in on the act

get in on it by contacting their nearest

TRF group via the umbrella website

(below). The group will provide

membership leaflet dispensers to sit on

their counters and advise on ride-outs

and other activities in their area for

example, many trail riders compete in

rallies and endures, where sponsorship

could be of mutual benefit.

Face it: to not support the TRF

and its campaigning and recreational

activities is commercial folly. If the

TRF were allowed to wither and die,

an entire and lucrative section of

motorcycle commerce would disappear

down the swanee. Want proof of that

lucrative? Just cast an eye again over

those year-on-year registration figures.

For more information, go to

www.trf.org.uk

www.markwilliamsmedia.co.uk

V Twin Funster · Expert

Two really good bits of publicity. Very positive and informative.

Great biggrin biggrin

John Leah · Clubman A

delvey91 wrote:
I just used the zoom button lol

Couldn't find one cry

TTR · Powermonger!!

John Leah wrote:
delvey91 wrote:
I just used the zoom button lol
Couldn't find one

In Chrome, I just clicked on the pages and was "zoomed"

-- Edited by TTR on Friday 7th of June 2013 06:48:49 AM

John Leah · Clubman A

TTR wrote:

In Chrome, I just clicked on the pages and was "zoomed"

-- Edited by TTR on Friday 7th of June 2013 06:48:49 AM

That'll be it then - I use Firefox but maybe now's the time to look at Chrome

Cheers,

John

delvey91 · Devon's Best

On Firefox just use ctrl and +

John Leah · Clubman A

delvey91 wrote:
On Firefox just use ctrl and +

So it does - thanks for that! smile

Tigerman · Expert

What about putting a link on the Devon Trf Facebook Page?

Wheely · Expert

What we need is some pretty blondes like that joining our DTRF - especially when she said she loved getting "down and dirty"

But that was a good promo vid for TRF - not a beard, pipe or open faced helmet in sight!!

And on the iPad you can't zoom in on that article.

Steve H · Devon's Best

RichT4 wrote:
TBH I thought the riding style of the members on the video was a little more spirited than I'm use to seeing on videos that are being used to promote respectful riding, I enjoyed it all the same and it was nice see & hear Mario rather than just reading his posts.

I agree, especially when they rode past the girl in the underpass hmm

Still, a brilliant PR tool all the same.

I especially liked the bit towards the end. It really shows how to ride ruts biggrin

And Marios TRF mug was a good bit of product placement wink