Trail bike challenge: Part two

Trail bikes – remember them? We did, and, going by the growing popularity of 70s/80s trailsters in the classics scene, more and more of you do, too.

Which is why we set up this challenge. We wanted to find out what you get, and what the experience is like, if, say, you spend £1,000 on an old shonker trail bike from this era.

Last week, MCN stalwarts Editor Marc Potter, Acting Deputy Editor Tony Carter and Road Test Editor Phil West revealed the bikes they obtained – a 1982 Yamaha DT175MX, a 1981 Honda XL500S and a 1982 Suzuki TS250ER.

Next week they set off on the ultimate challenge: to ride their machines ‘Coast-to-coast’ from Morecambe to Scarborough in a day, taking in some proper off-roading along the way.

Check out the video below as our three guinea pigs reveal what their bikes are truly like and what preparations they’ve made for the trip.