Trials Torque: Jordi’s new baby is ready to rock
By John Dickinson on 13th Aug 15
ALTHOUGH we sprang the first pic of the eagerly awaited, all-new, TRS One virtually as a Stop Press in last weeks paper heres a closer look at the new baby, designed and developed under the auspices of seven times Trial World Champion Jordi Tarres in Barcelona.
Tarres was, of course, initially behind the Jotagas project but dropped out after only a short time.
Jotagas was subsequently drastically restructured from the original business concept and moved from Aragon to Girona where it still trades in a small way, now named Jgas, although a slightly tweaked 2016 model surprisingly bearing the Jotagas name again has been leaked.
Meanwhile new company TRS, with Jordi at the helm, announced it was to join the trials market at the end of 2013 and after two years in development, and as one of trials best kept secrets in trials, is now ready to start production of the TRS ONE.
As with most Spanish-built trials bikes it will be available in three displacements – 250, 280 and 300cc.
According to TRS they will soon start production at the factory Jordi has secured in Sant Fruitós del Bages (Barcelona), where the company has the R & D department and from where bikes and other related products will be supplied.
Multi British Trials Champ Steve Saunders, a long-time friend of Jordi, has been named as the British importer having relinquished the Jotagas brand earlier in the year.
The TRS two-stroke engine is conventional in design using a carburettor and five-speed gearbox which is housed in a fabricated aluminium frame very similar to the original Jotagas. The main difference is that the TRS sports a conventional linkage rear suspension system similar to Sherco, Gas Gas, Beta etc.
Given that there is nothing revolutionary involved in the design – and that it uses tried and tested components – with Jordi's input on handling and engine performance there is every chance that, once into production, TRS can hit the ground running.
As the press release states: "TRS ONE has exceeded the common standards in terms of technology and style, showing the best performance, with extraordinary style and an exceptional behaviour.”
No hints yet as to when the TRS will be available but Steve will be looking to get his supported rider Ross Danby (who has successfully tested a pre-production model) out on one as soon as possible.
