Editing Greeves Pathfinder M59

Leading link forks, cast alloy beam frame and the ubiquitous Villiers engine sums up the image of the archetypical [[Greeves|Greeves]] trials machine: a bike on which many a budding mud – plugger made their first tentative wobbles. For me it was a twelve year old Scottish in an open to centre trial high on the Mendips on a bitterly cold day in November 1972. My Fanciful youthful hopes of emulating the prowess of Don Smith & co quickly brought to earth with a crash - in fact many – on a day which is now memorable for numerous fives, one solitary clean and finally retirement (read relief) when the footrest snapped: clearly something more competitive was needed but what were the options. The Spanish invasion was in full flow so something from the ‘big three’ was the obvious - or perhaps sensible - choice. However fighting a rearguard action for the Brit’s were the works Greeves trio of Mick Wilkinson, Scott Ellis and Derek Adsett on the recently introduced Pathfinder: a new -and very different - machine to the old style Anglian that Billy Wilkinson had ridden to victory in the 1969 Scottish six days.

Leading link forks, cast alloy beam frame and the ubiquitous Villiers engine sums up the image of the archetypical [[Greeves|Greeves]] trials machine: a bike on which many a budding mud – plugger made their first tentative wobbles. For me it was a twelve year old Scottish in an open to centre trial high on the Mendips on a bitterly cold day in November 1972. My Fanciful youthful hopes of emulating the prowess of Don Smith & co quickly brought to earth with a crash - in fact many – on a day which is now memorable for numerous fives, one solitary clean and finally retirement (read relief) when the footrest snapped: clearly something more competitive was needed but what were the options. The Spanish invasion was in full flow so something from the ‘big three’ was the obvious - or perhaps sensible - choice. However fighting a rearguard action for the Brit’s were the works Greeves trio of Mick Wilkinson, Scott Ellis and Derek Adsett on the recently introduced Pathfinder: a new -and very different - machine to the old style Anglian that Billy Wilkinson had ridden to victory in the 1969 Scottish six days.

The factory records are rather hazy as to exactly how many were produced but history would record it would be the last trials iron to roll off the Thundersley production lines: although its passing was not mourned by some Greeves aficionados who regarded it as not a ‘proper’ Greeves. Proper or not it’s certainly an integral –and now rare - part of the little Essex manufacturer’s chequered history and certainly one worth reflecting on. Before we fire our test bike up and head for the first section perhaps a quick recap as to how this hastily arranged ‘shotgun marriage’ between Greeves and Puch came about.

The factory records are rather hazy as to exactly how many were produced but history would record it would be the last trials iron to roll off the Thundersley production lines: although its passing was not mourned by some Greeves aficionados who regarded it as not a ‘proper’ Greeves. Proper or not it’s certainly an integral –and now rare - part of the little Essex manufacturer’s chequered history and certainly one worth reflecting on. Before we fire our test bike up and head for the first section perhaps a quick recap as to how this hastily arranged ‘shotgun marriage’ between Greeves and Puch came about.

| Rear suspension || Swinging arm twin shocks

| Rear suspension || Swinging arm twin shocks

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| Fuel capacity || 1.5 gallons

| Fuel capacity || 1.5 gallons

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