CAPE GIRARDDEAU FATHER AND SON COMPETE ON VINTAGE MOTORCYCLES

A Cape Girardeau man and his son are revving up their relationship through a unique form of motorcycle competition.

Mike Hyslop has been competing in vintage motorcycle trials for three years. He has won the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association's national championship in his category twice in that time.

His 15-year-old son, Travis Hyslop, picked up the sport two years ago and came within seven points of claiming a national championship this year.

The Hyslops practice together on trails they've set up on their property off North Sprigg. The trials also let them work together as a family. It has paid off with nearly 30 awards between them in just three seasons of competition.

When the season starts in March 1997, both the Hyslops will be moving into harder divisions but still hope to have the same success they've had since taking up the sport.

Vintage motorcycle trials, the sport the Hyslops are involved in, is a unique form of competition unlike the high-flying motocross races that people often associate with motorcycle contests.

Trials are slow events that take place on rough hillside trails and require riders to have the utmost in balance, control and concentration. The object is to travel through mud, over logs, up rocky hills, through streams and around rocks, usually without ever going faster than a few miles an hour and without stopping or putting a foot down.

Points are deducted if a rider falls or touches the ground. The courses are designed by cruel people who expect a rider to be able to balance on his head if necessary, Mike Hyslop joked. Sometimes, he added, the best strategy is to avoid going for a perfect score and simply try to get through a rough course with fewer deductions than your opponent.

"You can watch the really good riders when they get to a point in the course. If they're all trying as hard as they can to get through an area and they're all still crashing, it might be better to just dog paddle through there and take the 3-point deduction," he said. Dog-paddling is basically straddling the motorcycle and pushing it along with your legs instead of trying to ride it.

The Hyslops ride classic 1975 Yamaha TY 175 cc motorcycles. A requirement of their division is that they have to ride motorcycles that were built before 1979.

The trials are scattered from Florida to California. The Hyslops make about nine competitions a year. It is during those long drives and exhausting contests that they find time to talk.

"Those drives can be pretty long," Mike Hyslop said. "This is something that we can do together, as a family. It's also relatively safe, which is pretty rare for motorcycle sports."

When Travis is competing, Mike watches and coaches. When Mike is competing, Travis is another pair of eyes trying to find the best ways through the course.

"He'll sometimes see things that I won't," Hyslop said. "He'll see the other riders going over a particularly bad part of the course and he'll say, You better find another way through here, all the other riders have crashed trying to make it up."

The toughest courses lay ahead for Mike, who moves up to the expert class this year. He's also hoping the sport's popularity in Cape Girardeau might throw a sponsor his way.

"More people from Cape Girardeau show up to these national events than any other town that I know of," he said.

Travis said he likes the sport but is hoping he'll be able to ride motocross next year when he turns 16.

"I'm not too crazy about the idea," Mike said. "I think he'll get hurt."

For now though, the Hyslops have found a sport that lets them take advantage of their natural talents.

"I've been riding a motorcycle for 30 years now," Hyslop said. "I feel pretty comfortable on one."