Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126661
OC") 00 0') ..... ~ Q.) ..0 o ... u o High Sierra Road Rall~ On the road with· Roberts By David Edwards Some offers you just can't refuse. "Kenny Roberts is having a road run to Lake Tahoe," the voice on the other end of the cross-state phone line said. "If you can get up here, we'll have a bike ready." Come Friday evening, one of PSA's north-bound DC-9s had an extra passenger aboard, helmet 18 in hand and saddlebags over shoulder. Billed as the "First Annual Kenny Roberts High Sierra Road Rally," the run is part of an effort by Roberts to broaden his involvement in motorcycling. To that end, Roberts has bought a Yamaha dealership in San Jose and plans to sponsor races, such as last month's San Jose Mile National. •.Whet"ber 01; Q.Q~u:r' I.ii$~~ racing this year (see interview next page), he plans to stay involved with motorcycles. ''I'd like to make this ride an annual thing, maybe even enlarge it to twice a year," Roberts said. "Basically, I want to keep my name involved in motorcycling. I've spent a long time buildi'ng up the name to what it is now, 'and I want it to continue," he added. The ride began at Roberts' house in Oakdale, a small town in northern California, about 60 miles south of the state capital, Sacramento. After brunch and some small talk with the ;8_qr. ~q 9!l:!<:r. J:i~eJ:s Ql.l.tit~_run. _we were all getting a little restless and ready to get underway. Roberts, resplendelll in a burnt-orange, softleather jumpsuit, mounted his Seca 900 and, along with Sparky Edmonston, a friend of Robert's who's an ex-'racer, part-time actor, part-time truck driver and full-time crazy person, blasted off in a flurry of wheelies (Roberts) and half-on-half-off-thebike, curb-to-curb wobbles (Edmonston). mer) didn't dampen the group's enthusiasm - even those without rainsuits refused to load their bikes into the support van, and continued on. Once we got to Lake Tahoe, we found our way to our abode for the evening, a group of two-story-plusloft condominiums right on the lake. A quick shower and it was time for a delicious dinner overlooking the lake_ After dinner, tour organizer Brian Farnsworth led a "roast" of Roberts and a few unfortunate others that was wonderfully insightful, frightfully hilarious and deliciously unprintable. A quick tour of the casinos that night was followed much too quickly by breakfast the next morning, and after an obligatory "class picture," the ride was o££icially over, although Roberts did invite those who didn't have to leave immediately to take a quick run to his vacation "cabin" above the lake. All in all, a pretty nice way to spend a weekend - good food, exciting roads, breathtaking scenery and good company. Well worth the $150 entry fee. After all, who did you go riding The ride took us through some absolutely stunning motorcycle country. Old mining towns, grassy meadows complete with grazing horses, smooth winding roads past glasssmooth lakes, withjustenough twists to make things interesting, and every now and then a glimpse of snow on the mountains. We went through Calaveras County, home of Mark Twain's celebrated jumping frog, where we met "John", a rather gruff old coot who had piled every bit of junk within miles onto his straining bicycle, which had promptly burst its tires in protest. A rainstorm that threatened to turn into sleet (it gets cold in tQ IQQ... l.I a,ip~. v~p ip" sJlm- .••• \"iV\las