Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ DUAL SPORT Los Angeles-to-Bartsow-to-Las Veg'-as All typ es of dual-sport machinery were on hand, including th is converted Harley Sportster. ~. cu lt for Oregon dual sporters Eric and Gail Haws, who were riding two-up on a BMW R100GS in their first LA-B-to-V. "We got through it an d we are all in one piece except for a broken mirror. We lost that in a tip over," said Gail Haws. "They told us we could take a ba il out and go around that section. I ba iled out, but not where we were supposed to." 12 The Ha ws had joined forces with two other BMW riders to get through the sandy sectio n of the trail. "In so me places, it was nice to hav e someone else with you to help push especially when the bike was lyin g on its side with your foot underneath it," said Haws. The helpful riders we re BMW employees who had traveled all the way from Germany to take part in the event. "We had to take our vacation and pay for the trip ourselves, but (BMW) gave us each a bike for the ride. It's hard to find one, so that's enough," sa id Christian Penner. "We came here because we heard it was great fun. Also, there is no sand in Germany and we can ' t ride off road. We have to go to France or California, so we came here." Penner admitted that ba ttling the California desert on a BMW was hard work. "I 'm completely wet. As soo n as we got into the sand it turned into one of the ho ttest days of the year. But it's good to have a big bike to sho w that a BMW can d o it," said the Munich-based rider. Don Bryant, w h o was tackling th e course on a Honda V-Twin Ascot, decided to turn back an d ta ke th e bail-out wh en he wa s almost half way through the d esert section. "I fo un d ou t tha t the o the r kind of bikes are m uch better for this, b ut I'm having fun," sa id Bryant, whose on ly concession to the di rt was ins talling a sem i-knobby tire on the rear and rernov-: ing tum signa ls, mirrors and extraneo us plastic. "I've had very little experience in the di rt, s o we 're taking it easy," said Bryant, whose riding pa rtners had traveled from Iow a to join th e dual sport fun. "I'm go ing to ride the bike back to Phoenix if it's still running at the end of it." _ Day one 's course ended wi th an 11mile run along Highway 247 to Barstow, w here check-in was a welcome sight for some of the later finishers, who we re still on the road when the sun started to set. There was a flurry of activity at hotels and motels a II over town as riders prep ped their bikes for the seco nd day's ride fro m Barstow to Las Vegas, then too k time out to re-live the day's adventures with new-found friends. For Greg Heba rd and 12-year-old Dustin Stefan ick, w ho we re riding twoup o n a Honda XR650L, day one's b igges t adven ture was ca used by the Cycle News camera. "Ther e was a big camera ou t there. We were waving at that and not looking w here we were going, and we fell off," said Hebard. "We we re laughing SO hard we could hardl y stand up ." Fellow XR650L p ilot Ron Cash ad mitted to "g etting off to inspect for turtl es e v ery now a n d th en - really , really close," in the desert sec tion, and Cra ig Lew is fou nd he shou ld have packed a lighter ba g w he n he hit the ha rd-way trails. "I've go t clothes, food, ma ps, lotion, a quart of gas-everything I could need in th e re , " sa id Lewis, poi nting to th e overnight bag strapped on the back of his H on d a. "It's heavy and th e ex tra weight makes it harder on the difficult trails." Riders who opted for an early start on day two faced a new definition of cold. Jim Woods, who left the start just before 7:30 a.m. when the mercury was still below 30 degrees, reported it was so cold Pro1esslonal riderdepicled duringc1osed-<:ourse event. Do notatte mptthese ma neuvers. Dr properlyforyour ridewitha helmet.eye protection. 1 ess 0nQ-Sleeved shirt. long trousers. gloves and boots, Yamaha andtfleMotorcycle safetyfoundatiOn encour.K,je youto ridesafely and respect tfleenvironment. Fo furtherinformation regarding theMSF rider course, please can 1-800-447 r -4700. Do notdrink andride. It is illegal and ilangerous. Specifications subject to change without notice. ©1993 'f.lma haMotor Corporation U.S.A. (~)'p ress , C . A9Il63O)

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