Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

ADVENTURE ever-climbing altitude of.Colorad o trail riding. After searching for the smallest ma in jet and ra ising needle-position dips to their highest notch, dinner was served - with a side of riders meetings. Route charts were handed ou t for the ne xt mornin g's d eparture, an d m an y o p te d to retire to their rooms ea rly in order to get plenty of rest fo r the start of the rid e. On Wednesday m orning, ever yone wa s tr eated to breakfast, a last-minu te rid er s' meet in g. and a group photo to commemorate the start of thei r rid e. The route cha rt th at w as provided direc ted rid er s ou t of Mount Crested Butt e and on to a selection o f roads, jee p tra ils and s ing le-track tra ils . All of th e ro u tes dual spo rt A: ' " B" an d "C" - led riders to centr al ga s stops wher e they cou ld m a ke bi ke a dj ust ments a nd no u ris h their bod ies wit h food and liquid. By 10 a .rn., the last rider had departed the 3 U By Matt Freeman Photos by Kinney Jones MOUNT CRESTED surrt CO, /UL Y29-AUG. 1 here is no other bus iness trip in th e world like th e Th o r / Alp ines ta rs/ M oose-sponsored Ro ck y Mountain 300. The Rocky Mountain 300 is an invitational dual sport ride organized and paid for by the LeMans Corporation, the owners of Parts Unlim- ... Q) E ... Q) 0.. Q) en 14 ited, a nati onwide aftermarket motorcycle dist rib utor. Th e id ea be hind th e eve nt is to gather the top Parts Unlim ited motorcycle dealers, factory representatives, sales representatives and m anufactu rers from all o ver the countr y and give them a ch ance to meet the people with whom th ey do bu siness over th e phone or fax lines ever yd ay. Thi s yea r marked the fou rth consecu tive runnin g of the Rock y Mountain 300, w hich has more than doubled. in size since its conception in 1993. . . "The first year we did thi s ride, we had 50 dealer s and 10 sa les rep s," said Bob Mayn ar d, pr esiden t of Thor. "Th is year w e h av e ove r 200 riders in attendance. Th e key th ing is that it is on ly . o pe n to the top dealers, m anufacturers and sales rep s in th e industry . It's a fun wa y to get togeth er and do bu sin ess. It's th e golf-course alternative." It wa s Mayn ard, with his close ties to COHVCO (Color a do O ff-Hi ghwa y Vehicle Coa lition), wh o made the origi na l event a possibil ity. "I had been com ing up to Colorado and riding for over 20 years at the invitational Colorado 500 trail rid e," Mayna rd said. "After doing that for so long. 1 thought it would be good to share the experience with the people we do business wi th : ' With the coo per ation of CO HVCO (Above) IncredI ble v iew s li ke th is were commonplace on the annua l Thor/AlplnestarsIMoose Rocky Mountain 300. (Right) Ty Davis on the edge. and the guidance of Co lorado 500 trail boss Don Riggle, the Rocky Mountain 300 became a rea lity for Maynard and th e people at Parts Unli m ited. It ha s be come the m ost w ide ly a ntici pated busi ness gathe ring for everyone associated with Parts Unlimi ted, and the rea so ns are eviden t: Participants are pampered for an en tire week ; they are fed , housed and taken on some of the best rides o f th eir lives during the event. Th is y ea r 's Ro cky M oun tain 300 started on Tue sday, Jul y 29th, and wa s stationed out of the 3 Seaso ns Lod ge in the bea utiful ski -resort to wn of Mount Crested But te. Mount Crested Butte is positioned in th e midwest ern pa rt of Colorado, -and is kn own for its ext rem e skiing in the winter, Day one wa s schedu led as a setu p d a y, so o n T uesday morning. 25 aft ermarket m anufactu rers set up p roduct di spl ays in the parkin g lot of the host in g lodge. Th e area was called "Performance Alley," and it gave m a nu facturers a chance to sho w off their new pr oducts, as well as meet and beco me acquainted with th e more than 200 dealers an d sales rep s. Off-roa d legends an d heroes Dick Burleson; Larry Roesel er, Rodney Smith, Ty Davis and Donnie Book were also on hand to give everyo ne hot tips on riding and b ike se tu p for the lon g 300-m ile jou rney that lay ahead. "Performance Alley" shu t d own on Tuesday aft ernoon just after lunch so th a t participants wou ld have time to ride a n d jet their m ot orcycles to th e

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