Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Both American Suzuki and Honda supplied chase vehicles, complete with spare parts and mechaniO!l to help those stranded on the trail, or needing quick roadside repairs. This year's event kicked off at the Honda Rider Training Center in Colton, California. The first dirt section routed the riders into the San Bernardino National Forest. . After spending Friday night in Barstow, California, the riders continued on to the Las Vegas "strip" in Nevada, via miles and miles of two-track dirt roads. The two-day ride featured a variety of terrain and obstacles. This water crossing was one of many that provided a challenge for the dual sport enthusiasts. led the first of many long sandwashes. After a scenic ride through the Petroglyphs and the Pisgah Crater lava flow, the course turned to asphalt for the first field check of the day in Ludlow. "There were a lot of rocks early in the day - it was hard work, but it was a gorgeous morning," said Honda pilot Jim Woods. "There was no breeze. It wasn't even cold." Disaster struck one rider after another as they headed out of Ludlow and hit the lava beds near Onyx Mine. One mistake was enough among the razor sharp edges of the volcanic rocks and when organizers asked who had suffered a flat the next morning at the awards ceremony, more than 50 people got to their feet. Without help from the support trucks and personnel by. American Honda and Suzuki, many of the riders would never have seen the finish in Las Vegas. Honda's Rider Education Semi and Suzuki's two box vans spent both days leap-frogging along the trail, helping out with whatever they could. Honda's Chuck Miller and the Suzuki crew headed by off-road racer, Mark Hyde, lubed, cleaned, epoxied, inflated or "MacGyvered" their way around every problem that came their way. All repairs were made at no cost and the make of the bike was of no concern. Miller was seen helping to kick- start an Suzuki RM250 with a Suzuki distributor plate, while a near-ne'w Honda XR650L with a ride-ending rear flat travelled more than 100 miles in the back of a Suzuki box van on its way to the finish. Day two's lunch stop was near the intersection of Cima Road and Interstate 15. The first 30 riders had cleared the check by 10:30 a.m. but the most colorful riders were still to come. Ed Butler arrived with imitation doggy do-do on top of his helmet. "It's our club's 'Oh S--' Award," said the United Enduro Association member. "You get it for doing something that makes you or everybody else say 'Oh 5--' and you have to wear it for a month. I've won it so many times I can't remember what this one is for." John Hall and Tony Armanda had spent their morning behaving like teenagers. "In the sandwashes I feel like I'm 16," said 61 -year-old Armada. "When you're as old as me, you might as well have a good time,J' said 66-year-old Hall. "There's not enough time for not having a good time." One rider checked into the lunch stop with his exhaust in a backpack. Thirteen-year-old Rocky Raun, who was riding two-up with his father, arrived on the back of a Honda after dad's Can- Am lost a footpeg going over a jump, and Italian Antonio Silviia raised some eyebrows with his "spare gas tank" - a bright red, two-gallon plastic container, strapped to the back of his Yamaha. "1 brought the bike to do this ride. I don't know how many miles it gets (to the tank)," said Silviia. "I ride in the mountains (near Milan). There is no gas up there. You have to carry your own." From the look of the bike, gas was not Silviia's only problem. The Yamaha was missing a turn signal, half the license plate, and its taillight. "Today in the beginning I fell. It was too much rocks. My wheel came up and I went really off road," said Silviia. But even Silviia did not raise as many eyebrows as Alan Biggs, who pulled into the lunch stop on a Yamaha Virago with a dual sport ride number stuck on the front. Biggs had planned to ride the entire second day, but he was held up by a flat tire on his all-night ride from Santa Cruz and only made it in time for the afternoon section. "My dual sport bike got stolen a year ago on my way home from this ride and I couldn't afford to get another one," said Biggs, "but I like it so much it doesn't matter what bike I'm on." Mickel Muto's big' problem was getting into the saddle after his stop for lunch. The six-year-old was probably the smallest rider in the pack and could barely, see over the ~addle of the Kawasaki he shared with his father, Hiroaki Muto. And the biggest problem motorcycle accessories dealer Paul Flanders could think up was getting only one hamburger patty in his Big Mac, when he stopped for a late lunch at the California/ Nevada border. One of the scenic highlights came as the tail-end riders cleared Cottonwood Canyon and began their final descent towards the glow of Las Vegas. "The sun was just starting to set in the canyon. The colors were fabulous," said Dave Tonkiss. Final check-in was at the Hacienda Hotel on the Las Vegas strip, and the casino lights were starting to shine brightly in the growing dusk by the time the slower riders pulled in to the secured parking area reserved for the dual sport motorcycles. Some of the riders looked tired after their long day in the saddle, but there were smiles all 'round that said the ride was more than worth it. Roy Coe, who takes a 1979 Yamaha the full distance every year, summed up the feeling. "It's not a really tough ride, but it wasn't a piece of cake, either," said Coe. "It's lots of fun, and I'll be back again CN next year." 11

• Cover