American Motorcyclist November 2021 by American Motorcyclist Association

N O V E M B E R

Adventure, Travel and Excitement… It’s in our DNA

THE JOURNAL OF THE

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NOVEMBER

2021

VOLUME

6 PERSPECTIVES Editorial Director Mitch Boehm 8 MEGAPHONE AMA Life Member Clem Salvadori 10 BACKFIRES Feedback from our September issue 12 AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IN THE CROSSHAIRS Tesla’s Autopilot system under federal scrutiny after a slew of crashes involving emergency vehicles 18 COVER STORY: ALPINE MOUNTAIN HIGH The scoop on the first annual AMA/Edelweiss Alps Challenge Tour 32 THE GAME CHANGER BMW’s 1981 R80G/S saved the German manufacturer’s motorcycle division and birthed the adventure movement

75,

NUMBER

42 SOLO THRASH AMA member Whitney Meza set out for the grueling task of hitting 48 states in 10 days. She did it in nine. 50 RIDING WITH LADY LUCK In the summer of 1976, John L. Stein took a Ducati 750 GT on an awakening 1,022-mile nonstop ride 62 EVENT CALENDAR AMA-sanctioned rides, races and events you just can’t miss 70 FLASHBACK: DAYTONA, ADVENTURE IN THE SAND Before the Speedway there was sand, sand and more sand… ON THE COVER: For all of our personal and mechanical diversity, motorcyclists agree on this: We crave adventure, and the more the better. Whether it’s cross-country trekking, competition or breathtaking runs through the Alps (see page 18), we love this stuff. Hey, it’s in our DNA!

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Mitch Boehm Editorial Director Todd Westover Creative Director Joy Burgess Managing Editor Kali Kotoski Editor-at-Large Keaton Maisano Communications Associate Chad Fulton Graphic Designer submissions@ama-cycle.org

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Russ Ehnes Chair Great Falls, Mont. Gary Pontius Vice Chair Westfield, Ind. Byron Snider Assistant Treasurer Newbury Park, Calif. Jerry Abboud Executive Committee Member Thornton, Colo. Paul Vitrano Executive Committee Member Medina, Minn. Brad Baumert Louisville, Ky. Hub Brennan Robert Pearce Amherst, Ohio E. Greenwhich, R.I. Tom Umphress Christopher Cox Jordan, Minn. Florence, S.C. Faisel Zaman Mark Hosbach Franklin, Tenn. Dallas, Texas

American Motorcyclist is the monthly publication of the American Motorcyclist Association, which represents motorcyclists nationwide. For information on AMA membership benefits, call (800) AMA-JOIN or visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com. Manuscripts, photos, drawings and other editorial contributions must be accompanied by return postage. No responsibility is assumed for loss or damage to unsolicited material. Copyright© American Motorcyclist Association, 2021.

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PERSPECTIVES

The Adventure-Bike Drift BY MITCH BOEHM

hile riding my new — to me — 2004 Kawasaki ZRX1200 home from the shop last week (I’d dropped it off before our late-August Alps Tour so the guys could take their time on its many used-bike foibles), I realized something a bit shocking: the bike I was riding was different than the one I’d dropped off. Okay, yeah, the VIN was the same, and the fresh Dunlop Roadsmart IVs, chain, synthetic motor oil, fork seals, 15-weight fork oil, spark plugs, air filter and hydraulic fluid had the thing feeling like a factory-fresh motorcycle — and not the thrashed and tired ZRX I’d brought to them in mid-August. But still, it was different… And then it hit me. While the bike hadn’t changed all that much, I had. And the reason for the drift? The seven straight days I’d just spent on an open-class Adventure bike — Harley-Davidson’s all-new Pan America 1250 Special — in the European Alps. It wasn’t that the ZRX ran or handled differently than the model I’d come to love way back in the early 2000s when I rode a long-term unit for 18 months at Motorcyclist magazine; just that it was a different type of motorcycle. The semi-sporty riding position wasn’t quite as comfy as the Pan Am’s roomy cockpit; there was that buzz at higher revs from the inline-four that wasn’t there on the H-D twin; the mirrors were narrowly set, and not spread out like Bullwinkle’s ears, so it was harder to see behind you; and while torquey, the ZRX’s big Four didn’t have the immediate, off-the-bottom yank the H-D did. 6

In a nutshell, my perspective had once again changed, just as it has, incrementally, over the last couple of decades. The ZRX, for all its sexy/ GPz/’80s-retro-Superbike goodness (and it is a fantastic retro standard, arguably one of the best ever), simply isn’t the all-around-capable streetbike the Pan Am is — or any of the topshelf big-bore Adventure bikes, for that matter. And more and more I’m appreciating those wide-ranging attributes. To be honest, I was pretty shocked at how buttoned-up the Pan America is. Not because I doubted Harley-Davidson’s excellent design and engineering folks, but because building a totally new type of motorcycle from the ground up is a monumental challenge. But Milwaukee’s guys did it right, purchasing all the competitors’ bikes and using them to benchmark their prototypes during the several-year development process, and really hammering the functionality side of things. Issues on our tour were small. It spit some coolant out of its overflow tube on a couple of occasions when it got hot, and the luggage locks were a bit funky and flimsy, turning in their housings. When fully warm it was hard to find neutral (the clutch seemed to be dragging slightly) and the seat was a bit soft for longer days. But the Pan Am is really capable, and right there with the other leading bikes in the category. Some are going to be better at this or that, or offer some piece of hardware or technology the Pan Am doesn’t. But from a big-picture standpoint the thing is wholly competitive, and in its very first year, which is impressive.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

If you boil it all down, and I have, what stands out is the amazingly wide range of things a good Adventure bike like the Pan Am can do well. You hear the word “all-arounder” tossed around a lot, but these things take the cake. They’re awesome commuters and short-trip heroes. They can go cross country with ease, they are hugely capable — and fun — in sporting mode, and their pack-mule carrying capacity is simply astounding. They’re certainly not dirtbikes in any sense, but they can navigate a two-track trail reasonably well, and with the right tires (and the right rider in the saddle) they can even handle single-track stuff — though when they go down, they go down hard. That off-road discussion is still pretty apropos, though, because when I ride one of these things, and it happened time and time again in the Alps, I feel like I’m on a big, openclass dirtbike, albeit one with tons of comfort and 130-some horsepower. And having raced motocross for the better part of 50 years, that’s pretty appealing. So yeah, I’ve been enjoying my ZRX. But I have a feeling there’s a big Adventure bike in my future.

Mitch Boehm is the Editorial Director of the AMA

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MEGAPHONE

A Life’s Worth of Adventure B Y C L E M S A LVA D O R I

’ve been riding quite a long time, since 1955. In those first years there were a couple of short periods when I did not have a motorcycle, but I made sure they were as brief as possible. And I always knew there would be another bike. This all began by bashing around in the woods on friend Dick’s very beat-up Harley 125. We were 15, so we did not have driver’s licenses, but as soon as I turned 16 I got a license and told my parents I wanted to get a motorcycle. “You earn the money, you can buy one,” was the response. My father, a college professor, was taking a sabbatical year (time off) in Italy, so I worked at a job in my hometown that summer and then took a ship to join them in Rome. And bought a used NSU 250 Max. Then Dick wrote me a letter with a check enclosed to buy him a bike, the idea being we’d tour around Western Europe together. I bought a used

and from Europe. Bikes loaded, unloaded in New York, and we rode home. I knew that I loved seeing the world from the saddle of a motorcycle. My local motorcycle club, the Aces Up, required membership in the AMA, and I joined in 1957. Don’t think the club ever had more than a dozen members, and we had a couple of Harley 125s that we rode in local scrambles and hare ‘n’ hounds. Good people. Having a youthful need for speed, I earned the money to buy a 1960 Bonneville — which was $900 in the U.S., a hundred bucks cheaper if I bought it at the factory. Icelandic Airlines had a $100 roundtrip ticket to London. Traveling alone was no problem, because my very obvious aloneness “When I got to an ocean I would made strangers happy to find a ship that could take me and talk to me as they knew there were no ruffians in my my bike to my next destination.” saddlebags. Some 14,000 miles later I dropped the BMW R26, he showed up, and we bike off at the factory and flew home, spent some eight weeks traveling very, bike following a few weeks later. very cheaply, using youth hostels and Did the U.S. Army, then the GI camping. I imagine if parents allowed Bill paid for a Master’s degree in 17-year-olds to ride motorcycles Southeast Asian studies, which got unsupervised around Europe today, me hired by the State Department and they would be arrested for child sent to Vietnam. There I convinced the endangerment. fellow running the Saigon motorpool Great trip, great memories, no that I needed a Vespa scooter, not a camera so no photos. We ended up great big Ford sedan. When I finished in England, with tickets on a “student my time there I turned in the scooter, ship,” a cheap way in those days for and told him my next assignment American college students to get to was Italy. He laughed; “Where Vespa 8

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

made. You get same?” No. I got a BMW R75/5. After that Italian tour, State wanted me back in D.C. Not to my liking. Afghanistan (1973) seemed much more appealing, so I handed in my resignation and started off on what would be a three-year trip around the world. When I got to an ocean I would find a ship that could take me and my bike to my next destination. Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Panama, north to a delightful year in Mexico, on to Alaska in 1976, then home to Massachusetts...flat broke. Driving a taxi and selling articles about world travel to motorcycle magazines paid the rent and bought food. Then a magazine in California called up and asked if I’d like to be paid to ride motorcycles. Tell me more. “We don’t pay much, but you can have all the motorcycles you want to ride.” Let me think about it. Give me two seconds: one, two. I’ll be there in three weeks. And that was over 40 years ago, during which time I’ve ridden a heckuva lot of motorcycles a heckuva lot of miles. I could not imagine a better job for a person of my inclinations. My current AMA card says I’m a Life Member Plus. And plus is right. Salvadori, circa 1957.

Clement Salvadori, AMA #77415, is a longtime motojournalist who resides in central California.

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AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

BACKFIRE S MORE KR “Holy Hell” indeed! To date, this was the best issue of American Motorcyclist I have received. Kenny Roberts and the “Yellow Peril,” Steel Shoe Stories, Left Turn Ladies and The Class of 79 — all top drawer writing and subject matter. Thanks for the transformation of American Motorcyclist! James Withrow, AMA #3086687, Linglestown, PA EVEN MORE KR I just read the “Holy Hell” article about KR’s TZ750 at Indy. Love the historical articles, and hope you folks never run out of them. I know the younger generation is all about digital everything, but those of us that grew up when things like Kenny running the TZ at Indy were actually happening still like to sit down with a stack of glossy paper and enjoy the pictures

and the words. It’s just not the same reading these great pieces hunched over a computer or squinting at a phone. Thanks for making American Motorcyclist a great magazine, a magazine the AMA deserves to have. Rob Sigond STILL MORE KR Loved the latest issue with King Kenny’s TZ miler on the cover. I got to watch him race it at San Jose against Scott Brelsford on the Kanemoto Kawasaki H2 750 and a few other “strokers.” Such amazing sounds! I also got to sit on Kenny’s TZ in A&A’s showroom several years later (Ray Abrams was gracious enough to give me permission). I was struck by how wide the thing is, and the brake and shifter are both on the right, as well. I raced

against Rick Hocking many years ago and always remember that he was actually the first person to ride the TZ miler for [Doug] Schwerma. What a machine! Eric Bickel, AMA #313522 BICYCLE FORKS, YEAH, BABY! While holding a copy of the latest AMA magazine — and looking at the spread showing Kenny Robert’s Yamaha two-stroke flat tracker at speed — I walked to our garage and held the photo next to my daughter’s 400cc Super Motard Suzuki. Just as I thought. The forks on her bike are easily twice as thick in diameter! In addition to all of Kenny Robert’s skills, how on earth did he control a 100-plus miles-per-hour dirt tracker that had, essentially, bicycle forks? Amazing. Brian Halton, San Francisco, CA

LETTER OF THE MONTH KENNY ROBERTS AND THE TZ750 AT INDY he magazine is rockin’! From On Any Sunday to King Kenny on the TZ at Indy, and all the lady racers, too. I got to see KR manhandle that TZ at San Jose on the Mile back in ’75. Down on the ground in the middle of Turn One, looking through the fence and watching him come into the corner at speed and run so wide you felt sure he was going to blow right through it and take us out. We were only inches away, and instinctively, the crowd would back away from the fence every time. He rode it like he rode Indy, right up against the straw bales, whacking each one hard with the rear wheel in a near full-lock slide just to make the corner. And who could forget that TZ wail, with one cylinder blubbering in the corners until he took his finger off the limiter switch, after which it absolutely exploded to life as Kenny

struggled to get it to hook up. But get it to hook up he did, even if it was halfway down the straight, and KR and the TZ would get shot like out of a cannon down the back chute and into Turn Three. You’d swear no mortal human could get that bike slowed down and make the corner. But he did, again and again, right up against the berm of bales, with the Harleys down low getting the better initial drive. I can’t recall if he won that day [he didn’t —Ed.] but we’ll never forget the show. Thanks, Kenny. Thanks, AMA. Robert C. Wilson, AMA Life Member #464265

Letters to the editor are the opinions of the AMA members who write them. Inclusion here does not imply they reflect the positions of the AMA, its staff or board. Agree? Disagree? Let us know. Send letters to submissions@ama-cycle.org or mail to American Motorcyclist Association, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147. Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

STEVE BAKER

STEVE BAKER, DAMN YANKEE Mitch, my buddy, I loved reading about KR’s exploits on the TZ750, great piece, and thanks, but KR was not “America’s first world champion motorcycle racer,” as you wrote on page 30. That would be Steve Baker, who was the Formula 750 world champion in 1977. Baker was sponsored by Yamaha of Canada, but was born and lived in Bellingham, Washington, very close to the Canadian border…so many people just assumed he was a Canuck. Joe Bonnello You are correct, Joseph, and our apologies to Steve Baker. I knew that fact, and in my mind I typed the words “first Grand Prix world champion motorcycle racer…” But of course I left out the Grand Prix part. Thanks for giving credit where credit is due! —Ed. LEFT TURN LADIES We are sure enjoying American Motorcyclist of late! In Joy Burgess’ Left Turn Ladies piece I sure think Jennifer Snyder, a former HarleyDavidson factory rider, deserved to be included. Somebody always gets missed in these types of stories, and somebody always seems to point out who (sorry!), but if you had seen Jenn’s crash at Emerald

Downs, she’d be on your hero list, too. Jerry Carter, AMA life member #736800 Thanks, Jerry. Appreciate the kindness in the way that you pointed this out, as plenty of other keyboard jockeys out there have been less-than-polite about it, all while making disparaging comments about the incredibly capable women we included. So not cool! So thanks for that. Fitting so many amazing women racers into one story was definitely a bit daunting, and you’re right…it’s easy to miss someone. I do wish I’d have included Jennifer in some way, but it’s never too late to tell her story, right? —Joy B. THEMES VS. VARIETY I remember when Mitch and Nick [Ienatsch] were the “new guys” at Motorcyclist magazine back in the 1980s, and have always enjoyed Mitch’s work. However, the AMA magazine leaves me cold. Dedicating the majority of each issue to a specific theme means that unless one is interested in that month’s theme, the majority of the issue holds no interest. I love and respect women riders but that issue was a bore. Early motocross? Meh. Flat track? Ho-hum. On Any Sunday? I get the nostalgia appeal but having never seen it until recently, I found it

enormously overrated. I’m sure that makes me a heretic. [Yes! —Ed.] Why so much focus on nostalgia? How many people younger than 55 want to read about Malcom Smith, Kenny Roberts, Honda Mini Trails, or other relics of the 1960s and 1970s? [A lot, based on our mail. —Ed.] So, since renewing my membership, there hasn’t been a single issue that’s held any appeal for me. I doubt I am alone. Even if one issue was dedicated to my particular interests, I would wish for some variety. I loved Easy Rider as a teenager, and Freddie Spencer was my hero during my 20s. Do I want to read an entire issue dedicated to either of those topics? No. Better to find some pleasure in each issue rather than the current all-or-nothing approach. Bruce Dalgleish Thanks for the note, Bruce, and we appreciate the feedback. A couple of things here. First off, you are very definitely in the minority, as the vast majority — easily 95% — of the written and verbal feedback that we have gotten over the first six or seven issues has been wildly enthusiastic. Still, you bring up an interesting point, theme issues, and it’s something we’ve talked about as a staff on numerous occasions. When I came here, the goal was to put American Motorcyclist back on motorcycling’s radar screen in every way we could, from storytelling to design to photography. The fastest way to do that, in my mind, was to do a handful of powerful and compelling theme issues (including this month’s Adventure and Travel theme), which would shock membership and force the industry to sit up and take notice. We did that, and they have, which was our goal. So now, starting with the December issue, our plan is to go back to wide-ranging issues in each edition, which I think fits pretty well with what you outlined above. Hope you’ll stick around, as we have a ton of very cool stuff planned for December onward. —Ed.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

up t o s pe e d

Autonomous Technology in the Crosshairs Federal authorities investigate Tesla’s Autopilot system. AMA opposes “beta-testing” the technology on the open road with little regulatory oversight. BY KALI KOTOSKI utomotive manufacturers have been charging ahead with autonomous vehicle (AV) technology and active driver assist systems of late, as Twittersavvy tech CEOs make grand pronouncements to consumers and shareholders that cars with self-driving features are not just an unavoidable eventuality, but safer than regular vehicles and will lower accidents and fatalities on the road. But with headlines popping up on a near weekly basis of crashes involving cars utilizing some form of AV technology, there are legitimate concerns regarding a) the seriousness of federal oversight and b) if the technology is advanced enough to be safely used in real-world driving scenarios.

The American Motorcyclist Association has raised the alarm about AV technology for years, criticizing federal authorities for lack of regulation and urging them to impose a regulatory framework for the technology’s application and development. The AMA also emphasizes the necessity of including motorcycles in manufacturers’ testing and data-gathering methods. Additionally, the AMA cautions against beta testing the many forms of AV technology currently being deployed on America’s roads despite a lack of safety data or regulation. The AMA is hardly alone with these concerns, as insurance companies and safety advocates call for greater federal oversight. “After more than four years since

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published its first federal automated vehicle policy, we are disappointed the agency has yet to propose any specific guidance or regulation that would establish even the fundamental goals for Automated Driver System (ADS) Safety,” wrote AMA Government Relations Manager Tiffany Cipoletti in a February comment to NHTSA. “NHTSA promotes the notion that ADS technology for human drivers will lead to fewer injuries and deaths from motor vehicle crashes. […] We urge NHTSA to develop specific proposals to ensure that ADS fulfills its safety promise and to ensure that motorcyclists and all other road users benefit from being correctly detected and responded to in all traffic conditions.”

Now, it appears that the federal government is taking some action, even if it is long overdue and unfortunately stems directly from crashes and injuries. In August, NHTSA announced that it has opened a formal investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot system used in hundreds of thousands of the company’s electric vehicles — although Tesla is not alone in the development of this technology as other American manufacturers race to catch up. The NHTSA investigation was precipitated by at least 11 accidents involving Teslas that struck parked fire trucks, police cars and other emergency vehicles, killing one woman and injuring 17, the agency said in its announcement. The Autopilot system, deemed an assisteddriving system, can steer, accelerate and brake on its own, with crashes involved occurring in scenes where first responders used flashing lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board or cones warning of hazards. The investigation covers 765,000 Tesla vehicles — almost everything Tesla has sold in the U.S. from the start of the 2014 model year until now. In September, NHTSA stepped up the pressure and ordered Tesla to hand over data on its Autopilot system, aiming to gather information on whether Tesla has been involved with any arbitration proceedings or lawsuits involving the Autopilot system, as well as any customer complaints about the Tesla system. At the core of the investigation is whether Tesla has taken the needed steps to ensure that drivers are paying attention to the road and are alert enough to make emergency maneuvers. Tesla has often contended that its technology is safe and effective, but has admitted that drivers use Autopilot as if it enables full autotomy instead of being something meant to assist drivers. Crashes and police stops of Tesla vehicles have shown that some drivers using Autopilot were watching movies, over the legal alcohol limit

to drive, and in one notable San Francisco incident, the driver crawled into the back seat to nap as the vehicle crossed the Bay Bridge. Government scrutiny of AV technology is not new, but the investigation marks the most severe effort by federal authorities into safety concerns to date, and serves as a sharp departure from the government’s arguably handsoff approach since the first Tesla Autopilot-related fatality was recorded in 2016 when a former Navy SEAL was killed in Florida when his Tesla struck a truck. Since that 2016 crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has investigated some AV- and Tesla-related crashes. The agency has called on NHTSA to enforce its safety recommendations that include requiring Tesla to have a better system to ensure drivers are paying attention and that the system can only be used in areas it is deemed safe to operate. The NTSB lacks enforcement powers, however, and the NHTSA has declined

to act on any of the recommendations. “It is astounding that, despite clear and sensible safety recommendations and countless concerns raised by a large variety of stakeholders calling for regulations on this technology, it has taken a slew of recent crashes involving first responders to finally prompt NHTSA to look at the severity of the issue,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “The AMA and its Board believe that this technology can bring a greater measure of safety to motorcyclists

and drivers, but we remain greatly concerned that the rush to market of driver-assist systems, semiautonomous vehicles and highlyautomated vehicles poses a significant threat to motorcyclists when the developers of this technology and the vehicle manufacturers are not held to the highest safety standards throughout the entire development and implementation process,” Dingman added. John Lenkeit, a Technical Director at Dynamic Research, Inc., a California company that tests highly-automated vehicles and active driver assist safety systems, and which has secured NHTSA testing contracts, said that while the automotive and tech industry has largely excluded motorcycles from its testing data, there are signs that advocacy is beginning to change the calculus. “We are finally starting to see a concerted push to get motorcycles factored into the equation,” Lenkeit said, “and likely in the next five years it could be a standard part of testing procedures. What we have been seeing is that while there is strong data indicating that some of these systems make it safer for car-to-car traffic scenarios, the absence of motorcycle-related data presents a pretty scary situation on whether the technology can actually and successfully identify motorcycles on the road and incorporate them into their crash avoidance programs.” Lenkeit cautions that drivers need to remain vigilant and fight the natural tendency to become over-reliant and overconfident with technology that may or may not live up to its promises. To stay up to date on the latest developments in the intersection of autonomous vehicle technology and motorcyclist safety, subscribe to the AMA’s Action Alerts at americanmotorcyclist.com/subscriberights.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

U.S. Teams Take First, Third at 2021 ISDE Women’s World Trophy team defends gold, World Trophy team claims third B Y K E AT O N M A I S A N O he FIM International Six Days Enduro demands both mental and physical fortitude, but it was the 652-day road from the 2019 FIM ISDE to the 2021 ISDE that pressured a rider’s patience and focus most. Two of the U.S. ISDE teams — the Trophy and Women’s Trophy teams — spent their time mulling over an opportunity to repeat their gold medal performances, and the U.S. Junior Trophy team and Club teams awaited a chance to claim top spots in Italy. Although the wait proved worth it for the U.S. Women’s World Trophy team — which claimed the top position on the podium — the U.S. World Trophy Team surrendered two spots from its 2019 result to finish third, while the U.S. Junior Trophy team took 11th. The U.S. women’s team — composed of Brandy Richards, Rachel Gutish and Britney Gallegos — only returned one member from the 2019 gold medalist team, but the success remained the same. Richards, the sole returner, set the standard by winning every test across the six-day event. “When we started walking the tests,” Richards said, “I thought, ‘you know, I think I could win every single test.’ And after the first day, I was just thinking, ‘okay…you’ve got this!’”

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

The U.S. World Trophy team was not able to match the success of the ladies’ team, but the team — made up of Johnny Girroir, Taylor Robert, Layne Michael and Ryan Sipes — still secured a spot on the podium. “[We’re] just excited to get through it and still had a pretty solid showing,” Robert said. “It’s not exactly where we wanted to be, but still showed that [we’re some] of the top guys in the world.” The U.S. Junior Trophy team went from second position to out of podium contention when Austin Walton crashed on Day Four, resulting in a broken scapula that forced the team to incur a three-hour penalty on Days Five and Six. Dante Oliveira delivered a bright spot among a disappointing team showing when he won the final E2 moto of the event. Outside of the trophy teams, the U.S. had four of its seven Club teams finish inside the top 10. The top performing team — Good Team, Bad Team — was composed of Cole Martinez, Nate Ferderer and Axel Pearson. The trio held third position until the final moto before falling to fourth by eight seconds. The U.S. club teams finished 4th, 5th, 7th, 10th, 26th, 29th and 113th. France will host the 2022 ISDE in the town of Le Puyen-Velay.

MARY RINELL

u p t o s p eed

MotoAmerica To Run Daytona 200 in 2022

80th edition of the legendary race set for March 10-12, 2022, at Daytona International Speedway, with new rules, new partners and King of the Baggers on the high banks n an announcement that could go a long way toward rejuvenating what is arguably America’s most legendary motorcycle race, MotoAmerica revealed that it will partner with Daytona International Speedway and the AMA to host the 80th running of the Daytona 200 on the weekend of March 10-12, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Fla. According to MotoAmerica, the Daytona 200 will not be part of its Supersport Championship, a condition that offers the best riders from around the world the opportunity to compete for the minimum $175,000 in purse and contingency

that will be offered. In addition, the MotoAmerica weekend at Daytona International Speedway will form the opening round of the 2022 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Championship, which means it’ll be the first time Baggers will race on the high banks of a Superspeedway, with speeds expected to exceed 160 mph. Can you say “draft fest?” We knew you could. “The Daytona 200 is known worldwide to be one of the most exciting motorcycle races in the world,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey, who won the 200 in 1987. “We are proud to work with

Daytona International Speedway, the AMA and FIM North America organizations to continue to enhance the prominence of the Daytona 200 … It’ll be a great way to start off the 2022 season.” “The AMA is pleased that the Daytona 200 will now be run and managed by our AMA/FIM North America partner MotoAmerica for 2022,” said AMA President and CEO, and FIM North America President, Rob Dingman. “This has been one of our goals since 2015 when we established our partnership with MotoAmerica and facilitated the return of professional road racing sanctioning rights to the AMA.” More information on the 2022 Daytona 200 will be announced soon, including additional support classes, final rules, entry instructions, broadcast coverage and ticket opportunities, so be sure to keep tabs on the MotoAmerica website at www. MotoAmerica.com. See you in March!

Glory Days, 1986! Eddie Lawson (center), Kevin Schwantz (left) and Fred Merkel celebrate in the Daytona 200 winners circle. AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

Dates Announced for 30th AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days he American Motorcyclist Association has announced that the 30th installment of its annual celebration of vintage motorcycles will be July 22-24, 2022, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. “AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is getting better every year, and this past summer’s event was no exception,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “We expect the 2022 event to keep the momentum going with even more riding, racing and fun at our three-day festival of all things vintage motorcycling.”

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will host the 30th AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, which began in 1992 and moved to the facility in 1995. The sprawling venue accommodates motocross, hare scrambles, trials, road racing, North America’s largest motorcycle swap meet and numerous recreational riding activities. Tickets to 2022 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days will be available soon. AMA members will be able to purchase tickets through the association at a discount. To take advantage of this discount, among many others, visit americanmotorcyclist.com/join or call (800) 262-5646.

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TODD WESTOVER

u p t o s p eed

o n t h e r ad ar Insurance Institute Study Highlights ABS Safety

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xamining fatal crash rates for 65 motorcycle models offering antilock braking systems as an option from 2013 to 2019, researchers from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety found that bikes equipped with ABS were involved in 22 percent fewer fatal crashes. “This study is our most expansive www.mxbootrepair.com one yet on the topic [of ABS] and confirms the importance of this feature,” said IIHS Director of Statistical Services Eric Teoh, the BC_047460_DRI0416P.indd 1/11/16 Anthony's benefit logo.indd 1 1 7/28/16 author of the study. In earlier studies, Proud sponsor of the IIHS found that motorcycles with MotoAmerica an ABS option had a greater effect on ® reducing the number of fatal crashes. Researchers contend that is because previous studies did not include a • Crash Damage Repair robust sampling of different motorcycle • Section & Zipper Replacement & Repair types. • Custom Lazer Engraving & Cutting The new study released in August Leather Drop Off included many more sport, unclad • Alteration, Cleaning & Dyeing Locations at All sport and supersport bikes, for MotoAmerica Races Authorized Repair Center for Dainese, Alpinestars, example, and it found that riders of REV’IT, MITHOS, and SPIDI those types of motorcycles didn’t benefit as much from ABS. That may 949-486-9000 • anthonysleatherworks.com be because those bikes are more likely to be ridden aggressively and at higher speeds. The researchers defined sport, unclad sport and supersport bikes as those capable of high speeds, capable of high speeds without plastic fairings and consumer versions of racing motorcycles, respectively. By motorcycle type, ABS was associated with a 32 percent reduction in crash rates for standard and cruiser motorcycles, with a roughly 25 percent reduction for touring and sport touring bikes. For sport bikes, that percentage fell to 19 percent, and for supersports it fell to 12 percent. While the IIHS has called for a federal mandate requiring street-legal motorcycles to be fully equipped with ABS, the American Motorcyclist Association’s stance is that it should be more available but remain optional, especially for riders who take their ABS-equipped motorcycles on lowtraction gravel dirt roads and trails, as the option to disable the ABS system is often critical to retaining directional control of the motorcycle. ABS is standard on more than half of 2020 model motorcycles on the road in the U.S. and optional on another quarter, the study said.

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AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

3:13 3:04PM P

FIRST ANNUAL AMA/EDELWEISS ALPS CHALLENGE TOUR

Trekking the Alps on a motorcycle is always epic, but with friends old and new it’s even better… if that’s possible

ALPINE M O U N TA I N HIGH BY MITCH BOEHM P H O T O S : T H E A U T H O R , E D E LW E I S S

or me it happened four years earlier than my 27th year, right out of college and having just joined the Motorcyclist magazine staff. And it all happened in the majestic Alps of Austria and Italy, not the Rockies. Still, the powerful emotions generated during my very first Alpine tour — with BMW on its K75 launch in the fall of 1985 — had to be very much like those of the late John

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

Denver when he moved to Aspen, Colo., in the early 1970s and was inspired enough to co-write that song. There I was, a clueless junior editor raised in the flatland suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, thrust headlong into the heart of the Alps, with its Tyrolean culture and architecture, serpentine roads and switch-backed mountain passes, exquisite espresso, flaky apfel strudel and mind-bending geography and history.

“He was born in the summer of his 27th year, coming home to a place he’d never been before...” Rocky Mountain High, John Denver

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Growing up I saw flashes of the region in books and movies, but to actually be there? “Awesome” barely does the job, but it was also strangely and unexplainably comfortable, like a second home, or a place I’d been before. My Dad’s side is Austrian, so maybe it’s a DNA thing. And so, 36 years later this August, there I was again in Munich, Germany, packing my motorcycle

and getting set to head south into the mouths of those daunting canyons. But things would be different this time; there’d be none of the harried pace of an international bike launch; a few of the guys I’d be riding with would be college buddies of more than 40 years; and finally, I’d be riding a motorcycle far removed from that K75 triple — Harley-Davidson’s all-new Pan America 1250 Special adventure tourer. Yep, this time it was gonna be all about fun, adventure and relaxation…and some discovery, too — of new roads, new passes, new friends and, of course, an all-new motorcycle. How did this all happen? Well, when I joined the AMA back in February I wanted to rekindle an idea I’d had years before — basically, organize a week-long Alpine tour with readers. It’d be huge fun, generate real-life connections 20

with real AMA members, and make a compelling story — hopefully, anyway. So I called my friend Rainer at Edelweiss Bike Travel, and within a week or two he and colleague Sarah had put together the AMA/Edelweiss Alps Challenge tour, the first of three tours — one each year — that would, in total, cover the 40 or 50 highest passes in the Alps. All we needed were a handful of member signups and we’d be good to go in August. To prime the pump I told some friends about the tour, figuring they’d be easy prey (they were), and pretty quickly we had seven signups, just over the minimum needed to actually schedule it officially. So we were

Rich were not, and I admit to being worried plenty by that in the months leading up to our August launch. Riding the Alps demands skills normal street riding doesn’t, and the “challenge” element of this tour wasn’t just promotional fluff, so it was a concern for me and for them. Inviting them on this trek and getting them hurt — or worse — wasn’t something I wanted to even think about, though fortunately they were up for some pre-tour practice rides and advice. It would pay off big-time. Back problems and COVID-19 concerns sidelined two of our guys before things even got started, and the Delta variant added some online

H-D’s all-new Pan America was totally at home in the twisty and at-times-wet-andcold Alps. My gear — a H-D Passage jacket, Aerostich Darien pants, Sidi Canyon boots and Shoei Neotec II helmet — was every bit as competent, keeping me warm, dry and comfortable.

on! Fortunately, a handful of AMA members signed up, too, which would end up adding personality and breadth to the group — always a good thing on tours like these. Five of my buddies — Alan, Greg, Shaun, Reed and Paul — were experienced riders, but Doug and

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registration angst with the German feds in the days before we left. But in the end, six of us finally got to Munich and joined the rest of the group — which included Rick, Phil and Bill from Tennessee (the “Tennessee Trio” as they’d become known), Paul and Teresa, a couple

But suddenly we rounded a heavily forested corner and BANG! There they were, the Alps, their granite peaks jutting rudely into the atmosphere.

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It turned out to be an interesting group, something I discovered quickly when I ran into Eric on the Hotel Henry’s patio having dinner.

After getting acquainted with the bikes we had an introductory dinner to get acquainted with one another. Tennessee Phil (left) and Elder Statesman Eric (right, both closest to camera) led the way. Right: That’s Shaun doing the cobblestone boogie descending from Grossglockner, and, below, Paul and Teresa heading into snow and glacier territory on their Triumph Tiger. 22

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

from Tacoma, and “elder statesman” Eric from Phoenix. It turned out to be a wonderfully interesting group, something I discovered pretty quickly when I ran into Eric on the Hotel Henry’s patio having dinner the evening before we were to all assemble for our introductory meeting and dinner. When I sat down and introduced myself, the longtime Chrysler man cradled his beer glass and began by telling me how much be appreciated the changes we’d made to the magazine, so of course I liked this guy immediately. But there was more to the story here, not least of

which were his two tours of Vietnam, the fact that he’d recently lost his wife of many years, and was in the process of recovering from a nasty bout of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and all the lovely chemotherapy that went with it. To top it off he was a successfully recovering alcoholic, which explained the non-alcoholic beers he’d have each evening. “I’ve been riding forever” he told me, “but the cancer about killed me, and I’m pretty weak and rusty. This tour sounded like a lot of fun, and I need to do this while I can, you know? Might not be around tomorrow.” I made mental note to watch out for Eric in addition to Rich and Doug. The following afternoon we met our Edelweiss tour guides (Thomas, Holger, Domenico and photographer

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Glacier-hunting in the Dolomites. Right: Teresa (top) had a subtle way of telling Paul to slow down. The view from my room (middle) on Day Three. Cappuccino stops were blissful…and welcome.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

Dieter), went over the general plan for the week and took possession of the Edelweiss rental bikes, which included lots of BMW GSs, a few S1000XRs, a Triumph Tiger and a couple of Ducati Monsters. HarleyDavidson Europe graciously loaned me one of Milwaukee’s new Pan America 1250 Specials, complete with a full complement of hard and soft bags, semi-active suspension, heated grips and more. I’d heard a lot about this dramatically new motorcycle from the Motor Co. and was Jonesin’ to give it a whirl for the next seven days. After a great Hotel Henry breakfast

and a quick review of the day’s route, we loaded up and got on the road, heading south from the Munich suburb of Erding. Rain is a pain on a trek like this, as it obscures the views and forces the use of rain gear, which, if you don’t have the right stuff, can leave you cold and miserable. Coming in, rain was forecast for nearly every day, and sure enough, it was cloudy and spitting drops as we meandered south on countryside Bavarian twolaners toward the leading edge of the Alps — which we still could not see — and our lunch stop on Lake Pillersee, about halfway to the legendary Grossglockner pass and, farther south, Lienz, our stop for the night. Speaking of gear, HarleyDavidson asked if I’d try a bit of its new Pan Am adventure gear, and I

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

As soon as Domenico spied me in his mirrors he knew it was on (I flapped my arms to emphasize the point), and on cue he hammered the GS’s throttle and took off.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

gladly accepted one of its high-end weatherproof Passage jackets to try out. Below decks I wore Aerostich’s Darien Gore-Tex pants and Sidi’s waterproof Canyon boot, and up top a Shoei Neotec II modular lid and a pair of lined deerskin gloves from Lee Parks Design that I have loved for more than a decade. Fortunately, we ended up only getting serious rain on days one and seven, and my gear choices were fully up to the task, even at speed and even in temperatures as low as the high 30s. Our run through Bavaria proper was sublime despite the rain. Rolling hills of green and lush forests and farms surrounded us, and I flashed back on Eastern PA near the Poconos a couple of times. But suddenly we rounded a heavily forested corner and BANG! There they were, the Alps, their granite peaks jutting rudely into the atmosphere, their presence almost daring you to enter their dark canyons. This was definitely not PA,

Left: Celebrating Passo di Stelvio in our tour tees…brrrrr! We did Stelvio more than once, and from different directions, and it’s well worth hanging around the area to do so. The big issue is balancing your desire to check out the visual drama while keeping an eye on all those hairpins and guardrails. Above: Doug gets ready to take the Stelvio plunge. Right: Spaghetti Carbonara to die for. OMG.

but it was goosebumps time. I live along Utah’s Wasatch front, very near the mouths of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon, and the majestic granite entrance of LCC is about as dramatic as anything in the U.S. But the Alps, and especially what we’d see in the coming week in Austria and in Italy’s Dolomites, is on a whole different level, and something you just gotta experience in person. Thus the goosebumps. We lunched at a gasthaus on Lake Pillersee called Blattl’s (where we spied a customer-owned Pan America in the lot) and then headed south again toward the day’s literal high point — the legendary

Grossglockner High Alpine Road, the highest paved mountain pass in all of Austria, and one named for Austria’s highest mountain, the 12,461-foot Grossglockner. Climbing the forested — and then above-the-treeline — switchbacks toward the top I was flashing back on that 1985 BMW trip big-time, and when we reached the summit and parked for photos and the first of many exceptional mountain-pass cappuccinos, it was a true fullcircle moment for me. In 1985 our group arrived in clouds, rain and cold temperatures, and sitting there now, sipping my coffee, I clearly remembered the inn’s spiced cider, cold beers, venison dinner and footthick down comforters on the beds. It rained hard on the descent into Lienz, and I was glad I’d secured quality gear, especially the Passage jacket, which proved both warm and waterproof. At dinner that night my buddy Shaun asked about the Pan America, and though I’d only put a couple hundred miles on the thing, I had no complaints other than a slightly grabby clutch when cold and a too-soft seat. I hadn’t yet ridden it hard or fast, but six riding days remained, and my time would come. Day Two was spectacular in a bunch of ways, not the least of which was better weather. We did eight passes, Tre Croci, Giau, Falzarego, Valparola, Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella and Gardena, and by their names you can probably tell we’d pushed into Northern Italy and the Dolomites. I’d ridden the Dolomiti before and been wowed, but nothing can prepare you for the geographical drama you’ll see there — or the ski lifts that seem to be everywhere. We enjoyed a scrumptious picnic lunch prepared by Holger at the top of the Passo de Valparola (he and Domenico would split luggage-van duties all week), which featured stunning military

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

ruins from WWI, and then headed south to Klobenstein (overlooking Bolzano), where we’d camp for two nights and do day trips. Traffic was heavier than I remembered during my September and October trips to the area (summer tourism hadn’t yet wound down) but the roads themselves were sublime. I’d generated a bit of follow-the-leader frustration on Days One and Two, patience not being one of my strong points, but after that picnic lunch I was finally able to exorcise most of it when I slotted in behind Domenico — who, being a bit of a crazy Italian and a very good rider, was obviously feeling it as much as I was. As soon as Domenico spied me in his mirrors he knew it was on (I flapped my arms to emphasize the point), and on cue he hammered the GS’s throttle and took off. We spent the next ten or fifteen minutes noseto-tail in literal backroad nirvana, riding harder than I’d ridden in quite a while and pushing those big adventure bikes right to their limits. At that pace, bouncing the needle off the rev-limiter, hammering the brakes and levering the bikes forcefully into corners, the Pan America — which is truly crosscountry comfy, just ask Whitney Meza (see page 42) — was a shockingly capable and entertaining sporting machine, and a way better backroad bike than I expected. With 130-some rear-wheel horsepower on tap it felt like some sort of possessed, widehandlebar V-Twin Superbike, and except for spitting a bit of coolant out of its overflow tube on a couple of occasions, it put a smile on my face all week. Tennessee Trio member Phil put it pretty well that night at dinner: “We rode ’em like we stole ’em, 28

didn’t we?!” Yes, we did, Phil. The Tennesseans were all fast, btw. After a “rest day” in Klobenstein — most rode a half day and did three passes; some explored Bolzano (and saw Otzi the frozen mountain man in a nearby museum); and I worked on the October issue — Day Four was a biggie, the longest riding day of the tour. We trekked up Passo di Mendola and down the Val di Non with its apple orchards, then had coffee high above Lago di Santa Giustina while enjoying spectacular views.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

Then we followed Val di Sole across to Passo del Tonale, finally reaching the turn-off to Passo di Gavia, one of the highest and most spectacular passes in the Alps. It is also one of the most difficult, with only a narrow single lane and no guardrail in places (“a goat path,” Rich said later, “with 1000-foot dropoffs!”), but everybody managed. Despite Gavia’s challenges, Rich and Doug were groovin’, riding smart and even reasonably briskly, and doing what I’d told them several times before the tour: “If you only do one thing, get your speed set to a comfortable level before you bend it into a corner.” Eric was extra slow and careful

We probably set new records for espresso intake during the trek, but it was all so worth it, especially when combined with such spectacular views — which seemed everywhere. Top, above: Yukking it up at the top of the Timmelsjoch pass, or Passo del Rombo, which forms the border between Austria and Italy.

that day, surviving the goat path and a walking-speed tipover, and taking the direct route to our hotel in Livigno with one of the guides. The rest of us did what guide Thomas called “the full ride,” ripping up to almost the top of the legendary Passo di Stelvio and crossing the Umbrial pass into Switzerland — where a speeding ticket can literally cost you a week’s salary. We looped around and climbed Stelvio again from the northeast and celebrated every one of those crazy switchbacks with Bruno’s famous sausage sandwiches, which were well deserved. Two more passes (Foscano and Eira) and we arrived in Livigno, Italy, after seven passes, 200-plus hard miles and 10 hours

in the saddle. The beers and dinner that night tasted damn good. On Day Five, another ridingoptional day with a second night at the beautiful Lac Salin hotel, we crossed Forcola di Livigno and arrived in Switzerland again. The day’s passes were Bernina, Albula, and Flüela, and all were gorgeous. The group checked out a glacier, had coffee at an Airstream coffee wagon, passed through Davos and enjoyed lunch at high elevation before taking the tunnel back to Livigno. Edelweiss CEO Rainer Buck — who helped design the Challenge months earlier — joined us on the patio that afternoon for

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beers and, later, what turned out to be a very special treat — pizza. And not just any pizza (and nothing like the fast-food stuff we have in the States), but the real thing: thin and foldable and baked in a hurry in high-temp ovens. We ended up ordering a dozen or so pies and pretty much drank and laughed for the entire two hours, especially after coaxing Domenico to try a big round chunk of pineapple — American-style we told him! — on one of his slices. He did, and the table roared, and we made sure we had photographic proof for posterity. He joked that his family and friends back home might never let him back into his hometown of Naples if they knew of his sacrilege, and once they see this story, they may not! We summited Stevio for the third time on Day Six (why pass up the chance?), this time heading north as we began the trek back toward Germany, and had another amazing cappuccino at the Tibet Hutte ristorante at the top. We visited Glurns, Italy’s smallest city,

ski areas and lifts, and all that lovely Tyrolean, ski-chalet architecture…it never once got old. On the final day of a tour like this you tend to drink it all in with a bit more focus, which we all certainly did when we summited Passo del Rombo (“Timmelsjoch” in German), Austria’s second highest pass after Grossglockner. It was cloudy and just above freezing but still spectacular, though once we headed north toward Meiming and did a quick stop at Edelweiss’s HQ there it warmed up quite a bit. and the sunken church at Graun, halfway submerged in Lago di Resia. A second picnic, this time from Domenico (and Teresa, who took a day off from riding on the back of her husband Paul’s Triumph Tiger), waited for us alongside the Inn river at Pfunds, after which we did a couple more passes on our way to Langenfeld, smack in the middle of the Otztal Valley. More beautiful valleys, more stunning peaks, more

Top: Pineapple? On pizza? Domenico had us rolling that night! The author (middle), with the tour guides, goofballs, all. Our gang…Top row, L to R: Utah Paul, Eric, Holger, Shaun, Thomas, Domenico, Phil, yours truly, and Bill. Bottom row, L to R: Reed, Doug, Rich, Teresa, Paul, Rick, and Dieter.

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and shooting photos and helping us have a good time. They not only called us their guests, but treated us so. Super guys, all, and folks many of us will keep in touch with going forward. In the end, epic adventures like this really do end up being all about people…that human element again. New friends — Paul and Teresa, Rick, Phil and Bill, and of course

Unfortunately, the rain came hard and heavy once we got back on the road, and with everyone starting to feel a bit exhausted, we jumped on the autobahn as we headed back toward Munich. Time on the autobahn — even in pouring rain — gave me time to consider things from the past week, and there was plenty of grist. First, you expect an established tour company to have its ducks in a row when it comes to organization, hotels, meals, routes, luggage vans, rental bikes and all the myriad ancillary stuff customers rarely think about — and Edelweiss is peerless here. This tour ran like a well-oiled Swiss watch. But when it comes to tour guides there’s a human element — which is neither consistent nor predictable. Having done a bunch of these types of guided tours, I have to say we literally couldn’t have done better than Thomas, Holger, Domenico and Dieter, who were knowledgeable, funny, smart, helpful, highly skilled on the bikes and very friendly. This tour, coming out of the COVID-19 mess, was their first in more than a year, and you could tell every single day they were excited to be riding

Eric and the tour guides — for sure, and old ones, too — Rich and Doug, Shaun, Reed and Paul. Being able to ride with them and share a bit of the working life I’d only been able to tell them about before was a treat, and from what I gather from the smack talk that’s come since we got home, I think we’ll have plenty of early signups from the Utah contingent for next year’s tours. Did I say tours? Yes, I did! We’ll do two with Edelweiss in 2022, a repeat of the Alps Challenge I, which will be similar to the 2021 version, on August 18-26, and an Alps Challenge II, which will cover the Alps’ more central region of Austria, Switzerland and France between August 27 and September 3. Definitely not something to miss. Contact edelweissbike.com for more information. He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below He saw everything as far as you can see Ol’ John Denver had it right. AMA

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game changer BMW’s 1981 R80G/S, which turned 40 this year, was more than the world’s first adventure bike and the mother of the movement…it rescued BMW’s motorcycle division. BY MITCH BOEHM PHOTOS: BMW ARCHIVES

n my week-long Alps tour in late August with the Edelweiss Bike Travel folks (see page 18), I must have waved to several thousand motorcycles going the opposite direction — and I’m guessing way more than half were BMW GS models. Of course, with BMW having sold nearly a million of the things since the very first G/S appeared at the Cologne show in late 1980, I guess that makes some sense.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST •

NOVEMBER 2021

“Necessity is the mother of invention.” Olde English proverb

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

When you talk of game-changing, axis-altering motorcycles of the modern era, the list isn’t all that long. Honda’s Z50, CB750 and Elsinores. Kawasaki’s Z1. Suzuki’s RM125, GS750 and GSX-R750. And Yamaha’s DT1 and RD350. But BMW’s 1981 R80G/S belongs right there, and maybe right alongside that quartet of legendary, industry-changing Hondas, as its significance to motorcycling and to BMW Motorrad itself can hardly be measured. First, how many motorcycles can claim to have kickstarted an entire motorcycling category —let alone one that ends up dominating the market as adventure bikes do today? Almost none. But that’s exactly what that first G/S fostered in the 40 years since its debut. The G/S also literally saved BMW’s motorcycle division, which during the late 1970s was on the brink of insignificance and insolvency. And that’s where we’ll start this anniversary story…

motorcycles that nearly everyone loved. He took a look at what BMW R&D had percolating, and didn’t see much aside from the liquid-cooled, multicylinder K-bikes, which were on the drawing board but still years from production. But then he received an invitation by a group of engineers to come visit the R&D basement. “We have something to show you!” they said conspiratorially. Once there, Gerlinger was shown

an enduro-ized R80 prototype with a rust-colored fuel tank, knobby tires, monoshock suspension, lights and a solo seat. The comely proto had been developed by BMW engineer Laszlo Peres, an off-road enthusiast who’d been riding, racing and developing off-road BMWs for years alongside several other racers and company engineers. BMW’s “off-road” project had been vetoed by upper management in the early 1970s due to already strong

ay back in 1979, a gentleman by the name of Karl Heinz Gerlinger was handed the reins of BMW’s motorcycle division after previous management was pushed out due to slow sales. BMW’s big boss tasked Gerlinger thusly: Make the motorcycle division profitable again, or shutter the works. Close it down? “When you’re a young guy,” Gerlinger said years later, “and the big boss tells you this, it’s [difficult]. How can you think of [closing] BMW Motorrad? I couldn’t do it, nor could my colleagues.” But how to fix things, and quickly? Gerlinger’s lineup was old and stodgy, and couldn’t compete with the tech wizardry of Japan Inc., which had over the last decade flooded the market with light, fast, durable, affordable and exciting 34

Top: Developed during the middle and late ‘70s by Laszlo Peres’s engineering team (many of whom raced off-road BMWs themselves), the aesthetically challenged Red Devil prototype set the stage for the production G/S’s development. Except for the Monolever system, it was similar to the eventual production G/S. Once Gerlinger green-lighted the G/S project, work began in earnest, BMW tapping suspension and transmission engineer Rudiger Gutsche to lead the development team. Like Peres, Gutsche was a committed enthusiast and enduro rider, and also a perfect choice for the project.

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“It’s unique,” Gerlinger thought. “And different. It’s a new market for us. a bike that can go just about anywhere. And it would be easy to build quickly,” an important consideration. AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

People tend to overuse the term “game changer,” but that first G/S’s monumental impact to BMW and the motorcycling world simply cannot be overemphasized. sales of streetbikes (especially in the U.S.), as well as the idea that there was no need to spend precious R&D deutschmarks venturing into uncharted territory. But Peres’ team persevered, improving and developing the concept throughout the 1970s, and the rust-colored prototype, dubbed “Red Devil,” was the latest iteration of that effort. “It’s unique,” Gerlinger thought. “And different. It’s a new market for us…a bike that can go just about anywhere. And it would be easy to build quickly,” an important consideration. Within days, Gerlinger greenlighted development of the 1000cc

K-bike, which would hopefully blunt the technological edge of the Japanese, and the Peres endurowith-lights concept, which he hoped would be ready to sell in a year. In that moment, the legendary R80G/S was born. And with the decision would come, in time, an entirely new motorcycling category, many hundreds of thousands of sales — almost a million at this point — and literal financial salvation for BMW Motorrad. People tend to overuse the term “game changer,” but that first G/S’s monumental impact to BMW and the motorcycling world simply cannot be overemphasized.

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The 1981 R80G/S (“Gelande” means off-road/terrain in German, “Strasse” means on-road, or street) debuted in the fall of 1980 at that year’s Cologne show, and caused an immediate stir. Much of the reaction was enthusiastic, for an off road-capable BMW was unique in production motorcycling, especially one based on a street machine and not a smaller, lighter, single-cylinder machine, a formula the Japanese had developed during the 1970s with massive success. But some of the buzz was consternation, too, as a lot of folks, including some in the media, were unsure what BMW was up to with the

G/S. Conventional wisdom said it was too heavy to be proficient on the dirt; and as a streetbike it seemed an in-betweener, a bike without a category — not a sporty bike, not a tourer and, with its Swiss Army knife styling, sort of suspect as an everyday standard bike. Who’d want to be seen on something so funky looking? In truth, even BMW wasn’t quite sure what it had in the G/S despite Gerlinger and the team’s early optimism. “[The G/S] was launched in a somewhat sheepish fashion,” wrote British moto-journalist Phil West in his book BMW GS [Crowood Press, 2015], “with little fanfare. It was initially dismissed by many as a curiosity with minimal appeal, as is often the way with game-changing machines.” While many considered a semi-

off-road-capable BMW a strange concept, and maybe even a flailing shot in the dark by a company on the brink of failure, BMW did have decades of history and experience in the off-road universe: successes in the International Six Days Trial (ISDT) from the ’20s through the ’60s, and plenty of European and German off-road competition and race wins during the ’60s and ’70s. Things heated up dramatically in the ’70s, with racers close to the factory and factory engineers like Peres building serious and successful off-road race bikes using the company’s boxer twin engines. BMW even built a factory racer, dubbed the GS800, which it raced successfully in the German and European off-road championships. Naturally, the idea of a street-able version continued to percolate, and

the Red Devil — and the productionbased GS that would follow it — was the result. But would anyone care? At the world press introduction in France just two weeks before the Cologne show unveiling on Sept. 19, 1980, journalists got to hear all about the new bike. And that’s when the initial wave of doubts re-surfaced, even after Gerlinger explained that the G/S was a totally new type of motorcycle and not a direct competitor to the many lightweight, single-cylinder dualpurpose machines on the market. The media just couldn’t quite grasp what BMW was beginning to see; that a semi-off-road-capable streetbike with funky styling could be a desirable, do-it-all motorcycle, especially if done right functionally.

The production G/S’s look seems familiar now, but in 1981 it was an aesthetic oddity. Top: Dakar version hit the streets in ’84. Above: The most exciting bit of non-parts-bin technology was the G/S’s revolutionary Monolever system, which integrated swingarm, suspension and final drive into one neat arrangement. AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

“More than a few just did not get it [at first],” wrote Phil West about the intro, which he attended, “wondering aloud how an 800cc machine with a shaft drive and weighing 440 pounds could be even vaguely suitable for off-road riding.” Fortunately, BMW had 25 G/S bikes on hand for the press to ride the following day, and when editors actually rode the bikes, many of their doubts washed away. The bikes worked wonderfully on the twisty country roads and performed surprisingly well on the dirt roads along the route. Reviews in the coming months were mostly positive, even from journalists who’d expressed doubts early on, such as Cycle World’s late off-road editor Ron Griewe. “I’m not sure what this bike is supposed to do,” he said initially, writing later, “…after a day’s ride on the paved and graded dirt roads…the G/S

started to make more sense.” Das Motorrad, Germany’s leading moto publication, was more direct, writing that the G/S was “the best road motorcycle BMW has ever built.” Cycle wrote this: “Look at the G/S and define yourself by what you see. Too much bulk? One cylinder too many? Then you’re a dirt rider — admit it. But if you see a street bike that’s been trimmed of all fat to handle rough, potted country roads, then you’re G/S material. Enjoy.” Naturally, there was some grumbling about the G/S’ off-road abilities. When ridden aggressively it pushed the front tire, wouldn’t hook up (especially with stock rubber), felt cumbersome at speed and had cylinders that would bite your shins badly (or worse) if you put your foot out to slide around a little. Still, most editorial types understood that true

off-road riding was not what the G/S was designed for. Motorcyclist nailed the concept in its December, 1980 issue. “There is no question the G/S [can] rack up the miles at a blistering pace. BMW has built not your run-of-the-mill dual-purpose machine, but rather a full-fledged street machine [that] can occasionally dabble in the off-road world. The G/S offers unique and exciting opportunities in a whole new field of riding [emphasis added —Ed.], a field which it contests with virtually no rivals.” Exactly right. And exactly what BMW was after. Orders were brisk, with European dealers asking for many more units than BMW expected, and U.S. dealers stepping up, too, despite a lingering recession and slumping U.S. motorcycle sales. Retail G/S sales during 1981 ended up being

Images from the G/S’s worldwide media launch in ’80. Right: BMW boss Karl Gerlinger made two critical decisions in ’79, approving development of the K100 (shown) and R80G/S. The liquid-cooled K-bikes put BMW on a higher-tech road; the G/S supported the company financially short term, eventually creating the worldwide adventure-bike phenomenon.

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while worldwide numbers weren’t huge during 1981 (approximately 6,650 were built and sold), there was energetic enthusiasm for the adventure concept and the G/S itself, which boded well for the future of this motorcycle and the new genre. surprisingly good, customers apparently looking for something a bit different. And while worldwide numbers weren’t huge during 1981 (approximately 6,650 were built and sold, nearly 2,000 more than what BMW had planned), there was energetic enthusiasm for the adventure concept and the G/S itself, which boded well for the future of this motorcycle and the new genre. BMW would go on to sell nearly 25,000 first-generation G/S models through 1987. In 1984, to celebrate the G/S’ sales success, as well as the success the company had earned in the Paris Dakar Rally with production- and works-based

GS racebikes in ’81 (first, fourth and seventh) and ’83-’85 (three consecutive wins), BMW introduced the R80G/S Paris Dakar. The Dakar offered a massive, 32-liter (nearly 9-gallon) fuel tank, special paint, a solo seat with a luggage rack, stainless steel exhaust, a stronger battery and a bit more torque. With only 3,000 built, this most-special G/S remains a favorite of collectors to this day. Of course, the G/S was just the

beginning. In ’87, BMW replaced it with the R100GS (the slash was dropped), which offered a revised Monolever system (called Paralever) that incorporated a torque arm to minimize chassis jacking when the throttle was applied. Many thousands more were sold. Seven years later came the R1100GS (thousands more were sold), then the R1150GS (more thousands), and after that the R1200GS (ditto), and today the R1250GS Adventure (ditto again), with the F850GS offering a smaller, lighter and less-expensive option. Today, more than a third of BMW’s worldwide motorcycle sales are R1250GS models. How’s that for impact?

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“The entire GS line has not only been a sales and R&D success but it has grown the motorcycling market by introducing hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts to the adventure side of the sport.”

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Other companies — Honda, KTM, Suzuki, Triumph, Yamaha and others — jumped on board over the years with open-classers and smaller-displacement adventure bikes. Suddenly, the category was on fire, and helping generate millions of miles worth of experiences and adventures for its adherents, many

of which were baby boomers, a demographic that began turning 35 the year the G/S was introduced. It makes sense that Boomers would be so smitten. An adventure bike, with its focus on all-around function and a look that says “two-wheeled Swiss Army knife” a lot more than

race replica or chromed custom, is in many ways a more mature machine, a bike many boomers tend to embrace after they’d had their sportbike or cruiser fix. Riding an adventure bike is also a way to return to their youth and dirt bike roots, when wide handlebars and the thrill of getting away from Mom and Dad for a few hours on the trails behind your house or in the desert was the best thing that could happen to a kid after school or on weekends. Those minibikes and dirtbikes of our youth were freedom machines, adventure generators, and adventure bikes have allowed boomers to get back to that sacred place through the years. BMW feels good about its G/S — and GS — achievements, and should. “BMW is obviously very proud of that first G/S of 1981,” Heiner Faust, VP of Sales and Marketing, BMW Motorrad, told me a few years ago. “The entire GS line has not only been a sales and R&D success for the company, but it has grown the motorcycling market by introducing hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts to the adventure side of the sport. Motorcycling is all about adventure anyway, but the GS has helped put an exclamation point on it!” Indeed, it has. At a 30-year reunion for the G/S back in 2011, Gerlinger said this: “When I first tested the G/S prototype I said ‘Jesus Christ! This thing is going to make us or break us!’” With the R80G/S, Gerlinger and BMW were prescient. The company could not have known it at the time, but that first G/S was a masterstroke. Not just for short-term sales, which kept the company alive, but for the enduring power of the GS line — 950,000 sales strong so far — and the thriving category that so many millions of riders have thrilled to over the decades. In 1979, Karl Heinz Gerlinger was asked to make BMW’s motorcycle division profitable again. The R80G/S did just that…and so much more. AMA

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

One woman. One Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special. Forty-eight states. 7,983 miles. In nine days. Piece of cake, right?

BY WHITNEY MEZA WITH JOY BURGESS

or many of us, riding offers the greatest escape. Some ride for freedom and others for the thrills, but for AMA member Whitney Meza, doing the Iron Butt Association’s (IBA) 48/10 Challenge — created in 1988 and involving riding through 48 states in 10 days — was all about challenging herself and discovering what she was capable of on a motorcycle. With the help of an IBA volunteer, Whitney discovered that only a handful of women have been certified in the 48/10 since its creation. “That was the fuel to the fire I didn’t know I needed,” Whitney told American Motorcyclist. “I just had to take on this challenge now. It was an opportunity to see a lot of the country, go places I hadn’t experienced before, and add another female name to the Iron Butt Association records.” Riding her Sportster presented a challenge, not just in way too many time-sucking fuel stops but also in terms of survival, Sportsters being the polar opposites of touring bikes in terms of comfort. Enter Harley-Davidson’s new Pan America 1250. “I knew the 1250 could make this challenge easier,” Whitney said, “so I reached out to the Motor Co. and held my breath.” H-D came through with a Pan America demo for the entire month of June, and after packing its hard bags with everything she thought she might need, she headed out at 3:30 a.m. on June 21, 2021 to prove she could take on 48 states in 10 days, unaware of the mental toughness and determination it’d take to accomplish that. —Joy Burgess

SOLO THRASH DAY ONE

978 miles; 16:13 hours ride time; Wis., Ill., Ind., Mich., Ohio, Penn., N.Y., and Vt.

At 3:30 a.m. I was ready to take off from Wisconsin, but first had to clock my start time at a local Kwik Trip. Rolling in at 4 a.m. I met a fellow IBA rider just completing a Perimeter of Wisconsin Ride…exactly what I needed to get me going. I took off towards Illinois, crossing the Illinois Skyway Bridge just as the sun rose. My adrenaline was high, and I knew I needed to settle and find my rhythm. As I went up through Indiana and into Michigan, I finally did…until later when I hit rain leaving New York. It didn’t let up as I dealt with curvy backroads on my way to Brattleboro, Vt. Those last 120 miles in the rain tested me. By the time I got into my hotel I had a four-hour “nap” and just enough time for my gear to dry out on the heat vents before taking off again.

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This Swiss-Armyknife of a bike was perfect for the challenge. I’m grateful to H-D for loaning it to me, and if I’m honest, it’s been hard to get back on my little Sportster after putting 13,500 total miles on the Pan Am.

Those last 120 miles in the rain tested me. By the time I got into my hotel I had a four-hour “nap” and just enough time for my gear to dry out on the heat vents before taking off again.

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DAY TWO

694 miles; 12:30 hours ride time; N.H., Maine, Mass., R.I., Conn., N.J., Del., Md., and W.Va.

New Hampshire was my first stop that morning, and as I headed up towards Maine I could smell the ocean breeze through my helmet. After Maine, I headed south again, the sky turning dark. Rain left me dealing with slippery conditions and bumperto-bumper traffic going through New York City, onto the New Jersey turnpike, and then on through Connecticut, Maryland and Delaware. Constant downpours tested the capabilities of my waterproof gear, but after 10 hours of rain I finally saw the sun as I passed over the Delaware Bridge at sunset. While I hadn’t gotten as far as I planned despite 12.5 hours of ride time, a hot shower and sleep never felt so good! DAY THREE

919 miles; 12:37 hours ride time; Va., N.C., S.C., Ga., and Ala.

Waking up, I hoped the radar wouldn’t show rain…and it didn’t! That boosted my spirits because I had to make up time to get back on track. North and South Carolina were easy, but once I hit Georgia and all the traffic that comes with being near Atlanta, it got ugly. I was stuck on an on-ramp for more than 30 minutes in the blistering-hot southern sun, and the only shade was provided by the 18-wheelers that were next to me here and there for a few glorious seconds. When I pulled into Alabama I realized I was officially halfway through the 48 states. But unfortunately, with the delay from Atlanta traffic, I didn’t make it all the way into Florida like I’d planned. DAY FOUR

843 miles; 12:46 hours ride time; Fla., Miss., La., Tenn., Ky., and Mo.

I knew I had to make up time from the part of my Day Three plan I didn’t complete, so I was up before the sun. It was Day Four of the adventure and I was finally getting into a routine, taking cues on when my body was getting fatigued, eating at every gas stop and hydrating constantly. As I worked my way through the South I was asked multiple times at my stops if I was doing okay — apparently, a thick, black, textile one-piece in 90-degree-plus weather isn’t for the faint of heart. But I managed. DAY FIVE

1010 miles; 15:45 hours ride time; Ark., Kan., Okla., Texas, and Colo.

I knew Day Five would be the longest day of the challenge. Not only did I have just over 1,000 miles to do, but I had to make up some ground from Day Four, too. I hit the road at 4:30 a.m., grabbed a receipt in Arkansas, AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

I knew I’d like the all-new 2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America Special…I just didn’t know how much! The bike had all the bells and whistles I needed for the 48/10 Challenge — heated grips, cruise control, adaptive headlight, and adaptive ride height. I came to appreciate the comfy ergonomics and how easily I could stand up on the bike when I needed to. And it was fast!

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I pushed ahead into the night, trying to make up the lost ground from the previous three days. When I got to my planned stop, all the hotels in the city were booked, so I had to hop back on the bike.

then headed into Kansas and down to Oklahoma, where severe crosswinds beat me up. At the Texas state line I was greeted by a dark blue sky, so I stopped, frantically put on my rain gloves, closed my vents, got the cover on the tank bag and kept going. I rode into a downpour, but now had more confidence riding in wet conditions. I pushed ahead into the night, trying to make up the lost ground from the previous three days. When I got to my planned stop, all the hotels in the city were booked, so I had to hop back on the bike, go down through the beautiful moon-lit mountains, finally getting one of the last remaining rooms in Raton, N.M., at just after 1 a.m. I was so exhausted I just slept in my base layers, getting a four-hour nap before the sun rose and I had to be off again. DAY SIX

992 miles; 14:53 hours ride time; N.M., Ariz., Calif., and Nev.

I’d prepared this route with H-D corporate, as they wanted to get the Pan Am’s 10k service done, so I planned to be in Henderson, Nev., before dinnertime so the H-D service guys could stay late and do the service. Heading out of Arizona towards California, my Garmin navigation suddenly told me to take a different route. It was two hours out of my way, so I pressed on the pre-planned route. I soon realized the problem. There were local forest fires, with thick smoke covering the area. I rode through thick haze for miles, a large orange glow in the distance. Finally free of the smoke, I rolled into the Mojave Desert around 4 p.m., the temperature hitting 117 degrees. Every mile felt like a hot blow dryer in my face. I limped off the bike at a rest stop, exhausted and needing hydration and some air conditioning. I pressed back towards Nevada despite my exhaustion, finally making it to the H-D dealership in Henderson at 6:30 p.m. The H-D crew went to work, even adding a set of brand-new tires for me. DAY SEVEN

871 miles; 13:09 hours ride time; Utah, Idaho, and Ore.

The 3 a.m. wakeup call was rough. I’d only been asleep a couple hours and it took some mental toughness to get back on the bike. Heading towards Utah I was the only one on the road for miles, and watching the sky go from black to soft pink to bright orange through the rock formations on either side of the highway reinvigorated my tired soul. I wiped tears from my face as best I could through my helmet, reassuring myself I want to do this type of riding again. I enjoy the personal challenge…mentally pushing AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

through the lows and enjoying and embracing the highs. Alone on that beautiful, vast highway with not another human in sight for miles, it was the freest I’ve ever felt. That night, for the first time in the entire challenge, I knew I was going to make it. The adrenaline rush had subsided a bit, and I went to bed that night grateful for all my planning and staying the path I’d chosen. DAY EIGHT

840 miles; 13:08 hours ride time; Wash., and Mont.

Leaving Oregon, I was ready to turn towards home. Elevation changes left me cutting my gas stops close, coming into one with only 15 miles left in my tank. I loved carving through Montana’s curvy canyon interstates, but I never realized how large Montana is… it felt endless. DAY NINE

853 miles; 12:17 hours ride time; N.D., Wyo., S.D., Minn., Neb., and Iowa

Waking up I realized this was my last day of the challenge, as I had planned to do the 48/10 in nine days instead of 10. I breakfasted in North Dakota, did a quick jump into Wyoming, and then I was in the more familiar roads of South Dakota. Once in Minnesota I knew I was getting close…less than two hours to go! I rode those final miles through Nebraska and Iowa as quickly as the 65-mph speed limit signs allowed, feeling like I was crawling after being able to cruise at 80 mph for so much of trip. My final hotel stop was a Hard Rock Hotel. They had one room left; I reserved it no questions asked…I just wanted to be done! Walking into the room I started to cry as it hit me. I accomplished what I set out to do! I rode a H-D Pan America 1250 Special through all 48 states in under 10 days…8 days, 17 hours, 22 minutes, and 52 seconds to be exact. I walked down to the casino area that night, ordered myself a glass of wine (or two), mowed down some tater tot nachos, and celebrated by myself in a casino full of strangers. DAY TEN – Back Home! My challenge was officially over, and I’d proven to myself that I could push beyond what I thought were my limits, but I still had just under 800 miles to ride before I was home. As I pulled into the driveway at 8:30 p.m. that evening, my kids heard my bike and I could see their little bodies jumping up and down with glee. I hoped off the bike, was greeted with immediate hugs from the kids, and — thank goodness for modular helmets — lifted up that chin bar and welcomed a longawaited embrace from my husband. Home! AMA 48

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Heading towards Utah I was the only one on the road for miles, and watching the sky go from black to soft pink to bright orange through the rock formations on either side of the highway reinvigorated my tired soul.

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t 9:30 on a Wednesday morning in July 1976, droning southbound toward Reno, Nev., on two-lane Highway 395, my brain struggled to stay awake as a tormented fight between consciousness and sleep raged aboard my 1973 Ducati 750 GT. The numbing fatigue from over 18 hours in the saddle made me vulnerable to

the sweet, blissful slumber that whispered to me like a vixen. In such a state, this voice overpowered whatever judgment I had left, and I nodded off… With a lazy 30 degrees of rake and a long 59-inch wheelbase, at speed the GT was as stable as a Baldwin locomotive, and so even with its pilot napping it didn’t change direction quickly. Instead,

RIDING WITH

In the summer of 1976, riding a Ducati 750 GT 1,022 miles nonstop was like climbing the Matterhorn on a whim BY JOHN L. STEIN

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it almost imperceptibly banked left, like an airplane with faulty aileron trim. One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand; I was out for a three-count before my head lolled and I snapped awake — and realized the Ducati was heading toward the center line and a group of oncoming cars. Reflexively, I snapped

the bars left, centered the bike, caught my breath and assessed the situation, my heart pounding like a piston. Only good fortune had saved me. I exited at the nearest sideroad and parked, walked into a nearby drainage culvert, sat down and just shook. At only 22, I knew so very little. But I knew I’d been lucky. Really lucky.

LADY LUCK

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Confident, Not Competent Ironically, what had brought me to this place was not carelessness, but confidence. In the simplest terms, I just wanted to get from British Columbia to South Lake Tahoe, Nev. That it was 1,022 miles nonstop — an “ironbutt” ride before such organized events existed — was pure coincidence. And so, largely

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bereft of a plan, at 3 p.m. on a Wednesday, I nonchalantly bid my Canadian friends adieu, kickstarted the Ducati and headed south to the border. Summer meant daylight lasted until 10 p.m., so I rode happily and contentedly through Seattle on Interstate 5, and kept right on going. Around 8 p.m. I exited to look for a campground, but after wasting

both time and fuel chasing a bad lead, I gave up and rejoined the highway. Sleep? I’d deal with that later. Anyway, the Ducati’s silky 90-degree V-twin, tall gearing, stable steering and good ergonomics — at least for a 22-year-old — made it an agreeable touring companion. So agreeable, I didn’t even want or need a fairing: a drag handlebar

“The numbing fatigue from over 18 hours in the saddle made me vulnerable to the sweet, blissful slumber that whispered to me like a vixen.”

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was perfect, and with a thumbscrew to lock the twistgrip, it even had rudimentary cruise control. I didn’t know it at the time, but my long ride was a textbook example of the aviation principle “combination of adverse factors.” COAF is what leads to accidents when one small mistake, or adverse factor, combines with the next and the next, ultimately leading to a crash. My first failure was not creating a ride plan allowing for both rest and relief from the nighttime cold. The tipping point came after midnight. After some 600 miles I had filled up on soup, a sandwich and coffee at a Denny’s in Grants Pass, Ore., and made the spontaneous and ill-advised decision to keep riding. I was already cold, but figured it would be daylight in just five hours. Foolish Fuel Strategy Nowadays trip computers calculate fuel range in real time, but in ’76 this required mile markers and mental math. Fortunately, the Duc at least had a trip odometer. At about 45 mpg the 4.5-gallon tank netted a

200-mile cruising range, including reserve. I knew reserve could take the bike about 20 miles, tops. So that meant once I hit 180 miles, at touring speeds I’d need gas within 17 minutes — not much notice. Thus, while riding through Klamath National Forest near the California border at around 1:30 a.m., I grew anxious at the emptiness around

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me. There were simply no towns, and no road signs heralded any coming soon. The feeble lighting in the Smiths gauges didn’t reveal the odometer well, but there was enough light to see that I’d gone over 160 miles since the last fill-up. Finally, 179 miles into the tank, a sign appeared for little Yreka, 24 miles ahead. And about three

“my long ride was a textbook example of the aviation principle ‘combination of adverse factors.’ COAF is what leads to accidents when one small mistake, combines with the next and the next.”

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

minutes later, the engine dropped a cylinder, indicating that the fuel level was low. Panic and adrenaline came next, and as I switched to reserve, a quick calculation showed I’d run dry about two miles short. And between my position and the upcoming onehorse town — if there was a horse at all — were nothing but rolling hills, darkness and cold. There was only one thing to do — nurse the bike along, slow to 50

mph, tuck flat on the tank and use downhills to advantage by killing the engine and coasting, then restarting to power up the next hill. This was awkward and frustrating, and offered no guarantee of success. Nearly Stranded Shortly, the Duc dropped its front cylinder due to the shorter fuel line to that carb, and I knew I had, at best, a handful of seconds before it

“I felt even more tired and detached. A last fuel stop handled the Ducati’s needs, but breakfast and more coffee didn’t take care of mine.”

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became a 408-pound bicycle — with no pedals. Then, miraculously, the engine died just as the road crested, and carrying its panicky rider began gliding down the other side and gaining speed. And there, a mile in the distance, was a solitary white light, blossoming from the darkness like a tulip pushing through snow. Hopeful and wary, I vectored off the I-5 and down the offramp, only to find a red traffic signal at the bottom.

It too smiled upon the hapless rider, turning green just as I approached. The Ducati rolled silently across the intersection and into a 24-hour gas station, where the bone-dry tank drank to capacity. Today, such drama is unnecessary. Of course, with responsible trip planning, it was unnecessary in 1976 too. And this begs a philosophical question: If everything we do is 100% planned, with the outcome

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assured, what adventure is that? And more importantly, where is the self-reliance gained and reward earned? I believe that entering the unknown, and taking on challenges you’re not sure you can solve, is a more complete and fulfilling way to live. But not if they end your life. Running Down the Road If getting this far — some 700 miles in 12 hours — was difficult, my ill-advised long-haul was about to get tougher still. Turning east off Interstate 5 onto scenic Highway 89 through the Cascade Range felt

stand and started jogging down the road beneath a brooding canopy of pines. In high school I’d learned how running builds heat and stimulates alertness and cognition, and I needed both, immediately. My hands were numb, my core temperature depressed, and I was having trouble thinking clearly. Although full of food and coffee, and wearing every piece of clothing I had packed, I was still faltering. And anyway, I had no other good options, except for unrolling my sleeping bag near the bike and calling it a night. Unfortunately, these

like a victory, but it also represented extreme danger, because it’s coldest just before dawn. Also, the twohour leg to Susanville, Calif., would be almost entirely in darkness and through forest, where deer would not be expecting a solo motorcycle sprinting past, its rider numb, dumb and operating on gritty reflexes. After topping up in Mt. Shasta — and rattled by the close fuel call — I knew the bike had enough range to reach Susanville, 131 miles to the southeast. I also knew how to get there. But very soon I was fighting what had become shivering hypothermia, so I steered the GT off the two-lane, switched off the engine, leaned the bike on its side

words weren’t in my vocabulary. But they should have been. The running — perhaps a half mile — plus jumping jacks and stretching got my heart pumping and my brain working, and heating my gloves on the engine cases improved things enough to climb back onboard and head east through the forest, and then south toward Susanville, the Nevada state line and, eventually, the Tahoe basin. Within this personal pact with misery, I clutched two truths like a lucky rabbit’s foot: 1) Daylight was now just two hours hence; and 2) The running and heatsoaking my gloves on the engine worked, and I could do that again as needed.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

Into the Light Dawn creeping through the trees buoyed my spirits at first, but by the time I reached Susanville and Highway 395 heading south toward Reno, I felt even more tired and detached. A last fuel stop handled the Ducati’s needs, but breakfast and more coffee didn’t take care of mine. Instead, an hour later, nodding off to sleep nearly took care of me — for good. They say descending from the Mt. Everest summit is more dangerous than the ascent. The same was true here, because in that last 90 minutes of riding the weight of fatigue became impossible to carry. After recovering in the roadside culvert, I became a most careful motorcyclist, never exceeding 55 mph, continuously checking the mirrors and surrounding traffic, and precisely tending my lane position. At last, Highway 50 peeled west toward Lake Tahoe, and then, upon sighting the sparkling blue waters that Mark Twain called “the fairest picture the whole earth affords,” I knew I’d make it. Twenty hours and 40 minutes after leaving my friend’s house in British Columbia, I signaled, braked, downshifted and turned off Highway 50, picked up a winding service drive, and idled under the sweet-smelling Jeffrey pines toward the lake, the engine’s cam gears thrashing like cymbals and the exhausts booming like kettle drums in a symphonic finale. And then it was key off, fuel taps closed, onto the centerstand, and the ordeal was over. But there remained an unexpected final challenge: explaining to my family — eating lunch and caught off-guard by my arrival — where I’d started from that morning. I felt embarrassed, ashamed and selfish to answer, “Canada…yesterday.” I’d risked their lives, too. Someday, I’d like to once again take this same ride on the same bike, which I still own. But not this way. AMA

“They say descending from the Mt. Everest summit is more dangerous than the ascent. The same was true here, because in that last 90 minutes of riding the weight of fatigue became impossible to carry.”

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

MAKE IT YOURS The AMA offers a variety of card types and designs for members. In addition to our standard card, we offer a number of themed cards that identify you as belonging to a specific group or speak to your passion as a motorcyclist. Call (800) AMA-JOIN (2625646) to request an affinity card at any time, at no additional cost.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

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DEALS AND DISCOUNTS

Watch this space for updates about your valuable benefits as an AMA member.

THE ESSENTIALS Lodging

Motorcycle Shipping

AMA Roadside Assistance

Save 15% at participating Choice Hotels Properties.

Call Federal Companies at (877) 518-7376 for at least $60 off standard rates.

Roadside assistance coverage for eligible members.

Up to 10% off at Motel 6. Use code: M64AMA

Rider Accident Medical Plan For details visitjonesbirdsong. com/ramp

Car Rentals

Up to 25% off at any Avis or Budget. Avis Code: D388100 Budget Code: Z942000

20% discount off available rates, call (800) REDROOF and use the code VP+ 503343. To make reservations online use code: VP+ 503343 in the field labeled “VP+/ID#”

Motorcycle Shippers AMA members receive $25 off each bike one way or $100 off round trip or $50 each, multiple bikes, same addresses.

AMA Gear

Find patches, pins, T-shirts, hats and more.

Cycle Trader

10% discount on the BEST package. Use code AMA10

PRODUCT DISCOUNTS EagleRider

ADVMoto

For Club EagleRider AMA members receive 2 free rental credits

20% discount. Use code AMADV20

AMA Motorcycle Hall Of Fame

Evans Cooling System 25% discount on Evans Coolants and Prep Fluid. Use code AMAFUN at evanscoolant.com.

Free admission to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio.

EVS Sports

AMA Supercross Tickets

10% discount and free shipping on all orders. Use code AMAEVS20

10% discount on tickets at supercrosslive.com Use code SXAMA5

Haynes

Save an additional 15% on all Haynes & Clymer print and online repair manuals. Use code AMA15

Anthony’s Leatherworks

10% discount. Use code AMADISCOUNT

Heli Bars

Blendzall

Use code AMAM2020 for a 10% AMA Member Exclusive Discount at helibars.com.

AMA members can save 20% at blendzall.com. Use code AMA20 at checkout.

Helite Moto

Bohn Body Armor

AMA members get 15% off every order at helitemoto.com. Use code HELITEAMA

10% AMA Member Exclusive Discount. Visit bohnarmor. com and use code AMA18 at checkout.

International Motorcycle Shows

Butler Maps

AMA members receive a 20% discount at butlermaps.com. Use code AMAMEMBER

Legacy Track Dayz

Cardo Systems

15% discount on Legacy Track Dayz events. Use code AMARideLTD

20% discount online with valid AMA membership card.

Colorado Motorcycle Adventures

Liberty Sport Eyewear

10% discount with valid AMA membership card.

The Dirt Bike Academy

10% exclusive discount on instruction. Learn more at thedirtbikeacademy.com

Dowco Powersports 20% discount. Use code AMA20

Save on advanced adult oneday general admission. Use code AMA20

30% discount on all “motorcycle collection” frames. Discount code AMA30.

MAD Maps

Save 15%. Use code AMA15

Matrix Concepts

AMA members receive a 25% discount on most products for shop, garage & track necessities at matrixracingproducts.com Use code AMA25

Medjet ®

Air medical transport and travel security protection – visit Medjet.com/AMACycle or call 1.800.527.7478, referring to American Motorcyclist Association.Annual rates are reduced by 20% and start at $235.

MotoAmerica

20% off 2-day and 3-day passes at select MotoAmerica events. See AMA website for more detail.

Motool

AMA members can save 10% at motool.co. Use code AMAVIP at checkout.

MX Boot Repair

10% discount. Use code AMADISCOUNT

Risk Racing

15% off products at riskracing.com. Use code AMA15

Rlink

Rlink offers AMA Members 25% off industry leading GPS Security Systems. Use code ama2020rl

RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel magazine 20% discount. Use code CRIAMA

Rockwell Time

Save 20% on select products. Rockwelltime. com. Use code AMA20

Spot LLC MX Mounts

10% off on our mounts Use AMADiscount at checkout

MYLAPS

20% discount off MSRP or current sales price on weborders or orders coordinated by the AMA. Use code AMA-789HJK

Nelson Rigg

20% AMA Member Exclusive Discount on all products! Use promo code AMA-NR20

Powercases

15% discount on all products. Use code AMA15 at powercases.com.

Quin Design Helmets 10% off crash detection, SOS beacon, Bluetooth communication & more with your new intelligent helmet.

Rider Magazine

AMA member exclusive discount: $19.99 for 2 years (24 issues) + 2 extra free issues.

Exclusive service credit on SPOT Gen3, SPOT Trace or SPOT X device

STKR Concepts

15% off products at stkrconcepts.com. Use code AMA15

Street Skills

10% discount on online courses at StreetSkills.net. Use code AMACCOC.

Third Eye Design

$25 discount on inView, a wireless brake and signal light. Use code AMA at thirdeyedesigninc.com

US Chrome

$30 discount on cylinder plating and dealer pricing on Wiseco, Wossner, ProX and Vertex piston kits.

Varoom 3D

10% discount on stainless steel belt buckles. Use code 3dAMA at Varoom3D.com

Warm & Safe 20% discount. Use code AMA

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

For more information and the most recent listing of AMA Member Benefit Partners and discount codes visit americanmotorcyclist.com/deals-and-discounts

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COMING EVENTS

Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.

ARIZONA Dual Sport: Nov 6-7 Howlin at the Moon. Prescott Valley. Arizona Trail Riders. (602)-692-9382 arizonatrailriders.orgC Dual Sport: Nov 20. There will be Dust IX. PatagoniaTrail Riders of Southern Arizona (317)-441-3624 trsaz.org CALIFORNIA Hare Scrambles: Nov 6-7 Rancho Cordova. Dirt Diggers North M.C. Inc 1-800-hangtown hangtownmx.com Desert Scrambles: Nov 6-Centro Full Throttle EO, Inc. Veterans Day Dash.Superstition OHV Area Dual Sport: Nov 6. Dash to the Crash Boron.Lost Coyotes MC, Inc. (661)-803-3179 lostcoyotes.org Dual Sport: Nov 13-14 Buck Meadows Yosemite National Dual Sport (209)-993-7306 facebook.com/familyoffroad Observed Trials: Nov 14 Turkey Trial Boulevard Southern California Trials Association McCain Valley OHV. (760)-3374400 socaltrials.com Adventure Ride: Nov 26-27. LA Barstow to Vegas. ADV National Palmdale. AMA District 37 Dual Sport Embassy Suites Hotel (626)-446-6386 labarstowvegas.com Dual Sport: Nov 26-27. LA Barstow to Vegas. ADV National Palmdale. AMA District 37 Dual Sport Embassy Suites Hotel (626)-446-7386 labarstowvegas.com FLORIDA

NEVADA Desert Scrambles: Nov 13. Darkside Scramble Laughlin. Darkside MC. racemran.com NEW JERSEY Motocross:Nov 7. District 2 NJ Championship MX Series. Millville.Motocross Field of Dreams(856)-765-3799 njmpfod.com Enduro: Nov 12-14. WEROC Wildwood. Wildwood. WEROC Wildwood LLC (609)-425-5497 weroc.godaddysites.com Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: Nov 13-14 ECEA Hare Scramble Series. West Creek. Motorcycle Competition Incorporated. ride-mci.com Enduro: Nov 27. Sandy Lane Enduro. Greenbank. Meteor MCmeteormc.com NEW MEXICO Road Race: Nov 7. Deming Racing Arroyo Seco Motorcyclist Association Arroyo Seco Raceway (575)-494-4794 asmaracing. com Observed Trials: Nov 7. NMTA #13. San Ysidro. New Mexico Trials Association. (505)-780-2551 newmexicotrials. comNORTH CAROLINA NORTH CAROLINA Motocross: Nov 7 Ultra MX Series Ellerbe 910-895-4387 windyhillsportsmx.com OHIO

Dual Sport: Nov 5-7. Devil’s Creek. Brooksville. Dixie Dual Sport, Inc. (727)-919-8299. dixiedualsport.com Motocross: Nov 20-23 Thor Mini O’s - SX. Alachua. Gatorback Cycle Park. Unlimited Sports MX, Inc. unlimitedsportsmx.com Motocross: Nov 24-27 Thor Mini O’s - SX. Alachua. Gatorback Cycle Park. Unlimited Sports MX, Inc. unlimitedsportsmx.com GEORGIA Dual Sport: Nov 5-7. Tiger Drive In Theatre. Tiger. Georgia Recreational Trail Riders Association 770-517-8358 gartra.org Motocross: Nov 13-14. Cash for Class. Cairo (810)-569-2606 gpfmx.com ILLINOIS Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: Nov 7. BET Charity Hare Scrambles Belleville Enduro Team Inc (618)-277-3478 bellevilleenduroteam.com Dual Sport: Nov 7. Bitter End Dual Sport. Morrison. Brushpoppers M/C (815)-535-7916 timthedork.wixsite.com/ brushpoppers Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: Nov 7. CCDR Team Hare Scramble .White City. Cahokia Creek Dirt Riders (217)-7255048 cahokiacreekdirtriders.com INDIANA Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: Nov 7: Stoney Lonesome Hare Scramble Series Columbus Stoney Lonesome M/C 812343-4411 toneylonesomemc.com KENTUCKY Observed Trials: Nov 20-21. Vintage Cup. Taylorsville Trials Inc (502)-515-6514 trialsinc.org

Observed Trials: Nov 7. Banquet Trial. Pickerington. Trials Inc.(614)-561-8818. AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum trialsinc.org Enduro: Nov 14. Peace Pipe Enduro. Greenville. Treaty City Motorcycle Club Inc.(937)-459-0508 PENNSYLVANIA

Flat Track - Short Track: Nov 6. Birdsboro. Pagoda Motorcycle Club. (610)-582-3717 pagodamc.org SOUTH CAROLINA Motocross: Nov 13-14. Thor Mega MX Series. Hamer Victory Sports Inc. (423)-323-5497 victory-sports.com Motocross: Nov 14 AMA South Carolina State Championship/ Thor Mega MX Series. Hamer. Victory Sports Inc. (423)-3235497 victory-sports.com TENNESSEE Enduro: Nov 14 SE&TRA Volunteer Enduro. Bybee. Appalachian Trail Riders. (865)-322-0193 se&tra.org TEXAS Motocross: Nov 7. Come and Take it MX Series. New Ulm. Irondog MX. (979)-992-3161 irondogmotorcycles@gmail.com SUPERCROSS: 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross

Supercrosslive.com Round 1: Jan. 8. Anaheim, Calif. Angel Stadium Round 2: Jan. 15. Oakland, Calif. RingCentral Coliseum Round 3: Jan. 22. San Diego, Calif. Petco Park

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

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Round 4: Jan. 29. Anaheim, Calif. Angel Stadium Round 5: Feb. 5. Glendale, Ariz. State Farm Stadium Round 6: Feb. 12. Anaheim, Calif. Angel Stadium Round 7: Feb. 19. Minneapolis, Minn. U.S. Bank Stadium Round 8: Feb. 26. Arlington, Texas. AT&T Stadium Round 9: March 5. Daytona Beach, Fla. Daytona International Speedway Round 10: March 12. Detroit, Mich. Ford Field Round 11: March 19. Indianapolis, Ind. Lucas Oil Stadium Round 12: March 26. Seattle, Wash. Lumen Field Round 13: April 9. St. Louis, Mo. Dome of America’s Center Round 14: April 16. Atlanta, Ga. Atlanta Motor Speedway Round 15: April 23. Foxboro, Mass. Gillette Stadium Round 16: April 30. Denver, Colo. Empower Field at Mile High Round 17: May 7. Salt Lake City, Utah. Rice-Eccles Stadium National Championship. Supercross Futures AMA National Championship. supercrossfutures. com May 7. Salt Lake City, Utah. Rice-Eccles Stadium National Championship. Supercross Futures AMA National Championship Primary Qualifiers. South Central: Oct. 9. Conroe, Texas. 3 Palms MX Park. Northeast: Oct. 23. Shippensburg, Pa. Doublin Gap MX Park. West: Oct. 30. Pala, Calif. Fox Raceway South: Oct. 31. Jacksonville, Fla. WW Ranch. Northwest: Nov. 20. Tulare, Calif. DT1 MX Park. Southwest: Dec. 1. Buckeye, Ariz. Arizona Cycle Park. National Championship. Supercross Futures AMA National Championship Premiere Qualifiers. AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

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COMING EVENTS

Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.

Northwest: Jan. 15. Oakland, Calif. RingCentral Coliseum.

TRACK RACING:

West: Jan. 29. Anaheim, Calif. Angel Stadium

AMA Supermoto National Championship Series Tuscon AZ, Musselman Honda Circuit drtracinginc.com Round 1: Nov 6 Round 2: Nov 6 Round 3: Nov 7 Round 4: Nov 7 OFF-ROAD: National Championship: AMA National Enduro Championship. nationalenduro.com

Southwest: Feb. 5. Glendale, Ariz. State Farm Stadium. South Central: Feb. 26. Arlington, Texas. AT&T Stadium. South: April 16. Atlanta, Ga. Atlanta Motor Speedway. Northeast: April 23. Foxborough, Mass. Gillette Stadium. MOTOCROSS: MAJOR EVENTS: Thor Mini O’s: SX – Nov. 20-23. MX – Nov. 24-27. Alachua, Fla. Gatorback Cycle Park. unlimitedsportsmx.com FEATURED EVENTS: Cash for Class Scholarship Race: Nov. 13-14. Cairo, Ga. GPF. (810) 569-2606 gpfmx.com Arizona Open Motocross Championship: Dec. 2-5. Buckeye, Ariz. Arizona Cycle Park. (623) 853-0750, ext. 4, azopenmx.com STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS: AMA South Carolina State Championship Nov. 14. South of the Border MX. Hamer, S.C. (423) 323-5497 victory-sports.com Pro-Am Motocross AMA South Carolina State Championship/Thor Mega Series: Nov. 14. Hamer, S.C. South of the Border MX. (423) 323-5497, victory-sports.com Thor Mini O’s - SX: Nov. 20-23. Alachua, Fla. Gatorback Cycle Park. unlimitedsportsmx.com Thor Mini O’s - MX: Nov. 24-27 Alachua, Fla. Gatorback Cycle Park. unlimitedsportsmx.com Arizona Open Motocross Championship: Dec. 2-5. Buckeye, Ariz. Arizona Cycle Park. (623) 853-0750, ext. 4, azopenmx.com *Double Pro-Am points

Round 9: Nov. 7. Stanton, Ala. Gobbler Getter National Enduro. (205) 340-4298 perrymountainmotorcycleclub.com National Championship: AMA National Grand Prix Championship. ngpcseries.com Round 10: Nov. 12-14. Havasu, Ariz. FEATURED EVENTS AMA Sprint Cross Country Championship. sprintcrosscountryseries.com Round 9: Nov. 20-21 REGIONAL SERIES AMA East Hare Scramble Championship. amaeastharescrambles.coms. Knox Trail Riders Association Inc. knoxtrailriders.com Rounds 8-9: Nov. 6-7. Stillwater , OK AMA West Hare Scramble Championship. westharescramble.com Round 6: Nov. 6. Stillwater, Okla. Round 7: Nov. 7. Stillwater, Okla. Round 8: Nov 20-21. Wilseyville, Calif. North Bay MC State Championship:

www.mimiandmoto.com

JOIN OUR MISSION TO GET KIDS EXCITED ABOUT MOTORCYCLES 64

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

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#AMAADV

AMA Arizona Off-Road Championship. amraracing.com Round 8: Nov. 14. Oracle, Ariz. Xtreme Motorcycle Club. Hare Scramble Round 9: Dec. 12. Peoria, Ariz. Canyon Raceway MX Park in FAST’R Motorcycle Club. Hare Scramble RECREATIONAL:

AMA National Adventure Riding Series. americanmotorcyclist.com/nationaladventure-riding Sept. 11-12. Blue Ridge. Pineola, N.C. Appalachian Trail Riders. (704) 309-3271 carolinadualsporters. com Sept. 18-19. Buffaloe 500. Columbus, Ind. Stoney Lonesome Motorcycle Club. (812) 342-4411, ext. 4. stoneylonesomemc.com Sept. 25-26. Show Me 500. Bixby, Mo. Midwest Trail Riders Association (314) 434-5095 ridemtra.com Sept. 25-26. Big Woods 200. Wabeno, Wis. Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders. (920) 350-2030 widualsportriders.org Oct. 2-3. Perry Mountain Tower Run. Stanton, Ala.Perry Mountain Motorcycle Club. (334) 327-5086 perrymountainmotorcycleclub.com Oct. 2-3. Shenandoah 500. Natural Chimneys, Va. Washington Area Trail Riders. (703) 596-2675 watr.us Oct. 15-17. Pine Barrens 500. Cookstown, N.J. Pine Barrens Adventures LLC. (732) 995-4343 pinebarrensadventures.com Oct. 23-24. Cross-Florida Adventure. Bartow, Fla. Dixie Dual Sport. (727) 919-8299 dixiedualsport.com

SOME OF THE BEST ROUTES MAPPED BY LOCAL EXPERTS. A GREAT CHALLENGE WITH LIKE-MINDED RIDERS. A FULL WEEKEND OF ACTIVITIES, WITH CAMPING, FOOD AND PRIZES. AMERICANMOTORCYCLIST.COM/NATIONAL-ADVENTURE-RIDING SUPPORTING SPONSORS

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

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COMING EVENTS

Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.

Nov. 26-27. L.A. - Barstow to Vegas. Palmdale, Calif. District 37 Dual Sport. (626) 446-7386 labarstowvegas.com

Oct. 2-3. Perry Mountain Tower Run. Stanton, Ala. Perry Mountain Motorcycle Club. (334) 327-5086 perrymountainmotorcycleclub.com Oct. 2-3. Shenandoah 500. Natural Chimneys, Va. Washington Area Trail Riders. (703) 596-2675 Nov. 6-7. Hammer Run. Port Elizabeth, N.J. Tri-County Sportsmen MC. teamhammer.org

Beta AMA National Dual-Sport Series. americanmotorcyclist.com/national-dual-sport Sept. 11-12. LBL 200. Dover, Tenn. KT Riders. (270) 3506324 lbl200.com

Nov. 6-7. Howlin’ at the Moon. Prescott Valley, Ariz. Arizona Trail Riders. (602) 692-9382 arizonatrailriders.com Nov. 26-27 L.A. - Barstow to Vegas Palmdale, CA. District 37 Dual Sport (626) 446-7386 labarstowvegas.com

Sept. 18-19. Yosemite Dual Sport Adventure. Buck Meadows, Calif. Family Off-Road Adventures. (209) 993-7306 familyoffroadadventures.com Sept. 18-19. Buffaloe 500. Columbus, Ind. Stoney Lonesome Motorcycle Club. (812) 342-4411, ext. 4 stoneylonesomemc.com Sept. 25-26. Show Me 200. Bixby, Mo. Midwest Trail Riders Association (314) 434-5095 ridemtra.com Sept. 25-26. Big Woods 200. Wabeno, Wis. Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders. (920) 350-2030 widualsportriders.org

AMA National Gypsy Tour. americanmotorcyclist.com/gypsytour Laconia Motorcycle Week. June 12-20. Laconia, N.H. AMA Vintage Motorcyle Days July 23-25. Lexington O.H.

AMA Grand Tours. americanmotorcyclist.com/ grandtours March 15 - November 15. Texas. Motorcycle Grand Tour Of Texas. (210) 777-1434 mcgttx.com January 15 - November 30. California. California Adventure Series Southern California Motorcycle Association. (818) 397-5738 sc-ma.com 66

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

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BACK TO THEATERS THIS FALL!

OnAnySunday50th.com DIGITALLY REMASTERED • HOST A SCREENING • BUY TICKETS

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

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COMING EVENTS

Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.

HALL OF FAME EVENTS AND EXHIBITS AMA MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME

americanmotorcyclist.com/hall-of-fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame is on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Closed: Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Main Hall: Now featuring the 2019 Hall of Fame inductees, the main floor celebrates the heroes of the track, road, trails and halls of government who have elevated the sport, business and lifestyle of motorcycling to new heights. Founder’s Hall: Honoring the Hall of Fame’s generous contributors. The Birth of a Hurricane: How Hall of Famer Craig Vetter reimagined BSA for an American market. Sam Swope: Motorcycles that represent the generous, charitable giving of motorcyclist and philanthropist Sam Swope.

Lords of the Board Track: Board-track racing was one of the earliest formal motorcycleracing disciplines. It featured man and machine speeding around a simple wooden track while huge crowds cheered them on.

Learn why this form of racing dropped from sight almost as quickly as it emerged. Learn about the racers who dared to compete in this exhilarating sport and watch a video of actual racing from 1921.

It’s about the journey and the destination

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

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MotorcycleMuseum.org 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147 Facebook.com/AMAHallofFame • #AMAHoF

11/29/16 9/24/21 5:12 1:34PM PM

5:12 PM

AMA Trademarks The following represents active, registered trademarks, trademarks and service marks of American Motorcyclist Association, Inc. (AMA). Usage of any AMA trademark or registered trademark without our permission is prohibited. Please contact jholter@ama-cycle.org for more information or assistance. (800) AMA-JOIN® • AMA Dragbike® • AMA Endurocross® AMA Motorhead® • AMA Pro Grand National Championship® AMA Pro Racing® • AMA Race Center™ • AMA Racer® AMA Racing® • AMA Racing Land Speed Grand Championships® AMA Supermoto® • AMA Supercross® • AMA SX Lites® AMA U.S. ISDE Team™ • AMA U.S. Jr. Motocross Team™ AMA U.S. Motocross Team™ • Amateur National Motocross Championships® • American Motorcyclist Association® Arenacross® • ATV Hare Scrambles National Championship Series® • ATV Motocross National Championship Series® Flat Track Grand Championships™ • Grand National Enduro Championship® • Gypsy Tour® Hare & Hound National Championship Series® • Hare Scrambles Championship Series® Hare Scrambles National Championship Series® • Kids Just Want To Ride® • Motorcycle Hall of Fame® • Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum® • Motorcyclist of the Year® • Motostars® • National Adventure Riding Series® • National Dual-Sport Series® National Enduro Championship Series® • Protect Your Right to Ride® • Protecting Your Right to Ride® • Ride Straight® Rights. Riding. Racing.® • Road Race Grand Championships® Vintage Grand Championships® • Vintage Motorcycle Days® Vote Like A Motorcyclist®

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FLASHB A CK

Daytona: Adventures in Sand BY KALI KOTOSKI

hen we think about motorcycle racing at Daytona today, we conjure images of sweltering asphalt and speedway stands packed with thousands of fans watching racers zip by at lightning speeds followed by thunderous sounds. But that’s not how it started. It began with ocean breezes, a long stretch of hard-packed sand left from retreating tides, and a backdrop of a thin horizon as motorcyclists tucked low on their machines, going all out. With Daytona and Ormond Beach offering 23 miles of 500 foot-wide “track” during low tide, the Florida beaches were a mecca for topspeed contests at the dawn of the 20th century. Long before the Bonneville Salt Flats took its place

in motorcycling mythology, you had folks like Glenn Curtiss, who in 1907 crammed his prototype V8 airplane engine onto a bicycle frame and recorded an astounding (for the time) 136.8 mph speed in one direction. His return pass wasn’t nearly as grand, though, as his “motorcycle” disintegrated. While unsanctioned motorcycle events on the beach became a Daytona hallmark, it wasn’t until 1937 that the inaugural Daytona 200 was held, which brought out an estimated 15,000 spectators. For the race, the town had set up a 3.2-mile track that consisted of parallel 1.5 mile stretches of State Highway A1A and the beach. At the end of the 1.5-mile stretches were soft sandy U-turns.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021

Ed Kretz aboard an Indian Sport Scout took the win that first year, averaging 77 mph. A couple months later and on a Harley-Davidson, Joe Petrali set the bar for decades to come, averaging 136.2 mph. The Daytona 200 was discontinued during the war years, but was back in full force in the late 1940s and ’50s, with average speeds hitting 95 mph. But from 1955 until 1960, before real estate investors along with the county called the sand racing event quits, the Harley-Davidson KR became unbeatable. Luckily, a man named Bill France had the foresight to build a giant banked track just out of town. And while sand racing in Daytona is now history, that move helped launch a new era of racing.

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American Motorcyclist November 2021

Articles inside

THE GAME CHANGER

EVENT CALENDAR

SOLO THRASH

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IN THE CROSSHAIRS

COVER STORY ALPINE MOUNTAIN HIGH

BACKFIRES

MEGAPHONE

PERSPECTIVES