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Season of the Bike

There is cold, and there is cold on a motorcycle. Cold on a motorcycle is like being beaten with cold hammers while being kicked with cold boots, a bone bruising cold. The wind’s big hands squeeze the heat out of my body and whisk it away; caught in a cold October rain, the drops don’t even feel like water. They feel like shards of bone fallen from the skies of Hell to pock my face. I expect to arrive with my cheeks and forehead streaked with blood, but that’s just an illusion, just the misery of nerves not designed for highway speeds.

The Second Half of the Story

There is nothing about the aging of motorcyclists that makes them immune to the inevitable deterioraOon of both physical and mental faculOes experienced by the general populaOon as it ages. At age 40 or 50 you may say that you will never stop riding, but at age 60 or 70 you might find that your priorities are changing. Five to fifteen years down the road (depending on your current age), there are realities to face, such as lengthened reaction time, poorer balance, fuzzier vision, and ongoing medical issues. As you age, your priorities will very likely be shifting from motorcycling to health.

Ten lessons learned by a new off-road rider

In the years I’ve been riding, and those few that were off-road, I’ve been given endless lists of advice from folks much further from the “beginning” than me. Most have been heeded, but more surprisingly, I’ve learned a lot on my own. Though I’m still no expert, I think my wings are developed enough to leave the comforts of Novice and take off into the Capable. 

2016 IMAC Challenge Experience

After several years of not having a motorcycle, I purchased a 2009 KLR 650, and to me there was nothing more enjoyable than to go look and see how much more money I could spend on that brand new KLR (don’t tell Leslie, my wife, but as most of you know, it’s a lot). I wasn’t new to riding. I have had some sort of motorcycle since I was a kid. My dad, two younger brothers and I would be out at Blacks Creek, Reynolds Creek or up 8th Street almost anyTime of the year. I also worked at Carl’s Cycle Sales for 11 years in the 80’s and early 90’s, but it had been about 15 years since I had been off in the dirt. 

My Experience with the 2016 IAMC Challenge

Back in January, I signed up for the Challenge knowing that my summer was already booked up. My youngest daughter was graduating high school, my oldest daughter was getting married in June, and my wife was turning 50 in August, which meant a big celebration or trip. There would be a trip to Victoria, backpacking, and several vintage trailer rallies. I am reTired but my wife has a few more years to work, so I promised to keep the weekends for her. My strategy was to lump as may challenge points as possible in the fewest mid-week trips. 

Off-road riding Cps: When to sit, stand or paddle

If you are a brand new dirt rider, I suggest trying to stand while riding off-road as much as possible to get comfortable. At first, standing while riding may seem clumsy and unnatural. Over Time and with plenty of practice, it will become second nature. Being able to decide when to sit, stand, or paddle your bike through a section will conserve energy and leave you a more skilled off- road rider. 

Summary of the 2016 IAMC Challenge

While the majority of these sites could be reached on paved roads, many club members chose more adventurous off-road routes to visit many of them. What constituted a site visit was a photo of the participant and/or the participant’s bike displaying this year’s blue Challenge bandana at some point identifying the site. Credit for a site visit was only given to those participants who uploaded their photos to the appropriate 2016 Challenge site at motoidaho.org on or before December 31, 2015. In addition to the 40 small towns, there were 4 additional mandatory sites in order to achieve any Tire level. These mandatory sites included the 4 dealerships that are so instrumental in sponsoring our club – Happy Trail Products, Big Twin, Carl’s Cycles, and Snake River Yamaha. 

2016 Challenge Adventures

2015 was a fairly lean year riding-wise for me. I started 2016 out planning to correct that injustice. As early as the January Awards lunch, I started socializing the idea of riding the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route with a number of people. I was well on my way to planning that ride when the list of Challenge points was released. I quickly realized that many of the Challenge sites could be visited either along the IDBDR or on the way back home. 

A Different Kind of Challenge for 2016

We had an interesting concept for the Challenge in 2016. All but a couple of the sites could be visited without ever leaving tarmac. An unexpected type of challenge for a Dual Sport Club? Of course, no one was required to stay on Tarmac to get these sites. You were free to ride all the dirt road you wanted in capturing the sites if that was your desire. But this year, you had “options”. 

My 2016 Challenge Report

My first site was on a group ride that Mike Hardy posted for April 1st. We met at Carl’s Cycles, got the photo taken and continued with a great ride through the foothills north of Eagle. We ended up riding down to the Payette River near Montour and followed the dirt road into Horseshoe Bend in the dark. (One down and only 29 more to go.)