NRR January/February 2014

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“Your Northern Rocky Mountain Riding Authority”
Northern Rockies Rider
Volume 2, Number 9 • January/February 2014 • A Continental Communications Publication • [email protected] • 406-498-3250
Riding in opposite corners of the country
A departure away from snow and ice
Appalachians, Smokys offer superb off-season opportunity
By Cole Boehler
We were at our big Annual Memorial Day Family
Rendezvous, camping on our Jefferson River property in
Montana. My younger brother, Mark, and his family had
traveled from their five-year home, Charlotte, N.C., to
join us.
Sitting around the campfire, drinking a few beers, I
said to him, “We’d like to come out and see your part of
the country sometime.” His fine hospitality is legendary in
family circles. He encouraged us to give the idea serious
consideration.
A beer later I asked, “How about this fall?”
“Anytime,” he said.
After another round or two, I said, “Okay, we’re
coming in September or October.”
Marilyn and I, after further consultation with
See Appalachians, Page 2
Smoky Mountains offer awesome
twisties with radical elevation changes,
good pavement, light traffic and
splendid autumn foliage, all wrapped
up in one package.
Excellent gravel route
Spring Creek through Little Belt Mountains
By Cole Boehler
Mid-season, wife Marilyn and I had
a hankering to get off the pavement and
explore some good Montana mountain
gravel.
Friday morning we saddled up the
Suzuki DL-1000 V-Strom with tank
bag, soft panniers and textile tail bag,
loaded our stuff and headed east out of
Butte, Mont. on I-90. After 47 miles of
four-lane, we grabbed a breakfast roll
and good coffee at a bakery/deli at the
junction of I-90 and Hwy. 287.
Then we swung north to pound
out the next 32 miles of traffic and
the straight, boring two-lane of 287 to
Townsend. East out of Townsend on
Hwy. 12 is where the fun begins. This
route can also be approached from the
east on Hwy. 12 through Harlowton.
At Townsend one leaves the Missouri
River, running laterally across the
valley for a ways before ascending and
descending a series of big hills as you
sweep toward Deep Creek, which drains
this segment of the Big Belt Mountains.
Deep Creek has long been a favorite
for its light traffic and eight or so miles
of curves as you wind your way up and
They call it “Big Sky Country” for a
reason. Views are distant and grand.
through the canyon, timbered on both
sides. We’ve not seen a lot of game in
here, with the exception of an alleged
bear my wife says she spotted from the
pillion several years ago. (If I didn’t see it,
it is alleged!)
Traffic will be acceptably light and
is mostly local, meaning it can be slow.
The asphalt is rough in places though the
curves are engineered with a constant
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radius. We tend to achieve some fun lean
angles but most of the corners are blind
so keep your binders covered.
As Deep Creek peters out, you crest
See Little Belt, Page 8
Bike rental
experience was
smo-o-o-the
Young at heart
or young in age,
motorcycling
lifestyle lives on
Page 12
Page 20
Northern Rockies Rider - 2
January/February 2014
Appalachians
from page 1
Mark, settled on Oct.11-22, just as the
Appalachian fall foliage was hitting its
color zenith.
We knew Charlotte to be a
beautiful and historical city so wanted
to experience it, but, compulsively,
we wanted to tour the region ... on a
motorcycle.
We flew to Atlanta (cheap, $278
round-trip) and rented a car to drive up
to Charlotte where we spent a few days
with Brother, his wife Lisa Caye and
daughter Shiloh.
It was wonderful. We toured Uptown
Charlotte on Segues, even hit a blues club
for the tremendous Robert Randolph and
The Family Band (no one rocks and rolls
a pedal steel like Mr. Randolph).
Then we returned to the Atlanta area,
Marietta, Ga., specifically, where we
dropped the rental car and picked up our
2012 Yamaha FJR sport-tour rental ride
at WOW Motorcycles (<Eaglerider.com/
Atlanta>). (See the related story on the fly/
rent/ride experience beginning on pg. 12.)
into Georgia to Atlanta.
With the aid of state highway maps
and a packet of motorcycle-specific maps
we acquired from America Rides Maps
Honest, we hadn’t planned to ride the tail of the Dragon,
but since we were there... The chained dragon at Deal’s Gap
Motorcycle Resort.
(see sidebar article beginning on pg. 14),
we were ready to clear the Atlanta metro
area and go find the rural mountain
A very general depiction
of the four-state route.
We needed a machine that would
perform reasonably well on seriously
sporty roads, but would provide
acceptable passenger accommodations
for two, plus could handle seven-days
worth of clothes and travel gear. The FJR,
a bike we’re intimately familiar with, filled
the bill with aplomb.
It was comforting to not have to learn
a new bike when in an entirely unfamiliar
area, and one far more urbanized than we
are accustomed to.
The experience, the place:
Our route over the next seven days
was far too complex (haphazard?) to
review in great detail, so we’ll cover
the ride in more general terms than
customary here. The ride consisted of a
large loop with many smaller loops and
zigs and zags incorporated.
It was north out of Atlanta, in and all
around the north-central part of Georgia,
then further north into and through east
Tennessee, then northeast into western
North Carolina, then east, then south into
western South Carolina and finally back
riding we were hunting.
We survived the freeway traffic out of
Atlanta and within the hour had found
two-lane. We spent the balance of the
first day and
a good deal
of the second
playing on the
mind-blowing
roadways in
the Dahlonega
area of north
Georgia,
zigging,
zagging and
looping about.
Wow!
We were
impressed.
Little did
we know
how much
better it
would get.
We headed for more fine riding in east
Tennessee. We found ourselves in the
vicinity of Deals Gap and the infamous
Tail of the Dragon. Honestly, we had not
planned to ride it, but since we were there
anyway...
It was a Thursday morning and
there had been some light drizzle so the
surface was damp. We took it pretty easy.
There were a few other bikes and some
cages out cruising. We rode The Dragon
northwest to the end, then out to Punkin
Center where we got some barbecue, then
rode it back to Deals Gap.
Yep, that would be a fine sporting road
when it has light traffic and is dry. But
wife Marilyn and I agree that elsewhere
we rode even better, longer sections with
less traffic. You have to go root those out
on your own.
The tour included numerous sections
of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the
Cherohala Skyway.
We were interested in running the
enticing Little River Road bisecting the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park,
Knows
Roads
➥
Knows
the Best
It was all about color, and blooming roses in
mid-October pleased the eye.
but reasoned the federal government
shutdown had just concluded so the park
had only recently re-opened, and the lone
route through the park would likely be
jammed with tourists, especially given the
fall foliage coming into full splendor. So it
was crossed off.
All around these renowned routes we
rode segments of rural two-lane, most of
it acceptably smooth but narrow and with
no shoulders. Much of it exhibited steep
grades.
We avoided more urban areas such as
Chattanooga, Tenn., Asheville, N.C., and
Greenville, S.C. We had enough trouble
navigating smaller cities.
It occurred to us that this region was
being explored and settled 250 years
ago. The villages, then towns, then cities
grew up without the benefit of modern
planning, as we know it. Instead, roads
Myth buster: “You can never get enough of
winding mountains roads through stunning
fall colors.”
were established along water courses,
through canyons and hollers from
village to village, dictated by mountain
topographical features. Thus urban road
➥
ROADS
You need both.
GPS is terrific for telling you where you are . . . and where you’ve been. But
what about “the best” way to get to where you’re going? The twistiest,
most dramatic roads . . . the roads you brag to your buddies about!
Butler Maps fills in where your GPS falls short. We show you every great
road and rank them based on how good they are from a motorcyclist’s
perspective. We also know that ending your ride in a neat town with a
cold beer and hot meal is important so all of
our maps have QR codes to hook you up with
our recommendations. The next time you
want to explore the best roads in America . . .
don’t ask your GPS.
www.butlermaps.com
BUTLERMAPS
butlermaps.com
Appalachians
from page 2
systems often more resemble wheel
spokes than a grid.
Regional and urban signage can leave
a lot to be desired. It may be non-existent
to very confusing. GPS is helpful. We
also relied to a lesser extent on the iPad
for booking rooms, and finding some
locations.
That it was mostly cloudy and we were
almost always socked in by trees meant
we seldom had any accurate sense of
direction and often had a mistaken sense
of direction. Yet, 90 percent of the time,
with the America rides maps, we were on
track.
One thing we observed, many
residents do not know much about their
own town and area. Directions given
were sometimes erroneous, incomplete or
incomprehensible. And their directions
relied a lot on local landmarks and
features: that church, mill, trestle, etc.
Often when we asked locals about
how to get to a certain road, they instead
asked us where we were trying to get to.
They could tell us how to get to places but
not how to get to particular roads.
Sometimes at a “T” the road to the left
had a different name than the way to the
right, and then signs might point west
yet the route is designated “north.” One
section of road might have one name at
the beginning, a different name at the
end, changing somewhere along the way.
It’s a good thing we rode largely without
any itinerary.
The riding
Our riding was so leisurely and
spontaneous that at several junctions
we actually flipped a coin to determine
the direction we would head next. And
The Blue Ridge Parkway presented incredible views and a first-class roadway but somewhat
more traffic.
wondered what had happened to the
flying, helmeted individuals’ motorcycles!
It then became apparent our presence had
interrupted an extreme skateboarding
video shoot. The cameraman’s scowl
confirmed it as we slowly rolled through
his shot. Tough luck, buddy. Traffic
happens. Shoot it over.
As we approached the conclusion of
another day, we found a 20-mile piece of
tarmac descending steeply from the Blue
Ridge Parkway where speeds of 60 and 70
miles an hour could be attained, down to
35 or 40 in the sweepers where the edges
of our boot soles would touch the surface.
Some fellow in a yellow Mercedes –
we figure a retired NASCAR driver – was
really pushing it and we clung to him as
he executed the correct racing lines while
scorching his brakes. Fun, fun, fun!
Police were never an issue, and we
were glad we never found out how they
feel about motorcycle tourists enjoying all
that extra-legal entertainment.
The conditions
couple more with a tiny bit of drizzle and
only one with significant rain, all quite
acceptable, though the locals said they
thought it was “cold.” Ha!
Despite the heavy forest and
undergrowth, we only saw deer once.
We did spy a couple of ‘possum, a coon,
turkeys, but that’s about it. Road surfaces
were clean with the exception of wet
leaves in places. We never had to dodge
rocks or fallen tree limbs and sand wasn’t
a problem.
Climbing to the ridge tops often
revealed splendid panoramas of rugged
mountain ranges blanketed with
multi-hued foliage: kelly to lime green,
screaming yellow, flaming amber, blood
red and deep plumb.
Many streams and rivers have been
damned over the decades, some as part
of the Tennessee Valley Authority hydro
electrification project, launched during
to 250, mostly because the roads twist
and turn relentlessly, and junctions and
villages and towns are frequent.
We found that in some stretches we
wouldn’t get up into fourth gear, needing
only second and third for brisk touring.
Some intense segments and some days
induced significant fatigue, with soreness
in the arms, shoulders and middle of the
back – constant steering tension.
Paving quality was generally good,
ranging from brand new to mildly
choppy. Most roadway engineering was
adequate with turns exhibiting constant
radius, though more primitive sections
could host the occasional surprise.
Traffic was a minor factor, more so
in north Georgia and, of course, near
cities, but our constant quest for remote
riding, coupled with it being the shoulder
season, rewarded us with usually very
light traffic volumes.
The “culture”
We like to stop in the late afternoon
for a beverage break and to sample
local “culture,” perhaps one or two
hours before wrapping it up. Licensed
establishments are very few to nonexistent. However, if the need to formally
worship comes over you, churches are
in most places scattered at roadside
seemingly every three or four miles. (We
were worshipping the whole time we were
on the bike!)
Residents were universally friendly
and helpful. We found that with our
first utterance, the question inevitably
followed: “Where y’all from?” Geez,
do we sound that much like Yankees?
Apparently.
Unfortunately, we can’t say that we
found the dining to be noteworthy, with
the exception of one barbecue joint and
a Thai restaurant, both in Charlotte.
In search of
a memorable
meal, we went
to an “upscale”
restaurant in
Marietta our last
night and I left
three-fourths of
the formless and
tasteless fodder
on the plate, $17
wasted.
In our
relentless search
for remote, rural
From above 5,000 feet, looking down on clouds in the canyons.
back roads, we
did ride through
some “hillbilly”
the Great Depression. Thus there are
zones, but nothing worse than we’ve seen
numerous small lakes and reservoirs that
on some Indian reservations and remote
add to the scenery and riding pleasure.
Whereas in our usual Northern
We started our days
relatively late, 8:30 to 9:30
a.m. in order to allow it
to warm up a little; due
to space limitations we
did not bring our heavy
winter riding gear. Besides,
we were on vacation! We
usually stopped around
dinner time, 5 to 6 p.m. A
couple of nights it was well
after dark by the time we
checked into our motel.
This time of year (third
Out west we refer to these types of routes as “paved
week of October) daylight
logging roads.” We found many and missed plenty.
was in the 7:30 a.m. to 6:30
p.m. range.
The weather saw temps in the upper
with such fine riding in virtually every
Rockies summer riding environment we
30- to 70-degree register with a couple of
direction, the coin did not lead us astray.
cover 300 to 400 miles per day, in this
days of clear skies, several with overcast, a part of the country a good day is 200
In fact, one coin toss put us on the
most remarkable segment of the trip:
a little 10-mile piece that featured one
stretch of a very steep string of 15 pure
switchbacks where making the curve
was the virtual equal of a suburban street
U-turn, with right turns being even
tighter than left, of course. It was intense
as we changed directions 180 degrees on
the gas in first gear up a 20 percent grade,
this on a fully loaded two-up sport-tourer
with 1,050 GVW pounds.
We were riding another particularly
steep and remote section, uphill, when we
spotted a person standing at the outside
of a turn near the guardrail. We naturally
slowed as we approached the blind curve.
Suddenly three hurtling bodies flashed
into view, strafing the corner on ... what?
Skateboards?
We had a couple of sunny days but most were overcast to a degree; only one was rainy.
Yes, for a confused instant we
Editorial
Opinion
Recession behind, motorcycling now entering new ‘golden era’
Opinion by Cole Boehler
The year 2013 wasn’t the best for
the motorcycle industry, but it sure
was better than 2012, 2011, 2010,
2009 and 2008!
New bike sales are up and
manufacturers are once again
making substantial investments in
new models, and current-model
upgrades. There are probably more
machines for the rider to choose from
than at any time in motorcycle history.
The big news for 2013 was the
roll-out of the new Indian motorcycle
brand. In just two years, Polaris
Industries engineered and built a
clean-sheet machine that is getting
rave reviews and appears poised to
give Harley-Davidson a real run for
its money.
Competition is good. For years
the folks at H-D were largely resting
on “heritage” and “tradition” when it
came to engineering and technology.
It is clear the company understands
that strategy will no longer suffice
in head-to-head battles with upstart
competition, coming from both Indian
and Victory.
“Project Rushmore” is a heralded
H-D campaign to bring the company’s
machines into the 21st century
through innovation and application
of modern and sophisticated design.
The company even unveiled two new
entry-level scoots, a progressive 500
and 750 with aggressive price-points.
We expect a lot more in the next
several years.
In Europe, and maybe the world,
BMW is now acknowledged as the
leader in innovation and advanced
engineering. They weren’t fazed by
The Great Recession, exhibiting
continually escalating sales and new
model introductions.
This is from what was once a
stodgy company that used the same
cultish engine architecture for 70 or
80 years (sound familiar?).
They broke out of their selfimposed “air-head boxer” box back in
the mid and late 1980s by introducing
innovative, if not wildly successful,
three and four-cylinder models.
Eventually they got it right and now,
along with the traditional opposed
twin (with water cooling in 2013),
offer singles, parallel twins, in-line
fours and even an in-line six.
BMW is recognized for producing
the best sport bike in the world, the
S1000RR, and now a naked streetfighter iteration, the S1000R. They
also build the best sport-tourer on the
road, the K1600GT gran tourismo,
along with an “L” luxury version and
a new “Sport” edition. And they just
unveiled a naked “boxer,” the R
nineT. They are on a real roll.
Other European brands continue
to build sales by broadening the
model line-up.
Ducati just rolled out their newfrom-the-ground-up Monster 1200
hooligan. The Duck Panigale truly
rivals the BMW S1000RR for pure
sport prowess, and a stripped
down version, the “Streetfighter
S,” was just rolled out. Ducati’s
adventure/off-pavement excellence
in its Hypermotard, Hyperstrada and
Multistrada is widely recognized and
highly respected.
Even Austria’s KTM is fully
onboard the innovation bandwagon,
just releasing the uber potent 1290
Super Duke and Adventure while
continuing to develop and produce
street and off-road bikes of world
renown.
Other European marques – Moto
Guzzi, MV Agusta, Aprillia, Cagiva,
Triumph and more – are thriving
and releasing new models at an
encouraging clip. Even Royal Enfield
in India brought out a new cafe bike,
the Continental GT.
The Japanese brands, battered
by an unfavorable exchange rate,
simmering economy and lackluster
foreign sales, are starting to come
out of the doldrums.
Honda is creating new editions of
some venerable machines: the Gold
Wing-based F6B bagger and the
stripped down Valkyrie; the NC700
series of eco-twins (great price-point
and fuel economy), and a new 500
CC platform in triplet models that
is the standard definition of entrylevel. The company’s retro CB1100
harks back to 1983 with 2013-era
engineering.
Honda continues to build great
bikes of every genre including
touring, adventure, sport-touring (just
released a more sporty version of the
ST, the CTX), off-road and scooters.
Yamaha continues to update its
line, inaugurating an in-line triple in
an 850 CC street-fighter package
(FZ-09) and an upgraded sporttour FJR with electronic suspension
control. It’s daringly styled Star Bolt
has been a hit in the light cruiser
segment. The company is broadly
diversified in off-road and other
motorsports segments.
Kawasaki has built a new
lightweight sport-tour, the Z1000SX
based on the Z1000 with hard
panniers and other touring amenities.
The company continues to build
top-end sport, supersport, cruiser,
adventure, dual-purpose and off-road
bikes, ATVs and UTVs.
Suzuki, also highly diversified in
motorsports, but perhaps hardest hit
of all by the recession, unleashed its
all-new 1,000 CC V-Strom adventure
bike. It has also climbed onto the
bottom rung of the entry-level ladder
with its all-new GW250.
Keep your eye on the Koreans
and Chinese.
Yes, the recession slammed
motorcycle manufacturers, but riders
continued to ride, whether on trusty
older steeds or new iron right off the
floor.
It is now clear the industry is
recovering and heading into a new
age of technological and engineering
sophistication and innovation
incorporated into the most diverse
model line-up ever, yet with ample
attention paid to price point.
Sounds like the next “Golden Era”
is upon us.
Head down to the showroom,
throw a leg over the saddle, make
vroom-vroom noises, then convince
the sales manager a demo ride is in
order.
But be prepared to swallow the
hook. These modern bikes – and
accessories – are so good they sell
themselves.
Published ten times annually - Jan./Feb., March-Oct., Nov./Dec.
A Continental Communications Publication
914 Holmes Ave., Butte, MT 59701
406-498-3250 • <[email protected]>
Editor and Publisher - Cole D. Boehler • <[email protected]>
Business and Sales Manager - Dani M. Collins-Rollison
<[email protected]> 406-490-8472
Wyoming Correspondent - Dottie Rankin
<[email protected]> 307-660-5171
Graphic Design - Rocky Mountain Inspired - Joel & Steph Martens
406-333-2824 • <[email protected]>
If you would like direct home mail delivery, send your name, mailing address,
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All rights reserved by the publisher
Personal column
Opinion
The past year produced some highly memorable rides
By Cole Boehler
Editor and Publisher
Pend Oreille River, the east shore of
We then headed west to play
degrees at launch with temps hitting
Coeur d’Alene Lake and the St. Joe
in the Palouse Country of eastern
near 70.
River Road (with its brand new 12Washington (introducing this fine
I’m still trying to loosen up the grin
mile stretch of asphalt at the summit), riding region to the rest of the virgin
muscles.
Looking back, 2013 was a good
some of the very best in the Northern
crew). Then it was back to Kendrick,
Now, we’re waiting for that first
year in many respects, but was
Rockies.
Idaho, and up the White Pines
mid-40s day with ice-free roads in
exceptional
We won’t Scenic Byway to St. Maries, then
2014... February? Surely by March...
when it came
soon forget
the incredible St. Joe and back into
This is the time of year we are
to riding
that tour and Montana. Hot, but an absolutely
supposed to consider and appreciate
motorcycles.
forever will
splendid tour!
our blessings. I had many, many of
Cole Boehler
Personally,
maintain a
Marilyn and I got another overthem in 2013.
Editor and Publisher
I logged about
sweet spot
nighter in late September: The GoingAnd it’s the time when we make
9,000 miles
in our hearts To-The-Sun Road through Glacier
resolutions:
playing on my
for the
National Park, the last weekend
I resolve to ride even more in 2014.
sport-tourer
potent Duck, before the barriers went up.
I resolve to get back to the
and another
a real back
In mid-October, I enjoyed a full
Beartooth Highway, Chief Joseph
2,000 on my
road burner. day on a demo Street Glide, courtesy
Scenic Byway and the Bighorn
adventure bike. I even managed to
Things began to pick up a little as
Yellowstone H-D out of Bozeman/
Mountain routes of Wyoming, all of
rack up 1,600 miles on a rental and
we got into August.
Belgrade.
which were missed this year.
1,000 miles on demo bikes.
On an early shake-down ride prior
The year’s highlight (read about
I resolve to ride in Canada
My first ride of the season came on to our participation in the Big Sky
it elsewhere in this edition) was an
again, despite its loss as a bargain
March 2 and the last was December
“Into The Unknown” long-distance
11-day excursion (Oct. 11-22) to the
destination. We must ride the
14 (this one is “cheating” since it
endurance rally, I rode 829 Montana
southeast where we spent seven
Kootenay and Okanagon areas
took place in Arizona, but I did ride in
miles in one day on my ADV bike, a
days riding 1,600 miles of northern
of southern B.C., maybe over to
Montana the day before Thanksgiving! personal one-day best. Why has it
Georgia, eastern Tennessee, western Kamloops, Cache Creek, Lillooet
It got into the upper 40s!).
North Carolina
and Pemberton, out to Whistler, ferry
Marilyn and I had our share
and western South
across the water from Horseshoe Bay
of solo rides and we also
Carolina. This region
to Nanaimo on the coast of Vancouver
toured with friends on several
has perhaps the finest
Island, down to Victoria and over to
occasions.
riding in the U.S., that
Ucluelet on the island west coast:
I rode my two bikes but
is if you like technical
next stop west, Japan.
also got to ride a BMW
and relentless twisties.
Perhaps we’ll return through the
K1600GT, a Ducati Multistrada
I can’t believe I’d
San Jaun Islands, over the North
“S” Touring, a Harleyever say this, but after
Cascades Highway, reprise some
Davidson Street Glide and,
seven days we’d had
favorite Washington and Idaho routes
finally, an Indian Chieftain.
enough curves! And
as we head for home.
Talk about diversity!... and fun!
we found ourselves
Maybe we’ll get around to finally
We are usually confined to
longing for an open
filling our motorcycle bucket list:
shorter local day-rides early
view of some Big Sky.
touring New Zealand and Australia for
and late in the season since
All fantastic!
three weeks on a bike...
daylight is relatively brief, and
We found three
Oh, and in 2015? Yes, Alaska and
since early morning and late
other opportunities
back!
evening temperatures can be
in November for dayThat’s what New Years are for:
freezing. But if the roads are
rides, the last just a
fulfilling delayed dreams.
dry...
half-day sprint the day
May our fine readers have just
Early-season days we
before Thanksgiving.
such a 2014.
spend riding our favorite local
The bikes were
Cheers!
routes, maybe 150, 200 or
then
stowed
under
Our crew coming down Idaho P1 Labor Day weekend. No incidents, just
*****
250 miles. As the days warm
blankets snuggly in the
pure fun.
and lengthen, we might do a
motorcycle bay of the
Back in our September edition,
300- or 350-mile ride.
taken 36 years of riding to achieve
garage.
I wrote a personal column about
Sometimes in April or September,
that hallmark? Funny thing is, I knew
I did get one more very cool ride:
making incredibly stupid errors and
we see an exceptional weather
I could have done 1,000 that day, but
Dec. 14 I rode my wife’s cousin’s
thus earning membership in The
window and can get out for an overchose otherwise. Maybe in 2014?
Indian Chieftain with just 400 miles
Dumb Club.
nighter or even a three- or four-day
Shortly after, Marilyn and I took an
on the odo. We had over 650 when
One reader, wishing to remain
tour. Generally, tours of four or more
adventure tour that included about
we got back. (Read our review of
anonymous, later told me of his
days are reserved for May-August.
80 miles of mountain gravel through
the Chieftain in the coming March
Dumb Club
We have some great day-loops
the Little Belt Range of north central
initiation.
out of our home in Butte in southwest
Montana. This was just an overnighter
He had a
Montana: the Missouri Headwaters,
but we still saw 650 lonesome miles
new Harley
Pintlar Scenic Loop, what we call “the of Montana roads and beauty.
Sportster and
Dillon Loop” and a few others. We
Later in August we did another
was leaving
rode these in the early season and
adventure ride, this time through the
work with
again at the season’s close.
Centennial/Red Rocks River Valley
several of
Work kept us cooped up until June of southwestern Montana, near the
the fellows
when we took three days to ride what
Idaho border. It doesn’t take an ADV
standing
we think of as “the Yakk and Kootenai bike to do this unpaved route. If you’re
around. He
Country figure-eight.” This, in our
not a’feared of gravel, give this one
thought he’d
estimation, is the best paved backa shot: Lima, Mont., to Henry’s Lake,
give them a
country route in the state, one we’ve
Idaho. Truly majestic country!
bit of a show
had the pleasure of experiencing at
As the prime season began to wind
so wound
least eight or 10 times...and always
down, we worked up a splendid fourit up and
exciting. We rode this one with
day expedition consisting of five bikes
released the
Marilyn’s cousin from Arizona.
and seven folks, a pretty big posse by
clutch.
We didn’t get out on the road
our standards.
Riding the Indian Chieftain Dec. 14, last ride of the year and one to
After
seriously again until July when we
Over the Labor Day Weekend
remember.
he picked
rode about 1,400 miles round trip with our pack toured Montana’s Big Hole
himself and
the nexus being the upper Okanagon
Valley, U.S. Hwy. 12 over Lolo Pass
rashed bike up off the asphalt, he
and Kettle Rivers country of northand down along the Lochsa River
edition). It was surreal: riding a
central Washington. Of that, 500 miles (where I paid a fun tax to the Idaho
gleaming cruiser with 119 pounds-feet realized his error: he had left the
padlock in the steering head lock.
was completed on the Multistrada
authorities). The next day it was over
of torque in the mountain twisties of
Welcome to The Dumb Club,
demo bike.
little County P1, one of my top three
southern Arizona saguaro desert near
Gene!
On that trip we also got to ride the
favorite routes in the region.
Tucson to heights near 7,000 feet, 40
Opinion
When the bike is in hibernation, we need a diversion
By Dottie Rankin
NR Rider Columnist
much. She looks wonderful sitting in
the garage, but the sad fact is, she is
sitting.
Cold weather really is the Mother
Then I thought, well I will create a
of Invention for those of us who ride
seasonal diversion for myself to help
motorcycles.
pass the long, cold winter days. After
We are experts at finding ways
all, I didn’t want to be subject to the
to endure weather that is too cold to
dreaded winter doldrums any longer
ride.
than necessary.
To start with we need to get the
Thanksgiving and Christmas
bikes
seemed, in
weatherized
theory, a good
and ready
diversion.
to bed down
Presents to
Dottie Rankin
for the
buy, food to
Gillette, Wyo.
winter, then
cook, gifts to
Wyoming Correspondent
we need
wrap, house
to do the
to clean,
same for
company to
ourselves.
occupy... But
Now I
nothing – and I
know that an independent, modern
mean nothing – could get my mind off
woman should be in charge of
the fact that it was cold, icy and winter
winterizing her own bike, but quite
outside, which meant no riding.
honestly, my part of winterizing the
So I decided to talk – okay,
motorcycles in our household consists complain; okay, whine – to hubby
of “Honey, did you get the bikes
about my winter attitude crisis.
winterized yet?”
He suggested reading, working
It dawned on me that winterizing
on college coursework, cleaning,
the bike really wasn’t the issue; I was
crocheting, cooking, lavishing
having more trouble getting myself
attention on him.
ready to hang up the keys than I was
As he droned on and on, I sat there
preparing my bike for
thinking, “Seriously
a long winter slumber.
honey?” We are
Last winter an
talking about diverting
upcoming 4,000-mile
attention from riding;
motorcycle trip to the
those things are not
West Coast kept me
going to work!
occupied and kept my
So I did what any
head in the motorcycle
one would do who is
game. However this
facing a few months
winter there is no such
of not riding. I got a
diversion.
puppy! I thought it was
I have already
brilliant and insightful.
checked all my
Hubby thought ... well
favorite websites for
“brilliant” is not the
women who ride,
word he used.
Buggs The Biker Dog (version 1.1).
learning all about the
Buggs is his name
latest gear, makeup,
and he is an adorable,
apparel, apps for cell phones that
absolutely amazing black bundle of
assist traveling women, and any other energy. I have a new winter project:
tidbit of information that I could glean
whip Buggs the Biker Dog into shape!
from reading.
Little did I know the can of wiggling
I refreshed my techniques
puppies I would be opening up trying
knowledge, safety hints and tips but
to get Buggs road-ready.
I still could feel the gnawing growl of
I talked to Jesse Lane of Biker
PMS (parked motorcycle syndrome).
Dogs Motorcycle Club, which seemed
I could only clean, polish and
a good starting point to learn about
accessorize my beloved Glitter so
the world of biker dogs. This guy is
serious about taking his
furry friend on the road.
Lane told me that the
club is 2,000 strong with
canine and human members
in 10 countries. He said they
don’t have chapters, they
have packs; they don’t have
club prospects, they have
pawspects; and they aren’t
an outlaw club, they are an
outpaw club. Cute.
Earl and Missy The Biker Dog (version 1.0), both
They are defending the
seasoned riders.
rights of humans and the
dogs that own them, to ride.
the dog needs to be as safe and
The club sponsors a Howlister Run,
comfortable as we are. We carry
they have a Canine Independence
food and water and bowls, a favorite
Day and a “Barklaration of
blanket and toy, leash and a sweater.
Independence.” That is dedication to
We make sure the carrier is tightly
the four legged companions we ride
strapped down and our biker dogs are
with!
as safe as we can make them.
He ended the conversation with,
The next thing to consider is the
“We are the Furry Few. Arf!”
difference between the two dogs.
Outfitting Buggs turned out to be
Missy is a seasoned, slightly
easier than I expected and a lot more
grouchy, mostly laid back rider.
fun. There are dozens and dozens
Biker Buggs is a wiggly, energetic,
of stores, websites and catalogs that
ornery puppy.
help to prepare your pampered pooch
He is a ball of fire that can chase
for life on the road.
his tail endlessly. He can get so
I can choose from many options.
wrapped up in what he is doing that
There are doggles (yes, dog goggles), he falls off the couch not once but
helmets, vests, leg warmers, coats,
three or four times, yet is still up for a
sweaters, tank carriers, carriers for
game of hide and seek with his sissy
the passenger seat, and carriers to
Missy.
make poochie comfortable in the side
He can dart behind the couch,
car.
under the end tables and before I can
There are collars, leashes, chairs,
catch him he has half my crocheting
umbrellas, skateboards, toys... If you
project unraveled and in the kitchen.
can buy it for you, you can probably
Why do I think I can keep him
buy it for your biker dog.
contained on the back of my bike?
Don’t get me wrong. I am not
Because if he is related to me (and
taking lightly the responsibilities
he is) he will love riding a motorcycle
associated with bringing my beloved
as much as I do.
pet along on my motorcycle. Riding
I am looking forward to this
a motorcycle can be a challenging
adventure and plan to keep on
endeavor on its own. Add a dog to the researching the newest, latest,
mix and challenges are bigger and
greatest dog accessories and safety
wigglier.
tips. That should keep me busy until
We are not new to taking a pet
the weather is more agreeable to
along. We have an older Pomeranian
riding.
who is a seasoned rider and loves the
Editor’s note: When we’re
open road. She has accompanied us
icebound, we put on the boots,
on long and short rides. We put her in jackets, gloves and helmets, then sit
a well-ventilated, hard carrier on the
in chairs, hers behind mine. We play
back of hubby’s bike. Generally she is some video of twisty roads, then lean
an attention magnet.
in unison one way, then the other as
Biker Buggs would be set up on
the horizon on the television screen
the back of my bike in similar fashion. shifts and tilts. Making vroom-vroom
We need to remain conscious that
noises is optional.
Old School
Nothing is under control; never was, never will be
By Steve Kelley
NR Rider Columnist
quote.
As we are diving into 2014,
everybody is freaked out. The country
Henry David Thoreau said the
is in turmoil, the government is
majority of men live their lives in quiet broke, the ice cap is melting, the sky
desperation.
is falling,
This was
the sky is
the caption
falling...
on a poster
Well
picturing my
Steve “Big Daddy” Kelley
guess
first band
what, all
NR Rider Columnist
manager, who
you Henny
had a habit
Pennys,
of twirling his
nothing
handlebar
is under
mustache as he pondered a problem. control, so don’t worry. It never has
The look in his eyes confirmed the
been and it never will be. Old School
teaching says adapt and improvise,
i.e. if life gives you lemons, make
lemonade.
Bikers, as a rule, embrace this
concept. That is why we are “free.”
Free from the bullshit that rules so
many people’s lives. Security is a
full tank and good tires, not a health
plan and a 401K. We are driven by
adventure, not money.
Motorcycles are dangerous by
nature, and that’s an acceptable risk
given the monumentally positive
effect riding them has on our lives.
Personally, I think every day is a
gift, and I do not want to waste my
remaining days fretting the small
stuff.
I have been self-employed all
my life, like a lot of Montanans. It’s
a hunter-gatherer sort of life, good
times and bad, but the challenges
teach a valuable lesson – you must
believe in yourself. Failure is not an
option, so get it done.
All of my biker friends are of like
mind. It’s a common thread that binds
us as brothers and sisters.
As I ring in the New Year, I will
remember all who have passed on
with a toast to their lives, and honor
them by living mine to the fullest.
Ride hard, ride fast, refuel, and
repeat.
Opinion
An essay...
‘Brotherhood’ means love, respect, loyalty...and it goes both ways
By Ralph “Teach” Elrod
For Northern Rockies Rider
his helping hand to many more who wanted to get
into the motorcycle lifestyle. For 41 years Cz had
always been there for me and the Barons M.C.,
The word “brotherhood” seems to get thrown
not to mention his customers and his many, many
about a lot these days.
friends.
It’s not unusual to be called “bro” or “brother” by
Over the years, the thousands of side-by-side
someone you just met. Who are these people?
miles put on our bikes, and the adventures that go
Groups who spend time
hand-in-hand with those miles,
together in pursuit of common
produces an understanding
goals in which they must
and love that I can only
depend on each other, often
understand and explain as
form true brotherhoods. Groups
“brotherhood.”
like combat teams, firemen, law
Kenny Means, founder of
enforcement and motorcycle
the Righteous Ones M.C.,
clubs are obvious examples that
once said to me, “Caezar is
come to mind.
one guy who has never hurt
Outside of that circle of
anyone.” That fact, combined
“brothers” will often be a circle
with Cz being a world traveler,
of friends who want to be part
had led to him being a collector
of that brotherhood and in the
of everything, including
peripherals, they sometimes
women. There is more than
are.
one tattoo that says “Caezar’s
The dictionary defines
Girl.” Women seem to know
Ralph “Teach” Elrod, President of the Salt
brotherhood as “an association
how he feels about them; the
Lake City Barons MC, retired, and author of respect and love seem to flow
of men united in a common
“Kickstart: Memories of an Outlaw Biker.”
interest, work or creed.” I think
both ways.
in our motorcycle context, that
Last December Caezar
definition doesn’t go far enough.
returned from Europe with a cough that turned out
“Brotherhood” is also a combination of Love,
to be the first sign of melanoma cancer.
Respect and Loyalty, plus a feeling of protection for
I watched as his sister, Judy, and her adult
your brothers that naturally grows stronger as the
daughter, Monica, moved back to Salt Lake City
years of being so close add up.
to help. Club brothers, old customers and friends
Since “brotherhood” is an emotion or feeling, it
(both male and female), all started to show up to
is hard to define.
offer help of any kind. The love that is brotherhood
Using my brother, Caezar, as an example, I can was showing itself.
show you some anecdotal knowledge.
Judy, Monica and Jeff, the nurse, were all
As a young man, Caezar joined the Barons
amazed at the huge outpouring of love they
Motorcycle Club May 31, 1971. He worked hard
witnessed from all the big bad bikers. Lots of tears
to help build the club, with a saw, a hammer and a
and kisses.
helping hand.
I spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with
He opened a motorcycle shop and stretched out Caezar. He passed two days later.
Teach Elrod with his favorite hog.
What a large outpouring of sympathy we have
received from around the world.
The “citizen” world will probably never get it
when it comes to brotherhood and the love that
exists within that relationship.
Not understanding the disrespect or pain they
have spread by restricting the memorial services
to family only, many families do shut out the club
members who have been there for their brother for
years. The families often don’t understand what
brotherhood really means or how much it hurts
when you aren’t allowed to properly say good-bye
to your brother.
Caezar made a comment to me as he held
onto my arm and we shuffled to his chair that I will
always remember. He said, “Life is good Teach, life
is good!”
Good-bye my dear Brother. You lived your life,
full force!
Love, Respect, Loyalty: it takes all three and it
goes both ways.
Ralph “Teach” Elrod was president of the Salt
Lake City based Barons Motorcycle Club for
nearly two decades. A former teacher, he recently
authored a book titled, “Kickstart: Memories of an
Outlaw Biker.” He now lives in retirement near Wolf
Creek, Mont.
From NR Rider readers...
To the Editor,
Great magazine with great stories!
We would like to have Northern
Rockies Rider mailed to our home
(enclosed is a check).
Ken and Linda Schleman
Custer, S.D.
*****
To the Editor,
I am astounded that you can
put out a mag the quality of yours,
replete with the lengthy articles that
you yourself author, and still find time
for the 240-milers (and more) and
managing rally bikes and so forth – it
is all I can do to find the time to put
out three small club newsletters!
Jon Chacopulos, editor
Last Chance Riders Motorcycle
Club Newsletter
Helena, Mont.
*****
Dear Editor,
As an advertiser in the Northern
Rockies Rider publication for over a
year and almost since its inception,
I wanted to tell you how we have
benefited in many ways.
Our goal at Lava Mountain
Lodge & Wilderness Boundary
Restaurant was to rebuild our guest
base after completion of a nineyear road reconstruction project
on the Togwotee Trail (Wyoming)
to Yellowstone Park where we are
located.
During highway reconstruction our
small business experienced not only
an economic downturn but also a loss
of regular traffic and therefore most
of our traveling biker friends. While
the road was under construction and
the economy took a dive, we had to
get really creative to stay afloat as we
watched many local businesses go
under.
Lucky for us we had the
construction workers supporting
our business in the summer
and we depended on our winter
snowmobiling business to create
income to spread over the budget
year as best we could.
We are a small, independently
owned business lacking a large
advertising budget and were looking
for the most bang for our buck.
We found Northern Rockies Rider
and began a business relationship
with NRR
staffer Dani
Rollison.
We have found
our partnership with Northern
Rockies Rider to be one of our
most affordable and most effective
advertising tools. NRR reaches out
to the Rocky Mountain states and
Canadian provinces which is where
most of our motorcycle touring
crowd comes from. NRR is a perfect
match for the motorcycle enthusiast
and biker-friendly businesses in the
region.
NRR does a fantastic job with
the publication while at the same
time catering to the enthusiast and
biker-friendly advertisers with articles
related to the biker, the open road,
the bikes themselves, touring and so
much more. The publication is truly
beneficial to readers who are out on
the road or are planning to be.
For Lava Mountain Lodge &
Wilderness Boundary Restaurant,
NRR has been an important building
block to renew our biker-friendly
atmosphere and get back the
business we lost over the years
during road reconstruction.
NRR has done articles on the New
Road, now known as the “Togwotee
Trail,” to Yellowstone, offered
affordable and effective advertising,
published a business profile on us
that reinforced our rider friendliness,
and also presented us with a super
deal on a map insert pointing the way
to the Sturgis Rally.
We’re located between Jackson
Hole and Dubois, Wyo., outside
Yellowstone and Grand Teton
National Parks in the Wind River
Mountains literally 20 miles from the
nearest small town. We have realized
over the summer a great deal of
new business as a direct result of
advertising with Northern Rockies
Rider. We requested more copies of
NRR to give to our biker friends.
Lava Mountain Lodge &
Wilderness Boundary Restaurant
would like to thank Northern Rockies
Rider and all of our much needed
new friends for supporting our bikerfriendly small business. We will
continue our relationship with NRR
and look forward to meeting many
new friends and again seeing guests
that have already discovered our
biker-friendly business through this
great and unique publication.
NRR is a “for bikers/by bikers”
See Letters, Page 16
Little Belt
from page 1
to induce a little adrenalin flow. This
follows the upper reach of the south fork
of the Musselshell River so has a lush and
brushy bottom with good hay and plenty
of cattle. To the north are the Castle
The entrance to the Spring Creek route starts out with cool rock formations.
the summit and a splendid 20-mile
Mountains, to the south are the Crazies.
view to the east is revealed: the Castle
This day we ran 63 miles from
Mountains directly ahead and the Crazies
to the southeast ... nice! It is usually gusty Townsend into White Sulphur in order
to get breakfast at a restaurant we’ve
on top.
frequented on the town’s east side.
The descent is long and gradual as
The gravel route we were looking for
you make your way down into the Smith
(actually
paved for the first two miles)
River Valley to the junction with north/
leaves
Hwy.
12 about halfway between
south Hwy. 89. There are a few good
high-speed sweepers.
Many riders would
just run the eight miles
from the junction
north to White Sulphur
Springs where eastward
progress aboard Hwy.
12 would resume.
Some, others (us,
usually), would drop
south at the junction
to pick up little Hwy.
294 past Lennep and
back to Hwy. 12 near
Martinsdale.
Hwy. 294 is usually
almost completely
devoid of traffic and
features a few very nice
sweepers that can be
The upper plateaus open up into broad, grassy meadows, leased to local ranchers for
run at higher speeds
grazing.
Sha
Judith River Backcountry Drive.
As soon as you leave Hwy. 12, you
cross the Musselshell River, enter the
National Forest and start to wind through
a series of jagged vertical rock formations
and into the Little Belt Range.
The road is well maintained and, for
the most part, smooth, compacted gravel
but a little washboarded. It is easy to
navigate on a motorcycle, even two-up
on a road bike. It is wide enough that two
full-sized vehicles can meet and pass each
other carefully.
We’ve learned to stay off
unmaintained sections of backcountry
roads since we hit deep ruts in 2011 and
crashed hard enough to give Marilyn a
high ankle fracture. We’ve also decided
that a Spot Tracker device is a good idea,
as is a powerful handgun with extra
t
fa
a
d Dus
o
R
e
h
t
to
e
k
Checkerboard
and Martinsdale
(seven miles
to the east of
Checkerboard,
eight miles west
of Martinsdale.).
It is well marked
as Spring Creek
Road and gives
access to U.S.
Forest Service
Spring Creek
Campground
and the Lewis
and Clark
National Forest.
From the
other end, this
gravel route is
known as the
Welcome
Motorcyclists!
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All Seasons Inn & Suites, 808 3rd Ave • White Sulphur Springs, Montana
877-314-0241
www.allseasonsinnandsuites.net
Little Belt
Out of the Little Belts and
heading for our Lewistown bed
Now we were making 35 to 45
miles-per-hour. It was getting late in the
afternoon and we were thirsty, thinking
of a quaint saloon/restaurant just up the
road apiece in a little village known as, er,
Sapphire Village, a scattered collection of
houses and trailers 48 miles from where
we left the pavement back on Hwy. 12.
We were anticipating the Blue Nugget,
a “historic convenience bar and store –
‘Jewel of the Belts.’” It occupies what was
once a schoolhouse. The current owners
are Wisconsin natives so, as you’d expect,
this is Green Bay Packers Country.
The proprietors had just returned
from Wisconsin and were unloading
about a half pickup load of cheese into
the store’s coolers when we rolled up.
from page 8
ammo in case you have to spend the
night.
No such problems this day. Just
fabulous scenery and only two or three
other rigs coming down as we went up
for about 20 miles. This is the headwaters
of the Judith River, draining the southern
end of Little Belt Range east slope,
eventually dumping into the Missouri
about 130 miles to the north.
These are gentle mountains, rather
rolling, with plenty of timber, yet frequent
Some limestone formations are colorful and dramatic, including natural arches.
A small ode to renowned western artist
Charlie Russell.
open “parks” of hundreds of acres of good
Forest Service grass range, populated in
the summer by fat and happy black cows
with calves.
Look back toward where you began
for some grand views of multiple
mountain ranges with peaks maybe 50
miles distant.
We traversed this pretty country at
15-35 mph, mostly about 20 mph. It was
easy going so even the driver gets to look
around plenty.
At about the 14-mile mark, there is a
fork in the road; continue to bear left. At
the next junction, the sign will indicate
Hwy. 89 is 15 miles west (left) and Utica
is 32 miles northeast (right). Head for
Utica. Some day we will explore the route
Road signs are helpful; go right.
west over to Kings Hill on Hwy. 89.
You’ll pass over a summit, then
through some heavier timber before
emerging onto Russian Flats, a large
and open meadow with timber in the
distance. There is a grass airstrip and
campground. Along here the road
becomes known as the South Fork Road.
From here you can see a long descent
is developing which will eventually pass
through some limestone rock formations.
This is Bower Canyon, carved by the
South Fork of the Judith River and strewn
with choice camping spots.
The limestone rock spires will inspire.
A few even feature natural stone arches.
Often times you are fairly walled in with
only the road and river cutting through.
Just marvelous.
You may encounter more humans here
driver gentleman, Don Kitchenmaster,
struck up a conversation, noting we
were from out of the area. He’d been up
scouting some hunting grounds.
He had a military bearing and the
tailoring of his shirt indicated a uniform:
crisply pressed and starched but devoid
of any insignia. Turns out he was retired
highway patrol.
He asked where we heading and
staying. We told him our night’s
destination was Lewistown. He
mentioned his wife had a guesthouse
there that she rented out ... just 50 bucks
per night.
What?
A house for
$50? We got
the phone
number
to follow
up (406535-4327;
<cdkitchen@
midrivers.
com>).
Out of the
canyon the
gravel road
widens and
begins to roll
along more
open country.
The north end of the route pulls you through more rugged and scenic rock Here the trail
canyons.
is known as
Pig Eye Road,
as the shaded and forested canyon bottom and the Middle Fork of the Judith River
is obviously a popular summertime
joins the South Fork. Up the Middle Fork
camping destination. The road is
is Yogo Creek. It is in this vicinity that the
somewhat narrower but two vehicles can
world famous Montana Yogo Sapphires
still get by one another.
are mined on private holdings.
We did have a very fortunate human
encounter at the canyon mouth. As we
took a stretch break, an old Chevy pickup
pulled in with an ATV on a trailer. The
Sapphires of
‘unusual quality’
found along
Yogo Creek
The first blue pebbles found in
Yogo Town were a nuisance, tossed
aside in the hunt for precious metals.
It is said Jake Hoover, a trapper,
prospector and buddy of cowboy
artist Charlie Russell, began collecting
the stones in 1895, after failing to
strike gold.
He sent a box of the stones to
New York, where they wound up in
the offices of Tiffany & Co. Instead of
returning the exotic stones, the elite
jewelers sent a check for $3,750 for
the “sapphires of unusual quality.”
Shortly thereafter, a British
enterprise set up shop, collecting
more than 16 million carats of Yogo
sapphires over the next 30 years. The
gems were valued then at a combined
$2.5 million.
Today, Yogo sapphires are
as valuable as diamonds and as
precious as the sapphires of Burma or
Madagascar, which are treasured by
European royalty.
– <http://www.russellcountry.
com/Yogo_Sapphires_Montana.
html>
• Cabin Rental • R.V. Hookups • Full Bar • C-Store
Thirsty
Thursdays
$2 Beers
There’s plenty of scenic eye candy, especially if you prefer yours with minimal signs of
civilization.
Friday Fish Fry and
Bingo in the Summer!
Pizzas, Burgers, & Chicken
Strip Baskets
South Fork Road, Sapphire Village, Hobson, MT
406-423-5472
Little Belt
from page 9
We didn’t imagine the trove was all for
personal consumption so the store must
be the local cheesemonger headquarters.
A cold beverage and we remounted to
run the last dozen miles of gravel – a total
of 60 miles from where we first left Hwy.
outpost for local ranches.
Ah, pavement... We love riding the
gravel but always notice how nice is
the change when we encounter asphalt
again; to have our feet planted firmly
underneath us, so to speak.
Nine miles east on 239 to Hobson,
then six more to Eddie’s Corner, then
19 miles into Lewistown, just 228 miles
from where we began the day. We’d spent
almost four hours on the gravel, though.
Lewistown is the smack-dab
– the best of all topographical
worlds, it seems.
An 1880 gold strike in
the Judith Mountains to the
northeast was the impetus to
establish this city, now with
almost 6,000 inhabitants. It has
all the commercial amenities,
including a Honda-KawasakiPolaris motorcycle and ATV/
UTV dealer.
But we were after a $50
guesthouse! We called Don
Kitchenmaster’s wife, Cheryl,
and she met us at a good
Our $50 Lewistown guest house, motorcycling bargain
downtown establishment, the
of the decade.
Glacier Tavern on West Main,
run by friend Bill Kobitisch.
We’d paid more than $50 for a crappy
Cheryl showed us the way to the
dive motel room numerous times in our
furnished, cute, cozy little one-bedroom
travels; this was incredible!
with a living room, kitchen and bathroom
located on a quiet residential cul-de-sac.
Historic & Authentic Back Bar - Montana Style!
Full Bar • Appetizers, Sandwiches, Pizzas
Patio • Pool Table • Gambling Machines
Lots of Parking
Truly an oasis in a near wilderness, the Blue Nugget occupies an old schoolhouse at
Sapphire Village.
Big Sky Country People & Small Town Flavor!
17 North Central Avenue
Harlowton, MT
12 – to tiny Utica where the pavement
begins as Hwys. 239 and 541 meet Pig
Eye Road. Utica came to life in the 1880s
as a gold mining camp but is now an
geographical center of the state. It is an
almost-prairie town surrounded by small
mountain ranges such as the Big Snowy,
Little Snowy, Judith, Moccasin and, to the
west, the Little Belt and Highwood ranges
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• Plenty of parking
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• Easy Access and
Parking
Check out these businesses on Facebook for more information.
Little Belt
from page 10
Even though the kitchen was fully
equipped (including a full-size coffee
maker ... with coffee!), we chose a
next day 37 miles north of Lewistown to
Winifred, then another 50 miles of gravel
northwest to Big Sandy on Hwy. 87.
This would have taken us through
the Upper Missouri Breaks National
Monument, and across the Missouri
River aboard the McClelland Ferry,
one of three remaining free ferries in
Montana still hauling folks and vehicles
across the Missouri River.
When you take the road less
traveled (gravel) you see
things – even towns – you
had no idea existed. At right
is little Danvers, Mont.
Chinese restaurant on the
town’s main commercial strip
Back to our “guest house” and bed.
Originally we had planned to ride the
That will have to wait for next year,
for while on the road the first day, we had
received a message from Helena, Mont.,
friends who wanted to ride out and meet
night with one exception: my brother
put us up at the Marriot near the Atlanta
airport the first night – $395 per person,
from page 3 $495 for double-occupancy; $9 extra for
wi-fi! Ahem: out of our league.
Fuel prices in North Carolina were
“white trash” gulches in the Northern
about six to 10 cents higher than at
Rockies.
home; Tennessee about 10 cents less than
Here’s something that is different
here; Georgia about the same as home
from Northern Rockies riding: in this
and South Carolina 15 to 20 cents less.
region, businesses clearly recognize, and
Apparently state fuel taxes account for the
differences. As
expected, rural
fuel was pricier
than urban.
Still,
fuel prices
won’t make
a substantial
difference in
touring outlays.
So, our
real additional
touring
expenses were
airfare and bike
rental, near
$1,400.
But what is
Convenient mom ‘n’ pop stores were scattered throughout rural area.
the Northern
Marilyn pronounced the goober peas – boiled peanuts – to be “gross.”
Rockies
alternative to
so aggressively promote, motorcycle
an extended late October (or late winter)
tourism. It is a bona fide industry with
tour?
numerous enterprises almost solely
Well, a number of times we’ve
devoted to serving riders. We appreciated trailered our bikes to St. George or Knab,
the recognition and dedicated service.
Utah, then ridden southern Utah, New
Mexico, Arizona and Nevada. But add
The value
in wear and tear on the truck, trailer
and personal bike, then truck fuel – 120
Altogether the area offers a premiere
gallons or $360 – and 22 hours of driving
riding experience ... and it’s not all that
time, often over snowy, icy and sloppy
expensive when put into perspective.
mountain passes ... and the fly/rent/
Meal prices are similar to the
Northern Rockies region.
ride scenario starts to pencil out pretty
Lodging is somewhat less. We stayed
favorably.
in acceptable rooms for $60 to $80 per
Is it worth it? Well, consider: We never
Appalachians
us the next day. This meant reconfiguring Range, Hwy. 89 through Monarch and
our original route, so in the morning
Neihart, then over 7,393-foot Kings Hill
we headed west out of Lewistown on
Pass and down to White Sulphur, closing
Hwy. 426 along Big Spring Creek until
the loop.
the pavement turns to gravel at about 15
Then it was back to Townsend and
miles. Then we headed north for a dozen
north along the shore of Canyon Ferry
gravel miles past tiny Danvers to Hwy. 81. Reservoir, into Helena where our friends
We went west on 81 through
split off and we headed home 65 miles to
Denton (most excellent breakfast at the
Butte, 369 miles on day two.
Shadetree) and Coffee Creek, then picked
Exploring new gravel had been our
up Hwy. 80 northwest through Square
objective and we got to experience 70
Butte and Geraldine to Fort Benton (65
total miles of it. We’ll go back next year to
miles) where we met our riding friends
run the gravel between Winifred and Big
for a late and light lunch at the Wake Cup Sandy.
Coffee House along Front St., the main
Imagine living in Montana for 47
commercial drag which parallels the
years and not yet experiencing one of
Missouri River.
the three ferries across the Missouri, all
This is all big foothills, good scenery
accessed from gravel (Carter, Virgelle
and easy cruising on adequate two-lane
and McClelland)! They won’t be around
with almost zero traffic: very relaxing and forever; maybe not for long, even. That’s
enjoyable.
now on our 2014 bucket list: “The Three
We rode with friends Bob and Kris
Ferries Ride.”
Koch south
on Hwys.
228 and 331
through
Highwood
and the
Highwood
Mountains,
dropping into
Belt on Hwy.
200, 40 miles
further.
From Belt
we swooped
75 miles
along one of
our favorites
that splits the
heart of the
The return leg home with friends Bob and Kris Koch leading the way.
Little Belt
thought we’d say it
but after 6.5 days
and 1,600 miles, we
were actually tired
(I repeat, tired!) of
the never-ending
corners! This part
of the U.S. has more
curves per mile than
anywhere I’ve ever
ridden. Now add in
constant and often
dramatic elevation
changes...
It’s unlike
anything we’ve ever
experienced.
Sure, we have
good twisties out
The further north we traveled, the more brilliant the foliage
west, but these in
became. Locals often said, “It will be even better next week.”
the southeast are
our rental fees.
perhaps tighter 90
Will we go back and do this again?
percent of the time and go on unendingly.
Considering we only experienced a
Remember, we did not put many miles on
small
(but perhaps the best) part of what
fifth gear! And the substantial rubber we
scrubbed off the front tire was paid for in the region has to offer, hell yes!
Deciduous forests produce a screaming autumn pallet.
Late season fly-rent-ride
Our bike rental experience with
WOW/Eaglerider was smo-o-o-the
By Cole Boehler
after hairpin. She turned the bike rental
responsibility over to me.
It took a little digging but I
For our October 11-22, 2013, tour
came across WOW Motorcycles, an
of the southeast, specifically northern
Eaglerider affiliate in Marietta, Ga., just
Georgia, eastern Tennessee, western
north of Atlanta that rents everything
North Carolina and western South
except Harleys: full touring yachts
Carolina, my wife, Marilyn, as usual
from Germany and Japan, European
handled our touring logistics because
and Asian light and heavyweight
(a) her philosophy is passengers need
adventure bikes and, just what we were
to be useful and (b) she’s a lot better
looking for – sport-tour machines with
at planning details, i.e. dotting I’s and
powerful engines, decent cornering
crossing T’s, than I am.
and suspension characteristics, some
We knew what kind of riding to
protection from the elements and
expect and what we were seeking,
plenty of carrying capacity in integrated
which dictated the type of machine
hard panniers.
we needed to rent: something that
I noticed the Japanese brands all
could be ridden in a sporting fashion
rented for about $15 less per day than
(corner carving with zeal) yet could
the European rigs. We’re always about
accommodate two mature adults in
economy so opted for a Kawasaki
reasonable comfort and all our stuff for
Concours 1400 GTR, the “C-14”
a seven-day tour.
with 138 horsepower, 690 pounds
Of course, a sport-touring
wet, 200-mile
motorcycle
range, creature
was the
comforts like a
ticket.
power adjustable
Marilyn
windscreen, side
told me her
bags and so on.
Internet
The “Connie” was
searches
listed at $149/
revealed
day, not including
plenty of
various taxes and
Harleyfees. This was as
Davidsons
we shopped in
to rent, but
September.
little else.
Before I pushed
We know
the “add to your
Harleys do
cart” button on
what they are
WOW’s web site,
intended to
I phoned and
do very well,
talked to Eddie
but they are
Robinson who
not designed
heads up WOW’s
to be tossed
rental division
briskly and
Eddie Robinson, manager of the WOW
(they have over
vigorously
Motorcycles/Eaglerider
rental
operation,
shuffled
600 motorcycles in
into hairpin
the paperwork with expertise and efficiency.
“Motorcycling
Montana”
Ph: 307-685-4452 or
307-685-8100
100 Ross Ave., Ste. A,
Gillette, WY 82716
marlinsmotorcycles.com
Ride in...Ride out Oil Changes. No appointment necessary!
We offer detailed motorcycle maps for
the greater Smoky Mountains region!
Comprehensive 500+ Page
Touring Guide
Free Shipping
Use code NRR at checkout
motorcyclingmontana.com
store during our travels and bought
stock; yes 6-0-0!).
cheap, compact $9 rain suits which kept
He told me of several options and
available discounts to
consider. Add in state
excise and sales taxes,
even an “environmental
surcharge,” and we were at
$123 per day, reasonable
and within budget.
Candy Caliendo, project
manager at WOW, later
told NR Rider that pricing
fluctuates somewhat
depending upon a number
of factors such as timeof-year, length of rental,
AAA discounts and so on.
A renter is urged to check
current pricing on the
company’s Internet rental
pages, or pick up the phone At the WOW Motorcycles lot, our tour logistician, Marilyn
Irey, stows the GPS in a fairing glove box where there was
and call company reps, she
a power socket.
said.
Eddie also told me a disc
us dry during the one day of significant
lock and half helmets were included.
rain.
We value our faces, teeth and jaws
The company also offers several
so requested the full-face lids. He
“damage waiver” programs at various
upgraded us at no additional charge.
daily fees, but we checked with our
Thanks, Eddie. Jackets and GPS can
Allstate insurance agent and he
be rented, too. The company will also
shuttle renters within seven miles of the assured us we had the same coverage
while aboard rentals as if on our own
store.
machines. Still, WOW needed to
We were under the mistaken
arrange a $3,000 damage deposit via
impression that rain suites were
included. We stopped at a discount
See Fly-Rent-Ride, Page 13
• North Georgia
• East Tennessee
• Virginia
• South Carolina
• North Carolina
Purchase complete
southeast package at 10%
off and get a free personal
consultation to help plan
your ultimate trip!
“I think these maps allowed us to increase our riding enjoyment by a factor of two.
We wasted little of our precious time trying to find good routes; we knew where
they were...thanks to America Rides Maps.”
Marilyn Irey ~ Montana
http://americaridesmaps.com • 828-734-2164 • [email protected]
Fly-Rent-Ride
from page 12
our credit card, which was reversed
when we returned the bike.
The day before we left Montana,
Eddie called and asked if we would
mind a motorcycle substitution: a very
similar Yamaha FJR in place of the
Kawasaki. No, we wouldn’t. While we
were a little disappointed to lose the
machine we were entirely familiar with
(I’ve put 95,000 miles on FJRs).
We agreed to be at the store at their
9:30 a.m. opening time; they were
ready and we rolled away at 10:30.
Eddie processed the transaction with
efficiency. We sorted and loaded our
gear, then WOW securely stored our
excess baggage.
The company performs a detailed
inspection of the machine, noting every
cosmetic flaw. When we returned the
bike we passed the re-inspection with
The rental bike was just right for serpentine mountain riding in comfort for seven days. We
brought the tail pack as checked luggage and covered painted surfaces below it with microfiber towels to avoid scuffed paint.
opportunity to ride a bike new to us,
we were grateful to be able to ride in
unfamiliar territory and conditions a
no dings.
We used micro-fiber cloth to very
carefully cover surfaces that would be
contacted by our tail-bag, which we
brought as checked luggage and which
contained all our miscellaneous riding
stuff (we wore riding boots and jackets
on the plane), and we were both extra
careful in mounting and dismounting
to avoid scuffing the seat or the painted
side-bags with our boots.
Oh, and I was careful not to drop or
crash the thing!
We clocked 1,600 miles in 6.5 days
of riding. We typically would do more
but we found ourselves often pushing it
in second and third gear, running only
20 to 40 miles an hour simply because it
is all curves!
If I were to repeat the experience
solo, I would certainly opt for a
smaller, more agile mount – say a
BMW F800GS, to more fully exploit
the roadways in the region: very twisty,
very technical. WOW has them all from
a Victory Vision to a BMW R1200GS to
a Honda Rebel 250.
As a couple we spent about $560
for air fare, $850 for bike rental, $130
for fuel and near $500 for lodging. We
ate, of course, but we’d have to do that
at home, too. So for just a little over
$2,000 we had seven days of some of
the very best riding of our lives ... in late
October, when we often can’t ride in the
Northern Rockies at all.
How can you beat that?
Rating the rental
experience – five stars
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<www.Eaglerider.com/Atlanta>
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Product review from a passenger’s perspective
Appalachians: America Rides Maps are the touring ticket
By Marilyn Irey
Hardly possible there as a lot of the
time you’ll only be running 20 to 45
Anticipating our October 2013 trip
miles per hour.
to ride the Appalachians, I had ordered
He also clued me in to areas we
a few state
should avoid
highway maps
due to traffic
and travel
congestion,
guides.
since I
Marilyn Irey
I love this
specified our
Contributing Writer
part of the
love of lightpreparation
traffic open
and my
roads.
anticipation
He even
grows.
suggested we
As I started to study the maps, there try to meet him for a ride together!
was something missing, but I couldn’t
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
readily put my finger on it. Finally, as
Maybe next time... A real pro, but one
I started more Internet searching, I
heckuva nice, helpful guy, too.
found references to roads that didn’t
I know the technophiles are
even appear on the maps I had –
laughing about “paper maps.” Let them
highway maps were far too general.
laugh while moto tourists new to the
One day in my surfing and reading,
area and equipped with America Rides
I found the “America Rides Maps”
maps ride the best.
website. At last I had the tools I
We had a GPS navigation device
needed: area and regional maps with
with us and an iPad but programming
great detail produced by a motorcyclist the next day’s route would have used an
living in North Carolina and designed
entire evening because paved segments
for the motorcycle tourist.
are short with road name changes and
I enthusiastically mentioned
direction changes as often as every 10
it to my husband, Cole, and gave
miles.
him the contact information
Besides, trying to read a screen
(<americaridesmaps.com>). The next
and follow GPS would have taken my
day he called Wayne Busch, owner,
attention from the new sights in a
cartographer, explorer and designer, as
part of the U.S. I had never seen, and
This is just a small portion of one of the key maps: “12 classic Deals Gap Motorcycle Rides.”
he is identified on his website contact
page.
Check his contact page for a read
that lets you know he’s the real deal.
Cole first chatted with him and they
exchanged some materials. Then Wayne
suggested I call him to ask any specific
questions once the maps arrived.
I did.
He had some great insights about rethinking the length of our days given
the fact we would seldom be cruising at
highway speeds. In our own stomping
ground, we ride 300- to 400-mile days.
we desired a measure of spontaneity.
We did use the GPS less than a dozen
times in urban areas to find hotels or
restaurants.
The first eight pocket maps in his
“Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) Series”
cover the nicest roads surrounding the
entire 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway.
A ninth map, “12 Classic Deals Gap
Motorcycle Rides,” completes the
southeast series.
Maps fold out to 11.5 by 17 inches
on water- and tear-resistant paper. Each
map points you to the next adjacent
WYOMING CENTENNIAL SCENIC BYWAY
PATH OF THE PRONGHORN
ICONIC SKYLINE DRIVE TO ELKHART PARK
area and corresponding map.
Map 1 starts in Virginia, and
portions of that state as well as North
and South Carolina, Tennesse and
Georgia are in the series.
We also received a copy of Wayne’s
newest map, “100 Great Motorcycle
Rides in the Smoky Mountains,” which
is on a large-scale format to give
you the big picture of pocket maps
numbers 5 through 9. It is also printed
on a heavier coated paper stock which
should stand up well to frequent use.
It was handy having a broader area
perspective on just one map, but the
format was too large to be practical
for use while out on the bike; fine
for laying out on a table for regional
planning.
For our tour we relied mostly on
maps #3 through #6. Since we couldn’t
use a tank bag, they were usually
stowed in my inside jacket pocket, or
in a folder of travel literature we kept in
the tail pack. They would, though, work
very well in a riding suit or tank bag
map pocket.
My one complaint regarding the
See Rides Maps, Page 15
rides in the Blue Ridge and Smoky
Mountains than anywhere else!”
Yes: “The Tail of the Dragon,
The
Snake, Diamond Back, Rattler,
from page 14
Gauntlet”... Makes you want to go ride
there, doesn’t it?
The detail of these maps is
pocket maps would be that some
outstanding and valuable in routing
have a different fold-out perspective
motorcyclists onto local
roads with plenty of thrillsper-mile. Dodging the
occasional opossum is
far preferable to dodging
18-wheelers.
Let’s put it this way:
these America Rides Maps
allowed us to experience
the very best routes we
could get to in seven days
on the bike, and we found
routes there that were every
bit as good – and better –
than the fabled Dragon,
with a lot less traffic, to
boot!
We wasted little of
our precious time trying
to find good routes; we
knew where they were. I
think these maps allowed
Maps creator and publisher Wayne Busch. He lives there,
us
to increase our riding
he knows the roads. We trusted him and his America Rides
enjoyment
by a factor of
Maps and were rewarded.
Rides Maps
(vertical v. horizontal) so you may have
to turn the map from it’s initial fold
out position if the area being covered
is primarily for roads running northsouth rather than east-west. Hardly a
“problem”...
The maps also tended to eventually
exhibit wear right at the fold edges with
some minor scuffing and loss of the
printed image. Just goes to show you
how dependent we were on these tools,
and how often we referred to them.
Designed for the motorcyclist, all
maps have routes designated by color
coding as “best, good connector,
Blue Ridge Parkway, four-lane, twolane” and “unpaved,” with the mileage
between points plotted and listed. This
feature makes the maps very easy to
use and was invaluable when we were
looking for a road which was named
rather than numbered, or seeking out a
route to bypass an urban area.
All maps also featured a few
symbols and advertiser stops we could
anticipate using – motorcycle shops,
fuel, lodging and food.
Pocket maps also have very brief
descriptions of routes and some
estimated travel times on the flip
side. These descriptions are also color
coded by road name or number to
corresponds to the route on the map
itself.
For example: “NC (North Carolina)
80 connects to the Blue Ridge Parkway
south of Spruce Pine and ... is some
of the most challenging riding to be
found...well known for its challenging
curves and steep climb”... and “One of
the treasures to be found here are the
roads just west of Saluda crossing the
state line” ... or “Old U.S. 25 is a rough
but wonderful ride”... and “Your goal
should be to avoid U.S 19, perpetually
under construction and full of traffic”...
and so on. Good stuff.
It’s easy to be skeptical of a product
claim in these times of marketing
hyperbole and exaggeration, but after
using the America Rides Maps, we now
regard the following quote from the
website as fact:
“There are more great motorcycle
two. The America Rides Maps were the
perfect complement to our adventure.
From the ARM website:
Well known roads and rides
included:
• Complete Blue Ridge Parkway
(all 469 miles)
• The Dragon
• The Cherohala Skyway
• The Foothills Parkway
• The Snake
• The Diamondback
• Great Smoky Mountains National
Park
• The Rattler
• The Gauntlet
End-to-end Coverage of the
469-mile-long Blue Ridge
Parkway with -
• Every paved connecting road
shown with • Distance to nearest gas stations at
each exit and • The Best Roads in the surrounding
area plus - • Distance between roads and exit
mileposts and • Attractions on the Parkway and in
the surroundings
Complete Coverage of the
Smoky Mountains -
• Great Smoky Mountains National
Park plus • The south end of the Blue Ridge
Parkway • The Dragon at Deals Gap and • The Cherohala Skyway • The Tennessee Foothills Parkway
• More than 100 Roads!
• 25 Roadside waterfalls included The Most Complete Map of
the Georgia Mountains -
• The Gauntlet Motorcycle Route
• Blood Mountain area
• Unknown Great NC/GA border
rides
The local maps start at $5.99, and
the big regional map is only $19.99.
Wayne and America Rides Maps also
offer bundled packages, too, from
$16.99 to the whole works – nine maps
– at just $45.99. What a deal!
Satisfaction rating five stars
NEW DATES!
February 14-16
2014
Manufacturers Subject to Change
Letters
from page 7
small enterprise and brings together
through a common bond the reader,
the enthusiast and the advertiser.
NRR is one of the best advertising
decisions we have made in nearly 10
years in business.
James Jackson, Owner
Lava Mountain Lodge &
Wilderness Boundary Restaurant
The Togwotee Trail to Yellowstone,
Wyo.
Editor’s reply: Wow, James!
Thanks for the flattering remarks!
You confirm we are meeting our
objectives.
*****
To the Editor,
Sign me up for another year!
Enjoyed your presentation at
the Helena Last Chance Riders
Motorcycle Club meeting in
November.
Your reporter just interviewed my
85-year-old dad, Frank Flynn, for a
profile in (a future) edition. I think he
was probably surprised at how sharp
my dad is at 85. Still rides and flies
an airplane with me. I, as well as our
entire family, really appreciate you
and your magazine for this interview.
Thank you from all the Flynns!
Take care and thanks for a great
motorcycle magazine, the best that I
read.
Chuck Flynn
Helena, Mont.
*****
To the Editor,
I completely understand your
frustration with poor quality (re:
editor’s personal column, Nov./Dec.
2013 NR Rider). I, too, will not buy
Levis again due to their quality.
Seems like MBAs don’t
understand I don’t buy something
because it is $X cheaper than
something else. I buy for quality and
I am willing to pay for same.
I recently bought a toolbox
(Homak)to replace my old one.
I knew it wasn’t Snap On quality
but it would do for no more than
I need. Rolled over a little pebble
in garage and nearly dropped box
on my girlfriend’s car. The caster
mounting was not designed well and
the channel iron holding the caster
collapsed, almost causing me to
drop the toolbox. Just a poor design.
Bought a washer/dryer
(Frigidaire) last summer. The
mechanism for holding the lid open
on the washer is a piece of cast
aluminum with an ear to hold one
end of a spring and the other end
goes over a round rod with a setscrew to hold it in place. You can’t
tighten the set-screw enough to
keep the bracket from turning on
the round rod.
The lid has fallen on my hand
once and fallen on girlfriend’s
hand once. It is just a poor design.
How much more would it cost to
make that part right?
It seems like a lot of the poor
quality, except Levis, is a result of
bad design. The washer part might
have cost them $1 to make it right.
By the way, I rarely shop at
Wal-Mart.
Regards,
Mark Bray
Editor’s reply: We’re on the
same page, Mark. I think a lot of
the poor quality design you refer
to is the equivalent of “cheap
design,” also the result of the
never ending drive to low price
and poor quality.
Events Calendar
National
• Feb. 28-March 9 - Daytona Bike Week,
Daytona Beach, Fla.,
<officialbikeweek.com>
• April 23-27 - Laughlin River Run,
Laughlin, Nev., <laughlinriverrun.com>
• June 2-7 - Americade, Lake George, NY,
518-798-7888, <americade.com>
• June 14-22 - Laconia Motorcycle Week,
Laconia, N.H., <laconiamcweek.com>
• June 16 - Ride Your Motorcycle To
Work Day, <ridetowork.org>
• July 2-5 - GWRRA Wing Ding,
Madison, WI, Alliant Energy Center,
1919 Alliant Energy Center Way,
1-800-843-9460, <gwrra.com>,
<[email protected]>
• July 20-Aug. 2 - Hoka Hey Motorcycle
(endurance) Challenge, Key West, Fla.
to Homer, Alaska, Beth Durham,
605-890-0386,
<[email protected]>,
<hokaheychallenge.com>
• Aug. 4-10 - 74th Annual Sturgis
Motorcycle Rally, Sturgis, So. Dak.,
<sturgismotorcyclerally.com>
• Oct. 15-19 - American International
Motorcycle Expo, Orlando, Fla., Orange
Co. Convention Center, 855-527-4697,
<aimexpousa.com>
Alberta
• March 13-16 - Edmonton Boat
& Sportsmen’s Show, Northlands,
Edmonton Expo Centre, Laurie Paetz,
403-245-9008, <[email protected]>,
<edmontonboatandsportshow.ca>
• July 3-5 - Sea to Sky Western
Regional (B.C., AB, SK) H.O.G. Rally,
Squamish, B.C., Executive Inn &
Suites, Len Bowman, <assistantdirector@
vancouverbccanadachapter.com>,
<seatosky2014.com>
• July 11-14 - Hawg Flatts Annual Pig
Roast & Bike Rally, Athabasca,
<hawgflatts.com>
• July 12 - Motorcycle Madness,
Drumheller, <motorcyclemadness.ca>
British Columbia
• April 27 - Classic & Vintage MC Swap
Meet and Show ‘n’ Shine, Tsawwassen,
South Delta Recreation Center,
1720 56th St., 604-299-0020,
<[email protected]>
• July 3-5 - Sea to Sky Western
Regional (B.C., AB, SK) H.O.G. Rally,
Squamish, Executive Inn & Suites,
Len Bowman, <assistantdirector@
vancouverbccanadachapter.com>,
<seatosky2014.com>
• July 3-6 - Horsethief Hideout
Memorial MC Rally, Invermere,
8250 Westside Rd., Gary Oja,
250-347-6407, <horsethirfhideout.com>,
<[email protected]>
• July 17-20 - Summer Stomp & Burnout,
Sicamous, Main Street, 250-517-8090
<summerstomp.ca>
• Aug. 9-10 - Cumberland MC
Roundup, Cumberland, 250-336-8746,
<cumberlandmotorcycleroundup.com>
• Sept. 13 - Port Alberni Toy Run,
Glenwood Center, 250-731-4728,
<[email protected]>, <patoyrun@
gmail.com>, <members.shaw.ca/toyrun>
Idaho
• Feb. 14-16 - AMA Arenacross,
Nampa, Idaho Center, 16200 Can-Ada
Rd., Bill Heras, <[email protected]>,
<arenacross.com>
• April 27 - Sweet-Ola Ride-AuctionBBQ, Sweet, Triangle Inn, 208-867-9105
• July 12-14 - Rally in the Valley, Twin
Falls (Murtaugh Lake), Jeff Olson,
208-539-2699,
<[email protected]>
• July 24-27 - Tri-State (ID, WA, OR)
H.O.G. Rally, Spokane, 19011 E. Cataldo
Rd., <lonewolfhog.com/pnw-hog-rallyinformation>
• Sept. 11-14 - Roads and Trails Rally
Series (Christian), Kamiah, Lewis-Clark
Resort, 4243 Hwy. 12, <cmafastlanetalk.org>
• Sept. 12-14 - Big Nasty Hill Climb,
Payette, 4933 Big Willow Creek Rd., Rob,
<bignastyhillclimb.com>
Montana
• June 13-14 – Nitro National Pro
Hillclimb, Columbus, Don Beer,
406-321-0000, <nitronationals.com>
• July 3-6 - Montana State H.O.G. Rally,
Billings, Beartooth H-D, 6900 S.
Frontage Rd., Collette, 406-252-2888,
<[email protected]>
• July 10-12 - GWRRA District
Convention, Big Sky, Huntley Lodge,
<gwrra-mtdistrict.org>
• July 18-20 - Beartooth Rally, Red Lodge,
Bonedaddy, 888-827-2663,
<beartoothrally.com>, <beartoothonline.com>
• July 24-26 - Evel Knievel Days, Butte,
<[email protected]>, <knieveldays.com>
• July 30-Aug. 5 - Testicle Festival, Rock
Creek Lodge (20 miles east of Missoula
on I-90), Matt Powers, 406-825-4868,
<testyfesty.com>
South Dakota
• June 19-21 - So. Dak. State H.O.G. Rally,
Watertown, <[email protected]>,
<sdstatehogrally.com>
• July 11-13 - Hot Harley Nights,
downtown Sioux Falls, 605-334-2721,
<[email protected]>, <hotharleynights.com>
• Aug. 4-10 - 74th Annual Sturgis
Motorcycle Rally, Sturgis, So. Dak.,
<sturgismotorcyclerally.com>
• Aug. 5 - AMA Pro Flat Track Racing,
Rapid City, Black Hills Speedway, 2467
Jolly Ln., 386-492-1014,
<amaproracing.com/ft/events/>
• Aug. 7-8 – Nitro National Pro Hillclimb,
Sturgis, Buffalo Chip Campground, Don
Beer, 406-321-0000, <nitronational.com>
Washington
• Feb. 14-16 - Progressive International
Motorcycle Show, Seattle, Washington
State Convention Center, 800
Convention Place, 800-331-5706,
<motorcycleshows.com>
• Feb. 22 - Indoor Flat Track Racing,
Puyallup, Paulhamus Arena, Western
Washington Fairgrounds, 252-422-4263,
<mickeyfayraces.com>
• March 1-2 - Euro Moto Show,
Lynnwood, Lynwood Convention
Center, 3711 196th St. SW,
<euromoto-northwest.com>
• March 14-16 - Inland NW MC
Show, Spokane, Spokane Co. Fair
& Expo Center, Chris Cody,
<spokanemotorcycleshow.com>
• April 5-6 - Nuclear Cowboyz Freestyle
Motocross Tour, Tacoma, Tacoma
Dome, 2727 E D St.,
<nuclearcowboyz.com>
• April 12 - Monster Energy Supercross,
Seattle, CenturyLink Field,
800 Occidental Ave. S,
<supercrossonline.com>
• April 26 - WVM Vintage MC Show
& Swap, Mount Vernon, Skagit Co.
Fairgrounds, Mark Cattarin,
<washingtonvintagemotorcyclists.org>
• May 16-18 – Northwest Nitro Nationals
Pro Hillclimb, Sunnyside, Jeff Snipes,
208-819-7508, <nwnitronationals.com>
• May 23-25 - Touchet River Outdoor
Roundup Pig Roast (chemical-free),
Waitsburg, fairgrounds, <snafubar.com>,
<[email protected]>
• June 12-15 - ABATE Spring Opener,
Easton, Silver Ridge Ranch, 1892 Silver
Ranch Rd., 253-475-4944,
<springopener.com>
• July 24-27 - Tri-State (WA, ID, OR)
H.O.G. Rally, Spokane, 19011 E. Cataldo
Rd., <lonewolfhog.com/pnw-hog-rallyinformation>
• July 24-27 - Sun & Surf MC Run, Ocean
Shores, convention center,
<sunandsurfrun.com>
• July 24-29 - Washington State BMW
Riders MC Rally, Republic, Ferry
County Fairgrounds, Alana,
<wsbmwr.org>
• July 26 - Lucas Oil Pro Motorcross
Championship, Washougal, MX Park,
40912 NE Borin Rd., <promotocross.com>,
<[email protected]>
• Aug. 1-2 - Tumbleweed Rally (H.O.G.),
Kennewick, Clover island Inn,
<tumbleweedrally.com>
• Aug. 22-24 - Springdale Motorcycle
Rodeo, Springdale, Rodeo Arena, Hwy.
231, 509-710-0883,
<frontierdaysrodeos.com>
• Sept. 28 - Oyster Run, Anacortes,
360-435-9103, <[email protected]>
Wyoming
• May 23-25 - Cruizin’ With The
Oldies, Casper, 1700 Fairgrounds Rd.,
<cruizinwiththeoldies.com>
• June 21 - Sweeties On Wheelies charity
ride, Gillette to Casper, Georgette Hoffman
• July 9-12 - Wyoming State H.O.G. Rally,
Alpine, Eric Keyes, 306-421-0067,
<[email protected]>
To have your event listed here for free, send the information to Dani Rollison at <[email protected]>.
We only can list the days(s) and name of the event, the city and location of the event, a contact person’s name, e-mail address, phone number or web address.
Winter project: Grandma Mazie’s homemade oven jerky
By Cole Boehler
One high-protein road-ready snack
that is often found in motorcyclists’ storage
compartments is beef jerky. It’s convenient,
tasty and won’t spoil on the road.
But its expensive. You can reduce the
cost of jerky by making your own at home.
I’ve been doing this for decades, usually
using elk or deer meat from the big game
butchering process, but you can use just
about any meat to make jerky.
I’m no jerky expert but I like what I
like and I like mine better than any “storebought.”
There are plenty of seasoning blends
available off the shelf that are probably as
good or better than mine, which is actually
based on what my mother taught me.
It would be great if I had a big smoker
and the desire to fuss with one, but I do not,
so use the kitchen oven.
I think venison or elk makes for better
tasting jerky than beef. Bison can be very
good but it’s expensive. With beef, all the fat
must be gone to avoid a fatty flavor and to
avoid it going rancid later.
You can buy a very lean cut of beef
and slice it yourself – 1/8- to 3/16ths-inch
thick. Round steak can work; at least its
relatively cheap. Avoid/remove any sinew!
It is important to make sure each piece has
a uniform thickness, or as close as you can
get it. Just partially frozen makes careful
slicing easier.
My local butcher sells meat pre-sliced
for jerky. It’s in pretty big slabs, up to 4 x 8
inches, and it’s lean without much sinew,
about $4 per pound. This is what I’ve used
recently since I was skunked in the past
hunting season. These slabs could easily be
cut into narrower strips, but then you’ve got
a lot more handling labor/time involved.
I wash it first, then use a colander to get
rid of juice. The meat should be fairly dry
when you start.
I spread it all out on a counter top,
pieces touching, then sprinkle liberally and
as evenly as possible with: salt, (plenty of)
black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder,
some cayenne (this is necessary in my
opinion but be careful), crushed red pepper,
then some green spices like oregano,
marjoram, thyme (careful with these, too;
easy to overdo). Go ahead, experiment and
innovate. Jalapeno?
I like to use hickory smoke salt but that
is getting hard to find. Worcestershire can
be carefully, lightly sprinkled or a little soy
sauce (I’m not a fan of teriyaki). Many use
a marinate, and if that is your choice, then
you can use “Liquid Smoke.”
I like to work in just a hint of sweetness,
too, using molasses or brown sugar, which
also works better in a marinate. Honey
could be used. Marinated meat will take
longer to dry.
Once one side is coated with seasoning,
I take a small meat tenderizing mallet and
pound it all lightly (with the fine-toothed
side) to drive the seasoning into the meat.
Be careful or you’ll pound little dings in
your counter-top.
Then I flip it all over, season the
reverse and pound it again. Yes, labor/time
intensive, which is why I do it on a weekend
when the weather is lousy and we plan to
watch football games.
I will sometimes do the seasoning step
on Friday night to dry it Saturday. If that’s
the case, I will gather it all into one of those
big Tupperware bowls, and hand mix it, too.
This is the stage to try adding liquids like
Liquid Smoke, molasses, Worcestershire,
soy, etc.
Then cover it and refrigerate overnight.
The seasonings will be nicely infused. Do
not set it on the deck to chill unless you
have absolutely no neighborhood rogue
dogs (a big risk here!).
I have two pieces of conventional
window screen I cut to match the size of
my oven racks. I’ve been using the same
ones for at least a decade and they are
“seasoned.” When these are new, I would
take them outside and spray them lightly
but thoroughly with no-stick spray like
PAM. If you overdo it, blot them with paper
towels. Find a clean space to store these and
they can be used over and over, brushed
after use.
I lay the meat out piece by piece on the
screen/racks (I use two but could probably
do three) until they are full. You can cut the
pieces to make sure all space is utilized.
You might want to cover the bottom of
your oven, under the element, with tinfoil
to catch the seasoning that will fall off, but
also to catch drippings that may form.
I set the temp at 180-190 (could be
lower, i.e. slower) and prop the oven door
open (maybe a 1/2- to 1-inch at the top)
with something (a jar lid ring works for me)
to allow moisture and humidity to escape
and to speed drying. I guarantee your house
will be filled with a wonderful ambrosia
(that is completely gone within 24-hours).
I check it every half hour or so, or
whenever I go to the fridge for a beer,
pulling off the thinnest pieces first as they
approach totally dry, usually within one or
two hours; thicker may reside on the rack
up to four hours or more.
I tend to squeeze the pieces with my
fingers to see if they are still soft and
spongy. It helps to flip the pieces. When just
about all softness is gone, off they come to
cool.
You can occasionally rearrange the
pieces on the screens/racks to create more
space for fresh pieces, and thus run the
process as long as you have meat/time.
Getting the seasoning right is key, of
course. I tend to start putting very small
sample pieces into the microwave as I’m
seasoning, then zapping them for 20
seconds or so, wait a minute or two, rezapping and re-zapping until the sample
is getting dry and toward the equivalent of
jerked.
Then I taste, then adjust seasoning:
more salt, more pepper, more heat,
whatever. My spouse gets involved in this,
too, as she is a consumer so her opinion is
regarded, though mine is what ultimately
matters.
The raw meat is reduced by about 75
percent in weight when jerked. Thus, $40 of
raw meat (10 pounds) becomes 2.5 pounds
of jerky (two bread bags full) – about $16/
pound, which ain’t cheap but its cheaper
than buying jerky ready-made ($20-30/
pound), and is usually a heckuva lot better,
too.
Of course $16/pound does not include
seasoning (which is expensive) or your
labor (which may be considered to be free).
Food dehydrators work well for this,
too, but are usually too small-scale to be
time-effective, unless you don’t mind doing
things in small batches.
I’ll just freeze the end product in ziplock bags and take out small quantities as
needed. Vacuum-sealed would be slick.
My last batch started with 10 pounds of
raw meat. I spent about 1.5 hours preparing
it for the racks, then about eight hours
drying it all. This will last us 60 days.
I enjoyed sampling it during the entire
process. The football games, jerky and beer
were great and complement one another
well.
In the heart of the
Wind River Mountains
lies a scenic byway and
gateway to the Grand
Teton and Yellowstone
National Parks ~
A motorcyclist’s dream...
Cabins, Tent or RV Sites • Log Home • Wilderness Boundary Restaurant
Liquor Between the Peaks - Full Bar & Liquor Store
Fuel • Store • Showers • Laundromat • Discounts
Join us on the sunset deck or around a campfire, sharing a microbrew with friends!
Welcome to Yellowstone Country - No Itinerary - No Schedule No Regrets - Good Times at a Great Place!
Lava Mountain Lodge - Book your trip today!
800-919-9570
lavamountainlodge.com
57 miles from Jackson Hole and 18 miles from Dubois
What’s the difference? Rally riding versus long-distance riding
By Bob Torter
Long-distance Rally Master
For NR Rider
d
r
l fo you!!
Shelby
Butte
Dillon
in the 11-day/11,000-mile Iron Butt
Rally riding a modified Harley Davidson
Sportster, suggests the leisure rider needs
a receipt pocket to store documentation
of his ride and an easy-access pocket for
credit cards to pay for fuel.
He indicates a rally rider requires one
or more GPS units and maps, a tank bag
to store documentation and training to
quickly design a rally route and to satisfy
bonus requirements in a minimum
amount of time.
Fully faired “enclosed capsules” such as
our BMW GT or the NR Rider publisher’s
FJR ridden successfully in our Big Sky
Rally are not required for either type of
ride, but critical equipment modifications
are more important in 24-hour rallies than
in a 1,000-mile certificate ride.
The motorcycle is not the most critical
factor, as long as it’s reliable. Rather the
requirement that the rider is comfortable
on the bike is essential.
Equipment upgrades are generally more
important in rallies which will require
much more time in the saddle and riding
in places mandated by the rally master.
Either way, long-distance riding, for
the sense of personal accomplishment and
an IBA certificate to document the feat, or
riding long distances competitively in rally
mode, deserve consideration and ought to
be experienced by all serious riders.
You may be pleasantly surprised
to discover new capabilities while you
burnish and hone your existing skill set.
In addition, you and your riding pals
will have a new topic to kick around over
brews, or may adopt a new riding style to
enjoy.
New noteworthy accomplishments are
always good for the ego, too.
“Motorcycling
Montana”
Comprehensive 500+ Page
Touring Guide
motorcyclingmontana.com
Biker
Friendly
Hotels
E pErfECt
th
h
tE
o
ME to
AN
fiN
SC
the remaining bonus stops in your ride
plan.
It has been said, “To ride a rally,
you need to bring your brain. To do a
In a number of ways there are real
1,000-mile leisure ride from Sioux Falls
differences between rally riding and longto Missoula, you can leave your brain at
distance
home.”
riding.
Competitive
We
rallies are about
asked the
taking what you
Bob Torter
50,000-plus
are given, and
NR Rider Guest Columnist
Iron Butt
planning what
Association
you can efficiently
members
do around
to help us
those mandated
explain
external factors.
the distinctions between a “leisurely”
Riding 1,000 miles in 24 hours may
24-hour/1,000-mile certificate ride* versus
seem extreme to those who have never
a competitive 24-hour rally with point
done it, but in fact it is not extreme with
minimums and a 1,000-mile minimum.
correct preparation ... unless conditions
(*IBA Certificate rides involve
such weather, traffic, or an inappropriate
completing designated rides within a
bike cause what can be a walk in the park
fixed time period. They range from a
to morph into a grueling nightmare.
“SaddleSore 1000” which requires the rider
Lisa Landry, a great rider and the most
to ride 1,000 miles in 24 hours or less, to
accomplished rally master in the history of
a “100 CCC” which requires riding from
the Iron Butt Rally, has ridden her “bone
coast-to-coast-to-coast in 100 hours or less. stock” Harley Road Glide on the IBA’s Bun
A complete list of these rides can be seen at Burner Gold certificate ride which requires
<http://www.ironbutt.com/ridecerts/>.)
riding 1,500 miles in 24 hours or less.
The IBA riders we queried have done
Lisa suggests long-distance riding
the entrance-level leisure ride as well as
upgrades in the following order of
many more difficult rides in addition to
importance:
participation in numerous rallies.
– Upgrade stock lighting
Certificate rides were described as “an
– Use an auxiliary fuel tank
exercise in vehicle motion.” The more the
– Upgrade the stock seat (numerous
vehicle is in motion, the more likely you
seat builders can custom-build one
will have a successful ride.
specifically for you and your body)
A competitive rally adds the additional
– Obtain and wear comfortable
complexity of route planning, ensuring
protective riding gear
accurate documentation and recalculating
Brett Donahue, who finished third
Helena
Idaho Falls
Miles City
Big Timber
Columbus
Conrad
Great Falls
Hamilton
Havre
www.townpump.com or download tHe town pump app
NOW
OPEN
SCAN ME
Toll Free Reservations • 1-800-442-4667
Belgrade
New Year’s resolutions to attain what we know we want
By Stacey “Ax” Axmaker, Director
Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program
depend on us for support (financial as well
as otherwise)
– “Laying it down” is not a crash
avoidance strategy (it’s a crash)
– Bikers generally do not like being told
what to do by others
– Bikers care about other bikers (we are
brothers and sisters)
We make New Year’s resolutions – we
just do.
This is not an article about whether
or not we should make them or how to
keep them, simply about why we do it and
some thoughts about how it may apply to
motorcycling.
I believe we make New Year’s
What we want
resolutions because of something that we
– To continue riding for many, many
know deep down. Here are some examples:
years
We make a resolution to lose weight,
– To keep our bikes undamaged and
eat healthier, and/or exercise more because
running in top shape
we know…
– To keep our bodies undamaged and
– Being overweight and/or out of shape
running in top shape
puts us at significantly higher risk for
– To see our riding buddies also
certain diseases and a shorter life span
undamaged and running in top shape
– We have some current habits that are
– To share
not in line
our love of
with what we
riding with our
really want
kids, spouses,
Stacey “Ax” Axmaker
– There
grandkids
Director Idaho STAR
is a long
– To continue
term goal we
Motorcycle Safety
to provide for
have (health,
Program
those who
vitality,
depend on us
playing with
– …add more
grandkids,
of your own –
etc.) and we
what do you really want in the long term?
know there are some things we can do to
Happy New Year! Let’s make 2014 a
help us reach those goals
great year for adventure, great roads and a
We make a resolution to spend more
lot of “crash-free” riding!
time with family (spouse, kids, parents,
Ride Safe…Ride Lots,
brothers and sisters, etc.) because we
know…
– About Stacey “Ax” Axmaker:
– Ignoring our loved ones can lead to
He is the director of Idaho STAR and
isolation, separation, and even divorce
publishes a webb site and blog at <www.
(and I’ll make the assumption that we
RideMoreCrashLess.com> (“Ride More –
really don’t want that…)
– We are happier when we do (and so
are they)
– We want a solid marriage,
relationship with our kids/parents/
Take a Basic RiderCourse
siblings/etc. and we know that takes time
Quit Dreaming, Come Ride!
to develop and maintain
You get the idea: there is something
that we know and something that we
want. Based on what we know, we make a
promise to do (or to not do) certain things
that make it more likely to get what we
want. Pretty simple.
Now here is where motorcycling comes
in.
This article isn’t going to list resolutions
for you to make. That is ultimately up to
you and you’ll be more successful if it’s
something you come up with yourself,
anyway.
What I’d like to do is suggest a list of
things we know and things we want (they
may not all apply to each of us, but look
for those that resonate with you). After
looking over the list and giving some
thought to what you know and what you
want, I challenge you to come up with a
resolution or two related to your riding
that will help you get what you want.
Crash Less”). He has worked as a mentor
instructor since 1994 and served as the
Operations Manager for the TEAM
OREGON motorcycle safety program
from 1997 to 2002. He also was the
STAR Program Training Manager from
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What we know
– Riding is riskier than driving (more
injuries per crash; about 100,000 injuries
per year
– Once a crash happens, what you are
wearing is all you have between you and
the asphalt (or other hard objects)
– Emergency braking skills (executed
well in the moment of truth) can prevent
many crashes
– Many crashes and fatalities involve a
rider running wide in a curve
– Many crashes and fatalities involve an
impaired rider
– Many of us have spouses, children
and even parents and grandchildren that
• For riders with little
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Take an Advanced RiderCourse
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March 3, 2014
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7/28/11 9:20 AM
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2006 through 2008. “Ax” serves on the
Idaho Traffic Safety Commission and is
chair of the Idaho State Highway Safety
Plan Motorcycle Safety Committee. “Ax”
currently rides a 1997 Honda Valkyrie
tourer.
7/28/11 9:20 AM
7/28/11 9:20 AM
Young at heart o
The motorcycling
There’s hope for all of us:
Frank Flynn still in the saddle at 85
By David Fletcher
NR Rider Contributing Writer
Davidsons.
Both brands had 45 cu. in. engines
and were shaft driven.
The Indian was the military’s 841
Where were you 85 years ago?
experimental machine designed for
Okay, go get the history book.
desert warfare. It was inspired by the
Here are a few historical facts.
BMW R71 used by the German Army
For starters, President Calvin
Coolidge presented Charles Lindbergh at the time, but it had a 90-degree
longitudinal-crankshaft V-twin
with the Medal of Honor for his first
engine.
transatlantic flight in the Spirit of St.
The Harleys were the XA, with a
Louis.
SV flat-twin boxer engine. Only about
Charles Jenkins Laboratories of
1,000 of both motorcycles were made.
Washington, D.C., became the first
Afterward the Army determined
holder of a television license from the
the Jeep was more suitable for the
Federal Radio Commission, and Eliot
Ness began leading the federal Alcohol roles and missions for which these
motorcycles had been intended and
Prohibition Unit in Chicago.
both models were sold off as surplus.
And here’s one other important
Frank Flynn on his Harley-Davidson Heritage which he acquired in 2001. Besides bikes,
Upon seeing these bikes Frank
event: Frank Flynn was born.
Frank likes flying small aircraft.
says he had an inspiration. With no
Frank had some interesting birth
went the very next morning and had
nicknamed “the Knucklehead” due to
hesitation, he purchased one of the
mates that year, among them such
a talk with Father Werner. She must
the
contours
of
the
rocker
boxes.
Indians for $250. He repainted the
notables as Zbigniew Brzezinski,
have been very persuasive, for Father
In
April
1946,
Frank
enlisted
in
bike, getting rid of the olive drab
U.S. National Security Advisor for
Werner capitulated and married them
the
Army
Air
Corps
and
was
shipped
military scheme.
President Jimmy Carter, Shirley
despite his bias against bikers.
to Buckley Field in Denver for basic
He had an auto body shop in Great
Temple, baseball legend Billy Martin
In 1952, Frank bought a 1947
training.
From
there
he
was
sent
Falls do most of the work except for
and Ernesto Rafael Guevara, who
Indian
Chief and he rode that for the
to
Scott
Field
in
Illinois
where
he
the frame and wheels. The frame he
was a one-time motorcycle enthusiast
next
three
years. After being hired by
went
through
radio
school.
Upon
painted black and the shop painted the
and author of The Motorcycle Diaries,
Mountain Bell, the couple moved to
completion Frank was assigned as a
fenders and tank fire engine red.
which traces the travels of a young
Helena and, needing the money, sold
radio
instructor
until
December
1947
So began his life-long love affair
23-year-old “Che” Guevara through
the bike.
when
he
was
sent
to
China.
with motorcycles and, about that time,
South America on a sputtering single
Frank hung up his motorcycle gear
When
Frank
returned
from
China
Margaret, his then girlfriend (her
cylinder 1939 Norton 500.
until their oldest son, Chuck, was 14.
in April 1949 he was discharged from
friends all call her Peggy).
Frank bought the kid a Honda trail
the
Air
Corps,
and
he
and
Peggy
were
In those days Frank was
bike. A few years later he got Dennis,
married
in
June.
working at a bakery after
their youngest, a trail bike too.
When
Peggy
first
approached
school. Peggy’s father was the
Soon Chuck’s motorcycle interest
her priest, Father Werner of Great
warehouse foreman. Frank
grew so he bought a 180
worked for him and
Yamaha, which Frank rode as
that’s how he met
well. Next Chuck purchased a
Peggy.
450 Honda Scrambler. Chuck
So, when Frank
says he had to fight Frank for
got the motorcycle,
riding time.
he relates, Peggy’s
After both sons left home
parents said, “Now
Frank didn’t do much riding
you listen, don’t
until he retired from Mountain
you go near that
Bell to begin a greenhouse
motorcycle.” Frank,
business with his son, Dennis.
being a class act,
In 1995 Dennis bought a H-D
took Peggy to the
Sportster 1200 and Frank began
movies on their
to ride once again.
first date aboard the
In 1999, Chuck left Frank
Indian. They must
Frank at 16 straddling the 1941 military surplus Indian.
a 1200 Sportster to ride, then
not have gotten
Peggy Flynn with she and Frank’s first-born, Chuck, and the
in 2001 bought him an H-D
caught because this 1947 Indian Chief in about 1954. Start them out young, eh?
Heritage. Frank rode the
coming June 4 Frank and
Frank first became interested in
Heritage until May of 2013. He
Peggy will be celebrating
motorcycles at age 15 while growing
loved the bike since it sat nice and
Falls, about marrying she and Frank,
their 65th wedding anniversary.
up in Great Falls, Mont.
low, but the weight factor became too
the
priest
said,
“Frank
won’t
make
a
Frank continued to ride the Indian
Frank and a friend heard that some
much.
good
husband,
he
has
a
motorcycle.
until he was 17 when he purchased
fella just purchased 10 motorcycles
Currently, Frank is riding a Honda
Motorcyclists
are
a
bad
crowd
and
for
from the U.S. Army so they stopped by another bike, a 1939 Harley. The ’39
Silver Wing scooter which he says he
that reason I won’t marry you.”
was one of the first OHV V-twins
to check them out. He recollects five
When
Frank
told
his
mother
she
See Flynn, Page 22
produced by the company. It was
were Indians and five were Harley-
or young in age...
g lifestyle lives on
Undaunted by lymphoma, Will Farrell
pushes ‘Dogmeat Enigma’ custom shop
By Ben Getz
NR Rider Contributing Writer
interests of an island dwelling
What is an enigma ... or dog meat
lad.
for that matter?
In the late 1990’s he, along
The origin of this moniker is still
with his parents and younger
somewhat wrapped in mystery. Our
As a card carrying member of
sister, moved back to the
subject has gone by the nickname
the oh so diverse worldwide order
mainland, and Will pursued
“Dogmeat” so long he can’t remember
of “Motorcycle Enthusiasts,” it still
his main goal to become an
where it started, and he added
amazes me at times the degrees of
Army officer and make it a
separation and vast array of individual the “Enigma” to create a business
career.
name under which he does some
taste that our passion for two wheels
He excelled in school and
very impressive, creative, even
entails.
entered college enrolled in
artistic motorcycle and more related
There will never be any universal
ROTC and started pursuing
machining and fabrication.
agreement for some on what
Asian studies and mechanical
His given name is Will Farrell.
motorcycle brand is best, what engine
engineering.
No, not the
It was in his freshmen year
comedian,
of college, sometime around
Will Ferrell,
2006, that Will was bitten by
(note
Will Farrell with one of his “Dogmeat Enigma” street
fighter customization projects.
the motorcycle bug. He was
spelling).
a performance-car guy who
That is
fight his illness, while refocusing
another part never really thought that
and continuing his education, even
much about bikes until he took the
to this story
working a deal with the Army
we will get
to be able to stay active in the
to later. But
reserves.
first, a little
Will remembers how helpful it
background
was to focus on things other than
on young
his treatment or disease; thinking
Will from
about how he could design,
Will with a small array of the customs that have come out of the Dogmeat Ellensburg,
engineer and create unique one-off
Enigma shop.
Wash.,
custom bits for motorcycles.
whom I met
Through all of this he
a few years ago over a trunk full of
configuration rules, and do not even
Guarantee: there’s not another triple clamp like
continued
to hone his machining
motorcycle parts.
get us started on the “discussions”
it; one-off and utterly unique.
skills,
and
has
moved through a
Will was born to Army parents
generated about tire or oil choice!
series of motorcycles he artfully
in Fort Benning, Ga., and his early
There is one thing, however,
customized
while achieving no small
offer to ride a friend’s two-wheeler.
years as an army brat were not spent
on which I think each and every
notoriety
among
modification freaks
As many of us can relate,
sane motorcyclist (a
that
frequent
the
Custom Streetfighter
once he experienced that
contradiction of terms?)
scene (<www.customfighters.com>).
“certain feeling” that only
will agree: cancer sucks!
In a second offensive, Will’s
a motorcycle can produce,
Regardless of the
cancer
came back only a year-andhe was hooked.
niche we fall into,
a-half
later,
this time to be met with
Like the twisty roads
most, if not all riders
even more aggressive and invasive
that can have that surprise
are touched by cancer
treatments. Through a renowned
blind corner, life sent Will
in some way. We know
Seattle cancer institute, Will received
into an unexpected turn
a friend or fellow club
an experimental form of self donated
that made his course a
member who has it, or a
bone marrow transplants and endured
challenge to say the least.
family member, or even
much, but refused to fall into self pity
In 2006 he was diagnosed
if we just participate
or give up on his education goals.
with Non Hodgkin’s
in the ever increasing
Unfortunately, because of the longLymphoma, an especially
number of poker run/
term prognosis, the Army exempted
egregious form of the
rally/biker meets to raise
him from the Officer Candidate
disease in that it often
money for someone
program, so Will adjusted his studies
strikes the young at their
or something cancer
and goals while at Ellensburg’s Central
prime.
related.
Washington University.
The Farrell family was
Because our
It was in 2009, while Will was
no stranger to dealing with
“brotherhood” is
Will “warming up” the tire on one of his custom street fighter iterations.
struggling
to make ends meet and
serious afflictions. Will’s
enormous, when we
be
able
to
continue
college with
mother has been fighting
meet a unique individual
the added stress of his medical
MS for many years and is confined to
as nomadically as some; moving from
who not only shares our love of bikes
condition, that he became connected
a wheelchair.
base to base. His parents were able
but who also has an interesting back
with a unique scholarship program
So with typical Army toughness,
to land a more permanent station
story, we are impelled to share it with
called Cancer for College (<www.
Will soldiered on through the
in Hawaii where Will grew up until
others.
chemo treatments to aggressively
the age of 12, pursuing all the usual
Enter Dogmeat Enigma.
See Flynn, Page 23
Flynn
They took Highway 101 up the
coast to Portland and then northeast
to Spokane and back to Montana.
from page 20
The speed limit was 35 mph back
then, but Frank is proud of the fact
loves because it is fully automatic, a lot that he and his friends never went that
lighter than the Heritage and yet quite slow.
quick. He says he gets up to 80 mph
These days, Frank rides about 150
on the Interstate before he knows it,
to 200 miles at a stretch. After that, he
though he prefers the frontage roads
says, his butt gets a little sore.
where he cruises at a befitting 60 mph.
Frank offered NR Rider readers a
Frank enjoys riding with his two
few words of wisdom:
sons. All three are members of the
“Take it easy and be
careful when you ride,”
which when young, he
understands, is hard
to do.
And another:
“Never stop on a twolane highway to make a
We Are Riders!
left-hand turn; pull off
Manager Rochelle
onto the shoulder and
Schultz and husband
turn only when you are
Rob welcome you!
sure that the traffic has
cleared...”
• Motorcycle Friendly
Finally: “Never
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• Adjacent to C-Store, Fuel, Casino,
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If you’re ever
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Interstate between
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Helena and Great Falls,
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and a Silver Wing
Available
At age 84, Frank was still riding the Heritage, but has since
Honda
scooter
passes
switched to a Honda Silver Wing Scooter with automatic
• Laundromat
you doing about 85
transmission. He enjoys the lighter weight.
Facilities
mph, remember to
I-15/I-90 Interchange at Rocker - Exit 122
wave as it whizzes by.
Last Chance Riders Motorcycle Club
406-782-5678 • motel6.com - then search Butte
It’s probably Frank.
of Helena.
Frank also loves flying. In 1992 he
obtained his private pilot license after
building an Avid Flyer Mark IV kitplane in his garage. Frank says flying
complements his motorcycle riding
in that it keeps his senses sharp and
www.northernrockiesrider.com
stimulates his mind.
Currently he is rebuilding the
landing gear since the stock gear is
too narrow. He builds model radio
controlled airplanes and has a fine
collection hanging from the garage
ceiling.
Favorite motorcycle routes as
Frank also likes doing puzzles and
working in his shop in the garage. He
featured in Northern Rockies Rider
says that shop work helps keep his
hands flexible.
In addition, he volunteers at the
State Talking Book Library where he
repairs talking books for the blind.
Of all the motorcycles Frank
owned, his ’41 Indian retains the
fondest memories, he says. However,
the clutch was that motorcycle’s
Achilles’ heel. To shift, Frank had to
pull so hard on the hand clutch that
the cable kept breaking. Finally, he
learned to shift without using the
clutch by adjusting the amount of
throttle.
Frank took that bike everywhere.
He and a few friends got antsy one day
and decided to take a trip ... to Los
Angeles via Chicago. It was during
World War II and gas was being
rationed, so they used tractor coupons
to purchase fuel.
In Chicago, Frank laid down the
bike for the first and only time. The
tires got caught in a street car rail.
Luckily he wasn’t going fast for he
wasn’t wearing a helmet, “too dumb,”
he said.
From Chicago the group took
Route 66, the “Main Street of
America,” through Missouri, Kansas,
Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico,
Dani Rollison <[email protected]> 406-490-8472
Arizona and into Los Angeles.
Motel 6 of Butte
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or give to preferred
customers.
Farrell
from page 21
cancerforcollege.org>).
This outfit was started by Craig
Pollard, a former college roommate
and close friend of comic actor
was captured on local television. (See
the video at <http://www.king5.com/
archive/60389327.html>)
After his days at CWU, Will
focused on expanding Dogmeat
Enigma as a business and his designs
have been seen around central
Washington and beyond, and at the
annual Iron Horse Trail Motorcycle
Purpose-built by Dogmeat, some would say “hooligan bike.”
Will Ferrell, who is their celebrity
Rally he was a regular competitor in
spokesperson and a strong supporter.
the burnout pits.
Every year
Farrell says that
they provide
when designing a part
tens of
he always takes into
thousands
account not only the
of dollars in
structural integrity of
scholarships
a piece or assembly,
to current or
but also the simplicity
prospective
and flexibility of
college
application; bolted
students who
verses welded, for
are dealing
instance. He always
with cancer.
maintains end-result
When
safety as the main goal,
fabricator/
but then it has to look
customizer
good, too!
Will was
Perhaps the most
chosen as
appreciated application
one of their
of Will’s skills is his
recipients,
reverse engineering
it came to
and fabricating one-off
actor Will’s
replacement parts for
attention
his mom’s specialized
Meghan Farrell is an enthusiast, too.
that his
power chair, which is
“namesake”
of European origin, the
was to receive an award in Seattle.
maker out of business for some time.
Actor Will Ferrell traveled a long way
He not only keeps it going, but has
to be there, and the hilarious moment
improved on its design and function
Don’t Miss a
Single Issue...
Serving Washington,
ng, British Columbia
Idaho, Montana, Wyomi
FREE
and Alberta
Take one home!
“Your Northern Rocky
• July, 2012
Volume 1, Number 4
”
Mountain Riding Authority
ications Publication
• A Continental Commun
ce.net • 406-498-3250
• contcom@qwestoffi
try Figure 8
Yaak and Kootenai Coun
The Best Loops
in Montana?
Canada. It is wild and remote
and sparsely populated with
is
never much traffic. Scenery
and
and
“The best laid plans of mice
stunning: rivers and lakes
trees
men often go awry.”
big mountains with big
Who
Poet Robert Burns was right.
including cedars, indicative
find
a tour to
hasn’t carefully planned
of the relatively high amounts
hours or a
within
rocks
the
on
country
the plan
of moisture this high
day?
receives.
wife
Such was the case when
Elevations vary from the
to ride one of
feet
Marilyn and I headed out
state’s lowest point (1,880
– perhaps
our favorite Montana routes
at Troy) to well over a mile
the favorite.
hundreds high.
with
visiting
been
We have
Wildlife thrives where
Rockies
best-ofBoth
of riders from the Northern
people.
Excellent roads add to this
few
are
there
we are based
from the people and traffic.
are
region. When we mention
It’s all about getting away
508.
whitetail and mule deer
Troy and Yaak on Hwy.
“Oh yes,
and
in Montana, most observe:
Montana experience. Between
present in large numbers
to) the
bears
for any distant.
I’ve ridden (or always wanted
we have seen numerous
the Yaak
But these routes are suitable
in Glacier
We have a saying about
or
would suppose
Going-To-The-Sun Road
to be
two-wheeled machine, onePark” and moose. We
meant
of
is
ne
style
that
“Yellowsto
were
Kootenai
Park,” or substitute
and easier on and
wolves are present and probably the
some truth: “If
two-up; just take it slower
humorous, but contains
here, as in
or the “Beartooth Highway.”
never totally wiped out
parts, the
those
the bigger and heavier varieties.
ya go off the road in them
We always respond, “Yes,
these
rest of the state.
before search
Marilyn and I have soloed
but have you
be
bears are likely to find ya
are extraordinary rides,
Some of the pavement could
numerous times, but I would
Kootenai
and rescue does.”
since it can be routes
ever ridden the Yaak and
another
described as “primitive”
recommend going with
Indeed, ride with some friends.
striping
Country?”
broken and rough and lacking is
ticket, eh?
several. In most of this
or
the
just
like
bike/rider
sounds
that?”
But,
g
“Huh? Where’s
service.
and signage. Corner engineerin
country there is no cell phone
are “blind”
Well, let me tell you...
hours away.
unpredictable and many
See Loops, Page 9
Medical facilities may be
timber and
This region represents Montana’s
be 100 miles
due to heavy growth of
Motorcycle repair could
where
roadside.
extreme northwest corner
underbrush right up to the
and close to
you’re not far from Idaho
By Cole Boehler
Subscribe
Today!
Proof that motorcycles
create lasting memories
By Dottie Rankin
For Northern Rockies Rider
and
Dad, Alzheimer’s disease
This is a story about my
es.
the powerful effect of motorcycl
might think. Well let me
A strange combination you
a
this is not a story filled with
tell you before we begin,
his
personal story of my dad,
lot of statistics. This is my
es fit into all it all.
illness and how his motorcycl
the hype: if you own a
No doubt you have heard
is who you are,
it
you,
of
part
a
motorcycle it becomes
a
matter if you have ridden
it is how you live. It doesn’t
get in
or a lifetime. Motorcycles
month, a year, 10 years
and
and head and soul. You
your blood and your heart
truly lasting memories are
your bike and rides are what
made of.
and I have proof.
It’s not a cliche’. It’s true
was diagnosed with
My dad, Wayne Raasch,
2009.
See Memories, Page 2
daughter and author Alzheimer’s in
If you would like direct home mail
delivery, send your name, mailing
address, telephone number, e-mail
address and $25 to
Northern Rockies Rider, 914 Holmes
Ave., Butte, MT 59701, or contact us at
<[email protected]>
Wayne Raasch, aching to
Dottie Rankin.
get his hands on some Harley
Change service requested:
grips just once more. With
914 Holmes Ave., Butte,
MT 59701
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Permit No. 93
Livingston, MT
Two aspects to
Motorcycle
Safety
Page 15
in some
aspects.
Will met
his soul
mate while
working at an
Ellensburg
Starbucks,
and has been
married
almost a year
to Meghan,
his sweet
wife who
also loves
motorcycles
and right
away
went and
earned her
endorsement. Meghan and Will Farrell in “straight” attire that belies their love of radical
They now rides.
ride bikes
“C”-word.
together:
Life throws us unexpected curves,
hers a customized Suzuki GSXR-750
sometimes more than one in a row,
that Will created many unique parts
but we keep on riding.
for, making it a very distinctive ride.
We are sometimes fortunate
Meghan is continuing her pursuit of a
enough to meet people like Will
degree in the wine industry, so soon
Farrell along the way who share our
we will all know the best vintage to
passion for the ride, and who also
serve with Dogmeat.
inspire us and continue to create
With a need to expand the
positive energy in spite of what they
business, a location change that better
face.
suited his need for space and power
One thing is also for sure: I
saw him move it to Vancouver, Wash.,
will never look at Will Ferrell or a
where Will continues to ply his trade
and hope for no more mentions of the Starbucks quite the same.
So, it doesn’t pay to advertise?
“I placed a $35 advertisement on the “All Roads Lead to Sturgis Map”
and got 21 bookings at the Sage and Sand Motel in Saratoga, Wyoming.
Our next door neighbor,The Country Store, saw an increase
in their business, as well!”
- Kenneth Harper Finton Sage & Sand Motel, Saratoga, WY 888-860-8339
Tires...Tires...Tires!
We are Montana’s
Motorcycle Tires HQ!
– Now stocking over 400 tires! –
Purchase includes
mounting & balancing
We’ll beat any dealer and are competitive with the Internet.
And these are fresh, not out-of-date like at some shops and the Internet.
• Tour • Street • Harley & Cruisers • Dual-sport • Off-road
Fast! Always same-day, frequently
within the hour!
Riding the
Ho Chi Minh
Trail
Page 17
406-556-4644 • 8-5:30 Monday-Friday
22 E. Shawnee Way • Bozeman, MT
On Frontage Rd. between the Bear Canyon and Main Street exits off I-90
Call to compare!

NRR January/February 2014

Transcription

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