Adventure Quest - NW Arkansas May 23-24, 2009

[Richard_]

Adventure Quest
May 23 - 24, 2009 (Memorial Day Weekend)
Clarksville, AR

What better way to appreciate the freedoms we enjoy than by seeking adventure on Memorial Day weekend?

Northwest Arkansas gets a lot of attention from motorcyclists. Deservedly so. The paved roads in that part of the state almost appear to have been designed specifically for riding, with miles of twisties, mountain scenery, and not a lot of other vehicle traffic. No wonder riders keep going back again and again.

Well, I've heard the paved road aren't the only great thing about northwest Arkansas; the dual sport riding there is reported to be just as good. I've ridden the paved roads there on my street bike but have not yet had an opportunity to test out the dual sport riding, so it's time to fix that. Let's get together over Memorial Day weekend and explore the adventure riding opportunities in the Ozark Mountains.

The Plan: Meet up on Saturday morning, 8 a.m., May 23, 2009, in the parking lot of the Day's Inn, Clarksville, AR. Ride all day Saturday and Sunday. Head home on Monday.

Ride HQ: Day's Inn
Interstate 40, exit 55
Clarksville, AR
479-754-8555
Group rate: $41 per night for a single, $45 per night for a double.
To get the group rate you need to call the hotel and tell them you are with the Gibbens riding group. If the person on the phone doesn't know about the group rate tell them we worked the rate out with Ankur, the owner.

Riders Meeting: 8 a.m., Day's Inn parking lot

Sleeping: I'm staying at the Day's Inn and that's where we will meet each morning for the riders meeting. There are lots of other hotel choices in Clarksville in case the Day's Inn is full.

Maps and GPS: I've had map sets of the national forest made for this event. A set consists of four 11x17 color map sheets and is $5 per set. Or riders can buy an Ozark National Forest map from the national forest service for about $9-10. I've plotted out 6 routes on the GPS and the files are posted on my web site.

What should you ride? Your dual sport bike. Will there be routes suitable for both the big adventure bikes and the dual sport bikes? Not really, at least not in my limited experience. The non-paved roads in the area seem to consist of easy class 1 dirt / gravel roads and hard, rocky class 3 dirt roads. There isn't much class 2 riding. For this reason, if you want to ride off-pavement I recommend a dual sport bike, not one of the big adventure bikes. While you can ride an Adventure bike on class 3 it is a heck of a lot of work and not much fun, in my opinion. I'll be on my DRZ-400, not my Wee, for this very reason.

What if all I have is a big Adventure bike? Should I stay home? Well, you could stick to the pavement. Seriously, the paved roads in northwest Arkansas are world-class twisties and are destination worthy all by themselves. Or, if you don't mind riding class 1 dirt/gravel, then there are ample dirt roads to play on. But, if you want more of a challenge and are looking for class 2, then this isn't the ride for you.

My intent is not to discourage adventure bike riders from attending. It is simply to let you know that the non-paved stuff in this area is pretty much either easy or hard, with little moderately difficult (i.e. class 2) available.

Routes: I've planned 6 different routes for us to explore. I haven't ridden any of these routes yet, so this will be a ride of exploration. Here are the routes in .gpx format. Right click and save to your hard drive. When you open any of the routes, don't recalculate them. Quite a few of the roads are not on the map so I used direct routing (vs auto routing) on these routes. If your GPS recalculates the route you will most likely not display correctly. The 6 Routes (http://texasadventure.net/Adventure%20Quest/AdventureQuest.htm)



Who's in? If you plan to attend please let me know and I'll add you to the attendance list.

Richard
Stuntman Jeff (the rider formerly known as Tiger Jeff)
Rick M
Tourmeister
bigdon55
revog
ole buddy
Okie
Hood Ornament
Sean
Gary
Calgary-Yogi
ajvanderlee
je2000 (tentative)
Texas DR
iphorde
stingray
jagster (maybe)
six50rider
jbay
mff
Baja Boo Custer
Norman Thornhill
Norbx40
Norton Mike
Norton Steve
AttoirRe
flcbrxx
Terry
John
Joe

[Tourmeister]

Awesome riding in that area... just so long as you don't get three inches of rain the night before you get there... :doh: :lol2: It was still fun though :flip:

[RICK M]

Rick M and Big A are in . See ya there .:rider: :eat::rider: :eat: :rider: :rofl:

[Outlaw6Guy]

Awesome riding in that area... just so long as you don't get three inches of rain the night before you get there... :doh: :lol2: It was still fun though :flip:

Or run into Bubba on his four wheeler!:eek2:

[Tourmeister]

:tab Well... yeah... There's that problem too :doh: Just be sure to hug the INSIDE of the corners in case someone comes around the corner from the opposite direction and is hogging the road! I was doing that, but they were taking up the WHOLE road :eek2:

:tab Seriously though, the riding up there is excellent! :rider:

[Tourmeister]

I am not a 100% definite, but I would say pushing 80% :trust:

I would say most any dual sport is suitable so long as you stick to the maintained or used roads. Last time I was up there DS'ing in the Clarksville area, we got into some stuff that was pretty rough even on the 650's. Anything bigger would have been darned near impossible except for the most skilled rider. This "road" was on the GPS... However, we rode past it real slow 3-4 times trying to locate the turn off into the woods before we finally found it. We spent an entire day going about 35 miles... LOTS of water crossings. It was a blast, but once we got back to the hotel, most of us were totally whooped. The hot tub was nice though :trust:

[bigdon55]

I am probably In!:rider::eat::rider::eat::rider::eat::yawn:

[RICK M]

I am riding with bigdon because I want to :rider::eat::rider::eat: also :lol2:
I am probably In!:rider::eat::rider::eat::rider::eat::yawn:

[revog]

I'll be there. I'm taking Friday off so I can arrive before dark. Anyone from the Abilene area want to go? I lived in Arkansas for one year so I speak the language.
Count me in 100%

[ole buddy]

Count me in!

Thanks

[okie]

Count me in, I have been to the "Ozark Fall Colors Tour" for the last few years that is based out of Clarksville in October and the riding is fantastic. Here is some info on last years ride........
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373375&highlight=fall+color+tour

[Hood Ornament]

I am in for this one.

[Calgary-Yogi]

I'm probably IN

[ajvanderlee]

I'm in. Thanks for maps of big bend. Can't make the next ride, bad timing. Anyhow I'll be attending Ark for sure. Ride there every year for Talihina fall color. can't wait

[Tourmeister]

I should add that I will be trailering up from Huntsville. So I am willing to take up to three other people/bikes with me to help defray fuel costs. Will be leaving 7:00am Friday morning. So you will want to get here Thursday evening to load bikes. There are several good hotels within a few blocks of my house, Holiday Inn Express being the closest and brand spanking new.

[RacerJohn]

I was in AR last summer for a MX school in Amity (not too far from Hot Springs). I did a lot of driving around and saw a lot of the countryside, and all I could think of was, "wow! I've got to come back here someday on my KLR".

I did not get up as far north as Clarksville. But, based on topo maps I've looked at, it appears that the riding may be better in that area (more hills?), than the areas I saw last summer.

I've spoken to Rich, and I am tentatively in for this trip.

[Tourmeister]

By the way, I was just about to reserve a room at the days on the internet when I noticed this at the end of the screen:

All reservations made at the "Buy Now And Save 15 Rate" require a valid credit card to pre-pay for the reservation and any applicable local and state taxes. There will be no credit or refund for early departures,cancellations, no shows, or changes in your reservation for any reason.Guests will not receive any refund or credit. Guest must present credit card used to pay for this reservation at check in.

So if you are reserving a room, just in case you can go, but with the idea that you will cancel if you can't go... BEWARE!

[edit]However, if you call and make the reservation over the phone and get Richard's rate, you can cancel anytime up to 4:00pm on the 22nd.

[revog]

Make hotel reservations with Ankur today. He indicated that the rooms are going fast so make reservations early.

[revog]

Make reservations with Ankur today so I'm 110% in.

[bigdon55]

Reservation made! :-)

[je2000]

Thinking about it. Would trailer out with an extra set of wheels. Might do a motard day and an off-road day. Anyone other street riders going?

[Tourmeister]

Here's a little something to "wet" your appetite :-P

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9328

[je2000]

Oh man, I just saw that it was 8 hours away. Then I just looked at the photos from last year. That's what I'm looking for...

[TexasShadow]

I'd go on this one, but too close to a week riding double and single-tracks in western Tennessee forests and mountains. Priorities. ;-)

[ajvanderlee]

Hotel booked, any other gs riders out there going?
:rider:

[Tekisasu DR]

If work schedule does not conflict, I may able to go there!
Count me in as maybe.

Ken

[Coolhand]

Holy mackeral.... the "water crossing" pictures from the ride report that Scott linked to are insane! That's not a "water crossing" that's a RIVER crossing. :giveup:

[iphorde]

I'm in!

[Tourmeister]

Holy mackeral.... the "water crossing" pictures from the ride report that Scott linked to are insane! That's not a "water crossing" that's a RIVER crossing. :giveup:

:tab The ones from the first day were just creeks running high from the rain the previous night... 3" of rain :eek2: The second day was the actual river crossing. About midway across the current would start pushing the bike downstream and we had to point upstream and get on the gas... Otherwise you'd wind up in some nasty rocks :doh: One bike went under and another just stalled. We spent a little over an hour sunning on the rocks while a few guys worked on the worst bike. It was the perfect temperature, with a slight breeze, and clear blue skies... I was in no hurry for that bike to get running again :sleep:

:tab I can't wait to get back up there... :rider:

[stingray]

I'm officially "IN", can't wait. :rider:

[Tourmeister]

I'm officially "IN", can't wait. :rider:

Bringing the "Kool-Aid" this time? :-P

[stingray]

Bringing the "Kool-Aid" this time? :-P

That can be arranged....:trust:

[jagster]

I will probably go pending work stuff. Not sure if I'm off monday but we will see, might have to take off for this :D

[six50rider]

I'm In

[Jbay]

ok im in, reservation made, think I got a double non smoking

[RICK M]

That can be arranged....:trust:
ok you have to clue us other guys in on this Kool Aid
Rick M

[stingray]

ok you have to clue us other guys in on this Kool Aid
Rick M

Rick, you've gotta be Too Kool' for School to be in the know about Kool-Aid....... "Oh Yeah" :lol2:

[RICK M]

U R KILN ME:zen:
Rick, you've gotta be Too Kool' for School to be in the know about Kool-Aid....... "Oh Yeah" :lol2:

[TLRam1]

This looks fun, my WR250 is close to being plated and wanted to make sure there was enough good riding, not just dirt roads!

Do you think the 250 would be alright? What the heck, it will be alright if I say it's alright. lol

This might be possible....

[WoodButcher]

It would be great on the dirt part of the ride. As long as the paved parts were 55mph or less then it would do just fine.

[TLRam1]

It would be great on the dirt part of the ride. As long as the paved parts were 55mph or less then it would do just fine.

Because of vibration or the motor wouldn't have much left above 55? Raise the front sprocket as you did, how much will that help?

[WoodButcher]

I find that if I gear the bike for consistent speeds over 55mph, then first gear is too tall for good offroad riding. I think I'm running at 7k rpm at 60mph. The bike will rev to 13k and I don't mind reving some, but I just don't like running that high for a long time. So no long highway stretches for me.

So, not a vibration issue, that's fine, but a rpm issue.

[TLRam1]

Is there a charge or fee to go on this trip other than the normal, fuel, hotel food, etc?

[Richard_]

Is there a charge or fee to go on this trip other than the normal, fuel, hotel food, etc?

Good question. There are no fees or other registration costs this year.

[dfwrider]

I am booked for this trip, and it will be my first group trip. I will be bringing my plated KTM 450 XCW, which from the pictures/videos appears to be the proper choice (I also have a GS 1200). Looking forward to the trip.

[Richard_]

I will be bringing my plated KTM 450 XCW, which from the pictures/videos appears to be the proper choice (I also have a GS 1200).

You bring up a great point.

Based on my limited experience and the information I've gathered from other riders that have ridden there, it appears there isn't much in the way of class 2 roads in northwest Arkansas. All the county and national forest gravel and dirt roads were basically class 1 and the unmaintained roads are class 3.

I'm riding my DRZ, not my Wee, because class 3 on an adventure bike is just too much work and not much fun.

Anyone planning on riding off-paved on one of the big adventure bikes should give some thought to this.

On the other hand, the pavement riding in NW Arkansas is not only superb but is destination worthy in its own right. And is a heck of a lot of fun on one of the adventure bikes.

[PigTrail]

There are literally hundreds of miles of roads in NW Arkansas that look like this. Perfect for the wee's and heftier adv riders of the world.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u311/kilbyr/100_0707.jpg

On the other hand, the less maintained stuff is a lot more fun on a small bike.

This and others are not very wee friendly! :eek2:

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u311/kilbyr/100_0684.jpg

Not warloop, but still enough to make you pucker.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u311/kilbyr/100_0713.jpg

[Tourmeister]

:tab The route we did the first day of the trip I posted earlier in this thread would NOT be one you'd want to do on a Vstrom 650 or any of the other "Adventure" bikes. It was pretty rough even for the KLR 650's and XR 650's. There was this one guy on a little green two smoker that seemed to be having some real fun!! :lol2: The route we did for the second day had a few spots that would not be good for Stroms and other Adv bikes, but for the most part it was twisty versions of the first image in the above post.

[Richard_]

Based on my recon several weeks ago, I've updated my recommendations as to the most appropriate type of bike to ride during this event. Below is the update I've posted on the first post.

Additionally I've come up with 6 routes for the groups to explore and have linked to them in .gpx format.

What should you ride? Your dual sport bike. Will there be routes suitable for both the big adventure bikes and the dual sport bikes? Not really, at least not in my limited experience. The non-paved roads in the area seem to consist of easy class 1 dirt / gravel roads and hard, rocky class 3 dirt roads. There isn't much class 2 riding. For this reason, if you want to ride off-pavement I recommend a dual sport bike, not one of the big adventure bikes. While you can ride an Adventure bike on class 3 it is a heck of a lot of work and not much fun, in my opinion. I'll be on my DRZ-400, not my Wee, for this very reason.

What if all I have is a big Adventure bike? Should I stay home? Well, you could stick to the pavement. Seriously, the paved roads in northwest Arkansas are world-class twisties and are destination worthy all by themselves. Or, if you don't mind riding class 1 dirt/gravel, then there are ample dirt roads to play on. But, if you want more of a challenge and are looking for class 2, then this isn't the ride for you.

My intent is not to discourage adventure bike riders from attending. It is simply to let you know that the non-paved stuff in this area is pretty much either easy or hard, with little moderately difficult (i.e. class 2) available.

Routes: I've planned 6 different routes for us to explore. I haven't ridden any of these routes yet, so this will be a ride of exploration. Here are the routes in .gpx format. Right click and save to your hard drive. When you open any of the routes, don't recalculate them. Quite a few of the roads are not on the map so I used direct routing (vs auto routing) on these routes. If your GPS recalculates the route you will most likely not display correctly. The 6 Routes (http://texasadventure.net/Adventure%20Quest/AdventureQuest.htm)

[TLRam1]

I take it you need a GPS to use for these routes or hook up with someone who has a GPS, correct?

Is this too difficult to print maps off and follow?

[TLRam1]

I see I can't edit the last post....

After getting my WR250 dual sported out last weekend, I bought a WR450, I will be switching all my items to that bike if all is good mechanically, that will be the bike I would be taking.

[Tourmeister]

Routes: I've planned 6 different routes for us to explore. I haven't ridden any of these routes yet, so this will be a ride of exploration. Here are the routes in .gpx format. Right click and save to your hard drive. When you open any of the routes, don't recalculate them. Quite a few of the roads are not on the map so I used direct routing (vs auto routing) on these routes. If your GPS recalculates the route you will most likely not display correctly. The 6 Routes (http://texasadventure.net/Adventure%20Quest/AdventureQuest.htm)

:tab It would really help if you put in more way points so that it is more obvious which roads you intend people to travel. I am sure, that you intend this to be used in conjunction with written directions, but it is easier if we just have more breadcrumbs on the route so that the straight lines more closely follow the route.

:tab Also, my experience is that the stuff NW of town is more difficult that the stuff to the NE. The NW stuff was the first day of that report I posted, definitely class 3 in many places and I would not want to see anyone in there on a Strom or other "Adventure" bike. KLR's can do it but it will be tough in places for inexperienced riders, especially if there is any rain right before the trip. The stuff to the NE is mostly the nice graded stuff that any bike could ride. Even though it is not real technical, a lot of it is still really fun just because it is twisty and scenic.

:tab I also found that just because the maps show there being a numbered forest road, it does not mean that you will in fact be able to access that road. We ran into quite a few locked gates and dead ends. This will definitely be an exploratory trip. For anyone running a GPS, PLEASE save your tracks! If you get them to Richard after the trip, he can use them to better plan events for the future ;-)

[TLRam1]

Will the Quest work with breadcrumbs and these routes?

[Richard_]

Hey Guys,

I'm planning on providing maps for each group of riders.

I'm using the Ozark National Forest map as it is the best map I've found. It not only seems to be quite accurate but it appears to be appreciable more accurate than City Navigator, Google Maps, or the DeLorme Atlas. Because it seems to be the most accurate map I used it for planning the 6 routes.

I'm making copies of the pertinent sections of this map and will be bringing them with me to pass out to you guys. I think/hope that when you cross reference the map and the GPS routes you will be easily able to navigate the intended roads.

If anyone wants the full map, give the forest service in that part of Arkansas a call and I think they can sell you one over the phone and mail it to you. I suggest buying one now so you can scope it out prior to this ride. Call the main office in forest service office Russellville at 479-968-2354 and ask if they can send you an Ozark National Forest map.

Alternatively, you can purchase a map during the ride if the route you are on goes by one of the forest service offices and that office has one in stock.

Using Hwy 21 out of Clarksville as the demarcation line between east/west, 3 of the routes are in the NW area and 3 of them are in the NE area. My recon last month was all in the NW area and the unmaintained roads were class 3. I haven't ridden the NE area yet (but I will this trip) so I refer riders to Scott's comments as to the level of difficulty of the unmaintaned roads in the NE area.

And, finally, Scott hit the nail squarely on the head - this is an exploratory trip. So, bring your sense of adventure and exploration with you and know that you will be blazing a trail for the dual sport adventure riding community during this ride.

[cdc1]

A suggestion: if you contact the Forest Service or any other "official", do not tell them you are part of a group or organized ride. Many parts of that area of Arkansas is National land and any "organized" group may be required to have a permit. RL Lemke put on the Fall Color Tour for many years in that same exact area and found it harder and harder each year to be granted a permit. Finally, the last couple of years, he just said it was riders who happened to show up at the same time and place to ride and there was no organized intent.

[Richard_]

cdc1,

Thank you for the info. That's good to know.

[hamish54]

Richard,

Please help my ineptness. Right clicking on the route files only gives the option of saving file as an .hml file type. What am I doing wrong? Could you post the actual gpx files with the gpx extension?

Thanks,
Bill

[WoodButcher]

Probably an issue with associated file types on your side. The files actually have a gps extention. Just manually change extension when you save. If you have Windows set to hide known file extensions that can mess you up a little too.

[mike j]

Two for arkansas. Norton Mike and Norton Steve
Thanks.

[Richard_]

Bill,

Did you get the issue worked out on the gps files?

[Jbay]

try saving the xml file and open with map source and save as a GBD file

as far as petrol goes:

rte 1 & 2: gas in Combs, nothing near Cass?
rte 3 & 4: gas in Fallsville
rte 5 & 6: gas in Sand Gap

not these are big name gas stations, just country stores with old pump from what I see in google; they could be closed or empty, maybe ill buy the Clarke tank

[Jbay]

new boston (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=gas+station&sll=35.777993,-93.466144&sspn=0.017791,0.025706&ie=UTF8&ll=35.667896,-93.82865&spn=0.015271,0.051413&z=14&layer=c&cbll=35.667871,-93.828614&panoid=nI9x3f_YrF-iJJ9Te2Ml8w&cbp=11,50.25485218772894,,0,3.7979966611018345)

found it, wow those roads look good out thar

[AttoirRE]

Welp, I think I'm going. Gonna double check w/ the bossman, make sure I can get a little leeway with the schedule, then I'll make my reservations later today.

Gonna ride my DRZ up there from Texarkana, TX. Take the scenic route. =P

[hamish54]

Richard,

Thanks for the suggestion, it worked!

Jaybay, thanks for you info too!

Bill

Bill,

Did you get the issue worked out on the gps files?

[Richard_]

hamish,

You're welcome, but it was Woodbutcher that made the suggestion. Gotta give him the credit because he is way, way smarter about the GPS than I.

[AttoirRE]

Hey guys, I just made my reservations. I'm gonna be there Friday night, stay Sat and Sun, head back Monday.

I'm still debating as to tow or ride my plated DRZ400E out there.

This'll be my first semi-organized ride, and I do intend to go on the Mexico trip also.

Looking forward to see you guys!

--Joseph from Texarkana

[AttoirRE]

Also, my DRZ currently has a range of 80-90 miles before I hit reserve. Is this going to be an issue on this trip?

[TLRam1]

Also, my DRZ currently has a range of 80-90 miles before I hit reserve. Is this going to be an issue on this trip?

What size tank do you have?

[AttoirRE]

Stock tank, whatever that size is. I forget.

The 70-80 miles range is only when offroading and showing out, but I'm curious as to how far our gas stops are gonna be.

I've also added a full Yoshi exhaust, and removed the snorkel from the airbox. I jetted accordingly, which is probably a bit rich. My highway mpg hasn't been affected that much, but when offroad only (ie trails / hills, not gravel roads) mileage dropped drastically.

[kennyanc]

:rider: :eat: :rider: :chug: :rider:


:ponder: :thumb:

[kennyanc]

Are NC hillbilly's welcome at this little get-together???

Is anybody camping?



Kenny

[RICK M]

Are NC hillbilly's welcome at this little get-together???

Is anybody camping?



Kenny

Sure you are , I will even bring extra tubes and my welder if needed :lol2:
Rick M

[kennyanc]

I think I got my welding taken care of in Galeana :thumb:

I might very well need a tube though. :rofl:

Is Big A gonna be there?

[RICK M]

I think I got my welding taken care of in Galeana :thumb:

I might very well need a tube though. :rofl:

Is Big A gonna be there?

No Big A is not gonna make it this time , doing another trip the next weekend . Hope you can make it , see ya there if you do .
Rick M

[stingray]

Are NC hillbilly's welcome at this little get-together???

Kenny

Come on down Kenny. I can buy that beer you owe me..... or I mean you can buy that beer that I owe you..... Heck, as long as we're buyin'/drinkin' a beer :rofl:

[Richard_]

Also, my DRZ currently has a range of 80-90 miles before I hit reserve. Is this going to be an issue on this trip?

Candidly, I don't know if it will be an issue on some of the routes. One route 1 and 2 it won't be a problem but I'm not sure about routes 3-6.

[Richard_]

Hey Guys,

I'm planning on providing maps for each group of riders.

I'm using the Ozark National Forest map as it is the best map I've found. It not only seems to be quite accurate but it appears to be appreciable more accurate than City Navigator, Google Maps, or the DeLorme Atlas. Because it seems to be the most accurate map I used it for planning the 6 routes.

I'm making copies of the pertinent sections of this map and will be bringing them with me to pass out to you guys. I think/hope that when you cross reference the map and the GPS routes you will be easily able to navigate the intended roads.



Update:

I got 50 sets of maps back from my printer today, which should be more than enough for everyone in our group to get one. Each set consists of four individual 11x17 color maps. The cost of a set is $5 to cover my costs for getting them produced.

[kennyanc]

No Big A is not gonna make it this time , doing another trip the next weekend . Hope you can make it , see ya there if you do .
Rick M

Yeah I've really got this on my radar. Just have to wait and see how things shake out. Be good to see you again Rick.....bring tubes and duct tape. :rofl:

Come on down Kenny. I can buy that beer you owe me..... or I mean you can buy that beer that I owe you..... Heck, as long as we're buyin'/drinkin' a beer

SCCCCOOOOTTTTT!!! First round's on me!:chug: Woohoo!

What bikes are you guys riding?


Kenny

[stingray]

What bikes are you guys riding?
Kenny

I'll be on my KTM 450. Hope you can make it Kenny!

[RICK M]

What bikes are you guys riding?


Kenny[/QUOTE]

SUZUKI DR SIX FIDDY :rider:

[bigdon55]

Richard, I would like two sets of maps!
Do you want to bring or mail them?
You can post your pay pal or I can get it off TAR site.

[Richard_]

Don,

Either way works for me. I can mail them to you or you can get them on Saturday morning. Your call.

Same goes for anyone else, though if you want them mailed you should let me know asap so there is sufficient time for you to receive them prior to the event.

The cost to mail them is probably about $2, so if anyone wants one mailed now, paypal $7 to me for each set at rgibbens@austin.rr.com and I'll get them in the mail right away.

[bigdon55]

Pay pal sent!

[AttoirRE]

Payment sent for 1 set of maps.

[Multisurface Rider]

I,m in and can't wait!!! :rider:

I will be traveling from San Antonio, if anyone wants to trailer with me I can pick them up or I can ride with you and split the fuel cost.

I have not reserved a room yet. I will wait until Thur. 5-7 or Fri. 5-8 to see if anyone wants to split the cost of a room also. I prefer non smoking, but I will live.

My plans are to go up Friday morning 5-22 and come back on Monday 5-25. I may go up on Thursday 5-21 and get another day of riding while I'm there. Is anyone going up Thursady? I am open for other options.

Richard,

Do you have the routes mapped out on your maps that you have? If so I would like to ride up and get one to get myself familiar with the routes before I get there. I do not have a GPS.

Thanks

[Richard_]

Richard,

Do you have the routes mapped out on your maps that you have? If so I would like to ride up and get one to get myself familiar with the routes before I get there. I do not have a GPS.

Thanks

Calvin,

Yes, I do. PM me and we can plan a time to get together and go over the routes.

[flcbrxx]

Guys, count me in on this one.

I had to cut out on the Hillbilly Round Up for a family emergency.

Can't wait......How are the rooms holding out?

[Multisurface Rider]

Hey Kenny,

I just cancelled my room so there is one now for sure. I am still going, I will be rooming with JBay and he had a room also.


We will be there Thursday night and ride Friday also if anyone wants to meet us a day early.


Lets Ride!




See you there.

[Multisurface Rider]

Richard, enjoyed meeting you and seeing Uncle again.

Thanks for the maps.

[TLRam1]

PP you 7.00 for maps.

[Tourmeister]

Unless his plans have changed, Jredford is meeting me here in Huntsville and we are trailering up together.

[Tourmeister]

By the way, they have been getting a LOT of rain up that way lately... It is gonna make for some fun water crossings! I highly recommend a few folks bring a can of starter fluid ;-)

[RICK M]

I may need to install some outriggers with floates on the Dr 650 so my little butt wont drown in the creek crossings .:lol2:
Rick M

[flcbrxx]

Hey Kenny,

I just cancelled my room so there is one now for sure. I am still going, I will be rooming with JBay and he had a room also.


We will be there Thursday night and ride Friday also if anyone wants to meet us a day early.


Lets Ride!




See you there.




Thanks for the heads up.

Getting ready to call now

[flcbrxx]

Reservation made :clap::rider:

[landman650r]

wish i could go.....too bad I'll be at a ****** wedding.....

[Tekisasu DR]

Please take off (maybe) from my name.
Vacation approved and the bike is running great! My wife & kids agreed me to go as they will come together to enjoy "nothing" while I am riding.:rider:
Ken

[Tourmeister]

:tab Hmmm... John had to bail. So I could really use someone to trailer with from the Huntsville area. I am leaving early Friday morning and plan to be back here in Huntsville early Monday evening. I have tons of room in the truck, Dodge Mega Cab, covered bed where we can lock stuff away and protect it from the weather, and either a two bike or five bike trailer. Truck seats four large adults with room to spare.

[stingray]

Please take off (maybe) from my name.
Vacation approved and the bike is running great! My wife & kids agreed me to go as they will come together to enjoy "nothing" while I am riding.:rider:
Ken

Hey Ken, glad to see your going to make it. See you on Friday!!

[AttoirRE]

Kind of a repeat to my previous question- Will anybody be riding bikes with a sub-100 mile range? Just curious.

My riding buddy who is coming w/ just got a 5 gallon on his XRL, so if I need some spare go-juice I'll just mooch of his tank.

[Richard_]

Kind of a repeat to my previous question- Will anybody be riding bikes with a sub-100 mile range? Just curious.

My riding buddy who is coming w/ just got a 5 gallon on his XRL, so if I need some spare go-juice I'll just mooch of his tank.

I'm not sure all those attending are following this thread.

In my case, I've put a 4 gallon tank on my DRZ, so I've got more than 100 mile range.

[AttoirRE]

What tank did you buy? I'm ready and willing to buy a tank and have it here by Friday, but the only one I think I want is the Acerbis.

It uses the stock shrouds and has dual petcocks.

I pretty much have to have my stock shrouds, the dual petcocks thing is just a bonus.

[Richard_]

What tank did you buy? I'm ready and willing to buy a tank and have it here by Friday, but the only one I think I want is the Acerbis.

It uses the stock shrouds and has dual petcocks.

I pretty much have to have my stock shrouds, the dual petcocks thing is just a bonus.


I put on the IMS 4.0 gal tank. I like the way it eliminates the stock shrouds and offers additional protection for the radiator.

Just Gas Tanks IMS 4gal tank for DRZ400S (http://www.justgastanks.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65_369&products_id=264)

[AttoirRE]

Yeah, my reasoning is I don't want to protect the radiators with my gas tank. I'm sure it's plenty tough, though.

Another thing is I want to be able occasionally freshen the bike up, and replacing the shrouds w/ new graphics. Hence the reasoning I want the stock shrouds.

Does the IMS have dual petcocks?

[Richard_]

Does the IMS have dual petcocks?

No, it doesn't.

[AttoirRE]

Acerbis 4.25 gal tank on the way, should be here Thursday.

:clap::rider:

[Multisurface Rider]

By the way, they have been getting a LOT of rain up that way lately... It is gonna make for some fun water crossings! I highly recommend a few folks bring a can of starter fluid ;-)



Has everybody looked at the weather in Clarksville?

Check it out:

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USAR0114?from=weekend_topnav_undeclared (http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USAR0114?from=weekend_topnav_undeclared)

Rain or shine it will be a great weekend!

[Tourmeister]

It always rains when I go to Arkansas in May :shrug:

[bigdon55]

The rain will keep the dust down and help to keep us old farts from overheating!

Are there any street riders coming?
We have a Bud that we are trying to talk into making the trip. He is a GS Riding Street only kinda guy! He does not like to get DIRTY!:lol2:

Two of us are riding(DR&KLR) leaving from the Suburbs of Weaver, Texas Friday @ 8 AM. We are taking back roads and should be in Clarksville around 5PM.
Holler at me if anyone would like to hook up and ride!
RickM you should unload at my house and ride with!

:rider::eat::rider::eat::rider::eat::yawn:

[bigdon55]

Well I can't find the edit button!:eek2:
I should have said RickM, Yogi, and any of you guys!:rofl:

[Hood Ornament]

It always rains when I go to Arkansas in May :shrug:
Wettest month of the year there, got to expect it.

[Hood Ornament]

Need to add Sean and Gary to the list, they're coming up with me.

[Hood Ornament]

Yeah, my reasoning is I don't want to protect the radiators with my gas tank. I'm sure it's plenty tough, though.

Another thing is I want to be able occasionally freshen the bike up, and replacing the shrouds w/ new graphics. Hence the reasoning I want the stock shrouds.

Does the IMS have dual petcocks?

You want the Acerbis tank. It has dual petcocks and uses the shrouds. Not to mention it's the best quality of the tanks out there. Don't like the IMS at all and the Clarks aren't much better IMO.

[AttoirRE]

Which rig are you gonna take Multisurface?

[Multisurface Rider]

Which rig are you gonna take Multisurface?


I wil take my 92 KLR 650. I just put a new rear tire and I might need it.

[kennyanc]

:tears: It ain't in the cards for me right now. Y'all have fun and ride safe.


Kenny

[AttoirRE]

Well, turns out I have to work Friday evening, so we're just gonna head out early early Saturday and get there between 6 and 7am.

[TLRam1]

Well I have been holding off committing until now. Booked a room about a month ago, wasn't sure if I would make it.

We all three have worked on our bikes all week getting them ready. Joe bought the Baja Kit from me and a new chest protector, John just put on new tires but on a test ride Sunday he decided to buy knobbies and a tooth smaller for the counter shaft sprocket. I duel sported a WR250, than just finished and bought the WR450, had to not only start over on the duel sporting but also did all the usually mods for these WR's along with adding a rack to carry more fuel. A few more repairs/mods yet to finish but talking to John, I have a bad feeling something may not work out, stopped while all is good for the trip.

You can mark down

TERRY
JOHN
JOE

We will be leaving Friday around 3pm and arrive late Friday night.

[AttoirRE]

Holy cow, there's gonna be a lot of people there. =P

[Richard_]

Holy cow, there's gonna be a lot of people there. =P

30+ riders have signed up. Gonna be fun.

[AttoirRE]

Up to a 50% chance of precipitation over the weekend.

So, bring rain gear or just get wet?

I figure I'm gonna attempt a few high speed water crossings, so I'll probably be soaked rain or not.

[Jbay]

can you import routes by SD card without Mapsource? does not seem to work

[RICK M]

The rain will keep the dust down and help to keep us old farts from overheating!

Are there any street riders coming?
We have a Bud that we are trying to talk into making the trip. He is a GS Riding Street only kinda guy! He does not like to get DIRTY!:lol2:

Two of us are riding(DR&KLR) leaving from the Suburbs of Weaver, Texas Friday @ 8 AM. We are taking back roads and should be in Clarksville around 5PM.
Holler at me if anyone would like to hook up and ride!
RickM you should unload at my house and ride with!

:rider::eat::rider::eat::rider::eat::yawn:

I am bringing 2 guys with me from Austin and they are on real dirt bikes so we better trailer on up . And the dry ride home may be nice after a couple of days of rain if it happens . Thanks for the offer though .
Rick M

[Richard_]

Up to a 50% chance of precipitation over the weekend.

So, bring rain gear or just get wet?

I figure I'm gonna attempt a few high speed water crossings, so I'll probably be soaked rain or not.

I've been thinking about the same thing. I think we are gonna get wet on the water crossings, so I'll probably just bring a rain jacket to keep my torso relatively dry and will just accept that my legs/pants are gonna be wet.

[bigdon55]

I am bringing 2 guys with me from Austin and they are on real dirt bikes so we better trailer on up . And the dry ride home may be nice after a couple of days of rain if it happens . Thanks for the offer though .


Rick M

Wuss!:lol2::lol2:

[Tourmeister]

Unless your bike can fly, your lower body is going to get wet on some of these water crossings, especially if there has been rain recently ;-) However, so long as it is not cold, being wet is not that big of a deal. Now when we were in Clayton, Ok., and it was like 15 degrees the first morning... :eek2:

[Tourmeister]

Does anyone have a copy of the GPS route files that follow the actual roads a little more closely than Richard's files?

[Richard_]

Does anyone have a copy of the GPS route files that follow the actual roads a little more closely than Richard's files?

Scott,

I'm relying much more on the paper map than the GPS for this ride because a number of the forest service roads on the forest service map are not on City Navigator. For that reason I recommend navigate mostly via paper map and using the GPS mostly to verify location. My apologies - I don't trust my ability to plot an accurate cross-country route on the GPS.

[Tourmeister]

Scott,

I'm relying much more on the paper map than the GPS for this ride because a number of the forest service roads on the forest service map are not on City Navigator. For that reason I recommend navigate mostly via paper map and using the GPS mostly to verify location. My apologies - I don't trust my ability to plot an accurate cross-country route on the GPS.

Understood. I use City Select and the Topo Maps. Between the two, I've rarely found a case where one or the other does not show the roads in question. I also carry a spare GPS because of past experience trashing one... :doh: I have a BIG stack of paper maps, but I don't like carrying them with me.

[Richard_]

Understood. I use City Select and the Topo Maps. Between the two, I've rarely found a case where one or the other does not show the roads in question.

Good point. I only have City Navigator so if it's doesn't show a road I don't have an alternate GPS map to look at.

[AttoirRE]

Sorry suckers at MotorcycleSuperstore screwed up somehow, long story short the tank I ordered two days ago wasn't shipped.

Canceled order there, ordered it from Justgastanks.com w/ overnight shipping. Ouch.

But, hopefully it'll show. =P

[AttoirRE]

It showed up. Yay me.

http://i43.tinypic.com/2yv4ap5.jpg

[Hood Ornament]

Maps! I don't need no stinking maps. I just follow Scott. :trust:

[AttoirRE]

Fo' sho'. Good ride yesterday, hopefully another today.

How bout them FS roads?

http://i41.tinypic.com/5ue87r.jpg

[dirtryder]

Scott, me an John an Terry had fun sure wish we could have rode with you guys on sunday hopefully next time. Joe

[ajvanderlee]

Dude, had a great time, thanks to all my new riding buddies(don, john, norbit). Thanks again for the push, I get u lunch anytime.:eat:

[bigdon55]

Hey Andy, we will give you a push anytime!
It was good meeting and riding with you.

[Tourmeister]

Maps! I don't need no stinking maps. I just follow Scott. :trust:

:tab I'm going to have to start hiding until the last group leaves the parking lot then sneak out and latch on to the back of their group... :-P I can't tell you how many times I asked someone, "Which route are you running?" and they responded with, "I just plan to follow you..." :giveup:

[Multisurface Rider]

:tab I'm going to have to start hiding until the last group leaves the parking lot then sneak out and latch on to the back of their group... :-P I can't tell you how many times I asked someone, "Which route are you running?" and they responded with, "I just plan to follow you..." :giveup:


Now that sounds like a plan. You lead a great ride.

[TLRam1]

Scott, me an John an Terry had fun sure wish we could have rode with you guys on sunday hopefully next time. Joe

Joe said it well Scott!!!!

and Multisurface, what a heck of a Fun fellow :lol2::lol2::rofl:

Nice to meet the few I had the pleasure of talking to, nice of Mulitisurface and Kenny to lend tools and be human jacks to help with my trailer tire, Joe's flat tire, my starter issues, etc.

Dinner was tasty, good pizza at Porky's! ;-)

[Multisurface Rider]

Joe said it well Scott!!!!

and Multisurface, what a heck of a Fun fellow :lol2::lol2::rofl:

Nice to meet the few I had the pleasure of talking to, nice of Mulitisurface and Kenny to lend tools and be human jacks to help with my trailer tire, Joe's flat tire, my starter issues, etc.

Dinner was tasty, good pizza at Porky's! ;-)


We have to do it again Terry, it was good to meet you, John and Joe. You are the Fun one :lol2: and think like me (if I can't have fun, I might as well stay home.)

Until next time, ride safe and have fun.

[Tourmeister]

I'm heading back up to this area the weekend of June 25-28. We need a fourth person for the trip...

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40696