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Beyond Epic 5 - Ozark Rally, May 26-29, 2017

This is probably a bit of a cheeky thing to do, but I will be riding through the Ozarks in June (on the TAT going West to East) and wanted to spend a day or two sight seeing in the Ozarks, would anyone be willing to share any GPX files of some good DS/off-road trails in the area that we could spend a day riding? Last time I rode the TAT, it was almost a race from one end to the other, this time I am taking my time and smelling the roses, so want to visit a few things near the TAT trail and relax a bit this time!!

Regards Gary

Im not sure what your route is, or will you cross it, and I'm not really familiar with the area, but I was here last weekend and it was really fun and nice. If you have something like 690 enduro r, or smaller - perfect. But don't take anything bigger than that.
http://www.riderplanet-usa.com/atv/trails/info/arkansas_08530/ride_8b75.htm


Edit: K-trail in Oklahoma is also pretty nice, and big bike friendly
 
Considering this ride but have a few questions. Are there any other requirements for the bike other than being street legal (ins. stickers, exhaust requirements)? Also, my range is around 120-130 miles. Will this be adequate? Would like to do as much dirt as possible.
 
Im not sure what your route is, or will you cross it, and I'm not really familiar with the area, but I was here last weekend and it was really fun and nice. If you have something like 690 enduro r, or smaller - perfect. But don't take anything bigger than that.
http://www.riderplanet-usa.com/atv/trails/info/arkansas_08530/ride_8b75.htm


Edit: K-trail in Oklahoma is also pretty nice, and big bike friendly

Thanks Goyko, we will be on CRF450X's (made road legal), we have all ridden the TAT before and are quite competent in the dirt, so I will definately try to hit the suggested trail.

Regards Gary
 
Thanks Goyko, we will be on CRF450X's (made road legal), we have all ridden the TAT before and are quite competent in the dirt, so I will definately try to hit the suggested trail.

Regards Gary

You're welcome. Make sure you stay on the blue track. They are marked like ski slopes. You could probably manage to get trough some sections of red also. But blacks are some hard core stuff.
 
Considering this ride but have a few questions. Are there any other requirements for the bike other than being street legal (ins. stickers, exhaust requirements)? Also, my range is around 120-130 miles. Will this be adequate? Would like to do as much dirt as possible.

Gas is typically only found in the bigger towns: Clarksville, Huntsville, and Jasper. Most of the little towns between US 412 and I-40 won't have gas. That said, if you carry an extra half gallon or so, you could reach any of those towns without too much trouble from anywhere in that area.
 
Ok, so I am going to commit to putting this on my schedule. I will be leaving Nashville on Thursday afternoon, but don't think I will make it to Clarksville that night, just depends. That means I will be there pretty early Friday the 26th in case there are some other early arrivals.

Seems like it makes the most sense to ride the Husky, but if I decide to haul the trailer all the way to Nashville anyway, maybe I will take both bikes. Not sure if the big boss is going or not, at least the twin would let her and I do some two up.

If there is anybody from Austin that is planning on riding all the way there and back but wish they could toss some extra gear into a trailer heading that way, I am welcome to help.
 
Gas is typically only found in the bigger towns: Clarksville, Huntsville, and Jasper. Most of the little towns between US 412 and I-40 won't have gas. That said, if you carry an extra half gallon or so, you could reach any of those towns without too much trouble from anywhere in that area.[/QUOTE

I'll have to find a way to carry some gas. Thanks,
 
Gas is typically only found in the bigger towns: Clarksville, Huntsville, and Jasper. Most of the little towns between US 412 and I-40 won't have gas. That said, if you carry an extra half gallon or so, you could reach any of those towns without too much trouble from anywhere in that area.[/QUOTE

I'll have to find a way to carry some gas. Thanks,

http://www.bigridesupply.com/Liquid-container-7-liters_p_14.html

http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/liquid-container-bags.1039083/

I have one of these, works great!
 
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My son and I are in! He's bringing his Honda Grom so if there are any folks bringing small bore bikes, let us know so he'll have someone to putt around with.:lol2:
 
Regarding the Sunset Inn

When I made my reservation, I was told they are busy these days with a pipeline going through the area, but that they expected some of the pipeline people would go home for the holiday weekend.
There are other hotels nearby.

Oil pipeline going thru the Ozark???
Sounds like a real bad idea.
 
I think I'm in. I've had "LIFE" get in the way the last year (2016). With Tornadoes, Prostate cancer, new job....... get the picture. SO....... I've ordered a enduro light kit (Tusk) for my crf 250x and if I can swing it (it looks very good!) I'll be there!:rider:
 
The SLAP ride is scheduled the weekend prior to this at Byrds Adventure Park on the Mulberry River. Come up for that whole week and get a double dose of awesome spring riding in the Ozarks.
 
Hello folks,

I really want to attend to this event and it will be my first time in that area. However, below advice about the bigger adv bikes has me thinking if it would be worth the trip only for paved riding.

Any folks out there that will ride the bigger adv bikes up there and planning to ride unpaved sections?

""""Note – the dirt roads in the Ozark National Forest tend to be better suited to dual sport bikes (650cc and smaller) than the big adventure bikes (like the GS800, 1200, Tiger, Strom, etc) due to the scarcity of class 2 roads. The dirt roads in the forest tend to be class 1 and class 3. If you have a big adventure bike you are very welcome to attend the rally, just be aware of the limited amount of good class 2 dirt riding. """"
 
I think I'm in. I've had "LIFE" get in the way the last year (2016). With Tornadoes, Prostate cancer, new job....... get the picture. SO....... I've ordered a enduro light kit (Tusk) for my crf 250x and if I can swing it (it looks very good!) I'll be there!:rider:

Hope you can make it. It would be good to see you again!

It'll be great to see both of you guys again in Arkansas! :mrgreen:
 
Hello folks,

I really want to attend to this event and it will be my first time in that area. However, below advice about the bigger adv bikes has me thinking if it would be worth the trip only for paved riding.

Any folks out there that will ride the bigger adv bikes up there and planning to ride unpaved sections?

""""Note – the dirt roads in the Ozark National Forest tend to be better suited to dual sport bikes (650cc and smaller) than the big adventure bikes (like the GS800, 1200, Tiger, Strom, etc) due to the scarcity of class 2 roads. The dirt roads in the forest tend to be class 1 and class 3. If you have a big adventure bike you are very welcome to attend the rally, just be aware of the limited amount of good class 2 dirt riding. """"

:tab I was just up there with my 1200 GS. If you are staying on county roads and forest service roads, you should be okay. You might encounter the occasional water crossing though. These change from day to day depending on the weather. One day a crossing might be nothing to worry about and another it would be a very good reason to turn around. So you just have to be flexible on your intended route. I had to reroute several times because of water crossings. However, the roads were never a problem.

:tab Weather is ALWAYS an issue. If they have recently had a lot of rain, mud can be a serious issue, even for the smaller bikes. I have seen KLRs and similar bikes with so much mud on the wheels, all you could see was mud. You couldn't even see the spokes.

:tab There are other "roads" that you would NOT want to attempt on any kind of bike, and often not even on a KLR. These tend to be narrow two track ATV trails. I think they usually have a five digit number on the maps/signs. I've done a few on a KLR. It was serious WORK!! I wouldn't even consider doing them on my GS.

:tab Tires make a BIG difference on the big bikes. I pretty much always run a TKC 80 on the front of my GS. The rear is not as big a deal unless you are in deep loose gravel or sand. In that case, the TKC 80, Anakee Wilds, Shinko 805s or other similar tires are MUCH better. On my recent visit, I was running the TKC front and Shinko 805 rear. I did several hundred miles of dirt roads with a passenger and had no issues other than the water crossings I decided to route around. We did do other crossings though.
 
Oh yeah,

:tab I will be up there this same weekend staying and riding at Donny's ranch. Daniel is coming with me. Leadwolf and his two boys are coming as well. We'll be camping. The ranch would be a worthy destination for one of the days of riding for anyone attending the EPIC event and riding a smaller bike. I would not recommend anything bigger than a 650 for any of the "roads" on Donny's place, other than the road to the main house from the gate and maybe the main pasture road. To see the good stuff, you'll have to do some fairly technical climbs and descents that would be a real challenge on a big bike. Knobbies are a must.

:tab I will probably be staying in Clarksville Sunday night. The last time up, we had dinner at El Molcajete. It is on the corner of US 64 and Hwy 103 in town. Great food! I plan to eat there for dinner again on Sunday. We may swing by the rally hotel for a visit before turning in for the night.
 
OK I'm in...... I better be in I've spent enough money already trying to get ready for this thing, LOL:rofl: and still haven't made hotel res. :lol2:
 
Well, now I'm a maybe. Family issues changed my original trip plans so now I may be free for this. Went ahead and registered so I could get the really cool hat...
 
Anyone riding or trucking/trailering from DFW? My default plan is to ride my wr250r from North Dallas on Fri - if someone has space on a truck or trailer and don't mind company I could join you and share expenses.

Also, I'm interested in doing unpaved, but don't want to get into very technical areas, due to my limited experience... want to enjoy the forest scenery more than killing myself dealing with very difficult trails. Anyone else interested in relatively easy scenic trails?
 
Anyone riding or trucking/trailering from DFW? My default plan is to ride my wr250r from North Dallas on Fri - if someone has space on a truck or trailer and don't mind company I could join you and share expenses.

Also, I'm interested in doing unpaved, but don't want to get into very technical areas, due to my limited experience... want to enjoy the forest scenery more than killing myself dealing with very difficult trails. Anyone else interested in relatively easy scenic trails?

Same here. I got a 690 enduro r. Don't have a truck currently, so if anybody have space for me and bike, it would be awesome.
If not, I guess me and you can ride up there together. :rider:
 
Same here. I got a 690 enduro r. Don't have a truck currently, so if anybody have space for me and bike, it would be awesome.
If not, I guess me and you can ride up there together. :rider:

Sounds good! I will enjoy the ride on Fri, but would be great to save the tires for Arkansas! :trust:
 
I was in this area last weekend with a few friends.
Y'all better bring your high-water boots. The creeks are higher than I've seen in years.

IMG_20170505_123224946_HDR-X2.jpg


IMG_20170505_123226572_HDR-X2.jpg


IMG_20170505_123244158_HDR-X2.jpg


IMG_20170505_123331928-X2.jpg


And don't miss the Country Ham at the Kountry Kitchen next to the Sunset Inn.

IMG_20170506_081800154-X2.jpg
 
Wow not sure what is more impressive the water crossing or that side of ham?
 
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