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- First Name
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It's time for another Beyond EPIC rally
Labor Day weekend, Thursday, Aug 28 - Monday, Sep 1, 2014 in Clarksville, AR.
The Beyond EPIC rally is open to all.
There is no registration cost. Just show up and ride.
The Ozarks: The riding in the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas is superb. The area is home to about a dozen designated scenic highways and byways, making it a prime destination for riders from all over. It's certainly the best pavement riding between the Smokies and the Rockies. A trip here just to ride pavement is a great trip indeed.
The pavement boys aren't the only ones having fun though; the dual sport riding in the area is very good too. The Ozark National Forest has over 1000 miles of unpaved forest service roads just waiting for you to explore.
The Plan: The rally is based in Clarksville, AR. Clarksville is located on the southern edge of the Ozark Mountains and has plenty of hotels, restaurants, and other services.
Check in on Thursday. Ride all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Party at the Crossroads Sports Bar on Sunday night. Head home on Monday.
Ride HQ: Day's Inn
2600 W Main Street
(exit 55 from Interstate 40)
Clarksville, AR
479-754-8555
Sleeping: The Day's Inn is ride headquarters. It's a big property and should accommodate all of the group. There are lots of other hotel choices in Clarksville in case the Day's Inn is full. Our group rate at the Day's Inn is $50 per night for a single and $56 for a double if paying with debit/credit. Pay with cash and you will get an additional discount.
What should you ride? Your street legal motorcycle. The paved roads in the area are to die for. The dual sport riding is also excellent. So, whether you ride pavement, dirt, or both, this rally is for you. Your motorcycle will need to be street-legal to ride the paved roads (no surprise there). It will also need to be street-legal to ride most of the forest service roads. There are some designated areas in the national forest where you can ride your non-street legal dirt bike but you will have to trailer your bike to and from those designated areas and you are limited to riding those areas. If you want the freedom to ride any road or trail in the area, then your bike needs to be plated and legal.
An FYI for riders of the big adventure bikes (GS, Tiger, Strom, etc): The forest service dirt roads tend to be either class 1 or class 3. There is not much class 2only riding. What this means is that most of the dirt roads in the area are very easy (i.e. might be a little boring) or have more difficult sections(i.e. tough for the big adventure bikes). If you are planning on riding pavement only, your big adventure bike will be fine. If you want to get dirty just be aware that the more difficult sections of most non-class 1 forest service dirt roads can be a handfull on a big bike- not unrideable - just a bit tougher than, say, the roads in the Texas hill country or Big Bend National Park. For this reason I recommend 650 or smaller dual sport bikes for the dirt routes.
My Ozark Adventure ride guide is available if you need/want one. This guide book is similar to my other guide books and includes both pavement only and dual sport routes. Maps of the forest service roads are included with the guide, as are downloadable gpx files for all the routes. You can order a guide now and I will mail it to you before the rally.
Labor Day weekend, Thursday, Aug 28 - Monday, Sep 1, 2014 in Clarksville, AR.
The Beyond EPIC rally is open to all.
There is no registration cost. Just show up and ride.
The Ozarks: The riding in the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas is superb. The area is home to about a dozen designated scenic highways and byways, making it a prime destination for riders from all over. It's certainly the best pavement riding between the Smokies and the Rockies. A trip here just to ride pavement is a great trip indeed.
The pavement boys aren't the only ones having fun though; the dual sport riding in the area is very good too. The Ozark National Forest has over 1000 miles of unpaved forest service roads just waiting for you to explore.
The Plan: The rally is based in Clarksville, AR. Clarksville is located on the southern edge of the Ozark Mountains and has plenty of hotels, restaurants, and other services.
Check in on Thursday. Ride all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Party at the Crossroads Sports Bar on Sunday night. Head home on Monday.
Ride HQ: Day's Inn
2600 W Main Street
(exit 55 from Interstate 40)
Clarksville, AR
479-754-8555
Sleeping: The Day's Inn is ride headquarters. It's a big property and should accommodate all of the group. There are lots of other hotel choices in Clarksville in case the Day's Inn is full. Our group rate at the Day's Inn is $50 per night for a single and $56 for a double if paying with debit/credit. Pay with cash and you will get an additional discount.
What should you ride? Your street legal motorcycle. The paved roads in the area are to die for. The dual sport riding is also excellent. So, whether you ride pavement, dirt, or both, this rally is for you. Your motorcycle will need to be street-legal to ride the paved roads (no surprise there). It will also need to be street-legal to ride most of the forest service roads. There are some designated areas in the national forest where you can ride your non-street legal dirt bike but you will have to trailer your bike to and from those designated areas and you are limited to riding those areas. If you want the freedom to ride any road or trail in the area, then your bike needs to be plated and legal.
An FYI for riders of the big adventure bikes (GS, Tiger, Strom, etc): The forest service dirt roads tend to be either class 1 or class 3. There is not much class 2only riding. What this means is that most of the dirt roads in the area are very easy (i.e. might be a little boring) or have more difficult sections(i.e. tough for the big adventure bikes). If you are planning on riding pavement only, your big adventure bike will be fine. If you want to get dirty just be aware that the more difficult sections of most non-class 1 forest service dirt roads can be a handfull on a big bike- not unrideable - just a bit tougher than, say, the roads in the Texas hill country or Big Bend National Park. For this reason I recommend 650 or smaller dual sport bikes for the dirt routes.
My Ozark Adventure ride guide is available if you need/want one. This guide book is similar to my other guide books and includes both pavement only and dual sport routes. Maps of the forest service roads are included with the guide, as are downloadable gpx files for all the routes. You can order a guide now and I will mail it to you before the rally.
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