several klr's headed to big dog ride, and others

[Ron Cohen]

Got the following after calling on how many KLR's and DR's are signed up for the BIG DOG RIDE. Some interesting stuff: BIG DOG ADVENTURE NEWS July 8, 2004 August 12-15 Ground Pounding (Den) Entries are flowing in for the 15th BIG DOG RIDE. The oldest entrant, Vance Griffitts, from Playa Del Rey, CA. runs in the A, or crazed class. He claims at 70 he is allergic to some cats. Young DOGS beware! Buddy Passes Sought Several BIG DOG RIDE entrants have asked for Invitations for their buddies. These are available to new DOGS if their pals request them, standing good for unknown fraternity members. Write bigdogbmw@... and send their name and snail mail address. R1200 Adventures Teething It seems after the big R1200 Adventure Press Introduction in South Africa, January, 04, numerous transmissions were replaced. During another Press Intro in May put on by Del Bondio Adventure Travel, another one of the R1200 s crumped, this one ridden by a Cycle World invitee. A loose wire in the new Single Wire System had BMW techs scratching their heads for nearly three days on another R1200. On the upside, the non-existent surging problem seems to really be non-existent on the new Adventure. KTM Versus BMW On July 7, KTM delivered a 950 Adventure to the offices of MOTORCYCLE CONSUMER NEWS for a long weekend run-off, a rode-to- Laguna-Seca-Race-Test comparison with a BMW R1200 Adventure. Look for a write-up in a coming issue of MCN, the only motorcycle magazine in the field that accepts no advertising, thus doesn t have to waffle on words. Look for KTM vs BMW Aug.12-15. Sleeper Adventurer Tourers? Quietly being whispered by some of the journalists in the motorcycling press that does live off advertising is that the Suzuki V-Strom (650) is one of the better deals going in the Adventure Touring Class. All agree a skid plate would let the owner worry less about rocks, but D. H. Gibbs (Salt Lake City, UT) who makes skid plates for Moose, et al, probably already has one in the works. The Kawasaki KLR 650 is still one a favorites for the budget-minded. Avon Tyres-Back In The News Rumors be dashed! Some suppliers have been telling customers the Distanzia model was no longer being marketed. A call to Avon July 6 dispelled this rumor. Both the favorite dual-sport Distanzias and Gripsters are still in production. What the supplier probably meant was they, they supplier, were out of stock. Avon is also still saying that mounting backwards the Distanzia front (21 ) on bikes like the KLR 650 s and F650 s is recommended. Why? Smoother and longer wear. Price is still good. Deadhorse Endurance Rally - Alaska Think you have the adventure stuff ? Try the 414-mile Haul Road (75% unpaved) to Deadhorse, aka as Prudhoe Bay. The event is going cyber, but if you get to Alaska and want to test your stuff, July 25 is when the flag drops. Riders can expect fire, rain and snow. The 18-wheelers are known to test riders by using the road center to see how well motorcycle riders can do on the slippery shoulders and down into the tundra (the road is built up on the tundra in places). Each year several riders have to be airlifted off the Dalton and crashed bikes hauled down to Fairbanks. Hauling a dead or broken bike can cost $1,300-$1,500 versus $1,000 for a wrecked car from Cold Foot, about the halfway point. Why more for a motorcycle than a car? The towing company pulls a trailer behind the wrecker for the motorcycle to be tied/rolled onto. As for medical assistance, plan on an expensive helicopter ride. The fastest time up, or down, is rumored to be by Rick Morrison, 8.5 hours. In July it is daylight nearly all day, so some riders can do the 828-mile round trip in less than 20 hours. A room at Prudhoe Bay costs $125.00 and there is gas available, but you had better be able to make the 240 miles from Cold Foot to Deadhorse on a full tank because there is no gas in between. Email: deadhorserally@.... Can t Make BIG DOG 2004? Keep your Invitation for 2005, as well as stay up with BIG DOG ADVENTURE news, get stickers and order your 15th BIG DOG RIDE T-shirt (www.horizonsunlimited.com/bigdog/) __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

[Guest]

Happy Trails and Loose Spoke Inc. invite you to join us in Boise, ID on July 31st for the 2004 Dirty Dozen Dual sport Rally. This is a 12 hr. endurance rally. You choose your own winning route from 20+ bonus locations and maximize the time/distance/points/fuel equation. We will supply you with an official rally shirt, feed you a continental breakfast, turn you loose to ride the scenic Boise National Forest and then treat you to an awards banquet with door prizes and awards for the top three finishers at a local Italian restaurant. You will need an Idaho road map and a Boise National Forest map available at the address below. I recommend the synthetic version. http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/boise/maps/order_form.htm The rally is limited to fifty (50) bikes. The entry fee is sixty dollars ($60) per bike. Payment and an entry form are required to confirm your place in the rally. Registration by July 19th will guarantee you a shirt or hat. Call or email if it is "in the mail" and you think it might be late. The entry form is available on the website or by mail from me. Please contact me with any questions you may have. Nolan Tripp ntripp@... More information at www.sailingwaters.com