Big Bike Adventure Rally

[AndyB]

I'm struggling to find a reason not to enter.

[Mad Cow]

It' only open to bikes over 600cc and no enduro bikes.

Actually it's open to bikes over 400cc,

The Big Bike Adventure Rally is open to trail and adventure bikes over 400cc. The event has been designed to be a novice / first time rally event for adventure bikes. The rally will take place over two days and cover approximately 500 miles of road and off-road terrain. The course will be completely rideable on dual sport tyres on all types and models of Adventure bike.

I suspect they'll let DRZ's enter even though they are only 398cc (I will check that when I see Burt and Moly at the weekend and post it up here)

Still debating whether I want to ride 500 miles in a weekend on the CCM :S maybe I'll just have to go and a buy a 990 Adventure after all

[Mike54]

yep, you're right - apologies. it does also say no enduro bikes though. says 400-575 trail bikes which technically would exclude drz

i put husky 630 on my entry and burt emailed me and said better to do it on the adventure bike which is what i'm going to do. it seems to be a road based nav rally with only a very small offroad element and i really dont fancy 250 miles x 2 days on knobblies and a narrow seat on tarmac.

[sws626]

I'm in.

Am I right in assuming that if you don't have an ACU licence you can just show up and sign a form for a day licence?

-Stuart

[Mike54]

Yep B)

[sws626]

Just received notice that this event has been cancelled. That's a real shame. It's not the first cancelled event I'd enetered this season oriented toward big adventure bikes. This leaves me thinking maybe the other people who buy these bikes are not really interested in getting them dirty. I'm writing now from a holiday on the west coast of the US where every other vehicle is an SUV or jeep. I seriously doubt that any one of them has ever been off road. Is the popularity of GS/adventure bikes just a manifestation of the same impulse?

[Mike54]

All kinds of events are being cancelled left, right and centre. a lot because of weather, also plenty to do with people not wanting to spend money. its a shame because this would have been a cracking event - i get the feeling that quite a few felt it was going to be like a proper rally ie high speed offroad etc, which it wasnt going to be. It was meant to be a taster of that, without the high speed, and most of it on road anyway testing navigational skills.

But in terms of the GS/big bike thing etc, I think you're right. Same with 4x4's; I see loads of landrovers where I live with the roof tents, the big wheels, the hi lift jack on the back. the closest they ever get to doing anything is going over a kerb at the local tesco car park. Still, each to their own, not having a go at that, i just don't really understand it.

[Itchy]

I have a Vstrom1000, love the style and all day comfy, not sure I would want to go off road though, very heavey.Also a new "adventure" bike is best part of £13000 so not many are going to chance trashing it.

[Mike54]

And there we are. Riding on hard packed fire roads (and not at high speed either) is not going to trash anything. the most damage people do to their bikes is at low speed or no speed on tarmac. there seems to exist some kind of perception that riding a big bike on anything but tarmac is going to trash it no matter what, it's rubbish.

[xylo66]

Fully agree with you Mike54 !!