Altitude Madness with Real Estate Men
by Dr. Gregory W. Frazier
The BMW GS Big Dog Ride is billed as the "world's highest, toughest BMW GS motorcycle event. "Not a rally nor a race, the "Divide Ride" or "Rocky Mountain Rendezvous" is an invitation-only, fun-filled adventure testing both rider's skill and the mechanical preparation of their BMW motorcycles. The fun includes watching fellow riders crash (usually at very slow speed), riding over spectacular mountain trails and terrain, and the camaraderie of fellow BMW GS enthusiasts. Event participants are called "Big Dogs," as differentiated from BMW GS owners who purchased their motorcycles more for highway riding and polishing.
The Big Dogs tend to ride their motorcycles in extremes that include mud, dust, rocks, streams and over an occasional cliff. Forty-four participants from 15 states and Canada started the 1996 Big Dog Ride from Denver on September 26 with a "warm-up ride" to Grand Junction, Colorado over several mountain passes via fire roads and jeep trails. All were on GS motorcycles, ranging from early '80s rally racing prototypes to the latest R l100 GS's. The majority of entrants rode RlOOGS models. Nearly all of the participants rode their motorcycles to Denver, then removed saddle bags, tank bag, mirrors and windshields before the event. BMW of Denver does a whopping post ride business selling replacement turn signals and other plastic parts.
A late summer storm added six to twelve inches of fresh snow to the riding adventure, causing some riders, several on R l100 GSs, to change course and try to reach Grand Junction via Interstate 70. Near Vail, numerous automobile drivers were entertained as Mike Natham of Eden Prairie, Minnesota tried to right his R l100 after crashing on ice. Other riders, like trials and enduro experts David Latharn and Jake Herzog, laughed in the face of Mother Nature as they opted for the toughest, coldest route through mud and over snow covered rocks the size of basket balls while leading Canadian Neal Graber on a "fun run" to Grand Junction. This year's Big Dog Ride officially started from All Sports Honda/BMW in Grand Junction.
The entrants, after signing in and receiving waterproof Rider's Kits and benediction requesting safety amidst the fun, chose one of two routes to Moab, Utah. The more crazed chose to ignore the benediction and ride stream crossings, 30-degree-angled, single-trackgoat trails, sand tracks and a ten-mile stretch down railroad tracks. The God-fearing opted for a 250-mile route which included 25 miles of fresh snow and ice, a maze of un marked wilderness trails through two mountain ranges and a high-speed desert section.
On day three, the majority opted for a 125-mile loop over the White Rim Trail of Canyonlands National Park. A "Four Wheel Drive Only" road, the trail ranges from sand tracks to steep rock inclines to high-speed fire roads. No gas or water is available over the entire route. Jeeps traverse the route in 9-12 hours, while the motorcycles can complete it in close to eight if they sustain high speeds over the more difficult terrain. The-demented group of remaining riders followed a much shorter route. The route included 40 stream crossing, a twenty-mile sand track through narrow canyons and several single-track sections. Big Dogs helped each other over nearly impassable rocks. It took an hour for some GS bikes to go 80 miles
Three entrants were still missing by dark. One rider had, in fact, crashed, and stuck his R l100 GS in deep sand. Unable move the 600-lb. sled, he walked two miles to the nearest inhabited point. Somehow, he talked a camper into returning with him to pull the beached behemoth to hard ground. The other two riders errantly wandered around in the dark looking for their missing companion until all three were united.
Attempting to make up time while returning to Moab in the dark, their efforts were further slowed when a bear nearly knocked one of the Big Dogs off is R100 GS at speed when it darted from a sand wash.
On the final day of the Big Dog Ride, some riders did short loops out of Moab while others, like David Salmanowitz of Bonita Springs,Florida and John Koenig of Lakemont, Georgia, packed their motorcycles and started their long rides home.
Duct tape and cable ties were holding several Bavarian pieces of plastic on the very expensive motorcycles, while Quik-Set JB Weld was plugging oil leaks from valve covers that had made ground contact. Goodbyes were exchanged, new friends were seen trading addresses and all Big Dogs vowed to return next year. Each will receive an automatic invitation for the next Big Dog Ride. (Those Big Dogs unable to accept their invitations create openings for new Big Dogs, but fewer than 25% fail to return each year.) If you own a BMW GS motorcycle and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts who firmly believe it is a "dual purpose motorcycle" capable of serious off-road riding. then maybe the Big Dog Ride is something you should try. It's unique and exclusive. It's also adventure. If you are interested in trying the Big Dog Ride, contact BMW of Denver at (303) 936 2317, or write Great American Motorcycle Adventures, P.O.Box 1598, Englewood,Colorado 80150-1598.
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