Hmm...soo you're saying I should hook up my trailer to my v-strom to tow my dirt ninja to the rallye? I think it'd be easier for me to just ride the dirt ninja (is it getting obvious I don't own a car and ride my bikes for everything) haha
So I went riding with some people this weekend and one of the riders told me about 10 times not to do this ride until I am a spectator for one or I may hurt myself really badly. He said the speeds are very very high. I really want to do this race but am I going to hurt myself by riding at a pace that isn't super fast? This would be my first race.
There's no pressure. You can ride as fast as you feel like, or just cruise along. You can ride without crashing, right? Its not technical, just dirt, gravel roads. Has that guy who told you not to do it ridden it before? If you are feeling dodgy, you can enter the SPortsman's Adventure class and just do the roads without feeling like you have to be at 150%. Which you dont, anyway, I ride at about 75% or a little more. There have been some crashes in the past, and some concussions, that sort of thing so its not without its dangers, but for somebody to tell you "dont do it, the speeds are too high" is kinda funny unless they are there turning your wrist for you.
This guy said he had done rally in a car for 14 years and had done the WV rally several years. He said the speeds reach 125mph+. I am pretty conservative and not easily coerced to ride above where I feel comfortable. I rode the TAT and the speed on my KLR often saw 75+ on the dirt/gravel/sand with 100+ pounds of luggage on it. Maybe he just thought I sucked(we were riding in sand and I suck at sand) haha.
I'm confused.... you're concerned that the speeds are too high and then you respond with the above statement.... Was the Rally guy you rode with named Gerry?
Yes, we were riding in the pine barrens. Again, I suck at riding in the sand, plus while my ninja is a great bike, it isn't as good as a drz400 for off road. So do I heed his word, or should I participate?
I know Gerry, very well. For years, I was a hired mechanic for some pro rally teams and Gerry was running a 4000Q so we ran into each other at events. He stopped competing after a nasty crash that left him pretty busted up. He also rides with a guy that has been in the rally scene for awhile who runs Rallymoto now. Two schools of thought..... The top riders are averaging between 50-60 MPH on stage. That is pretty fast and all it takes is one little bump in the road and you're flying into the woods like superman... BTDT. Rallymoto isn't like riding in an enduro or even trail riding, an average speed at a fast enduro might be 25 MPH and usually its much less. I think Gerry has a legitimate concern if he's actually scene your riding and cautioned you about running. On the other hand, Stagehand has a valid point. If you're just going to try and survive the first event and ride smart or within your ability, you'll be fine. You're asking us to determine if you should run the event or not and we're not qualified to offer that advice for you. Ask yourself.... "Can I have enough self control to not ride over my head?" So, you're bringing an untested design and then claiming you want to see triple digits, without even seeing what the stages look like.... you got me wondering now I'm not sure you could break 90 down there, the stages are a bit more twisty than Sandblast and parts of BRS. Maybe just calm down a bit and go down to WV with no big expectations and just ride the thing. Nobody really cares how well you do or don't do anyway, you're the only one you need to impress. By the way, are you the guy that rode off the cliff in CO last summer up near Oray?
Glad to see I've got my reputation written in stone. I prefer to think of that story as, guy that rode off the cliff, arose completely unharmed, stayed calm, got help, spent a day fixing the bike, and rode it 2,200 miles home in 2 days. I will take your advice and arrive with no expectations. I have very good self control and will not allow myself to ride above my skill/comfort level. Stuff happens and I understand I could wind up wrapped around a tree, however, that is part of riding. I mitigate the risk as much as possible, but I won't increase my skill level if I don't continue to ride more/varied terrain. As for untested. I've currently put 2,100 miles on the bike, 800 since I completed the dirt conversion. I'd expect to have a couple thousand more miles on it by July. I appreciate all of the advice, I'm coming to learn to ride better, meet people with the same interest, and have a great time. I don't expect to throw down any amazing times, but I do expect to finish, and just that will feel good. BTW, how'd you know about Ouray? I miss that strom, she was replaced a couple weeks later with another one, a hideous baby blue color but I don't care much about appearance.
Well, Sarah and Jim are my cousins and I heard all about your cliff dive back in August By untested, I mean riding it hard on a gravel road in anger, faster than you might otherwise ride in your normal day to day riding. Best advice.... relax and stop over thinking it to death. Prep your bike, check yourself and go ride the event. When it's all over, you'll know everything you need to know and then some. Another quick tidbit...... During the countdown, when the starter hits the 10 second mark, I force myself to smile. The smile reminds me that I'm doing it all for fun and the anxiety just washes away. I swear, the smile trcik was good for at least 30 minutes off my stage times at the end of the day.
I was a little embarrassed meeting Sarah and Jim under those circumstances but it happens, and was a large part of the reason I built this bike. I'm glad I made it out of there, I learned some lessons, but overall it was still a great trip (thanks Allstate, you paid for all the bikes in my garage) I'll stop overthinking it, to be honest I wasn't until I talked to Jerry, but I appreciate all advice.
Jim and Sarah didn't tell me your story in a negative way, they showed me pics of their trip and told me about this lucky guy that went over a cliff and didn't die Forgot to mention.... Over the past 5/6 seasons, I don't think we've had many injuries. One broken leg, two broken wrists (same guy, same accident) two collarbone breaks, a knee and a few concussions. I got some pretty good road rash on my ass from a get off at BRS but nothing serious. I've seen worse on a dual sport ride!
RWV last year was my first ever rally. Of course I am on a MUCH slower bike than you but nothing scared me too much. I think my top speed was probably just over 70. I tend to fear what I cannot see which is a good survival trick. If you are constantly afraid that the blind corner you are entering tightens up and has a sheer cliff on the other side you will be fine. So, the real question you need to ask yourself is are you the sort of rider who gets caught up in the "red mist". If so then you might want to think twice. As far as not being good in sand that isn't an issue. These roads are all hard packed with some loose rock on top but no sand or deep gravel.
No, I don't get caught up in the red mist. Gerry was behind me a bit on Sunday and I didn't change my pace. I'm fairly competent on gravel so I look forward to this. I'll ride cautiously and see if I can build my pace as the rally goes on, if not no worries. I'm glad Sarah didn't trash talk me, she surely could have. Maybe I looked really bad ass? haha I wish I could have traded the strom for a KTM when I got to Ouray.
Anders has a good way to measure your progress which I like. On each stage keep track of all of those "almost" moments that could have ended up worse, like running wide on the corner. Measure your progress by how many of these you count each stage. Sounds like you have the right mindset for this. I think you will do fine. Looking forward to meeting you and checking out your "dirt ninja".
Wait........am I getting better when I have more of the "almost" moments? i am scared shiteless thinking about doing this rally. But everything I'm getting from you guys is that I need to just view it as a dual sport gathering. I'm scared, but excited at the same time. When do we have to pay for the rally??
