What can be better than being out on your dirt bike, miles from anywhere, a long way out of cell-phone range, and surrounded with incredible mountain vistas? Maybe you're on your Suzuki DR-Z400E, or it's a Yamaha WR450F, or it's some other great knobby-tired bike. Doesn't matter. You're out there and it's a glorious day. What could be better?
Well, how about if you had some good friends with you? And especially if some of those friends had dirt-biking skills that put yours to shame, and they were willing to help you improve your own. Or maybe they know the area better than you do and can show you some trails that will knock your socks off. Then again, maybe you're the expert and the one turning these novices on to some of these wonders you've seen before.
Either way, it's better with friends. Not to mention that accidents do happen, and bikes do break down or run out of gas, and being out there on your own when that happens is no fun.
But what if you don't know any other folks who are into getting off in the dirt? Or if your riding buddies are all tied up at work and can't get away? Thank goodness we have the Internet.
The fact is, there are other riders out there who want to go the same places you want to go, and have the same free time you have. You just haven't met them. Yet.
One of the best places you can go on the web to find like-minded compatriots and potential friends is Adventure Riders. ADVrider for short, the name says it all. These are the guys who like to challenge themselves and their bikes getting as far away from civilization as they can. The ones who see a dirt road and don't just wonder where it goes, they find out.
The website is a forum, set up with sections for rides, bikes, gear, and miscellaneous. Got a question about what aftermarket shocks are your best bet on your V-Strom? Someone here can answer that question. Planning a trip from Chicago to Yosemite and looking for great roads to add to your itinerary? Post a question and 50 members will offer you their thoughts, and my even invite you to stay with them when you come through their town.
Or maybe you just want to find a riding partner. In that case, there's probably no better approach than to attend one of the numerous ADVrider annual rallies, held all around the country every year. Just show up, introduce yourself, and go riding with the group. Hang out around the campfire at night, talk motorcycles, and make a bunch of new friends. Don't be shy, just jump into the conversation. We all love motorcycles so that's something everyone has in common. You can't strike out if you're talking about bikes.
Here's a sampling of this summer's rallies. Some have already been held.
In Vermont, the CroMag rally will be held at Silver Lake State Park in September.
The BYOB rally is set for Marlinton, WV, this year, in early June.
Eastern RDV was in Laurel Springs, NC, at Freeborne's Motorcycle Resort.
The Squeal Like A Pig (SLAP) rally was held in May in Mulberry, AR, in the White Rock Mountain rally.
The Central rally, held in Wisconsin the last three years, will be in August at a location yet to be announced.
There are more. You get the picture. And it's not just rallies. Anytime an ADVrider wants to round up a group they just post a notice on the forum: "Show up at this location on this day at this time and let's go ride."
Riding alone can be wonderful. Sometimes, though, it's better with friends.
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