CHECK IT OUT!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Just like a thousand hoofs...
Get ready for the Stampede!!
What's a Stampede- you might ask...
Here's the awesome scoop from Engines of Creation (http://www.enginesofcreations.com/stampede-5.html):
Alright, you smarmy bastards! The gauntlet has been officially thrown down for the Fifth STAMPEDE.
For those of you not privy to the nature of the matter in question, the Stampede is the ultimate cross-country chopper throw-down. The race started in 2006 as a ride envisioned to be similar to the cross-country traverses of the riders of the Pony Express, wherein young, wiry, disposable cowboys, (orphans preferred) would flat haul ass across the wild west for little more than the thrill of doing it, and delivering things that just absolutely had to get from point A to point B in rapid succession. Originally, the Stampede started out in Barstow, California and ended in Salisbury, North Carolina at the Smoke Out VII.
Every year since, we have started out in Barstow, but over the years the destination has changed a couple times, which stretched the total mileage as the Smoke-Out moved further and further away from the good old Hotel California where the race starts. For the first two years and the fourth year (2328mi, 2328mi, and 2424mi, respectively), our route was quite similar: we basically went straight across.
The third year we went a much longer (2645 miles), more southern route, which is still the longest Stampede to date. This year, we are going to push the envelope even further, and stretch the race to right in the neighborhood of 3000 miles.
We will be racing from the Santa Monica Pier in California, toes in the Pacific Ocean, all the way across the continent to the Atlantic Ocean, and then to the SOXI in Rockingham, NC.
We will be following a route that will be disclosed after registrations and inspections, and will not be an item of discussion, so don't show up with any other ideas than riding your bad motorsickle from coast to coast to SOXI. .... .. .. By design, the Stampede is the ultimate test of man and machine, and is definitely not for the faint of heart. Everyone enters the Stampede at their own risk, nobody will be responsible for you in any way but your damned self.
The Stampede is dangerous, illegal, immoral, wrong, kinda stupid, and should not be ridden by anyone at all. It is all-out madness, many people have blown up their motors, broke down, been stranded in the middle of nowhere, been pulled over, broken frames, flat tires, gotten lost, wrecked, broken bones, and even killed, not to mention all of the lesser inconveniences, such as being completely soaked to the skin, sunburned, trying to avoid tornados, dodging traffic, staying away from Johnny Law, running out of gas and pushing for miles, and generally keeping the rigid monstrosity you so deftly appointed for the task running continually for such a long stretch. It is hard-core by it's very nature.
Serious as a toothache. The Stampede is a CHOPPER race. It's not the Love Ride, it's not a HOG rally, and it's not anything like any other cross country ride you have heard of. .... .. .. Sure, it's difficult to cut out from vocational obligations, and the continual demands of daily life for long enough to get all the way from wherever you are to California, and then to the other side of the country, and then back, but all that only adds to the adventure of the whole affair.
I never said any of this would be easy, only that it would be worth it. Despite all of its apparent drawbacks, it's a hell of a lot of fun, not to mention an experience only a handful of others have partaken in.
That fact alone absolutely blows my mind. Never have more than 30 people shown up at the starting line, of all the unknown thousands of guys out there with bikes, only a handful actually have the sand to show up and give it their best shot. It's not as though you have to get across first to have a good time, in fact, just finishing within the allotted time is quite an accomplishment in and of itself. There's just nothing like running hard all the way from one side of the country to the other on your own on a bike you are heavily involved with. It's the one time out of the year when absolutely NOTHING else matters, except getting down the road in rapid succession. It's simple, brutal, and beautiful, and the hardest ride i've ever loved..... .. ..
Although the route has changed a little as time has gone on, and will undoubtedly be different every year, the underlying idea, rationale, and rules for the race have stayed the same as they have always been, with a few amendments that have come up over the years:
1: Rigid frames only! This is a CHOPPER race! Strutted bikes are okay, but you can't use any rubber bushings or any dampening devices of any kind in their implementation. You can technically roll a mostly stock bike that's been strutted, as long as it meets all of the other requirements, but don't expect to get any props or love because that's really NOT what this is all about. If you are reading this right now, you probably already understand this. Guys work on their bikes all year for this race. Most of them are home-brewed gnarly ass sleds with air-cooled, mostly less than new motors. The smallest motor that has completed the Stampede is a 250cc Honda ridden by none other than F-Bomb. The largest, well, there have been a couple big-inch bikes that have made it, but off the top of my head I can't think of one any bigger than a 120ci. Naturally, there is a variety of different interpretations of what the ideal Stampede bike should be, which is entirely predicated by personal preference, but if you show up on a late-model sport bike that's just strutted or something, I can't guarantee it won't be vetoed by the veteran riders. Two wheels only! The only exception is if you are handicapped so that you are unable to ride a two wheeled motorcycle, and then and only then you might could have a third wheel, as long as they receive prior approval. If there's any confusion about this, any additional questions may be fielded to me directly.
2: No hard bags, no windshields, no bullshit. again, this is a CHOPPER race. This isn't some bullshit hop on a bagger or sport-touring bike and ride all day in relative comfort with no fear of your shit breaking down kind of affair, and this rule is mostly to keep those bikes away. I mean, come the f*&k on now! This one is obvious. Riding across the map on some bagger or sport-touring bike is kind of like riding across the country in a car, for the most part, which really isn't all that noteworthy or unusual.
3: Solid mounted motors only! This means no rubber mounted motors, (ie FXR, Superglide, late-model rubber mounted Sporties, etc.) no rubber bushings in the motor mounts, etc. If you don't think it makes a difference, then you don't know what you're talking about. It may not seem like much of a difference initially, but over the course of thousands of miles it makes a GIANT difference. If you don't like this, look into an Iron Butt ride. If you have rubber bushings in your motor mounts, replace them with slugs or washers before you show up, and save everyone the belly-aching.
4. No chase vehicles of any kind are allowed. Even Road Kings count as chase trucks. No tagalongs, as those are basically chase vehicles too. You may ride together if you are both in the race, but if you do, you will both occupy the same time and position at the end of the race. Chase trucks basically take all of the uncertainty out of the ride, as you basically always have a backup plan following behind you in the event that things should go horribly wrong. You should try to plan for the best, and only when things go horribly wrong should you worry about sorting them out accordingly. For instance, Rickey's motor blew up in the first 100 miles or so on Stampede 3, and managed to hitch a ride all the way to Alabama, swap motors, and still made it to Clemmons by Thursday! The same year, Eric blew up his Buell motor somewhere in Texas, tore the whole thing apart, stuffed it in a rental car, and dragged the whole pile to the Smoke Out! A lot of times, the most catastrophic events end up being some of the most memorable parts of the whole endeavor, and coming up with creative ways to get to the other side of the map at all costs on the fly is definitely part of the adventure. ....
As of Sunday morning, it's every man for himself! We'll all leave together and it'll just go down from there. So that's the straight dope. If you don't like it, don't bother coming. If your bike doesn't qualify, make it qualify and then come anyways. If you don't think you can handle it, don't show up. It's all up to you, and all the liability and subsequent glory will fall squarely upon the shoulders of whoever shows up. This is unsanctioned, unsponsored, as real as it gets, and f$%*king gnarly. If you think you have what it takes, or just don't give a damn, come on out! We'll be looking for ya! .... . ....
What's a Stampede- you might ask...
Here's the awesome scoop from Engines of Creation (http://www.enginesofcreations.com/stampede-5.html):
Alright, you smarmy bastards! The gauntlet has been officially thrown down for the Fifth STAMPEDE.
For those of you not privy to the nature of the matter in question, the Stampede is the ultimate cross-country chopper throw-down. The race started in 2006 as a ride envisioned to be similar to the cross-country traverses of the riders of the Pony Express, wherein young, wiry, disposable cowboys, (orphans preferred) would flat haul ass across the wild west for little more than the thrill of doing it, and delivering things that just absolutely had to get from point A to point B in rapid succession. Originally, the Stampede started out in Barstow, California and ended in Salisbury, North Carolina at the Smoke Out VII.
Every year since, we have started out in Barstow, but over the years the destination has changed a couple times, which stretched the total mileage as the Smoke-Out moved further and further away from the good old Hotel California where the race starts. For the first two years and the fourth year (2328mi, 2328mi, and 2424mi, respectively), our route was quite similar: we basically went straight across.
The third year we went a much longer (2645 miles), more southern route, which is still the longest Stampede to date. This year, we are going to push the envelope even further, and stretch the race to right in the neighborhood of 3000 miles.
We will be racing from the Santa Monica Pier in California, toes in the Pacific Ocean, all the way across the continent to the Atlantic Ocean, and then to the SOXI in Rockingham, NC.
We will be following a route that will be disclosed after registrations and inspections, and will not be an item of discussion, so don't show up with any other ideas than riding your bad motorsickle from coast to coast to SOXI. .... .. .. By design, the Stampede is the ultimate test of man and machine, and is definitely not for the faint of heart. Everyone enters the Stampede at their own risk, nobody will be responsible for you in any way but your damned self.
The Stampede is dangerous, illegal, immoral, wrong, kinda stupid, and should not be ridden by anyone at all. It is all-out madness, many people have blown up their motors, broke down, been stranded in the middle of nowhere, been pulled over, broken frames, flat tires, gotten lost, wrecked, broken bones, and even killed, not to mention all of the lesser inconveniences, such as being completely soaked to the skin, sunburned, trying to avoid tornados, dodging traffic, staying away from Johnny Law, running out of gas and pushing for miles, and generally keeping the rigid monstrosity you so deftly appointed for the task running continually for such a long stretch. It is hard-core by it's very nature.
Serious as a toothache. The Stampede is a CHOPPER race. It's not the Love Ride, it's not a HOG rally, and it's not anything like any other cross country ride you have heard of. .... .. .. Sure, it's difficult to cut out from vocational obligations, and the continual demands of daily life for long enough to get all the way from wherever you are to California, and then to the other side of the country, and then back, but all that only adds to the adventure of the whole affair.
I never said any of this would be easy, only that it would be worth it. Despite all of its apparent drawbacks, it's a hell of a lot of fun, not to mention an experience only a handful of others have partaken in.
That fact alone absolutely blows my mind. Never have more than 30 people shown up at the starting line, of all the unknown thousands of guys out there with bikes, only a handful actually have the sand to show up and give it their best shot. It's not as though you have to get across first to have a good time, in fact, just finishing within the allotted time is quite an accomplishment in and of itself. There's just nothing like running hard all the way from one side of the country to the other on your own on a bike you are heavily involved with. It's the one time out of the year when absolutely NOTHING else matters, except getting down the road in rapid succession. It's simple, brutal, and beautiful, and the hardest ride i've ever loved..... .. ..
Although the route has changed a little as time has gone on, and will undoubtedly be different every year, the underlying idea, rationale, and rules for the race have stayed the same as they have always been, with a few amendments that have come up over the years:
1: Rigid frames only! This is a CHOPPER race! Strutted bikes are okay, but you can't use any rubber bushings or any dampening devices of any kind in their implementation. You can technically roll a mostly stock bike that's been strutted, as long as it meets all of the other requirements, but don't expect to get any props or love because that's really NOT what this is all about. If you are reading this right now, you probably already understand this. Guys work on their bikes all year for this race. Most of them are home-brewed gnarly ass sleds with air-cooled, mostly less than new motors. The smallest motor that has completed the Stampede is a 250cc Honda ridden by none other than F-Bomb. The largest, well, there have been a couple big-inch bikes that have made it, but off the top of my head I can't think of one any bigger than a 120ci. Naturally, there is a variety of different interpretations of what the ideal Stampede bike should be, which is entirely predicated by personal preference, but if you show up on a late-model sport bike that's just strutted or something, I can't guarantee it won't be vetoed by the veteran riders. Two wheels only! The only exception is if you are handicapped so that you are unable to ride a two wheeled motorcycle, and then and only then you might could have a third wheel, as long as they receive prior approval. If there's any confusion about this, any additional questions may be fielded to me directly.
2: No hard bags, no windshields, no bullshit. again, this is a CHOPPER race. This isn't some bullshit hop on a bagger or sport-touring bike and ride all day in relative comfort with no fear of your shit breaking down kind of affair, and this rule is mostly to keep those bikes away. I mean, come the f*&k on now! This one is obvious. Riding across the map on some bagger or sport-touring bike is kind of like riding across the country in a car, for the most part, which really isn't all that noteworthy or unusual.
3: Solid mounted motors only! This means no rubber mounted motors, (ie FXR, Superglide, late-model rubber mounted Sporties, etc.) no rubber bushings in the motor mounts, etc. If you don't think it makes a difference, then you don't know what you're talking about. It may not seem like much of a difference initially, but over the course of thousands of miles it makes a GIANT difference. If you don't like this, look into an Iron Butt ride. If you have rubber bushings in your motor mounts, replace them with slugs or washers before you show up, and save everyone the belly-aching.
4. No chase vehicles of any kind are allowed. Even Road Kings count as chase trucks. No tagalongs, as those are basically chase vehicles too. You may ride together if you are both in the race, but if you do, you will both occupy the same time and position at the end of the race. Chase trucks basically take all of the uncertainty out of the ride, as you basically always have a backup plan following behind you in the event that things should go horribly wrong. You should try to plan for the best, and only when things go horribly wrong should you worry about sorting them out accordingly. For instance, Rickey's motor blew up in the first 100 miles or so on Stampede 3, and managed to hitch a ride all the way to Alabama, swap motors, and still made it to Clemmons by Thursday! The same year, Eric blew up his Buell motor somewhere in Texas, tore the whole thing apart, stuffed it in a rental car, and dragged the whole pile to the Smoke Out! A lot of times, the most catastrophic events end up being some of the most memorable parts of the whole endeavor, and coming up with creative ways to get to the other side of the map at all costs on the fly is definitely part of the adventure. ....
As of Sunday morning, it's every man for himself! We'll all leave together and it'll just go down from there. So that's the straight dope. If you don't like it, don't bother coming. If your bike doesn't qualify, make it qualify and then come anyways. If you don't think you can handle it, don't show up. It's all up to you, and all the liability and subsequent glory will fall squarely upon the shoulders of whoever shows up. This is unsanctioned, unsponsored, as real as it gets, and f$%*king gnarly. If you think you have what it takes, or just don't give a damn, come on out! We'll be looking for ya! .... . ....
Friday, June 8, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
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