Rally’s and Roads
“Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.” ― William Cowper
It does not matter if you ride a Harley, a BMW, a Triumph, a Honda, etc. there is a family and a group that one could become a part of filled with all types and areas of riding. Thus becomes the importance of Rallies and events geared around your bike, your type of riding, or gender – the newest pop-up is all women gatherings that are geared to a growing industry of female riders.
These are occurring all over, from California to Florida and all the in between. It is human nature for us to feel the pull of belonging to a group, and for as long as motorcycling has been around there have been “groups.”
These serve many purposes, whether it is to find like-minded travelers- when choosing to do long-term bike journeys or just wanting to have others to ride with. A lot of the rallies have components of talks (a little expo style) where you can not only grow your riding skills with instructors but also your knowledge base of what else is out there to experience, and demo rides (an excellent way to get a feel for new bikes).
This last weekend I attended Mountain Moxie in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. While there I was able to test ride the new Royal Enfield – Himalayan, an adventure bike to hit the US market this August. Go from street to adventure roads with ease, the posture keeps you upright and has a smoother more comfortable ride that I wouldn’t have expected from a single cylinder bike.
I was pleased with the getup and go for a 411cc displacement. The bike I tested in the mountains was carbureted, the launched bikes will be air cooled, fuel injection bikes. Coming in both Snow and Granite colors – I am partial to the flat black look for sure.
The roads and location of rallies are also a part of the draw. For this NC weekend, you could find the riders enjoying the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) or the famed 226A – Diamondback road. NC’s 226A embraces s-curves, switchbacks, smooth pavement and 12 miles of over 190 curve through tree lined bliss.
Watch out for the wind gusts that occasionally blow through the high-side curves (if you go off the pavement you are greeted with gravel or grass, if raining mud). An enjoyable, short but a great addition to any BRP ride!
If at first you don’t succeed try again. If you are looking for a local group that does bike night, events and rides try your local RideNow dealer, if you want to cross borders and expand adventure look into Horizons Unlimited (worldwide group). Look into your local “bike-type” groups such as the BMW RA groups or get into a more specific group- GS GIRLS…there are so many options and even more roads to explore!
So enjoy the ride whether it is with a group or solo- as long as it is a ride!
Written by Danell Lynn, Guinness World Record Rider: www.DanellLynn.com, @DanellLynn
Photo credits: Danell Lynn
