Would any GRMers be interested in a BABE style rally for small bore bikes?

I've had this idea kicking around in my head for a few years.

My idea is not quite as ambitious as going halfway across the country, but if the interest is there, maybe it could be built up to that.

I'm thinking of a two or three day weekend rally in the east coast for road legal bikes and scooters 250cc or less. Maybe even mopeds, but you better throw a kit on it.

Cost of the bike wouldn't be important,but old junk picked up hastily on Craigslist would be encouraged over new from the dealer rides.

The course would be mostly predetermined and set on secondary roads, but some optional side trip challenges may be included to add some competition. I would want to have at least one dirt road stage or loop.

No entrants may have a 4 wheeled support vehicle out on the course, but I think having a pickup truck or van as a sweep vehicle for the whole group would be OK. To get started I would prefer to set up a course that has loops from one location.

Every rider needs to have a wingman, partners may be assigned randomly, or maybe not so randomly, the idea is to keep things somewhat equalized. I wouldn't want 2 newish Japanese 250s partnered up while some other team on a pair of ratty old Honda trail 90s.

For a first time run of this event I think scoring would be optional , or just some super simple formula like a dumbed down TSD, like just show up at the checkpoints within a certain easily achievable window.

I know there are a bunch of small bike fans here, what do you guys think? Is this a viable idea? What would be a good location to pull this off? I'm thinking rural Pennsylvania, possibly in the Wellsboro area so that parts of the STPR rally course could be used, but I'm open to suggestion.

I have no experience setting up this sort of thing, so what ever I would do would be amateurish and super simple, if someone more experienced wants to step in I wouldn't mind. Also if something like this already exists, please clue me in. Thanks.

BTW, my idea of a great bike for this rally is a gy6 150 scooter, preferably a Big Ruckus or Zuma knockoff, with a big bore kit.

My second choice would be 200cc dual sport of some sort.

I'd be in. While I ride mostly (Majesty and Burgman Executive) maxi-scooters, I recently picked up a 250cc Morphous for stupid cheap money. I'm going through it to prep for the 2018 Cannonball(limited to 250cc). I'm registering for the 2017 MadBastards Scooter Rally in Canada and would love to have something relatively close to see if this machine is up to the task.

I'm in on my '83 XR250L

I'm not really sure what you are after here - "Open to All bikes, scooters and questionable motorized two wheeled conveyances with a license plate!" sounds about right. Include verbiage like "No trikes unless you are berkeleying cripple and even then berkeley you!" to make sure to keep the riff-raff out. Hacks are OK as long as their is a dog wearing goggles in the sidecar.

• If I'm going to the trouble to ride a 200cc dual sport any real distance - there better be single track at the end of the rainbow.
• A mandatory wingman? What for? Sweep the course for stragglers when you are done and don't force people who would rather ride their own ride to pair up. Especially forcing experienced riders to have to mentor noobs. Only half of that pair is going to enjoy the experience.
• If these are public roads the "no entrant may have a support vehicle on the course" is impossible to enforce without permits to close the road.
• I'm a small bike fan but if I have to ride 600 miles to get there I'm bringing a GS Adventure. Torturing myself for two days in/out takes all the fun out of being there and I can't bring myself to trailer a E36 M3ty bike when I have one that gobbles up miles like a fat kid at a pizza party.
• I expect that most people who would attend a small bore symposium and bring a tiny bike from any distance (excepting a few loons who will be blogging their adventure on 50cc two strokes) will tow nearby. Do you have safe parking for a bunch of trailers and vans full of POS bikes and mopeds with 25yr old rubber that won't run for a full 20 minutes without a wrenching session available?
• What about camping? If I'm going on a long weekend ride and I have to find my own accommodations instead of hanging around a fire with a bunch of nutjobs it's kinda like traveling solo like I normally do. If that is the case... I probably skip the TSD part and just go wander on my own for free. Meeting nutjobs around a fire is often the best part.

In reply to Huckleberry:

I'm just kicking around ideas at this point. Trikes and side hacks are welcome as long as they are 250cc or under. Home base could be a motel or campground, this is very early in planning. No 4 wheeled support is easy to enforce, if you break down on the course, you can't call the cavalry, use your wits and come prepared, but other ralliests can help. There is no giant trophy or prize money at the end, why cheat? If you need to win that badly go play someplace else.

Get a trailer for your GS and tow your small bore to the event. You can tow to the event even with a 4 wheel vehicle, no problem. I wouldn't advise anyone to do it any other way.

Or don't come, it's up to you. This is obviously not an event for everyone, neither is the Isle of Man, Baja or the Iron Butt.

HappyAndy wrote: In reply to Huckleberry: I'm just kicking around ideas at this point. Trikes and side hacks are welcome as long as they are 250cc or under. Home base could be a motel or campground, this is very early in planning. No 4 wheeled support is easy to enforce, if you break down on the course, you can't call the cavalry, use your wits and come prepared, but other ralliests can help. There is no giant trophy or prize money at the end, why cheat? If you need to win that badly go play someplace else. Get a trailer for your GS and tow your small bore to the event. You can tow to the event even with a 4 wheel vehicle, no problem. I wouldn't advise anyone to do it any other way. Or don't come, it's up to you. This is obviously not an event for everyone, neither is the Isle of Man, Baja or the Iron Butt.

I wasn't suggesting people would use support vehicles to cheat. They might just go for a drive. I was pointing out that ordinary citizens in pick-up trucks who use that road are going to be driving on it unless you have permits to close it.

I think if you limit your audience by type or size at all - you will only get a handful of bikes to show up. If it's inclusive to any rider on anything (except trikes, because, berkeley those shiny happy people ...kidding... sort of... ) but classed more favorably to a small bore then you may be able to get a field of participants who might otherwise not have considered a 60's era two stroke Benelli a fun rally machine. Maybe they come back with one the next time when penalized time by the displacement. :)

I'd be up for it once I get a new engine in my ct90.

Hey Huck- He's not talking about an event for old bigger bore bikes, he's thinking small displacement scooters and bikes. The Cannonball is limited to SCOOTERS,250cc and under, going across the country-and they had like thirty four entrants(and a waiting list). People will definitely come. Southern Pa has some beautiful roads to ride. You want to go on trails, take an ADV tour. Please don't take this personal, but it seems as though you don't get the whole small bore thing. It's a lot more than just having a small bike to run errands. There is a very large segment of riders who really groove on touring on their small scooters and bikes. No superslabs-heck for most, it's hard enough to see 60 mph-going with the wind, downhill, tucked like they're at Bonneville. It's not for everyone. It isn't all inclusive. But those who do it are rabid enthusiasts. Happy Andy- Don't over think it. Some of the best rallys have started out as a group of like minded riders, getting together and enjoying the ride. The roads, the trials getting there, the breakdowns and repairs, the great people you meet-it's all part of what makes for a great rally. And of course the best part is sitting around the campfire sharing those experiences at the end of the day, with an adult beverage or two.

minimac wrote: Hey Huck- He's not talking about an event for old bigger bore bikes, he's thinking small displacement scooters and bikes. The Cannonball is limited to SCOOTERS,250cc and under, going across the country-and they had like thirty four entrants(and a waiting list). People will definitely come.

OK, I stand corrected. I wasn't picturing an ADV type thing at all - I was picturing a TSD rally type event with route scrolls and timing stations on public roads, maybe a cars/coffee vibe thing ... and figuring if you wanted a 50 people to pay an entry you needed to be inclusive to a wider audience. Maybe I misjudged the market - I know there are a handful of people who tour on old sub-125cc stuff but I wouldn't imagine there are that many to fill a rally. If there are - that's kinda awesome and I'll come by and check it out if it's in striking distance.

I still think a campground with cabins to host a bonfire is a good idea. Mostly because I like bonfires. And camping. And think highly of my own opinions

I was thinking about this some more, and I think a TSD format is to complex to get an event like this started. A single day poker run would probably be easier.

GPS coordinates given for the check points (probably 7, but could be 5, with the end point being the final check), and times that those check points will be active.

Since the check points are GPS coordinates there wouldn't be a mandatory route to individual points, but most of them would have a fairly obvious best route. The checkpoint open & closed times would dictate the order you hit them in. It would be interesting if some points could be open simultaneously (to encourage creative navigation), but that would probably require more manpower than I'd have available.

I'd still like to have at least one loop or segment of the course that would be fairly substantial off roading for small bore road bikes.

FWIW, my experience with such events is limited, and I am on the other side of the country, but it seems the ride might benefit from just a little more focus. I know cafe racer/vintage roadbike folks that would be skeptical of any gravel, smallbore/vintage dual sport fans who wouldn't show unless it was largely unpaved, and the scooter gangs around here can be concerned about highways and riding with a group with full-size wheels. Your area might be different.

In this area, the best local rides of this type tend to be pure dual-sport, or pure scooter events.This event sounds fun, but as a motorcyclist with a 400 as my "big bike" my advice would be to focus on an awesome purely backroads paved route friendly to small bikes and scooters, or make it a full-on little/vintage dual sport event. If you feel the need to include gravel, make it an option.

And let me know when you get around to planning a western event!

you missed it.

Lake Erie Loop

"About the LakeErieLoop

A test of real riders....

Who can ride all the way around Lake Erie, 650+ miles, non stop, on a motorcycle less than 250 CC's in the shortest amount of time? Every year, in June, the "LakeErieLoop" is held to raise money for pediatric burn victims. Hard to think of a better cause, don't you think?

The LakeErieLoop (LEL) is a fundraising event to benefit the "Aluminum Cans for Burned Children" Foundation (ACBC). ACBC provides many services for pediatric burn victims, mostly through the donation of discarded aluminum cans. The foundation provides medical supplies including special bandaging materials needed for the care of burns, a scholarship fund and a summer and winter camp, all at no cost to the children or their families. The "Learn Not to Burn Trailer" is one of the many features of ACBC that teaches young students about burn safety in their own homes.

Raising additional cash for ACBC through motosports was started in 2003 when Brookpark, Ohio firefighter Bill Murar, an avid motorcycle enthusiast, rode over 12,000 miles to the four corners of the United States, many of them on a 1965 Sears 106SS motorcycle. Bill is continuing his fundraising efforts by sponsoring the Lake Erie Loop, a 650 mile endurance run around the lake to be completed in one day.

Here's the Deal: For one weekend in June, you get to hang out with a bunch of people that really like small motorcycles! Your registration gets you meals for three days, a chance to win a cash prize and the chance to prove you are a real man (or woman!) by riding your motorcycle or scooter in this endurance run! Sound like fun??? Check it out and make plans to attend this years event!

Remember: It is more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow!"

This one's for you Huckleberry

I have a 400cc junker I got off Craigslist for under $100, running. Can I disconnect a spark plug and qualify? Can I use both spark plugs, be disqualified, and still ride along because I'm on an unwashed late 70s $100 hurricane sandy survivor heap that probably won't be running on more than one cylinder at any given time anyway?

In reply to Rusnak_322:

Yup, I also thought of the Lake Erie Loop right away, nearly identical concept