Late Un Rally ride report (2018)

[Rick in NV]

In 2018 I took a trip from Las Vegas to the Un Rally in the Black Hills of South Dakota. My brother had a room reserved Monday through Thursday. I decided a week before the event that I would join him. He would ride his 1100RT from Minneapolis and I would ride from Las Vegas.

 

I have two bikes to choose from. A 1991 CBR1000f and a 2001 DR650. I wasn’t sure that I could take 9 days of leaning over on the sport bike, plus it has no luggage. The DR lets me sit upright, has Pelican case panniers and a 5.3 gallon Acerbis tank. I changed the oil and filter on the DR, cleaned and lubed the chain, added a small windshield, and installed a Ram mount for my GPS. I also used a 35L Kreiga bag on the rack behind me.

 

I haven’t done any multi day trips before. This would be a chance for me to see if I like it and want to continue making similar long trips. I wasn’t sure what to pack, how many tools to take, etc.

 

I left on a Friday morning and worked my way to Cortez Colorado, through Hurricane, UT, Page, AZ, Teec Nos Pos, AZ, cut the corner of New Mexico and got a hotel in Cortez. Some of the rally attendees were gathering in Salida, CO, then continuing on to the Black Hills. Saturday I rode from Cortez to Salida. I visited with my friends and went to dinner with them Saturday night.

 

The DR was heavily loaded and struggled in the high altitude of Colorado. On Sunday morning I left about twenty minutes before the rest of the group. About an hour later they all passed me. I would get stuck behind RV’s and slower cars and couldn’t pass without a lot of space. The performance issues were compounded by a tank of bad gas from a Shell station in Walden, CO. That’s the bad part of having a large fuel tank. It takes a long time to burn off the bad stuff. Even with an Air Hawk seat cushion, the DR seat was very uncomfortable for me. I’d had enough when I got to Lusk, WY and stopped for the night.

 

Monday was a short trip to the Lodge at Palmer Gulch. I hung out in my friend’s cabin while waiting for my brother to arrive from Minneapolis.

During the next four days we rode the scenic roads in the Black Hills. Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Road, Spearfish Canyon, Vanocker Canyon Road, and Nemo road provided the entertainment for the week.

 

I left for Las Vegas on Friday morning via Casper, Rock Springs, and finally the overnight in Vernal, UT. The last half of the day I had a strong head wind and rode through some intermittent rain showers.

 

Saturday started with an awesome ride on Hwy 191 between Duschene and Martin. I connected to Hwy 10 and rode it until it joined Interstate 70. I could see a big storm ahead of me so I pulled over and put on the rain gear. Not much later the storm got worse and I exited the freeway and parked under the overpass at Gooseberry Rd. After about 20 minutes most of the rain and hail was over. I continued on to Richfield UT and had lunch. I-70 was closed between me and the I-15 interchange and the Highway patrol routed traffic off at the Sevier exit. When I was approaching Circleville another storm started. I rode through about ten miles of heavy rain, hail, lightning, and high wind. I connected to I-15 on Hwy 20. The rest of the way to Las Vegas was fairly easy, it’s mostly downhill. The last 85 miles from Mesquite to Las Vegas is one of my least favorite roads, it is always too hot and too much traffic. It was 112 degrees. I was glad to get home.

 

I rode 2800 miles in nine days. I really enjoyed the trip and I’d like to do more multi day trips. I didn’t really over pack. Some clothes I didn’t wear, and I’m not sure I need to bring spare front and rear inner tubes.

 

Now I have the urge for a new moto. I’d like something with more power for the ability to pass, especially in the higher altitudes. I’d like cruise control. I’d like top loading panniers and a trunk. The wish list seems to be Yamaha Tracer, Yamaha Super Ten, Triumph Tiger 800, or BMW 1200GS.  Decisions, decisions…………