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I was going to start the thread with a I've been doing a lot of LDR lately (Long Distance Riding, duh!) and I need more gas crap, but to be honest, I love how the extra fuel canister looks on my bike. The problem I had is that I didn't want to the rotopax to be on the sides or the back but on top of the side aluminum cases. Right under my Wolfman rollie bags. But there was no way to strap them properly so I had to improvise. Total cost of project: $15 Total man hours spent: 1 Total beers consumed: 3 Industrial Revolution Vanilla Porter (I love living in CO) Enjoy! Your standard ADV side case Your standard BMW straps Using the Wolfman rollie alone with the straps: perfect! Using the Wolfman rollie and the rotopax with the straps: disaster! The rotopax will just fly away with the slightest bump. The solution: Footman Loops for next to nothing (here) I also needed some STAINLESS STEEL hardware as well as some pieces of an old bicycle tube Marking the “G” spot Measurements because OCD Am I actually drilling a hole on my sidecar? I wonder if this will void the warranty… The tube will help the water to stay out (in theory) Screw -> hook -> washer -> tube in this order Thank the OCD for measuring… How did I make it crooked? Screw tight (boom, phrasing!) Cut the edges. Final product And here’s the magic! Yes, these are the original straps that came with my bike… This rotopax, won’t go anywhere! Not bad, right? http://i.imgur.com/9yhErV9.jpg Best think, I can still open my side cases with everything on them! Now I’m ready to go to my local Starbucks. Oh wait, I’ve got extra fuel! I can go to the one across town!! WOOHOO!!!! This post has been promoted to an article

What a great event that was! I've learned about ToD from Eric Hall and decided to join in the fun after watching his movies. As I was looking for more stuff about I watched Keith's 2013 Tod as well as Brad's last years great report. When I booked it I was a little worried about weather: very cold in 2013 and cold rain in 2014 so I chickened out and booked a hotel. Now, obviously, I regret. Fortunately I booked 2 nights only so was able to spent my 3rd at the resort. I took Jimmy's Friday class and learned what I am doing wrong and where I have to put my efforts to improve my riding. Great class even though I was dead tired due to the hot sun Amongst many other things Jimmy showed us what to do when you approach almost invisible rut going across the road. I am even happy I tried to ride the sand patch and got scolded by Jimmy for doing it 100% wrong. That was a good lesson too. Gravel pit after lunch was a great lesson in bike handling as well. The same day I met Keith, Tod and Charlie. When I was looking for a place for my tent they right away offered a spot by their RV which I happily took. We have decided to join the same Intermediate group I4. The next morning we got to the staging area where we were joined by Tony. It was way late when we left as we were delayed by late breakfast. Unfortunately it turned out our GPS skills needed improving. After a few wrong turns I found myself alone on the first part of the intermediate course. It didn't look to challenging, therefore made decision to ride alone. I heard in my head Jimmy's warning to be prepared for all kinds of ruts and road damage. I was riding very defensively and got through any of them with ease. At some point there was deep sand patch which was a little hard to ride on but I did OK and at the end encountered riders from I8 with Chris from Rawhyde as a leader. He had no problem me joining them. For next miles it was just fun riding in a group. I was staying way back due to enormous dust clouds kicked by 30+ bikes.I guess a couple of dirt bike riders wanted to show off when they passed me spraying me with stones. Not cool, really. Finally we got to the T section in the road and I guess everybody's GPS skills were put to test. As I was using OsmAND+ on my phone I had no problem following tracks. After 10 minutes I've decided to move on and wait for a group later. Once i started riding it felt so good riding first with no dust I stopped only at the shortcut to lunch to show others where to turn. When I was leaving forgot to put my backpack on my... back. I realized that about 40 miles later just before Pioneer Saloon. Talked to Jimmy about it just in case somebody picked it up. Funny thing was I had there my registration so there was no question who it belongs too even it was found a few days later... and I had my SPOT but TURNED OFF.... Mostly I was angry at myself coz I did the same thing a few months earlier in Death Valley but my friend behind me saw it falling. Anyway, after great lunch off we went and almost immediately started having GPS issues. Finally we got to the section of the road where you had to climb pretty rough patch. I think Keith on his KTM went first than it was me. There were two pick ups there and quite a few people with cameras which was strange. As I was closing I saw a dirt bike coming down opposite direction. Once he passed I started when i got through a small rough patch and looked up I all of the sudden saw a big, blue GS going down at me. Got spooked and just dropped my bike right there. It turns out it was Altrider's Jeremy who was very apologetic about that and helped me right my bike up and turned around as I simply got scared of that hill. I need more experience before I attempt it again Keith came down and two of us rode back to the easy/intermediate path. We followed it for a few miles when Keith stopped as he was looking for something more challenging. We turned back and went on Intermediate road but got stopped by a steep hill which I decided to pass on. https://youtu.be/k6ooGL8VlfA?list=UUmaWl5Gn7sgD8WULdIEBoqg Keith caught a ride with some others riders and I was alone again which was fine as there were many riders on the road. I rejoined an easy road, pass some riders and looked at my watch, decided had enough time to go back to the place where i think I lost my back pack. I did just that but my back pack wasn't there. The good thing about was that I rode with no dust! After getting back I took the Easy road again. This was just flying fast standing, sitting. Simply fun. At some point I passed some riders coming off a power line road. I was thinking about joining them but they waved my off so i continued. Got to the Highway 160 where track splits: either hwy or power line. i took power line which was very, very easy until 300 ft from the end when it turned into deeps gravel wash. Somehow made it through and went to Lovell Cyn. on pavement. At the end I took a beautiful dirt road going up, through the mountains towards Pahrump. As i was crossing to the trout Cyn there was quite a bit of snow which made it so much more interesting. Going down I noticed quite a bit of car and bike traffic so I was going quite slow and keeping to the right side enjoying the evening views. All of the sudden almost at the end of that road I saw a dirt bike with high speed just a few feet in front of me. He passed a quad in the corner going way too fast and there was no way he could went back to his lane so he hit me hard. I remember thinking "Oh shit, this is gonna be bad". The next thing I remember is falling on top of his bike and feeling tremendous pressure in my knee. Fortunately it stopped before it broke or so i thought. We checked ourselves for major injuries and they were none. WE GOT LUCKY!!! I believe now I was in shock after this so with help of that dirt rider ( he was very apologetic acknowledging his fault) untangled our bikes, he helped me to get on mine, it started so I said "Bye" and road off to the camp which was about 15 minutes away. My great spirits even after this unfortunate event weren't dampened at all even more so when Jimmy told me at dinner that my backpack is with Altrider! Somebody found it and brought it back to the camp. "Thank you" to that "somebody"! Then there were drinks, live band etc. Great conclusion to a great event! I went home early next morning and after uneventful 280 miles got safely home. PS. It turns out I did break something: I have a small fracture in my left tibial plateau... which is pretty much a knee.

When I put my bottle opener on the back of my panniers, I bought rubber washers and they work great.

I tried it with pressure wash and they interior was kept dry

On our way, we kinda got lost and took the advanced route right at the power line road… Nothing we couldn’t handle! Photo by Pete As we’re riding, there’s a KTM 990 rider who joined us. Apparently, his group was stopping every 10 minutes and they were too slow for him. I didn't really feel comfortable, especially when I realized he was riding too close to me. Several times, I had to let him pass through. This is NOT how you’re riding in a group sir. Eventually he got separated and took off ahead of us. But only for a while. A few miles down the road, we found out that he hit a rock and bent his rim because he was running very low pressure. I looked at Jeremy and we pretty much had a secret grin on our faces, not because of the misfortune of our fellow rider but because we knew we made the right choice. 110 miles later, we arrived at the famous (?) Pioneer Saloon for lunch! Photo by Pete Photo by Pete After lunch, Jeremy decided he had to ride the highway back to the campground as it appeared he was more injured than he thought. At this time, we still don’t know if it’s a broken rib. I hope not! So the 5 of us now, we’re ready to continue but from the scenic route since we wanted to take it easy. Then our group, was approached by a young gentleman riding a rental GSW. He asked if we were riding the easier route and if he could tag along. I noticed he had street tires, he was wearing tennis shoes, jeans and a hoodie. At first I agreed and started riding but for the next mile, all I could think was him riding a challenging terrain with street tires and not the appropriate gear. As the group leader, I took the hard decision and asked him to leave our group. At first I felt terrible for leaving a fellow biker behind but my thought process was that I will not risk myself and/or my group members. I explained to him that we feel his luck of appropriate gear and tires, will compromise our safety and cannot be held reliable if something happens to him. I still feel I did the right thing. The rest of the ride was phenomenal! Easy to intermediate paths, fantastic views and so much fun! Photo by Pete Photo by Pete Photo by Pete Back at the campground, some person thought that riding bikes in the desert is not crazy enough and started demonstrating his flying skills! As we’re getting ready for the dinner, I had the pleasure of meeting two great people! Let’s start with GS Giant #1, Joshua Farnsworth, the man responsible for our “little” Giant group And then, I met with Erez Avramov. Erez, is trying to be the first amputee who will ride the Dakar Rally. Need I say more? Check his progress here. What an inspiration and honor meeting him! I also need to mention that Jimmy Lewis will be personally training Erez for the Dakar. This is crazy! Jimmy would never do a 1:1 unless he really saw something in him. I am so jealous!! Dinner time with award presentations! Apparently, I won the award for best attitude together with the slow ride… My price was a 3-day bike rental from MotoQuest. The night ended with beer and live music! The new day came with nothing but amazing experiences! And I'm ready to leave. The next Taste of Dakar is less than a year away! Bottom line, what I posted a few days ago on Facebook… As I'm finishing this trip report, all I can think is the fact I met people I'll ride to hell and back with. Derek, Kevin, Curt, Jeremy and Pete, it’s you I’m talking about! I’m looking forward our new I-6 adventure! Ride on brothers! Once again, I want to quote Ted Simon: "Motorcycles have put me in touch with wonderful people, as a result of that I have an elevated idea about how good everybody in the world is." Thank you Altrider and Jimmy Lewis! See you next year!

TL;DR: OP goes to NV for riding in the desert with Jimmy Lewis, had fun, won prices, met with awesome people, will do it again. It all started with a web episode of where I found out that Altrider is organizing this event called “The Taste of Dakar”. The ToD (for short) is a weekend adventure in Pahrump, NV where you get the chance to ride anything from sand dunes to stretches of cracked sand beds, dirt trails winding around valleys and everything in between. The GPS-led routes were created by famed Dakar podium holder Jimmy Lewis. Need I say more? That was the selling point. A weekend riding in the desert AND training by Jimmy Lewis? Sign me up! About a week before the event, Altrider sent me the routes in a .gpx file. The routes are separated to 3 categories: scenic, intermediate and advanced. Yellow is the Scenic route, blue the intermediate and red the advanced. As Jimmy Lewis later described, the scenic route is a road where you can take a 2-whel drive passenger car and if you’re careful, you’ll be able to drive on it. The intermediate, is more for a 2-wheel drive truck as some clearance is required. I honestly can’t remember what he said for the advanced but having ridden some of it, next year I’ll use a Humvee… Prep work is done, my bikes are ready and I’m so excited! I planned on going with the G450X for the Jimmy Lewis training (he always says that it’s easier to learn on a small bike) and then the R1200GSA for the actual ToD route. The day came, I trailered the bikes, I prepared the car and I’m ready to hit Nevada! I arrived there late Thursday afternoon where I met with Eric Hall and Richard DeWolfe. The camp ground is more like an RV park (not a trailer park) with all these crazy setups that cost close to a 5bdr-3bthr house in the country… Really clean, great showers and far away from the city’s light pollution to gaze at the stars on a clear Nevada spring night. We went to a local Mexican place for dinner where we met with Ken Weaver and then got back at the campground to get ready for the training at Jimmy Lewis’. Day 1 in Nevada. The bikes are off of the trailer and I’m ready to go! I attended the Jimmy Lewis training back in October 2014 where I first met Eric and Richard. This is not an experience you only want to live once! Or twice... Photo by Eric Hall Photo by Eric Hall At Jimmy’s training, we were told again the importance of balance and clutch control. No wonder professional dirt bikers have experience with Trial bikes. Maybe, for my next training… One of Jimmy’s tricks, is a simple, DIY balancing board. One of the funniest exercises and the one Jimmy had us to start with, was standing on the bike, on the pegs, not seating but standing up, while the bike is off the side stand. You think it’s easy? I want to see you trying… Photo by Alfonse Palaima - MotoInsider Here’s a video from Jimmy. As we’re going in to the desert and the dry lake bed, Jimmy, his wife Heather and their helpers Scott and that-other-guy-whose-name-I-can’t-remember, began with showing us the drills and I’ll tell you, if you think you can ride, think again… Photo by Alfonse Palaima - MotoInsider Photo by Alfonse Palaima - MotoInsider Photo by Alfonse Palaima - MotoInsider Photo by Alfonse Palaima - MotoInsider Photo by Alfonse Palaima - MotoInsider Photo by Alfonse Palaima - MotoInsider Photo by Alfonse Palaima - MotoInsider Photo by Alfonse Palaima - MotoInsider

Time for a nice prerun of the course with a couple other awesome guys. Beautiful view from the higher elevations Delicious lunch, the Ghost Burger was PRIMO!!! Stopping to check out the bird cooker A little bike porn from the campground area

Was a damn great trip, can't wait for the next ride! Getting the bike ready, fresh tires oil and replace a bad wheel bearing. packing the luggage and ready for the trip! Riding up over ACH and into Palmdale, at least CALTRANs is actually working up here Stopped for a stretch along the long ride out Lots of long open ride Arrogosa Sunset on the way into Pahrump