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Taste Of Dakar 2017


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AltRider’s 6th Annual Taste of Dakar Ride Goes Full Throttle with All-New Routes from Gold Point Ghost Town, Nevada

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The 2017 Taste of Dakar promises something for everyone, including good times in the deep sand.
 

Seattle, WA – February 16, 2017 – To celebrate it’s sixth consecutive year bringing together adventure riders from around the world, AltRider’s 2017 Taste of Dakar will introduce ADV enthusiasts to a new location and all-new routes for every skill level.

From winding dirt trails and cracked riverbeds to towering sand dunes and everything in-between, the 2017 Taste of Dakar will take riders on an epic weekend adventure in Gold Point, Nevada, March 17th-19th. With GPS-led routes near Death Valley, five square meals, two nights of camping, entertainment and drinks, riders will also have a chance to win exciting giveaways, including a gift certificate for a complete set of Raiden gear: helmet, jacket, gloves, boots and pants from Icon Motorsports, as well as one of five all-new Voyager Pro GPS units from TrailTech.

“While we’re primarily an ADV gear company, this event is about opening up the adventure riding experience in a way that everyone, whether they’ve been riding for years or just getting their feet wet, can feel safe and secure with,” said AltRider President Jeremy LeBreton. “When the riding community comes together to make inclusive events that combine a safe recreation structure with the opportunity to enjoy epic scenery and build meaningful relationships with riders around the world, you have the formula for a good time.”

This year’s taste of Dakar will take riders on an excursion covering up to 150 miles of off-road riding, at the novice, intermediate or expert levels. GPS-equipped riders will run point and sweep for each route, which cover terrain ranging from boulder fields, dry lake and river beds to mountaintop single track and pristine dunes. After a full day in the saddle, riders meet back at camp to enjoy dinner, adult beverages and live entertainment from some of the most well known ADV legends.

For those looking to brush up on their ADV basics prior to Saturday’s ride, Black Swan Moto will be conducting a one-day class on Friday, March 17th. Riders will have the chance to learn proper techniques from off-road instructors with 10+ years training experience. Body position, clutch control, throttle control and braking on large ADV bikes, terrain and traction over hills, dirt & gravel and sand, motorcycle pitch and attitude management, ADV bike balance, and picking up down motorcycles are all covered.

Riders looking to join the ride that need an adventure bike can rent a BMW F800 GS or R1200 GSW at a special event price from MotoQuest by filling out this form. Riders can sign up for this year’s Taste of Dakar by clicking here.

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“At the end of the day, this event is about creating bonds with those who share a passion for adventure and enjoying the natural beauty of the Mohave that can only be seen on two wheels” said LeBreton. “Riders come back year after year because it’s an awesome experience, plain and simple. That’s why we love this sport, and that’s what drives us to always venture on.”

About AltRider.com

From their vast catalog of American-made protection pieces and other accessories to their annual signature rides, AltRider is all about giving riders the freedom of adventure. The Seattle-based company designs, tests and manufactures its products to function well, look good on the bike, and stand up to brutal riding conditions. Learn more at www.altrider.com.

 

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Yeah I've been working on that but a combination of me not having a key for my bike and weather has prevented me from going up there to verify the tracks myself and come up with final routes.  I hope to go up there this weekend.  They got like 3-5 inches of snow and the weather this weeks looks clear and enough time for most of it to melt.

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1 hour ago, Eric Hall said:

Yeah I've been working on that but a combination of me not having a key for my bike and weather has prevented me from going up there to verify the tracks myself and come up with final routes.  I hope to go up there this weekend.  They got like 3-5 inches of snow and the weather this weeks looks clear and enough time for most of it to melt.

oh my, must be super frustrating!  cool I have never ventured out that way so I'm curious on the terrain.  sand, whoops, high desert (like the sierras?), or similar to last years TOD hard routes, or like Jimmy Lewis' training grounds :)  I would imagine very limited cell service.  I also forgot mention you could use Rever to track and share routes.  Your tracks helped me find my way to the Husky Monument last year.   Well I look forward to the adventure.  I'm trying to sort out my route to Gold Point either mountain pass or not.  I do plan on taking an extra travel days to get there and possibly pre-ride.  Fellow Rider Westen is "trucking" it in, but I won't hold that against him!  wonder if I can Tag him on this thread? Enjoy Last year snips of TOD.  Hope to meet some familiar faces and new ones. 

 

Edited by motochefarwi
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I've been playing around with the idea of riding down. I'm bringing a lot of camping gear and my friends new to the ADV world. Last year was so intense! Somewhere near 40-50 hours on the bike that long weekend. Coming back home in a truck would be nice.

Edited by Rogers
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On 2/19/2017 at 6:12 PM, Rogers said:

I've been playing around with the idea of riding down. I'm bringing a lot of camping gear and my friends new to the ADV world. Last year was so intense! Somewhere near 40-50 hours on the bike that long weekend. Coming back home in a truck would be nice.

I'm towing my bike in like always.  Freeways are boring.  

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Hey Eric & Dennis, hope the scouting was good? I see the Rever tracks. Looks interesting. Would you happen to know if the camp ground is in the Gold point ghost town? Is there potable water? Just wondering how much water etc, We should take with us. Will we be allowed to have fires at night? Any idea what the tent area will be? Gravel or plush sand? :) too many questions I know ha!

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REALLY nice tracks.  Almost too nice.  Out of the nearly 500 miles we rode, I only saw one five mile section that was washboard meaning these roads get little if any traffic and weather extremely well.  We even saw many roads freshly graded.  Incredibly scenic as well.

Nearly zero hazards like washouts.  We rode over one small one just before we finished and it took out the rear mud guard on the GS I was riding.  It was about a foot and a half across and about a foot deep.

Very cold.  Daytime temps ranged from 25 to about 45  We saw a few snowflakes and rode through some snow but the tire tracks were clear and I’ll keep my eye on any additional snow there in the next three weeks.  One track early on for the intermediate will go through snow.

We spotted a few burros and cattle and there are antelope and deer there but we didn’t see any of those.

I don’t think this year’s intermediate will be as gnarly.  The challenges there are going to be more distance with a few sections a bit harder than we’d want to send a beginner rider on.  The desert is quite wet so it’s very packed with not much if any deep sand.  There’s one section of blown dune sand but it’s so packed down you could ride a Vstrom with street tires over it.  There’s another straight section for intermediate with some g-outs that will be fun.  

We will also be planning a really cool obstacle course built by Dennis Godwin who has done quite a few of these for various MOA rallies.

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REALLY nice tracks.  Almost too nice.  Out of the nearly 500 miles we rode, I only saw one five mile section that was washboard meaning these roads get little if any traffic and weather extremely well.  We even saw many roads freshly graded.  Incredibly scenic as well.

Nearly zero hazards like washouts.  We rode over one small one just before we finished and it took out the rear mud guard on the GS I was riding.  It was about a foot and a half across and about a foot deep.

Very cold.  Daytime temps ranged from 25 to about 45  We saw a few snowflakes and rode through some snow but the tire tracks were clear and I’ll keep my eye on any additional snow there in the next three weeks.  One track early on for the intermediate will go through snow.

We spotted a few burros and cattle and there are antelope and deer there but we didn’t see any of those.

I don’t think this year’s intermediate will be as gnarly.  The challenges there are going to be more distance with a few sections a bit harder than we’d want to send a beginner rider on.  The desert is quite wet so it’s very packed with not much if any deep sand.  There’s one section of blown dune sand but it’s so packed down you could ride a Vstrom with street tires over it.  There’s another straight section for intermediate with some g-outs that will be fun.  

We will also be planning a really cool obstacle course built by Dennis Godwin who has done quite a few of these for various MOA rallies.




Nice! Great preview of what to expect! Now let's see some footage!
Cheers!
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2 hours ago, Eric Hall said:

 There’s one section of blown dune sand but it’s so packed down you could ride a Vstrom with street tires over it.  

oh man, thats just my style... 🙄

 

@Rogers did you decide if you are trucking in?  I think I have decided to truck this one, since I'll camping off the bike for 6 days in DV only two weeks after this trip...

Edited by greedyg
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No footage!  I left my sd card at home.  Besides, I don't want to give it away!

These are some truly amazing landscapes you're going to see from seemingly endless mountain ranges to sagebrush valleys 30+ miles long, snow capped peaks, abandoned mines, burros, canyons, etc...

Images evocative of High Plains Drifter..

 

Clint Eastwood scouted the locations himself while driving a pickup truck through Oregon, Nevada and California. He chose the shores of Mono Lake because he considered the area highly photogenic. Additional scenes were filmed at Reno, Nevada's Winnemucca Lake and California's Inyo National Forest.

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9 minutes ago, greedyg said:

oh man, thats just my style... 🙄

 

@Rogers did you decide if you are trucking in?  I think I have decided to truck this one, since I'll camping off the bike for 6 days in DV only two weeks after this trip...

Yes I'll be driving down with couple people. We're renting a trailer and leaving on Thursday the 16th.

We'll be in a huge lifted white Tundra

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Scouting was great!  I'll have more on that shortly.  
Gold Point is a ghost town.  There is potable water.  You can and will want to have fires at night because it's COLD!  They have a tent area that is basically the desert floor (sand/gravel).

Nice can't wait, looking forward to it. Going to be the first time out there for us!
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