MNLDRiders 12-hour road rally 9/22/07

[GSAnderson]

Consider yourself invited. What could be nicer than a scavenger hunt on your motorcycle through the beautiful fall colors of Minnesota? The bonuses will have a musical theme. Rally starts and ends in Monticello, MN. Your $50 entry fee will get you a rally t-shirt, dinner Friday evening and dinner and a band after you're done riding on Saturday. Plaques will be awarded to the top three finishers. Unplugged means no computers, GPS, radar detectors or fuel cells will be allowed to do your routing. Bring your paper map, magnetic compass, pens and a highlighter. You can use your heated clothing and auxiliary lighting. If you have any questions, let me know.

Entry form can be found here: http://www.mnldriders.com/unplugged/entry.pdf

http://gsanderson.smugmug.com/photos/175835547-M.jpg

[RebeccaV]

Sounds like fun! I think.

I am worried that I don't know how to use paper maps anymore. And I'd feel naked without my radar detector. And the thought of riding without my fuel cell makes me feel a little woozy.....

But if work is clear I'll sign up. Thanks for posting about it here Mr. Anderson.

[GSAnderson]

:wave Hope you can make it! Bring the airhead. It fits in with the theme. Good luck on the IBR.

[GSAnderson]

Kerry Person of the MNLDRiders posted this on our discussion board. It sums up the rally experience pretty well.

A few people have asked for a description of what a motorcycle road rally is, and what the Unplugged Rally is. It would be a shame if there were riders out there who were thinking about entering, but decided not to because they had no idea what they would be getting into, or whether they would have fun. Many of us entered our first rally wondering the same thing.

The short version is: you will meet friendly people, you will ride your motorcycle to interesting places, you will feel a sense of adventure during the rally, and a sense of accomplishment afterwards, and you will probably want to do it again, because it is fun!

Here's the long-ish version.

Motorcycle Road Rallies

A motorcycle road rally (or just "rally") is an organized event which provides you with an excuse to ride your motorcycle to interesting, often remote or obscure, places. Often places you wouldn't otherwise have gone. A rally can be much more interesting than just riding to get a meal, or parking a bunch of bikes together and talking about them. But you will probably find yourself doing these things before and after a rally. Rally riders tend to be friendly people and love to talk about riding, rallies, and motorcycles. The price of entry into a rally will often include a group meal on the evening before the rally officially starts. After the meal, there is typically a "riders meeting", where important announcements are made, information is handed out, and questions are answered.

Before the riding part of the rally begins, each rider will be given a list of "bonuses". A bonus is a task for you to accomplish, and it is worth a certain number of points. If you correctly perform the task described in the bonus, you will earn the points the bonus is worth. A bonus will typically ask you to ride your motorcycle to a particular location, and either record some information, or take a Polaroid photograph of an object, or make a small purchase and bring back the receipt, etc. It is imperative that the rider do exactly what the bonus requires in order to earn the points. The goal in a rally is to earn as many points as possible in the time allotted.

A rally typically has a specific start time and end time. Common rally durations are 12 and 24 hours, but some rallies last several days. You cannot collect points for any bonuses before official rally start time. In fact, riders' motorcycles are typically quarantined until the official start time. You must return and check in by official rally end time, or you lose all of your points. If can't avoid being late, you MUST contact the organizers and tell them.

As mentioned above, the bonus list will be handed out before official rally start time. You will be given an opportunity to examine the list and plan your ride. In the past, part or all of the bonus list has been handed out the night before. Sometimes it has been handed out only an hour before start time. It is usually not revealed ahead of time when the bonus list will be distributed.

There will be more bonuses on the list than you can possibly complete in the time allotted. This means you must choose which bonuses you will try for, and which you will skip, and plan your route based on your choices. This is one of the most challenging parts of a rally. The bonuses that are worth the most points are often the most tempting, but you often pay for those points in distance, time, or difficulty in earning them. A number of smaller value bonuses may be grouped closer together, but if you are stopping more often, you are using more precious riding time. Which to choose, which to choose?!

In most rallies, you do not have to tell anyone which bonuses you have chosen before you depart, and you do not have to stick to your original plan. Your rally route is your own. You can change your mind as the hours and miles go by, and as circumstances change (and they probably will). A rider who is ready and willing to change his/her plan on the fly will probably be better able to deal with unexpected events (weather, road construction, running low on gas, mechanical problems, getting lost, running out of time, etc).

Some riders prefer to ride the rally alone, some like to ride in pairs or groups of 3 or 4. This is fine, but remember that you are not a team working towards one score. Each rider must earn his/her own points by performing the task stated in each bonus.


The Unplugged Rally

The Unplugged Rally is a 12-hour motorcycle road rally with all of the usual rules, plus a few special ones. As rallies have gained popularity over the years, many rally riders have invested in motorcycle enhancements or additional equipment intended to improve their rally performance, and therefore their scores. Larger or extra fuel tanks reduce the number of stops, computerized map programs calculate best routes and elapsed times with the click of a button, GPS receivers tell the rider exactly where to turn and when they will arrive in real time, etc. It has reached the point where if you have not invested in these improvements, you may be at a significant disadvantage to those who have.

In an attempt to return to a somewhat simpler time, if only briefly, the Unplugged Rally invites riders to leave these enhancements at home. Unplugged Rally Riders must plan their route using only paper maps, and ride their bike in basically stock form. We know that short of requiring all riders to have exactly the same equipment, nothing can level the playing field perfectly. But we hope the Unplugged Rally will be more about riders, riding, planning, and efficiency, and less about expensive equipment and gadgets.

The list (so far) of modifications and equipment banned from use during the Unplugged Rally is:

Computer
GPS
Radar Detector
Increased fuel capacity

The list (so far) of modifications and equipment permitted to be used in the Unplugged Rally is:

Auxiliary lights
Flashlights
Heated seats, grips, clothing

The list (so far) of route planning items permitted to be used in the Unplugged Rally is:

Paper or plastic maps
Pens, pencils, post-its, etc
Calculators
Magnetic compasses


Some things to keep in mind while rallying

Go many places and earn lots of bonus points.
If you can't earn lots of points, at least have fun.
If you can't have fun, at least be safe.
If you can't be safe, get off the road.

[GSAnderson]

I've put on about 1800 miles the last two weekends checking bonuses. When you enter, you'll be treated to: out of the way places, beautiful two lane roads you may have never have been on, Minnesota music trivia and I promise, cooler weather. Especially up north...near Canada. And south...near Iowa. Wisconsin is always nice in late September and the Dakota's are always fun. Plus, the leaves should be about peaking about then, if you know what I mean. Entertainment on Saturday night will be provided by 40 Watt Bulb, keeping with the unplugged theme. We'll have a shuttle running from the River Rock to the hotels in Monticello, so you're gonna have a good time, n'kay?

[ljwunder]

This sounds awesome!

[RebeccaV]

I think that rallies are so much fun - it amazes me that there aren't more people doing them. My good friend Tracy (bmwrtgirl) plans to ride and it will be her first rally.

I hope that I can be there for the Unplugged Rally (riding the airhead is a good idea) but right now I am having trouble thinking past August 31st. :)

[Oznay]

Have circled the calender, gonna see'bout escapin'from work,hope to make the show.

[GSAnderson]

Entries must be postmarked by Aug. 31.

[Oznay]

:( Can't get time off..