A GREAT Day In The Saddle

Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to join a few moto buddies for the 6th Annual Armenia Dual Sport Ride, an all day ride fund-raiser to benefit the Armenia United Methodist Church.
For those unfamiliar with “Dual Sporting”, a dual sport ride (at least the ones I favor) is a self-guided off-road event consisting of mostly trail sections with paved roads connecting these off-road sections. The event coordinators provide you with a roll-chart that has turn-by-turn directions, estimated mileage between turns, gas stops, hazard warnings, etc. It’s not a race, just a great day of riding. Most dual sport events require a “street-legal” motorcycle, meaning lights and a tag. I’ve seen all sorts of bikes at these events, from a BMW 1200 which was way to large for most of the off-road sections, to a motocross bike with a flashlight for a headlight and a tag taped on the rear fender.
The Armenia Dual Sport Ride is located just a few miles northwest of Chester, SC, is limited to 100 riders and consist of some of the best trail I’ve ever ridden through tightly wooded sections of privately owned land, places you would never get to ride otherwise. The event is organized by Marvin Grant, a long time Cross Country Racer who works as a trail consultant building trails when he’s not riding.
The day starts with a country breakfast and riders meeting where Marvin explains the schedule for the day, the use of the roll-chart, the warning signs, arrows, etc. After breakfast it’s on! A quick tech inspection to make sure your bike will pass for street-legal, that the exhaust is not too loud and you are wearing the required minimum of protective gear and your off. We rode for about 3-4 hours before making it back to the campsite where we were served a fantastic BBQ lunch, and then back on the trail again for another 3-4 hours. By the end of the day we had logged close to 90 miles, which may not sound like a lot to the uninitiated, but once you see the type of riding you’ll understand why it takes all day to travel that 90 miles!
Many thanks to Marvin Grant and the community of Armenia for putting on such a great event. I’ve attended two years in a row and don’t plan to miss any in the future.
This video is in two parts, so if you dig the first one go to my YouTube page and watch the second half.

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