LA - BARSTOW - VEGAS

THE GOOD: The simple criterion of the historical LA-Barstow-to-Vegas Dual Sport ride have remained the same for the past 29 years: Follow a charted route on dual sport motorcycles to Las Vegas, starting in Los Angeles, and staying over night in Barstow. 450 miles all up, divided into two days of trails, rocks, and road. The ultimate adventure. Simple in theory; difficult in execution. We got it into our heads to carry on the legacy of the legendary Terry Pratt, an icon of the motorcycle industry. Full of years, Terry passed away back in April of liver cancer. Unworthy though we were to squire two of Terry's Triumphs, a 1966 TR6 and 1970 T100, we were gung-ho to pay tribute to the legend by going on this adventure. At the pinnacle of Terry's motorcycle racing days, Terry was competing in the CMC Trans-Cal and Golden State Series in the 50+ age bracket and bringing home trophies, left, right, and sideways. He rode the historic Barstow-to-Vegas Dual Sport event many times, often taking the "oldest bike" award. Our experience in the desert made us realize how much of a legend Terry really was. THE BAD: As this goes to press, our knowledge of old Triumphs is far inferior to our old boy Terry. Neither of the bikes finished the ride due to mechanical failure. The first to go were the points on Nevin's T100 followed by the points on Julian's TR6, 45 miles from the finish line. Stefan had a chain break on his Honda XR600, which pales in significance to Jeannette's broken foot. Most of our little crew had only been on the dirt a handful of times, which probably wasn't working in our favor, but luckily Dave was there to shepherd us along. Tim crossed the finish line a lone wolf, outlasting the rest of the pack. Next time the rest of us will be wiser and better prepared. THE UGLY: We've got nothing. It was beauteous. District 37 AMA has been at this for the past 29 years, and know how to run a heck-uv-a Dual Sport event. Thank you very much you guys! We had a full-on blast.