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• Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route By Bultaco

  

  Vintage Tour of Idaho The last week of August, Gordon and I plan to ride the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route (IBDR) on the Bultacos. From Porthill, Idaho on the Canadian border to Jarbidge, Nevada. The route is nearly 1,300 miles and we expect to cover it in 7-8 days. As many of you know, Idaho is a second home to me. The riding opportunities are vast, there are amazing places to ride all over the... Read more »

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• Bultaco – The New Adventure

  

  A New Adventure this is a reprint of a story I wrote for Bike Bandit recently, part two comes tomorrow…. I have been pondering my next adventure for a while now. Last year it was Vietnam, an amazing trip. Naturally I was thinking of something similar for the next outing. But I kept having trouble trying to come up with something that would really motivate me, give me something to plan and work on. Vietnam... Read more »

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• Baja & El Bandido Part 2

  

  Part two of – “When Bultaco Should Have Won Baja” if you missed part 1 of the story read here As we have started to outline the scenario for the 1969 NORRA Mexican 1000, I can’t help but marvel about the idea of Baja and Bultaco. Nowhere today do we consider the two even remotely connected. Baja history has been almost an exclusive Husqvarna and Honda show. Kawasaki is the only other substantial winner, taking... Read more »

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• 1969 Baja 1000 and the El Bandido

  

  When Bultaco Should Have Won The Mexican 1000 I have taken to collecting old motorcycle magazines. It has really awakened a sense of history for me. I have always had an interest in motorcycling history and what I find in the magazines continues to fascinate me. If you haven’t noticed, I have a fairly broad knowledge of motorcycles. So often what I find in the magazines helps me expand on topics that I already have... Read more »

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• New Bike Season

  

  June, spring is fading as summer once again moves in to take over the temperate days. It is also the season of new bike introductions. And I find myself singularly disinterested. When I started out to play moto journalist years ago, task numero uno was to test motorcycles. Now that was no small feat, you don’t just sign up, it requires an invite. To get the invite you have to show that you have something... Read more »

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• 1969 Stardust 711 Desert Race

  

  Called by some the toughest desert race ever, the 1968 Stardust 711. NORRA promoted the 1969 event in Las Vegas. $25,000 purse, 711 miles, 137 starters, 30 finishers. It took overall winners Bergquist and Preston 22 hours to complete the course on the 350 Honda. They were two hours ahead of the next bike and 5 hours ahead of Larry Minor’s Bronco. Read more over at   Race Dezert Photos from Raven West Guitars Read more »

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• Bultaco El Bandido Review

  

  The Bultaco 360 El Bandido In the Bultaco world, there is the El Bandido and then everything else. It has a bigger than life persona in today’s world of Bultaco restorers. It was the great Spanish marques first entry into the open class. It was also completely unique. Bul’s were famously known for their interchangeability of parts, often for worse than better. But not so with the Bandido and sibling Montadero; their center port exhaust,... Read more »

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• KTM 690 VS BMW 800 – Blast From The Past

  

  I have written enough now that I  forget some of the previous work I have done or been involved with. A friend sent me the link to this video the other day. Hard to believe it was ten years ago this month that I was riding through Idaho testing middleweight adventure bikes. It leaves me with two thoughts. First – how is it that a decade later we are still looking for the real KTM... Read more »

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• 1968 Baja 1000 Cycle Guide Feature

  

  As you know, I have gotten into collecting old motorcycle magazines. As if I needed more “stuff”, but I guess it is slightly more practical than collecting motorcycles. The great thing about some of these old magazines is that you never know what will be inside. It is like getting a Christmas present and there are always a few hidden gems when you look close. Today it is the 1968 Baja 1000 from February ’69... Read more »

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• 1980, Mexico and lust for the KLX

  

  As a teenager I spent the summer of 1980 living in Mexico. Estranged from my homeland, garage and motorcycle was pretty hard to take at times. But I was also able to spend part of the summer with a brand new 1979 125 Carabella. My other solace came from the two motorcycle magazines that I found. One was this September 1979 issue of Cycle World. I read both magazines cover to cover many times. By... Read more »

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