SHORT SLEEVE SHIRTS IT IS! I’d like to thank all of you that took the time to respond to our survey on what type of rally shirt you preferred. Initially, it looked like it was going to be a run away for long sleeves, but by the time everything was counted short sleeve shirts had a narrow lead. Bring lots of sun block. . . A number of questions have come up this past month or so about fuel capacity, so let me take a few minutes to explain MERA’s fuel capacity rules. The fuel capacity of your motorcycle is the capacity listed by the manufacturer. In other words, if BMW says your stock fuel tank holds 6.3 gallons, or Honda says that the capacity of the fuel tank is 6.6 gallons, then that is the stock capacity of your motorcycle. Period! It doesn’t matter that you can’t get anywhere close to that amount out of the tank, it only matters that the manufacturer says in it’s brochure that that is the capacity. The total amount of fuel that you may carry in the rally is 11.5 gallons. . . the listed capacity of your main tank plus auxiliary tank cannot exceed 11.5 gallons. If you’re not sure what the capacity of your motorcycle is, and you’re having a fuel cell built, I’d get in touch with your dealer and find out what the official capacity of your bike really is before you proceed with the construction. A couple of riders felt that the alternate routes being offered this year were not challenging enough for serious endurance riders like themselves. I did attempt to explain to them that things are not always as they first appear, but they withdrew from the rally due to scheduling changes before I could fully explain the concept to them. Trust me folks, the alternate routes will give all you can handle, and maybe even a tad more. . .but then, the main route isn’t exactly a walk in the park either. It will be an interesting weekend. If any of you are looking for an additional rally to ride this year, please get in touch with the folks at the Colorado Thin Air TT. This is a great event folks, through some of the most beautiful country in North America, but if they don’t get some more entries before the first of June. . .well, this rally will go the way of the dinosaur. Those of you that have believed you could ride me into the dirt, well here is your chance to prove if you’re right or not. I’m entered. . .so come on out and play! If they don’t get enough entries, they’re going to close it down and we’re all going to go play golf. Give them a call at: ThinAirTT@aol.com About 2/3 of you have let us know if you’re going to attend the Bar B Q or not. . the other 1/3 of you have until June 1, 2002 to let us know if you’ll be dining with us the evening of June 27th. We hope you can work it out to be here. . .just don’t forget to let us know. Some of the new riders to the 1088 have asked what is the best bike for riding the rally. Should it be a touring bike? Maybe a sport tourer? Can I do it on a pure sport bike? Will I be able to do it on my cruiser? The answer to all the questions is yes! Any bike is fine for riding the 1088. . . you just have to be able to sit it for 26 hours. While I realize that I shouldn’t do this cause I’ll probably forget someone, and it will really piss them off, I’ve tried to compile a list of the various bikes that have entered the 1088 over the years. PLEASE, if I forgot to mention the fact that you rode a 1983 Yamakazi 266, don’t call me. It was an honest mistake, and I’m old. The list will be by manufacturer. BMW R50, R60, R75, R90, R850, R1100, R1150, K75, K100, K100 4 valve, K1100, K1200 Model designations were R, S, RS, RT, GS, LT BUELL S3 DUCATI Paso 907, ST2, ST4 HD From Sporty to the Ultra, and all the alphabet in between. HONDA CBR600/F2, VT700, VT750, V65 Magna, VT1100, CBR1000, CBR1100XX, CB1100F, ST1100, Transalp, GL1100, Gl1200, GL1500, GL1800, Valkyrie KAWASAKI ZX6, ZX11, ZX12, KLR650, KZ1000, 1200 Voyager, 1300 Voyager, 800 Vulcan 1500 Vulcan , Concours, GPZ1000 MOTOGUZZI Model not listed SUZUKI 600 Katana, 1100 Katana, GSXR750, GSXR1100, GSX1100G TRIUMPH Adventurer, 650 Bonneville, Speed Triple, Trident VICTORY Model not listed YAMAHA FZR600, FZR1000, XS650, XS850, XS1100, GTS1000, R1, Royal Star, Road Star 1600, 1200 Venture, 1300 Venture Well, there you have it. . .or at least as well as I can remember it. The point to all this was to let you new riders know that no matter what you’re riding, you can not only finish, but you can have a ball doing it. Also, it showed that there are some real serious folks that come to play at our little party. The rider on the Buell rode the bike here from California. . .rode the rally. . .and then rode home! Or how about doing 1100 miles on a Paso? Or how about riding 1088 miles on a Sportster with a stock seat and tank? And for you guys that think that bigger is better. . .you should try the 1088 on a Transalp. It will give you a whole new perspective on time/distance management. See Ya in June