 o many in the motorcycle industry, the Rocky Mountain 400 is a legendary ride that they someday hope to be invited to. After all, what could be better than getting to stay at the base of Steamboat surrounded by mountains and lakes? What’s better than getting to walk through the Parts Unlimited “Performance Alley” allowed to casually speak with the top people in the industry as they fill your bag with loads of great free product? What’s better then days of great food, fresh air, no pressure, and big laughs? What’s better then three days of riding through the Colorado Rocky Mountains completely legal on and off road with old and new friends? What’s better than the Rocky Mountain 400? To those who get to go, it’s the ride of the year!
Hosted by Parts Unlimited, the Rocky Mountain 400 is an all industry ride sponsored by Thor, Alpinestars, Don Emde Productions, DP Brakes, Dunlop, FMF, Helix Racing Products, Moose Racing/MUD, Motion Pro, Moto Comm, No-Toil, Regina, Wiseco, and Z1R. The 2007 RM400 was the 14th annual, with almost 250 participants that included the top dealers from all over the United States and the world.
After three days of riding in and around the base at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a final feast was held at the top of the mountain (a short gondola ride up) with awards, food and more laughs. All agreed they would fight for a spot in next year’s ride.
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Alpinestars had a nice set-up in Performance Alley with boots of every type, style and size, plus free Alpinestars hats for everyone.
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See how full those bags are? That’s swag from the best companies in the industry. The FMF and Dunlop booths were both busy. FMF’s Doug Muellner was in charge of ensuring that everyone’s bike complied with the noise requirements and Dunlop’s Brent Durfee and Lyndon Ferreira gave out tire advice and worked “tirelessly” to mount new skins for anyone who needed superior Dunlop rubber.
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If you’re not used to seeing him without his gear on, that’s Jeremy McGrath walking through “Performance Alley” getting swag and having as much fun as everyone else.
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Dave Ketchum from Escondido Cycle Center near San Diego, CA gets ready to “show the love” to some RM400 sponsors.
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Taking a break on the trail are Benny Richards (42), Dan Richards (43) and Dustin Jones (55) from Richards Motorcycles in Arkansas, with their Parts rep Eric Brewer and California dealer Tom Ridings.
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(below) The night before day one of the Rocky Mountain 400, the trail was baptized with a terrific rainstorm that cut down the dust and made riding a pleasure for everyone. The rain was so welcome, in fact, that it provided some extra obstacles for all the riders. Here, California’s Eric Vaccaro demonstrates the proper way to best enjoy a mud puddle.
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Have we mentioned the scenery in Colorado enough yet? Event report RM 400 9/26/07 12:34 PM
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Jeremy McGrath still has more fun riding a
motorcycle then just about any lifetime racer on the planet.
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Everyone was required to have a license plate (i.e.
a dual sport bike) so getting in and out of town
was easy.
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Even though the ride was casual and at your own pace, there were plenty of opportunities to open it up and even grab some air. California dealer Derrick Lucchesi launches his KTM.
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No one rode alone or without aid. Anyone who got a flat or ran out of gas just had to wait a minute before they were swarmed by other members of the ride who wanted to demonstrate their mechanical skills and fix whatever went wrong.
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Amazing things sometimes happen that can’t be planned or predicted. Florida dealer Ray Hempstead was announced as the winner of this year’s RM400 Dealer of the Year award. And the emcee for the awards banquet was Parts Magazine publisher Don Emde. Little did most of the crowd of 250 dealers, vendors, racers and enthusiasts know that the man who finished second to Emde in the 1972 Daytona 200 was Ray Hempstead. To the crowd’s delight, the two began to reminisce about that day in Florida more than 30 years ago when they finished 1-2 and Yamaha swept the podium to take home its first-ever Daytona 200 win. It was a great moment to witness the reunion of these two great road racers.
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No one rode alone or without aid. Anyone who got a flat or ran out of gas just had to wait a minute before they were swarmed by other members of the ride who wanted to demonstrate their mechanical skills and fix whatever went wrong.
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Holly Hagerman from Kawasaki was recognized with the Rookie of Year award. Holly usually rides motocross in southern California and the RM400 was her first foray into the mountains.
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Everyone wanted to thank these people for sponsoring the 2007 event. The sponsors included Alpinestars, Don Emde Productions, DP Brakes, Dunlop, FMF, Helix Racing Products, Moose Racing/MUD, Motion Pro, Moto Comm, No-Toil, Regina, Wiseco, Z1R, Parts Unlimited and Thor.
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If you don’t like the weather,
just wait a few minutes and it’ll
change. Occasional showers kept the dust down. New Jersey dealer Thomas Bellusci Jr. found a way to cool off when it got hot.
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Even gassing up was fun. Dealer Alex Contreas and rep Mike Garrett took a break to top off their tanks, check maps and plan their ride.
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They went that-away! A well-organized group of Thor
volunteers rode sweep and drove the sweep truck loaded with extra gas and water. Dealers Dave Ketchum, Justin Huft, and Derrick Lucchesi were glad
to know that the sweep crew would be there if needed.
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John Wayne would’ve said “More whiskey and fresh dirt bikes for my men.” The Antlers Inn was just one of the lunch stops and yes they had a lot of antlers in the place, and great food.
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The guys from Moose Racing were happy to see that Moose riders were out of season.
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The Rider of the Year award was given to Ross Reed of Mid America Powersports in Wichita, KS by Jeremy McGrath and Chad Reed.
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It’s nice to know you and
your motorcycle are
welcome to ride so many
trails in Colorado.
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