Take thirteen men, two woman and some of the toughest motorcycles on the planet, everything from the mighty KLR 650 to the monstrous BMW 1200 GS Adventure (add a Suzuki V-strom and a Honda 250 for good measure) and turn them loose on the twisty backroads and dusty fire trails of Ventura County. To keep things lively, factor in some loose sand, FOUR water crossings and a real live cattle drive with about a hundred head of black angus cattle. Top it off with a gourmet panino and you’ve got the Ventura County Adventure Ride Series, (VCARS).
What I liked about the ride was that it gave me the opportunity to push my limits in a reasonably sane (ie not John Krakauer Into the Wild style) setting. Lane MacTague heads up the rides, sets them up so that there is a flagman at every intersection. The group moves along at a blistering pace, with a designated sweeper at the end to pick up stragglers.
Ironically, while I signed up in order to ride with others, I found myself riding alone a good portion of the time, in a no-man’s land between the hotshots and the leisure riders.Â
My personal highlight came just outside of Mutau Flats. I was riding at a good pace, standing on the pegs on a dirt road that wound through a stand of live oaks. On one shaded portion of the trail I noticed (too late) that the road dropped away suddenly. I didn’t have much choice except to goose the throttle and land in a sand pit. The bike got a little squirrelly on landing but the bigger problem was that my handlebars collapsed, coming loose at the bracket, grips twisted lower than the top of the tank. Suddenly I was riding a 100 horsepower clown bike in loose sand. I managed to stay on top, pull over and put the bike in neutral. I pushed the bars back in place and rode out the rest of the day with fear and trepidation.Â
From now on I will carry a ratchet with an E10 socket and keep the bars nice and tight.