West Coast Magnas
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NEW Photos Added 8/7/04
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First Timer Review
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Rally Road Reviews
NEW Pat & Jan's Big Trees Adventure
In South Lake Tahoe CA. and Mariposa/Yosemite CA.
From July 19, 2004 to July 23, 2004
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE OFFICIAL MRA PHOTO PAGE
The MRA is now taking suggestions and looking for hosts for the 2005 MRA Eastern & Western Rallies.
For More Information & Submissions, Click Here
The MRA Western Rally enjoyed awesome rides, beautiful scenery, tech talk, good eats, wrenching, muffler sound comparisons, tire width competitions, modification discussions, relaxing conversations and of course, more great riding.
The MRA Western Rally Attendees (most of them)|
Thoughts From The Rallymaster | |
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Well, even with the relatively small turnout, I feel the Rally was a great
success from several standpoints. We got to meet some really nice people
from a wide area. There were couples from California, Montana, Utah, and
Canada, and solos from Michigan, Oregon, Georgia, and California. We all got
along together well and had fun both on and off the bikes. There were no
accidents, despite a couple of close calls, no mechanical breakdowns (we
were on Hondas, after all) and no illnesses. I know that probably sounds
dull to those of you who weren't there, but trust me, it was a terrific
week. The weather was extremely cooperative, being clear the whole week, except for the few raindrops we got on our windshields on Friday afternoon. By then it was all over anyway, except for the closing dinner. The transition trip to Mariposa on Wednesday was quite hot (about 105°) which made the motel pool feel even better. And by Thursday the smoke from the fire in Yosemite had cleared enough to give a spectacular view from Glacier Point. From the comments I have heard, everyone enjoyed the choices of roads, mostly 2-lane mountain twisties connected by a few stretches of 4-lane with well-banked sweepers. The scenery was breathtaking, and we stopped often just to enjoy it. Val and I were the lucky ones. We got to do the whole thing twice; once by ourselves a month before to plan gas, meal and picture stops, and again with the group. Eat your hearts out, guys 'n' gals! The only hard part for me was trying to judge what speed would be comfortable for the group. I'm sure some of the newer riders felt the pace was too fast. Then again, there were some who would have liked it even faster. (Right, Chad?) It's really hard to judge from the front just how the riders behind you are doing. At every stop, they were all still there, so I figured that meant everything was OK. If the group had been larger, I would have considered splitting into two groups to accomodate differing levels of speed vs. comfort. But the faster riders tolerated the pace, and the newer riders probably honed their skills a little by keeping up.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat! -- Dobie | |
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A First Timers Review of the MRA Western Rally | |
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What a great experience! I ride one of my motorcycles almost everyday. I ride on short trips with a couple of different friends occasionally. The Rally experience and atmosphere is completely new, cool and awesome to me. Dobie & Val did a fantastic job of putting together the whole rally. They took the whole thing on their shoulders and provided all the attendees with a great time. The selection of roads contained something for every type of rider, covering all the bases from major freeway to one-and-a-half lane super tight twisties. The quality of road surface was universally good, making for smooth riding (except for one or two constructions short spots that got started just a few days or weeks before the rally). The mid-week rides kept the cager traffic to a minimum. The scenery is unsurpassed, in my opinion. They led us through some of California's most beautiful real estate. Lake Tahoe speaks for itself, a high mountain lake without competition. The perimeter roads a combination of smooth sweepers and tight S-curves with a stunning view. The trip to Virginia City provided a taste of the high attitude desert. The California Gold country with it's rolling hills and lonely back roads. The high Sierra mountain passes like Ebetts, Sonora and Monitor that provided impressive tree groves, intimidating rock walls and cliffs, serene lakes, high country meadows & ranges and virtually unlimited breathtaking vistas. And then of course, there was Yosemite which I could never describe to anyone's satisfaction. There were early morning group breakfasts where in three days attendees had found a favorite IHOP server. Evening meals could be pretty fun too: the pizza place that emptied out 'cause we scared the locals; the nice Italian place where for some reason, servers and customers sang a lively rendition of Happy Birthday to Dobie; Happy Burger with the "Sierras Largest Menu" and awesome customer service (how was that giant wiener Doug?); the upscale Red Fox where a few went for a nice dinner with a little attitude. There were group lunches in little high Sierra "restaurants" with great burgers and slow chicken. Roadside diners in the foothills where the owner was the server and had a sense of humor to go along with good food and buckets of water on a hot day. And then one of my favorites, a simple sandwich lunch along the runoff creek at the bottom of Bridelveil Falls in the Yosemite Valley. And while all the things mentioned above made for a great MRA Western Rally, the thing that put it over the top and made it fabulous - the Rally attendees. What a great bunch of people. Riders in all shapes and sizes. Riders of more than 20 years crusin' with new riders sporting only one month of experience. Vintage Magnas side by side with a couple of 2003's. Speed demons and cowboys riding with easyriders and smooth cruisers. (you all know who you are) The personalities and riding styles meshing together for good riding with just enough tension to keep it all interesting. I hope that we'll all ride together again soon, at the very least hooking up for the 2005 Western Rally. Again a hug or a handshake to all my new riding buddies. A special kudos to the MRA for making the Eastern and Western Rally's possible. Most of all, a very special thanks to Dobie and Val for all their hard work. Until next year. Keith PokeyV65 MRA #1462 First Year Rallier | |
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A Message From Debbie | |
We are now back home in Mission, BC, Canada. On behalf of Ian and myself we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Dobie and Val Gillum for the wonderful 2004 Western Magna Rally they graciously hosted. A rally of this caliber does not happen by itself. It was very clear throughout the ride that Dobie and Val had put a lot of effort into the planning of the event so that we were able to squeeze as much as possible into the 5 days – and we certainly did do that! Everyone who attended the rally agreed that the riding was fabulous (we must have ridden thousands of twisties!!!), the scenery was magnificent, the weather was fabulous, the restaurant and motel stops were great, and most of all the event was a lot of fun! Who could ask for more? To the new friends we made this year I sincerely hope we will have the pleasure of riding with you again in the future.
Debbie Mission, BC Canada MRA # 1317 | |
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The After Rally Awards | |
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MRA Member's Best New Generation Magna: Dobie Look MRA Member's Best Vintage Magna: Joe Look MRA Member's Longest Distance Ride (female): Debbie MRA Member's Longest Distance Ride (male): Joe MRA Member's Longest Distance Ride (2 up): Pat & Jan MRA Member's "Most Seasoned" Rider: Ron MRA Member's Youngest Rider: Todd And thanks to the MRA and Cycle-istic we had plenty of raffle prizes to be handed out. They included MRA hats, shirts, patches, stickers & pins, SR100 cleanning kits, soft side cooler sets, and Cycle-istic products like Handle Bar Risers, Passenger Foot Peg Extenders, the V4 engraved Back Rest Plate and, of course, the extra wide tire Brakestay Conversion. everyone got to be a winner! | |
Basic Rally Information
The Where
South Lake Tahoe, Gold Country and Yosemite National Park
The When
July 19-23, 2004July 18 7:00pm - Informal Meeting
July 19 Tahoe Ride [map]
July 20 Gold Country Ride [map]
July 21 Transition Tahoe to Mariposa [map] [photo]
July 22 Yosemite National Park Tour Ride [map] [photo]
July 23 Transition Back To Tahoe [map]
July 23 Evening - Farewel Awards Dinner
The 10 Day Weather Forecast
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South Lake Tahoe |
Yosemite (Mariposa) |
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South Lake Tahoe 18th, 19th & 20th Super 8 Motel 3000 Lake Tahoe Blvd. (Hwy 50) www.super8tahoe.com 1-800-237-8882 Reservation Code: C G M R R |
Mariposa (Yosemite) 21st & 22nd Miners Inn Motel Hwy 49 North & Hwy 140 North www.yosemite-rooms.com 1-888-646-2244 Reservation Code: Magna Riders Rally |
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There may be opportunities to share rooms. Contact The Organizer. | |
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South Lake Tahoe Alpen Sierra Coffee Co 3940 Lake Tahoe Blvd # 1 (530) 544-7740 Online Info |
Yosemite (Mariposa) Best Value Mariposa Lodge 5052 Highway 140 |
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July 19 - Around Tahoe to Nevada Loop The Lake Tahoe perimeter, over Mt. Rose, historic Virgina City July 20 - California Gold Country Tour South & east passes, west into CA gold country, lakes and pines, Hwy50 return July 21 - Pass Transition to Yosemite [map] [photo] Leave Lake via, 89 south, west over Ebbetts Pass, Calaveras Big Trees, Angels Camp, the 49 Twisties to Yosemite (Mariposa) July 22 - Yosemite National Park Tour Ride [map] [photo] [photo2] Oakhurst, 41 Entrance, Glacier Point, Yosemite Valley, 140 back to Mariposa July 23 - Journey Back to South Lake Tahoe [map] [photo] 49 to Sonora, 108 over the scenic Sonora Pass, the beautiful 395 and 89 over Monitor Pass to Tahoe | |
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You Are Welcome To Attend Any Portion Of The Rally You Can | |
2004 Western Rally
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