What I learned on the Arkansas TAT

Being rather inexperienced at cross country dirt riding and motorcycle camping I thought I would do some "learning" by riding the Mississippi Hill Country ride and then the TAT across Arkansas. I hoped that what I learned would prepare me for a full TAT ride after I retire "again" in a little over a year. Here is a short list of the interesting things that I learned:

Navigating by road book (roll tulip charts) is pretty easy and a MUST if you want to stay on the TAT and not get lost. Sam did a super job developing his roll charts.

A DRZ 400S is very easy to push! Even when pushed over two miles!

A DRZ 400S battery can break under the strain of continuous pounding on the trail. A good idea is to replace the battery BEFORE you do the TAT.

A DRZ 400S will run without no stink'n battery at all if you get some good 'ol boys to give you a jump off!

A DRZ 400S battery is one of the hardest treasures to find in North Mississippi on a Monday when most bike shops are closed.

Knobby T-63 tires are like magic on dirt compared to the Trailwings that come on most new dual sport bikes. Why would I ever use anything else?

If you plan to camp along the way in a tent it will monsoon on your ass as soon as you pitch the tent...Don't pitch a tent if you don't want it to rain.

Motorcycle tent camping in the rain sucks..

Those neat little back-packer tents that come in those ultra-compact cases are absolutely impossible to put back in those ultra-compact cases after the tent is once exposed to air..I think is swells up or something..

Raccoons love Mountain House Beef Strogionoff..in the middle of the night..in your camp..and will fight each other for it..Who knew?

White Rock Mountain is the BOMB! I love the place!

Most of the dirt and gravel roads in Arkansas are better than the paved roads in Mississippi.

A GPS is a great thing to have if you get lost or off course.

200 miles is a full day's ride...trust me...

A Seat Concepts after-market seat foam and cover kit are a big improvement over the stock DRZ seat on a 1400 mile round trip. Kinda like the difference between sitting on a 2X4 and a 2X6 for 1400 miles. It ain't a Goldwing!

It is way better to go with a buddy or buddies. I went solo and it was really a dumb thing to do cause you may not see another soul for hours..or days on some parts of the TAT!

I am going back..with a new battery..new T-63's..sleeping in motels..with buddies!

kingrj

Nah, that would take out all the adventure...... Bawahahaha



Adventure is defined as 'terror in retrospect.'

kingrj:

Enjoyed your little mini-essay of one liners concerning your experience with the TAT in AR. Thanks for posting!

You shared a personal perspective:

Riding buddies are great. Over the decades I have had a few and I seemed to always enjoy those rides.

Of all the guys I rode with back then, I'm about the only one still riding dirt, or riding at all in any form, actually. My vocation for about 25 years or so put me having days off in the week and not weekends. So, I would say that somewhere between 80% to 90% of my dirt riding has been solo riding. Given my personality type (I've always tended to drift off on my own way and do my own thing), that has been a positive side of dirt biking for me, for I enjoy the solitude and challenges of riding solo.

Anyway, for some of us, I suspect that the additional aspect of adventure riding solo brings is a strong pull to the fun of dirt riding.

Vinduroman

AWESOME! WIsh I cudda seen ya out there in my back yard! Glad you liked it! As for riding buddies. I prefer it..dirt riding is so much fun, you just hafta share it with someone!

Doc I hope to share a goat with you in the future..(a pretty one..not one of those ugly white goats!)

Kingrj

man I seen me some cute ones yesterday on our way to Warloop...I even stopped and brought up my goat ring tone on my cell to talk to them with!