RallyMoto Magazine - Nov - Dec 2021

Nov/Dec 2021
KIELDER
FOREST
THE UK’S BEST
WILDERNESS
RIDING
2021
THE BEST BITS
DARK SKIES
RALLY
LOOKING AHEAD
TO 2022
WINTER TIPS FOR
KEEPING FIT

RallyMoto Magazine
RallyMoto Magazine
HERE’S TO AN
ADVENTUROUS CHRISTMAS
AND A
RALLY-FULL NEW YEAR!
WRITTEN BY:
ROBERT HUGHES
So that was it, the Motorcycle Live Show was over. We
would like to thank all of you that made the show a success
for RallyMoto and said “Hi”
Now, we are heading towards the launch of the Ice breaker
with the team here furiously finalising the 8 roadbooks for the
challenge. This will also be another first for RallyMoto as we
use the Digital Roadbook for our “Rally in a Box” type remote
events.
Next up is the Cotswolds Adventure Cannonball, which is a
route suited to beginners and then we have the Adventure
Cannonball Extreme in Wales at the end of January.
The calendar for 2022 should be pretty well finalised by mid
January and we will keep you posted on the dates for the
bigger events as we have two events planned for Wales and
Kielder over the next 12 months.
We wish you a great Christmas and New Year and let’s get
revved up for fantastic 2022.
See you soon.
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WHAT’S
INSIDE?
LAUNCH OF THE
ROAD RALLIES
From Motorcycle Live
KIELDER 500
Finally!!!
BACK IN BLACKNESS
RallyMoto returns to Kielder Forest
for the Dark Skies Rally
THE DRIVE TO RIDE
It takes more than a set of broken
bars to break Paul’s stride!
A YEAR IN REVIEW
The highlights of 2021.
RIDER’S RIDES
Dave Campbell talks enduro
turned rally bike.
ALL THE GEAR..
A little look at lighting.
Cover pic:
Graham Bush on
the Kielder 500
3 - 2 - 1 - Goooooo!
Burt and all the RallyMoto Team
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2022.... WHAT’S IN STORE?
We look at the year ahead and what’s on
offer for rally riders in the UK and beyond.
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NO WINTER BLUES FOR YOU!
How to welcome the Spring
with a spring in your step,
fit and ready to ride!
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Images &
layout by
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RallyMoto Magazine
MC LIVE
RallyMoto Magazine
BIKE SHOW
MOTORCYCLE LIVE
4/12/21 - 12/12/21
It was an ideal way to consolidate the
year’s achievements and gather some
inspiration for the future.
The Motorcycle Live bike show is the biggest
of it’s kind in the UK, with live talks,
test rides, demos, competitions, and an
extensive showcase of the future of motorcycling,
hint there is not much petrol involved!.
As usual at these kind of events we were
inundated at the RallyMoto stand with current
members coming to say hi, and newcomers
who were excited by what we had
to offer.
The Cannonball Rally Challenge, our
new all tarmac based, long distance Adventure
Rally was the key event we were
there to launch, however the dirt lovers
proved that they were also out in force as
we had just as much interest in the up and
coming Icebreaker Challenge.
Thanks to everyone who came and
showed their support as well as those
who introduced themselves for the first
time. It’s great to see so many riders
eager for more reasons to get out on their
bikes and we will be bringing you more
quality roadbook navigation events in
2022.
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BRAND NEW
FOR 2022!
• 100% TARMAC ROUTE
• DIGITAL ROADBOOK BASED
ADVENTURE
• OVER 470KM OF THE BEST
WELSH SCENIC ROADS AND
LANES.
• TRY OUT ROADBOOK
NAVIGATION WITHOUT
GETTING DIRTY!
LOOKING FOR A UK BASED MOTORCYCLE
ADVENTURE OVER THE WINTER?
KEEN TO TRY ROADBOOKING WITHOUT
INVESTING IN LOADS OF KIT?
SIGN UP NOW AT
https://rallymoto.co.uk/cannonball-challenge/
A PERCENTAGE OF YOUR ENTRY
FEE AUTOMATICALLY CONTRIBUTES
TOWARDS RAISING £6000 FOR
WALES AIR AMBULANCE
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RallyMoto Magazine
Kielder 500
RallyMoto Magazine
INTO THE
FOREST FOR
THE YEAR’S
FINAL
500
Fantastic organisation and so
much off-road riding it’s just been
immense. I’ve absolutely loved it.
I will be back!
- James
Thanks to the rallymoto team for a
great dirty weekend up in Kielder,
here’s hoping to more in the very
near future!
- Steve Walter
9-10/10/21
Thanks to Burt and the team, plus all the helpers,
medics, ambassadors, recovery crew (did you get the
Land Rover out of the ditch ok?), and everyone who
attended & supported each other. Cracking event!!!
- Brian Jones Really fun weekend,
great to meet a bunch of
new people and some
old familiar friendly
faces.
Thanks Burt and the
entire team for another
wicked weekend Dark
skies will be incredible!
- Ed Sheath

RallyMoto Magazine
RallyMoto Magazine
THE DARK SIDE
OF
THE FOREST
Fully focused: Pre Rally
roadbook marking up.
THERE’S A NEW KIND OF RALLY IN TOWN...
When RallyMoto were offered the opportunity to run a second
event in the Kielder Forest in 2021, Burt and the team wasted
no time in getting busy creating something a bit different and a
quite special to close out the year with.
The Dark Skies Rally was an idea that Burt had been playing
with for some time. It was originally scheduled to run in 2020,
but we all know what happened there! However it takes a lot to
squash this man’s ambitions, and in October of 2021 his dream
to rally through Kiedler Forest at night was finally realised
Yes, the Dark Skies Rally was one that will not be forgotten easily,
especially by those in the Rally class! With a full 250km day
of navigating through Kielder Forest behind them, riders had
time for a quick meal and a glove change before hitting the dirt
again and chasing the sun out of town for the second, 250km
stage which ran into the night.
There is not much, if any, light pollution
in these parts, and the absense of any
discernible surroundings apart from
what’s illuminated by the headlights
is somewhat humbling and very exciting.
Feedback from the riders indicates
there is plenty of demand for
more night events in the
future, and you know Burt
likes to keep his members
satisfied.
RESULTS
RALLY CLASS:
1st: RIK GRIFFIN - 88 POINTS
2nd: PETER CRAWFORD &
JOHN REYNOLDS - 101 POINTS
3rd: KAI SAMLOFSKI - 103 POINTS
ADVENTURE CLASS:
1st: ANTHONY MARSDEN - 32 POINTS
2nd: JOSHUA WHITE - 33 POINTS
3rd: STUART FOX - 35 POINTS
FOR FULL RESULTS GO TO
https://rallymoto.co.uk/as-dark-skies-rally-2021-
results/
The daylight dims with a long dark ride ahead.
Leuan Harries getting hands on with repairs
on his super tenere well into the night..
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Full beam ahead... Riders enter the
forest at the start of the night stage.
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RallyMoto Magazine
Members’ stories
WHERE THERE’S A WILL...
RallyMoto Magazine
For most riders, a crash resulting
in broken handlebars would mean
game over. For Paul Cottee however,
the desire to complete the Dark
Skies Adventure Rally and make the
most of his opportunity to ride more of
Kielder Forest was too strong to call it a
day...
“I was having a really great day, got to about
kilometer 149, it was a really nice country road,
really flowy. I was going probably a little bit
quicker than I should have been, forgetting that
I was on knobbly tyres with a low PSI. I leaned
it around the corner, the front end washed
out, and I went about 30m before falling into a
ditch!
The bike took the brunt of it and snapped the
left handlebar, so that effectively took me out of
the rally.
After Paddy rescued me in the RallyMoto
recovery truck I got back here I loaded the van
up and headed home, a little bit annoyed
with myself and forlorn.. However I realised that there
were still a few hours left in the day and I gave myself
two hours to fix the bike when I got home. If I did it in
those two hours I would come back, so I managed to
fix all the damage in an hour and forty five. I dashed
back up the motorway and got in at about half eleven
because I didn’t want to miss the last day! I am sad that
I missed the night stage but I’m glad that I’m back to
finish it off because it’s my first time in Kielder and I love
it. The forest is fantastic.”
CAN YOU
FIX IT?
Those who are new to riding off road might
not have had the delightful opportunity to
fix a flat tyre on the side of a trail somewhere.
If you’ve entered the Ice Breaker
Challenge ‘remote style rally’ then you’ll
be Adventure Rallying without the support
of our recover vehicles through the winter
months.
Why not start your journey into Adventure
Rallying independence by making
the most of the darker days and spend an
evening perfecting the process and sussing
out exactly what you need to carry
with you on the bike? You never know,
it might just save you a ride in the ‘Paddy
Wagon’...

RALL YMOTO MAGAZINE LAUNCH
RallyMoto Magazine
It’s been an incredible year for Adventure
Rallying folks! Thanks to all our members for
making this all possible!
The
first event
of the year and
probably the most
challenging! The Pandemic
Rally, held at Salisbury Plain
introduced the new points
system, special stages, and
some very tough navigation
for those who were game
to try!
PANDEMIC RAL L Y - 3 ROUNDS
ADVENTURE RA L Y TRAINING
Five training days were held at Salisbury
Plain over the summer, introducing
over fifty new riders to the world of
Adventure Rallying!
ICEBREAKER CHAL
L ENGE
Picture
credit goes to
Graham Dodridge,
one of the many riders
who entered the Ice Breaker
Challenge back in January.
RallyMoto’s first ever remotely
run event was born out of the
lockdown and gave members
the freedom to ride on their
own schedule.
2021
THE BEST OF
DIGITAL APP
The remote
‘Rally in a Box’
concept has gone full
circle with the release
of the RallyMoto Digital
Roadbooking App. To keep
riders rallying through
winter, on their own
schedule.
LAUNCH
RallyMoto Magazine
DARK SKIES RAL L Y
Kielder
Forest is vast
enough in the
daylight, but rallying
through the forest
wilderness in the pitch
black? That was an
incredible experience
that we’ll be sure to
repeat!
KIELDER 500
After
way too long
we were finally
able to return to
the Kielder Forest in
October to run the much
anticipated Kielder 500
Adventure Rally.
ABR FESTIVAL
A great
gathering of
like minded folk
after a long period
of social isolation.
Adventure Bike
Rider Festival was a
fantastic event to be
a part of!
WALES 500 - 2 ROUNDS
The event we
had all been waiting
for, and it was so so nice
we ran it twice!
We had lost time from 2020
to make up for, so when Welsh
Forestry offered us an additional
date we didn’t hesitate to book a
second round. A hugely enjoyable
and successful couple of events,
taking in the best adventure
routes in the lesser known
areas of Wales.
With so
much going
on and plenty of
content to share we
thought we’d start
our own members
magazine!
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Photos by
Sprocketdog Media
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RallyMoto Magazine
Riders’ Rides
RallyMoto Magazine
Spec:
2019 Model Year KTM EXC-F350
Rekluse auto clutch
SM Pro wheels with TuBliss tubeless system
Rade Garage fairing and nav tower kit
F2R and ICO navigation equipment
Acerbis 15litre fuel tank
WP heavier gauge rear shock spring
Hayes left hand rear brake system
Pro Carbon protectors
KTM PowerParts radiator fan kit
X-Trig Rocs fork yokes
Steg Pegz (stegzmoto.com.au) from Australia
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»Riders’
rides«
Much-modded
KTM EXC-F350
By Dave Campbell
RallyMoto wasn’t even on my radar when I
bought this KTM from Derbyshire Off-Road
Centre (derbyshireoffroadcentre.co.uk) in
Buxton.
Stock apart from a smattering of Power-
Parts it was intended as a re-introduction
to green-laning after a house renovation
forced the sale of my old DR-Z400E. But then
a chance reading of an MCN news-piece in
early 2019 led to an entry in the Kielder 500.
Armed only with a handlebar brace, a handscrolled
F2R roadbook holder and a battery-eating
RallyBlitz app but no power lead, I
naively rolled into the forest and promptly got
lost. But the conversion had happened; not so
much on the road to Damascus, more a fireroad
to Bellingham... This roadbook rallying
seemed like fun!
Experience suggested it might be sensible to
have an accurate trip that actually functioned
for the whole event, so a power lead was the
first addition in the journey to turn the EXC
into a dedicated RallyMoto bike. That, and a
proper powered roadbook from F2R (f2r.pt)
because there’s nothing cooler than whirring
through tulip diagrams with a minuscule flick
of a thumb. And because I’m lazy and like
gizmos.
Of course, as is the way with these things,
once the first upgrades were made the floodgates
opened. Next came proper ICO trip
meters from Rally Raid Products (rally-raidproducts.co.uk)
including the GPS-based
Rally Max G. I still use that original RallyBlitz
app though, and cross-reference with a wheel
sensor driven ICO for belt-and-braces distance
measuring.
A set of pristine SM Pro wheels (smpro.co.uk)
popped up on eBay and were immediately
converted for use with the TuBliss tyre system,
which meant I could fit mousses to the original
wheels as spares and stop lugging tons of
tyre-changing tat around in the rear fender
bag. Now it’s just a tubeless repair kit and
a few canisters of hippy crack (well OK, air
actually) and we’re good to go.
The rally-fication gained proper momentum
when a spot of web surfing turned up
the Rade Garage website in Czechoslovakia
(radegarage.com). Their €1149 EXC kit includes
everything from a carbon fibre navigation
tower with roadbook holder to fairing
and windshield with full graphics via CNC
milled clamps with provision for a Scotts
steering damper. The whole thing’s plug and
play (including the new projector lights with
Angel Eyes) and was straightforward to fit in
a few hours of garage time. Quality kit, and
all completely reversible if necessary. The
fairing was even flexible enough to adapt to
the latest addition of an oversize 15ltr Acerbis
fuel tank, needing just a repositioning of the
Dzus fasteners to stretch around the fatter fuel
cell.
With the looks and functions of a “proper”
rally-raid Dakar bike sorted it was time to
think about the practicalities of RallyMoto
events. Often involving slippery Salisbury
chalk or Welsh fire roads and Cotswold singletrack,
a Rekluse auto-clutch (rekluse.com)
made sense for its anti-stall properties and its
ability to work in conjunction with a left-hand
rear brake set-up from Smokin’ (eBay store).
That’s a great addition, particularly where
terrain hinders the use of the foot pedal,
which is retained for three (count ‘em!) braking
options. X-Trig Roc yokes with polymer
handlebar dampers clamp the forks and take
the sting out of stoney tracks.
I’m as keen on trick bits and bling as the next
man, so points of contact (hand levers and
foot pedals) were upgraded to folding Apico
items while the swingarm and exhaust can
were treated to carbon fibre protection from
Pro Carbon Racing (pro-carbonracing.com).
No doubt there will be further fettling and
modifications but as it stands the EXC is fit
for purpose and ready to steadily progress in
RallyMoto events. Not to mention playing at
being Sam Sunderland right up to the point I
fall off or get hopelessly lost. Again.
If you’d like to share some words about your rally bike then
drop us an email robert@rallymoto.co.uk
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RallyMoto Magazine
WHO WILL BE THE FIRST
Product Review
all the
GEAR...
RallyMoto Magazine
By Dave
Campbell
Now that Burt’s added the Dark
Skies Rally to his arsenal of
challenges, you might be
feeling the need to supplement
your stock lighting with something
more suitable for those dark
forest stages.
Task Racing of Massachusetts, USA,
have just the solution with their LED
helmet light kits. Available as a single
unit or doubled-up “Mickey Mouse
Ear” combinations (such as this Baja
Extreme 24hr Racepack) they can turn
night into day with a retina-scorching
9600 Lumen total output. They’re not
cheap at $429.95 (around £325 at current
exchange rates, plus shipping
and duties) but are quality constructed
with turned alloy bodies and the latest
high power Cree chips controlling the
four LEDs per unit. Attached to your
helmet via plastic hook-and-loop
“Velcro” pads the units are
easily
adjusted in
four directions
by easy-to-operate
knurled screws that even
a gloved hand can manage. Just
stick the 8.4v Ultra High Capacity
Lipo rechargeable battery in your
backpack or waist pack and enjoy
hours of floodlit forestry fun!
The lights operate in two modes: High
(100%) or Medium (50%) and come
with all connectors, battery packs,
chargers and cables. For more info
check out Task Racing at taskracing.com
or contact the owner, Mark
Slover, at mslover@taskracing.com.
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JOIN THE UK’S BIGGEST ADVENTURE RALLY CHALLENGE
THIS WINTER.
8 ROUTES / ONE MISSION
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»»»2022«««
JAN
RallyMoto Magazine
1st Jan – 31 March – ICE BREAKER CHALLENGE
9 – ADVENTURE CANNONBALL – COTSWOLDS
30 – ADVENTURE CANNONBALL EXTREME – WALES
FEB
12/13 – KIELDER ADVENTURE RALLY CAMP (TBC)
27 – ADVENTURE CANNONBALL
March
1 March – 31 May – CANNONBALL RALLY CHALLENGE
26 – 27 AS KIELDER 500 2022 (PROVISIONAL DATE)
APRIL
TOUR OF PORTUGAL ADVENTURE RALLY (TBC)
MAY
MAY / JUNE / JULY – CANNONBALL RALLY CHALLENGE
7-8 AS WALES 500 2022 (PROVISIONAL DATE)
JUNE
24 / 25 / 26 STAND AT ABR FESTIVAL
July
9 – 10 KIELDER ADVENTURE RALLY CAMP (TBC)
AUGUST
6 / 7 DARK SKIES RALLY WALES
SEPTEMBER
10 / 11 KIELDER ADVENTURE RALLY CAMP (TBC)
OCTOBER 2022
8 / 9 KIELDER ADVENTURE RALLY CAMP (TBC)
29 – 30 DARK SKIES RALLY KIELDER
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UK
events
Of course event dates
are always subject to
change!
INTERNATIONAL
JAN - AFRICA ECO RACE
JAN - DAKAR RALLY
MAR - ABU DHABI
DESERT CHALLENGE
APRIL - KAZAKHSTAN RALLY
MAY - HELLAS RALLY
MAY - ILLYRIA RAID
*SPRING EDITION*
JUNE - RALLY ANDALUCIA
JUNE - BOSNIA RALLY
JULY - SILKWAY RALLY
AUG - DINARIC RALLY
SEPT - GREECE RALLY
SEPT - ILLYRIA RAID
*REVERSE EDITION*
OCT - RALLY DU MAROC
Tips & Tricks
WINTERtips
Forget the winter blues! These are some of the
more enjoyable ways to keep your body and
mind in reasonable shape and ready to jump
back into the long distance Adventure Rallies
come the springtime...
RallyMoto Magazine
FOR KEEPING HAPPY
1.
GET AN
2.
E-BIKE
Yes,
we know they’re
a lot of money!
But I’ve never met
anyone who’s regretted
laying out for one of these machines.
Not only do they make it easier to get
out and ride on those days when you maybe
otherwise couldn’t be bothered, but they
munch hillclimbs for breakfast and turbo
mode makes you feel like superman (or
woman).Some may call it ‘cheating’ but if it
gets you outside on two wheels then what’s so
bad about that? The cool thing about e-bikes
is they’re almost like a crossover between a
dirt bike and a pushbike, so you can really
practise your off-road skills ready to put to
use on the adventure bike!
2.
GET HAPPY
&
FIT
GET FLEXIBLE
There are absolutely no excuses
for this one! Whether it’s finding a
local yoga or pilates class, or rolling around
on the carpet in front of a youtube video,
now is the time to start working on your flexibility.
Think of it as lubricating the moving
parts of your bike. Your bones, joints and
muscles need to be tended to otherwise they
go stiff and brittle and more prone to injury.
Even 10 minutes every morning is a good
start.
Hold each stretch for a bit longer than you
think, and breath into it rather than push.
You want it to be relaxing,
not painful!
Being more flexible
makes it easier not only
getting on your bike, but
less painful falling off!
*TIP* If you do go down the
yoga route and are starting out
then be sure to choose a more
gentle class such as Hatha, as
other styles can be more demanding
and may put you off
before you even begin!
If you’re more of a warm weather
person then winter might have the ability to drag you down mentally and give you
a good old case of the SAD (seasonal affective disorder). The knock on effect is that you stop
taking care of yourself, hide away in the dark and disappear into a pile of leftover christmas
pudding. This is where some preventative remedies come into play, to make up for nutrient
depletions which naturally occur this time of the year. Good quality supplements such as
vitamin D3 (which you absorb normally through sunshine) can help immensely, and keeping
topped up on vitamin C to make up for less consumption of fresh food is always a good idea.
St Johns Wort is also known for it’s ability to keep you chipper.
There’s so much doom and gloom going around at the moment, so why not super spread
some joy instead?
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RallyMoto Magazine
@rallymotouk
RallyMoto: Adventure
Rally & Roadbook
Challenges
RallyMoto: Rally &
Adventure Riding
by Roadbook Group
To all RallyMoto members for
providing their continued support
and for taking part in promoting
Adventure Rallying in the UK.
Thanks to Dave Campbell and
Paul Cottee for their contributions.
And to our awesome partners and
sponsors...
THANK YOU
If you have any rally stories or news you’d
like to contribute to the magazine please
email Burt on robert@rallymoto.co.uk
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