Hey all

[vatrader01]

Hello. Dropping into your world for information. I'm a flatlander by birth, raised in southwest Minnesota. I have lived in Virginia for about 20 years. Ii ride mostly in West Virginia, the Mountain State. I'll be traveling back to renew family ties, maybe start another phase of an all to short life. Looking for riding areas in South Dakota and North Dakota. Weekend trips with lots of fire trails, if possible. I want to know if there are trails / back roads through the badlands? The Deadwood is too far for a weekend jaunt. Hopefully something just west of the river, either north or south. I know little about North Dakota, but if there is good riding, I wanna try it. I don't do much for single track riding. Jeep trails, fire service roads, stuff like that. Any insight you can share would be gratefully recieved. It's time to start putting together the fantasies that carry me through winter. Please help feed the fantasies.

I run around on one of these:




And I sleep and rest in places like this:






So I can see stuff like this:




From places like this:



Now I wanna see what I left behind, before I was smart enough to enjoy what was under my nose. This has got to be the right bunch of folks to show me what the flatlands has to offer. I lived in east South Dakota off and on in the 70's. I know there is more to Sodak than the Black Hills. Show me. And I do want to know what adventure there might be in North Dakota. Get some of your trip reports up. Looks like you folks do some rides around The Black Hills, and I would sure like to get in on one. I know I would like to see a Black Hills that you see from a dual sport. Looking forward to good rides....

[loingrader]

welcome!

you've got a beautiful bike. 

there is some pretty fun riding around the jim river (north and south of mitchell), and the missouri river (vermillion to platte to chamberlain to pierre).  i live in south central south dakota, but have only been here for 5 months so i'm still finding good places to ride in this area.  some of the guys here have ridden more around yankton/vermillion on the river and have found some pretty cool places. 

http://dev.dakotadualsportriders.com/smf/index.php?topic=94.0

some pics i took near the missouri river near platte, sd.  this was private ground, but there are roads in the area that are public but still beautiful and plenty remote. 

as i do more exploring in the area i'll post up pics.

[vatrader01]

welcome!

you've got a beautiful bike. 

there is some pretty fun riding around the jim river (north and south of mitchell), and the missouri river (vermillion to platte to chamberlain to pierre).  i live in south central south dakota, but have only been here for 5 months so i'm still finding good places to ride in this area.  some of the guys here have ridden more around yankton/vermillion on the river and have found some pretty cool places. 

http://dev.dakotadualsportriders.com/smf/index.php?topic=94.0

some pics i took near the missouri river near platte, sd.  this was private ground, but there are roads in the area that are public but still beautiful and plenty remote. 

as i do more exploring in the area i'll post up pics.


Thanks for the welcome. Respectable machine ya got there. I checked your link. My heart rate just went up. I'm pumped. That will scratch the itch.  I've never been closer to the badlands than what you can see from the interstate. No time or money to do the Moab thing, and I suspect there may be South Dakota's version of Moab right there in the badlands. I hope some of you have more pic's...
ote]

[loingrader]

the badlands are awesome.  here are some pics of a few of us (in the badlands) on the way out to the hills for the first DDSR rally in june.

i was still wearing my highway gear (1 piece leather race suit) which was a tad warm.

[Hank]

Hey Vatrader.  Welcome aboard!  Your KLR looks well farkled!

I really should have stopped to take pictures of my bike laying in that clay.  But for some reason at the moment I was more concerned about picking it up.  I need to take some relaxation lessons from the yeti!

[The Yeti]

Don't wanna wake 'er up too fast, otherwise she'll take another nap reallll sooon. 

Welcome Vatrader!

[vatrader01]

Hey, those badland pics are just what I was looking for. I will be out to see for myself. Sounds like winter is on you tonight. Be safe out there. I'll be lurking here as I do on a few other sites. Thanks for the welcomes, and let's see those ride pics! 

[fringefan]

I love that last pic bret, that is a great shot. I hate to say it but that bike it too pretty for you in your red suit. I think  you need to get the same color scheme as the bike to do it justice.

[loingrader]

hank took that last picture, so props to him.

yea that race suit is something special isn't it.  when i got that klr (for $1200) the guy threw in some alpinestars race boots, and that leather race suit with all the armour.  i think it's only fitting to wear them together.  it's a klr.  never going to win any fashion awards.  i'm a big fan of function over form.  nothing safer for riding pavement than a 1 piece leather suit.  it is pretty ugly though.

[fringefan]

The only thing your missing in that pic is some old school Okley Razors. LOL