VJMC National Rally heads to Arkansas
If you’re a vintage Japanese motorcycle fan who likes to ride – and why else would you have that ’75 GT550 except to rip it down the road? – you should start making plans now to attend this year’s VJMC National Rally scheduled for Sept. 3-6, 2008, at Heber Springs, Ark.
Heber Springs is only about 65 miles north of Little Rock, making it pretty accessible to a good portion of the vintage riding community. Arkansas may sound off the beaten track, but pull out that old Rand McNally and you’ll quickly realize how many states either touch Arkansas or have borders just a few miles away. Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas are all within proximity, making Arkansas a perfect choice for this year’s national rally. Throw in the miles and miles of perfect two-lane black top that Arkansas is famous for and you have a ready made Mecca for old bike fans – especially those who like to ride.
The VJMC’s Jim Townsend tells us they’ll be staging daily rides during the rally, including rides for smaller machines in the 125cc category. The club’s still making final plans and preparations including reserving the main Heber Springs camp site and getting hotels signed up for reduced rates. Even so, Jim suggests making reservations now, as rooms in the area tend to fill up quickly thanks to the area’s attraction for fishing. Rally central will be the Heber Springs Quality Inn, but there are plenty of hotels, most of which you can find by browsing through www.heber-springs.com
Look for rally updates at the VJMC website (www.vjmc.org), but most importantly get that old H1 out of the garage and ready to roll. There’s just something about the smell of 2-stroke in the morning air! – Richard Backus
