Why do you ride motorcycles? There’s no wrong answer, in fact most are probably right.
My answer for why I ride? It’s fun. There’s also something inherently innocent and childlike about it. The fact that a bike provides you with a promise of freedom and exploration, an escape from reality, or a way to truly experience it. My bikes now offer the chance to ride anywhere, whether it be to the end of the street, or end of the world.
Enter Georgia’s second-annual Athens 100. Started by Athens local Gus Darnell, this homegrown event provides the perfect day on a motorcycle, with a vintage, off road twist. The goal is 150 miles of nearly all off pavement riding, through surrounding woods and forests. Motorcycles must be aged 1980 and older, and navigation is done only by roll-chart.
What is it about vintage motorcycles? Well, if you have some, you know. And you probably have a few. Obviously, they’re cool. They’re nostalgic. They’re collectible. They’re fun. One of the biggest things I’ve enjoyed with vintage motorcycles is the community that has come with it. You must be a certain type of person to deal with the world of vintage things. The scarcity of parts, the sometimes-troublesome reliability. They take patience. It takes a certain type of person to believe in something old.
One of my favorite things are the events that come with the vintage scene. Historical rides and period correct races, swap meets to dig for parts, even vintage shows and museums. Things of the past are often celebrated or cherished, being vintage off roaders something unique and enjoyable. As we like to say in the vintage world, “Ride ‘em, don’t hide ‘em.”
I met Darnell through the vintage motorcycle community on a ride called the Vintage 1000.
Organized by Adam and Jamie Sheard of Speed Deluxe, the Vintage 1000 is a 5-day, 1,000-mile adventure. We ride as much off road as possible, break down in the woods, and camp every night. That event harkens back to the days of multi-day vintage enduros and rallies. It’s a test of preparedness, both on the machine and on the body. It’s physically demanding. The terrain, weather, and condition of your bike all play a role. It’s not for the faint of heart, it’s a challenge.
Inspired by the Vintage 1000, Darnell wanted to create an event that was vintage centric, offered a taste of adventure, but was friendly for beginners and entertaining for seasoned riders. He wanted to create an attainable event with a low barrier of entry.
Sometimes within niche communities, egos and price can stand in the way or permit certain types of people from participating. The Athens 100 poses itself as an adventure for anybody, an adventure for everybody. It’s a free event and really the only requirement is a good attitude. Even if your motorcycle doesn’t quite meet the age rule, as long as it’s in the spirit of vintage, that’s alright, too.
Really though, Darnell wanted another excuse to see his and ride motorcycles with his friends. I mean, when else would you go for a 100+mile ride with your buddies, just for the heck of it? He also saw the creation of the event as a fun exercise for himself in riding bikes and exploring.
The route is 150-miles long, which was no easy task to create. Half of the route he had just come across through his time in Athens riding the surrounding areas. Darnell would spend hours online researching what he thought would be good choices, and then spent days in the field connecting these roads to create a route. He’d often find a bridge where he’d thought to find a river crossing, which wouldn’t make the cut. Other times he’d find a road wouldn’t even exist anymore.
From sand, to dirt, some mud, even a handful of river crossings, the route offered a variety of terrain, but nothing too technical or overly challenging. It was a great practice of building endurance of riding all day, or just a scenic tour through the woods for the veteran riders.
About 20 riders showed up on a great variety of bikes for the most-recent Athens 100 held in December. Multiple Triumphs and BSAs, plenty of Honda and Yamahas, even a ‘60s Harley equipped with tractor tries. And that too was another factor on a ride like this — the condition of your bike. Was it mechanically prepared? Had you given it a proper once over? If something broke, did you have what you need to fix it?
As with all good rides, they had a chase van and trailer following close behind for the eventual rescue, if all else failed. And surprisingly, it was needed pretty early on and a handful of times throughout the day.
Riders headed out of Athens and quickly found dirt. Most of the day was spent riding through the Oconee National Forest and Scull Shoals Experimental Forest. Riders split into a few groups, as to even things out. Throughout the day we’d pass by other groups who had stopped for a repair or snacks. Maybe a few riders would switch to join their other buddies. There was no aspect of competition, or finishing first, everyone was in it for a good time.
It was a cold day, but the sun was still bright and the sky blue. The route we were following proved to be a good one. We were following our roll charts, each cell containing a drawing of our turn, road name, and mileage to the next turn. The type of motorcycles on the ride were nearly an even mix between dual-sports and road bikes. The terrain was never technical, I felt more than comfortable on my 1965 Honda Dream 305, even equipped with street tires.
Darnell made sure to provide an even mix of terrain, too. Covered forests, farm roads and rolling hills, we even popped into downtown Greensboro, Georgia, for lunch. A swarm of vintage bikes descended upon the historic downtown, creating a scene from another era. Old motorcycles set against the backdrop of old brick buildings, it felt like a postcard.
Over burgers, we laughed about mishaps, commiserated with those who broke down, and shared the day’s events. We relaxed for a bit, stretched our legs, even turned a few wrenches to make some minor adjustments. We all shared in the stoke and were happy to be where we were. Again, when else do you make the excuse to ride with your friends all day? It’s something to be cherished. An hour or so passed and we were soon gearing up to leave again.
We had made it 70 miles and had a remaining 80 to go. It was halfway through the day with just about half our daylight remaining.
The highlight of the second half of our day was easily Watson Mill Bridge State Park. Home to one of Georgia’s few remaining covered bridges, it takes you across the beautiful Watson Shoals before the water meets up with the Broad River further downstream. This is one of the remaining covered bridges you can still drive through as well. One lane and 229-feet long, entering the bridge instantly transports you to another world. The construction, the reverberation of the engines, the sunlight pouring through openings in the wood — all of it felt thrilling. But just as quickly as it started, it was over.
Our eyes were soon blinded by the daylight at the end of the tunnel as we entered back reality. It was golden hour now and we were closing in on the finish. A few more scrolls on our roll chart and a few more turns on the bikes took us back to where we started, just as the sun was setting. It wasn’t a race, but our group was the first one back.
Throughout the last few miles of the route, multiple riders encountered catastrophic breakdowns — one thought to be caused by the earlier river crossings and the other by some faulty electrical. Just goes to show, you never know what could happen. Luckily the support van was right behind them, offering a tow to the finish.
One of the best things about a ride like this is the camaraderie. If you encounter a breakdown, the group you’re with stops with you and offers support. Whether it’s tools or knowledge, there’s a good chance someone can figure it out. And if not, you’re stuck on the side of the road with friends cracking jokes until help arrives.
All of the Athens 100 riders eventually made it in one way or another. At the finish, we all reminisced about the day, exhausted, but smiles ear to ear. We wiped the dust and oil off our faces and loaded our bikes.
We were happy to have seen each other, especially spending a day adventuring together, now with more memories and stories to tell.
