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The Dual sport ride and its origin. Around 1985 a group of so-cal riders took an enduro route sheet and made a trail ride out of it for their club. Instead of marking a trail with arrows and ribbons they marked the route sheet with direction pointers at specific mileage intervals. Quickly this caught on with other clubs and a new segment of motorcycling emerged. The DUAL SPORT ride. The term .Dual Sport. stems from the early bikes, which were called .dual purpose.. They were intended as a cross breed between an off and on road motorcycle. Unfortunately, as one would find the dual-purpose bike was a single purpose street bike with high fenders and semi knobby tires. Some thing you would painfully find out when he or she attempted any serious off road excursions. Around the 1990.s folks in the desert were putting plates on the true off road bikes so they could ride the bike to the dirt instead of trailering or hauling in a pick up. This immediately started an industry called the dual sport conversion. Soon, en masse, true dirt bikes were sporting lights and signals and a California license plate. This in turn prompted the clubs to use public roads to connect the off road. With the land closure issue at full throttle, this option would enable clubs to extend the rides to longer and further away destinations often with over night stays. Some famous races such as the Barstow to Vegas race, which was shut down by the Eco.s, re-opened as a Dual Sport ride. Having the plate allowed the club to ride around the supposedly sensitive areas, of the breeding tortoise, interconnecting the old desert trails with sections of public road. In fact, back east, many enduros require a registered street legal motorcycle to compete, as the special sections are linked with public roads due to land issues. Unfortunately the ability to easily street legal you.re off road mount has been taken away from you. More on that later. So now almost 25 years later the dual sport is a mainstay in off roading and is gaining popularity among the off road crowd who is not in to competition but wants an adventure away from the cycle park. Many of the rides offer a .go to destination. with a shower and hot meal available and of course adult libation! The average Dual Sport is from 200 to 500 miles in a combination of off and on road. Usually in some of the most scenic areas in California. Many rides have become classics and are marked on rider.s calendars months in advance. The route sheet has taken on many variations of type and definitions but basically is a rolling map. With the advent of the GPS, there are routes, which are down loaded to a GPS and use.s waypoints for navigation. So if you are just staring out in this type of off road adventure, or are a seasoned vet. We look forward to providing you with some great rides. I will guarantee that one ride will get you hooked for life. And I.m sure, as many of us do, you will be marking your calendar in advance of your favorite rides. RIDE PICS July 2008 Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 DSA News Photo Gallery Ride Calendar Joe's Blog About DSA Dualsport Origin Contact Joe