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Event Reports

El Diablo Run ’13

Article & Photos By: Ian Smith – Americana Speed Shop americanaspeedshop.blogspot.com

Originally Published In The September 2013 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

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The 5th edition of the El Diablo Run, hosted by Biltwell, Inc., took place May 23-27 in Baja, Mexico. The story of how I, Boss Ross Lenoir, and Bill Goodwin pulled off a Mexican motorcycle adventure began much earlier — October of 2012 to be exact. Bill, Ross and yours truly, along with our other brothers, Whitey, Kustom Jeff, and Loaf started a riding club, Inbreds RC, back in May 2012. Around that same time we saw a screening of EDR – A Mexican Motorcycle Adventure: a documentary style DVD that chronicled the 2011 edition of the run. Our wheels began to turn, preliminary plans were proposed and a drop-dead date for a decision was established. We gave ourselves until Thanksgiving 2012 to really make a decision. You’re either in or out because a trip of this magnitude for motorcycle enthusiasts with jobs, families, and other responsibilities dictated that we commit to each other. Bill, Ross and I were the only Inbred brothers able to commit to almost 2 weeks on the road, but we had the full support of Whitey, Loaf and Kustom Jeff. The next several months were spent planning our trip down to the last detail. Boss Ross Lenoir of Southpaw Machine made some serious modifications to his 1994 CB1000. We rely on Ross for most of our motorcycle trips, and he stepped up big time to help turn his ride into a “rolling motorcycle shop.” Every tool we could need plus an air compressor for tire changes fit perfectly under Ross’s new aluminum Tigwelded tool box. Ross pored over every detail and fabricated new taillights (that could be seen from space) while he was in there. A new stainless exhaust complete with a Supertrapp muffler replaced a poorly designed rig from a previous motorcycle “fabricator.”

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Bill Goodwin and his 1981 XS650 “Taint Punisher” was his ride through the northern section of Baja. Bill’s bike has been completed for a few years and minor modifications were made for the trip. Previous trips to Big Mountain Run, several 250+ day trips to the Inbreds’ “overnighter” campouts and ripping around the streets of Birmingham, AL have proved this bike to be able to make the trip. Bill spent his time figuring out fuel capacity, extra fuel, and how to secure a passport! My bike is a 1978 Harley Shovelhead that was “completed” with the EDR in mind. After Rickey Lewis of Rick’s Cycle Parts and the World Famous Roadside Marty heard about our journey, they made sure that I had what I needed to make the trip worry free. Outside of the Big Mountain Run (roughly 500 miles round trip from Birmingham), the EDR is the longest run I have completed. Marty surprised me with saddlebags from a 1951 FL for my birthday in December which was a big plus for this trip. Now the countdown began. Our departure date of May17th couldn’t get here fast enough! I tried to pass the time with my leatherwork. I tooled 17 different El Diablo Run passport wallets for fellow EDRunners, but this didn’t help with 5 months of unbridled anticipation. I was worse than an eight-year-old waiting for Christmas! The earth kept spinning on its axis, and May 17th finally came around. We loaded up for our approximately 2,100 mile journey to sunny Southern California. Our months of planning developed a route that would take us on I-40 through Arkansas, Oklahoma, West Texas, Northern New Mexico, Northern Arizona…finally dropping us into Southern California. We chose this route so we could experience some of what’s left of historic Route 66. After a hotel stay Friday night 100 miles east of OKC, we hauled the mail Saturday and ended up camping under the stars in Winslow, AZ. It was such a fine site to see!

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Sunday morning we woke up and headed west through Flagstaff and took an 85 mile detour around Kingman, AZ via Route 66. Ross and Bill were very knowledgeable on this once booming highway that joined the Midwest and West Coast. It’s amazing to see how the interstate system has literally dried up cities that once were centered on Route 66. This was one of the highlights of my trip; I’m sure Bill and Ross would agree. Our Southern California plan was to spend a few days in Huntington Beach checking out the sights and soaking up some sun. We visited Garage Company in Los Angeles and had a great time! Yoshi is a very gracious host and we spent several hours drooling over his collection. We even struck a few deals on some chopper glory that we couldn’t live without! The Wednesday before the run sent us to Temecula, home of Biltwell, Inc. Bill Bryant, Harold McGruther, Mike D. Ellis and the rest of the crew at Biltwell welcomed hundreds of riders from all over the US for an EDR pre-party. Beer, hot dogs and good times were had Wednesday afternoon and several like-minded motorcycle enthusiasts took advantage of $20 EDR souvenir tattoos, courtesy of Soul Expressions in Murrieta, CA. That night I began to get into “trip mode.” After a great dinner with new friends, we retired to the Best Western to pack our bikes and catch some much needed sleep. Thursday’s riding was the longest of the trip — 300 miles from Temecula to San Felipe, Mexico!

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Thursday May 23, ‘13 D o i n g your own thing is encouraged. The boys at Biltwell left no stone unturned providing details for anyone even thinking of making the run. A blog, Facebook event page, their own Website, snail mail, email blasts, phone calls, etc. provided every detail a chopper jockey would need to know how to make the trip to Baja safe, enjoyable and memorable. This still doesn’t keep the questions from coming fast and furious. Thursday morning at the Temecula Shell Station was no exception. Everyone was abuzz with anticipation; EDR veterans were leaned upon by EDR rookies for valuable knowledge. I wasn’t as bad as some, but I admit a little apprehension as we pulled out of that gas station. Did I pack everything I needed? Did I bring enough spare parts? Details that I pored over for months were about to be put into action and again, I’m not too proud to say I was a little nervous. The first gas stop, approximately 80 miles or so from Temecula, is when I finally became comfortable. Our machines were performing flawlessly and the scenery was breathtaking. The boys from Biltwell really picked some great highways in California for us to enjoy. After an accident (non-injury) on our first mountain descent clogged up the route, those around me slowed down and made sure that everyone remained safe. We were not halfway into the first day and a few bikes broke, and that rider off the road was a somber reminder that we were still rolling 200+ deep down mountain highways.

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We blasted around the Salton Sea and set our sights toward Calexico, CA — our border crossing. Biltwell, once again, thought of all the details and knew that narrowed wassels and 1 gallon Sportster tanks wouldn’t make it from the first gas stop to Calexico. Their solution was a well stocked “oasis-type” gas station in the middle of the Southern California desert! Bill Bryant had given me the mile markers to look for and I was so excited to see shade, cold water, and gasoline being distributed by Ashmore (Mike D. Ellis’ future bride) and Kensie (Biltwell staffer). I’ve had some time to reflect on the trip and this was one of the highlights for me. We crossed from Calexico, CA into Mexicali, Mexico and my mind switched into “Mexico mode.” We blasted through the desert heading toward San Felipe via Mexico Hwy 5. Mountains to our right, the Sea of Cortez to our left, we stopped for drinks at a Baja version of a convenience store. We only had 55 miles or so to San Felipe and we decided to pour our reserve gas into our tanks, just in case. I hadn’t realized that we skipped the last gas stop. Sure enough, my Shovel sputtered and I ran out of gas about 10 miles from San Felipe. Ross’s rig was outfitted with a split fuel line that came to my rescue. Three liters from his rig and I was back in business searching for the next Pemex gas station I ran across. I still can’t believe that we blasted past the last gas stop!

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San Felipe is a “drinking village with a drinking problem” and that is the perfect description! We spent Thursday night, Friday and Friday night with wonderful hosts at Kiki’s Campground and Hotel along with Reubens’ Campground next door. The vacant lot where “Circulo de la Muerte” takes place was right across the street. Any drunken idiot could stumble over at 4:00 p.m. to watch the mayhem. I proved that theory true! The famous “Coctagon” took place at 6:00 p.m. on the beach in front of the campgrounds. Harold “McGoo” McGruther is the brains behind the “Coctagon.” Just think equal parts Royal Rumble, American Gladiators, and pre-teen pillow fight; $10 gets you a whiffle ball bat and a chance at $500. The money was a bonus; being crowned “King of the Coctagon” was the real goal! After some persuasion from Kyle Malinky, Lowbrow Greg, Longhair, Shandra, Mike D. Ellis and Ross, I was in. Actually, it only took a 30 second description and a trip to my bike for my helmet. YouTube has several versions of the action. Check it out for a laugh! Looking back, this was another highlight of my trip!

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Saturday May 25, ‘13 We departed San Felipe on Saturday morning with 160 miles of Mexican highway ahead of us. The destination was Ensenada, a port city on the Pacific side of Baja. With only 160 miles to go and a whole day to get there, we decided to enjoy the ride, take our time and not blast across Baja at 110 km/hr. Several groups of EDRunners were spread across Mexico Hwy 3 in packs of 5 or 10 riders. The lone gas stop Saturday saw a steady stream of choppers, bobbers, bloppers, stockers, chobblers and whatever else people were riding. Even a 500cc two stroke made the entire trip! I enjoyed sharing a Mexican Coke at a roadside bodega deep in the heart of Baja with Ross and Bill. You guessed it, another highlight of my trip! We pulled into Ensenada, and after a brief search for the host hotel, we arrived and parked our machines under a huge Tecate tent. The Desert Inn was home-base for the Ensenada portion of EDR. Juan Carlos of Baja Voyager took great care of us! Pico de gallo, cold Tecate, fish tacos and tequila shots were enjoyed deep into the night. We had a great dinner (again) with the boys from Lowbrow Customs, Bill Bryant, Rob Black and other EDR veterans. I’ve always found that it’s best to hang with those that have been on a trip like this. Bill knows the spots in Baja and he didn’t let us down!

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We spent Sunday exploring Ensenada, shopping for trinkets for our wives/kids, etc. We had to be smart and buy souvenirs small enough to pack on our bikes! Sunday afternoon, Harold set up poolside at the Desert Inn and handed out awards for best bike: a great Buell built by one of the “Oklahomies.” Other awards include a handmade tool roll from Motostuka for the “La Cucaracha” and a custom solo bag from Ace Cycle Service & Supply for the winner of the prestigious “Iron Butt” award. On Sunday evening I found myself back in “riding mode” and decided to make a safety check on my machine. I replaced my spark plugs (they were close to being fouled due to running rich at over 4500+ feet of elevation). I was a little low on oil, so I used the quart I brought, then bought another quart of oil at the OXXO store across the street from the Desert Inn. Nothing against Mexican oil, but if it’s anything like Mexican unleaded, I’m glad I didn’t have to use it! My bike wanted good ol’ American 93 octane after a few tanks of Mexican Pemex! Sunday night was relatively low key for me. My liver was full of Tecate, belly full of fish tacos, and I was in bed early in preparation for Monday’s Memorial Day journey back into the United States.

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Monday May 27, ‘13 A small group of us decided to make the journey north on Monday morning and cross via Tecate. The normal route utilized Tijuana as the crossing, but Tijuana is the busiest border crossing in the US and I was not super comfortable with splitting lanes for 45 minutes to get near the border. This proved to be one of the best decisions of the trip. Lowbrow Tyler, Lowbrow Greg, Louis Capperelli, Ross, Bill and myself detoured from Hwy 1 back onto Hwy 3 heading to Tecate. This portion of the trip was probably my favorite. Six guys blasting through Northern Mexican wine country in perfect formation. One more gas stop for Mexican 87 octane and then we crossed the border in about 10 minutes! The Tecate border crossing shot us into San Diego County where the riding was awesome! Memorial Day brought a lot of bikes out and I started to feel back at home. One more stop at In/Out Burger and it was back to Biltwell HQ. Our truck and trailer were waiting, and the 2,100 plus miles back to Birmingham were staring us in the face. Walter from Kickstart Supply and Mike from 47 Industries were loading their trailer in preparation for their journey back to New Jersey. This is what makes EDR so great! Three guys from Alabama, two guys from New Jersey, several from Canada, the “Oklahomies,” the Louisiana crew, several Mexican Nationals from Mexico City, and hoards from the Southwest converged on this run and had an absolute blast! I met several “instant friends” — those connections that you know will continue to develop into great friendships on the EDR. This again was another highlight of my trip. There are only a few rules that you need to heed if you plan on joining EDR 6 in 2015: Douchebaggery will not be tolerated; take your watch off when you cross the border and embrace Baja time; and doing your own thing is encouraged. Those three simple rules will help make your Mexican motorcycle adventure as memorable as ours was!

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