Trail Rider Magazine

34 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com Many parts were fairly easy to source if you know where to look, but you can definitely tell this was a non-produc on, hand-built bike. I had to hand fabricate quite a few things to get it complete. When I heard about the 1994 Endurofest, a 30 th Anniversary celebra on of the 1994 ISDE in Tulsa, being put on by the Tulsa Trail Riders, I immediately knew this bike had to be there. I had to bring it "home". I know it was built in Spain, but it was built for one intended pur- pose, to compete at the ISDE. That's why I will always consider this Gas Gas's home to be the Zink Ranch. This machine started drawing a crowd the second I rolled it out of the trailer. I loved hearing people talk about remembering seeing a Gas Gas for the first me at Zink in 1994 and also the folks that said, "I've never seen one of those before." Sharing the bike's history with all those people is 98% of the enjoyment when owning and preserving a ma- chine like this. I was proud to have it displayed with other 1994 Six Day bikes at the ISDE Re- union banquet as well. Once again, this trip was all about bringing this Gas Gas "home," and I couldn't find a be er place to take pictures of it than in front of a small metal shed that served as the start line for the 1994 ISDE. The same start it had rolled up to exactly 30 years ago to the day. Hallowed ground. She was home. There's always a point where a motorcycle transcends being just a machine, and this one has crossed the threshold for me. It was a joy to bring this even more full circle and send all the pictures and story to Ramon Riudalbas, the Gas Gas's original rider, who is s ll doing well in Spain as a sales manager for Fan c. He was very pleasantly surprised that the bike was preserved and that I had taken the me to tell its story. Next me you come across an old bike with a great story or history, take up the challenge of preserving that machine. You'll find out it means a lot more than just rebuilding a motorcycle. Thank you to everyone who helped me source bits and pieces for this bike build. A huge thank you to the Tulsa Trail Riders and Jeff DeBell for pu ng on an awesome 30 th Anniversary Reunion Ride; it was amazing. Also, thank you to Kurt for giving me a plat- form to tell this Gas Gas's story.

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