The following are a few of the questions and answers about GLMC Road Rallies that come up fairly often.

• What is a Road Rally?   A Road Rally as put on by the GLMC is more of an overgrown scavenger hunt. You will be given a multi-page list of places, each with a point value assigned. You will then sit down with your maps and figure out which of those places you want to visit in the time allowed. The list is BIG, you cannot go to all of them, in most rally’s there simply isn’t time to even go to half even half of them. Your goal is to decide which places you wish to visit given the time allowed to achieve the highest score. Once at each place do EXACTLY what it says to claim the points. (e.g. At the giant pheasant sculpture in Henry SD, what year does it have cast into the base of the pheasant? 75 points To claim these points you would go to Henry SD, look at the base of the pheasant sculpture and write down the year that is cast into the base. You would NOT take a photo of your bike with the pheasant.)
• What class will I be in?  Classes will be based up on rider skill level, not the bike itself. An experienced rider on a DR650 for example is still more effective than a rookie rider on an 1800 Goldwing. Classes are as follows.
  
  
  • Rookie -- Those riders that are participating in their first road rally, or who have participated before, but have done poorly.
  • Experienced -- Those riders that have participated in one or more road rallies but have never won their class.
  • Expert -- Those riders who have won their class in the past, known high milers, Iron Butt participants, or those who request to compete as an Expert. (Are you an expert?)
  • Team -- Any group of two to four riders who complete as a team. Two-Up riders are automatically in this class. Novice riders and 2-Up riders forfeit their novice status to ride in this class.
  The Rally Master's discretion applies to all class assignments.
• Do I have to put on a lot of miles to win?  This easy answer is NO. Road rallies are designed to reward smart riding and good route planning. Those that put on high miles do so because they want to, not because they need to to competitive. It is very rare for the rider who puts on the most miles to win an event.
• Do I have to break the speed limit to win?"  NO, in fact, if the Rally Master finds that you broke any traffic laws during the event you can be ejected from the rally. Speeding is unsafe, unnecessary, and illegal. It will not be tolerated. Don't speed. Ride smart. Ride safe.
• Do I have to wear a helmet to participate?  No, although we want all riders to wear a helmet, along with proper footwear, armored riding jacket and pants, leather gloves, and eye protection, it is not a rule. HOWEVER, all state and local laws apply, so if you wish to visit a state that does have a helmet law, you must wear a helmet in that state to collect any bonus locations there.
• Do I need a laptop computer and GPS to be competitive?  NO, some rider do like to use GPS and computer mapping programs, but they take time to operate, and a rider using paper maps is often on the road long before the computer users due to the ease of paper maps. Paper map users win a LOT. There does not seem to be any statistical evidence that using a GPS or a laptop computer gives the riders any advantage.
• It’s all just a bunch of touring bikes, right?  Nope, bikes range from a 250cc to 2100cc. It’s all about the rider - 100 percent! A big touring bike is often a disadvantage when the road turns rough or there is a lot of in town riding. Any reliable motorcycle regardless of brand or size will work just fine. In fact we found bike size to be such of a NON-issue that we no longer even class based on bike size, only rider experience.