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After I made it to the top , Reid gave me a thumbs- up and said , “ Brad , you looked like a flailing Kool- Aid man . Next time keep your feet on the pegs !”
Happily , we all made it through the toughest sections in one piece . Despite the struggle and the chaos , even with our bikes and bodies caked in mud , we were grinning from ear to ear . Daniel ’ s quick thinking led us to a car wash in Custer , where we pressure- washed our bikes and could again recognize
which was which . Cost ? A few quarters . Memories ? Priceless .
A copywriter by trade , Brad Gilmore once crafted ads for Harley- Davidson . Although he can ’ t claim credit for “ Ride to Live , Live to Ride ,” it ’ s his North Star . Brad humbly shares his stories , hoping to inspire you to wick open that throttle whenever you get the chance .
6 . BDR-X Section 3 : If the trails are muddy , there are two ways to reach the Bear Mountain lookout tower : the “ Hard Way ” and the “ Not Today ” way . If it ’ s dry as July and the dust is flying , no problem . 7 . Climbing Bear Mountain in the rain took its toll on the KTM ’ s 17,000-mile clutch , which gave up the ghost short of the top . Bill had just enough bite left to make it to camp . 8 . The Black Hills BDR-X is a bestof-class route . Gorgeous canyon roads . Superb gravel . Epic two-track . Majestic scenery . Native American and U . S . history . Clean , easy camping . Great food . Yup , there ’ s golden riding in them thar Black Hills .
RESOURCES
• South Dakota Tourism : TravelSouthDakota . com
• Black Hills & Badlands : BlackHillsBadlands . com
• Backcountry Discovery Routes : RideBDR . com
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