When my editor asked me if I wanted to fly down to Arkansas to cover the STAR Days national rally (see page 30), I jumped at the opportunity to spend a few days out of the office, hanging around, and riding motorcycles. I’m sorry to say that I had a pretty bleak idea of what Arkansas would be like, as I’ve never visited that part of the country before. Being from the Northeast, I envisioned flat, open land broken up by rundown trailers with NASCAR fans sitting on the couch in the front yard, watching old TVs. I may get some hate mail for that, but it’s honestly what I thought. When

I took my connecting flight from Atlanta, to Fayetteville, Arkansas, I was fortunate enough to be enlightened by the motorcycle-riding Wal-Mart corporate executive who sat next to me.

Turns out, Arkansas is an oasis for motorcyclists who love curves. Some great places to visit include the Ozark National Forest, the Buffalo Mountains, the Boston Mountains, and Ouachita National Forest. There are tons of rivers and lakes. And usually when there are mountains, rivers, and lakes, there are hilly, windy roads that run alongside them. So I stand corrected in my blatant prejudice against this fine state, and hope to enlighten others who may have the same thoughts that I did.

Yamaha was kind enough to loan me one of its 2008 V Star 1100 Classics. I’d asked for this particular bike, because I’ve always been a big fan of this displacement cruiser, and it’s a bit of a lost soul these days. When I started riding almost 14 years ago, the V Star 1100 was considered a big bike — one that I hoped to move up to one day. Now, things are different, as the bigger-is-better wars have deceived us into thinking that if you ride anything less than 1300 or 1500cc, you must not be a “real rider.” Well, the 1100 still stands in the company’s cruiser lineup, even two years after Star introduced the V Star 1300. And even though the new-for-’09 V Star 950 is the big news this year, the 1100 is still in Yamaha’s lineup. And, in my opinion, it’s a pretty good deal.

No, it doesn’t have a clock or a tachometer, it’s only got one tripmeter, and it’s not fuel injected. But if you just want to ride, and don’t really care much about having the latest and greatest, it’s a great bike — and a good-looking one, too. The classically styled cruiser was fitted with Star Accessories’ windshield and saddlebags for my convenience. I made my way comfortably around northwestern Arkansas without ever feeling like I was missing something. As a matter of fact, I was quite grateful to have that windshield in front of me, as I rode through a hurricane-induced storm system on my first afternoon. The trusty Star never so much as coughed as I plowed my way through the pond-sized puddles left by the system.

On the second day of my stay, Kevin Foley, Yamaha’s media manager (and multitime national motocross champion) joined me for a 250-plus mile ride from the town of Rogers down to the Buffalo National River and back. He straddled the company’s FJR 1300 and rode just my style — quickly. Even as we swept through the tight mountain switchbacks, where the FJR could easily have taken off, the V Star kept up. I may have left plenty of metal shavings behind, as the floorboards touched down pretty easily, but I kept up.

Highlighting our maps according to advice from a local Yamaha dealer representative, we headed east out of Rogers on State Route 12. Rogers and Bentonville, Arkansas, used to be small towns, where everyone knew each other. But with the Walton empire building one of the world’s most successful enterprises, Wal-Mart, the towns have grown enormously. Still, the strip malls and traffic are easy to ride away from, and we were soon out on the open road. Chicken farming is big in this neck of the woods, and the long, squat, tin-roofed buildings are all you see, with their window openings covered to keep the birds in the dark. If that doesn’t make you want to give up eating poultry, the stench may. Turns out, chicken farms are stinkier than cow farms, or any other farms that I’ve encountered in the Northeast. And Angus cows were abundant here as well. Most were either hunched together under the shade of a tree, or just standing in the middle of a pond, their heads poking out of the cool water.

Heading south on State Route 23, the roads really started getting fun. Tight twisties with decreasing radiuses reminded me of Deal’s Gap. But even better than those famous Smoky Mountain roads, we encountered almost no traffic. There was the occasional house, driveway, and, oddly enough, stray dog, but no cars. So riding these curves at speed didn’t seem as risky as riding the Dragon. I later asked my hotel driver about the stray dog population, as I came upon several on my journey. I even saw what looked like beagle puppies playing in some tall grass alongside a deserted road. The driver told me that an increase in the local stray population is unfortunately due to the choking economy, and people have had to make tough decisions about whether to feed their children or the dogs. This realization brought my mind back to the day before, when local residents lined up in their beat-up cars and trucks to receive food and clothing donations raised by the Star Touring and Riding Association at STAR Days.

Turning east on Highway 74, then south on Highway 21, we missed a turn to travel through the Lost Valley section of the Buffalo River. But we had great fun backtracking the scenic twisties to connect with Highway 43 East. On the map, it looks like you’re riding alongside a great river, and perhaps we were. But there are no pull-offs or scenic stops to indicate as much. Nonetheless, we felt a little reprieve when the temperature dropped to 88 degrees (down from 90), as we reached a higher elevation through this area.

Though we’d planned to head south, toward the Ozark National Forest, we’d gotten a late start. So we reluctantly turned north on Highway 7S to join the masses and hightail it to Eureka Springs. Riding into this place was a pleasant experience. Dubbed “ America’s Victorian Mountain Village,” you get a sense that the restored Victorian homes attract an artistic community — just my style. This was confirmed by billboards advertising local music and theater performances. A trolley car wound its way through the town, and following the trolley stop signs was a quick, easy way to explore the area.

We motored passed the shops and galleries in the historic downtown section, and came to rest at the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway depot. Kevin and I watched as the conductor guided the engine at the turnaround, and connected it with the excursion car. Passengers boarded for a scenic ride and dinner on the rolling museum. After the train left the station, we went inside the depot gift shop and chatted with a local about the area. She gave us a black and white map, and highlighted all the natural springs in Eureka. Back in the 1800s, people came to the area to seek out the healing properties of the soothing cold-water springs. Today, the village houses plenty of spas, massage therapists, and bathhouses to take your mind and body to another place. (For a complete review of the Eureka Springs area, see June ’08.)

Still running behind schedule, and not wanting to miss the evening’s activities at the event, Kevin and I reluctantly pointed our wheels west, toward Bentonville. As the sun began its descent behind fields with rolled balls of hay, I thought of all the places I’d passed that day. I vowed to spend more time exploring if I ever get an opportunity to come back to this magical place. RB

Got Time?

I wish that I had factored a few more riding days into my trip. There is a lot to do and see in this area of the state. You can visit places like the Daisy Airgun Museum in Rogers, or check out the store that started the Wal-Mart enterprise, Walton’s Five & Dime in Bentonville. There are numerous caves and mineral mines not too far away, and you may even strike it rich if you head south to the Crater of Diamonds, where, for a small fee, you can mine for real diamonds. There’s also plenty of fishing, trail riding, hiking, golfing, and more for the outdoor sportsmen.

What I didn’t know before my trip, was that Arkansas is full of great riding adventures. So if you plan to be in the area, allow plenty of time, bring lots of water, and replace your floorboards with footpegs, because you’ll grind them down in no time.

SOURCES

www.startouring.org

www.eurekasprings.org