Posts
187
Joined
12/2/2013
Location
Pembroke, KY
US
Edited Date/Time
9/16/2014 6:44am
I've heard of this place quite a bit over the last few years. I've always wanted to ride there for a weekend. I am going to plan a trip down there for me and my girlfriend one weekend. I plan to rent a cabin and a bike for her (most likely the 230f) for the weekend, I have my own bike to take along.
How are the tracks? Is there a better time to go? I will most likely go in November.
Are there any other tracks/places like this? That have rental bikes, plenty of tracks/trails for everyone, and camping as well?
How are the tracks? Is there a better time to go? I will most likely go in November.
Are there any other tracks/places like this? That have rental bikes, plenty of tracks/trails for everyone, and camping as well?
Never eaten at the restaurant.......have heard it is best to avoid. Bath house is good. Pro shop has good deals. It is packed and dusty as hell on weekends. I go during the week.
These are the only 2 places that I know of where u can rent a bike. So take the advice as is, u don't have a lot of choices.
The Shop
Now the bad:
The dirt is Georgia red clay. It gets hard, really hard. If you're lucky, you'll get there after its rained a couple of days and you'll get that good, tacky kinda clay, not the asphalt kind.
The place is ate up with SxS's and quads. I don't have an aversion to either, except they are allowed almost everywhere the bikes are, with a few exceptions. They make the clay even harder, if that's possible.
Be careful on the trails. While they are all one-way, I've had several near-misses with wrong way riders. Mostly kids. We had some guys parked next to us last spring that were involved in a huge pile-up because a SxS stopped in a blind (high speed) corner. The result was a hospital visit and two totally trashed bikes.
Just keep your expectations in check and you'll have a good time. Like I said, its not hard-core moto and they try to appeal to a wide variety of riders, so they do a lot of things good, but nothing great. Hell, they were having a rally car race there a couple of weeks ago. If it were just you and your buddy's, I'd offer another suggestion, but since you have your lady with you, I'd definitely recommend.
I don't know of any other facilities that offer a mix of trails and tracks. If you just want to do MX, you could go a couple more hours and hit Mill Creek and Monster Mountain.
I've got 5 buddies from college that I "exposed" to dirt bikes, and we went out there over Christmas break. They all rented crf230s, and while the mechanics in the rental area weren't the most knowledgeable, they were kind. It's a fun experience!
As far as the “cabins” go at Durhamtown (if you are looking to rent one)... it really depends on which one because it’s sort of a collection of cabins, old trailers and RV’s, so the review are all over the place.
Over the years the place has changed quite a bit, but anyone with a family of riders is sure to love it. To the true moto enthusiast, most of the tracks may be a little lackluster. There is the bomber track and the arenacross track that has some more technical and or bigger stuff.
If you're planning a trip, you definitely want to stay at Durhamtown for the atmosphere and facilities. Ride DP for a couple of days. Maybe trails with family or some of the more technical tracks. Then if you're a a hardcore moto bro, load up and ride aonia pass motocross that's about a 20 minute drive from Durhamtown. That's a trip that's always worth doing. Of course the downside is the dirt ( to some) it's really hard packed so there's typically no ruts, and it's hell on tires, but the jump faces keep their shape a hell of a lot longer than they do down here in florida. The problem is that without just the right amount of rain, you can't maintain that soil. Luckily, the bomber has a mixture of clay and sand etc. so it stays fairly good and rideable.
There's no other place like Durhamtown that I've ever been. Highland Park is a far stretch comparatively, but their trails are substantially more technical. I will say, HP did let me ride for free the couple of times I visited and I appreciate that very much. There are definitely some great people there and it's a good time, it's just not the same to me. I'd liken it to comparing a crf 50 to a chinese 50 that looks the same on the outside.
I think most of the naysayers are spoiled by having Durhamtown there to ride any time they please and/or hardcore moto guys that prefer to more technical. If you're a B or C rider you'll have a blast. If you're an A rider or better, check out Aonia and Durhamtown.
Pit Row
Post a reply to: Anyone ride at Durhamtown?