Hoka Hey A Hoax?
In episode 18 I mentioned the Hoka Hey Challenge, an endurance ride from Key West, FL to Homer, AK that must be completed on an American V-Twin (read HD). The ride is said to cover over 7,000 miles and the first rider in has the chance at the grand prize of $500,000. All sounds good doesn’t it? Well, I am writing this to let all of you know that this may be a hoax.
I was in the chat room the other night for the live taping of the latest episode of Sidestand Up from our friend Tom Lowdermilk. I happened to bring this event up and the long distance riders in the chat immediately began to let me know that this is something to stay away from. I have not done deep research but want to let you know what I was told and you can use the information how you want. I do not claim this as being either a hoax or not a hoax, I am merely passing along third party information that I was told.
In the chat room I was told that an award winning long distance rider had checked into this ride and that the bank account did not exist. There are also questions involving the ability of the organizers to pull out of the event at any time, for many reasons, without having to provide refunds to riders. In a separate conversation outside of the chat I was also told that it was thought that many sponsors had dropped out of the challenge. A quick trip to the website shows only one sponsor, Black Hills Harley Davidson. So, these are legitimate questions to ask should you desire to ride in this event. I sincerely hope that none of this is true and that the event goes off without a hitch and one lucky, and bada$$ rider, takes home the big prize.
Check out the Hoka Hey Challenge site for yourself and contact the organizers to get more detailed info if you feel the need.
April 27th, 2010 at 11:54 pm
look again, there’s more than one sponsor and one is one of the larger HD shops around…Bruce Rossmeyer’s place. Your source of info was… the internet? which means your info is about as accurate as the drivel your posting. you want to be objective, then be objective. don’t play objective and repeat opinions of yet more internet chat room “sources”. I’d love to see solid info, too bad there’s none here.
June 4th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Hey Ironrider, thanks for checking out the post. When I first started looking at this ride the only sponsor shown on the website was Black Hills HD. I do see, as you have accurately stated, that Bruce Rossmeyer’s place has joined on as well. Rossmeyer’s logo graces most every page except one I believe which still shows the Black Hills logo.
My intention on writing the post was only to provide information that there was a rumor that the ride was not legit. I did not set out to steer anyone away only to warn them that there were questions raised. I wanted the readers to look at the information on the website carefully and go into it informed.
Personally, I truly hope that the ride goes off as planned and that they raise the funds for the charities that they claim will benefit from it. The concept of the ride is awesome and those that finish can truly claim to be some bada$$ riders.
I appreciate your opinion and just wanted to tell you and the readers that I am not against this ride. I just want everyone to be informed.
June 15th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Good luck on the Hoka Hey, I just drove down the Glenn Highway last weekend on the way to Valdez AK. to go fishing.
It snowed again for most of the trip, the pass required chains on my 4wd. pick up and the road was crap for most of the
500 miles.
They still have not fixed the section by Mentasta that was severely damaged 2 years ago by the October earthquake. At one point I had to be pulled through the worst spot by a small dozer, fortunately the road crew was helpful. The weather this year has been just lousy so far. I know I wouldn’t want to do this on a my enduro let alone a Road King.
We stopped in Gakona for a bite to eat and the lodge was closed due to the lack of tourism, so be forewarned that there are few places to get any services between Tok and Valdez (about 500 miles).
Also they had some road closings earlier due to forest fires in the Tok Northway area, these have finally been extinguished from the recent snow, I know this all sounds horrible, check it out, this will not be a easy section of the road. E-mail me if you have any questions, Alaska has been my home for 30 years and I have been riding for close to 40, I sold my Road bike 25 years ago because of the road conditions here.
Last thing is the road condition in Canada, from the border in Beaver Creek to Haines is the worst chuck of road I have ever seen in my life, most of it is across permafrost and can never really be right, the Canadians are continuously working on it, if its dry the dust is unreal, if its wet its a quagmire.
Last time we were in Beaver creek at the check point, the mosquitoes were so bad the US border guy was wearing a headnet!
Also with border crossing make sure you have sufficient cash, the Canadians use to require a minimum of $1500.00 Us as they didn’t want people stranded in Canada. They accepted credit cards for awhile, now I hear they want to see the green…….
Anyway good luck to all, this end will be a test, anyone that wants to contact me, please do so at gawdamm@yahoo.com, John
June 17th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
If the Rossmeyer dealership is really sponsoring the Hoka Hey, why is the race not mentioned on their web site, nor listed on their event calender?
June 18th, 2010 at 8:44 am
John, thank you for the information. I am not riding in the Challenge but anyone who is that reads this owes you a bit of gratitude. Sounds like navigating the areas you have spoken of will give the riders an even bigger challenge. Questions still remain about the ride so we will see.
June 18th, 2010 at 8:53 am
That is an excellent point Jim. I ventured over to Rossmeyer’s site this morning and searched all the pages and the blog and saw no mention of the Challenge at all. There is also a logo on the photos page at the Hoka Hey Challenge website showing Black Hills Harley Davidson as a sponsor as well. A quick jump over there shows no mention of the challenge on their events calendar or anywhere else that I can see on the website. There are still many questions surrounding this ride and the next few days will tell us if it is for real or not. If riders do take off on Sunday, the true test will be in Homer, AK, the finish point when the lucky winner should be crowned and paid out the funds. Only time will tell.
June 21st, 2010 at 3:09 am
Follow the TrampStamp chase crew as they follow their sponsored rider Terry Rogue in the Hoka Hey Challenge.
Terry has been racing since he was eight-years old. Terry turned pro Supermoto AMA in 2004. “Motorcross is my life – 100%,” says Terry. “I love sick choppers and beautiful women.”
Terry’s Motto is: “There’s nothing to be sad about, if you die doin’ what you love.”
Watch daily viral video updates from the road on http://www.TrampStampGear.com or http://www.GetRogue.com. (new videos of the event will be added daily!)
July 15th, 2010 at 6:34 am
Fanstastic site I found it on another blog , keep up the good job!!