KTMeet 2011, First Impressions

Third edition now behind us, my first thought was: there is progress! And that makes us happy.
More people, very good trails, fun competitions that attracted a crowd, many simles and a lot of positive feedback. Keeping in mind that this event is by the people, for the people, having fun is the only thing that matters.

KTMeet 2011 was once more “powered by Motorex”, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsor for the support. Also, we need to keep in mind the extremely important role our co-organizers played in this event, Transilvania Bikers 1990.

The photo gallery is available at http://www.panicsquad.ro/en/fotovideo/ktmeet-2011/, where pictures from other people will be added. And here are a few to get you going:

KTMeet 2011 Preparations

We know the trails for Saturday’s ride, but we’re still marking the enduro one, because we want everybody to feel comfortable they find their way out of the woods.

KTMeet 2011, June 17th-19th, Măguri-Răcătău, Cluj

C.S. Panic Squad Cluj-Napoca, in association with Transilvania Bikers 1990 bring KTMeet’s third edition to Cluj county.

When? June 17th-19th
Where? Ionel’s place
Who’s Ionel? The man with the pensiunea “La Ionel” lodging complex. Where is it? http://www.pensiunealaionel.com/ro/localizare#Localizare_GPS
More details on the site: http://www.pensiunealaionel.com/en/acasa

Schedule:
Friday:
- arrival, dramatic reunions, new friends, camp fire, stories
Saturday:
- rides: EXCs to Muntele Băișorii and back, LCx greenlaning in the area, we should have some GPS tracks or at least some POIs that you can use so you don’t get lost; shouldn’t be a problem, because we’ll have guides.
- evening: food, drinks, stories, maybe some small fun competitions like last year
Sunday:
- coffee, food, pictures, goodbye!

Accomodations: – tent on “La Ionel”. Booking: 0743049024 (Ionel) -> 30 lei / night / person. We have one cabin set aside for the meet, with 3-4 bed rooms and one with lots of beds. For further details, use the contact number.
The road from Cluj-Napoca is 40kms, the last 15 are a little rougher and the last 2.5 are dirt. Not a problem for those not riding an RC8 though.

For further discussion use the forum thread here: http://www.ktmclub.ro/KTMeet

KTMeet 2010 (Orange Heat Wave)

Aşa cum promiteam în august 2009, am continuat tradiţia şi am organizat în weekendul 11-13 iunie, la Brezoi, şi a doua întâlnire a posesorilor şi fanilor mărcii austriece de motociclete KTM, denumită KTMeet 2010, powered by Motorex.

Total ieşit din tipare, KTMeet-ul ramâne în continuare o întâlnire a tuturor iubitorilor de KTM din România, o întâlnire la care nu se plăteşte taxă şi la care prietenia şi spiritul de aventură fac parte din obişnuit.

Am început vineri cu deschiderea oficială şi acomodare, punând la punct ultimele detalli pentru ziua de sâmbătă, care a fost plină de evenimente. Astfel, spre amiază s-a pornit în tura on/off, pe traseul ediţiei de anul trecut, lungit. S-a mers Brezoi – Ciunget – cu final pe Transalpina. La tură au luat parte LC4, LC8, 690 SM, 3 Honde şi o Yamaha, de pe Tranalpina grupul împărţindu-se în două. O parte au coborât spre Obarsia Lotrului – Voineasa – Brezoi, iar restul au continuat spre Rânca – Novaci – Cheile Olteţului – Lacu Petrimanu – Ciunget – Brezoi.

Am avut parte de de toate.  De un drum superb, de pădure, de mult soare, de peisaje de vis, de zăpada, de noroi, de bălţi. E greu de exprimat în cuvinte ce peisaje există pe acest traseu, aşa că mai bine lăsăm imaginile să vorbească.

Eu personal m-am întors spre Brezoi pe la Obârşia Lotrului – Voineasa, cu pauza obligatorie de mâncare şi hidratare la celebra crâşmă din şi mai celebra intersecţie din Obârşia Lotrului. Răcoriţi bine şi proaspăt hidrataţi am fentat ploaia de vreo 2 ori până să ajungem în tabăra din Brezoi, unde am dat de aceeaşi caniculă care ne-a ţinut companie tot weekendul.

Aşteptam să vină şi cei plecaţi în tura enduro, reparat muzica, pregătit videoproiectorul şi ne-am pus la poveşti. La plimbarea enduro a fost nevoie de o trecere pe la boxe, fiind o mică problemă cu bujia motococletei Sorinei; pauză binevenită de altfel din cauza căldurii. A urmat încă o tură scurtă compusă practic dintr-o urcare şi o coborâre, suficient de antrenante pentru a consuma bună parte din energia rămasă a participanţilor. Numai bine, pentru că mai era nevoie de energie pentru concursurile de seară şi aveam premii de dat.

Dacă din meniul de anul ăsta a lipsit parada moto şi stunt show-ul, am avut parte în schimb de cele mai distractive concursuri la care am luat parte în “cariera” mea de KTM-ist, ele având loc noaptea la lumina farurilor, concursuri care s-au bucurat de participarea aproape integrală a celor prezenţi în tabără. Am avut mers încet, pe categorii, şi bătut cuie. La mersul încet au câştigat respectiv 450 EXC (Ciqy), 640 Enduro (Poly) şi 990 Adventure R (BD), o dominaţie KTM, cum era de aşteptat. Deşi iniţial lumea a fost circumspectă în privinţa concursului de bătut cuie, a devenit repede o atracţie şi a avut o finală pe măsură, Sosolina vs. Liţă. Deşi s-a rostogolit de nenumărate ori la mersul încet, Liţă a dovedit până la urmă că e rolul bărbatului să bată cuie.

Cireaşa de pe tort a fost pusă de prietenii noştrii, fraţii Alecu şi Vlad, care au venit la Brezoi şi pentru a face o proieţie despre tura lor din primăvară în Maroc – Morocco Blues Ride. Întreruptă de o pauză de masă şi de festivitatea de premiere (toţi cei prezenţi cu motocicleta au primit premii Motorex şi reduceri la piese KTM), proiecţia s-a bucurat de mult interes din partea celor prezenţi în tabără, terminandu-se târziu după miezul nopţii, când lumea s-a refugiat în jurul focului ascultând poveştile celor mai umblaţi dintre noi.

Duminica ne-am luat la revedere rând pe rând, iar cei care au mai rămas cu destulă energie au ales ca drumul spre casă să includă şi un drum de Transfăgărăşan.

Vrem să mulţumim în primul rând tuturor participanţilor, sponsorilor Motorex şi Authentic Spirit şi tuturor celor care au ajutat cu bunul mers al lucrurilor. Ne-a făcut deosebită plăcere să vedem figuri noi la întâlnire, să revedem prietenii dobândiţi anul trecut şi ne bucurăm că am reuşit să ne întâlnim faţă în faţă cu oameni pe care îi ştiam doar virtual până acum. La fel îi salut şi pe cei 2 prieteni străini (unul din Cehia şi unul din Slovacia), care vineri seara ne-au povestit vreo 3 ore păţaniile lor din turele pe care le-au dat împreună cu Africanele lor şi care erau foarte încântaţi de atmosfera prietenească din tabăra KTMeet.

Vă mai aşteptăm şi pe viitor!

Şi acum câteva poze, restul la http://picasaweb.google.com/panicsquad.ro/KTMeet2010

Orange Weekend

KTMeet 2010, now powered by Motorex.

An event by C.S. Panic Squad Cluj-Napoca, in association with Authentic Spirit, Motorex, Free Bike Team Rm Vâlcea, with the support of Brezoi Mayorship and Police. Media partner, Dirt Bike Zone.

In the June 11th-13th weekend, the KTM fans are summoned to Brezoi, located at Lotru’s confluence with Olt, for the annual meeting, now at its second edition.

This being a friendly meeting, attendance is free and there will be plenty of prizes. Those that will distinguish themselves through skill and moto-spirit will be rewarded with Ariete goggles and Motorex products. There are also 25 Motorex chain maintenance sets up for grabs, and all that will come accompanied by their KTM will receive 15% discount tickets for parts ordered from Authentic Spirit, KTM dealer.

The Lotru valley is gorgeous and awaits explorers; there will be movie screenings and also a ride report.

In a race-less weekend there is no better place for relaxation for the KTM fans.

Details, map and registration for the event here http://www.panicsquad.ro/en/evenimente/ktmeet-2010/

See you in Brezoi!

KTMeet 2010, details and registration

KTMeet 2010 will take place in Brezoi June 11th-13th, 2010.

KTMeet is a bike meeting ment for KTM fans, now at its second edition.

Event organizers: C.S. Panic Squad Cluj-Napoca

Partners: Free Bike Team Rm. Vâlcea, Authentic Spirit

Media: Dirt Bike Zone

Now, more details and registration on the event page.

KTMeet 2010, 2nd edition, June 11-13th, Brezoi

C.S. Panic Squad Cluj-Napoca invites you to the second edition of KTM meet-up in Romania….KTMeet 2010.
Partners: Free Bike Team Râmnicu Vâlcea, Authentic Spirit

When: 11-13 iunie

Where: Brezoi, Vâlcea county

The same location as last year, namely: 10.000 sqm fenced area, kitchen, showers, toilets, electricity and running water (water pump).

Acces: From Olt river valley, through Brezoi towards Voineasa, 3 kms from the Brezoi town center, on the right hand side.

The schedule and other details will be announced shortly. Until then, for questions and suggestions, please use the contact page, or the KTMclub.ro section dedicated to the event (if you understand Romanian), here: http://www.ktmclub.ro/KTMeet

KTMeet 09 (Farewell Cuba !)

KTMeet 09, Brezoi, friendly meet-up of KTM owners and fans, stitched together by Panic Squad Cluj-Napoca and Free Bike Team Rm. Vâlcea, has just ended, leaving behind a great memory.

It all started in December of last year, when the snow and cold weather forced us to cut back on “orange” riding, and we had more time on our hands to daydream. As the crisis was upon us, we struggled for some time to find financing for the meeting, but with no luck. Thus, we found ourselves with very little very late, but in the end we reached our goal.

The location was selected to be as central (with regards to the country) as possible, and after the talks we had with the mayor, we settled on a 1ha camp, with running water, electric current, toilets, showers, kitchen, a few trees, a span of green, and a dozen dogs for… “protection”.

The morning of Friday, August 28th 2009 found us at the camp gates. Defenetly one of the most stressful days of my life, considering it kept raining untill 2 in the afternoon, there were only three of us there, and we had no ideea how many people will come, and knowing we were supposed to honor our deal with the mayor on Saturday, namely a parade and a show in the town center. No matter how wild we let our imaginations roam, a parade of three people and two bikes, be them KTMs, was still a sorry sight.

But then the sky cleared, and nightfall catches us around the fire stirring an orange-tinted gulaş in the company of fifteen to twenty people. Tales of latest orange adventures ran long into early morning, and the departure on Saturday’s ride caught some of us with just a few hours sleep.

Litres of coffee are consumed while Ştef reveals his secret weapon, a couple of large speakers and Metallica. With a short delay, people are on their way. Perfect weather for riding, the sun is shining, but it’s not too hot.

The itinerary for the rides was put together by Ştef and the guys from Free Bike. They had marked the course for the EXCs beforehand, and Clau created a fairly detailed map for the dual bikes from memory using just a pen and a sheet of paper.

Those of us that stayed behind were visited by the mayor and the chief of Brezoi’s police, and we settled the details for the evening’s parade and show.

That evening, 17:30 catches all of us gathered for the group photo before the parade. We line up behind the police car and we’re off. The police was very cooperative and they cleared the path for us to run the entire length of the road that crosses the small town.

I took part in my share of motorcycle parades, but this was the best received. We were the attraction and I can only imagine how thirty-something KTMs sound from the audience.

As the parade ended we were supposed to put on a small show on a street in the town center, closed down specially for us. There, the festivities for the town’s celebration were also on their way. I forgot to mention earlier, but that same weekend, “Târgul Lotrilor” was happening and anyone and everyone from Brezoi was there.

We were expecting to maybe catch the attention of a few kids at best, so we were very surprised when we passed the fence the police had set up to close traffic and everybody was waiting for us on both sides of the road. The show’s sensation were the dirt bikers, let by Clau, who wheelied, stoppied, crashed, got up and then did it all again, and then more. All this was very well received, the people cheered, they congratuled us, shook our hands, and yes, some even asked for autographs. Ştef would know best about that.

We were invited by the mayor to join their festivities, to dine and drink with them, and we defenetly didn’t mind some barbacue and a cold one. The whole time we were there, people kept coming up to us and giving us their best, and inviting us to come back other times as well; a very welcoming community.

It was a great site, in the midst of the crowd, a few tables filled with people dressed in orange and our customized event shirts, having the time of their lives.

We came back to camp as it got dark and built a fire, but only after getting our beer from a nearby bar, stored specially extra-cold for us. After all, we had a movie to see; and we’re talking about nothing less than the launch of the Enduro Manicao-Depresiv 2009 official DVD. For those of you less familiar with the event, EMD is a brainchild of Ştef and his crew, the 2009 edition being its fourth.

A long night follows, animated by jokes and tales on two wheels, with a few people catching the sunrise still by the now exhausted fire.

Then came Sunday, and you can’t help it but feel a little off, knowing this is the last day and soon you’ll be going back to your daily routine. One by one the people are saying their goodbyes and departing for home, leaving with the memory of a fun weekend and with the promise of coming back next time.

To get an idea of the area and how beautiful the scenery is, I recommend you take a peek at the pictures from the rides, as I cannot put it into words.

Our regards to the guys from Free Bike Team Vâlcea, to Ionuţ-spionuţ from Bistriţa, to our “fisherman friends” (inside joke) from Bucharest (Eugen especially for the storytelling and jokes), to Galaţi (long way from Galaţi!), to Argeş, to Sibiu, etc. (I’m sorry, my geography isn’t that strong), to everybody that was there, and last but not least, to our very own first edition “mascot”, Iepuraşul (in translation, “the little bunny rabbit”) from Tg. Mureş.

I don’t want it to sound cliché, but we’d like to thank Ştef, Clau and the rest of Free Bike Team, the Brezoi Police and Mayorship, led by the mayor, Robert Schell, for all their hard work and making this event possible. And I’d like to thank all who attended, because this actually was an event put together by all of us, with little to no resources. We just provided the time and the place and everybody came through.

We’ll be waiting for you next year.. at least twice as many, twice as orange and twice as well organized.

Stay tuned to this station for news on the next KTM-meet!

Kirk, Panic Squad Cluj-Napoca, signing off.

P.S.: the original “Farewell Cuba!” title is also an inside joke, don’t worry if you don’t get it . Join us next time and perhaps Eugen will let you in on the secret.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZSL1YDrZpI
(by robitza)