Q.  Who attends the event?
A.  The people who come to Sportbike Northwest are responsible riders who take an interest in safe riding and improving on safe riding skills.  For some it's a first time adventure to rally, for others it's an annual trek.  You're always certain to meet new friends and at the rally.  Riders come from all over the United States and Canada.

From a squids point-of-view it’s not a very hospitable environment.  For them it’s too far to ride, stunt riding is not permitted at the gathering and the county jail and sheriff’s office are conveniently located just three blocks away.

Q.  What kind of a town is Stevenson?  Is there a gas station, grocery store or restaurant?
A.  Unlike some smaller towns in the Gorge, Stevenson is modern day with plenty of amenities sporting three gas stations, a grocery store with a full service deli, several restaurants and it’s own microbrewery complete with a pub.  There’s also a hardware store and auto supply shop.  In fact, in 2004 the downtown corridor and fairgrounds were setup with a city wide free Wi-Fi system, so if you bring a laptop, smart phone or PDA you can surf the web and do email!

Q.  Why not have SBNW earlier in the summer?
A.  While the Columbia Gorge is a gemstone of a riding area, there are two major factors as to why we don’t do this earlier. The first is that the average daytime high can be a bit too hot – even to ride. The second is that there are a lot of bugs in the area until late July. 

Q. Our club is thinking of coming to Sportbike Northwest.  Are group rates available?

A. Sportbike Northwest is regularly attended by groups like the Cycle Barn Sportbike Club, sportbikes.ws and the Pacific Northwest VFR group.  Group rates are available online when you register.   

Q.  What value do I get with my registration costs?
A.  We put it all under one price and provide more value on top of that.  Some other rallies charge extra for the tee shirt, the poker run card, the camping etc…  We don’t.  And no rally we’ve been to in the Northwest has the gourmet meal we lay out on Saturday night, opens the Maryhill Loops Road or provides the kind of speakers we have on hand.  You get what you pay for.  When was the last time you took a four day vacation for under $100!

Q.  Do I have to have a sportbike to go to Sportbike Northwest?
A.  Sportbike Northwest is designed with the sport rider in mind.  Which means if you own a sportbike, sport touring bike or a naked street standard this event is for you. Over the years we've seen a diversity of bikes like the  Kawasaki ZX12R, Ducati ST4, Yamaha FZ1, BMW K1200S, Honda CBR models, Yamaha R6 and R1’s, Kawasaki Concours, Honda ST1300, Suzuki GS’ and GSXR’s and even adventure bikes like the BMW R1100GS and a Honda Transalp.  If you ride something other than a Sportbike and would like to attend, you're more than welcome to, just remember the event is focused toward the sport bike and sport touring enthusiast.

Q.  Why is proof of insurance required on the Maryhill Loops Road?
A.  In Washington State insurance is not required for motorcyclists who use public roads (although it’s highly advised).  However, the Maryhill Loops Road is on private property and the curators require all riders during our event have insurance specific to the bike they ride on the road.

Q.  Does Oregon require motorcyclists to carry insurance?
A.  Yes.

Q.  In 2006 we saw several scooters at the event. What's up with that?
A.  Several members of the The Northwest Scooter Enthusiasts arrived early for their rally, which followed after SBNW, so that they could volunteer time to run the Poker Run checkpoints. 

Q. What if it rains?
A. The event goes on rain or shine. Because of the geography that surrounds the area, it may be raining west of the Cascades and not to the east. The location of the event is such that if there's ever rain in the west, we ride to the east. Being held at the end of August means rain is less likely than say September (some of you remember the year we tried it that month).

Q. Our family would like to attend.  Some will not be riding motorcycles.  Is that OK?
A. We welcome families. The only restriction is that kids under 21 years old are not allowed in the beer garden as per state law, otherwise everything is open to them.  Understand that each family member or guest over 12 must have a paid registration to attend even if they won't be riding.  Registration costs have lnothing to do with riding a motorcycle, rather they cover the costs of insurance, meals, camping, guest speaker lodging and otherwise.  Kids under 12 are free and must be supervised by their adult guardian at all times.

Q. Any good places to eat in Stevenson?
A. Oh yeah. For breakfast we like the Bahma Cafe, there's good lunches at the Big River Grill and dinner can be had at Joe's El Rio, Big River and the Walking Man brew pub.

One of the crown-jewels of Sportbike Northwest is the Maryhill Loops road.  The road is closed to the public, and for good reason – there’s a dozen hairpin turns in 3.5 miles. Great if you’re on a sportbike, lousy if you were trying to maneuver an RV. And since it dead ends after 3.5 miles, you’ll have to turn your bike around and go back down. What a shame! 24 hairpin turns in seven miles! Scratch that trip to Laguna Seca and book your vacation time to Sportbike Northwest!

The road was built in 1914 by Sam Hill and was the first paved road in the state of Washington.  It was deemed unfit for travel by the DOT in the 60’s and closed.  In the late 1990’s the DOT reground the entire surfaced and paved it anew.  Today it’s only open to walkers, bicyclists and few select motor vehicle events a year. 

The road will be open Saturday only.  Riders are required to show proof of insurance specific to their bike before entering the road (see bottom left).  If you don’t have a current proof of insurance card, you will not be allowed on the road.  However you may come to the checkpoint to draw a chip and get your poker card punched.

Riders are spaced out 30 to 60 seconds apart so they can maneuver the road without worrying about someone coming in behind them.  We run two way traffic throughout the time period.  If you need one way traffic look into booking a track day at a local track.  It's about the experience of getting to ride a historical road, not about who can do it faster.  Ask anyone who's done and they'll tell you about what a worthwhile experience it is.  We have a number of returning riders who come back the event year after year - this is no doubt one of the reasons why.

Once you've ridden up and down the road you are welcome to exit the gated area and get back into line so you can take another spin. 

If you plan to come ride the road and buy a Saturday only registration, you must purchase your registration at the Skamania Fairgrounds in Stevenson.  One Day registrations will not be sold at the entrance to the Maryhill Loops road.