Anything But Dirty Work
Durty Dabbers has provided three decades of fun with its annual dual-sport event
March 20, 2024 (This story appeared in the March 2024 Edition of American Motorcyclist)
By Keaton Maisano
Plenty of hard work has gone into putting on the Durty Dabbers Great Adventure Dual-Sport event, and it has resulted in years of clean fun and great riding.
The annual event hosted by the Durty Dabbers — a trials and dual-sport motorcycle club in Central Pennsylvania with more than 100 active members — is the longest-running event in the Beta AMA National Dual Sport Series. Running the first weekend of June, the two-day event maintained its popularity for more than three decades, selling out its 2023 event within an hour.
“The series started out relatively small, numbers-wise,” Durty Dabbers President Nils Mantzoros said. “It grew with time.”
Today, the event hosts 550 riders — the maximum allowed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources — for two days of riding that covers about 100 miles each day. In 2023, riders ranged from 16–87 years old.
Running simultaneously to the dual-sport ride — which has two course options of varying difficulties navigated by roll chart — is an adventure ride. Despite differences in skill and style, Mantzoros sets up the courses to promote togetherness.
“Every 10 or 12 miles I’ll have a reset,” Mantzoros said. “All three courses meet at each reset. So you can ride with a group of friends on bikes that aren’t necessarily compatible, but still hang out and be with your buddies during the day. I think that’s made our event quite popular.”
Using several forestry areas for its event, participants are offered free camping. Colleen Wise, who helps with the registration, said the camping is one of the many bright spots of the event.
“One of the best things that happens here is the camping because of the comradery,” Wise said. “Some people will come to see the same people they saw before.”
In addition to riding and camping, the event offers snacks and meals to its registered riders. Riders also receive a T-shirt and prizes at the event banquet.
Most of the proceeds made from the event go toward the Durty Dabbers’ riding area, a 100-acre area purchased by the club to serve as a free riding park. The club uses this space to teach the next generation how to safely ride dirt bikes.
“We maintain [the park],” Mantzoros said. “We built a quite exotic pavilion, and our goal this year is to put in bathrooms.”
While the club’s success could be measured in land it’s purchased or in the structures its built, Mantzoros finds the number of returning riders for its annual event as a great barometer that the club is doing good work.
“We have folks who come every year, because it shows we’re doing a good job that they want to come back,” Mantzoros said. “When they come here, it’s almost like a reunion.”
The next reunion is set for June 1–2, and registration for the event is set to open the first week of April. Those looking to participate can stay in the loop by going to durtydabbers.com and clicking the link in the top right of the landing page to sign up for the email list.