How many times have you been out in the dunes with some dune buddies when one of them asks you, the leader of the pack, "do you know where China Wall is?". Your only possible response is "of course I do". Now let me tell you from experience that there is a difference between having been to that location a couple of times and knowing where it is!

At Glamis you can use the philosophy that most of the hills are in line with Oldsmobile and try to find your hill that way. So you head off in the general direction of your prospective target. But you are not riding in a straight line because that is not how its done in the dunes! You find a couple of bowls that you and your buddies run around. Then you are finding that you are linking the dunes up perfectly and think you are really impressing your buddies. Then you stop on top of a large dune, turn off the bike, stand on the pegs and look around. Your friends know what is happening whether you want to admit it or not. You can't find the hill!!

You may not be totally lost but Your goal of taking your friends to shoot this hill is not looking so good. Fuel is starting to become a concern and your out of frosty refreshments in the six pack cooler. I guess its time to head back to camp and have your buddies take your title of 'dune king' away from you.

You don't have to let this happen. You can do what I did and contact Glen Copeland of Innovative Design Concepts. Last month I talked to Glen and told him that I was interested in a GPS mount for my bike. I told him I wanted a mount for a Yamaha Banshee but I was surprised to learn that he had mounts for many other applications including buggies and watercraft.

Glen sent me two different mounts to strap on, and try out. The first mount he sent me was a gas tank mount that is held in place by the gas cap. He also sent me the high zoot billet aluminum handle bar mount. Not too shabby!

I installed the mounts on my bike and realized that the installation process couldn't get any easier. I placed my GPS in the mount and was impressed with how secure it was. I was still unsure on how the sensitive internal components of the GPS would do in the harsh dune environment, but that's why they pay me the big bucks!

Prior to heading out to the dunes, I went back to the IDC home page and printed out some popular Glamis GPS coordinates. I programmed the coordinates into the GPS and headed out to put the mount through it's paces.

Once we had camp set up, I locked the coordinates of the campsite into the GPS and headed off in the dunes. I was still a rookie GPS user and wanted to see how well it actually worked. Now I know where Oldsmobile Hill is but I wanted to see if I could find it by using the GPS. It was not a problem at all!! The GPS guided me right to the bottom of the hill! Deciding to press my luck, I cruised through the dunes and marked some of my favorite riding spots.

During the weekend, there was a lot of rough riding and plenty of sand being thrown, but both mounts held up perfectly.

Each type of mount has its benefits. The gas tank mount is out of the way and fits securely to the tank using the gas cap to hold it in place. Just dont plan on doing any quick 'pit stop like' gas re-fills. It takes a minute or two to remove and replace the unit when filling up.

As good as the tank mount was, I really liked the billet aluminum handle bar mount. I could see the screen of the GPS while riding and didn't have to stop or slow dramatically to look down at the screen . Plus, you can never have too much shiny billet and chrome on your dune machine!

I am now a fan of duning with a GPS mounted to my Banshee. If you are interested in a mount for your bike, buggie, truck, boat, or watercraft call Glen Copeland of Innovative Design Concepts. You can go to his web page at Innovativedesignconcepts.com or phone him at (909)228-5353. He is based in Southern California but can get you what you need.

Just let Glen know that you heard about IDC from Officer Bob Speed!!

Ruling the streets, Racing the hills, and Rockin' the dunes!!

Bob Speed
Over and out!!