Rick Sieman was one of the most influential and prolific dirt bike scribes in history. In addition to being the editor of Dirt Bike and other motorcycle magazines, he competed in more than an estimated 1,000 dirt bike races and in the Baja 1000 in trucks.
We recently reviewed his pretty much autobiographical, mostly non-fiction book, Monkey Butt! – Tall Tales, Bench Racing, and the Inside Story of 30 Years in the Sport. That book came out in 2003. In 2011, he published his first, and it turns out only, novel.
In The Last Ride, Sieman blends parts of his real-life past, including some images, into an unusual and nostalgic off-road motorcycle adventure story.
It starts with young Mitch Jackson buying his first motorcycle, a 1968 Yamaha DT-1 dual-sport bike in 1969, which needed work. Once the bike was put in running order, Mitch started toward one of the most unusual off-road motorcycle adventures he’d ever have.
After owning the Yamaha for two years, Mitch decided that, since he planned to join the Navy soon, he’d put the bike up for sale. His advertisement brought a quick and stunning response from clear across the country.
Note to readers: Many of the books we feature in Riders Library may be out of print, and some may be difficult to find. That could be half the fun. The Internet should make the search relatively easy. However, none of the books currently scheduled for eventual retro-review for the Rider’s Library section were found with the help of the Internet. They were all found at bookstores, used bookstores, antique shops, motorcycle shops, yard sales, and so on.
It was from Don Martin, the father of the bike’s original owner, whose son had the bike before he shipped out for Vietnam. After his son was killed in action, his father sold the Yamaha to the fellow who had, in turn, sold it to Mitch. When he spotted the ad, he contacted Mitch. Don wanted to buy the bike back for its sentimental connection to his son.
That led to the unusual plan for Mitch to deliver the bike to the buyer, not by shipping the motorcycle or even trailering it from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, but by riding it off-road all the way!
Using cow trails, side roads, tote roads, fire lanes, railroad rights-of-way, and any other off-road route he could find, Mitch makes his way west.
Traveling light and on a tight budget, he faced tough weather, limited provisions, hardscrabble accommodations, mechanical problems, and daily challenges that made his trip west a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Or so he thought.
Rick Sieman passed away on December 11, 2023, at the age of 83. Ultimate Motorcycling Editor Don Williams wrote an appreciation of Rick Sieman.
Mitch and Don stayed in touch over the next 40 years. After Don’s death, Mitch decided he wanted to be reunited with the Yamaha. Mitch trades his Honda Elsinore to get the Yamaha back from its then-current owner to recreate his epic off-road adventure by riding it back to Pennsylvania from California—off-road all the way!
The first leg of the return trip turns out to be about 150 miles on the old Barstow-to-Vegas Hare & Hound race course, ridden with the Yamaha’s previous owner. The return trip is eventful and anything but smooth, yet Mitch and the old Yamaha make it, though not unscathed. Both Mitch and the Yamaha get back to Pennsylvania in need of some restoration.
In the end, it becomes clear that the story of the Yamaha is about to be retold, with yet another new owner: a kid named Bobby Lee.
The Last Ride Fast Facts
- Title: The Last Ride
- Author: Rick Sieman
- Published: 2011
- Format: Paperback, 151 pages, 10 b/w images,
- Publisher: Rick Sieman Racing
- Cover price: $15
- Current price: $16 from The Phantom Duck of the Desert Store
