Text and photos by Ryder Yeckley, a local high school student and moto enthusiast.

Fifty years ago, the Suzuki “RM” line of dirt bikes was released to dealerships for sale. The name “RM” comes from "Race Machine." Suzuki and their RM Army have been celebrating 50 years of their Race Machines by holding two events, on opposite sides of the country, called the Suzuki RM Army Boot Camps.

Essentially, if you ride any kind of RM dirt bike, you are invited to come out and ride two famous motocross tracks. They have two events throughout the year, one on the West Coast and the other on the East. The West Coast event was first, and it took place at Perris MX in in Perris, Caledonia. On the East Coast, just above Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Pleasure Valley Raceway brought riders from across the East Coast to come out and ride with their RM family. Pleasure Valley is owned and operated by Jeff Cernic, a longtime member of the Suzuki family.

Riders came from as far as North Carolina and New Hampshire to ride at Pleasure Valley.

During the day, anyone with an RM dirt bike could come out and ride the track, get maintenance tips from the Suzuki mechanics, and test ride some of Suzuki’s new bikes.

Colt Nichols was present for this event throughout the day. He offered to take pictures with fans and give tours of the Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki rig.

“Being with Suzuki feels like being a part of a family; these are great people who care about the right stuff. These events are cool for everyone involved; it feels awesome to be a part of this,” Nichols said.

Riders were treated to great conditions and weather throughout the day. They rode one session on the track and then had a catered lunch break. During the lunch break, the Boot Camp “enlistees” could ask questions of Nichols and his mechanic Lucas Makk. After the break, riders could get their bikes adjusted, and then they could go back out and ride some more.

Besides current professional Suzuki racers being at the event, former professional Suzuki racers came to ride, like Broc Hepler.

During his youth amateur racing days in the 1990s, Hepler rode for Suzuki. In his professional years with Team Suzuki, from 2003 to 2006, he was able to finish within the top ten in points in every SX/MX season he fully raced and won six times in AMA 250 Pro Motocross and Supercross.

“It’s so neat that I was invited to come out to ride today, and I am thankful that I am still relevant to the sport today," said Hepler, who hails from the Keystone State. "It’s cool that they appreciate what I did for them; we got a lot of amateur wins growing up, and I got my first pro wins with Suzuki. I can respect what they are doing today to support their customers."

The Boot Camp gave off a good feeling of unity for the duration of the entire day, with people meeting each other for the first time in the morning and leaving as family by the end of the day.

Throughout the day, motorcycle enthusiasts came out to test ride some of the new dual-sport and adventure bikes that Suzuki offers. Along with the open track for Suzuki RM dirt bike riders, the group put together a 13.5-mile loop that consisted of paved roads, trails, and dirt roads for the demo riders to put laps on.

Towards the end of the day, Nichols took advantage of the offered demos for the new Suzuki bikes. He chose the DR-Z400S and said, “That bike is so incredibly fun to ride; take it on the road, dirt, go through the trails, ride gravel roads, or wherever you want; it's such a fun bike,” after taking it on a ride.

Although Suzuki has had its own load of financial and technological issues, it has found ways to stay relevant in a sport where constant change is needed. The RM Army Boot Camp is a great way to unite riders under the same manufacturer to come out and spend time with each other and support motorcycling in general.