Passes & Canyons Blog

I don’t really have a fixation on trikes these days, but they just seem to be where I am a whole lot lately.

Today I went on the ABATE of Colorado Last Brass Monkey Run, their traditional last ride of the year event. And I even joined, so now I’m an ABATE member. Well, not surprisingly, there were a few trikes in among the hundreds of two-wheelers, but then the really flashy ones showed up. These aren’t necessarily the best photos because the light wasn’t right for what I would have liked to have gotten. But you’ll get an idea of what these things were like.

This first one is one of these guys as he’s arriving, and I only got a grab shot, so missed the front wheel.

Here he is again, where you can see it a bit better.

And here’s one of his buddies. Notice the high-riding passenger.

There was a third but I didn’t get any useable pics of it. Oh well. But then a different three-wheeler showed up. This was the second Can-Am Spyder I’ve seen now. Here she has it in reverse gear, backing into a parking spot.

Biker Quote for Today

Now go put some miles on that thing!

I reported on LoJack‘s best stolen bike recoveries for 2008 the other day. Now I want to share some of the statistics and information LoJack makes available on their website. It’s ugly.

First off, they say that in 2006 there were more than 71,000 motorcycles stolen in the U.S., with a value of more than $440 million. Ouch. I know one of those guys. My buddy Bill had his Fat Boy taken from the parking lot of a restaurant where he was eating.

Additionally, motorcycle theft is up nearly 137 percent since 2000. That comes out to one motorcycle stolen every 7.4 minutes. Only about one-quarter of them are recovered.

I assume the numbers LoJack is providing are the latest available, so excuse me and them if they’re a little dated. That said, they say that in 2005 the states that had the highest rate of motorcycle theft were, in order:

1. California
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. North Carolina
5. Ohio
6. Arizona
7. New York
8. Indiana
9. Georgia
10. Pennsylvania

LoJack also make available on their website a seven-page brochure entitled “Bike Smarts: A Guide to Protecting Your Motorcycle From Theft.” It’s pretty basic information but you might find some ideas that hadn’t occurred to you, so check it out.

One other thing. At the bottom left of many of the pages on their website, LoJack has a link to what they call “Real Stories of LoJack Recoveries.” These are heart-warming stories of how folks like you and me got their bikes back and the bad guys got what was coming to them. Fun to read.

Biker Quote for Today

If you love your bike and it leaves you and then comes back – you’ve probably high-sided.

Does it make you smile really hard when you hear of some bike thief getting busted? Then boy, I’ve got just the thing for you. This isn’t a commercial for LoJack but it could be interpreted that way.

You know about LoJack, right? They hide a radio transmitter in your vehicle and if it gets stolen the cops can often locate it quickly and get it back to you. And it’s not incidental that the guys who took it often end up getting picked up, too.

Now, I’ve never used LoJack, and heck, I really don’t think anyone is going to be interested in stealing my 1980 Honda CB750 Custom. It’s the Harleys these guys want. You guys with the bulls-eyes on your bikes know who you are.

Well, apparently LoJack releases an annual listing of the stolen motorcycle recoveries in the past year that they are most proud of. Straight from the press release, here’s this year’s list. Read it and smile.

Most Arrests Made in Recoveries In less than 48 hours — LoJack For Motorcycles helped Las Vegas police and the Southern Nevada Auto Theft Task Force break up two theft rings, which led to the recovery of four Honda motorcycles, a Yamaha ATV and the arrest of 10 suspects.

Fastest Motorcycle Recovery Leads to Big Chop Shop — In this recovery, a Yamaha YZR was stolen and recovered in only eight minutes after the system was activated. Through this recovery, Los Angeles Police Department and LAPD Burglary Auto Division also found seven other stolen bikes and bike parts, valued at a total of more than $100,000!

Best Bust Reflecting the Trend of Selling Stolen Bikes Online — In this recovery, thieves advertised a bike online and, as soon as they got an interested buyer, stole a bike matching the one they had advertised. The thieves then delivered the stolen bike to the buyer, thus limiting the time they were in possession of the stolen item. Fortunately, the bike had LoJack For Motorcycles and its signal was picked up only 10 minutes after system activation — 75 miles away from where it was stolen.

Bike Stolen and Recovered Four Times in Nine Months — A Tucson resident discovered his 2007 Suzuki GSX-R 600 missing from his apartment, reported it stolen to police and just 14 minutes later, a police helicopter and ground vehicle tracked down the bike. This was the fourth time since August 2007 that the owner’s bike was stolen and recovered with LoJack For Motorcycles.

Best LoJack Early Warning Recovery — LoJack Early Warning notified the owner of a Yamaha YZF-R6 that his bike was moved without permission from the parking lot of his apartment. Police activated the system and within 20 minutes received the silent signal from the bike, which indicated it was on the move on a local interstate highway. Police then picked up a strong signal and did not see a bike, but rather a Chevrolet cargo van driving nearby. As the police passed the van, the signal’s directional arrow reversed, which indicated that the bike was inside the van. The police stopped the van, discovered the bike (plus two other stolen motorcycles) and arrested two suspects.

Is that sweet or what?

Biker Quote for Today

Sleep with one arm through the spokes and keep your pants on.

We all know people who are fanatics about their Harley. And most of them have very strong feelings about the company that makes their beloved machines.

Well, here’s the perfect gift.

How about a framed, personalized Harley-Davidson stock certificate? They’ll be an owner of the company, and hey, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Harley pays dividends. Right now they’re paying $1.32 a year per share. Your loved one can look forward to padding his wallet with that cash!

The place to go to make this happen is Oneshare.com. You can pick the frame, the matte, the engraving–heck you can even pick the stock. It doesn’t have to be Harley-Davidson.

You pay the price for the share, a $39 transfer fee, and whatever the frame, matte, and engraving you select costs. Figure around $104 for a Harley share right now, or higher if you want to get fancy.

So, just wanted to pass that along as a gift idea–doesn’t have to be Christmas, could be birthday or any other–that you probably hadn’t thought of. You’re welcome.

Biker Quote for Today

Ride like you own the road…and…someday the road will own you.

Have you ever needed to haul your bike around but don’t have the space to keep a trailer? This may be just the thing you need.

Discountramps.com is now offering a motorcycle trailer that can be assembled without any special tools. When not in use, disassemble it and store it in its bag. It weighs 140 pounds and, they say, fits easily into the trunk of your car.

Here’s the list of specs:
Can carry wheelbases up to 71 inches

• Tongue Weight: 120 – 160 lbs
• Weight Capacity: 2000 lbs
• Product Weight: 140 lbs
• Wheel Distance: 60 inches
• Hitch Class: any
• Heaviest Part: 33 lbs
• Longest Part: 42 inches

They also sell a trailer that can carry two bikes.

Now, I’ve never used this thing, and I would want to be really sure it is going to be stable and solid before plunking my money down. But if I needed to haul my bike(s) around I’d sure look into this because there is nowhere that I would have to store a regular trailer. Oh, and the price is a little over $1,000. The two-bike rig costs more than twice that.

Biker Quote for Today

Bikes vs. Women: It’s always OK to use tie downs on your motorcycle.

Another three-wheeled motorcycle has entered the fray. The F3 Adrenaline, produced by TriRod Motorcycles, is claimed to be “the world’s first production performance three wheel motorcycle.” And as with so many of these new bikes, it looks a heck of a lot different than anything we’ve ever seen.

Here’s what TriRod says (immodestly) about their creation:

Out of TriRod’s workshop has emerged possibly the most disruptive technology to hit the motorcycle world in decades. We’ve taken the most advanced technologies from Formula One racing, aerospace, and custom motorcycles and combined them into the hottest street rod motorcycle ever.

Our passion for motorcycles and the addiction to speed induced adrenaline rushes has led us to develop this radical motorcycle trike platform. This all new three wheel motorcycle is like nothing that has come before it. It is a machine built for performance, born and bred on a race track with a thrill factor that is through the roof. Trikes will never be the same.

TriRod: ride it like a motorcycle, corner it like a race car. The best of two very intriguing worlds.

This bike has a dry weight of 750 pounds, 120 cubic inch engine, six speeds, and chain primary drive. It has optional frame-mounted hard bags and uses both hand and foot controls. Gosh, just like a motorcycle!

I don’t know what you think of all these three-wheelers; I know some people say they’re not really motorcycles. What I do know, though, is that my aging buddies speak every now and then about the time when they’re going to have to quit riding. I’m not aging as fast as they are, it seems, but I know that even for me the clock does not stand still. Maybe in another 30 years or so I’m going to be glad to have choices like this so I can continue to feel the wind in my face and smell the smells that cagers miss.

Biker Quote for Today

Never try to race an old geezer, he may have one more gear than you.