Passes & Canyons Blog

I had to ride on Sunday. The weather insisted and so did my bikes. After running some errands on the Kawasaki I got on the Honda to do some cruising. There were some roads south of town I wanted to explore.

Of course one problem was that I didn’t know the names of these roads. I knew when I went past the exit off I-25 for Ridgegate Parkway that that was where I had wanted to get off. No problem, two exits further south is Happy Canyon Road and in all the years I’ve lived here I’ve never taken that road. I figured now was the time.

I got off on Happy Canyon and found that just like the exit just to the north, Castle Pines Parkway, this road goes through Castle Pines. I had just been down that way a couple weeks ago. And sure enough, Happy Canyon came out on U.S. 85 just a very short distance southeast of where Castle Pines and the Daniels Park road come out. So fine, I made the three-quarter-mile jog to the Daniels Park road and went back to I-25 that way, and then north to the Ridgegate Parkway exit.

What I had in mind was the road that runs along the hillside alongside the highway, just because I’d never been on it and previously had not known how you even got to it. As I headed the short distance east from the highway to the southbound road I was interested to see that Ridgegate Parkway continued east and I wondered where it went. I decided to go south on the road I planned–which turned out to be Havana, at least up at this end–and then come back up and go further east on Ridgegate.

Havana, or whatever it became, was a nice winding cruise and where did it come to but to Castle Pines Parkway as it continued east. Wonder where that goes? I’d never been on it before either, so I figured I’d follow Ridgegate some other time.

By the way, that map you see here shows in yellow this route I took. The mapping software is 2010 version but this extension of Castle Pines Parkway to the east is so new it isn’t even on the map.

It turned out that the road worked its way east and north, looping around the also pretty new Reuter-Hess Reservoir, which I believe is a joint venture between Parker and Castle Rock. The reservoir is so new it hardly has any water in it. Presumably that will change.

As I went on I eventually came to an area where new houses are going up and a sign welcomed me to Parker. This must be far southwest Parker, and it’s nowhere near the old part of town, the Parker that was all of Parker the first time I ever was there. The road became Hess Road and it brought me out on Parker Road about two miles south of the old part of town.

I cruised on north toward home until the bike suddenly lost power and started acting badly. Oh rats, don’t make trouble for me today! Then I had a thought, glanced at the trip meter, and flipped the lever to go to reserve. The power surged again and I had a reminder to get gas before I went home.

I wanted to get out on the Suzuki as well considering how unpredictable the weather has been but I also wanted to work in my garden. I had a ride out east planned for the V-Strom but after a couple hours in the garden I figured that ride could wait, and instead I would take this bike and actually ride east on RidgeGate Parkway as I had intended to do on the Honda.

That’s the line in blue on the map, and this road is also so new it doesn’t even show on the mapping software. This road also twisted around east and north and it eventually was labeled Main Street. It took a while but it did indeed take me right into old Parker, on Parker’s old Main Street. So now I know.

And now I see, looking at the map, another road that runs off of Founder’s Parkway in Castle Rock, goes northeast, and meets Hess Road just west of Parker Road. Never been on that road. Guess I’ll have to go take a look.

Biker Quote for Today

So what bike are you going to try it on? If someone loans me a KTM 950 I’ll give it a swing, no guarantee on what the bike will look like after.

I’m doing this as a favor to my wife’s niece but if you’re interested it might be a favor to you, too.

The school Mindy’s kids go to is holding an online art auction to raise money for . . . I don’t know, she didn’t say. Schools always need money, right?

So one of the offerings–or maybe there’s two copies offered, not clear on that either–is a picture done by renowned motorcycle artist David Uhl. You can go to his website to see what he’s all about. I guess the guy has been around quite awhile and is pretty successful. I think you’ll like some of his stuff that you can see on the site.

The photo in the auction is the one pictured above. I deliberately took a screen grab from search results because of course the picture is copyrighted and I’m hoping it’s OK for me to use it in this manner so that prospective buyers can see what it is they’re being asked to bid on. Hey David, if you don’t like it let me know and I’ll take the image down. Just trying to be helpful here. The point is, they don’t have an image on the auction site, so who’s going to bid on something like this sight unseen.

This particular picture is one Uhl did at Harley’s request for their 100th anniversary. Mindy says that “They are really nicely framed and will likely go for around $400-500 but retail at ~$2000 from what I see on the website. (I think that is unframed.)” So if you’re a fan of Uhl then this could be your chance to get a real bargain. Plus, right at this moment, probably at least in part because there’s no image to show prospective bidders what it is, there are no bids on the piece.

In case you can’t make out what it is, it’s a crated Harley getting loaded onto a horse-drawn wagon to be delivered somewhere. Here’s what Uhl’s site says of the picture.

There is a symbolism to this work; the warm light of the factory spills out onto the fresh snow on the street. The early dawn seems silent, but this is just the beginning. New crated motorcycles are being loaded onto a horse-drawn flatbed wagon, and America has no idea yet that these powerful machines will become the symbol of freedom and independence that they are today. The horses appear slightly impatient; ready to get this show on the road!

OK. I hope it sells and someone gets a really good deal, while the school makes some money.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Only a biker knows . . .: Motorcycle wit and wisdom, #31

Biker Quote for Today

On a perpetual dirty road tour in the land of Hicks and Nothing…

Consider this remark:

“People think it’s pretty glamorous, and it is. I’m doing a dream job, riding motorcycles. But it’s a hell of a lot of work.”

That summation comes from a motorcycle demo ride leader, someone paid to ride motorcycles all day and take other people for rides. A dream job indeed.

Until you consider the long hours, low pay, and general crud work it so often entails. This behind-the-scenes look at the world of demo riding comes via an experienced ride leader, who declines to be named, but whom we we call AJ.

Demo rides are a big tactic in motorcycle sales. When you buy a car you take it for a test drive. When you want to buy a motorcycle, generally you can’t just hop on it and go ride. Even experienced riders are more prone to accidents on an unfamiliar bike, and dealers are understandably reluctant to entrust an expensive new bike to a rider whose skill level is unknown. Thus, many motorcyclists end up buying a bike they have never ridden.

Would you buy a car you had never driven? That’s where demo rides come in. Some times a dealership will bring in a truckload of bikes that are sent around by the factory for the purpose of giving riders an opportunity to test ride them. At other times, one or more brands will send their trucks loaded with bikes to motorcycle rallies or other events. Prospective riders have to register, show their motorcycle-validated driver’s license, have a helmet and other required gear, and sign a waiver absolving the company if the rider gets hurt.

Once riders are assigned to their bikes for a particular demo ride, they follow a ride leader, who rides the designated route, controls the speed, and does what he or she can to ensure a safe, fun ride. In most cases there is also another ride guide at the rear–the sweep–to deal with any problems that might occur.

“We chat them up at registration,” says AJ, “trying to determine their riding skill. Sometimes we have to tactfully steer someone who is maybe five-foot-two away from a taller bike that they’re interested in to a shorter one that fits them better.”

Despite everyone’s best efforts, accidents sometimes do happen.

“Last season we had a rider who missed the curve and went straight off the road into the forest,” says AJ. “The bike bounced off a number of trees and was totaled, but the rider was OK. I had to consider the safety of the rest of the group and in the meantime, the riders in the next group had no idea what had happened. Crashes are difficult. We try to minimize them, but they do happen. It’s a dangerous sport.”

Not All Riders Are Trustworthy
And sometimes the riders simply lie about their ability.

AJ tells of one rider who signed up for the smallest bike, then rode very slowly, didn’t stay in the lane, and held up the group. Half-way through the ride the ride leader pulled over and asked him how it was going.

“Fine,” he said, “I’m just nervous.”

“Well, today’s your lucky day, you’re gonna get to ride with me,” she told him, ending his solo ride.

He climbed on behind her and while it is customary for the passenger to hold onto the rider, his hands kept sliding up over her breasts. She shoved them down repeatedly and when she recognized the same guy the following year she spread the word that no one should allow him to ride.

In another instance, says AJ, “I had one woman who signed up saying she had been riding for 15 years. Then she ended up looking to me more as an instructor. She started out starting out stalling the bike repeatedly, she nearly dropped it, and she got very flustered. In a situation like that you have to handle it tactfully, and not turn them against the brand. As the leader, I told her to come back at 5 p.m. and I’d do a solo ride with her. That defused it and got her out of the public eye. She came back at 5 and I took her for a couple laps around the parking lot.”

Of course, ultimately the ride leader’s job is to help sell motorcycles.

“I bend over backwards for a serious potential buyer,” says AJ. “In order to accommodate riders I’ll sometimes suck it up and do one more ride at end of day, whatever is necessary to make them feel important.”

Those days can be very long.

“We get there a couple hours before first ride goes out, check he bikes, warm them up, set everything up, and then we haul ass all day long.”

The work begins with unpacking the trailer and setting up awnings and the demo area. Every load is different, there are no diagrams, and, says AJ, “It’s a little bit of organized chaos.”

Once set up, it can be a challenge to keep things flowing smoothly. Every hour you must “get the ride out on time, deal with a group of riders of varying abilities, get them off the bikes, chat them up, and then get the next group out. There’s no time for anything, not even potty breaks. We barely have time to eat, and you can’t eat in front of the public. You’ll step behind the truck and grab two bites of a sandwich—if someone thought to provide food.”

Packing up at the end is also, in AJ’s words, “a real drag. They don’t want to pay for an extra day so we have to pack up everything after a full day of demo rides, then hope they don’t fly you home on the red eye. I’m pretty wiped out after an event.”
The employment arrangement for ride leaders varies by manufacturer. One brand may hire contractors directly to staff their programs, while another may outsource the function to a company that itself brings in contractors. One company, Yamaha, has hired employees specifically to do demo rides and, at least at times, Harley-Davidson has held lotteries in their factories, with the winners getting paid to go out on the road with the demo trucks.

Despite the negatives, however, AJ does still describe this as “a dream job.”

“We do get to go to cool places and ride motorcycles—if you have the energy to do that after working all day. But there is much that goes on behind the scenes that the riders just don’t know.”

Perhaps not so much now.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Only a biker knows . . .: Motorcycle wit and wisdom, #31

Biker Quote for Today

I have friends, and I know other motorcyclists. But truly the best are friends who are motorcyclists.