Passes & Canyons Blog

There are apparently millions of people who think they can safely drive while texting or doing so many other things that take their eyes off the road and their attention off the incredibly important activity of actually driving their car. Those people are idiots.

I never use my phone when I’m driving and I am an extremely careful, defensive driver. And rider.

And yet, despite all my care, I sometimes find myself in potentially dangerous situations. Safety is hard!

If I thought about it I’m sure I could come up with any number of dangerous times I’ve had on the bike, but I don’t have to think too hard to come up with the one that happened on Sunday.

I had been on a portion of the Old Bike Ride 17 and was headed home. I came into town on 6th Avenue and turned south on I-25. I quickly merged one lane to the left and wanted to move one lane further to the left. I turned my head to get a clear view of traffic, saw that it was clear and signaled and accelerated, all in the space of a couple seconds, and turned my view back to the front only to find the traffic in front of me had slowed down and I was already uncomfortably close to the rear end of the car in front of me. I was already moving left so I just accelerated that move and didn’t have to brake or even roll off the throttle and all ended well.

But that’s how it works. You have to pay attention ALL THE TIME. Conditions change in an instant. If you think nothing can go wrong in the three seconds you spend looking at your phone . . . you’re an idiot!

Biker Quote for Today

I have to get a license to drive a motorcycle to protect myself and the people around me. I am adamant there should be some sort of licensing required to have children. — Tim Allen

I got a different perspective on the concept of “ride your own ride” on the Old Bike Ride Sunday. Normally that idea is that you should ride in the manner you are comfortable and not try to keep up with someone going faster, especially if you are not comfortable with that speed.

Here’s a different take: Start off on the ride whenever you feel like it; you don’t need to start with the group. Then, do whatever section or sections of the ride you wish and blow off the others. This went on a lot on this ride.

It was a smaller group than I expected at the starting point in Golden. I’d guess there were about 35 people hanging around. Getting started, one person would take off, then maybe a group of three, then a few minutes later another single, another single, a group of two . . . OK, everyone knows where we’re going–just get there at your own pace. The first leg was up Lookout Mountain. Slow going with a lot of bicycles intermixed with the motorcycles and the cars.

Then we got to the first stop, up at Buffalo Bill’s grave site, and there were only about 20 people. Apparently a fair number of people just come to say hello and look at the bikes, but have no intention of actually doing the ride.

We took off from there but soon there was no group at all, just a bunch of bikes moving at different speeds and few in view either behind or in front of you. This leg was over to I-70, a short hop to Evergreen Parkway, and then a right onto CO 103 over Squaw Pass, past Echo Lake. We pulled in at the next stop, Echo Lake Lodge, with people straggling in over 10 or 15 minutes, even though we had all left the last stop at roughly the same time.

Then, just a few minutes after I got there, about half the group headed out again. The remainder had no intention of going anywhere for at least another 15 minutes.

We continued on CO 103 down to Idaho Springs, hopped on I-70 a few miles to U.S. 6 going down Clear Creek Canyon. The group was heading on up to Nederland for lunch but I had no inclination to go to Nederland so I went down the canyon, back to Golden and on home. So I joined in the ethic of riding my own ride.

But it was a really nice day to be out riding. This was my first ride into the hills of 2019 and boy, was I glad I wore my electric vest and my winter gloves. Going over Squaw Pass was cold! And the ground was still almost completely covered with snow, although the road itself was clear and dry, with not even the expected sand you usually see at the end of winter.

And finally, on my third try, I took part in the Old Bike Ride 17.

Biker Quote for Today

An old motorcycle is like an onion, the more layers you peel back the more your eyes water.

Every time we ride we know there is at least the possibility that things will turn ugly. On the vast majority of days it doesn’t happen, but then there is that one day.

It happened with the OFMC last year down in New Mexico, when Friggs, for no reason he understands, crashed on a perfectly smooth, clear road.

We had just gotten past a rough, torn up for chip sealing stretch of road, and stopped at the top of Emory Pass. Moving on again, the road was practically new and you could not have asked for better.

I was in the lead, with Bill behind me. Friggs was at the very rear, in back of Dennis. As I cruised along I noticed I had not seen Bill for too long so I slowed down. Bill caught up with me but had his turn signal on, so I pulled over at the first opportunity. Bill had not seen the guys behind him in too long a time.

A lot of things go through your head in a situation like this. First off you assume everything is all right and there’s a good explanation. Someone had to stop to pick up something they dropped. Someone realized they had not sealed one of their bags. There are any number of things that could cause a delay.

But you also worry it might be worse. What if someone went down? What if they went down and are seriously injured? How would you even deal with that? I don’t think any of us have First Aid training and where we were it was unlikely that there would be cell service. Would you be watching your buddy bleed to death waiting for an ambulance to finally arrive?

These are not pleasant thoughts to entertain so we focused on the more benign likelihoods. Still, after waiting about five minutes for the others to catch up, and not seeing anyone, we headed back.

Bill and I talked later and confirmed we had both been thinking the same thing, that we would come around a bend to see a disaster strewn out in front of us, with someone badly hurt. Each twist in the road offered that possibility afresh. We were figuratively crossing our fingers and hoping not to have something really ugly burned into our memories.

It was with great relief that we saw Brett and Dennis going the other way and they gave us the OK sign. But where was Friggs? Bill and I kept on until Friggs also went by and then, with relief, we turned around and caught up with them all at the same place Bill and I had pulled over. Friggs had gone down and was miraculously uninjured. His clothes were ripped and torn, his helmet scraped horribly, and there was damage to the bike but Friggs was somehow OK.

Wow. Such a good outcome when it could have been so bad. His angels were definitely watching over him that day.

So anyway, this has got me thinking, and I’ve decided two things. First, before this summer’s trip I’m going to take a First Aid/CPR class. And then, next chance I get, I’m going to take an Accident Scene Management class as well. The unfortunate thing is that these are not offered frequently and I just missed one because we were in Europe. That’s why I say “next chance I get.”

I’ll let you know how these go. Maybe you might consider getting some training, too. Couldn’t hurt and you never know when it might help–a lot!

Biker Quote for Today

If I hadn’t laid ‘er down , I would have wrecked.

“You didn’t happen to see about 100 folks on motorcycles right here in the last minute or two did you?”

I went to the Old Bike Ride this weekend–twice. And I’ll go again next Sunday.

Yeah, OK, explanation required.

I was running a little late Saturday, reaching Golden just a minute or two after 9:30 and the ride was supposed to start promptly at 9:30. And there was nobody there. There were two motorcycles parked but I didn’t see any riders. Where the heck is everyone? There’s no way that many people can leave that quickly.

Of course it was my error. The ride was on Sunday, not Saturday. Oh well, it was a nice ride, though a little brisk. I wasn’t dressed for winter riding and might have wished I was but it got warmer as the morning progressed.

So now it was Sunday morning and it was a lot cooler and much more overcast. Warned by yesterday, I dressed for the weather, and it was a darn good thing I did. Even with warmer gear and my electric vest it was COLD riding out to Golden.

But I got to Golden and there were about a dozen, maybe 15 guys standing around with their bikes. I parked, removed my helmet, and turned to the guys near me and said, “I expected quite a few more people here.” Oh, they told me, the ride has been postponed till next Sunday. Weather up in the hills is a bit nasty.

I spoke with the guy who seemed to be in charge and he confirmed that there was dense fog at Genesee and the ride was planned to go up over Squaw Pass and then along the Peak to Peak. He said there was a probability of rain on the Peak to Peak, possibly turning to snow. No, let’s do this next week.

OK, and for the second day in a row I surprised Judy by showing up back at home hours earlier than she expected. Next Sunday!

Biker Quote for Today

Slow is fast…smooth is fast. If it feels fast, you’re doing something wrong and probably going slower than you were before.

As I mentioned last week, I got a free pair of earplugs to try out and review. They come from a company called Big Ear.

First thing you need to understand is that the plugs they gave me are their bottom of the line, which sell for $85. For some reason they just weren’t inclined to give me a pair of their top of the line, $2,150 ear plugs. Go figure. I thought you loved me!

This is all to say, of course, that they have a wide range of offerings. The low end is the solid plugs that just simply block noise. Plus, these are pretty rigid. For $109 you can get the same but in softer, more comfortable acrylic, and for $169 you can get even softer silicone. Just from wearing these I’d probably be inclined to pay a little more for the acrylic.

Stepping up, you get the filtered plugs. These start at $150 and as the name implies, you get noise reduction but only certain wavelengths are filtered out so you can talk and hear normally but the loud, bad stuff if blocked.

If you want to go big they have the hunter varieties where it selectively filters out the sound of your gun but allows you to hear leaves rustling and footsteps, etc. out there in the woods. These go as high as $1,050.

If you’re a swimmer they have aquatic plugs that are biased toward keeping water out of your ears, blocking sound, or playing music while you swim. (Who does that? Nobody I know.)

Many people do like to listen to music while riding their motorcycles, however, and Big Ear has that covered. These have cords and/or Bluetooth to connect to your cellphone. These go as high as $1,496.

And then the top of the line does everything: music, Bluetooth, sound reduction, filtering, and top of the line sound quality.

So I showed up at Avalanche Harley-Davidson, where Pete and Sandi MacLachlan had their booth set up and they fitted me on the spot. Only the very bottom of the line, like I got, are made right there; the rest have to be fitted and then sent to the factory to be made.

They inserted a foam block in my ears, attached with threads for extraction, to limit how far in the molding material could go. Then the silicone was pumped in and while it hardened they shaped the exterior a bit. Once the silicone was set it was all extracted and allowed to set further. With some buffing and trimming and grinding away of extraneous matter, plus some sealant coating, the result was a pair of finished earplugs.

And the big question: how do they do?

The first test I gave them was not on the bike. We have a VitaMix blender at home that, when turned up to top speed, is like a jet engine. It is so loud we wear a pair of noise-blocking headphones when we use it. So I tried making a smoothie using my new Big Ear earplugs. And it was pretty comparable to the headphones. Which means they block a lot of noise.

With that fact established I could only think of one other thing to test and that was comfort. So I went for a ride. Would they be comfortable for an extended period?

Here the answer was a little more ambiguous. For whatever reason, the one in my left ear was more noticeable than the one in my right ear. It may be that it was a snugger fit because I also noticed I got a bit of wind noise in my right ear but not in my left. But that snugger fit was also harder to ignore. I was barely aware on the right but very aware on the left. That’s why I say if I was going to buy these things I would probably pay the extra for the softer units.

But they fit under the helmet perfectly. I’ve worn ear plugs that protruded and got jostled by the helmet when I was putting it on and that is not going to happen with these.

If you care about your hearing you really ought to protect it. Judy and I both have some degree of hearing loss and the failure to hear and understand each other clearly is what leads to most of our moments of friction. There are numerous sources of good earplugs out there and I know that Big Ear is only one of them. Whatever brand you choose, I would strongly urge you to use something.

Biker Quote for Today

Warning: Objects seen in mirror are disappearing rapidly.

It should be no surprise that this mesh jacket, by Viking Cycle, is not for winter riding. I received it for review a couple months ago but it was only recently that it got warm enough to take a ride in it. And even that was a little cool. Of course, that bodes well for summer wear, which is what is intended.

So this jacket you see in the photo is a Warlock Silver Mesh version. The basic Warlock comes in different colors and looks. I chose the silver mesh.

I put this jacket on as soon as I received it and found it extremely comfortable. I ended up wearing it around the house for half an hour or more–it just felt good. I have other mesh jackets and they are very bulky and feel pretty clunky. Would that translate into better protection in a crash? Maybe–I don’t really know. The armor in the Warlock does not feel unsubstantial.

The first thing I noticed about the Warlock was that it has one heck of a lot of pockets. Initially I counted 11, which is four on the outside, three each on the inside lapels, and another one low on the inside on the left. Then I unzipped the liner and found another on the lower right side. So there are 12–I think. Maybe I’m still missing one or two.

Now, the very top pockets on both inside lapels are small and I suspect are not intended for storage; they have–I don’t know what to call them–rubberized passages for earbud wires that correlate to similar passages in the main outside pockets. So you put your phone in the outside pocket, pass the wire through the passage and on up into your helmet. Plus, there are rubber protrusions that hold the wire in place inside the jacket.

So while I’m discussing the pockets I have to make this point: the big ones, both inside and out, are not optimally sized for full-sized wallets. You know, normally you would drop your wallet into the pocket vertically, but in this case there is not quite enough room. You can lay it in horizontally and it fits, but it just feels odd doing that. The pockets do fit your cellphone just fine in the vertical position. Just a minor nit.

Of course the jacket has a zip-out liner that extends all the way down the sleeves. Some jackets have liners that are just vests and don’t cover the arms. This one covers the arms.

Looking at the specs it shows the following:

• PU coated Cordura
• Ergonomic pullers and zippers
• Front air-flow vents and breathable design
• Removable thermal liner
• CE approved armor on elbows, shoulders, back and chest
• 6-point adjustment including lockdown waist adjustment
• Belt loops for pants attachment (I don’t see these; not sure what they mean here)
• Reflective piping on shoulders, chest ,and back

One thing you need to understand about this jacket is that it is an inexpensive one (listed at $79.99 on the website) and as such the trim and finish are not what you see in a more expensive jacket. You get what you pay for. If the trim and finish are things you don’t care about you should be perfectly happy with the Warlock.

For some years now I have had a Viking Warrior leather jacket and the same is true of it. I don’t care; it’s my favorite leather jacket and I wear it a lot. I suspect this Warlock is destined to become my favorite mesh jacket.

Biker Quote for Today

All girls like guys who are tough. Obviously, riding a motorcycle–I don’t want to say that there’s a bad boy quality–but there’s definitely a tough and macho thing about a guy who rides a motorcycle and that element of danger. That’s really sexy. — Marisa Miller

I received an offer of a free pair of fancy ear plugs to review and all I needed to do was come out to Avalanche Harley-Davidson for their May Bike Night and connect with the vendor at their booth. Just to be sure, I googled Avalanche before I headed out and good thing! They moved.

While I was set to head out to Colfax and . . . what? Simms? . . . but instead it turns out Avalanche has moved to a huge new site out on what the map tells me is officially U.S. 40, but what I would think of as CO93, just north of I-70. If you remember where Heritage Square used to be, it’s right there. Heritage Square was set back up off the road and Avalanche and a bunch of other new shops are right there but right up along the road.

So OK, I didn’t waste my time going to the wrong place.

And what a huge, fancy new place it is. They have got to have at least 120 bikes on site ready for sale, and it’s not at all unusual to see bikes being ridden right in and out the front doors to/from the display floor.

Now, when someone buys a bike things really let loose. They fire up some loud music and then the buyer steps up and rings this big bell, announcing to everyone that they are now the proud owner of a new Harley. Then all the floor staff line up to shake the new owner’s hand. They make a big deal out of it.

So it makes me wonder. I’ve been reading for some time how motorcycle sales are dropping, and Harley especially is having trouble because the big cruisers they make don’t appeal to the young riders all the brands are looking for. This big new facility cannot have been cheap, and it is pretty much the standard for all the Harley shops across the country. Is somebody getting ready to take a big financial fall, or are these places going to continue to thrive? I have no idea. It will be interesting to see in the next few years.

Biker Quote for Today

Gawd’s honest truth, never give up the asphalt…The bike wants to turn more than you do, at least try to help it do so…

Riding season is getting into full gear now so it’s good to remember that sometimes there are things coming at you on the road that you do not expect. And why should you? They’re so weird nobody would ever expect them. Here are some experiences other riders have had.

• A snake and a bird. At the same time. I was cruising down a country road and a bird with a snake in his clutches flew into my path, made a quick swoop away from me and was gone. I don’t know who was shocked the most. Me, the bird or the snake. I actually had to look back a few times to reassure myself that he didn’t drop it on me.
• BIG dead possum. Didn’t see it coming (even though quite dead and stationary) I was too fixated on the car in front of me, who seemed to be under the impression that brakes must be applied at every intersection, driveway, mailbox, and manhole. So I had already backed off to about 2 car lengths in a 30 MPH residential area. The next thing I know the KLR and I are airborne, landed the unexpected jump, and went around the block to see what the ramp was made of. Big ugly dead possum.
• Caught the tail end of a cat once. We were staring at each other seconds before I thought the cat would not move and the cat thought he could beat me accross the street before I came by. We both were wrong. Think I just bumped it with my front wheel. Felt something but not like going over anything.
• Elephant in northern Thailand, near Burma. Coming out of a corner still leaning, nearly smacked into this giant grey backside half across the road.
• I charged a huge grizzly bear a long time ago on my KLX250. Usually the bears run away. This one stood its ground. I think it moved at the last minute, I was too scared to look. I bent the license plate hitting a bump way too hard. I was too scared to get off and fix it.
• A swarm of (I believe they are called…) blind mosquitoes in FL. It was so thick that I had to pull over afterwards because my visor was completely blacked out…100% blacked out.
• I saw a dozen bikes crash on one corner was a swarm of locusts crossing the road on the second sweepback of a fast, fast technical section. Huge grasshoppers that do not fly. They crawl. There was a mass migration on Lake Lowery Road one morning. A group ride of Buellers was smokin’ along and when they hit the swarm, down they went.
• A coupla days ago I was on I-78 at the start of evening rush hour; thickening traffic but moving along OK. Saw a car ahead swerve slightly, then noticed what I thought at first was a piece of fruit or something, lying in the road. Or was it an animal? Bright green… a lizard? No… Then I saw another, of a totally different but equally bright color. As I passed the first two, I saw at least a dozen more, scattered across a few hundred feet of highway. What were they? Beanie Babies.
• Some drunk on the wrong side of the road in a long curved tunnel.

OK, that’s it for now. This could be you next time. Ride like your life depends on it, because it does.

Biker Quote for Today

It wasn’t until I went to college and I got my first motorcycle that I understood the thrill of speed. — Vin Diesel