Passes & Canyons Blog

Anyone who has paid attention will recognize this as a much older model of Zero electric motorcycle.

This is not motorcycle-specific but would affect anyone who rides an electric motorcycle.

Under HB21-1205, “Electric Vehicle Road Usage Equalization Fee,” proposed by Rep. Andres Pico, Colorado would charge a fee at time of registration that “is estimated to achieve parity between the aggregate amount of motor vehicle registration fees and motor fuel excise taxes paid per vehicle by owners of plug-in electric motor vehicles and vehicles fueled by gasoline, diesel, or other special fuels and is annually adjusted for inflation.”

This makes total sense because electrics don’t pay fuel taxes but they do use the roads, with all the related wear on those roads. Now, it might hurt if you’re doing the paying because what we now spread out in pennies each time we fill our tanks would presumably be paid all at once. And if this passes there are bound to be cries of unfairness because presumably everyone would pay the same amount when in fact we all pay different amounts on fuel taxes because our mileage differs.

You would also presume that motorcycles would pay less than cars simply because motorcycles use less gas than cars and do less damage to the roads. The bill requires the state departments of revenue and transportation to form a group to study how it would be implemented. That would be the time for us who ride to make sure our voices are heard so as to ensure that we are treated fairly.

Then there are these relevant details in the bill as well. Revenue generated by the fee must be credited to the highway users tax fund (HUTF) and distributed pursuant to the existing “second stream” HUTF allocation formula as follows:

• 60% to the state highway fund;
• 22% to counties; and
• 18% to municipalities; and
• Must be used only for maintenance of existing highways, streets, and roads.

So far, this bill has only been introduced. We have no way of knowing if it will ever be passed. But we’ll keep an eye on it.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: Motorcycles don’t have parents.

Stopped at construction in Masonville. It was amazing how many bikers were out on this fine Tuesday.

Don’t get me wrong, I like riding out to Patty Ann’s in Kiowa for breakfast but the RMMRC has been going there an awful lot since the weather got cold and the mountain roads got icy. So it was nice on Tuesday–a beautiful, warm March day–to go somewhere else.

That somewhere else was Bruce’s, up in Severance. So, where the heck is Severance you might ask. If you figure that Windsor is just about in the middle of the Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley triangle, Severance is just a bit northeast of Windsor. Which is to say, a little east-southeast of Fort Collins. OK, glad we got that settled. Here’s a map.

Now, one of the big reasons the RMMRC doesn’t go north of Denver a lot is that most of us are on the south side and getting through or around the city is no fun. But Bob led us onto I-225 north, up Pena Boulevard and off at Tower Road, which wasn’t too painful. From Tower Road we turned west on 120th and then north on Sable into Brighton. Then north on Weld County Road 27 to Fort Lupton, west on CO 42, then a whole bunch of lefts and rights that took us to Severance.

Severance isn’t much of a town, and Bruce’s seems to be the happening place. We sat out on their semi-enclosed patio and had a really good lunch. Apparently the food is known to be pretty darn good there, although none of us indulged in their specialty, which is rocky mountain oysters. I had the Buffalo chicken sandwich and it was very good.

After lunch we had a lot of choices on how to get home but Bob had a good plan in mind. The real question, again, is how to avoid all the nasty city traffic. What we did was go straight west out of Severance, which took us into Fort Collins but out of town on the road that runs up to Horsetooth Reservoir. That brought us around to Masonville, where we headed south to meet US 34 as it heads up toward Estes Park. We only jogged right then left to get on the road up past Carter Lake and then back onto the flatlands.

Some small county roads and some zig-zagging brought us south around Longmont, down to Niwot, and then more of same brought us past the east end of Boulder, across US 36 on Cherryvale Road, and then south on CO 93 to Morrison, at which point everyone went their own separate ways.

This was a really terrific day of riding–new roads, a new place to eat, and a heck of a good job avoiding the worst traffic areas. Heck, we may have to go north more often. I mean, I’m thinking about Jerry D’s in Dacono . . .

Biker Quote for Today

Challenge yourself daily! Ride the mountains! Hug the curves! Live free!

Contrary to previous announcements, the PIMS will not be coming to Denver this year.

I had reported back in December that the Progressive International Motorcycle Show for Denver had been moved to June but, with that move, would happen. Here’s the update: No, it won’t.

The promoters sent around word last week that with the rate of Covid vaccination not as rapid as hoped, they don’t feel it will yet be safe in June to hold this year’s event. Here’s their statement.

We wanted you to be the first to know that we have updated the 2021 schedule for the all-new Progressive IMS Outdoors series. Unfortunately, we had to make the tough decision to cancel the Denver event that was slated to kick off the tour in June. Considering the timing and vaccination progress across the country, we felt that it would be too soon to hold the event. We hope to put Denver back on the schedule in 2022 and look forward to serving you and your community again.

Another one bites the dust.

Sooner or later we’re going to be getting back to normal. But when? I know my listing of upcoming motorcycle events in Colorado is just as brief at this moment as it was all last year. Right now there are only three events on the listing, and they’re all competitions, i.e., racing.

Biker Quote for Today

Your world can fall down around you but as long as you’re in the wind it won’t make any difference.