Passes & Canyons Blog

I got the V-Strom back from Joel and what a difference!

The chain and sprockets were badly worn and I guess that can contribute to a loss of power but the real factor seems to have been the air filter. You can see in that photo just how bad that was. When I started looking into when I had last had that replaced I was more than a little embarrassed to find the answer was, oh, maybe seven years ago.

I had been out on a four-day Colorado Cruise with the RMMRC about a month ago and really noticed that the bike had trouble going over the higher passes and also in keeping up with the rest of the group on their big, powerful bikes. One night on that trip I did some googling and ran across something that said a worn chain will reduce power, and that was what got me thinking about that.

But when I mentioned it to Joel he said yeah, that might have a tiny impact, but not all that much. That’s when I started thinking about other possibilities. When I hit on the air filter it all made a lot more sense. It’s really hard to give your all when you’re struggling just to breathe.

And did you look at that filter? All those bugs and other debris embedded in it? Not to mention the whole load of dirt! Man, if anyone ever wondered why you need an air filter, just imagine all that crap being sucked into your combustion chamber. Yikes!

So within an hour after Joel dropped the bike back at my place I was out on it seeing how it would run now. Night and day. Joel told me he figured it would have a lot more zip and boy was he right. Plus, with the new chain and sprockets all that slapping I had heard for so long was just gone. Yahoo!

I can’t say enough about having machines that work well. Not to mention having the money to keep them working well. Too well I remember my younger days driving crap cars because that was all I could afford. I don’t miss those days.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if it’s impossible to see out of your car or trucks rear window because of all the Harley stickers.

I was off camping last week down near Ridgway with a bunch of the guys and as we headed home Bill was driving. Getting to Denver is a pretty straightforward thing but it occurred to me that because we wanted to take the Clifton cut-off from US 50 up to I-70, rather than take 50 all the way to Grand Junction, I had better navigate for him.

Why? Because one thing I’ve learned and relearned is that on a motorcycle trip you should never let Bill lead. And while this was not a motorcycle trip, Bill was driving and thus totally likely to take us astray from our planned route.

I can’t begin to relate all the times on bike trips when Bill has missed turns or otherwise gone wrong when he has been in the lead. The earliest I remember is a day up in Wyoming when we were coming south from Kemmerer and needed to turn off US 189 onto WY 412 to get to I-80 at Lyman. Bill was leading and just as we got near the turn he decided to hit the throttle a bit and took off at 100 mph. John cranked it up and followed him while I pulled up to the intersection and parked. A while later John came back, having seen that I was not behind him. He had no idea where Bill was.

We waited and it was a good long wait. Finally Bill showed up, very sheepish. He had gotten nailed by a state patrolman and got a big ticket. Then when John and I never caught up to him he figured he ought to go back and see what was up. Of course, this was before the days of cell phones.

So there have been plenty of other times when Bill has shown his inability to navigate well, and this summer’s OFMC trip was no exception. Back when there were more guys doing these trips Bill didn’t often have the opportunity to take the lead but now that it’s down to just him and me and Dennis, Bill ends up leading more often, although usually I take the lead. With Bill in the lead more, the chances for errors are greatly increased.

This past summer, on the first day out, we met at a shopping plaza alongside I-76 up by Brighton. It was obvious to me that to get onto I-76 from the lot where we met up we should just go out and take a left, then a quick right to get to the highway. Bill led and immediately went to the right. I hoped that maybe he had an idea where he was going but several miles later he pulled over and as I came up beside him he asked if I knew how to get to the highway. “Follow me,” I said and went back the way we came.

A couple days later we were up in the Black Hills and we were riding the Needles Highway, the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop, and the Iron Mountain Road. I was shooting pictures with my GoPro and wanted them ahead of me in the pictures so I could not lead. At one point we stopped and I told the guys we needed to go right when we got to the highway ahead. So, of course, Dennis, who was leading, went left. He can be as bad as Bill sometimes.

We ended up backtracking and then coming out of the Wildlife Loop I told Bill, who was leading at that point, that we needed to go right up ahead. So of course he turned left. No Bill, your other right.

But that wasn’t the end of it. A couple days after that we were headed to Torrington and we had stopped a bit down the road for a break. I told Bill when we got into Torrington we needed to go right on the main street of town. This should have been fairly obvious because it was the only place you could turn because the road we came in on runs alongside a railroad track. You guessed it: he blew right past that turn and we had to go back.

So you can understand my concern heading up to the Clifton cut-off. But I was navigating so we didn’t miss it.

If you ever ride with Bill, don’t let him lead. Just don’t.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: Motorcycles always sound pleasant.

I was off with the OFMC this summer on our annual ride and saw something that made me shake my head. We were in the Black Hills and somewhere along the way I saw this guy on a motorcycle wearing a helmet that I can only describe as a hard yarmulke, or kepi. This thing would have provided exactly zero protection if he went down so why would he bother? I mean, heck, with just a chin strap it would probably just come right off in a fall.

But that line of thinking leads to a larger group of riders. People like Bill and Dennis, my riding companions. That’s Dennis in the photo.

Both of them have full-face helmets that they bring along but much of the time they wear these half-helmets. That seems pointless to me, too.

I used to ride without a helmet at all, much of the time, but at the point when I decided not to do that any more I just went the entire other direction. I mean, look at Dennis. His face is totally exposed. How much of his chin do you suppose would get scraped off in a fall? How much of his nose? At least that chin strap is a bit more secure than the one on that guy with the hard yarmulke.

I figure if I’m going to wear a helmet I want all the protection a helmet has to offer. I’ve heard of people losing half their teeth in serious crash, and having their jaws mangled. I want a helmet that will . . . wait for it . . . protect my head. All of my head.

I know, I know. There are people who would criticize me because I don’t wear my reinforced riding pants all the time. I just wear jeans most of the time in summer. That’s not ATGATT. So I probably shouldn’t roll my eyes too much at people who feel differently than me on these other things. And I don’t. I never say anything to Bill or Dennis but I do say things to myself. I guess we all get to choose our own version of stupid.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 36. We think leather bras are fine lingerie.

I talked about what it took to get this top bag attached to my Concours, and now I’ve had it for a while and have had a number of chances to put it to use. I have to say, I love it.

I got it on in time to have it on the OFMC trip in July and it proved every bit as welcome as I expected it would. For years I had envied my friends and how when we would stop somewhere they would just take off their helmets and jackets, drop them in their top bag, close it, and walk away. Meanwhile I was locking my helmet to the bike and hauling my heavy, bulky jacket with me everywhere I went. Now, I know a lot of people just leave their jackets on their bikes, unsecured, but I carry my wallet with my ID and credit cards in my jacket pocket and there’s no way I want to leave that just draped over the seat or the tank. And the wallet is too bulky to comfortably carry in my pants pocket. Plus, I guess I’m not as trusting as some people that no one will take my unsecured jacket. Heck, one time someone stole Bill’s mirror right off his bike. Some people really are low.

So the bag was a huge success on the trip. It’s also nice on other rides. I just pop it open, toss in my rain suit and warmer gloves, maybe an extra layer–whatever I want. It’s much easier than using the side bags. They open sideways and it’s easy for stuff to spill out. Plus, on one side I secure the thing with a strap because it has been known to come off the rail next thing I know it’s dangling out over the road, held on only by the lock. So that’s just another nuisance, undoing and then redoing that strap.

Around home, for errands, it’s great. Once a month I make a trip to the wine store and the bread store. Now I put the wine in the side bag without the strap but the bread goes in the top bag where it won’t get crushed.

All of this totally ignores the options this opens up when Judy and I ride together. When I’m traveling the side bags are generally full and I put my rain suit in my tank bag. With Judy it gets complicated. Not only do we have more stuff but more stuff to secure when we stop. Now we can put both jackets in the top bag while securing the helmets to the bike, as before.

I could go on but there’s no point. This thing is great. It was worth the extra effort.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker when your dirty clothes smell like exhaust and beer.

I can’t even remember how long ago it was that my Concours started giving me trouble, but it seems like it’s been all summer. I packed it off to Joel before the OFMC bike trip but when he brought it back Joel said it still needed more work. But there wasn’t time to do that before the trip.

Once I got back from that trip I ordered the necessary parts and called Joel to let him know they were in hand and I was ready for him to come get the bike again, and this time bring it back really, truly fixed.

Well, Joel brought it back the other day and first I took it on a brief errand run to the wine store and then a few days later I rode it with the RMMRC to Daniels Park. And there was just one word for it: normal.

How wonderful it is for that bike to be operating normally again, finally. Normal is so great.

No more racing at a screaming pace when I pull up to a stop. No more dying as I coast to a stop. No more needing to ride around the neighborhood first to get the bike running halfway smoothly before getting out on the less forgiving main roads.

It was also nice once again to have the feeling of power. I had never noticed a lack of power in my other bikes before but lately I have. On the Colorado Cruise with the RMMRC I was on the V-Strom and for the first time it seemed like it was struggling for power going over the highest passes. That bike is currently with Joel and I hope it feels more back to normal when he brings it back. And then the other day I rode the Honda CB750 with the RMMRC up to Kremmling, and that bike was totally left in the dust by those other bigger bikes. The Connie has the power to keep up with any of these other guys.

Yeah, normal can often be boring. We crave some change, some variety. But when you’ve had a steady diet of not normal, and it hasn’t been fun, it’s amazing how wonderful normal can be. We all know that old Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. Right now I’m really hoping to be living in some boring times.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 19. We “need” a bunch of expensive riding gear, usually 2 or 3 of each item.

I did a short ride with a small RMMRC group Saturday and we had an interesting encounter.

Val and Chris had invited everyone over to their house for breakfast before a ride down to Daniels Park. It was kind of nice because it offered a comfortable situation for a few of us who weren’t well acquainted to get to know each other better. Val is a relatively new rider who has a nice little KTM but thanks to Covid has not been able even to schedule a riding test to get her license. So she has to ride with someone who does have a license, such as all of us. From Daniels Park the group could decide to keep going, and they did, but I opted to head home–too much needing my attention at home.

So anyway, we headed out and were winding our way through Littleton and the south suburban area headed to the park when we came to a spot where we needed to turn right. There were seven bikes. I was riding sixth, behind Gene, who was behind I don’t know who.

Approaching this intersection the leaders passed a bicyclist in the bike lane. Not a problem, they were well ahead of him and they turned. One by one these motorcycles made the turn, but with each one the bicyclist drew closer. I was observing this with interest. It occurred to me that I wasn’t really sure who ought to yield the right of way when the cyclist got to the intersection, assuming he planned to go straight. But my thinking was that whatever was the “right” thing, he really ought to slow down and let these string of motorcycles make their turn as a group. I mean, how big a deal would that be?

But he didn’t. As he came to the intersection the rider in front of Gene turned in front of him, he hit his brakes and wobbled pretty fiercely, and as he then crossed ahead of Gene he angrily yelled at Gene. OK.

When we stopped I asked Gene what he had said but Gene had been listening to music so he didn’t catch the words but nobody could miss the anger. And I asked and everyone agreed that the right of way is supposed to be ceded to the bicyclist. But the guy in front of Gene, the offender, said he figured he had plenty of room to make the turn without interfering with the bicyclist. And apparently he thought he had done so and was surprised that there had been an incident.

Which just gets back to my original thinking. OK, the guy had a right to believe the right of way should have been yielded to him. (Nobody has the right of way, it’s a matter of who is supposed to yield the right of way. That’s a technicality but it’s good to keep that clear in your mind.) But in this case, wouldn’t it have been smart for the cyclist to have decided for his own safety to just defer to this string of motorcycles?

We motorcyclists know all too well that if someone violates our space that no matter how in the right we are, we’re still the ones who are going to get hurt. Clearly that applies even more to bicyclists.

And even if someone understands and accepts that the cyclist had the right of way, sometimes people make bad judgments. In this case that apparently happened. We follow the maxim of riding as if we’re invisible. Again, bicyclists should follow that concept even more since they’re even more vulnerable. I don’t think it’s any secret though that at least some bicyclists are overly self-righteous in asserting their right to their share of the road. And I think this guy was one of those. Fine, be that way, but I personally think my own safety and well-being take precedence over my rights on the road. I’d rather rant about some idiot later than wake up in the ER.

It all comes down to one over-riding principle: don’t be stupid. I think this guy was stupid.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if you’ve never ridden long enough to know that stock seats are never comfortable.

If anyone pays attention to the time of day when these posts generally go up you’ll be aware that this is much later in the day than usual. That’s because I only just got back from an all-day ride with the RMMRC. Roy called last night and told me to be at his place just before 8, so I was. So were Charley and Tim. We headed on out to Morrison to meet up with the rest, and there were a bunch today, about 12 of us.

Essentially this was a fall color ride. This is the time of year when the mountainsides are covered in yellow and gold and it’s always the sort of thing you want to take pictures of. Happily for us, it was also one of these incredibly beautiful October days that Colorado is know for. Let’s ride!

We headed up past Red Rocks to US 40 where it runs alongside I-70 going up Mount Vernon Canyon. Right away we lost Roy, who rides sweep. No one had any idea what happened to him and we hoped he didn’t break down but the plan from the start was that if we got separated just regather at the Subway in Granby.

We took US 40 and then US 6 as much as possible, just getting onto I-70 briefly when we had to, and then followed 40 up over Berthoud Pass. Bob, who I consider one of the fast guys, suggested that the guys like Mike, who Bob considers a fast guy, might want to blast on ahead. Mike said he would stay with the group until we hit the pass but then look out, he’d be gone.

So we were totally splintered by the time we got to Granby, and who should I see first but Roy. Seems as sweep, he saw two bikes behind him so he waved them ahead and then followed them. They were not part of our group. Oops. So he went up Lookout Mountain and caught US 40 that way and ended up ahead of us.

The Subway in Granby was not going to open for another 15 minutes so some elected to stay and wait while the others went on to the Subway in Kremmling, with the others to catch up with us there. The idea was to get lunch to go and then go have a picnic down by Green Mountain Reservoir south of Kremmling.

I took off with the group heading to the Kremmling Subway and what happened then was like much of the day. Everyone else was on newer, powerful bikes. I was on my very old, decidedly less powerful Honda CB750 and I just can’t keep up with these guys. No matter, we all knew where we were headed.

Food in hand, we turned south. CO 9 runs along the east edge of the reservoir but we turned onto the road that runs along the west shore and finally found the only campground still open. Time for lunch.

I wrote last week about differences in the OFMC and the RMMRC and here’s another one. The road down into the campground was gravel and none of us were on dual-sport bikes, but we all went down it anyway. The OFMC–other than me–flat out refuses to do any gravel. They would not have done this.

After lunch we continued south on CO 9 with the plan to get gas at Silverthorne. Some people were more antsy to ride so even while a few were not ready to roll yet, a bunch took off. I was the tail end of that group. We were going to go over Loveland Pass rather than through the tunnel. Once again, they left me in the dust.

I was not unhappy with that. I like to ride at my own pace and blasting over a high mountain pass at excessive speed is not my thing. I figured at this point we were all totally scattered and that was really the end of the group ride but to my surprise, as I got down to I-70 they were waiting. And not just for me. Did I know where the others were? No, I hadn’t seen them since the gas station but in less than a minute there they were and they passed us and we pulled in behind them.

Bob, in the lead, was still following the practice of avoiding the slab so we got off at Bakerville and onto US 6 again, down to Silver Plume. This old road running alongside but away from the interstate is such a nicer ride than the slab. We had to get back on I-70 at Silver Plume, just to get down to Georgetown, and then we were off again, although we lost one rider who didn’t realize we would do this and was stuck in the left lane going past the exit.

So it was US 6 on down to Idaho Springs and two people, I’m not sure who, headed up Squaw Pass. For the rest of us, once we were back on the interstate this time it was all over. I quickly found myself riding just with Roy. But I didn’t figure I wanted to do the slab all the way home so I got off at El Rancho and turned down Kerr Gulch Road, angling down to CO 74 at Kittredge. Much nicer ride.

And there I was, heading east on US 285/Hampden when who pulls up alongside me but Tim. He had been way out in front of me. How the heck did I get ahead of him? Was my shortcut that much faster? Or was Tim one of the ones who took Squaw Pass, and he did it so fast that he barely ended up behind me? I have no idea.

Whatever. Bottom line was, this was a terrific day of riding. The weather was great, the colors were good, most especially down CO 9 from Kremmling to Silverthorne. Of course it totally disrupted everything else I had had in mind to do today but that’s the price you pay when you’re (deep, rumbling voice) a biker.

Extra: In my earlier post comparing the OFMC and the RMMRC I forgot one really big thing, which I have since added into that post. But rather than make you go look for it I’ll paste it in here.
In the OFMC, if we get cold, we’ll stop and put on more gear. If our legs are getting stiff, we’ll stop and take a break. With the RMMRC it seems that once we get rolling we are going to continue rolling. These guys like to ride, not stop. Of course, with a group of any size, stopping requires time. One or two people can stop quickly and get going again, but with eight people it takes about four times as long. And you don’t cover lots of miles in a day if you’re stopping all the time.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if taking your wife on a cruise means a putt down the interstate.

If there was one thing that became abundantly clear to me on this recent RMMRC Colorado Cruise was that if you are riding in the high country, summer is over.

I very foolishly wore my mesh jacket and I intended to find the liner but forgot it, and that was quite a mistake. Every time we got up high–which was frequently–I was cold because that cold air just cut through that mesh. That’s what they’re for, to give you nice ventilation on hot days. But these were not hot days. So why was I wearing mesh? Idiot.

I did finally think to use my rain jacket as a wind breaker and should have done so a lot sooner. Sometimes your brain works better than other times.

At the same time, it’s not cold yet down here on the prairie. Shortly after getting home I took the Honda out for a ride and, having gotten plenty chilled again and again on the last trip, I pulled on leather AND a sweatshirt, and for good measure, my winter gloves. Out I went and gosh, who coulda thunk it, I was way too hot. I mean, heck, it was all of 80 degrees or more. But my brain was still back on top of Cottonwood Pass and Red Mountain Pass and you know, you can never be too cautious.

Yes you can.

So here’s a little simple, very obvious advice. At this time of year, if you’re going up high, dress for cold. If you’re staying down low, and the temperature is above 75, expect warmth. How difficult is that? I don’t know, apparently for some of us (me) it’s not as simple as you might think. Maybe some day I’ll figure it out.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: The rashes you get from motorcycles go away without those painful penicillin shots.