Passes & Canyons Blog

I went to the Colorado Motorcycle Expo, at the National Western Center, as I frequently do. It seemed to me it just wasn’t as much of a show as it usually is. There didn’t seem to be as many really cool bikes in the display area and whereas I usually shoot a lot of good people pictures, this time the people just didn’t seem as out there as usual. Anyway, here’s what I got.

This was a nice bike, not as gaudy as many of the show bikes.

Can’t you just hear this bike growl?

Now we’re into the real big-time show bikes. Somebody put a lot of time and effort into this.

Another beauty, with detail worth zooming in on.

OK, are you really going to ride down the street with pipes an inch off the ground? I doubt it.

Sometimes being a performer can be a lonely affair. But the show must go on so you just get up there and pretend you’re in front of a stadium full of people.

I’ve been to motorcycle shows around the country and this is really the only one that still harks back to the concept of being a swap meet. You really can buy just about any piece of a motorcycle you happen to be looking for. Although you’ll have more luck finding it if the piece you want goes on a Harley.

Leathers, leathers, boy do we have leathers. And helmets.

The Expo is also very much the place if you want patches, and they’ll sew them on right there while you wait.

Biker Quote for Today

If my bike went as fast as the money I spend on it I’d win every race.

My Hyundai Elantra got totaled on Thursday, in a crash that I could have avoided if I had been driving more defensively. After all the busyness was settled I texted the guys just to give them a heads-up and Bill summed it up best: Good thing you weren’t on a motorcycle.

We know as motorcyclists that we have to be on alert all the time. All the time. And just maybe if I had been on a bike I would have seen this red-light runner coming and I would have stayed where I was until he blasted on through. Or maybe on a bike I could have cranked the throttle and gotten clear of him. But I think of myself as a seriously defensive driver/rider and this time I let myself down.

I was coming home from the grocery store and stopped at the red light on Tamarac. It turned green for me and I pulled out. An instant later I saw to my left a car coming on fast and I though “holy crap, is he going to hit me!?” He did. My first thought was of how unloud it all was, just a muffled thump rather than the sounds of shattering metal and glass. My next thought, once my car came to a stop on the other side of Tamarac, now facing in the direction I just came from, was “I am totally uninjured.”

We both got out and talked and there was no anger or recriminations on either side. I think both of us looked at it that there were zero injuries and despite everything else this was soon to lead to, all of that was seriously secondary compared to the fact that no one got hurt.

Of course, by “no one” we’re really talking me. He was never going to get hurt no matter what. His air bag deployed and that was that. But if he had hit me just a few feet further to the front of my car I could well have been on my way to the hospital or possibly the morgue.

Now, with the Colorado legislature back in session there will once again be a distracted driving bill introduced. We really need to get this passed. The first thing this guy told me was that he had no idea at all what happened. I take that to mean that he was distracted, either looking at his cell phone or doing who knows what, but he was not paying attention to driving. And you know the biggest probability was that he was looking at his phone.

Fortunately, he acknowledged to the police officer that he ran the red light. If he had claimed he did not it could have gotten messier. However, a fellow coming down Tamarac a couple blocks behind him stopped and told us he had caught it all on his dash camera and we gave him our email addresses and he sent the video to us. Watching the video he was far enough away that you can’t see much except the crash itself but then as he continues toward us, about three seconds after the crash, you can clearly see the lights for southbound Tamarac turn green. Which is to say, they were not green at the time he entered the intersection and smashed into me.

What all of this boils down to is that, especially when you’re on your motorcycle, but really, at all times, you have just got to drive or ride defensively. My friend Jungle always says that if you get in a crash it doesn’t matter what the other guy did, you were at fault because you should have been paying attention and done something to avoid it. And I could have, and I would have if I had not let my guard down this one time. One time is all it takes.

Biker Quote for Today

Do not base your safety on sheer luck.

It turned out that the conflict I thought I had on Friday night that would prevent me from going to this Triumph “British Invasion Tour” thing was not a conflict. So I went to the Triumph event.

It was interesting on a lot of levels. First off was just getting there. This place, Mile High Station, is directly underneath the Colfax Viaduct, on Old Colfax Avenue, and getting there is not exactly a straightforward deal. But I googled it and it turned out that if I came up I-25 and got off at 8th Avenue I could then go under the highway and take an immediate right onto Zuni and it took me straight there. Now I know.

The next thing that I had not expected was that I had to pay for parking. It cost me $11. Not thrilled about that. They could have mentioned the parking situation.

I went in and it was a very different motorcycle crowd than what I’m accustomed to mixing in. While there definitely were a good number of older guys the crowd was largely younger. And there were a good many women climbing on the display models looking like they were totally at home there. Good for them.

This really must have been a gathering of the Triumph faithful because there was a lot of Triumph apparel in the crowd, although there were also a few Indian shirts or jackets and one guy was wearing Aprilia. And it was a very affluent-looking crowd.

I had wondered about eating dinner before coming because the invitation touted “light refreshments and beverages.” Fortunately I did eat. The hors d’oeuvres, as it were, were being served by three young women who would come out with a platter holding about six items, which were quickly grabbed and then they would go back and in a while come out with more. This for a crowd I would put at around 200. Somehow I did manage to get one hors d’oeuvre.

And yes they had a bar but while I presumed it would be beer free but pay for anything else, nope, it was all a cash bar.

The young fellow emceeing the event came out and they showed a video of some of the new bikes and then enlisted people from the crowd to uncover the bikes that were as yet not visible. And yeah, they were nice-looking bikes for what I thought were very reasonable prices. But nothing that I’d be looking for at this time.

And then of course I had to laugh at the emcee because he really showed his youth when he spoke about the basis for this “British Invasion” theme. He talked about the early 1960s when the bands came across the Atlantic and redefined music in the U.S. Groups like “the Rolling Stones, the Doors . . . ” OK, you weren’t around back then and your history is poor. Someone really ought to tell you that the Doors were an L.A. band and they showed up in the late 1960s, not during the years of the British Invasion.

I hoped I might run into somebody I knew there but I didn’t. It really was a different crowd, I guess. But it was an interesting experience.

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycles are the babies of men.

I don’t often devote this space to passing events but hey, it’s winter and not a lot of riding thanks to snow and ice. Besides, you might be interested. I was.

I got an email today informing me of Triumph Motorcycles America’s 20-city “British Invasion Tour.” And the first stop was set for January 9. Yikes, that’s already past. I assumed they’re coming to Denver, so when? Tomorrow. January 19. Oh my gosh.

You have to make a reservation to go but there’s no charge. While I was anticipating some kind of all day affair, in fact it is just a three-hour event, from 7 to 10 p.m. It’s being held at Mile High Station, at 2027 West Colfax. Where the heck is that?

OK, I get it. You follow that link and up at the top, next to the Mile High Station logo it has a logo for Ironworks. I get it, I know that place. It’s basically under the Colfax viaduct west of the river but east of Federal. That building has always been a beauty and I’m pleased to see it’s still there and still in use. If you’re not familiar with getting there you’ll want to look at Google Maps.

So what’s going on? Per the website:

An exclusive first look at our all-new 2024 motorcycles.

Light food
Live Music
Activations
Cash Bar

First 100 guests to arrive receive exclusive merch!

And apparently it is only the new bikes. Not a comprehensive presentation, just the new ones.

Of course I’d like to go. And wouldn’t you know it, I have a conflict, one that I really don’t want to duck out on. Dang. But maybe you can go.

Biker Quote for Today

A glorious day with a new bike.

I’m not a New Year’s resolution type of guy generally but there are times when I do set goals for myself in the new year. It occurred to me that there are several I have in mind for this year so yeah, let’s just call them resolutions.

For one thing, I really, really intend to put at least 1,000 miles on the CB750 this year. I shoot for that every year but I usually fail. I did succeed in 2021 and 2022 but the last time before that was 2010 and that was before I had a third bike. I’m gonna do it this year! I swear!

Success in that area may well be aided by my next resolution. I really truly have made up my mind that I want to sell the Concours and replace it with a lighter, more modern bike. What I figure is to wait until riding season and put the Kawi up for sale–and hopefully find a buyer–but not be in too big a hurry to buy the replacement. Selling at peak season is good strategy; buying is not. The end of the season is better for that, though once I’ve sold the Concours I’ll start looking for a great deal and I won’t wait if I spot one early on. But that will mean that for awhile I will have only two bikes again and that should mean more road time for the Honda.

I’ve also decided I’m done with putting off getting some expensive work done on the Honda. This bike needs a valve job, or something of that sort. As it is, as it sits, oil seeps past the valves into the cylinders and every time I start it up the first thing it has to do is burn out all that oil. That leaves me sitting in the driveway with a huge cloud of blue smoke swirling around me, hoping none of my neighbors is looking out at that moment seeing this. I don’t know exactly what is needed but I’m sure it is a simple thing for any mechanic to diagnose. And I expect it will not be cheap to fix. So be it. I’m getting the work done in 2024. And maybe while I’m at it I’ll have the cheapo, cracked windshield replaced with something nice.

My final resolution is that I will go for some rides with Judy. I know she hasn’t been on any of the bikes with me in several years now. In fact, I have a vague recollection that she has remarked that she hasn’t been on a bike since we took that trip to Banff with Willie and Jungle and crew, and that was six years ago. Is that possible? I mean, she has full riding gear, we have communicators, and she likes to ride. But she doesn’t generally suggest it; she waits for me to invite her. And I have not done that. She especially likes to hike and we like to combine the two, riding a bike to a trailhead and going hiking. That’s going to happen this year.

Now I don’t think any of those plans is unrealistic. So maybe, just maybe, I’ll get them all done. Maybe spelling it all out here will light that fire under my butt.

Biker Quote for Today

In heaven, there’s no need to wear a helmet.

I’m the official trip planner for the OFMC these days and yes, despite Bill’s expressed doubts last time about continuing to do this annual ride, there will be a 2024 OFMC ride. Now I just have to figure out where to.

Bill’s complaint was that the daily mileage was too much—he just doesn’t enjoy pounding out the miles any more. So the idea will be to stay mostly in Colorado, take it easy, and maybe actually visit some of these tourist destinations we have ridden past so many times but never stopped at. But what?

Let’s make a list of tourist attractions.

Hot springs. Yeah, OK, there are plenty of hot springs in Colorado. We could spend a couple days in Glenwood Springs or Pagosa Springs or even Hot Sulphur Springs. Or any of a number of others. But what? We roll into town, check in at our motel, and go to the hot springs for a few hours. We’re not really going to spend another day there are we, particularly in the really small towns like Hot Sulphur Springs. No one has ever expressed any serious interest in hitting hot springs before and I’m pretty sure we don’t want to get to town, not go to the springs that day, go the next day and spend another night there. Nope, the hot springs has just got to be a place we visit the day we arrive.

I suppose we could string together four or five places, all with hot springs, and make that the theme of this trip. Again, are any of us really all that into hot springs? I’m not.

One thing these guys are into is golf. We always do a golf stop on these trips. Maybe this should be a multi-golf-day trip. Play three different courses across the state. That actually could work for them, but ever since I injured my shoulder a few years ago I can no longer play because the pain is extreme. I’m fine with riding along and being ball spotter one day but three? Not so sure. I suppose depending on where we are I could go ride while they spank whitey.

There are steam locomotive trains. I can think of Georgetown, Durango, Chama, Leadville, the Royal Gorge, and a few more. That could work, although I know from experience that these things can also be deadly boring. That makes the route from Durango up to Silverton good because as I understand you can ride the train up and take a bus back—much quicker.

How about white water rafting? I hadn’t thought of that. Worth looking into.

Then beyond the categories are the one-off attractions. Places like Red Rocks, Garden of the Gods, Mount Blue Sky (nee Evans), Pikes Peak, the national parks, the Argo Mill in Idaho Springs, Skyline Drive, . . . the list goes on. Big problem: we’ve all been to nearly every one of those, many of them more than once. Plus, with places like Red Rocks, Idaho Springs, Garden of the Gods, you know, hey, we live in Denver. We can go to any of those places any day we want.

One place we haven’t been (as a group) is Mesa Verde. OK, that’s a two-day thing what with arriving and spending the next day seeing the place. That leaves six more days. We’ve also never stopped at Chimney Rock National Monument, primarily because it has only been designated such and open for visitors for a year or two. That would be just a stop of an hour or two on the way to Ignacio, I would assume.

Ignacio. Cortez. Cripple Creek. Black Hawk. Gambling. We could do a gambling ride. We all enjoy that and at least one night at a casino town is a mandatory part of our trips. Should we do more than one? These things can and sometimes do get expensive the longer you are there. Food for thought.

Well yeah, my way of thinking out loud is actually starting to give me some ideas. Maybe I’ll get something figured out soon.

Biker Quote for Today

Buying a bike costs money but time doesn’t.

I noted down the odometer readings on my vehicles on December 31 once I knew I wasn’t going anywhere else that day. Once again, as has been the case every year for quite a few years, I put a lot more miles on my three motorcycles than I did on my car. In fact, once again, I put more miles on one particular bike than I did on the car.

My mileage on the car was up about 500 miles last year, all the way to 3,062. That compares to 2,506 in 2022. But I put 3,940 miles on the V-Strom, which was 74 miles more than the previous year. That’s the third time the Suzuki has gone more miles than the car.

It used to be that the Concours was the bike that out-distanced the car, often by a heck of a lot. For instance, in 2010 the Concours to Elantra numbers were 10,004 and 5,581. In 2011 they were 6,875 and 3,556. In 2012 they were 9,437 and 5,061. But now apparently I ride the V-Strom more.

In fact, my Concours number was only 1,849 in 2023, compared to 2,354 in 2022. Part of that had to do with it being out of commission after overheating up by the Eisenhower Tunnel coming home from the OFMC trip. It was nearly two months before that bike was rideable again.

I know I’m not going to get big numbers on my CB750 so my target each year is to put at least 1,000 miles on it. Once again I was unsuccessful. I only racked up 672 miles on that bike in 2023, which was down from the 729 miles in 2022. I try to favor that bike for that very reason but I guess I just don’t do it enough. A new year’s resolution I’ll try once again to keep.

Altogether in 2023 I put 6,461 miles on my bikes. This is down a bit from the previous year, when I rode them 6,949. My total mileage on all four vehicles for 2023 was 9,523 compared to 9,455 in 2022. Are most people as consistent as I am?

Biker Quote for Today

Distance is just a number when you ride a bike.

The weather has been good and I’ve now ridden four days in a row, December 30, December 31, January 1, and January 2. Yay Colorado.

I already mentioned my the rides on the last two days of last year, but then we were on to a new month and as always I intend to ride each of my bikes every month. And at this time of year you can’t count on the weather so if it’s sunny on the first of the month I’m out there.

So I got out on both the Honda and the Suzuki on January 1 but the Kawi is an issue. On December 30 I was finally able to get it in to Rowdy Rocket Garage to get this throttle issue addressed. So now I’m at their mercy in terms of getting the work done and at the mercy of the weather come the time when the work is done. Suppose Mark has it done on January 30 but on January 29 we have two feet of snow? Good-bye January ride on the Kawi.

I thought I had the solution on January 2. When I was out riding the day before I passed by the shop and my bike was still sitting there in the driveway, right by the street. Of course, being New Year’s Day I figured there was no one there working so I couldn’t do anything. But the following day I figured I could go by, pop in and tell Mark I just wanted to take the Kawi for a spin and bring it right back, and ta-da! January ride in the books.

But I went by the next day and now my bike had been moved right up by the door to the shop as if perhaps they are planning to get on it right away. And it’s not the simplest thing maneuvering in that area. So I just rode right on by. Now I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, I saw a good number of other folks out on bikes these last few days. People around here really do get it that if you want to ride at this time of year you have to take your opportunities when they present themselves.

But now the Stock Show is less than a week away, and we all know about Stock Show weather. Brrr.

Biker Quote for Today

Yes dude, I can go faster than you!