Passes & Canyons Blog

No connection. Just a photo I pulled up.

I hear from Stump, ABATE of Colorado’s legislative liaison, that there is a draft bill coming from Rep. Brandi Bradley, tentatively titled “Concerning a Requirement that a Minor have Written Permission to Obtain an Instruction Permit to Drive a Motorcycle.” The intent here would be to close a loophole in current law. According to Stump:

In CRS 42-2-108 it states that the application for an instructional permit for a minor under 18 years of age, must be accompanied by an affidavit of liability which can be signed by “a responsible adult”. So, hypothetically, if your parents don’t want you to get a motorcycle permit, you could get your biker neighbor to sign an affidavit and get a permit without your parents’ permission. This bill would change that, requiring written permission from a parent or legal guardian.

In a separate note Stump said he had spoken with a legislator he did not name, but who I presume to have been Bradley, saying she also “mentioned interest in creating legislation to increase training access.” That would be good. That’s what the MOST program used to do.

In other news related to ABATE, word went around that Terry Howard, long-time ABATE State Coordinator, has died. Terry was the state coordinator when I joined ABATE and we had worked together very closely on a lot of things. Then during some audit she was accused of theft regarding ABATE funds and went to trial. She was acquitted and the judge expressed considerable exasperation at the idea that this thing had ever come to court. But Terry was forced to leave her position at ABATE.

I had not kept touch with her in the years since so it was with some surprise that I read in this death announcement that she had since become mayor of Kiowa. Wow. Good for you Terry.

No information on cause of death. On Saturday, February 7, at 10:30 a.m., in the AG Building at Elbert County Fairgrounds there will be a memorial service for her.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if you carry a camcorder instead of a knife.

An ABATE rider training course at Arapahoe Community College.

ABATE of Colorado has been forced out of the motorcycle rider training business. Once the largest training organization in the state, the future of the organization’s property and trainers remains unclear.

I first heard about this at the Last Brass Monkey Run on December 31 and had hoped to get more information about it but have not had the time. So I’ll give you what I can. Actually, I’ll quote you a bit of what ABATE State Coordinator Larry Montgomery had to say about it in the latest issue of ABATE’s newsletter, the Spokesman.

As most of you have heard by now, ABATE will no longer be allowed to provide motorcycle training in Colorado due to a supposed contract violation from MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) and CSP (Colorado State Patrol), this went into effect November 3rd, 2025. . . ABATE tried to respond in numerous ways to the concerns MSF had regarding our quality of training for citizens of Colorado. This process was only done by email from MSF and CSP. They have never discussed in person any problems with anyone associated with ABATE. . .

The whole process seems strange to me as there were many people that knew about the decertification before I or the ABATE board received the letter of suspension from MSF and CSP.

As we move forward ABATE will continue as a SMRO (state motorcycle rights organization) organization and will continue to fight for motorcycle rights.

I’ve heard a number of things. The one most people seem to subscribe to is that ABATE had been a thorn in the side of folks at the state level running the rider training system in the state and they decided to put a stop to it. I don’t claim to know what the motivation was. I certainly was not aware of ABATE’s training program being out of compliance with the rules.

What does it mean for ABATE to lose its certification? Can’t the organization offer training on its own? Yes, it can. The issue is that with state certification you can train someone and test them on the riding portion of the motorcyclist licensing process and they can then take that certificate to the DMV and all they need to do to finish getting motorcycle certified is to pass the written test. Without certification, ABATE trainees would need to take the written and driving tests. Because other organizations offer the certification, students would presumably be more inclined to sign up elsewhere.

The other thing it means is that Colorado is likely to be severely short of riding training programs, making it harder for those who want training to find someone nearby who offers it. ABATE was just about the only organization to offer training in several large portions of the state. Those people in particular will be hard hit by this situation.

It’s hard to say what happens from here. I’ll pass along what I hear.

Biker Quote for Today

Never breathe within forty yards of roadkill.

E-bikes are really just small motorcycles aren’t they?

We’re all familiar with these power-assist bicycles that are now pretty much everywhere. Some people hate them. Think walkers on a trail or bike path along a creek. Many people love them–look at all the people riding them.

But pair this recent phenomenon with another, the decline in sales of motorcycles, and you have to wonder: Will these e-bikes be the gateway drug to draw more people into motorcycling?

Frankly, I don’t see how they can not be. Especially if you get into riding an e-bike at an early age.

I look back to my own adolescence. As a kid I was broke. I never dated because I never had any money. I sure as heck didn’t own a car. But I know I longed to escape the confines of the city bus system or getting a ride from a parent. I had a plan to buy a 50cc Honda Cub (we only knew it as a Honda 50) when I was old enough and I saved the $30 a month I earned on my paper route to buy one when I reached the legal age. And only when I was of age and had the money did my mother get around to saying, “You’ll never own a motorcycle as long as you live in my house.”

So I considered mopeds of various kinds. Unlike today, these power-assisted bicycles had gasoline engines. Some had the engine built right on but you could also buy a conversion kit that you attached to your bicycle’s wheel and it turned the wheel for you. I forget how it accomplished that. I never did follow through on that, though.

Maybe all that’s irrelevant. I was interested in a moped because I really wanted a motorcycle. Today’s question is whether riding a moped (which is really what a motor-assisted bicycle is: motor/pedal, get it?) will lead at least some riders to want to move up to something bigger. But if you start out as a 10-year-old on an e-bike, and it’s so much fun and extends your range so much, wouldn’t it just be natural that you would want to move up to an actual motorcycle once you’re in a position to do so?

There are some voices challenging my view, though. Not a challenge, but voicing the general thinking, here’s a quote from a recent article on MOTO eMAG: “Why would you want to spend $10K on a midrange motorcycle, when you can spend $1K on an e-bike that can do 40mph and with some tweaks even 60, weighs little, costs little, requires no registration, no license, no insurance and you can throw it around and charge the batteries at home the same way you charge a phone.”

I don’t claim to know. Maybe in another five years we’ll be seeing an increase in motorcycle sales. And maybe some enterprising reporter will be asking new riders how they got interested. And just maybe the answer will be, “Oh, I had an e-bike as a kid and this is just taking that one step further.”

Time will tell.

Biker Quote for Today

Riding a bike is not a phase; it’s a lifelong love affair.

You don’t suppose there might be some inherent risk involved in racing a motorcycle on ice, do you?

If you’re not familiar with the concept of inherent risk you probably will be soon. It’s a movement that appears to be spreading state to state, and it will affect motorcycle riders.

Essentially, inherent risk is a recognition that some things people like to do carry some amount of risk. The current crop of laws being passed regarding inherent risk made a clear statement that if people choose to engage in these activities they do so recognizing the risks and accepting those risks. That is, if you do it and get hurt, it’s on you. Don’t try to sue someone else for your misfortune.

The first thing you might think of in this category could be motorcycle racing, but that’s really not the case. Racers uniformly are required to sign waivers stating they will not sue the track if they screw up and get hurt. Of course this is only true if the track is in good shape and the crash was the rider’s fault, or perhaps the fault of another racer. If there is a big pothole in the middle of a tough turn then the track is at fault. But how often is a track going to allow that hazard to exist?

The legislation is aimed more at places such as an open space area where the governmental entity that owns or controls it allows dirt bike riding. Or a farmer who lets local kids ride in his pasture. If you get hurt, don’t go suing the nice person who let you ride in his pasture. He didn’t cause your crash, you did.

So far Arkansas and Texas have enacted inherent risk legislation. The concept is supported by the American Motorcyclist Association, which put out a report that stated, “The American Motorcyclist Association, alongside Texas motocross track owners, motorcycle dealers, and riding enthusiasts, was closely engaged with efforts to pass HB 5624. The AMA commends the Texas state legislature for its passage, as HB 5624 aims to create a more consistent and predictable liability environment for property owners and off-road riding enthusiasts.”

The AMA also noted, “This form of legislation has picked up steam across the country, and the AMA is focused on additional efforts, primarily in Iowa and Missouri, where similar inherent risk bills are taking shape for re-introduction in each state’s next legislative session.”

Everyone knows the story of the woman who bought coffee at McDonald’s from a drive-up window, put the coffee between her legs, and then spilled it, burning herself. She sued McDonald’s and won. That would seem to fall under this policy. You bought the hot coffee and would have been unhappy if it had been cold. Nobody forced you to put it between your legs as you drove away.

I think we can all expect these laws to come to our own states. Look for them.

Biker Quote for Today

My comments to my neighbor who rides horses but thinks motorcycles are dangerous – “I’m not riding anything that has a mind of its own . . .” — markbxr400

I can’t say for sure but I suspect the $35 Harleys were similar to this one.

I’ve spent a good bit of time now talking with Rick Steele, not just about the history of his business, Steele’s Cycles, but rambling across the history and memories of the motorcycle community in Denver. Several things Rick has mentioned brought back memories to me that had been long buried.

We talked about the D.U.M.P., Denver Used Motorcycle Parts, which used to be just east of downtown. That was the shop I went to when I first started riding. My first leather jacket came from there as did my riding gloves, the visor for my first helmet, and the windshield for my 1980 Honda CB750 Custom. Other stuff, too. It was always fun to watch people’s faces when I would say, “Oh yeah, I got this at the DUMP.”

We talked about the fire that devastated the old Fay Myers location on West Alameda. Steele’s bought all those burned bikes and then had two days to get them out. Rick said it was the city’s parking requirements that made it impossible for them to rebuild on that site and so Fay Myers moved to its current location on East Arapahoe. I had forgotten all about that fire.

The real memory jolt, though, was when Rick mentioned the $35 Harleys. Oh yeah, I remember that!

There was a point, years ago, when the government was looking to clear out a lot of old World War II gear. Amongst all this was a large number of Harley-Davidson motorcycles that had been purchased for the war effort but were never needed. They sat in crates, disassembled, brand new. The decision was made to unload them. The price they put on these bikes was $35.

I heard about these bikes back in the day. At that point in my life I had never owned a motorcycle but I had wanted one for years. A $35 Harley was truly a temptation.

I was totally unprepared to do anything with one if I bought it though. I had nowhere to haul it to to take it out of the crate and assemble it. I had no experience at all in the kind of effort it would require to assemble it. And I had never ridden a bike bigger than a 250; I had serious doubts about my ability to handle something a lot bigger. Oh, but the temptation!

Needless to say, I did not take advantage of the opportunity. Then over the years the memory faded and I forgot all about it. And then Rick brought it up. Oh yeah, I remember that! I do remember that!

Biker Quote for Today

This bike will pay for itself with the great gas mileage!

For lack of a water pump my old Concours sits in storage.

My one bike these days is my 2006 Suzuki V-Strom 650. With less than 51,000 miles on it currently it has a long life still ahead of it. Particularly considering that the engine is considered bulletproof, as in it will just keep on going and going and going.

But. And that’s a big “but.”

Just last week I ran across an item on Adventure Riders titled “Thinking Long Term,” about this “but” and something we seldom think about.

Zac, the writer, focuses not on the big parts, like the engine or frame, but on the little bits. Things like sensors. We all know how quickly electronic parts become outdated. What do you do if your bike depends on some bit of electronics and that unit dies, and then you can’t find a replacement?

This is not a theoretical exercise. When my 1980 Honda CB750 Custom got smashed I was faced with a decision. Do I bail it out of tow-yard jail and try to get it fixed, or do I just let it go? I chose to let it go because I had a pretty good idea that even if it was fixable–not at all a certainty–the repair would also add considerably to the overall expense and then, could I even get the parts?

Then it became even less theoretical recently when I was talking with Rick Steele over at Steele’s Cycles. We were talking about the factors that come into play when they are deciding what to do with a bike they have taken in. He used my 1999 Kawasaki Concours as an example.

As they do with all bikes they take in, they put it up on the lift and checked it out thoroughly. It ran–I knew that–but they discovered that the water pump was leaking. I did not know about that. And the thing was, Rick told me, you can’t get that water pump any more. They know a guy out east who repairs water pumps and they sent it to him but when they got it back it still leaked. So now, my old Connie is sitting in one of Steele’s storage areas with its fate unclear. The engine is as bulletproof as ever but not the water pump.

I guess this is an issue that aficionados of old bikes have lived with for a long time. Sometimes you can kludge in a different part and make it work. Sometimes you can fabricate a new part if you have the tools and the skill. Sometimes you can’t.

In my mind it makes the point in favor of newer bikes. I’ve lived for years with the reality that all my bikes were old enough that no dealer wanted to deal with them. Fortunately there are independent shops that pick up that trade. But at this point I’d just rather have the convenience of taking the bike to the dealer for service, knowing the parts are available. Plus, some of the new tech is nice. I’ve never had cruise control and that is something I’d like.

All of this is on my mind as I wonder about getting a new bike. And at this point that question is totally undecided.

Biker Quote for Today

Bikes may rust, but the memories they create never fade.