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The Three Guy Ride Continues

Thursday, July 2nd, 2015
Motorcycle along the Salmon River.

Through Idaho along the Salmon River.

We rode the Beartooth. Kevin and Jeff were appropriately impressed. Spent the night in Cooke City so we could go up early in the morning, which is always a good plan. And that brought us down to Red Lodge with plenty of day left.

We headed out of town going north and then west. And there is extreme heat all over the west. I’m really enjoying on this trip that I’m on my V-Strom because these guys go off the pavement numerous times each day. On this particular one we were blasting along and Jeff suddenly hit his brakes, signaled a left turn, and we turned down a fishing access gravel road to soak t-shirts and cooling vests. That sort of thing does not happen with the OFMC.

We reached I-90 and needed to blast west about 70 miles on it so blast we did to get it over with. Then it was north again before connecting with a state road going west. Down a river valley and we came to Townsend, Montana. There’s a big lake here with numerous campgrounds around it but none well marked. We camped in a free campground with minimal amenities but at least we did have trains. All night long. Blowing their horns to let you know they were there.

Come morning we cruised into Helena and hit some shops to find things that had been lost. Then up and over a good sized hill and took another northward state highway to avoid doing 70 miles of interstate to Missoula.

Lunch in Missoula and then it was on up over Lolo Pass. I had last been up that pass, to Lolo hot springs, back in 1977 or 1978. The hot springs were natural and no one else was there. Now it’s a business. Sad but no surprise.

Going over the top of Lolo, however, we were all tickled to see a sign that read “Winding road next 99 miles.” We cruised down along the Lochsa River for that many miles, although not all at once. About 70 miles down we turned up the Selway River and found another nice, free campground. And this one did not have a train.

In the morning we went back to the Lochsa and on the rest of the 99 miles and then rode a lot of hours more on various winding roads down river valleys. This is Idaho and Idaho has a plentiful supply of motorcycle roads.

Jeff lives outside Boise so we made it on to his house, which is why I have wi-fi again, and tomorrow we’ll part company with him. But Kevin and I still have two days plus to get back to our homes in Colorado. So this ride is not over.

Biker Quote for Today

A touring bike is whatever you have in the garage when you want to go somewhere.

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Anti-MOST Bill Is Dead

Friday, May 8th, 2015
Beginning Rider course

A Beginning Rider course.

SB 15-286 to eliminate the Colorado Motorcycle Operator Safety Training (MOST) program has been killed.

The bill, introduced in the Senate by Jerry Sonnenberg (R), was passed on May 5 and was introduced in the House by Lori Saine (R) and Jovan Melton (D). Bipartisan sponsorship did not prevent it from being sent to the House Finance Committee where it was “postponed indefinitely,” legislative verbiage for “killed.”

While I’m trying to help interested readers be informed about this bill and what is happening, I’m really just doing my best to learn about it, too. Someone who is a lot more knowledgeable about it than me is Matt Wessels, which is one of the reasons I agreed to have him join me in posting on this blog. Matt is working on a deep, broad series on the whole business surrounding MOST but for the meantime he filled me in a bit on some of the background here.

Matt pointed out a number of things. For instance, while I reported a few days ago that this bill, if it had passed, would have created something of a monopoly in Colorado for the Lee Parks Total Control rider training curriculum, “The MOST program has only ever had the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) curriculum approved as a curriculum which results in an endorsement from DOR (the Colorado Department of Revenue). When the MOST program was created, there was another curriculum, offered by the State of Oregon, which MSF lobbied not to include the Oregon curriculum in the MOST bill, so they could have a monopoly in Colorado. It worked and there was an agreement struck between CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation)/MOST and MSF. There are many curricula out there, some better suited to Colorado riders than MSF. Lee Parks’ is one of them. Oregon and Idaho also have very good curricula.”

So it’s not as if the state has been exactly neutral in the past.

Matt continued: “Under the new bill, no curriculum would be “approved,” since SMSA doesn’t approve curricula, which means it would be interpreted that all curricula are OK as the standard isn’t defined. It would be a free-for-all. This means, any curriculum could be taught, and any vendor could teach, without any standards or quality assurance. The risk of the bill is in the lack of regulation, and the risk that provides to the new student who wouldn’t know which vendor is teaching the right thing or not. It’s also a direct attack on MSF, which has had the monopoly and foothold in Colorado for so long, in their push to become the national curriculum. They’ve done this in other states as well. They have board members on the MIC (Motorcycle Industry Council) board, and are working with motorcycle vendors and seller to become a monopoly and secure their curriculum, their product as the end all, be all. It WOULD hurt Harley, as they have their Rider’s Edge training program, which has special provision through MOST to be taught, and does not comply with NHTSA, as they teach on 500cc motos, not 250cc as required by NHTSA.”

So OK, it’s a pretty complicated situation. For now at least it’s on hold. The bill failed. But I think we can count on seeing this kind of thing in the next legislative session. We can only hope that the next bill will be better written.

Biker Quote for Today

Safety is a cheap and effective insurance policy.

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Posted in Biker Issues, Motorcycle legislation | 1 Comment »

Training Program Bill Would Make Lee Parks A Monopoly In Colorado

Monday, May 4th, 2015
Colorado MOST site

A screen grab from the MOST program website.

I’ve been digging into this story of Senate Bill 15-286 and it’s getting curiouser and curiouser. I spoke today with Dave Tolbert, who runs the Motorcycle Training Academy. Dave has been very busy all day talking to legislators and other operators of training outfits, all of it focused on this bill.

The word on this bill, mentioned by Robert Frank in the notice from him I ran here, and reiterated by Dave, is that Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg introduced this bill on behalf of ABATE and T3RG. Very interesting if that’s the case considering I belong to ABATE and go to meetings and I sure hadn’t heard anything about this.

While the original bill didn’t say this, amendments late on Friday night added wording to this effect: The bill repeals the motorcycle operator safety training program and instead requires the department of revenue to issue a motorcycle endorsement to an applicant who:

* Provides proof of completion of a motorcycle training program; and
* Attests that the program used the curriculum established by the National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators.

Dave explained this to me. Many of you may be familiar with Lee Parks and his Total Control program. Parks is, in Dave’s term, a “curriculum vendor.” He offers a fully developed curriculum for rider training and markets or franchises it across the country.

So according to Dave, Lee Parks asked the State Motorcycle Safety Administrators (SMSA) organization, “Can you verify that my curriculum meets the NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) model standards?” These standards were only recently introduced.

“SMSA had never done that before,” said Dave, “they’re not an accrediting agency, but they said, OK, sure, we can evaluate that. And now Lee Parks is the only curriculum vendor who has sent his program to SMSA because the rest of the vendors say, ‘well they’re not an accrediting agency. Why would we send it to them?’ So he is the only vendor who has curriculum that SMSA says has met the national model standards.”

Look back at that second bullet in the amendment to this bill: Attests that the program used the curriculum established by the National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators.

In other words, if a student rider wants to take a course and get accreditation so he or she doesn’t have to pass the driving part of the licensing test, the only curriculum vendor whose program would meet that standard is Lee Parks. Currently, most rider training courses in the state use the curriculum offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, a competitor of Lee Parks. All the MSF training in Colorado would lose the ability to offer students automatic exemption when they went to get licensed.

Can you understand that Dave Tolbert and a lot of other outfits around the state are in a tizzy?

But what about ABATE? The ABATE training is MSF based. Why would that group support this?

As I say, curiouser and curiouser. I hope to have more information soon.

Another Biker Quote for Today

Accidents hurt — safety doesn’t.

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Motorcycle Noise In The National Parks

Monday, April 27th, 2015
OFMC at Colorado National Monument

The OFMC at Colorado National Monument.

For two and one-half years I’ve had our backs in the national parks, but that ends as of Friday.

As an editor with the National Park Service I have been in a position to crucially reword documents when they have spoken about how motorcycle noise is totally obnoxious and something needing to be eliminated. I have made it my personal job to change that wording to read something like “the noise of loud motorcycles” or “noise from loud vehicles.” The point being that, despite the general public perception, only some motorcycles are loud, not all of them. And noise from loud cars and trucks is just as objectionable as noise from loud motorcycles.

But my gig will wrap up on Friday, May 1, and after that there is no one who will be watching out for us in that way. So here’s an idea: how about if motorcyclists make it a point not to annoy the public, especially in the parks, with loud noise?

The National Park Service even has a page on their website about this issue. “Motorcycle Riding in the National Parks” only seems lukewarm as it is in regard to bikes, stating that “riding a motorcycle through a national park can be an acceptable way to experience our nation’s natural and cultural heritage.” You see that? “. . . can be an acceptable way . . .” That kind of gives the connotation that they’d really rather not have us there but if we’re not totally obnoxious they’ll tolerate us. And the site adds, “Over the past ten years, complaints from visitors concerning excessive noise from motorcycles have been increasing.” By the way, my editing duties do not extend to the website.

Now, lest those of us who don’t have Harleys with extra loud aftermarket pipes get too smug, let me point out that engine noise is not the only issue. If you have a sound system that blasts out music that you can hear when riding, that can be pretty unwelcome, too. Aside from bothering people, it bothers animals: “Noise can adversely impact wildlife by reducing the area over which they can communicate and listen for potential prey or predators. Natural sounds are also important to park visitors, 90 percent of whom say enjoying the sounds of nature is one of the top reasons they visit parks.”

So here is the NPS recommendation for riding your bike in the parks.

Ride Respectfully

  1. Obey speed limits.
  2. Avoid traveling in large groups.
  3. Avoid excessive acceleration or revving of the engine.
  4. Turn your engine off instead of idling.
  5. Use horns only when necessary for safety.
  6. Turn down radios or use a headset.
  7. Be extra sensitive near campgrounds, lodging, and visitor centers.
  8. Operate your motorcycle as quietly as possible to minimize disturbance to wildlife and other park resources and respect the experience of other visitors.

Biker Quote for Today

Happiness isn’t around the corner, it is the corner.

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Posted in Biker Issues, Loud Pipes | 1 Comment »

Colorado Has A New Motorcycle Advocacy Group!

Thursday, April 16th, 2015
Credit: Motorcycle Advocacy of Colorado

Used with permission. Motorcycle Advocacy of Colorado (MAC) is looking to be a time saver for both motorcyclists and the government.

By Matt Wessels

Motorcyclists Advocacy of Colorado (MAC), has been registered. There is no online presence yet but the Facebook Page will be launched shortly, to be followed by a website and a full social media presence. The group’s Mission Statement reads: “A volunteer organization dedicated to transparency, accountability and honesty. Striving to enable motorcyclists to unite to maintain freedoms and liberties. Aspiring to enable joint efforts among members and governing bodies to educate and advocate for the riding community.”

The group was started because there is a growing need for motorcyclists to have a unified and effective voice with which to approach the governing bodies in Colorado. Governing bodies would include, but are not limited to Colorado’s Senate, House of Representatives, CDOT, DOR and the MOSAB committee.

The group’s focus is on communication and understanding. Everybody is busy, too busy, most of the time. Nobody has enough time to keep track of all of the issues which might, or might not be affecting them, politically and otherwise. Aiming to be a conduit, the group seeks to communicate these issues to their membership, and provide the feedback to our governing bodies.

Currently, the known issues include E-15 fuel, motorcycle only checkpoints, recreational vehicle access, trails, and ability to modify legislation. Less known concerns like the quality of training available, and a national push to legalize lane-splitting/filtering affect Colorado motorcyclists directly, as well as being part of the national voice.

Communications will come in all forms, from a printed monthly newsletter to those who request it, but most prominently on social media. An explicit desire to receive motorcyclists’ input has been extended from CDOT’s MOSAB committee so there is a genuine need. The group is accepting of all motorcyclists regardless of motorcycle type, age, sex, gender and believes every person’s voice counts. MotorcycleColorado.com will continue to bring you coverage on this group as it progresses.

 

Brought to you first by MotorcycleColorado.com

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Let’s Talk About Women

Monday, April 13th, 2015

By Matt Wessels

“The times they are a changin’ ” – Bob Dylan

Credit: Hotchkiss Trust

Effie Hotchkiss and her mother
Avis road across the US in 1915.

Throughout history women have shown their interest and capability on motorcycles. Effie Hotchkiss and her mom Avis crossed the US on motorcycle in 1915. The women-only motorcycle club MotorMaids was started in 1940 and is the oldest club of its kind. Elspeth Beard rode her motorcycle around the world in the 1980s. Kate Johnston just recently went from being a new rider to an Iron Butt record holder in three years.

According to the podcast Moterrific,  20% of the riding populace is now women. As our national and international cultural landscape continues to change, so also is the riding landscape changing. Women are tired of how they are treated and a nationwide movement has sprung up. I had a very enjoyable conversation with Ms. Rossi from Colorado’s own Scarlet Headers, a female-centric rider group, to gain a better understanding for how women perceive the riding world.

Credit Motorcyclist Onlin

Elspeth Beard circumnavigated the globe on a motorcycle in 1984.

Ms. Rossi started the Scarlet Headers as a judgement-free group for female riders because she was tired of dealing with the stereotypes and pressure from men. She described the general attitude of men as very competitive. This competitiveness tends to focus on technicalities–knowledge about the bikes and riding techniques. In addition, she described a macho attitude–to borrow a word from Spanish, “Machismo.” Add the competitiveness and machismo and the product is what she calls “men deciding to be dicks.”

She clarified that she isn’t a feminist and loves spending time with those men who don’t approach the world in this way. She went on to explain that she understands where this attitude comes from, and agreed that many times it might be a man’s way of trying to help. However, most of the time it comes across as chauvinistic, judgmental, and most importantly as pressure.

Pressure to keep up, either in the tech talk or on the ride. Pressure to be appealing. Pressure to be on her game. This pressure detrimentally affects the quality of the ride. More effort is spent on keeping up the image and fighting for respect than enjoying the ride. Escaping that pressure was the obvious solution. The Scarlet Headers is a group explicitly focused on removing this pressure and focusing on the enjoyment of riding.

Credit Scarlet Headers Instagram

Some of the Scarlet Headers out on a ride.

Most motorcyclists will tell you they ride because they enjoy the ride, not because they want to be superior, or assert their dominance. So, how then is any of this different between men or women? It’s obvious that men and women enjoy the ride in different ways. Men tend to like to talk tech (bench race) more, women tend to focus on the sense of community. Neither are mutually exclusive or limited to a specific sex.  There are many factors here including how boys and girls are raised and in such a short space it’s not possible to analyze all of them in depth. However, Ms. Rossi suggested 3 recommendations on how to be more accepting toward women in the motorcycling community:

Top 3 ways for men to interact with female riders:

1.) Remember that women enjoy motorcycling just as much as you do. Just because they might be new, or might not have the technical know-how doesn’t mean their experience on the bike is any different from yours. Nor is it your place to place expectations on how they enjoy their ride. So keep the judgement at bay.

2.) It’s not about the technicalities. Regardless of how knowledgeable somebody is, nobody knows everything, not even MotoGP racers. They know how to ride really well, but they have an entire support crew to deal with the tech, so dial down the tech talk. This also means that lecturing is a bit demeaning as it often results in information overload and keeps the focus on the tech instead of the experience. If you want to help, an offer to help hands-on with a smile and a caring attitude will go much further.

3.) Ask yourself what your true intentions are. If you’re interested in a woman, and you want to impress her, making her feel inadequate by lecturing or assuming what she wants you to do isn’t going to get you far. If your intentions, however, are to enjoy motorcycling with her, then you’ll probably have a caring attitude and end up impressing her anyway. If your intentions are to demean, disrespect, or discourage you are “The bigot,” “The stereotype,” and part of the problem.

There is no doubt that men and women who read this article will have an adverse reaction to it. They might have that reaction because for some reason they feel threatened, devalued, unnecessary, or guilty. They might think I have no right writing about this so let me be clear. This is NOT placing blame on anybody. This is NOT making men out to be terrible evil creatures. This is NOT making women out to be stupid. What this IS, is a step toward valuing and respecting everybody, so that motorcycling can continue to grow. A reasonable man will take this as a challenge to grow and develop. A reasonable woman will take this as a guide to grow and develop.

Credit: Motoress.com

The Scarlet Headers are planning a ride for this day. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for details.

To spread awareness of female riders, the Women’s Coalition of Motorcyclists has designated the 1st Saturday in May (5/2/2015 this year) as International Female Ride Day. The Scarlet Headers will be hosting a ride for this, keep an eye on their Facebook page for updates.

If you’re reading this in another state, here are some other female-centric rider groups in other states:

California, Los Angeles: The East Side Moto Babes

California, San Fransisco: We Are Hot Riders

Georgia, Atlanta: The Lady Fingers

New York: The Misfires

Oregon: The Rainier Ravens

Utah: The Litas

 

Please share any other female-centric rider groups you are aware of!

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