Passes & Canyons Blog

Does your town or city make a point to make dedicated motorcycle parking available? So many people talk about going “green” and riding a bike is certainly greener than driving a car, so shouldn’t cities be promoting motorcycle usage?

Before I get into this discussion I want to make it clear here what my purpose is. If your city does actively promote motorcycle commuting by mandating dedicated parking I want to hear from you. I’m looking for examples we can use to promote the same thing here.

This is an issue that a reader posted on my Examiner.com site, and which I have chosen to pursue. He suggested that we try to start a grassroots movement to have the city designate dedicated motorcycle parking on every block. I posted his remarks and called for reader response.

Another reader immediately took the initiative and contacted his state representative about getting a bill introduced in the legislature. In Colorado, however, legislators are restricted to introducing no more than five bills per session and everyone had already committed themselves for this year. Time to think about next year, but too late this year.

I also contacted the staff of a city councilwoman I have known for a long time asking how you would go about working for an ordinance to be enacted. I got a reply directing me to an agency set up by the mayor with the express purpose of working for green initiatives. I contacted those folks and got some good information about what the city is already considering, which includes designating the “end-cap” areas at the end of the block that are too small for cars as motorcycle parking. So there’s hope.

My point here is that the readership of my Examiner.com page is more local, while the readership of this blog is more widespread. If any of you have ideas or experience you can offer to give us a hand we would all very much appreciate it. We’re not experienced activists, we’re just some folks who think we have a good idea that we want to try to promote. Thanks in advance for anything you can offer.

Biker Quote for Today

Bikes don’t leak oil, they mark their territory.

Colorado is studying a proposal to charge a fee for every vehicle mile driven/ridden. How likely is this to happen?

The short answer is that it won’t happen any time soon. Republicans in the legislature are working to remove this particular option from the study, and Democrats don’t appear to be strongly committed to it.

The long answer is that some day, years in the future, it might.

Let’s face it, as hybrid and electric cars gain popularity, they will not be paying their fair share for upkeep of the roads solely from purchase of gasoline. Plus, even today we don’t have the money to maintain roads adequately. Obviously something has to give.

Clearly, if we go the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) route it must be set up so that Hummers, RVs, and semis pay more than motorcycles. That is an absolute. Our bikes don’t do anything near the damage to the road bed that the big boys do.

But why not just charge a fee determined by the weight of the vehicle. As with the gas tax, we’d pay less and the big boys would pay more. The inequity there, of course, is that it would be unfair to those who have big vehicles but don’t drive them much. Think of your grandmother. She’d pay as much as someone driving the same vehicle but putting 10 times as many miles on theirs. Still, I’m sure we could work something out to make it equitable.

VMT, on the other hand, would be a real issue. First, you’d have to put GPS units on every vehicle. That might not be hard with new ones but are we really going to retrofit ALL old vehicles? Unlikely. Second, I’m willing to bet that there are folks out there with the technical and mechanical ability to jimmy the GPS so it doesn’t report the actual miles driven. A new cottage industry just waiting to be born!

I don’t think VMT is the answer. Still, I’m not sure I go along with the guys trying to get it removed from the study. It may have merit down the road, some day.

Biker Quote for Today

Less talk, more riding.

I’ll tell you right off the bat that this event was far less than I expected it to be. I mean, with a name like National Motor Scooter Show, and the promise of 35 manufacturers represented, I expected something big and glitzy. It wasn’t.

The event was held out at the Adams County Fairgrounds from Friday to Sunday, in conjunction with a holistic crafts fair. That gives you an idea just how small it was.

Let’s give these folks their due, however. This was the first year for the event and most all things of this sort start out small. With any luck, they did well enough that they’ll be back in following years, getting bigger and better.

It was still interesting, however. In particular, I was curious to see the Vectrix VX-1 all-electric, plug-in scooter. I had read about this and was interested to see one. It’s a large scooter, seats two in comfort, and reportedly has a top speed of 62 mph. It was priced below a comparable gas-powered scooter so I’m thinking that if I was in the market for one of these things I’d go with the Vectrix.

Another one I found interesting was made by Schwinn. You know Schwinn, that old bicycle company. I didn’t know they had gone the motorized route. I do know you sure don’t see many Schwinn bicycles around any more. Adapt or die.

There was one motorcycle in among all the scoots, and that was a first for me as well. This was a Hyosung bike, made by a Korean manufacturer who is trying to break into the U.S. market. This particular model was a sport bike but I didn’t get the model.

So. Not a big event but I’m always interested in anything with two wheels and a motor. The more of all of us there are out there on the road the more clout we have in protecting our rights. Get your motor running!

Biker Quote for Today

Whatever it is, it’s better in the wind.

I reported on LoJack‘s best stolen bike recoveries for 2008 the other day. Now I want to share some of the statistics and information LoJack makes available on their website. It’s ugly.

First off, they say that in 2006 there were more than 71,000 motorcycles stolen in the U.S., with a value of more than $440 million. Ouch. I know one of those guys. My buddy Bill had his Fat Boy taken from the parking lot of a restaurant where he was eating.

Additionally, motorcycle theft is up nearly 137 percent since 2000. That comes out to one motorcycle stolen every 7.4 minutes. Only about one-quarter of them are recovered.

I assume the numbers LoJack is providing are the latest available, so excuse me and them if they’re a little dated. That said, they say that in 2005 the states that had the highest rate of motorcycle theft were, in order:

1. California
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. North Carolina
5. Ohio
6. Arizona
7. New York
8. Indiana
9. Georgia
10. Pennsylvania

LoJack also make available on their website a seven-page brochure entitled “Bike Smarts: A Guide to Protecting Your Motorcycle From Theft.” It’s pretty basic information but you might find some ideas that hadn’t occurred to you, so check it out.

One other thing. At the bottom left of many of the pages on their website, LoJack has a link to what they call “Real Stories of LoJack Recoveries.” These are heart-warming stories of how folks like you and me got their bikes back and the bad guys got what was coming to them. Fun to read.

Biker Quote for Today

If you love your bike and it leaves you and then comes back – you’ve probably high-sided.

Does it make you smile really hard when you hear of some bike thief getting busted? Then boy, I’ve got just the thing for you. This isn’t a commercial for LoJack but it could be interpreted that way.

You know about LoJack, right? They hide a radio transmitter in your vehicle and if it gets stolen the cops can often locate it quickly and get it back to you. And it’s not incidental that the guys who took it often end up getting picked up, too.

Now, I’ve never used LoJack, and heck, I really don’t think anyone is going to be interested in stealing my 1980 Honda CB750 Custom. It’s the Harleys these guys want. You guys with the bulls-eyes on your bikes know who you are.

Well, apparently LoJack releases an annual listing of the stolen motorcycle recoveries in the past year that they are most proud of. Straight from the press release, here’s this year’s list. Read it and smile.

“Most Arrests Made in Recoveries” – In less than 48 hours, LoJack For Motorcycles helped Las Vegas police and the Southern Nevada Auto Theft Task Force break up two theft rings, which led to the recovery of four Honda motorcycles, a Yamaha ATV and the arrest of 10 suspects.

“Fastest Motorcycle Recovery Leads to Big Chop Shop” – In this recovery, a Yamaha YZR was stolen and recovered in only eight minutes after the system was activated. Through this recovery, Los Angeles Police Department and LAPD Burglary Auto Division also found seven other stolen bikes and bike parts, valued at a total of more than $100,000!

“Best Bust Reflecting the Trend of Selling Stolen Bikes Online” – In this recovery, thieves advertised a bike online and, as soon as they got an interested buyer, stole a bike matching the one they had advertised. The thieves then delivered the stolen bike to the buyer, thus limiting the time they were in possession of the stolen item. Fortunately, the bike had LoJack For Motorcycles and its signal was picked up only 10 minutes after system activation – 75 miles away from where it was stolen.

“Bike Stolen – and Recovered – Four Times in Nine Months” – A Tucson resident discovered his 2007 Suzuki GSX-R 600 missing from his apartment, reported it stolen to police and just 14 minutes later, a police helicopter and ground vehicle tracked down the bike. This was the fourth time since August 2007 that the owner’s bike was stolen and recovered with LoJack For Motorcycles.

“Best LoJack Early Warning Recovery” – LoJack Early Warning notified the owner of a Yamaha YZF-R6 that his bike was moved without permission from the parking lot of his apartment. Police activated the system and within 20 minutes received the silent signal from the bike, which indicated it was on the move on a local interstate highway. Police then picked up a strong signal and did not see a bike, but rather a Chevrolet cargo van driving nearby. As the police passed the van, the signal’s directional arrow reversed, which indicated that the bike was inside the van. The police stopped the van, discovered the bike (plus two other stolen motorcycles) and arrested two suspects.

Is that sweet or what?

Biker Quote for Today

Sleep with one arm through the spokes and keep your pants on.

Have you ever needed to haul your bike around but don’t have the space to keep a trailer? This may be just the thing you need.

Discountramps.com is now offering a motorcycle trailer that can be assembled without any special tools. When not in use, disassemble it and store it in its bag. It weighs 140 pounds and, they say, fits easily into the trunk of your car.

Here’s the list of specs:
Can carry wheelbases up to 71″

• Tongue Weight: 120 – 160 lbs
• Weight Capacity: 2000 lbs
• Product Weight: 140 lbs
• Wheel Distance: 60 inches
• Hitch Class: any
• Heaviest Part: 33 lbs
• Longest Part: 42 inches

They also sell a trailer that can carry two bikes.

Now, I’ve never used this thing, and I would want to be really sure it is going to be stable and solid before plunking my money down. But if I needed to haul my bike(s) around I’d sure look into this because there is nowhere that I would have to store a regular trailer. Oh, and the price is a little over $1,000. The two-bike rig costs more than twice that.

Biker Quote for Today

Bikes vs. Women: It’s always OK to use tie downs on your motorcycle.

Oh man, winter is really here. It’s colder tonight than it has been since last winter. And we had a real snowfall last week.

I admit, I’m not one of the real hard core. I haven’t been on either of my bikes in almost three weeks. This weekend, however, I will be on one or both of my bikes without question as long as there isn’t ice and snow on the streets. ‘Tis the season to be opportunistic–you never know when a blizzard will strike and keep you off the bike for weeks. You have to grab the moment when you’ve got it; tomorrow can easily be too late.

And where do I ride when the weather gets bad? Well, first off, I stay down here on the flatlands. It’s a whole other climate up in the mountains. We might have 50 degrees and sunshine down here but you head up to Georgetown or Estes Park and all of a sudden it’s 25 degrees and there are patches of snow and ice in the portions of the road that are in shadow. And if there’s no snow and ice you can bet the road is covered with sand from the last snowfall. That makes for better traction in a car but it makes your motorcycle ride much more of an adventure than you would prefer.

So with the mountains ruled out, where to? Well, there’s one really nice loop that I’ve taken many times and it comes complete with your choice of biker bars to stop at for some socializing and refreshment. Going counterclockwise, I head south on US 85 to Sedalia, turn west on CO 67, go a mile and then turn south on CO 105. This is a very nice ride that takes you down to Palmer Lake, and you then reach I-25 at Monument.

Continue east on CO 105 until you get to CO 83 and head north. This takes you past Castlewood Canyon State Park, a nice stop, to Franktown, to Parker, and the back to Denver. The whole ride, if you end up back where you started, is about 90 miles.

Places to stop include the Stagecoach in Franktown, in Sedalia you’ll want to hit the Sedalia Grill, and in Palmer Lake, O’Malley’s Pub is the place to go. Black leather is definitely the fashion in these places, and the food is good, too.

If you up on the north side of town and don’t want to head all that way south, my favorite place is Jerry D’s in Dacono. Again, black leather is the fashion. You’ll feel right at home.

It has been said that winter is nature’s way of telling you to polish your bike. That may be, but it’s no reason not to get in some good riding when the weather permits.

Biker Quote for Today

Young riders pick a destination and go. Old riders pick a direction and go.

What do you do if you’ve lost a leg but still want to pilot a motorcycle trike? In most states, to operate one of these vehicles you need a motorcycle validation on your driver’s license. That can be hard to get if you’re disabled in any of a number of ways.

Well, Colorado has answered that question. This one slipped by me but Terry Howard, State Coordinator of ABATE of Colorado, brought it to my attention when we spoke recently.

As of this summer, Section 1. 42-2-103, of the Colorado Revised Statutes, says, in part:

The department shall also require an applicant for a limited three-wheel motorcycle endorsement to demonstrate the applicant’s ability to exercise ordinary and reasonable care and control in the operation of a three-wheel motorcycle.

The act further states:

A person with only a limited three-wheel motorcycle endorsement may operate a three-wheel motorcycle but shall not operate a two-wheel motorcycle on a roadway.

This provision also applies to bikes with sidecars.
So there you go. You no longer have to have a full motorcycle license to ride a trike in Colorado. Credit for this goes primarily to ABATE of Colorado and the efforts it put behind getting this measure passed. By the way, ABATE of Colorado also offers rider training courses for three-wheelers and sidecars.

Biker Quote for Today

It is not what you ride, it is the fact that you ride.