A very busy weekend, what with all the motorcycle riding I had to do. This is a dirty job and . . . oh yeah, you probably don’t want to hear it. OK, it’s a sweet job.

On Saturday, as I said I would, I went to test ride Zero electric motorcycles. Local Zero rep Chuck Pratt and a bunch of folks from the home office were on hand with a variety of bikes, offering test rides to all comers.

It was an absurdly windy day and there was no dirt to test ride the dirt bikes in, but it was still enough to get a feel for what an electric motorcycle is like. After being reassured that the thing really is running, as you sit there without holding a clutch in, squeezing brakes, or anything else, you twist the throttle and by golly you take off!

I’ll be giving a full report on Examiner.com about the Zeros, and I’ll come back here and link to that report once it’s up, but there’s one extremely interesting thing I want to share with you here. If you live in Colorado, you can have a Zero S (street) or DS (dual sport) for an incredible price.

They are listed at about $10,000 but thanks to state and federal tax credits for purchases of electric vehicles, a Colorado resident can ride off with one for only $5,100. That’s mostly thanks to the Colorado tax credit, which is the largest offered anywhere in the country. If I had room to park a third bike, and a normal job that actually paid real money, I’d be a fish on the line for them to reel in. You might want to consider it.

Old Bike Ride 8

Sunday was a whole other gig. Working through Norton Colorado, a group of local Norton owners, Bob Ohman put together this eighth annual ride of old bikes. The loosely structured–and completely unenforced, as far as I could tell, but who cares?–rules were you needed to be riding a bike at least 25 years old or be at least 65 years old yourself. I rode my 1980 Honda CB750 Custom.

This was a ride the way things used to be before lawsuit-happy Americans ruined things for themselves and others: no riding fee, no liability waiver–just come and join the gang and go for nice ride on a terrific day for riding. And there were Ducatis, Hondas, Nortons, BSAs, Yamahas, Harleys, at least one Laverda, and a bunch of others. Oh yeah, an Indian or two.

Heading out, the first thing we did was ride to the top of Lookout Mountain and then stop near Buffalo Bill’s grave for more schmoozing and oogling of old iron. Then back down the hill and up Clear Creek Canyon to the Peak to Peak Highway, and north to the Millsite Inn, outside of Ward, a popular biker stop.

After lunch and more oogling it was pick-your-own-route back to Golden and regroup, or head on home. Other than being more chilly than expected up on the Peak to Peak, we couldn’t have asked for a nicer day to ride and it was a lot of fun. Last Sunday in May; put it on your calendar for next year.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Riding the old bikes

Biker Quote for Today

I may be a poor rider, but my bike sure is SLOW.

Hot diggity, I’ve been waiting for this. Come Saturday I’m going to finally get the opportunity to test ride some Zero electric motorcycles.

I first started trying a couple months ago to set something up so I could see what these new-fangled electrics are like. Well, the day is nearly here. And you can bet I’ll have plenty to say afterward. Stay tuned.

I’m counting on getting to ride all four of the 2010 models, but that may depend on how many other people are there with the same intentions. Zero currently sells these four:

• Zero MX is a motocross bike, set up for the track and for jumps
• Zero X is a dirt bike, for trails and technical stuff
• Zero S is a street bike
• Zero DS is a dual sport bike

The one thing I’m wondering about is if we’ll get a chance to actually ride the dirt-oriented bikes in dirt. This event is taking place at a parking lot and if all we get to do is ride the dirt bikes around on the pavement that won’t be truly satisfying. Who knows. I guess I will come Saturday. And you will soon afterward.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
My first Victory rides: The tourers

Biker Quote for Today

Loud pipes risk rights!

I want to give a big thank-you to David and Wade at Colorado Sport Bike Rentals, in southwest Denver, for giving me this opportunity: I recently took their rental Can-Am Spyder out for a day to see just what these things are like.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the Spyder, that’s it in the picture there. It’s a three-wheeler with two bike-sized wheels in front and one car-sized wheel in back. As such, it turns like a car, with you steering to the right to go right, and steering left to go left. You do not lean into the turns the way you do on a two-wheeled cycle. Rather, you brace yourself on the rear-set pegs and lean across the body of the bike into the turn. It takes some getting used to.

I was out on the Spyder for 4-5 hours and the broad, well-padded seat never got uncomfortable. These machines are definitely good for riding all day. Being accustomed as I am to a large windshield or full fairing, I did wish I had something more than the bikini fairing to block the wind.

The Spyder is a pretty heavy machine so it’s probably a good thing that it comes with a reverse gear. You have to learn the drill to engage it: Drop into first, pull the R lever toward you, then click the foot lever down again. Easy as long as someone has explained it to you in advance, as David did. And in case you forget, the owner’s manual is slipped up under the cowling above the instrument panel.

The suspension was nothing to brag about going over rough pavement, but that’s true of my Concours, too. These things aren’t cars.

So I headed out after a brief familiarization in the parking lot and paid special attention to the attention the Spyder and I attracted. If you want people to look at you the Spyder is definitely your ticket. Stopped at a red light, a mom and her kids in the car next to me were all eyes. At another light on Federal Blvd. two guys eyed us with considerable interest and the passenger rolled down his window with one question: How fast does it go?

I couldn’t give him a good answer because I hadn’t been on the highway with it yet, but I can tell you now it will go as fast as you need to go. The engine is about 1,000cc and while it is not exploding with power it does respond to that twist of the wrist. And trust me, until you get some miles on it, you’re not going to want to twist that wrist very far, especially in the curvy stuff. Heading up Bear Creek Road to Evergreen I was definitely slowing the traffic behind me.

Stopping in Evergreen and several other mountain towns I deliberately set myself up to be approached by the curious people walking past. They didn’t disappoint me. The most common question was, “Do you need a motorcycle license to drive one of these?” Yes, you do, although here in Colorado you can actually get a trike license that lets you drive a three-wheeler but is not valid for you to ride a two-wheeler.

With three wheels, and perhaps due to seeing those two wheels in front of me, I never even had the inclination to put my feet down when coming to a stop.

Eventually I did get the hang of it and the more I did the more fun it was to ride. By the time I was headed toward Golden down Clear Creek Canyon I wasn’t even delaying the traffic behind me. But neither was I in any danger of getting a speeding ticket. I’m betting that if you ride one of these things regularly and get really used to it it all gets to be second nature.

Probably the bottom line in all this is, would I buy a Spyder? Truthfully, no, I would not, not at this time. I like two wheels one heck of a lot. But let some time pass, to where I’m getting quite a bit older and riding a two-wheeler is no longer a good option, and yes indeed, I could be in the market. In the meantime, if you’re looking for something completely different just a day or several, you can rent one from David and Wade. They’d be happy to hear from you.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
AMA Grand Tours Series might add a spark to your motorcycle touring plans

Biker Quote for Today

We don’t stop riding because we get old, we get old because we stop riding.

I’ve never heard of U.S. Highland, have you? Apparently they make motorcycles engines and now they’re planning to make motorcycles–a lot of them–in the near future. This photo is one of their promotional shots, of the Desert-X.

What I’m able to learn is that this is a Swedish company that moved to the U.S. two years ago. They set up shop in Oklahoma, in the town of Mounds. I’ve never heard of Mounds, either.

The company currently has 30 employees but says it will be hiring 300 when it goes into production. They plan to build both street and off-road bikes, although it is expected that making motors for other companies will remain a large part of their business.

At a time when other manufacturers are struggling it’s good to see someone with bright hopes for the future. Let’s wish them success.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Motorcycles 101: Combatting handgrip vibration

Biker Quote for Today

Get yourself to the hills and be uplifted, assuming you’ve got some good knobbies.

Gary France is a Brit who is planning an extended tour via motorcycle in the U.S. this summer. He and I have been in communication in regard to his route and I periodically check his blog, http://garysusatour.blogspot.com/. Well, I checked it today and he had just put up a post about a motorcycle insurance specialist, Carole Nash, who had put up a list of her Top 20 Biking Blogs. As you might expect, the list leans a bit to British blogs but not entirely. Gary’s blog was one of them. As I guess they say in England, he said that “I am chuffed to bits.” (That means he’s pleased.)

Now, the reason I was thinking about Gary is that I was going to do this post about him and his planned ride. The time is drawing near. But when I saw the list I figured I’d pass that along to you. In Carole Nash’s post she tells a bit about the blogs and has a screen shot of each one’s home page. I’ll just give you the links and a couple comments.

It’s a good list. There are several I recognize and would include in my own list if I was making one. They include Helmet Hair, Bikes in the Fast Lane, and Cyril Huze. Worth checking out.

Helmet Hair
Bikes in the Fast Lane
Forty Years on Two Wheels
USA Tour on a Harley Davidson (this is Gary France’s blog)
Ouch! My Piles!
Atlas Rider
Fuzzie Galore
No Foreign Lands
Knuckle Buster
Saul T Nutz
Twisting Asphalt
Bike EXIF
The Kneeslider
The Scooter Scoop
Honda Motorcycles Blog
Swag’s Rant
Motorcycle Training Blog
Cyril Huze
Faster & Faster
Chessie’s Tales, Motorcycles and Rides

By the way, Chessie is another I’m familiar with and that’s because she has read some of my stuff and left comments. I’m pleased to see her in this list, too.

Finally, as a bonus extra, commenter Glen Hughes noted on Carole Nash’s post that she left out this good one, which I’m also familiar with: Rippin Kitten.

Of course I would add the Passes and Canyons Blog as a favorite, but you already know about that one. And I’d also give you Redleg’s Rides. So that should keep you busy for awhile.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Fact sheet and posters for Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycles tell us a more useful truth: we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that’s no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride. ~ Dave Karlotski

It’s no secret that Jay Leno loves old, classic cars and motorcycles, and has the money to buy whatever he wants. But did you know that he has a website where you can look at what he’s got and read a lot about them?

Using the poetic, symbolic title of Jay Leno’s Garage, the site is a treasure trove of classics. I suppose some people might view this as Jay showing off, rubbing people’s noses in what he has that you don’t, but I prefer to think of it as a true enthusiast doing what he can to share with other enthusiasts. And truth be told, I’ve never heard anyone accuse him of the former, I’m just saying I wouldn’t be surprised if someone did. And if they do, I am of a different mind.

So check it out. At the very least you may enjoy killing an hour or two drooling.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Handroid motorcycle gloves offer unprecedented protection

Biker Quote for Today

It’s not the fastest bike out there, it’s not the most well behaved, but what it does is put a smile on my face every time I ride it and isn’t that what really matters?

Regular readers know I like to pass along particularly interesting or amusing things I run into on biker forums. This time I’m just going to point you to the thread so you can check it out yourself.

The question posed was, “What was you most embarrassing biker moment?” This was on the HD Talking forum. Here’s an example of what you’ll find, courtesy of AcidRayn.

ugggh,!!!
just had one this morning!!
stopped for gas, same place, same pump i stop every morning.
sitting next to me is Uber Hot Mommy in her escalade, i’m talking
heather locklear, christie brinkley prime years hot here, she’s checkin me out,
or the bike, i look over, give the “yea im game” look, i say something stoopit,
she smiles, then starts cracking up, im like, how rude, yea, well, she seen the gas overflowin outa my tank and all over my jeans.
i had visions of going home as a fiery comet.

Enjoy.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Reflections, observations on Colorado Motorcycle Show and Swap

Biker Quote for Today

Evolution stops when stupidity is no longer fatal!

I’ve been thinking lately about motorcycle museums, ever since it was brought back to my attention that there is one such place in downtown Denver that I have never been to. So I thought it might be interesting to put together a list of all the motorcycle museums around the country.

A quick Google search showed me that there are one heck of a lot of these museums. Not all of these are specifically motorcycle museums; some are transportation museums that naturally include motorcycles. After pooling lists from various websites, removing duplicates, and visiting numerous sites to see if some questionable ones should be included, I came up with 78 of them. I’m sure if I did a more thorough search I could uncover a few more.

Concluding that I didn’t want to just post a huge list here, I whittled it down to only those in Colorado and the adjoining states. That’s essentially those you can get to in a day’s ride. I also included South Dakota in the list because the Rapid City/Sturgis area is also within a day’s ride and they have several. Then it turned out that while some of these states are close, the museums themselves are at the far end. Oh well.

So here’s what I came up with, and the way I figure it, you may not want to make the trip just to see these places but if you’re on the road anyway, and going near any of these, you might plan to make a stop. Rather than add a world of details on admission fees and hours of operation, I’ll just provide the links and if you’re interested I’d suggest you go to their sites for that info.

Colorado – 4

The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame is in Colorado Springs, sitting right in front of Pikes Peak Harley-Davidson, at 5865 N. Nevada Ave. I’ve been to this one a couple times and it’s a very interesting stop. Jerry Manka is the curator and he’s a character. You definitely want to talk with Jerry while you’re there. Indians and Harleys dominate but there are a variety of other bikes as well.

Vintage Motos, at 2762 Walnut in Denver, is the one I haven’t been to yet. Their site says they have more than “190 Two Wheeled Wonders for Your Viewing Enjoyment!” They ask that you call ahead just to make sure someone is there when you arrive. The phone is 303-547-7389.

The Forney Transportation Museum at 4303 Brighton Blvd. is one of those I mentioned. The last time I visited the Forney Museum was at least 25 years ago, and they have moved since then, so I don’t know what they have but their site does say motorcycles.

Then there’s the Mathews Collection, which is the iffiest of them all. Located at 5889 Lamar Street in Arvada, their website shows a lot of really hot, fast cars, but just two motorcycles. If you like hot cars you may want to go to this place for the cars, with any bikes being icing on the cake.

Arizona – 1

The Buddy Stubbs Harley-Davidson Museum, in Phoenix, is just what the name implies. It’s located in the Buddy Stubbs Harley-Davidson dealership, at 13850 North Cave Creek Road.

Nebraska – 1

There’s no website for Chevyland U.S.A. – Auto and Cycle Museum, but it’s located in the town of Elm Creek. Elm Creek is just north of I-80, a little west of Kearney. With no website it’s hard to find out much about it.

Kansas – 3

Yesterdays Museum is located in the lower level of the Topeka Harley-Davidson dealership. Like the Buddy Stubbs museum, it showcases Harleys. It’s located at 2047 SW Topeka Blvd.

The Kansas Motorcycle Museum is home to more than 100 vintage and rare motorcycles of all various makes and models. It is also one of two motorcycle museums in the small town of Marquette, in south-central Kansas. Go figure. This museum was originally built as a tribute to local racing great Stan Engdahl and has a lot of posters, photos, and memorabilia related to him. It’s located at 120 North Washington in Marquette.

Just one block south of there is Steve’s British Motorcycle Museum. This museum exhibits more than 40 British, BSA, and Triumph motorcycles and other memorabilia.

South Dakota – 4

The Freeman Heritage Hall Museum is located in Freeman, which is a little west of Sioux Falls. This is another that does not specialize in motorcycles but the website says they do have some. They’re located at 748 S. Main Street in Freeman.

Motion Unlimited Museum is in Rapid City, at 6180 S. Hwy 79. They feature 100 motorcycles on display along with memorabilia, wall murals, gas pumps, and gas station memorabilia. Their special claim to fame is a Webley Vickers, which is said to be the only one in existence.

Pioneer Auto Show is a giant tourist attraction just off of I-90 featuring cars, motorcycles, tractors, “prairie town”, and rocks. They have Elvis’s old Harley. Murdo, SD, is the locale. That’s right on I-90 in about the middle of the state.

Not surprisingly, Sturgis is home to the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Their website lists more than 100 bikes on display, plus a lot of memorabilia related to the Sturgis rally. You’ll find the museum at 999 Main Street in Sturgis.

Oklahoma – 1

The Route 66 Vintage Iron Motorcycle Museum is in the town of Miami, in the far northeastern corner of the state. This place features more than 40 vintage bikes, including “The World Famous Steve McQueen Collection, Evel Knievel Memorabilia, 1950′s style gas station, replica board track, one of the largest vintage motorcycle photo collections in the world, a huge one of a kind vintage helmet wall, and much more……” The museum is at 128 S. Main in Miami.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Basket-case motorcycle restoration: Tear-down and parts replacement

Biker Quote for Today

From the artistic viewpoint, it (the motorcycle) is three-dimensional: a composition of many elements of form, design, and aesthetics, always reflecting the time in which it is conceived and produced. — Richard Gaul

Do what you love and the money will follow.

Have you ever heard those words? Do you believe them? Well, I’m putting them to the test. First some background.

I’ve been a writer all my life, and I’ve been riding motorcycles for more than 20 years. That doesn’t count the numerous times when I was a kid when I had the occasional chance to ride. By 20 years I mean since I bought my first bike. So what could be more natural than to put the two together?

OK, I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ve been in the newspaper business and various other lines of work but the one thing they all had in common was that I was a writer. Most recently I’ve been doing contract work as a technical writer. On my most recent gig I knew first of all that it would end. That’s the nature of the beast. I also knew the economy was in the toilet and that getting the next gig could be very difficult. So I put aside as much cash as I could while I had the income and when the end came I was ready.

I’ve been “unemployed” for a couple months now but I’m working harder than ever. But no, I’m not looking for a job. I’m working to make a living as a biker.

First off, I’ve turned my gig at Examiner.com into an almost full-time effort, and as of yesterday I’ve moved from Denver Motorcycle Examiner to National Motorcycle Examiner. Second, I’m doing what I can to make more money off this website. I’ve always had the Google ads, and they’ve always paid enough to support the website without me having to dip into my pocket just to pay the hosting fees. But now I’m actively trying to sell ads on the site, which has the potential to provide serious income. We’ll see.

Third, I’ve been talking with Dan Patino at Monkey Gripper Motorcycle Tours about working for him this summer as a motorcycle tour guide. Considering the focus of this website, that seems a perfect fit. Now all we need is for the economy not to totally crush the tourism industry and to get some people signed up for tours.

And fourth, I’m considering the possibility of becoming a motorcycle riding instructor. To that end, just this weekend I took the Beginning Rider Course from T3RG Motorcycle Schools. The possibility of becoming an instructor was really only one of four reasons I had for taking the course, but because the course is required if you want to be an instructor, it was fortuitous to be able to do so just at this time.

So we’ll see. I’m doing what I love and while I’m not making nearly enough to live on so far, things do seem to be moving in the right direction.

And doors do seem to be opening up. For instance, in my work with Examiner.com I have helped build a group of the motorcycle Examiners around the country. We try to coordinate our efforts and work together whenever the opportunity presents itself. Well, there is a new East Bay Motorcycle Examiner who just started, Gabe Ets-Hokin, who just today posted his second ever post, which is part two of his introduction. It turns out to my extreme interest that he has been a motojournalist since 2004 and is currently the Online Editor for Cycle World magazine. Holy smokes! I now have a contact with an outfit I’d love to become involved with. It may never happen but you never know.

Rest assured, I’ll keep you up to date on how this progresses. I’m not saying you should be all that interested in how I make my living, but I would think just about anyone would be interested to see whether you really can do what you love and end up making it your job. Who knows, it might be the inspiration someone else needs to do so as well.

Recent from the National Motorcycle Examiner
Emotional day ends Run For The Wall

Biker Quote for Today

You can forget what you do for a living when your knees are in the breeze.

I do a lot of motorcycle writing that you never see here on this blog. In addition to maintaining the Passes and Canyons website and writing this blog, I also write 3-4 times each week for Examiner.com, as the National Motorcycle Examiner.

While I do on occasion write about the same subject both here and there, for the most part I don’t. And even when I do, I generally do two different posts, rather than a copy and paste. The point is, the two have different audiences. I figure you folks reading this blog are confirmed biker types, whereas the folks reading my stuff on Examiner.com may be newbies or confirmed bikers, or they may not ride at all. What makes sense in one place doesn’t necessarily make sense in the other.

That said, there have been a number of pieces I’ve written for Examiner.com that you might find worth reading. Here then is a listing of articles and links to them. I hope you find something that piques your interest.

Only a biker knows . . .
You’ve no doubt noticed that I include a “Biker Quote for Today” at the end of each of these blog posts. I don’t do it on Examiner.com, but periodically I collect the quotes I’ve used here and present a bunch of them at once.

DNC riders: The best one-day motorcycle ride from Denver
In a group effort for the Democratic National Convention last summer, all Denver Examiners were asked to put together recommendations in their topic for the convention delegates and the press.

What cagers don’t know about motorcycling
This was an educational piece for the non-biker readership.

The ignorance we’re up against
A discussion of how clueless non-bikers are about what we do.

Best motorcycle bars in the Denver area
Another joint Examiner effort, this time a “best of” listing.

Underwater motorcycles, motorcycles that fly
Passing along some interesting items I ran across about a submarine motorcycle and one that sprouts wings and flies.

The new styles in helmets: fruit, pots, tires
An amusing report about the frantic efforts of Nigerian motorcycle taxi drivers when they realized the government was serious about enforcing a new helmet law.

If you love motorcycles you want to see Jay Leno’s Garage
Passing along a link to a terrific site, at least if you’re the kind of guy who is interested in motorcycles.

Who will fold first, Chrysler or Harley?
A disturbing analysis of Harley’s future.

So there you have it. Take a look. I certainly think there’s a lot worth reading there, but then I’m biased.

Biker Quote for Today

What does it mean to you? For me, it’s something I just do.