Passes & Canyons Blog

Not a lot to say today, I just decided I wanted to post this photo. It’s available elsewhere on the website, but it’s a page that I don’t think many people visit, so it’s likely that not many people have seen it. I just think it’s cool, and I shot it, so here it is.

Biker Quote for Today

Always back your bike into the curb, and sit where you can see it.

Here’s something you don’t often see. There was an article in Wednesday’s (3-26-08) New York Times about a bunch of new motorcycles being released. Apparently the article is reprinted from AutoWeek because you can read it on their website. Or read it on the NYT site and get the tables and photos.

Titled “Posh Bikes Rev Up Amid Slowdown,” the gist of the article is summed up in the lead paragraph:

Get set for an invasion of high-end motorcycles–just as the economy is heading into a possible recession.

The article continues, saying:

Manufacturers are rolling out a troop of powerful, opulent, feature-laden machines at prices that would have seemed outlandish for something on two wheels just a few years ago. Several motorcycles that recently went on sale or are expected in dealerships this spring cost between $15,000 and $40,000, more than a Mercedes-Benz C-Classs sedan.

While at first seeming to raise a red flag about pricey new bikes at a time when the economy is hitting a reef, the article then goes on to discuss the reasons why motorcycle sales may be recession-proof. These include the statistics about the aging riding population, with more money and more time to ride, as well as the idea that even people of average means can afford a higher-end bike, as opposed to the flashier, higher-priced cars.

Models discussed in the article include the Ducati Desmosedici, BMW HP2 Sport, Victory Vision Tour Premium, Harley-Davidson Rocker C, Honda Gold Wing Airbag, and MV Agusta F4-R 312.

Biker Quote for Today

If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.

Do you remember Second Creek Raceway? You know, it was out a little east of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a little west of where Denver International Airport now is.

If you do remember it you’re probably aware that it is closed now. It seems they built housing developments nearby and the poor homeowners couldn’t abide the noise from the racetrack. Never mind that the racetrack was there long before their houses were. Of course, there’s an airport nearby, too. Maybe they’ll try to get that closed.

Well, here’s the good news. Second Creek is on the verge of doing a phoenix gig and rising from the ashes. The new name will be High Plains Raceway and it is out on US 36 about 17 miles east of Byers.

You can find out all about it here.

This new raceway is a joint effort among the folks who ran Second Creek, various clubs (mostly racecar clubs) that used Second Creek, and some corporate sponsors who presumably have some sort of interest in the business end of it. They’re conducting a fund-raising campaign, have about $2.3 million so far, and need $3 million.

They also have all the necessary permits in hand and “we are fast approaching the funding required to begin construction.”

The site is more than eight times the size of Second Creek so it should be a pretty nice facility. I don’t know if you have ever done a “track day” where you get to ride on a racetrack, with not fears of oil or gravel and no inattentive SUV drivers to contend with, but if you haven’t you should. Done in conjunction with some training on better riding they can benefit just about anyone.

Stay tuned. I’ll keep you up to date on the progress, and the opening, and then any motorcycle events held out there. Heck, you might even want to go out for the car races. This stuff can really be fun.

Biker Quote for Today

Never trade the thrills of living for the security of existence.

Another question I got from Steve in New Zealand, who is coming to Colorado to ride with some friends in 2009, was “Are there any other pure renters (as opposed to tour companies) of similar style bikes?” Steve and the group are planning to rent from www.tourbikes.com.

That was something I’d never really thought about so I did some research. First I checked to see what selection they have at tourbikes.com. It’s a pretty wide selection. They have a bunch of BMW touring bikes but they also have some Harleys, some Hondas, a Yamaha FJR 1300, and a mix of dual sport bikes. All in all, something that would probably suit anybody.

Then I started looking at the others. L2 Motorcycle Rentals has mostly Harleys, but they also have some Gold Wings. Mainly Harleys, though.

Not surprisingly, EagleRider of Denver has only Harleys. It also appears that Moturis also is exclusively Harley.

I list a number of other rental companies on the motorcycle rentals page but can’t check the rest of them out very easily because they don’t appear to have website. So in answer to Steve’s question, no it does not appear that there are other renters of similar style bikes in the area.

If I’m wrong, and someone tells me more than I know at this point I’ll be glad to post the info here and on the rentals page. Thanks in advance.

Do you ever visit online motorcycle forums? I have about seven or eight I like to visit periodically. Just recently, for example, I posted a question on a Kawasaki Concours forum asking if anyone had any experience with the speedometer housing issue I discussed in my last post. I also like to introduce people to this MotorcycleColorado site, so I go and search for people asking for touring ideas on upcoming Colorado trips. I try to help them in any way I can, from route planning, to what to wear, to whatever they need to know.

Here are some of the forums I’ve joined. There are a lot more out there. Check out a few.

Adventure Rider – http://www.advrider.com/forums/index.php
HondaBikes.net – http://www.hondabikes.net/forum/
KawasakiMotorcycle.org – http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/forum/kawasaki-motorcycle-forums/
RiderInfo.com – http://www.riderinfo.com/forums/index.php
Motorcycle-usa.com – http://forum.motorcycle-usa.com/

That’ll get you started. Find an interesting thread and have fun.

I subscribe to the MotorcycleUSA email newsletter and was just glancing at an issue from May of this year (2007). They had an article about the latest resurrection of the Indian marque, saying that you should “expect to see the Indian Chief rolling down a roadway near you late in the Fall of 2007.”

Well, I haven’t. So I decided to do a reality check and see what’s happening with Indian.

For starters, they have a pretty nice website:
http://www.indianmotorcycle.com/

But you can’t ride a website. What about the bikes?

The answer to the obvious question, “When will the new bike go on sale?”, is posted on their FAQ page, and here’s the answer.

As soon as they’re worthy to carry the Indian name and logo down the road and not a moment before. We expect the 2009 Chief to be introduced in time to be stuffed into some very, very large 2008 Christmas stockings, if not sooner.

The other obvious question is how the project is progressing. Here’s what they say:

Fabulous. We’re currently testing prototypes of the 2009 Chief, building our flagship dealership just outside Charlotte, North Carolina, franchising Indian dealers throughout the country and partnering with some of the most respected, creative leather and fashion designers in the world to create a premium line of official Indian riding gear and apparel.

So who knows. There has been so much money spent on trying to resurrect this brand. Will these guys succeed where so many others have failed? I don’t have a clue. But I’ll be curious to see, won’t you.

Oh, and by the way, if you want to become an Indian dealer this is your chance. Just go to the website to learn how. Opportunities like this don’t come along often. The only question is, is this a good opportunity or a bad one?

After 21 years Kawasaki has totally redesigned the Concours, a bike near and dear to me because I ride one. You’ve probably heard about it–it’s been in all the moto mags. All the reviews have been strongly positive, and the one thing absolutely everyone is saying is that this thing has serious power.

Now Rider magazine has published a shoot-out between four big sport tourers, the Connie, BMW K1200GT, Honda ST1300, and Yamaha FJR1300A. A side-by-side comparison strikes me as the best way to judge something like this. The bottom line is, they unanimously prefer the Honda, with the Connie coming in third. When I bought my Connie I was also interested in the ST but the price differential was too big to swallow. The ST is still more expensive than the new Connie but the difference is enough smaller that, doing it again today, I’d probably pay a little more for the ST.

Here are a few notes about the Concours 14:
Base price is about $13,000, compared to the $8,000 I paid for my 1999 in 1999.
Fuel capacity is 5.8 gallons, compared with the 7.5 gallons in my ’99.
Gas mileage is 36 mpg. I get about 45 mpg on the ’99.
Displacement is 1,352 cc vs. 996 cc on the ’99.

Plus it has all kinds of cool extras that the older models don’t have. So there is good and bad. One thing for sure, it still looks like a Concours. Here’s a shot of a ’99 model like mine and another of the Concours 14:

Oh boy, I’m excited about this one. I own a Kawasaki Concours and I just learned that the Concours Owners Group is holding their annual rally here in Colorado. It’s going to be in Frisco the week of June 2-6. I may have to rejoin the organization.

I joined COG as soon as I bought my Connie in 1999 and went for a few rides but at that point I had other buddies to ride with so I didn’t renew my membership. Now the guy who seems to have been the linch-pin in our group has moved over to the western slope and while we still go for our summer trips, the rest of us don’t get together as much to ride. I had been thinking for awhile of rejoining COG in order to find some new riding buddies.

So anyway, this rally looks like something you really have to make a commitment to. Most rallies take place over the weekend but this one is Monday to Friday. That could be the one thing that stops me from going. I’m a contractor, working on an hourly basis, and when I’m not working I’m not making money. But to be in one place with a couple thousand other folks on Connies is pretty tempting. Plus, they may be offering demo rides on the new Concours 14, the first makeover for this bike in about 18 years. All the moto-mags are calling it one of the best touring bikes you’ll find.

Don’t know at this point what I’ll do but I’m pretty buzzed!