Passes & Canyons Blog

At times like this you kind of feel stupid.

If I remember correctly, the first time I dropped a motorcycle it wasn’t actually even me doing the dropping. I was still learning how to park a bike properly and this was a lesson. I rode over on my Honda CB750 Custom to where John was watching his son’s soccer game and I just parked in the lot. When I came back it was laying on its side. Wind, I guess? Beats me, I never really knew. But it bent the brake lever and when we tried to bend it back the thing snapped.

There was another time when I didn’t do the dropping, either. I parked my Kawasaki Concours in the only place I could find and I was nervous about the angle. The Connie stands up pretty straight even on level ground and this was not level. I came back and found it on its side. I hate that. Now in a situation like that I would use the center stand.

But what about when YOU actually drop the bike? It usually seems to happen in a parking lot. You’re padding along on the bike to park it and you let it get away from you. Who hasn’t done that? I don’t see any hands raised.

I’m sure I did it at least a couple times in the early days and it was just like I said, in a parking lot. Really glad to have the guys there to help me get it back up.

Then when the Concours was new I had the most unnerving drop I’ve ever had. The Connie is tall and I was still learning to be comfortable on a bike that high. Judy and I had ridden out to Eldorado Springs to hike a bit in the park there. The parking lot was gravel so when we were leaving I told her to wait until I got it turned around–I was not at all confident on this bike in this situation.

So I fired it up and started to try to ride a tight 180 . . . and failed miserably. Down went the bike. Fortunately several guys rushed over to help me get it back up but I was really shaken. My low confidence was down to zero. But we had to get home so with my heart pounding and butterflies in my stomach I got back on and told Judy to get on. And I was never so glad to get home.

And there are other stories, such as the time last year when the OFMC came into Ruidoso and at a sharply angled intersection on a downhill slope I was turning my head far to the left to look for traffic and just put the Suzuki V-Strom down. Or the time I was parking the Kawi at work at the National Park Service and just totally failed as I tried to rock it up onto its center stand (that photo above).

What can you say? Stuff happens, and usually when it does you feel more than a little bit stupid. But we all do it. I’ve helped the other guys pick up their bikes more than once. Heck, Bill and I helped John pick his Shadow up twice in one day. I’m just glad the only time I’ve ever gone down on the bike while in motion we were only going about 5 miles per hour. And that was the fault of that dang dog. And yeah, it took a little courage to get back on the bike after that one, too. But again, we were way out there and had to get home. You’ve just gotta do it.

Biker Quote for Today

There are worse ways to die than on a motorcycle. All the better ways are boring.

The idea that women are drawn to men on motorcycles has never discouraged any guy from riding.

Chicks. Dig. Bikes. Those three words succinctly sum up one of the big reasons some guys are attracted to motorcycles at a young age. That was not the main reason I fell in love with motorcycles when I was a teenager, but I’d be lying if I said it was not something I thought about.

For the most part, it didn’t much matter though, because my mother would not permit me to buy a motorcycle “as long as you live in my house.” Thus, I was limited to occasionally snagging a ride on someone else’s bike, but I didn’t know many other guys who had bikes either.

That changed in the summer between my junior and senior years in high school. I got a summer job working at a family camp on an island in a lake in Minnesota. There were several of us kids who were basically the gofers for the adults running the camp. We provided manual labor when necessary, took the big camp boat in to the marina to pick up supplies, and did anything else we were told to do. Mainly we got to spend the summer at camp on the island and that was something we would have done for free, although they did pay us $25 a week.

One of the other kids was my friend Terry. Terry showed up at the beginning of summer on a brand new Honda 305 Scrambler. And he told me that any time I wanted I was free to ride it. How many different ways can you say “heaven”?

Terry and I shared quarters at camp. We lived in a big, canvas army tent draped over a custom-built wooden, screened frame that fitted it perfectly. Terry always left the key to the bike hanging on a nail near the head of his bed. The bike was parked at the marina and any time I was headed to the marina and would have some time to ride I’d grab the key.

Adding Girls to the Mix
Of course one of the nice things about our jobs was that families would come to camp with their teenage daughters. As the guys working at camp, we were seen as very cool, and summer romances were inevitable. On one particular week, a family from North Dakota arrived with their two gorgeous daughters, Randy and Sherri.

Everybody knew about Terry’s bike, and they also knew I was allowed to ride it, so one day when I needed to run into town I told Randy and Sherri if they’d like to come along I’d take them for a ride on the motorcycle. Of course they said yes.

As I was getting ready to go I went to get the bike key. Terry was there and he told me he didn’t want me taking the girls on the bike. My memory is not clear so I’m not sure if he told me it was a safety issue with my relative inexperience or whether I just assumed that. Either way he said not to do exactly what I was intending to do.

So the girls and I headed in to the marina and I told them what Terry had said. I told them I’d still take them for a ride, just don’t tell Terry I did it. We got to the marina and Randy and I got on the bike and rode into town on whatever errand I was on. Having completed it, we got on the bike just as a couple local guys came walking along. One of them called out, “Look at the girl on the bike!” Yes, she was a beauty and I felt proud to be the guy on the bike with her.

Now, the 305 Scrambler was a torquey bike and I was still having trouble smoothly releasing the clutch and easing on the throttle. In this instance, pulling away from the curb, I inadvertently popped a wheelie, thus making the whole scene that much cooler.

Randy and I headed back to the marina, where she got off and Sherri got on, and Sherri and I went for a ride out of town for a bit. Then we all got in the boat and headed back to camp.

Back at camp, when I saw Terry, he asked me if I’d taken the girls for a ride. I hated the thought of lying so I told him yes, I had. Terry could have chewed my butt, and I was prepared for him to do so, but he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t say a word. But that motorcycle key was never hanging from that nail again, and I never rode that bike again.

Regrets? Yes, I’ve had a few. But I’ll never forget popping that wheelie while those other guys stood watching, thinking (in my mind at least) that I must be just about the luckiest guy in the world.

Biker Quote for Today

I saw you have a motorcycle and tattoos . . . excuse me while I take my clothes off.

Riding on gravel took me a while to get used to.

Motorcycles are inherently more unstable than cars. When a car comes to a stop it stops. Period. When a motorcycle comes to a stop you’d better put your foot down or you’re going to fall over. Something about two wheels versus four, you know?

Now magnify the instability by adding a curve in the rider’s trajectory. Motorcycles lean in order to go around curves, so you’re already cocked to one side. And then add gravel in the curve. There’s nothing quite as thrilling as feeling your rear tire break loose in gravel on a curve, and this is not the good kind of thrill such as what you get on a roller coaster.

Give credit to the people who design motorcycles and motorcycle tires that losing traction on gravel, or ice, or wet leaves doesn’t automatically mean you go down. All it takes is to hit a wee patch of pavement again and you’re back in control. You’ll probably want to take it easy for a while, though, and let your adrenaline subside.

Motorcyclists generally fall into two categories, those who learned to ride on dirt and those who didn’t. It’s a huge difference. Dirt riding is all about breaking traction, riding the slide, and keeping the bike up. Those who never rode in dirt are at a significant disadvantage.

I never rode in dirt. While I had the opportunity to ride several bikes from time to time over a lot of years, I never got good at it until I bought my first bike, my 1980 Honda CB750 Custom. I learned to ride on the road and gravel was a particular nemesis. I hated gravel roads and gravel in a curve scared the bejeezus out of me.

The very first trip Bill and John and I took, before we even named our group the OFMC, we camped one night at Rifle Gap State Park, outside of Rifle, CO. It was probably 8 to 10 miles from the campground to town and we needed to ride in to have dinner. I had noticed when we first rode out to the park that there was a lot of gravel in some of the curves so I was already in high-caution mode. Heading into town the other guys left me way behind and I picked my way carefully along. Heading back to camp after dinner it was now dark, and thus even harder to pick out the hazards. They were back at camp long before I got there.

The difference, of course, was that they had had scooters and dirt bikes as kids.

“Didn’t you slide on some of that gravel in the curves?”

“Oh sure, but when you ride dirt bikes you learn how to stay in control.”

It took me a long time to get comfortable riding my street bikes on gravel roads, but I do it pretty well now. (Except for the Concours, which HATES gravel.) I still hate gravel in a curve. But I’ve been on the dirt more since I got my V-Strom. Maybe someday I’ll feel that rear wheel slide out and smile. But I’m not holding my breath.

Biker Quote for Today

I’m not the biggest motorcycle fan – they’re cool and a lot of fun, but they’re scary as well! — Taylor Lautner

I still have that bike, and I still have that jacket. I don’t still have all that hair.

Big, 800-pound bagger motorcycles are very popular, at least in the U.S., but there’s one place you’ll never see them: at the Department of Motor Vehicles on the license testing range.

When you’re getting your motorcycle accreditation you have to pass the written test and also pass a driving test, just like with a car. The driving portion for a bike takes place out in the parking lot, where they set up cones and have you ride through the course demonstrating your competence. On a scooter, or a small bike, such as a 250cc Honda Rebel, it’s easy. For a beginning rider to maneuver their full-size bike around the course, the likelihood of success is minute.

I didn’t know this when I bought my first bike. But I learned.

I had ridden motorcycles whenever I had the opportunity for many years, but it was only once I bought my first bike, a 1980 Honda CB750 Custom, that I got licensed. My friends told me then that it would be good to get a small bike to take the test but I didn’t have any idea where to get that small bike so off I went on my 750.

Now, a 750cc bike is only considered a mid-size bike anymore, though it was a big bike in 1980, and it still weighs about 500 pounds. I suspect the licensing examiner was surprised to see what I rode in on but no matter, let’s go do the test.

The first part of the course demonstrates handling control. You have to weave around cones in a slalom pattern at slow speed. Then there was a right turn, and another right turn, which set you up to come into a much tighter box where you have to do a 180-degree turn.

I did not make it through all the cones and when I came around for the 180 I had not understood the directions properly. I thought the examiner told me to stay outside the lines, when in fact I was supposed to stay inside them. I was successful in staying outside. You then start out from a spot where you accelerate forward and then brake and swerve sharply as if you were avoiding an obstacle. That part was easy.

Of course I failed the test. And I was very surprised when she told me I utterly failed to make the U-turn within the lines. Ooooh. Within! I get it now.

Second Try

Now that I knew what the test consisted of I practiced. I showed up again a few days later, not at all confident I would succeed, but willing to take a shot at it. With no training I instinctively figured out that to weave through the cones I had to use a technique called trail-braking, where you keep the engine revved for stability while working the rear brake to move forward at about walking speed. To my relief, I got through the cones just fine.

Heading into the U-turn I now knew I needed to stay inside the lines and, using trail-braking again, I successfully executed the turn. Coming out of it, however, the lean was too great and the bike laid over on its side. It didn’t actually go all the way down; it ended up resting half-way up on the foot peg. I looked at the examiner and she said she couldn’t help me but if I got the bike back up I could keep going with the test.

I raised the bike and continued and everything else went fine. She passed me. Yahoo!

I have since learned that one of the major benefits of taking a Motorcycle Safety Foundation riding course is that you learn on small bikes and at the end of the course you do the riding portion of the test. If you pass, all you have to do to get your license is go to Motor Vehicle, pass the written portion, and pay your fee. Of course you also get some training in the process, which is a very good thing.

Had I known all this that’s probably what I would have done. I didn’t, though, so now I take pride in being able to say I passed the test on my real, full-sized highway bike. And I love the looks of amazement I get when I say that.

Biker Quote for Today

Myth: You only live once. Fact: You die only once, you live every day.

My CB750 has served me better than I have served it.

I’ve never claimed to be overly concerned about upkeep on my motorcycles, but I think I just hit a new low. I’m actually embarrassed.

I’ve known for some time that I was well overdue on changing the oil in my Honda CB750 Custom. I did change that oil on Saturday and oh my gosh. That so-called oil was the dirtiest, ugliest, sludgiest mess of stuff that I’ve ever seen. Slap my hand, hard!

With three bikes, I only ride this particular one about 600 to 800 miles a year. If you figure 3,000 miles between oil changes that’s nearly four years. Yes, I know you should change the oil every six months even if you don’t put that many miles on but I just haven’t done so. But what I hadn’t thought about until recently was that this bike also burns some oil. After it sits awhile, when I start it up it has a bunch of oil that has seeped past the rings that has to be burned out. It can get a little smoky.

What that means, of course, is that it was also low on oil. In the last couple months I’ve added a bit here and there but never topped it off because I figured I’d be replacing it soon. Which I finally did.

When I drained it there was probably less than two quarts that came out, while it’s supposed to hold nearly four quarts. And as I said, it was incredibly ugly stuff. I guess my only saving grace here is that this CB750 motor is one of those bullet-proof motors that will take just about anything you throw at it. Like the slant-six motor in my Dad’s old Plymouth Valiant.

So I put in a new filter and filled it with good, clean, fresh motorcycle oil and fired it up there on the center stand. It just seemed to run better than it had for a long time. Then I rocked it down and took it out for a spin. It really seemed to be running better–happier–than it had for a long time.

OK, I admit it. I’ve been a bad owner. And now the thing is, I have two other bikes that are also overdue for oil changes, though nothing like the Honda. And neither of them lose or use oil the way the Honda does. The V-Strom had its oil changed about 18 months ago, about 3,000 miles ago. The Concours has more months and more miles since its last change.

This is where it gets rough. With the Honda and the Suzuki, oil changes are easy. With the Kawi it is necessary to remove some of the body work and then there are two drain plugs rather than just one, plus the filter to be removed. That’s what always discourages me from doing what I know needs to be done with that bike. Anything that requires removal of body work gets put off.

Oh well. I did finally leave the National Park Service again, this time I hope for the last time, so now I have a lot more time at my disposal. I guess I owe it to my bikes to devote more of that time to them.

Biker Quote for Today

Payday! Let’s order some bike parts!

Sure there's still snow on the ground but that's no reason not to ride.

OK, I was wrong about our street being clear enough to ride on Tuesday. So I went down the sidewalk again. I’ve got motorcycles that need to be ridden, you know.

I took the Kawi out first, then the Honda, then the Suzuki. There’s more snow predicted for Thursday night and you never know when you’re going to get trapped at home again, and bikes need to run. So I ran them.

It was a warm day but I bundled up and put on my electric gear. The Kawi has good wind protection so I never turned the vest on and while the heated gloves were only set on the lowest setting, I considered turning them off.

The Honda has a lot less protection, just a windshield. Now I was wishing the gloves were set warmer.

Finally, the Suzuki was just about right, enough protection and enough electric warmth.

I also had all the other gear on. While I agree with ATGATT for the most part, the fact is I rarely wear my chaps. But I had them on on Tuesday, along with helmet, gloves, jacket, and boots. ATG. At this time of year you never know when you’re going to hit a bit of ice or gravel or something that is going to put you down. And that was almost exactly what happened.

I was coming north on University Boulevard past DU and was amazed how much new construction is going on along that stretch. It seems every old building for several blocks on the east side of University, south of Evans, has been removed and new multi-story buildings are going up. So there is a good bit of mud on the street from the construction vehicles. No problem, though.

Then I went to turn east on Evans and ran across what I took to be just a wet spot on the street. Wrong. It was a thin layer of mud and my back end swung way, way out to the side. I’m sure the guy behind me was wondering if this guy on this bike was going to fall right in front of him. I was wondering, too.

But the tire caught dry pavement and found traction and then, as I knew it was going to do, it stood up straight and shook the way a bike will do when you high-side. But I was going slowly and did not give it any throttle so I was able to ride it out. That definitely gets your attention, though.

By the time I got back from the third ride more of the street was clear and I only needed the sidewalk for a short distance, but even on Wednesday when I went out again the sidewalk was necessarily part of my route. We’ll see what happens with snow on Thursday.

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycles are like girls: It’s always better to have two.

The OFMC in Utah.

The miles I covered on my bikes in 2015 totaled more than a 50 percent increase over 2014. That’s a really good thing. And the miles I put on the bikes far surpassed what I put on my car, too, which is another good thing. The only somewhat negative thing about last year is that I still didn’t come close to my best years on the bikes, where in some cases I just simply rode a lot more than I did in 2015, even though 2015 is an increase.

Every year at this time I check and record my mileage and see how the year went. This year’s numbers:

I only put 4,957 miles on my car, which is part of why the bike miles totaled more. That’s down from 7,558 in 2014. On the V-Strom I covered 3,849 miles, which is up from 2,596. For the CB750 it’s actually down, 531 in 2015 vs. 712 in 2014. I wouldn’t have thought that was the case but the numbers don’t lie. And for the Concours it’s 2,121 in 2015 vs. 1,037 in 2014. Total for the bikes: 6,501.

Just to put that in perspective, in 2012 I rode the Concours alone more than that: 6,785 miles. And in 2011 I rode the Concours alone 10,004 miles. Then add miles for the other bikes. But at least I’m back on an upward trend. And I expect those numbers to really surge in 2016. I mean, I have a lot more time to ride now. How could they not increase?

Right now, of course, the weather is the issue, blocking me from my first ride of the year. But the weather is in my favor now. Saturday was warm and sunny. Sunday was warm and sunny. Monday is warm and sunny. I went out on Saturday and inspected the streets around our house and concluded that by Tuesday the snow and ice would be melted sufficiently so I should be able to get out of the neighborhood. I’m really counting on it because the forecast is for more snow starting on Thursday. Let’s get this year started!

Biker Quote for Today

The engine charges the bike’s battery, and the ride recharges my own batteries. — Clement Salvadori

by Matt Wessels

The Vintage movement is in full force and old motorcycles are finding their way back to daylight and backroads in record numbers. This year will mark the 5th annual Vintage Motorcycle Show in Golden, Colorado.

Heritage Square will host the event one last time before they close their doors at the end of 2015, and all of their facilities will be operational for the show. Those facilities include bathrooms, restaurants, and a bar.

Erico Motorsports, GrandPrix Motorsports Indian and Foothills Triumph/BMW will be there showcasing some of the factory retro motos. Last year they had a half-million dollar Vincent show up, by the name of the Black Prince. It might make a re-appearance at this year’s show.

The show (Sunday, June 7) is open to anybody with a vintage motorcycle following the structure of a controlled open floor. To enter, respond to the evite and drop a comment so that Bob can get an idea of how many bikes there will be. Being a part of the show is just as free as attending it. They are taking donations for Hospice care, so bring some stray bills to support a good cause!

Much like the show being a celebration of all that was good and right in the motorcycle world, the Hospice donations are a celebration of good people who make it their life’s work to increase the quality of life for those who can not completely provide it for themselves. The idea was started when a friend was immensely impressed with the Hospice workers who take care of his mom, and wanted to give back.

The VJMC is also giving back by footing the bill for the event and wants all motorcycles from all backgrounds, manufacturers, and styles to attend. This isn’t a profitable endeavor, this is simply two enthusiasts who want to bring like-minded people together and celebrate good bikes, good food, good talk, and good experiences.

If you missed the link up above, go HERE to register for attendance. IT’S FREE!

For any other questions or comments, please reach out to Bob @ superhawk65@gmail.com

Many of the same folks meet at the GB Fish and Chips on the first Thursday of every month for Old Bike Night. There are a few other Old Bike Night meetups around the front range area, but not all necessarily connected with this one.