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More Threats To Motorcycling

Thursday, May 28th, 2026


You ride this, I’ll ride that.

I’ll pick up again on this list of “10 Biggest Threats To Motorcycling” that the AMA printed in its latest issue of American Motorcyclist.

Right To Repair
The third on the list is right to repair. The problem is that as vehicles of all kinds get more complex, the manufacturers are not excited about sharing their proprietary tech that is needed for someone else to fix them. They’d rather you had no option but to take your bike or car to the dealer.

As they put it, “Right to Repair is the idea that a consumer has the right to choose their preferred service and repair provider (including themselves and independent shops); this also means that manufacturers are required to make the parts and needed information available to the public for a fair and reasonable price.”

For example, what if the nearest dealer is 150 miles away, while you’ve got a good independent shop right down the street?

The AMA and other groups are promoting–with growing momentum–federal legislation to require that this be an option. Meanwhile, 20 plus states have passed their won Right to Repair legislation.

Land Access
This next item is perhaps the most contentious of the bunch, with some riders on one side of the argument and others on the other side. Motorized access to public lands is not something everyone wants to see. A lot of hikers strongly resent sharing a trail with someone on a motorcycle.

But motorcyclists are citizens and pay taxes, too, so you can’t rightfully close off all public land to all motorized traffic. It’s all about striking an equitable balance. It also helps to have separate hiking and biking trails.

The fix for the problem, the article says, is this:

“A wider recognition and understanding of the benefits that off-highway motorcycles have on the local economy, coupled with volunteer trail maintenance efforts spearheaded by these users, goes a long way in preventing potential closures from being proposed. Responsible trail use and partnerships with other users are important.
“When land-access issues do arise, it is important to be organized and engaged with the land managing agency. The AMA encourages alternative sites to be identified and made available if a recreational area is closed for an extended period of time.”

Keep this in mind because the next item on the list refers directly back to this.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 47. Spring fever starts in November.

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Posted in American Motorcyclist Association, Biker Issues, motorcycle clubs, Motorcycle Riders Foundation | No Comments »

Threats To Motorcycling

Thursday, May 21st, 2026


Racing will always involve a certain amount of risk.

American Motorcyclist, the publication of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), has a cover article in the latest issue about the “10 Biggest Threats To Motorcycling.” For those of you who are not AMA members I figured it might be worthwhile to discuss these 10 threats. I’ll spread this out over several posts because otherwise this could get extremely long.

Autonomous Vehicles
The first is autonomous vehicles. If you get the publications of the AMA or the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) you know both organizations have focused a lot on these self-driving cars. Nobody is opposed to them. Come the day when the technology is really well honed and the systems can flawlessly recognize a motorcycle and other smaller objects then they will almost certainly lead to safer roads for everyone.

The point is simply that that is not where the equipment is yet. And the folks who are out there every day defending our rights and safety on the road are adamant that–as we all should be–that before these vehicles are allowed out there they must meet exacting standards. As it is, there have already been fatalities of motorcyclists hit by self-driving cars.

The article sums it up saying, “The AMA has been outspoken about the dangers of AVs for the last decade and has called for sufficient testing and regulation. The technology needs to be proven to detect all road users–including motorcycles–in all situations before being allowed on the road. Once the technology is proven to be reliable, AVs will be beneficial to the safety and well-being of motorcyclists. The AMA will continue to be in favor of regulations that hold the manufacturers of these technologies accountable and protect motorcyclists.”

Insurance Issues
There are very real risks associated with riding motorcycles. We all know this and we accept it. But we also all need insurance for when things go badly. And when the costs of lawsuits outweigh the potential income from insuring motorcycle events, guess what the insurance company is going to do: your event is not going to happen.

That’s where the concept of inherent risk comes in. I wrote about this a little while ago. The idea is that we need state legislatures to pass legislation that protects land and facility owners and event organizers from lawsuits based on injuries that are not caused by deficiencies of the facility. Basically, “it was your fault you crashed so don’t go suing the track for your screw-up.”

Arkansas and Texas have already passed this legislation and momentum is building in other states. Nothing will kill motorcycle racing faster than the inability of tracks to operate. The time for this legislation is now.

OK, that gets the ball rolling. I’ll follow up with the other eight, not necessarily in an unbroken series of posts. Heck, I want to write about riding motorcycles, too, though with the rain and freezing weather we’ve had lately it’s been a while since I’ve been able to get out. Warmer weather is in the forecast.

Biker Quote for Today

Trucks never slow down in the rain. The best time to pass trucks is when you’re going uphill.

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Posted in American Motorcyclist Association, Biker Issues, motorcycle clubs, Motorcycle Riders Foundation, Motorcycle Safety | No Comments »

Touring On The V-Strom

Thursday, May 7th, 2026


Me on the V-Strom.

I used to have three motorcycles so when it came to riding I could choose the one that would be best for the particular ride. Now I’m down to just one, so that’s no longer a choice.

Apropos to that, Clif made this request: “Now that you’re down to only the Vstrom, I was wondering if you would consider doing a post about how that is working for you on longer trips. Thanks.”

Hey, happy to oblige. Here we go.

In the beginning I had only the 1980 Honda CB750 Custom. When the OFMC went on our annual week-long trips that was the bike I rode. But then in 1999 I bought a new 1999 Kawasaki Concours. That was a fine road bike and became my main touring bike for many years. Some years later I picked up the 2006 Suzuki V-Strom 650 but I still favored the Concours for travel because it was just supreme on the highway.

It wasn’t the bike I always took, though. There were a number of years when, for a variety of reasons, I rode one of the others. Like when I was set to leave with the RMMRC on the Great River Road trip in 2022. I went to check my air pressure and found that the valve stem was totally rotted out and would surely have failed somewhere along the way. I quickly transferred all my gear to the V-Strom and headed out.

The thing is, there was never an occasion when I regretted being on the V-Strom. And at times I was really glad I was.

For instance, on the Great River Road trip we were going through some very hilly country in Missouri. Dave was leading and I was right behind him. Dave is a very good rider, on a very big bike. I figured my bike had to be more agile than his, and so anything he could do I should be able to do. So I made a decision to just stick right with him. And I did, and what a great day of riding that was! I don’t normally ride that aggressively, but I did this day. What fun.

Then there was a ride I did, also with the RMMRC, the next year, down into New Mexico and Arizona. I was on the V-Strom again and everyone else was on much bigger bikes. We did some hard riding and several people commented on how “that little bike just kept right up.” Well, yeah, it does just fine. But then there was a day when we were on a super twisty bit of two-lane and as I put it then, I watched all these guys wrestle their big machines through these turns and meanwhile I was dancing. That light, agile bike was a dream.

Now, I will say, the nice thing about the Concours was that I could go high speeds and it just cruised, so smoothly. Going that fast on the little 650 it just feels like the bike is really busy. I get the impression something just a bit bigger might be nice. That’s why I’ve been looking at a couple Yamahas, the FJ-09 and the Tracer 9. At 800cc, either of these bikes would be just enough bigger to be a little smoother without having all that weight that even bigger bikes have.

What has stopped me so far from getting either bike is that I hate buying without actually riding a bike to see how it actually feels for real. I had plans to go up to Cheyenne last fall to test a Tracer but then I got hit on the Honda and was prohibited by my neurosurgeon from driving–much less riding a motorcycle–for 12 weeks. Of course that demo days event was during that 12-week period. Now this year I’m looking at making a road trip out of going to some demo days event somewhere, maybe in Boise. We’ll see.

Meanwhile, I’m quite happy with the V-Strom. It’s a really good little bike.

Biker Quote for Today

“A motorcycle is a bicycle with a pandemonium attachment and is designed for the especial use of mechanical geniuses, daredevils and lunatics.” — George Fitch

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Posted in Honda motorcycles, Kawasaki, motorcycle clubs, motorcycle problems, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club, Suzuki motorcycles, Tales of the OFMC, V-Strom | 2 Comments »

Terrific Early November Ride

Monday, November 3rd, 2025

Stopped briefly at Tiny Town. It was such a warm day I shed a layer here.

With temps in the 70s there was no question of riding or not, it was just: Where to?

There comes a time each year when you can simply no longer go into the hills but at the moment Denver is a few days away from setting a new record for the latest first snow of the season. I figured I’d take advantage of it.

That only narrowed the question somewhat. But I guess I’m a bit stubborn. When I took off on my fateful ride on June 29 it was my intention to go over the route I intended to lead the RMMRC on soon after. On my first ride after the crash, but before surgery, I rode to the place on that planned route where the crash occurred. Now, on only my third ride since the crash I wanted to do what I set out to do that day. Who knows, if the weather holds I might yet lead that ride in the next week or two.

The day was warm, skies were blue, and I headed out. Great day to be on the bike. I went down to Belleview and turned west. When I came to Santa Fe, where the crash had occurred, I could have gone south on Santa Fe as I intended that day, but the thought of getting into that left turn lane and just sitting there again somehow did not appeal to me so I continued west on Belleview. At Lowell I turned south.

At Mineral I turned west again to Wadsworth and then south. Stopped at a red light at Ken Caryl Avenue I saw on the other side, headed north of Wadsworth, a guy on a Honda about as old as my bike. No jacket, no gloves, no helmet. OK, I hope you got home safely and do so again and again.

South of C-470 I made the right turn to go up Deer Creek Canyon. Lots of guys on bikes but many, many people on bicycles. That kind of day. I’m not a go-fast kind of guy so I took my time winding up the canyon on Deer Creek Canyon Road and then made the left onto South Deer Creek Road. This road winds around and climbs, ultimately coming out to US 285 at Conifer, changing names a couple times along the way.

After a short while I spotted three guys on Harleys behind me. I figured I was slowing them down but I had no inclination to speed up because, for one thing, this stretch was newly repaved and there was a good bit of loose gravel on the road, especially on the curves. They’re just going to have to be patient. They were, but the first open stretch we got to they blasted past. And in just another couple minutes two guys on Beemers came blasting past me too. Have fun; I’m just not in a hurry.

I wasn’t headed to Conifer; I turned north at Oehlmann Park Road. This road goes up and over a hill with a lot of homes, with terrific views in some places. Steep road going up and going down on the other side. Great riding. I’d hate to live there in the winter.

It comes out on the other side at South Turkey Creek Road, which runs parallel to US 285 between Tiny Town and just east of Conifer. I turned toward Tiny Town. A bit before Tiny Town there is a place where you can go left onto North Turkey Creek Road. That’s my route for this planned ride but for this day I decided I’d had enough and continued on to Tiny Town, got on US 285, and headed home. It’s supposed to cool off Monday but then be warm again all week. I figure I’ll just come back and do the second half in a few days.

You’ve got to love this weather. And considering that I missed the whole summer you can believe I am.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if you try to act like a biker.

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Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides, motorcycle clubs, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club | 1 Comment »

Hosting Gary And Gina Via Motorcycle Travel Network

Thursday, September 18th, 2025

Gary and Gina head out for Ogalala, Tuesday’s destination.

Monday to Tuesday this week we had our first Motorcycle Travel Network (MTN) guests in several years, Gary and Gina. They were on their way home to Ontario, Canada, after riding down to the Grand Canyon. Seeing the Grand Canyon has long been one of Gary’s bucket list dreams so they decided the time was now to make that happen. Mission accomplished.

They were on their Gold Wing, pulling a trailer. Almost all their stops on this three-week trip were with either MTN members or members of another, similar travel club, called Evergreen Club. While MTN is targeted at motorcyclists, Evergreen is for anyone as long as you are 50 or older. For both groups you pay $15 for a single or $20 for a couple per night of your stay, to defray your hosts’ expenses. Then there is a yearly membership fee for both clubs.

Gary and Gina were having a great trip, though now that they were heading home it was kind of the horse heading back to the stable feeling. Also, they have had great weather the whole trip but now were anticipating running into some rain. When they left us they were headed to Ogalala, Nebraska, where they had booked one of the few motel stays of their trip.

One of the big things about MTN is that you automatically have your interest in motorcycles in common, so there is an immediate bond. Unlike other MTN guests we have hosted, however, we actually talked very little about motorcycles. And that was fine. It’s just that if you are uncertain about other topics you can always fall back on motorcycles. But we didn’t.

We make a practice, whenever we have MTN guests, to cook a nice dinner and invite our guests to join us. (Always good to issue the invitation before they arrive lest they make a point of getting dinner before arriving.) Apparently that is not the norm, and it is certainly not expected of the hosts, but for us the whole pleasure of hosting is to spend time with our guests. Another thing that is sort of expected is that the hosts will provide local expertise as the guests continue on their way. Gina had a route pretty well mapped out already but I was able to direct them to an alternate route that allowed them to avoid even the brief stint on the interstate that they were expecting to have to do.

Living in Canada as they do, Gary and Gina can’t ride year-round the way we can here in Colorado, so they have to make the most of the summer months. Gina is a dedicated gardener so the irony is not lost on her of how she works to raise all these vegetables and then leaves them there for someone else to harvest and enjoy. We do seem to have had an inordinate number of Canadians among our MTN visitors.

We have no idea now when our next guests will come, or when we will be the visitors again, but this is something we have done for many years now and we have always enjoyed it very much. You might want to check it out.

Biker Quote for Today

As in motorcycling, so in life: Look where you want to go.

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Posted in Honda motorcycles, Motorcycle Accommodations, motorcycle clubs, motorcycle touring | No Comments »

MTN Is Still Out There

Monday, August 25th, 2025

Home page for the Motorcycle Travel Network website.

I got a big surprise Saturday when my phone pinged with a text. It was from the Motorcycle Travel Network (MTN), a couple from near Toronto asking to spend the night here in mid September.

The MTN was something of a precursor to Air BNB and that kind of thing. Motorcyclists join and if you’re traveling you can find other motorcyclists to stay with for a token “expense” fee. Meet people who share your passion and who can direct you to the best roads and places to go in the area. No one knows local like the locals.

Or you open your home to other bikers and the roles are flipped. Judy and I have done both and we have thoroughly enjoyed both. And met some really nice people.

I’ve been a big fan of the MTN for a long time but they had seemed to fizzle out awhile ago. It was run by a couple and then he died. Time passed and there was little if any activity on the site, but then she decided to reinvigorate it and for a year or two it seemed to be back. Then nothing again.

Well now I see that the situation has changed a bit. It used to be to visit or to host you needed to be a paid member. That was about $40 a year the last I checked. Now, however, if you want to visit you need to be a paying member, but if you only want to host there is no membership fee. That’s why even though I haven’t paid in a long time we are still listed as being hosts.

The way this would work for most people would be to be listed and take guests and then only if you’re going on a trip and want to stay with MTN people, at that time you pay to become a member. If you stay one night with some folks you’ll save much more than you would have spent on one night’s lodging and you’re now good for a year.

We have had so much fun with people who have stayed with us and who we have stayed with. And they’re from all over the world. We’ve had a number of Canadians, some Germans, and others I can’t remember where they were from.

Now we have something to look forward to. You can bet I’ll tell you all about their visit afterward.

Biker Quote for Today

Spending a week on bikes in a foreign world is more than a trip; it’s a way to connect with new place, people, and most of all with yourself.

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Posted in Motorcycle Accommodations, motorcycle clubs | 1 Comment »

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