Passes & Canyons Blog

I did make it to ABATE’s Motorcycle Expo at Aurora Town Center yesterday. While the cool weather and the conflict with Mother’s Day presumably diminished the crowd somewhat, the event showed a big step forward from last year.

I’m not sure if they had more booths or whether they just had the booths clustered more tightly together, but the overall effect was of a fuller, more vibrant event. In the middle of it all were cones that motorcycle cops would periodically ride, demonstrating their terrific control of their machines. I wish I could ride that well.

Off outside the cluster of booths was another slalom course and over there you could also see some non-police riders who demonstrated control right up there with the cops. Heck, I had trouble doing tight u-turns on a 250 when I was taking the RiderCoach training class last year. These guys were doing it on big baggers.

So anyway, I hung around awhile but then took off. Too many other things I needed to do.

Old Bike Ride 10

The next event coming up that I wanted to go to, but won’t be able to, is the Old Bike Ride 10. I missed it last year but did make it out two years ago. This is just a fun outing of older bikes put on by the Norton club of Colorado each year. It starts out from Golden and ends up back there sometime later. Not sure what route they’ll be taking because the announcement says it will be different this year.

It’s not that I’ll be crying my eyes out over missing it, though, because the reason I’ll miss it is pretty good. I’m heading out on Wednesday to go down near Flagstaff for the Overland Expo. This is an event for people who are serious about their adventure travel, and who are planning things such as trips around the world on their bikes. I have no such desires, but I do hope to learn a bit about things like road-side motorcycle maintenance and also hope to have the opportunity to do some dirt riding. Check back here and you’ll see just exactly how that all works out.

Oh boy, my first big trip of the summer.

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Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycles are better than men because if your motorcycle is too soft, you can get different shocks.

I know where I’m going to be at least part of the day on Sunday. ABATE of Colorado is putting on a Motorcycle Expo at Aurora Town Center, which is what they now call what used to be the Aurora Mall.

I know that Terry Howard and the crew at ABATE have put a lot of effort into this thing. Here’s a list of what will be going on.

• Noise testing — See how loud your bike really is, and how it compares to legal limits.
• Police demos — These guys are some of the best bike handlers you’ve ever seen. You wish you were this good.
• Ride in bike show — Enter your bike and see how it compares.
• Riding gear vendors — See what’s new, what’s too cool to pass up.
• Swap meet vending for used parts — A must-check-out for those of us on older bikes.
• MOST and SmarTrainer display — Learn about rider training opportunities.
• Motorcycle games — Set up by Don Gunn. Have fun on your bike.
• Motorcycle dealer displays and demos — See what’s available all in one place.
• Riding organizations — Colorado Sportbike Club, Motorcycle Roadracing Association, dirt-bike school info

And more. The groups sponsoring this event include:

• ABATE Rider Education
• Motorcycle Operators Safety Training
• Colorado Sportbike Club
• Motorcycle Roadracing Association
• Thunder Roads Colorado
• United Dirt Bike School
• Erica Rae’s kids

Huh? Don’t know what the scoop is with Erica Rae’s kids. Maybe I’ll find out.

So as I say, I’m definitely going to be there on Sunday. If you’re there at the same time, say hi.

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Biker Quote for Today

I ride, therefore I am.

If you ride a BMW and want to spend some time with like-minded folks in Colorado, you’re truly in luck this summer.

I was looking through the March 2012 issue of BMW Owners News, which a friend passed along to me, and in the back they have a U.S. map with numbers corresponding to the info, separately, for various events going on around the country. Well, Colorado had four numbers, indicating four BMW events. To put this in perspective, in all of Colorado’s surrounding states there are two events, one in Arizona and one in Kansas.

It would appear that this is perhaps entirely due to the efforts of the very active BMW Motorcycle Club of Colorado, as well as one event put on by the BMW Riders of Western Colorado group. Here’s what’s cookin’.

2nd Annual Canyon Mixer Ride, July 7
Starting out from Northern Colorado Euro Motorcycles in Fort Collins.

41st Top O’ The Rockies Rally, July 12-15
Headquartered in Paonia.

13th Annual Colorado 100,000 Foot Ride, August 4
Route and starting point disclosed in the registration packet. This event routinely sells out, so don’t put it off if you’re interested.

10th Annual Thunder Mountain Rendevouz, September 21-23
Headquartered in Hotchkiss, timed to coincide with the peak of fall color.

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Biker Quote for Today

I’m never lost, I just don’t know where I’m at!

I had the opportunity last week to get acquainted with Lisa Price Waltman, of Colorado Springs, who told me of a fun ride she has organized and will be holding for the second time this year. She calls it the 2nd Annual Running of the Deer Ride – “Get the Buck Off the Road” and, as you might suspect, there is a story behind it.

Lisa had grown up riding dirt bikes but had never had a street bike of her own, so she rode pillion for a number of years. Then, in 2009, the bike she was a passenger on hit a deer, they went down, and Lisa was badly injured.

Not one to give up, however, Lisa was back on a bike six months later, and though she says the first 10 minutes were terrifying, after that all was good. So good, in fact, that soon afterward she bought her own bike, a 2010 Harley Softail Deluxe.

Taking lemons and making lemonade, Lisa decided to put together a run on the anniversary of her crash along much of the same route. There’s no sign-up fee, no beneficiary charity. It’s just a ride for fun, and to make a statement of defiance. I’ve listed her run on my Rides and Rallies page; it’s in October, currently the last event listed. You might want to mark it on your calendar.

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Biker Quote for Today

Tuck in behind me, I’ll show you where to crash.

Have you ever whined that you’d really like to see how fast your bike can go but you don’t want to risk the ticket? Stop your whining, here’s your chance.

Erico Motorsports just announced that they are sponsoring two track days at High Plains Raceway, out east near Byers. The dates are June 4 and August 6.

The charge to just go out on the track is $250. For an extra Benjamin Erico offers “a ton of coaching from Team Erico to include classroom time. Yeah, we’re not pros but I’ll bet we can get you going much faster, staying much safer, and having a blast riding your bike how it was intended.”

Of course, you’ve got to have all the gear, and you need to drain your coolant and replace it with water. They’ll be serving breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and the track will be ready to at 8:30.

If you’re interested, you’ll need to contact John at john@ericomotorsports.com. He’s also there to answer any questions you might have and provide complete information.

I did a track day once and I have to tell you, it was humbling. There were the folks who knew they belonged in the beginner group and then some of us who couldn’t conceive that we should be in that lowly position. I went out with the mid-level group and promptly found myself the slowest guy on the track, by a long shot. But I had fun and maybe I learned enough to get at least a bit better. It definitely made me a lot more respectful of the skill those guys have who go really, really fast.

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Biker Quote for Today

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness has never owned a sportbike.

I’ve noticed a very surprising thing recently, which is that there is almost a total dearth of motorcycle events going on in Colorado in April. Ever since I put this website up more than 6 years ago I have listed upcoming events on my Rides and Rallies page and this is the first time that I have had to search and search and search to find anything at all to list for April.

I did finally find one event, and it’s a good one. It’s something that needs to get more publicity. The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a big open house on Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They’ll have a small lunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., they’ll be handing out door prizes, and there will be a bike show if the weather permits.

If you’ve never been to the museum you really do need to get down there. Actually, I need to get down there because I haven’t been back to it since they moved into larger quarters. They used to be in the small building just in front of Pikes Peak Harley-Davidson, but now they have moved inside the dealership and have more space.

The place was great before, so I have to assume it is even better now. Jerry Manka is the director and curator and trust me, Jerry is as much an attraction as the bikes. He’s a character.

And oh, the bikes! They definitely have some nice ones. A lot of Indians and old Harleys plus a bunch more.

Of course, the last part of the complete name is “and Hall of Fame.” I’m betting the Hall of Fame gets a bit more space now than was possible before.

So April 21 would be a good day to go, but if you don’t go then, go some other time. It’s worth it. You won’t be sorry.

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Biker Quote for Today

I like my bike because I can overtake 4x4s down farm tracks with a week’s worth of shopping on the back.