Passes & Canyons Blog

I made it out to Golden Saturday for the Last Brass Monkey Run, ABATE of Colorado‘s annual year-end event, but I sure as heck was not on a motorcycle. While the main roads were mostly clear, my street still had an inch of ice on it. Normally when it snows as much as it had just done a couple days earlier the city sends a plow down the middle of the street, but that never happened this time.

So I drove. As did a whole lot of other people apparently. It was the biggest turn-out for this thing in quite a few years. It used to be ABATE would reserve the entire Grizzly Rose venue and it would be full, but in recent years attendance has dropped severely–I have no idea why. I was going to insert a photo from the days when this was a really big deal but apparently I’ve got all those old shots archived somewhere. I need to get my photos organized better.

There were nowhere near enough people to fill the Grizzly Rose but at the Rock Rest it was a nice crowd. And for me it was nice to see a bunch of folks again who I hadn’t seen in a while. I used to attend my ABATE district meeting every month but about a year ago I decided it wasn’t really that good a use of my time. I’m interested in ABATE’s legislative work and there hasn’t been much motorcycle-related stuff going on at the legislature.

One of those folks I saw was Stump, who is ABATE’s legislative liaison. I asked him what is coming up this year and once again it doesn’t sound like much. He talked about maybe working to get Colorado to drop its designation of motorcyclists as (vulnerable? at-risk? something like that) road users. Why? Apparently in some states that is now being used as an excuse to call for mandatory helmet laws. If these people are at risk, then by golly let’s make them protect themselves.

I’m all in favor of wearing a helmet and I always do but I am one of those who believe it should be up to the rider to decide. As is ABATE in general. As is the American Motorcyclist Association.

Anyway, there doesn’t seem to be much going on so I no longer attend meetings, so it was good to see these folks again.

Back in the day, too, you used to see a lot of folks showing up on December 31 on motorcycles. This year there was only one. And years ago, it was actually a ride. Starting from various points around the area people would gather and ride to the Grizzly Rose. Not anymore. It’s too unpredictable with the weather so they have created an all in one room poker run instead. (My worthless hand came out to be an ace high. Not anywhere close to a winner.)

Still, it’s the last biker event of the year. So I went. And I had a good time. What more can you ask for?

Biker Quote for Today

I don’t have a bucket list but my bikeit list is a mile long.

In a much earlier lifetime I was a newspaper editor and I reported directly to the publisher, in this case, Vi June. Vi and I got along extremely well . . . until we didn’t. I’m not going to go into all the details but suffice it to say, she gave me an order I felt was unacceptable and I quit.

During the surprisingly (to me) long period it took me to find a new job I had a very rough go of it. My spirits were as low as they have ever been but in the midst of it all I made a bold move. I borrowed money from my parents (I sure didn’t have any money myself at that point) and bought my first motorcycle, my 1980 Honda CB750 Custom. Talk about a boost to my spirits!

At some point I concluded it would perhaps be helpful if I could show prospective employers a letter of recommendation from Vi, plus I wanted to ask her some questions about the issue that led to my resignation. We agreed to meet for lunch. Her answers to my questions were totally unsatisfactory and while she did agree to give me a letter of recommendation, when it arrived it appeared she had typed it out herself (yes, on a typewriter–this was a few years ago) and it had errors of spelling and a weird spot in the middle of a line of text where the text dropped down about one half a line below the rest of the text in that line. In short it was not at all something I would consider showing to a prospective employer.

During our lunch we talked about other things and one thing I mentioned to her was that I had bought a motorcycle. She shuddered and told me that they were wicked, nasty, dangerous things, and that she called them “murdercycles.” Needless to say, I was not moved. My motorcycle riding career was in its barest infancy and I’ve done one heck of a lot of riding since then. And you know what? I’m still alive and healthy. Meanwhile, she’s dead at this point.

This all came back to me recently when I saw an article about how the number of organ donors rises during motorcycle rallies. Yeah, we’ve all heard the “joke” about how the other name for motorcyclist is organ donor. In this one article (there are several out there), titled “Study Finds That Number Of Organ Donors Rises 21% During Motorcycle Rallies,” contained these statements:

“Because the timing of these rallies is plausibly unrelated to demand for organs and because we found no such effect for non-motor vehicle-related donor deaths, our findings are likely due to an increase in motorcycle use in areas where large rallies are held,” wrote the study’s authors in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The researchers looked at data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients from 2005 to 2021. They focused on areas where the following seven motorcycle rallies were held: Atlantic Beach Bikefest in South Carolina, the Bikes, Blues & BBQ in Arkansas, Daytona Bike Week in Florida, Laconia Motorcycle Week in New Hampshire, Myrtle Beach Bike Week Spring Rally in South Carolina, the Republic of Texas Biker Rally in Austin, and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.

“These findings are not surprising given the high mortality associated with motorcycle accidents,” the authors wrote. “The findings of [this study] provide a reminder to practice safety while practicing high-risk activities and to consider opting-in to become an organ donor to help save lives.”

I’m in no position to question the data used here, or the conclusion. I guess it’s a reasonably logical action and reaction. But you and I don’t need to contribute to these statistics. We know what it takes: Ride like your life depended on it. Ride like you’re invisible. Don’t drink and ride. I for one look forward to having as many more years than Vi June did as I possibly can. And I plan to be riding in every one of them.

Biker Quote for Today

Keep bikers safe. Don’t show your boobs till we have come to a complete stop.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled telling of the tale of the RMMRC Great River Road ride to alert you to an event that there was no other way to fit in: Rigs in the Rockies 2 2022 USCA National Rally.

In case you’re wondering, USCA stands for United Sidecar Association. And that’s what it is, a gathering of folks who ride sidecar rigs.

This event will be happening Thursday, July 7 to Sunday, July 10, at the Delta County Fairgrounds in Hotchkiss. I’ve looked on their website and Facebook page but can’t find any info about activities but I guess if you ride a sidecar rig the only thing that really matters is that these are your people and you want to go be with them.

And if that’s not your ride, but you’ll be in the vicinity, I would definitely stop by, just to see them all.

Have a good Fourth!

Biker Quote for Today

There are too many ways to lose your life besides dying.

Now is the time to be contacting your legislators about the bill to classify auto-cycles as separate and different than motorcycles. Here’s a note from Stump, the ABATE of Colorado legislative liaison.

Just found out HB22-1043 (Definition of a Motorcycle) has been assigned to the S-T&E Committee. Now would be the time to urge the committee members to pass this bill. Below is their email contact information. Sen. Hisey is on the S-T&E committee also, but since he is the Senate Sponsor, you don’t have to email him.

Faith Winter faith.winter.senate@state.co.us (Chairwoman)
Brittany Petterson brittany.pettersen.senate@state.co.us (Vice-Chair)
Don Coram don.coram.senate@state.co.us
Kerry Donovan kerry.donovan.senate@state.co.us
Ray Scott ray.scott.senate@state.co.us
Rachel Zenzinger senatorrachelz@gmail.com

The email can be as simple as, “I urge you to pass HB22-1043” or you can elaborate as to why this should be passed (true and accurate crash data with autocycles having their own classification).

Ukraine
Going a bit farther afield than I normally do, there was an item out of Ukraine that caught my eye. Considering the propaganda that all sides in war put out I take this with a grain of salt but here it is.

“Russian invaders, facing the total resistance of Ukrainian defenders, surrender themselves to captivity. Under Chernihiv, a whole intelligence unit of 74 motorcycle rifle brigade surrendered,” the CinC AF stated, adding that the Russian soldiers “thought they would return home” and that they were “collecting information” instead of fighting.

During a press briefing, Ukraine Ambassador Markarova also told reporters that a platoon of the Russian 74th Motorized Rifle Brigade surrendered to Ukrainian forces.

“Just before I came here, we got information from our chief commander that one of the platoons of the 74th motorized brigade…surrendered, also noting that they didn’t know that they were brought to Ukraine to kill Ukrainians. That they thought they were doing something else there,” she explained.

So if it’s really true, hooray for the Russian motorcycle platoon. I will note a discrepancy you may also have noticed. First that report refers to “a whole intelligence unit of 74 motorcycle rifle brigade” and later they say “a platoon of the Russian 74th Motorized Rifle Brigade.” So I suspect it wasn’t 74 soldiers, but that their unit was designated the 74th. But there hasn’t been any more mention that I’ve seen of the situation so who knows what the facts are. Just for the record I want to say Go Ukrainians, kick some Russian butt.

PIMS
Plus, it appears the Progressive IMS Outdoors motorcycle show will be coming to Colorado this year after all. It is now scheduled for June 17-19 in Loveland at the Ranch events center east of the highway there. I’m definitely going to be going.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if if you don’t ride your bike to work because it scuffs your penny loafers.

I just learned this so I’m guessing a lot of you had not heard either: this year’s Colorado Motorcycle Expo has been rescheduled for February 19 and 20. It had originally been set for this weekend.

I was in the midst of writing a post saying I would be skipping this year’s event when I went to their website to copy down the URL and only then discovered the postponement. Here’s what they say about this change:

Even though the dates have changed, The Expo is on!!

The 2022 Colorado Motorcycle Expo will be held February 19th and 20th.

The Colorado Department of Public Health has granted us a variance pre-approval to Public Health Order 20-38 should the order be extended. This means vaccinations will NOT be required for our event.

We can hardly wait to you see everyone there!!!

I had been wondering about this, thinking it was highly unlikely that, despite any “mandate,” this biker crowd would comply with a mask requirement. And now it seems no requirement for vaccinations, either.

This is all exactly why I was planning to skip it this year. Judy and I are fully vaccinated but for three days each week we keep our three-year-old grandson Jack, and at that age he is obviously not vaccinated. Now, they say kids that young are highly unlikely to get seriously ill from Covid but on rare occasions they do. Judy is super cautious about this, not wanting to be in any way responsible if he should get sick.

All that considered, it seemed to me that the Expo was shaping up to be a possible super-spreader event, much in the way the Sturgis rally was last year. I like going to the Expo but keeping my grandson safe, not to mention keeping my wife happy, takes a higher priority.

But who knows. Omicron seems to be fading rapidly and maybe the difference of a few weeks will be significant. But right now I’m not counting on it.

Biker Quote for Today

All grampas are created equal, but only the coolest ride motorcycles.

I’ve been having an email conversation with Mike Brown, of Exit Tours, about doing some rides with his group. To recap, Exit Tours is structured as a club and for your annual membership fee you get one free ride and then others are fairly inexpensive.

So Mike is making a big push this year to reach a higher level of participation and to that end, I’m assuming as an introduction, he is putting on a no-charge, no-membership-needed Fathers Day Ride to the Alpine Tunnel, set for June 18 and 19. This looks very interesting.

The group will gather near Greens Creek, near Salida, and camp the night of the 18th and do the ride on the 19th.

Here’s the description of the ride:

Ride to the Alpine Tunnel on Sunday June 19.
The Dual Sport ride is a 121 mile Loop with a challenging section on Tomichi Pass.
Snow may be present in late June.
We will provide an alternate Adventure bike loop option over Blacksage and Waunita Passes to Pitkin and the Tunnel site, return over Blacksage and Waunita Passes.
This route is a bit Longer, but does not include any real challenging sections.
Ride counterclockwise from Greens Creek to Old Monarch Pass, Snowblind to Tomichi Pass to the Alpine Tunnel on the Dual Sport Loop.
Then head towards Pitkin on the old Denver, Southpark & Pacific Railroad line.
Lunch & Fuel in Pitkin.
Waunita Pass to Black Sage Pass to Sargents on Hwy 50.
To over Marshall Pass to down Hwy 285. Poncha Springs on Hwy 50 to Greens Creek.
Fuel and Food available at the Silver Plume General Store in Pitkin on either loop.
Phone Compatible GPS Tracks will be provided.
This is a FREE club ride with no other Amenities provided.
Fill out the form on the Sign-Up link if you want to go on an epic ride on Fathers Day and receive GPS tracks.

If you go to the Exit Tours website you’ll notice in the pictures that all the bikes have knobby tires. I have a V-Strom and I run 80/20 Shinko tires. That’s 80% biased to street, 20% biased to dirt. I asked Mike if that would be adequate on the alternate routes that are less challenging. His answer was not reassuring.

However, I mentioned the ride to Bruce, who checked it out and immediately signed up, and he said he has ridden most of those routes before and he thinks I could do it OK.

So I’m not sure here. I would definitely like to do this, and I suppose I could have some more dirt-capable tires put on the V-Strom but I just had new tires front and back put on, and mounting tires is a real expense. Gonna have to think on this.

If you, on the other hand, are totally prepared for this kind of ride you may want to seriously consider signing up.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if you won’t ride down a gravel road.

Unless I’m confused, this is the event that used to be held each year at Heritage Square. It has moved around a bit since that place was torn down but now seems to have found a home at the Adams County Historical Society. Anyway, this year’s event was held on Saturday so I rode on up.

It’s not as big as it used to be, and it was blazing hot with no shade in the parking lot where the bikes were on display, so I only stayed long enough to get a few pictures. But there were some nice bikes on display. Here are a few photos.

Biker Quote for Today

When I die everyone at my funeral gets a stun gun. The last person standing gets my motorcycle.

I had never heard of this before but it recently came to my attention: the 18th Annual Morgan Adams Concours d’Elegance.

This is not strictly a motorcycle event but it does include motorcycles. Held each year at Centennial Airport, it features aircraft, cars, and motorcycles. This thing is a fundraiser and as such it is a posh event. A single ticket is $250, so the majority of us who are not independently wealthy will give it a pass. If $250 is no big deal you might want to check it out.

The list of bikes that will be on display is impressive:

1928 AJS AK12
1930 AJS R12 250cc
1966 BMW R60/2
1968 BMW R60/2
1970 Bridgestone TMX-100
1932 BSA Blue Star 500
1959 BSA Gold Star Clubman
1960 BSA Gold Star Scrambler
1963 Cushman Eagle
1964 Cushman Eagle
1973 Ducati Imola Factory Racer
1953 Focesi Glory 100
1967 Greeves MX5 Challenger
1950 Harley Davidson WL Flathead

1972 Honda 70 ST
1972 Honda CB750 K2
1972 Honda CL350 Flying Dragon
1970 Honda CL450 Scrambler
1989 Honda GB 500 TT Café Racer
1937 Indian Sport Scout
1937 Indian Sport Scout
1987 Matchless G80
1950 Matchless G9
2011 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer
1944 Nimbus Model C
1975 Norton 850 Commando Hi Rider
1975 Norton Commando 850

1973 Norton Commando Hi Rider
1973 Norton Commando Hi Rider
1950 Norton Manx
1944 Royal Enfield Bullet 350
1966 Triumph T120R Bonneville
1960 Triumph TR6 Custom
1969 Triumph TR6C Tiger
1970 Triumph TR6C Tiger Custom
2010 Triumph Truxton
1972 Triumph X-75 Hurricane
1938 Velocette KSS 350cc
1952 Vincent Black Lightning
1951 Vincent Rapide
1980 Yamaha XS650 Special

So hey, you won’t see me there but if you go send me a note telling me about it and I’ll pass that along.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if your dog and your wallet are both on chains.