Passes & Canyons Blog

In its fourth year now the Colorado Motorcycle Expo (CME) seems to finally be hitting its stride. It’s no fault of the new management, the folks who took over the old Colorado Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet. They just had a run of bad luck.

The first CME in 2016 was the scene of a fatal shoot-out between two motorcycle clubs, with the result that the second day was canceled. Then the following year, because the situation was still being resolved, there was no show at all.

Last year it seemed that gap had caused the show to lose steam. It was held but attendance was way down, at least as far as I could tell on Sunday. Finally this year I pulled up to the venue and there were lots of bikes and lots of people.

Inside, it was pretty much the same as before, although there was nothing upstairs and downstairs was pretty sparse. But the main level was packed. Noticeably absent were the 1%er groups that were so prevalent at the old show and swap. That, I understand, is by mandate of the management.

Still, I had expected more of a corporate vibe such as that you see at the International Motorcycle Shows, with more new bikes and gear and less of the old, used equipment.

I was wrong. It’s still the same old swap show. Plenty of new leather and other gadgets and schwag, but also lots and lots of used parts.

So anyway, I figured I’d make three blog posts out of groups of photos from the expo: general, bikes, and people. Here are the general pix. I recommend you click to enlarge an image and then click the “i” icon at right to display the caption for the photo.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”2″ gal_title=”CME2019general”]

Biker Quote for Today

I’m a biker. I don’t do that keep calm stuff.

This came in my email the other day.

DENVER CASTING SEARCH
EXPERIENCED MOTORCYCLISTS WANTED
FOR PHOTOGRAPHY CAMPAIGN
DATES: Multiple dates for each rider between April 10th & May 24th.
PAY: $500 dollars per riding day.
USAGE: Unlimited, all media.
RIDER TEST: Must be available March 31st &/or April 1st for riding test.
Rider test is in Denver, requires 1 hour of unpaid time.
TO SUBMIT: Email the following ASAP to CastingDirectorLA@gmail.com
• Submit a one minute of horizontal cell phone video of you
talking about yourself, your occupation, your motorcycle
riding experience, any x-country you have ridden, how often
you ride, tell us about the bike you own.
• Submit two freshly shot photos of yourself –
one close up of your face & one head-to-toe shot.
• Submit your name, location (city), height, weight,
cell phone number and email address.
RIDERS MUST BE FULLY LICENSED FOR A MINIMUM OF 2 YEARS
ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS JANUARY 31 – FEBRUARY 23, 2018

That’s all pretty self-explanatory. If you’re interested you need to submit your letter of interest by February 23. Could be fun. Could be long, hard days. But what the heck, it’s something different and if you actually get selected the pay looks pretty good. You can bet I’ll send my submission. Why wouldn’t I?

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycles: Helping guys pick up chicks since 1907.

I was surprised on Thursday last week to read in The Denver Post that there was to be a second, competing, motorcycle expo in the Denver area in the upcoming (now past) weekend.

The first, of course, was the now 40-year-old Colorado Motorcycle Expo, formerly the Colorado Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet, held at the National Western Center. But this show had trouble two years ago when members of two clubs–the Mongols and the Iron Order–had a fight that resulted in one death. Then last year, with issues on how to proceed still unresolved, the show was canceled. It was back this year, but the two clubs involved in the fight were both banned.

The second was held at Mile High Harley-Davidson of Parker, and was sponsored by the Colorado Confederation of Clubs (COC). The COC is just what the name suggests, and they have a reputation for solidarity with their members. If the Mongols were banned then the COC would have its own expo. Surprise: the Iron Order was banned.

So how did they both go?

First off, it doesn’t seem to me that the COC did a very good job getting the word out, although I’m sure all their member organizations knew about it. I pay attention to these things and the story in the Post was the first I heard of it.

I headed to the COC event Sunday about noon and when I got there there were no more than 50 bikes in the parking lot. Plus, there wasn’t a lot to see or do. An area for vendors held about 10-12 booths and that was it. I spent about half an hour there and had seen it all. One thing I did note, that I suspect you did not see at the Expo, was a booth for a gun dealer. I could be wrong but I’m guessing those folks don’t want weapons even as for sale items, whereas the COC event definitely did.

So I headed up to the other show. Mostly I wanted to see how many people were there. And that answer was pretty obvious as soon as I came down the exit off I-70. In the front, close-in parking area reserved for bikes there was gaping open space. Usually, if you want to park in this area you better get there early.

I cruised all around the complex and out in the extended parking area, where you usually find a lot of overflow parkers, the gate attendants were sitting looking totally bored. Inside their gates there were just a handful of vehicles in an area that can accommodate probably a few thousand cars. Still, there were easily a lot more people here than at Mile High Harley.

I didn’t go in. Frankly, I didn’t want to spend the $5 to park and $15 admission. I’m sure there were many, many more vendors set up inside than at expo 2, but the place must have been like a ghost-town with so much space and so few people spread around in all those acres. I suspect a lot of people lost a lot of money on this event.

This can’t bode well for the future of these events. Maybe next year the two clubs will no longer be banned and the second event will go away. Maybe the promoters of the big show will decide they don’t want to lost any more money and the new gig will become the only one.

But maybe the public just got broken of the habit of going to these things at all, and Denver just won’t have a show anymore.

It will be interesting to see what next year brings.

Biker Quote for Today

Does he have a motorcycle? Because if you’re going to throw your life away he better have a motorcycle.

OK, I’ll admit up front that I wimped out on the Last Brass Monkey Run yesterday–I drove. It was wicked cold out there.

Under the category of “Better Men Than Me” you can count approximately 40-50 riders who did show up at Wrigley’s on motorcycles. As I was cruising out 6th Avenue I was passed by a guy on a bike and I figured there had to be only one place he was going. I kept him in sight and followed him right to where we were both headed: Wrigley’s.

This was ABATE’s 30th annual Last Brass event, and the traditional nut handed out to all who attend was cleverly designed to reflect that.

It was a new venue, however, as previous Last Brass gatherings were held at the Grizzly Rose. Attendance has dropped off in recent years and as a result, the cavernous Rose seemed almost empty. Plus, the venue was not making enough off the event so they said no more after 2016.

This was a good move for all involved. In a substantially smaller place, there was an excitement in the air that had been missing. With essentially the same attendance as before, Wrigley’s was jammed. It was just fun walking in and seeing all the people.

So OK, we’re into 2018 now. My resolution is to ride a heck of a lot more than I did in 2017. I’ll see you out on the road.

Biker Quote for Today

Straights are for fast bikes. Turns are for fast riders.

OK, this is quite a ways in the future so you’re probably hearing about it here first. My friend, the very industrious and promotion-focused Alisa Clickenger is organizing another history-oriented women’s motorcycle ride, this one for 2020. This one will be the “Suffragette Centennial Ride” timed to coincide with the passage of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote.

You may recall Alisa’s last event, the “Sisters Centennial Motorcycle Ride,” which came through Colorado and went up Pikes Peak. That event commemorated the cross-country ride in 1916 by Augusta and Adeline Van Buren.

So it appears Alisa feels she has found her niche. She loves to ride, and she loves encouraging other women to ride as well. Her events are targeted as much as anything at simply persuading women who have considered riding but never taken the plunge to go ahead and take that plunge. If you can make a living out of organizing and then going on these sorts of rides, wow, good for you.

Unlike the Sisters ride, this Suffragette ride will have 10 starting points, including Denver. They will all head to Washington, D.C., in August 2020 “to celebrate American women’s right to vote in elections and honor the Suffragette movement that led the charge.”

While the routes will mainly follow the pavement, several will offer adventure riding sections as well.

“My passion for the past ten years has been adventure riding,” says Alisa. “Given the stunning beauty and remote areas of the country, and the many new full-size and exciting ‘light ADV’ models being introduced to the market, we know that there will be an interest in these unique touring opportunities with newfound sisters.”

The routes will all have unique stops and historical features relating to the Suffrage Movement, historical women in motorcycling, and of course the 19th amendment.

I’m sure there will be a lot more information available on this event as it draws near. To keep up with matters:
“SCMR2020 was envisioned to inspire women to choose to ride in an epic journey alongside other women and couples who aspire to challenge themselves as well as to respect and honor history. Riders and future riders can sign up for an email list at www.centennialride.com (please enable pop-up windows). Interested organizations, potential sponsors and media can connect via info@centennialride.com.”

Biker Quote for Today

I know I ride like a girl . . . so try to keep up!!

Drivers are cruising along thinking, “My gosh, there are a lot of motorcycles on the road. I better be extra careful I don’t change lanes without seeing one, or turn in front of one!”

That’s the kind of thinking we would love all drivers to have going on in their heads, isn’t it? Well what are you–yes, YOU!–to make them think that way?

How about this. Ride your motorcycle to work on Monday, June 19. That’s this coming Monday.

Monday, June 19 is Ride Your Motorcycle to Word Day. The idea of this effort is to inculcate exactly the sort of thinking described above. Flood the streets with bikes and make drivers shake their heads in surprise at how many motorcycles there are out there. Make them aware we are there and hope that they will connect the dots to realize that they need to do that head check rather than just glance in their mirror. That kind of thing.

I could go on about the whole philosophy behind this event but why bother? This is the gist of it. Just ride your bike on Monday.

Biker Quote for Today

Hospital gowns don’t come in black leather. Ride aware.

For a lot of years the Colorado Motorcycle Show & Swap was a fixture in the Denver area. You could go and look at custom bikes, shop for used parts, and even buy new stuff. Meanwhile, its presence served to keep bigger organizations such as the International Motorcycle Show from setting up here. It was locally owned and run.

New management took over a couple years ago at what turned out to be a really bad time. Renamed the Colorado Motorcycle Expo, at their first event, in 2016, there was a conflict between two motorcycle clubs and a shooting that left one person dead. The last day of the show was canceled. Come 2017 and there was still bad blood hanging over things and the decision was made to nix the event for this year. But it should be back in 2018.

From what I hear, the 2018 event will not be like the events in the past. For one thing, the 1-percenter clubs will very possibly not be there.

The following information all came in a conversation at my ABATE of Colorado District 10 meeting a few days ago.

The question was raised as to whether ABATE should have a booth at next year’s expo. Apparently, the managers of the venue have said there will be no clubs or colors allowed. However, the managers of the expo say colors are OK but no 1-percenter clubs. So they’ll need to get that sorted out.

Regardless, the Colorado Confederation of Clubs (COC) says if these rules are put in place none of their members will attend. ABATE had had a confrontational relationship with the COC for many years but recently there has been a rapprochement. So if the COC is going to boycott, should ABATE support the COC by also not having a booth? Rules against colors are generally something ABATE has consistently opposed as discriminatory. What should we do?

The idea we get is that the managers of the event hope to elevate the expo to more of a new bikes, new gear, industry expo kind of thing along the lines of the annual Home and Garden Show at the Denver Convention Center. Or like the International Motorcycle Shows in other cities. No more old parts. No more booths for 1-percenter clubs. An attempt to appeal to a broader audience. Or to put it differently, not as much ink, not as much black leather and chains, and just generally more family friendly.

Of course that would only work if the general public was alerted that the clubs will no longer be there. And apparently the plan is indeed to advertise widely to that effect. So if the clubs want to boycott that seems to be just fine with the folks running the show.

I know this is fairly rough, and I can’t guarantee the complete accuracy of all of what I’ve presented. But you get the picture. Changes are in the offing. I’ll be watching with interest.

Biker Quote for Today

Here’s to the girls who make the other girls wish they could ride, too.

Right at this moment there is big deal motorcycle ride crossing the country. The Sisters’ Centennial Motorcycle Ride is to mark the 100th anniversary of the ride made by two sisters, Augusta and Adeline Van Buren, “the first women to cross the continental United States, each on her own motorcycle.” Serious math tells us this was 1916.

This modern ride started on July 3, in New York, and will end in San Francisco on July 23. And they’ll be coming through Colorado July 15-17. Their stop for two nights will be in Colorado Springs, with a side trip up Pikes Peak on July 15, or July 16 in case of bad weather.

So the reason I find this particularly interesting is that it has been organized by Alisa Clickenger, who I have known for a number of years now. And I’m doing this “Wow” kind of thing I think most people do when someone they know does something you never would have imagined them doing.

I first met Alisa in 2009 when she was a participant in the Adventure for the Cures “Dirty Dozen” ride that preceded the International Women and Motorcycling conference in Keystone. I was doing the full-time motorcycle freelance journalist thing at the time and I was covering the ride and the conference. I had gotten to know some of the women on that ride and most of my attention had focused on them and then I chanced to talk to Alisa. She didn’t try to hide a bit of hurt at being overlooked, considering that–she told me–she had made a point to reach out to me. Which I had let slip by.

So we spoke at length and as it turns out, she is the one person in that group who I have had the most ongoing connection with.

First I did a piece on her as demo ride leader for BMW. She had plenty of interesting stories to tell about that. Then she took off on a ride to the southern tip of South America and I followed her (journalistically) the whole way, largely by Skype, which enabled us to talk from wherever she was for free. And by the way, she didn’t get quite all the way there. But that was a heck of an adventure for a woman riding solo.

Meanwhile, Alisa had journalistic aspirations of her own. She and I have traded job tips over the years, of the sort like “Hey, this magazine is looking for stories that sound right up your alley.”

Well, the last time I sent her a tip she replied that she was much too busy to pursue this now–she had this ride thing she was planning that was taking all her time.

That was pretty surprising–ambitious!–by itself but then I started seeing endorsements and reports and support statements coming from a lot of sources. It wasn’t just happening, it was becoming a big deal.

And now I’m seeing pieces about it on places like CBS and a whole range of newspapers across the country. Wow. I knew her when.

So good for you Alisa. I’m thinking when you and your group go up Pikes Peak on July 15 I want to be up on top to greet you. But it’s going to be a surprise unless you read this blog post.

Biker Quote for Today

Riding motorcycles is like taking drugs . . . Bikes should come with a warning label that reads “Warning: Riding a motorcycle is addictive. It will change your life forever.”