Passes & Canyons Blog

Each year I plot out where I’m going to go, which motorcycle rallies I’m planning to hit, what trips I’m going to take. This year I got lucky when I learned one trip can do double duty.

In a little over two weeks I’m going to be heading down to Scottsdale, AZ, for Arizona Bike Week. Of course that’s providing that Ma Nature lets me. Last year when I went to the Laughlin River Run, in Laughlin, NV, I didn’t actually know if I’d be able to go until the night before I planned to leave. The weather cooperated, I had a great trip, and it snowed the day after I got home.

I’ll be heading further south this time so that should help, but a blizzard on departure day will still require a change in plans. Fingers crossed.

So anyway, here I had my plans made for Scottsdale and I discovered that another event, the Overland Expo, will be taking place in Amado, AZ, on the last three days of Arizona Bike Week, April 1-3. Amado is a tiny burg a little south of Tucson. The Overland Expo is a gathering for two-wheelers and four-wheelers who are into adventure touring. A lot of the sessions and classes are how-tos on adventure touring. Sounds very interesting.

Not that I’m planning on going adventure touring. I followed Alisa Clickenger, aka MotoAdventureGal, on her ride through Central and South America about a year ago and I concluded that that’s just not something I want to do. But I still find it extremely interesting and I have no doubt it will provide some great topics to write about.

So great. I’ll go down to Arizona Bike Week as early as possible, stay there most of the week, and then on Saturday go down to Amado for the last day or so of Overland Expo. That could actually benefit me on my return trip because from Tucson I’ll be able to take Interstate 10, a more southerly route, back east as far as the center of New Mexico, and then head north on I-25.

I don’t normally care to ride the interstates but in this case I have a lot of distance to cover. Plus, I figure if there is weather to contend with, the interstates should be in the best shape of any road. As I say, fingers crossed.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
More Daytona Bike Week in words and photos

Biker Quote for Today

Adventure is just bad planning. — Roald Amundsen

It occurs to me that someone might be reading this blog and not know that it is, as the tagline says, “companion” to the motorcyclecolorado.com website. And it’s also possible that someone might know that, but never have looked at the website to see what it offers.

Now, as far as that goes, I’m only going to say that it features all the best motorcycle roads in Colorado. But it does more than that. It also lists some recommended motorcycle-friendly motels, hotels, B&Bs, what have you. It lists dealers and repair shops. If offers riding stories telling of people’s adventures in Colorado on motorcycles.

And it lists upcoming motorcycle events in Colorado. That’s what I want to talk about here.

On the “Colorado Motorcycle Rides, Runs, and Rallies” page I keep as current a list of upcoming events as I can. I may get a little behind in removing events that are past, and I know I don’t get everything listed, but I do what I can.

So here’s my pitch. If you have an event coming up, take a look at the Rides and Rallies page and if you’re not already on there, send me the info and I’ll get it up. You can see what kind of information I present, so it’s especially nice if you send it to me in that format.

One important note: The website only features events in Colorado. Please don’t send me something that is not in Colorado.

If you want to promote your event, having it listed here is a good move. It doesn’t cost anything and that particular page gets a lot of readership. In fact, it is always one of the top five pages on the entire site. Within the last year, it was visited 7,173 times.

And I guess there’s no better time or place than right now to thank all of you who have already made it a point to notify me of your events. I do appreciate it.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Only a biker knows . . .: Motorcycle wisdom, #16

Biker Quote for Today

The letters “MC” are stamped on your driver’s license right next to your sex and height as if “motorcycle” was just another of your physical characteristics, or maybe a mental condition.

Having fun and riding motorcycles is what life is all about, isn’t it? Cheers then to the guys on the Single Over-Head Cam 4 Forum for the little relay rally they’ve put together, which will be passing through Colorado probably some time in May. If you ride an SOHC 4 you may even want to join in, although even those of us on DOHC bikes and others are welcome.

It all started out with a post on the forum by a member with the handle of MyCB750K6, who wanted to get the group to organize rides as it had done in years past. The original idea was a 1,000-mile ride but it quickly grew to become a relay rally through all 48 continental states. And then to add some whimsy, someone came up with a little plastic Godzilla that will be the token passed along from rider to rider.

The first riders will be leaving Daytona on March 12. They’ve divided the country into regions and each region has its team. The initial Team Southeast Coastal will hand off to Team Southeast, to Team Southwest, to Team California, to Team Central Rockies, to Team Central, to Team Mid Atlantic . . . Dates are in place for part of this but not for the Central Rockies, yet, thus my lack of specificity.

The idea is taking off. Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum has signed on as a sponsor and the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club has pledged its support.

The guys at the forum make it clear this is NOT a race. Says the moderator of the group, “The premise here is to organize a ride where as many members as wish can be a part of a group effort to promote and take pride in SOHC4.com, to meet and interact with other members, to enjoy amazing riding and provide others with what they have accomplished, to benefit charitable organizations, to accomplish our goals, to ride as little or as much as they want and just have a safe and fun time doing so.”

The hope is that it will become an annual event and continue to expand. The plan has already expanded to now include Canada. Next the world? We’ll see.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Adventures for the Cures 2011 to ride Alaska, Yukon

Biker Quote for Today

There are old racers, and there are bold racers, but there are no old, bold racers who don’t walk funny.

As I reported on Examiner.com, Harley-Davidson has signed on to be the chief sponsor of the 2011 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. What I didn’t mention in that report was the wave of skepticism that immediately followed that announcement.

For instance, Todd8080 has been to several such reports with his comment saying:

Have traffic laws in all of the lower 48 states suddenly changed overnight? Up until now it’s been illegal to race any vehicle for money on public roads in every single state.

You can call Hoka Hey an “endurance challenge” or anything else you choose, but the fact remains whoever gets to the finish line first wins the cash, and that’s called racing in any language.

No one has the right to jeopardize the driving public (in 48 states no less) by conducting an illegal race on public roads. Last year’s Hoka Hey was fraught with death and serious injuries, and not just to the race participants.

Over on Cyril Huze’s blog, Grayhawk offered this:

One might surmise that this sponsorship might put HD at the top of the grief list and the deepest pocket if the 2011 event repeats itself in confusion, issues, deaths, publicity, etc. from their 2010 effort no matter the assurances it will be different, your words from an excerpt above specifically, “stretching the boundaries”, may be deemed by some as encouragement to extend man and machine past it/their capability to reap monetary rewards. Event insurance alone may not suffice the negative impacts if this event goes south, just asking.

Now, with Harley as the sponsor, it would not be surprising if competition was limited to H-D riders, and that may be the case but it may not. The Hoka Hey home page says “The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is open to riders of Harley-Davidson motorcycles” but on the Entry page it says “This year’s event will be open to riders of V-twin, air-cooled motorcycles.”

The general opinion on that limitation, if it is in fact the case, is just fine: He who pays the piper calls the tune. Again over at Cyril Huze, TommyBoy remarked:

So, the Hoka Hey is now supported by Harley and only Harley motorcycles can participate!!!!!! Surely, the boys Harley & Davidson are looking down and smiling as once again The Motor Company eliminates Indian from what could have been a tremendous advertising/growth opportunity.

Some of the objections to the Hoka Hey right from the start have come from members of the Iron Butt Association, many of whom consider the Hoka Hey to be dangerous and badly conceived. I suspect they also fear it may have repercussions that will damage their own events. A commenter on my Examiner page, who oddly chose to identify himself by the name “IBA,” had this to say:

I knew it wouldn’t take long before the IBA whiners started chiming in. You have your rally, so go away already. If IBA was so great you would be the one with the big sponsors and prize money events rather than making your riders do all the documentation and work then pay too much for a patch they can get made for $2. IBA is a great idea in the hands of the wrong people.

So the Hoka Hey is back for 2011, and whatever its merits or deficits, it’s getting a lot of attention. I see this first hand when I check my Google Analytics statistics for the three days since I posted that sponsorship article. In that time fully one-third of my readers have been to that story, and its readership outstrips the No. 2 story 15 to 1. Yikes!

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Ohio’s Iron Pony named 2011 Dealer of the Year

Biker Quote for Today

As I get older and more fragile, my bikes get bigger, heavier, and more powerful….Another beer please!

I didn’t intend to ride in the Elephant Ride this year but we all know about the best laid plans.

I did head up to Grant Saturday evening to partake in the joviality around the campfire, and to identify the guys riding Rokons so I could do a story on those moto-tractors for RumBum.com.

It turned out there was only one Rokon in attendance this year, but that was enough for me to get a story. And then Psycho Steve, who hosts this shindig each year, asked me if I’d like to ride a Kawasaki quad he had. Cool. Sure. You bet.

So Sunday morning came and everyone headed out. I was one of the early starters but was quickly passed by the bat-out-of-hell riders who blasted past me like this was a racetrack, and then a few more, then the Ural sidecar guys, and everyone else. That quad’s not real fast.

I didn’t get very far on it either. The first spot I came to where the road was drifted I just turned around. The quad is only two-wheel-drive and with everyone in front of me I didn’t want to get stuck with no one following after to stop and help me out. Besides, I got the interview and the photos I needed.

Next time, though, I’m going to take all my gear with me even if I’m not planning to ride. I didn’t have a helmet so Steve got one for me. It didn’t fit very well but it fit better than the only other one he had. Plus, it didn’t have a visor and I didn’t have any glasses or goggles, and when that wind started blowing fine little ice crystals in my face it was pretty hard going. I held my hand over my face with just a crack separating two fingers, which is where I peeked through.

Once again, the Elephant Ride was a fun time. Doesn’t everybody go riding their motorcycles in the snow?

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Elephant Ride again tackles the snowy pass

Biker Quote for Today

Don’t mess with old bikers. They don’t just look crazy.

It’s that time of year again: time to go camping and ride motorcycles.

Yeah, I know. You’re looking at me like I’m crazy, but I’m serious. Next weekend, on Sunday Feb. 13 to exact, is the Elephant Ride.

I did the Elephant Ride last year and it was one heck of a lot of fun. (That’s a picture from last year up above.) This is an event put on through Adventure Riders and the objective is to ride up Guanella Pass from Grant over to Georgetown on motorcycles. Never mind that the pass is closed and choked with snow. That’s the adventure part!

And of course, nobody made it to Georgetown last year but again, who cares? We tried. And had a heck of a lot of fun in the process.

So here’s the scoop. To really enjoy this thing you need to go up to Grant the night before. Camp, sleep in your car or your camper, or whatever, but hang out around the campfire eating and drinking and having a great time the night before. Then get up in the morning and give it a go. Here’s the thread in case you want more info.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Shining a light on goodness

Biker Quote for Today

Rode to hell and back and have the T-shirt to prove it!!! It’s not as bad as I thought and now I know why it’s in Michigan.

Yeah, I know Thumper said “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” But if all you ever say is nice stuff people can start to question your credibility. Not everything is great or terrific or wonderful.

I went up to Loveland this weekend to the Thunder in the Rockies rally put on by Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson and I have to say I was disappointed. Maybe I’m just jaded from being to the Stugis rally a few weeks ago and the Laughlin River Run back in April. Those are big rallies, with many thousands of bikes and more vendors than you can visit in several days.

Thunder in the Rockies, on the other hand, is nowhere near that big, and I knew not to expect a lot. But I still expected more than I got. They had vendors set up in one location and I was eager to see who was there and what they were hawking. There couldn’t have been more than 20 or 25 booths and that was it. And certainly nothing I had any interest in.

Another draw of this thing was the Full Throttle Saloon, which had brought its operation to town and set up to serve and entertain. Maybe I was just there at the wrong time, but that was no great shakes either. A couple of the sexily dressed barmaids were doing their trademark thing, body shots and such (see the photo) but it really wasn’t much.

The dealership was offering demo rides on new 2011 Harleys, and I did avail myself of a few of those. That was great and I appreciated the opportunity to try out some of these bikes. For me that was the best part. So I rode a few bikes, walked around a little, and left.

Heading home I figured I’d swing by Berthoud to stop at their little museum there and see the Floyd Clymer exhibit they have up. I had received a notice of this and had done my best to give them some promotion when it opened but hadn’t been able to get there myself until now.

Of course I understand that, particularly in these difficult economic times, the budget they had to work with was probably $15. But I still had hoped for and expected more. Floyd was a local boy before he went on to make a name for himself in racing and then in publishing, so it made sense to put up an exhibit about him. Unfortunately, the exhibit consisted of three bikes from the era, none of which had belonged to or been ridden by Floyd, and some print-outs of a few letters Floyd had written about interesting occurrences. Plus a few photos and a photocopy of an old Cycle World article about Floyd. That was it.

I don’t want to come off as critical. The lady who showed me around was super nice and did what she could to make my visit as interesting as possible. But I suspect from her apologies that there wasn’t more–when I hadn’t said a word about disappointment–that she would agree that it just isn’t much. And I do applaud them for doing what they could. But I was disappointed. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.

Ah well, I’m still glad I went to both. I would have felt that I’d missed something if I hadn’t.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Test riding the 2011 Harley-Davidson XL1200X Sportster Forty-Eight

Biker Quote for Today

H-D = Hundreds of Dollars

I’m in Sturgis for the rally but it’s not like when the OFMC did the rally in 2006. This time I’m alone, and I’m here to work. And I want to make money, not spend it, so no $500 per night hotel rooms in Rapid City this time. Sure, we split that four ways, but that’s still $125 per person per night. Ouch!

This time I’m camping. That’s my tent and my Kawi in the picture above. I’m actually right in Sturgis and it’s amazingly inexpensive at the Vanocker Campground where I’m dug in. The cost is just $15 a night and they have showers and a little cafe for breakfast. On top of that, coffee is free at the cafe and food is good as well as affordable. The one guy running the operation cooks up your order on a small stove while you sit at the table outside and chat with fellow campers. My large breakfast taco was only $3.

As always, there are pluses and minuses. There isn’t much shade, so when I arrived yesterday at about 3 p.m. I was lucky to find one of the only two somewhat shaded spots left. And if it rains hard, as is predicted for later today and tonight, camping could be fun, not to mention riding my road bike across this field.

And then, of course, there are the neighbors. I’ve always heard that it’s the campgrounds where the fun is at Sturgis, but that may be referring to places like the Buffalo Chip, where they have concerts. At places like Vanocker it’s more a matter of meeting and getting acquainted with the folks next to you. Except that guy.

There’s always a “that guy,” isn’t there? In this case, that guy is some jerk who drove his semi-sized rig and large trailer in and set himself up this morning at about 5:30 a.m. Far be it from him to just stop along the road somewhere and get a couple hours sleep, before arriving after everyone was up. No, he came right in while it was still dark and made damn sure everyone was aware he had done so. There’s something about a semi maneuvering back and forth about 20 feet from your tent that makes it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. Not to mention his Doberman, who got out and started barking. Thanks, asshole!

So anyway, I’m looking for the real Sturgis experience this year. Maury LaRue, the mayor of Sturgis, tells me they estimate rally-goers spend an obligatory 2 hours and 37 minutes in Sturgis, and the rest of the time out cruising or hanging out at their motels/campgrounds elsewhere. I’m figuring on more like 70 hours, myself. And if, unlike yesterday, I don’t have to spend it all working I may even have some fun. Wish me luck.

Biker Quote for Today

All who wander are not lost. Be a traveler, not a tourist.