Passes & Canyons Blog

So we enjoyed the motorcycle show and swap meet this weekend at the National Western Complex–once we were able to park and go in. Parking really was an issue, though.

We met up at a nearby restaurant and then cruised over to the show. First we tried to follow the seemingly obvious route, only to find ourselves stuck in a total traffic freeze. After sitting through several light cycles without moving we pulled out and turned into the neighborhood, knowing there was nowhere to park there, but at least it would give us a chance to rethink.

One of the guys said he was pretty sure that if we had taken the frontage road in front of the complex we’d come to motorcycle parking, so we tried that. Sure enough, there it was, but it was full. All the other parking lots in the area, of course, cost $8 and up per bike. That just didn’t sit well with us.

I knew that there was a huge parking lot over on the other side of the Coliseum so I led the way over there. That lot was $8, too, so I went on around to the back side of the Coliseum. There we stopped and conversed. Finally resolved that we were just going to have to bite the bullet and pay up, I led on around on a route I thought would take us back to the road. Instead, it took us . . . into the parking lot.

We looked around, thinking “Jeez, we’re in the parking lot.” So we parked. And no one came and asked us for money so we headed for the show.

A long line outside was daunting, but it moved quickly, so we were soon inside. Along with what seemed like every biker in a five-state area. There certainly were colors from groups from far and wide. And lots of people. A lot more than we remembered from other years we’ve gone.

So we wandered around and looked at a lot of bikes. On some the artwork was amazing. A few others you had to wonder why the owner thought this was cool. And then there were acres of booths selling everything from used engines to leather and chrome goods to just about anything in any way associated with motorcycles. I managed not to spend any money but we can’t all make that claim.

We didn’t stick around for the wet T-shirt contest this year. Friggs summed it up saying that the last time he went to a wet T-shirt contest they told him he was too old, too fat, and too short. He said he asked how tall you have to be to compete.

It was a good show and a great day to go for a ride. Then Sunday surprised us being warm and clear again so I got out again today. What a great weekend!

Biker Quote for Today

We, the few, the proud, the motorcyclists of the world, refuse to sit down in comfort, insulated from the environment, and run the gauntlet of life with a front row seat. And we wouldn’t want it any other way.

Just what you need to get out of the winter doldrums. Saturday is supposed to be a good day to ride, and the 31st Annual Colorado Motorcycle Show and Swap is going on. I’ll be there.

The OFMC has gone to this event a couple times now. Three of us will be making it this year. Here are some photos of the last one we attended, in 2006. Yes, this one you see here is from that bunch.

This show has a little of everything. Actually, a lot of some things. There are a lot of custom bikes with incredible paint jobs and plenty of chrome. There are used parts, primarily of the Harley variety. Plenty of new gear as well. Leather is in abundance, both on the folks in the crowd and in the vendor booths. If you’re looking for chaps or a jacket or vest or . . . whatever . . . you’ll probably find it here.

There will be a couple bands on Saturday afternoon, along with the traditional wet T-shirt contest. As equal time for those of the female persuasion, there is also an Iron Man Bare Chest Contest scheduled for around noon.

Of course, on a good day like Saturday is supposed to be, there will be a lot of good bike perusing going on out in the parking lot.

This thing runs Sunday, too, but with the Super Bowl happening I wonder how many people they’ll get. The weather is to turn bad on Sunday as well, so I’d say Saturday is the day to go.

Biker Quote for Today

People are more violently opposed to fur than leather, because it’s easier to harass rich women than bikers.

I don’t really have a fixation on trikes these days, but they just seem to be where I am a whole lot lately.

Today I went on the ABATE of Colorado Last Brass Monkey Run, their traditional last ride of the year event. And I even joined, so now I’m an ABATE member. Well, not surprisingly, there were a few trikes in among the hundreds of two-wheelers, but then the really flashy ones showed up. These aren’t necessarily the best photos because the light wasn’t right for what I would have liked to have gotten. But you’ll get an idea of what these things were like.

This first one is one of these guys as he’s arriving, and I only got a grab shot, so missed the front wheel.

Here he is again, where you can see it a bit better.

And here’s one of his buddies. Notice the high-riding passenger.

There was a third but I didn’t get any useable pics of it. Oh well. But then a different three-wheeler showed up. This was the second Can-Am Spyder I’ve seen now. Here she has it in reverse gear, backing into a parking spot.

Biker Quote for Today

Now go put some miles on that thing!

I just did a four-part series on Examiner.com about what it’s like in Sturgis and the surrounding area during Bike Week. Rather than just copy all that stuff here I’m going to give you a synopsis and links so you can go there and read it if you’re interested.

Part 1: The decision to go, getting there, swarms of bikes flood the highways, settling in at home base in Rapid City, partying in Rapid.

Part 2: The Black Hills are the reason bikers love the area, Iron Mountain Road, pig-tail bridges, bikers everywhere.

Part 3: Into the epicenter, the Sturgis scene, hitting the Full Throttle.

Part 4: The campgrounds, big-name entertainment, thoughts on a return trip.

I don’t claim to be an authoritative voice on the Sturgis experience; this is just one person’s description of one visit. But at least it should begin to answer the question, “What’s it really like?”. Feel free to offer your own experiences in a comment. I’d love to hear from you.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker wannabe if you put your pony-tail back in the drawer after you get home.

Right about now the Sturgis Bike Week festivities are at full tilt, and the Black Hills are alive with the sound of Harleys.

Not the OFMC, however. We’ve already done our summer ride this year and besides, we went to Sturgis two years ago. It was an incredible experience. It was something you have to see and feel at least once in your life if you have an pretensions of being a red-blooded American biker.

But it was also something that even the most hard-core Harley riders among us said, once we got home, that they had no interest in ever doing again.

That photo, by the way, is of the OFMC and friends at the Crazy Horse Lodge during the 2006 rally.

Fast forward two years. We’re wrapping up this year’s trip and talking about next year and what place is a large part of the group thinking about? Sturgis.

It seems, they tell us, that we did it wrong.

“I told some guys that we stayed in Rapid City and they said that was ridiculous. The rally isn’t happening in Rapid, it’s happening in the campgrounds!” Or words to that effect.

The campgrounds, in case you’re unaware, are these private facilities where you don’t just park the RV or set up the tent and then ride into Sturgis. The campgrounds, like the Buffalo Chip for example, are self-contained communities with food and drink and entertainment. Big time entertainment.

Performing this year at the Buffalo Chip you have groups like Foghat, Guess Who, Blind Melon, Alice Cooper, Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sugarland, and ZZ Top, to name only the better known. And admission is part of your basic fee to stay in the campground.

The campgrounds are where the real partying goes on. I can’t speak from experience but the word is that the roar of motorcycles is constant, night and day. Some campgrounds work to ensure a more peaceful environment but that only means you hear the more muffled roar from the campgrounds across the way.

So that’s the scoop. From one visit being enough for a lifetime we’ve come full turn to eyeing another trip to the rally. Who’d a thunk?

Not next year, though. Next year we’re doing the Beartooth.

Biker Quote for Today

Actual experience beats half-assed assumptions and prejudice.

Well, OK, not quite. You might think that a rally for the folks who ride a bike that has been in production for nearly 20 years with only minor changes — very much like the old Volkswagen Beetle — would be a huge gathering.

In fact, approximately 250 Kawasaki Concours riders gathered this week in Frisco, CO, (no, Frisco is not short for San Francisco) for the Concours Owners Group 2008 National Rally. And unlike some rallies, nearly everyone rode their bikes to this event. No trailers for this group.

So, I have a Concours. I was there. I wasn’t there for very long, however. The rally started on Monday and I was starting a new job on Tuesday. Rats. So I cruised up on Monday just to say hi and shoot a few pictures.

Those Connie riders are an independent bunch, however, so efforts to get a lot of the bikes together in one place for a photo failed. Harry van der Laan, of Delfzijl, Netherlands, tried to set that up for me. Thanks just the same, Harry. Harry, by the way, is probably the Concours owner who came the farthest for the rally. He didn’t bring his bike all the way from Europe, though. He bought one here a couple years ago and stores it with Rick Hall, another local Connie rider, when he’s not here. He also makes it available to bikers from other countries who come here to ride. Nice guy.

So I had a nice ride in gorgeous weather while most folks were slaving at the office. And I did see more Connies in one place than I’ve ever seen before. And I met some nice folks.

Hey! That’s about got it covered. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

Biker Quote for Today

There’s something ugly about a NEW bike on a trailer.