Passes & Canyons Blog

Rider training not only helps you learn to ride, it can weed out those who really don’t belong on a motorcycle.

There is a quote I used at the end of one of these posts that reads, “The only thing better than a motorcycle is a woman riding one.” There have been others as well in a similar vein. Yes, I love seeing women riding.

That said, not everyone–man or woman–is really cut out to ride.

For instance, my wife Judy is OK with riding behind me but only because she trusts me. The only time I’ve been able to get her on a bike on her own was when I was test riding an electric scooter. We went over to the parking lot of the local elementary school and she got on and tentatively twisted the throttle. She was unsteady at first but in a couple minutes she was doing figure 8s and had the biggest grin on her face.

But that was it. She had no desire to do it again and never has.

Someone a bit more game was Davey. Long before I ever even met Judy I was seeing a woman named Davey. Davey enjoyed riding on the bike with me–my CB750, the only bike I had at that time–and decided maybe she’d like to try it on her own.

She signed up for a Beginning Rider course up at Front Range Community College, in Westminster, close to where I was then living. I knew she was doing it and I knew how long the class runs so I was surprised in mid-afternoon when she appeared at my door, rushed in, and hugged me and cried. Things had not gone well.

Of course, the first part of the class is in the classroom and that went fine. But then, after lunch, they went out to the course and she mounted the little 250cc bike they use in these classes. I don’t know how long it took but somewhere along the way she rode the thing right into a curb and was sent sprawling on the grass. She got up, said not a word to the instructor or anyone else, ran to her car, and drove straight to my house.

What I had not thought about, and I’m not sure if she had or not, was that she drove a car with an automatic transmission. She had never driven a stick, so not only was she trying to learn to ride a motorcycle, she was trying at the same time to learn to use a clutch and to shift gears. Yow! That would be a challenge for anyone!

So yeah, if you want to ride motorcycles you really should probably know how to shift gears beforehand. Although there are some bikes these days where shifting is not necessary. But most scooters don’t have gears either, so there is that option. But, if we’re honest with ourselves, some people just really ought not to get on a motorized two-wheeler more powerful than an e-bike. It’s just true.

Biker Quote for Today

I’m that crazy biker chick that everybody warned you about.

I found a lot of points of interest in this particular issue of Rider.

I don’t usually write about what is published in magazines but in the case of the November issue of Rider there were just too many things that caught my eye. So I diverge from my norm.

It started right off the bat with the magazine cover. It’s a picture of a Can-Am three-wheeler on a dirt road, kicking up a lot of dust, and with one of the front wheel off the ground (see photo). I thought it was a terrific photo, especially with the rider flying that wheel.

I was also interested in the machine because while I’ve long been familiar with the Can-Am Spyder, just recently I had seen a couple of these much smaller ones and had wondered about them. They are called Ryker and they’re much smaller and sportier. I test rode a Spyder and did not like the handling but was wondering if these would be different.

Well, reading the article about the Ryker answered my question and confirmed my impression from the Spyder: “On the street, the Ryker Rally is quick and responsive, but it requires muscle and aggressive body positioning when tackling curves at speed.”

By “aggressive body positioning,” in my experience, this means when you turn you have to brace your outside foot against the rear-set peg and then lean your body to the inside forward and across the machine. Otherwise it wants to throw you off. I guess that hasn’t changed.

Another item of interest in this issue was one by a woman, Ellie Cooper, who rode her 2009 Royal Enfield Machismo 350 across India from north to south–solo. Yow! I would be seriously skeptical of doing something like that and she has the added disadvantage of facing the hazards that men don’t face but that are all too well known to women. I’m sure it helps that she has apparently lived in India for a long time, and thus is vastly more familiar with it than me, but I’ve got to say, this lady has guts.

And then there is an article by Steve Larsen titled “19 Motorcycle Myths.” These generally include the well-known bits like “Loud pipes save lives” and “I had to lay it down” as well as some I hadn’t heard, like “Real riders never wash their bikes.” But one in particular struck me: “Raingear keeps you dry in the rain.”

In this bit of discussion he says, “My experience, however, is that rain almost always soaks into small cracks or seams, and before I know it, I’m soaked.”

What? That’s a myth? Says who? I have rain gear and I don’t mind riding in the rain for the simple reason that . . . drum roll . . . it keeps me dry. Sure I get a bit of spray at times up around my neck where there is space between my helmet and the collar of my rain jacket, but that’s all. Steve, maybe you need to invest in some better quality rain gear.

I’ve been reading Rider for about as long as I’ve been riding motorcycles. At this point it’s one of the few motorcycle magazines that have both survived and continue to be put out on paper. Keep them coming fellas.

Biker Quote for Today

Riding is my addiction, and I’m a savage at it.

Outside of Oatman–watch out, donkeys on the road ahead.

It’s been a long time since I’ve tapped into this thread of what is the strangest thing you ever hit–or missed–on your motorcycle. The amazing thing is how there is always something new that is unlike any previous incident.

• Me and my wife on her first long distance tour. We are from Michigan and were somewhere in N.C. The day turned into an all day rain. Got on xway to get to motel. Merged behind an open bed pickup with a new refrigerator in the back, still in manufacture cardboard box. As soon as we merged in behind it my “that’s not good” hairs started to raise. I merged to the left. Before wife could the wind opened up the rain soaked cardboard and it was flying through the air like a blanket about to encapsulate the wife at 65 mph. She dodged it or it dodged her but what an unexpected event.
• There has been a large ratchet strap, the kind used on semi flat bed trailers, on the morning commute side of the freeway. Been there for the past week. I spotted it the first morning in my lane, and was able to dodge it, and each morning since, it has been migrating a few yards down the freeway, and one lane over to one side or the other. I’ve been mindful to watch for it, but have been thinking of how many cars have hit this stupid thing.
• I hit a 4×4 post that was ejected from a pickup…in a turn at 70mph on I-610 in Houston. I gassed it and yanked the bars, and after shifting over a lane that old Norton went right back on line.
• Strangest thing, a whole pickup truck bed filled with scrap metal, slid right off the frame of the truck….
• Rotor wash from an H-53 helicopter. I used to teach MSF at NAS Alameda, and our training range was right next to the flight line of a helo squadron. I was demonstrating an exercise on my K100RS when an H-53 came in over the lagoon and turned right over our range before landing. The rotor wash hit me broadside and knocked me right off the bike. All I could do was laugh. Who gets knocked off a motorcycle by a helicopter?
• While riding on US-395 near Mammoth late at night, a large jackrabbit appeared in my headlight. I executed a perfect swerve to avoid the rabbit, and just as I passed it an owl bounced off my knee armor. So I think technically I saved that rabbit’s life twice.
• I was at a stop light on a road perpendicular to the intracoastal waterway in FL when a fairly large Mullet (pound or 2?) bounced off my helmet, glanced off my tank, and then began flopping around on the ground next to me. I pulled over, grabbed the fish, ran across the street, and two hand lobbed it into the water. As best I could tell, it survived the ordeal. The look on the faces of the cagers stopped at the light watching a guy in a helmet and leather moto jacket running by with a live fish was priceless. About the only one not entertained by the whole thing, was an osprey (with a bigger appetite than talons apparently) sitting on the billboard next to my still running bike.

OK. I’ve never encountered any of those on my rides. That’s fine with me. Be careful out there.

Biker Quote for Today

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

This is what they’ve been predicting but now the forecast says Friday or Saturday, not Thursday.

The weather reports were all saying three to eight inches of snow in Denver on Thanksgiving Day but Wednesday was another warm, gorgeous Indian summer day. I had to go for a ride.

I skirted around the south side of Cherry Creek State Park, south on Peoria, which became Broncos Parkway, and then south again on Chambers. Chambers just keeps going. It used to be it took me a long time to get out of town going west but going south it didn’t take long. Now the city just goes on and on and on. You get into Parker, which in my memory was a wide spot in the road heading southeast on CO 83 but now is just as large as other suburban cities such as Thornton or Arvada.

I was wondering where Chambers comes out. Was I correct that it ended at Hess Road? One way to find out.

Yes it does, although with all the earth-moving and early construction it looks like it could easily go further in the next year. Or maybe it never will and Hess will be the northern boundary of whatever new subdivision that is being built. Whatever . . . I turned east.

Crossing Parker Road Hess gives way to Hilltop Road and I continued south and east on that. Where Hilltop branches off to the left I continued south on Flintwood. The RMMRC often rides out to Kiowa, to Patty Ann’s, in the winter months but we generally stay on Hilltop, so this was a bit of road I haven’t been on much. Nice for a change.

When I hit CO 86 I turned west, toward Franktown. What is it about Franktown? I cannot count the number of times I have been totally stumped trying to think of the name of that town. I’ve tried a variety of mnemonic devices to help me remember but again and again I find myself approaching and thinking, what the heck is the name of this town I’m coming to? It’s Franktown. Does anybody else have this problem?

At Franktown I turned north on CO 83 but coming into Parker there was a huge back-up. Way up ahead I could see lane closures and because traffic was heavy nobody was moving except at a crawl. Time to bail out. I turned west on Main Street. That was what I had wanted to do anyway because I wanted to continue north on Jordan Road.

So I turned north on Jordan Road. Much less traffic but then, after crossing Lincoln Avenue, I again ran into a snarl. Once again there were lane blockages ahead and everyone was having to move to the left. As I came up on it I saw that a fire truck was parked diagonally, blocking the right-hand traffic lane. Getting closer I saw two totally smashed cars and knew what the issue was. Then I saw a third car, equally smashed, and then — oh my gosh! — a fourth. Somebody did something really, really wrong. And judging from the absolutely totaled condition of all four cars, somebody was headed for the hospital. What a way to spend your Thanksgiving.

For me though, it was a beautiful day to be outside and on a motorcycle. And looking at the sky to the west it was hard to believe that we were supposed to have snow the next day. Well, it is now the next day and there’s not a flake of snow anywhere in evidence. But it’s gray and it’s cold, a good day to stay inside. I definitely did the right thing.

Biker Quote for Today

Fools use four-wheelers, and legends ride on two wheels.

I’ve loved this bike but I’m ready to let it go.

The latest on this idea I’ve had to swap out my 1999 Kawasaki Concours for a 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 is that the status quo seems to be reclaiming the momentum.

I really have made up my mind that I would like to let go of the Connie and replace it with something more modern, but as I said, I have to get rid of the Connie before I can do anything else. And that has been complicated by the presence of a mechanical issue, making the sale of the Connie extremely questionable.

Well, I talked with Mark at Rowdy Rocket Garage about what it would cost to fix the Kawi. I just didn’t want to spend $500 or more only to turn around and sell the bike for something less than the repair cost. It turns out, Mark said diagnosing the problem would take less than an hour of shop time, at $90 per hour, and then that would clarify what the fix would cost. Probably not a lot, he said. So now I’m looking–maybe–at having the Connie running well again for maybe as little as $200. OK Mark, when can I get the bike in to you?

As usual, for Mark it’s a matter of having to get a bike out before he can take another in. Check back in a few days. I did. Check back in a few days. Here we go again.

But now I’m totally onto the idea of fixing the Kawi. That way, I can just keep riding it, and enjoying riding it, and during next year’s riding season I can put the bike up for sale and hopefully get a decent price for it. Then, and only then, I can start looking for a bike to buy, and just be patient, take my time, and wait until I find a really great deal.

Yes that means that I’ll miss out on this FJ-09 over at Vickery, which is really too bad because it already has all the extras and is at a good price now. But they won’t have that bike come June or whenever I might manage to sell the Kawi. And wherever I find another one it probably won’t be five miles from my house. Although that could be OK; if I have to fly to Seattle and ride the bike home, oh, please don’t throw me in that briar patch. (Do people today understand that reference? If not, see Br’er Fox and Br’er Rabbit.)

The flip side is that maybe sometime next year I’ll be able to find a newer bike of the same sort for the same price. That would suit me fine. One thing I’m good at is patience. And maybe by then I’ll be willing to spend even more and get something even newer than that. To quote Irma Thomas, via the Rolling Stones, “Time is on my side, yes it is.”

Biker Quote for Today

Life is short, so grip it and rip it.

Yellow line? What yellow line? Yeah, acceleration is fun on a motorcycle.

Like you, I would assume, when a motorcycle goes by I look at it. That leads me to occasionally see some things that are unusual and interesting.

I recently saw this guy on a Harley Sportster. Nothing unusual there, but his riding style was unlike any I had seen before.

We were in a parking lot with several speed bumps. We all know Harleys are bikes you sit back on, with your feet up ahead on the pegs. There’s not a lot of cushion going over bumps so you take it easy. Now, on a bike with the pegs beneath you you can just stand up on the pegs and let your legs be the shock absorbers. Not so on bikes with your feet way out there.

This guy was riding like he was on a different bike. He was standing up on the pegs, which meant leaning way out over the front of the bike. And he did it just fine. But I’ve never seen that before.

Then there was the evening when I was sitting in a restaurant, by the front window. Looking out I saw a guy on a Moto Guzzi pull up and park. Then, holding onto only the left grip, he put his foot on the center stand lever and just rocked that baby up onto the stand. Just that easy.

I don’t know about you but all three of my bikes have center stands and on all three I hold the left grip with my left hand, grip the frame of the bike securely toward the rear, and then put my foot–and then my entire weight–on the center stand lever and hoist it with a hearty pull up onto the stand. To just hold the grip and step on the lever is not an option. Do Guzzis really not weigh much? I was pretty surprised.

A few days ago I was heading down the road and I heard the high whine of a sportbike behind me and to the left and sure enough here came the bike at fairly high speed coming past me in the next lane. Then there was a louder roar and I saw behind the bike some mega-expensive sport car. The guy in the car apparently wanted to run. The bike pulled over out of his way and the car driver hit the gas. Then the bike pulled back in behind him and he hit the gas, too. You want to run? I’ll run with you. Let’s go. And they both went. Quickly.

Just a few fun things I’ve seen recently.

Biker Quote for Today

I love looking into those beautiful eyes of my bike.

A glorious day to be out on a motorcycle.

We had some really bitter cold days but now we’re into the most beautiful time of year in Colorado, the days of Indian summer. It was October in Denver during my travel year after college that led me to come back here and stay. So what do you do on these glorious days? You ride your motorcycle!

That’s sure what I’ve been doing. I’ve gotten out five times in the last 10 days or so.

One day I set out on the Concours just to see if I might easily adjust to dealing with this throttle issue I’ve been telling about. I took a different turn somewhere than I usually make and found myself . . . I wasn’t quite sure where. Truth is, I like that. I like exploring and finding new routes. So I just kept going and soon came out somewhere where I knew where I was. But I’m not sure I could find my way there again by that route. Fun.

The day memorialized in that photo above was the day I went to Vickery to look again at that Yamaha FJ-09 I’ve been lusting for. After leaving the shop I just headed out on Parker Road and then thought about Cherry Creek State Park, which you can get into directly off of Parker Road.

This park is emblematic of a complaint I have had with Colorado Parks & Wildlife for many years. They sell annual parks passes that are good from January 1 to December 31, and they’re not cheap. But I don’t generally want to go to state parks in January, and by May or June I hate the idea of paying full price for a one-year parks pass that is only good for seven or eight months. Why can’t they make the passes good for one year from date of purchase? Anyway, as a result of this, although I live about two miles from Cherry Creek State Park I have not been to that park in so long I can’t remember. Decades.

Well, starting this year there has been a change. Now, when you renew your vehicle registration, unless you opt out, you also purchase a parks pass for less than what used to be the standard fee. Of course this can get expensive if you have numerous vehicles, as I do. And the passes are linked to the vehicle, so having a pass on your car does you no good if you’re on your motorcycle. Why can’t they just sell a parks pass to me, to use no matter what vehicle I’m in or on?

Anyway, I have opted out of the parks pass for my CB750 and my Concours but paid for it on the car and the V-Strom. On this day I was on the V-Strom. I know! I’ll go in the park!

I had totally forgotten how nice this park is. Especially on a fabulous Indian Summer day, with the reds and browns of fall color everywhere. The main portion of the park is on lower ground than the surrounding area and what that means is that you can get down in there and there is no indication at all that there is a city around you. It was beautiful!

Yeah, there’s a lot of great riding to be done at this time of year. Don’t miss it.

Biker Quote for Today

“When I was 16, everyone else got a car; I got a motorcycle.” — Jason Priestley

I want this motorcycle. Anybody want to buy a 1999 Kawasaki Concours really cheap?

OK, I’ve made up my mind and I really do want to buy this Yamaha FJ-09 sitting over at Vickery. But I have one big problem.

The problem is that I have the space to store three motorcycles, and I have three motorcycles. If I buy a new one I have got to get rid of one of the old ones. Which of the old ones to get rid of is not a problem, it would be the Concours. But how do I get rid of it?

They had told me at Vickery that they would do a trade-in but they also told me I would not like the price they would offer me. I understood that but I rode the Connie over there on Tuesday so Brent could look it over and give me a number that would at least enable me to process the whole matter further. Bill Vickery was there and the three of us went out to the bike. Bill expressed surprise at how clean it was and agreed that it was in very good shape.

Then he and Brent conferred and Brent came back with the number: $200. And they would put it on the floor with a $900 price tag. He urged me to put it on Craigslist or take it over to Steele’s to see what they would give me for it. Steele’s, of course, is a salvage yard, but they do sell used bikes, too. Maybe they would offer more than $200. Worth a shot.

The best thing, though, Brent said, would be to put it on the market asking about $700 and hope that some young guy who wants a nice bike but doesn’t have much money would fulfill his dream.

I looked on Craigslist nationally and found five of the old-style Connies. With one exception they were listed for prices well above $700, even one that’s older than mine. None of them have as many miles on them as mine does. The one exception had a price tag of $100 and the posting explained that it had an issue that the owner didn’t know how to fix so he was offering someone who could fix it a terrific deal. The post also was marked “Sold.”

Well, mine has an issue, a sticky throttle that Brent says is caused by an intake issue, which is a little different but related to what Mark at Rowdy Rocket Garage told me was a vacuum-related issue. No one is going to pay a lot for a bike they know they’ll have to turn around and spend more money on.

Sure I could pay to have the issue fixed and then ask more, but still, who at this time of year is going to be buying it? And sure, I can wait and sell it come spring but Vickery is not likely to still have that FJ-09 come May next year. And it’s a nice bike at a very nice price.

I went over there Tuesday in part to check out the seat height and although it is higher than my other bikes it still is no problem at all to get my feet down. Brent credited the bike’s narrowness for that. And the general riding position felt really good.

So how, in November, am I going to sell my Concours? I will take it to Steele’s and see what they offer. But if they offer $300 what then? Really, the bike has no financial value. But if I put, say, another $500 into it to get this issue fixed, it would then continue to give me years of riding. But at this point I have made up my mind that I would like a newer bike, with some of the newer features, lighter, and something I could take to a dealer if it needs work.

I want this Fj-09 and maybe the answer is to just accept that the Kawi has no value and take anything I can get for it and be done with it. Anybody want to buy a very nice 1999 Kawasaki Concours really cheap?

Biker Quote for Today

Buy a motorcycle because money returns and time doesn’t.