Passes & Canyons Blog

The fact is, the OFMC has been pretty much everywhere in Colorado. Here we are at the Black Canyon.

I’m the official trip planner for the OFMC these days and yes, despite Bill’s expressed doubts last time about continuing to do this annual ride, there will be a 2024 OFMC ride. Now I just have to figure out where to.

Bill’s complaint was that the daily mileage was too much—he just doesn’t enjoy pounding out the miles any more. So the idea will be to stay mostly in Colorado, take it easy, and maybe actually visit some of these tourist destinations we have ridden past so many times but never stopped at. But what?

Let’s make a list of tourist attractions.

Hot springs. Yeah, OK, there are plenty of hot springs in Colorado. We could spend a couple days in Glenwood Springs or Pagosa Springs or even Hot Sulphur Springs. Or any of a number of others. But what? We roll into town, check in at our motel, and go to the hot springs for a few hours. We’re not really going to spend another day there are we, particularly in the really small towns like Hot Sulphur Springs. No one has ever expressed any serious interest in hitting hot springs before and I’m pretty sure we don’t want to get to town, not go to the springs that day, go the next day and spend another night there. Nope, the hot springs has just got to be a place we visit the day we arrive.

I suppose we could string together four or five places, all with hot springs, and make that the theme of this trip. Again, are any of us really all that into hot springs? I’m not.

One thing these guys are into is golf. We always do a golf stop on these trips. Maybe this should be a multi-golf-day trip. Play three different courses across the state. That actually could work for them, but ever since I injured my shoulder a few years ago I can no longer play because the pain is extreme. I’m fine with riding along and being ball spotter one day but three? Not so sure. I suppose depending on where we are I could go ride while they spank whitey.

There are steam locomotive trains. I can think of Georgetown, Durango, Chama, Leadville, the Royal Gorge, and a few more. That could work, although I know from experience that these things can also be deadly boring. That makes the route from Durango up to Silverton good because as I understand you can ride the train up and take a bus back—much quicker.

How about white water rafting? I hadn’t thought of that. Worth looking into.

Then beyond the categories are the one-off attractions. Places like Red Rocks, Garden of the Gods, Mount Blue Sky (nee Evans), Pikes Peak, the national parks, the Argo Mill in Idaho Springs, Skyline Drive, . . . the list goes on. Big problem: we’ve all been to nearly every one of those, many of them more than once. Plus, with places like Red Rocks, Idaho Springs, Garden of the Gods, you know, hey, we live in Denver. We can go to any of those places any day we want.

One place we haven’t been (as a group) is Mesa Verde. OK, that’s a two-day thing what with arriving and spending the next day seeing the place. That leaves six more days. We’ve also never stopped at Chimney Rock National Monument, primarily because it has only been designated such and open for visitors for a year or two. That would be just a stop of an hour or two on the way to Ignacio, I would assume.

Ignacio. Cortez. Cripple Creek. Black Hawk. Gambling. We could do a gambling ride. We all enjoy that and at least one night at a casino town is a mandatory part of our trips. Should we do more than one? These things can and sometimes do get expensive the longer you are there. Food for thought.

Well yeah, my way of thinking out loud is actually starting to give me some ideas. Maybe I’ll get something figured out soon.

Biker Quote for Today

Buying a bike costs money but time doesn’t.

It was rides like this one with the RMMRC that put all those miles on my V-Strom in 2023.

I noted down the odometer readings on my vehicles on December 31 once I knew I wasn’t going anywhere else that day. Once again, as has been the case every year for quite a few years, I put a lot more miles on my three motorcycles than I did on my car. In fact, once again, I put more miles on one particular bike than I did on the car.

My mileage on the car was up about 500 miles last year, all the way to 3,062. That compares to 2,506 in 2022. But I put 3,940 miles on the V-Strom, which was 74 miles more than the previous year. That’s the third time the Suzuki has gone more miles than the car.

It used to be that the Concours was the bike that out-distanced the car, often by a heck of a lot. For instance, in 2010 the Concours to Elantra numbers were 10,004 and 5,581. In 2011 they were 6,875 and 3,556. In 2012 they were 9,437 and 5,061. But now apparently I ride the V-Strom more.

In fact, my Concours number was only 1,849 in 2023, compared to 2,354 in 2022. Part of that had to do with it being out of commission after overheating up by the Eisenhower Tunnel coming home from the OFMC trip. It was nearly two months before that bike was rideable again.

I know I’m not going to get big numbers on my CB750 so my target each year is to put at least 1,000 miles on it. Once again I was unsuccessful. I only racked up 672 miles on that bike in 2023, which was down from the 729 miles in 2022. I try to favor that bike for that very reason but I guess I just don’t do it enough. A new year’s resolution I’ll try once again to keep.

Altogether in 2023 I put 6,461 miles on my bikes. This is down a bit from the previous year, when I rode them 6,949. My total mileage on all four vehicles for 2023 was 9,523 compared to 9,455 in 2022. Are most people as consistent as I am?

Biker Quote for Today

Distance is just a number when you ride a bike.

This is what I’m hoping not to face when my Kawi is ready to come home from the shop.

The weather has been good and I’ve now ridden four days in a row, December 30, December 31, January 1, and January 2. Yay Colorado.

I already mentioned my the rides on the last two days of last year, but then we were on to a new month and as always I intend to ride each of my bikes every month. And at this time of year you can’t count on the weather so if it’s sunny on the first of the month I’m out there.

So I got out on both the Honda and the Suzuki on January 1 but the Kawi is an issue. On December 30 I was finally able to get it in to Rowdy Rocket Garage to get this throttle issue addressed. So now I’m at their mercy in terms of getting the work done and at the mercy of the weather come the time when the work is done. Suppose Mark has it done on January 30 but on January 29 we have two feet of snow? Good-bye January ride on the Kawi.

I thought I had the solution on January 2. When I was out riding the day before I passed by the shop and my bike was still sitting there in the driveway, right by the street. Of course, being New Year’s Day I figured there was no one there working so I couldn’t do anything. But the following day I figured I could go by, pop in and tell Mark I just wanted to take the Kawi for a spin and bring it right back, and ta-da! January ride in the books.

But I went by the next day and now my bike had been moved right up by the door to the shop as if perhaps they are planning to get on it right away. And it’s not the simplest thing maneuvering in that area. So I just rode right on by. Now I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, I saw a good number of other folks out on bikes these last few days. People around here really do get it that if you want to ride at this time of year you have to take your opportunities when they present themselves.

But now the Stock Show is less than a week away, and we all know about Stock Show weather. Brrr.

Biker Quote for Today

Yes dude, I can go faster than you!

More bikes and more people at the Last Brass Monkey Run this year than for quite a few years.

I got in two last rides right at the end of 2023. The weather is looking OK so maybe I’ll be able to get in some January rides right away. We’ll see.

On Saturday it really wasn’t much of a ride. Mark over at Rowdy Rocket finally had a spot open for me to bring the Concours in so he can fix the issue that has the throttle not backing off as it should. That was just a very short, five-mile ride but hey, I was out on a bike on December 30. Were you? Now I’m just concerned, having given the bike to Rowdy on December 30, that I get it back before January 31 so I can get in a January ride on it. The last time they had my bike they had it for a very long time. If need be I’ll nudge Mark, but I’d rather not have to.

Then on Sunday it was the day for ABATE of Colorado‘s annual Last Brass Monkey Run. This was looking like the best chance in several years to actually ride to this thing so that was my plan. Also, I was still 26 miles short of turning over a new 1,000 on the V-Strom so you know I was going to ride if at all possible. And it was.

I checked the temperature and it seemed reasonably warm out there so I dressed accordingly but when I went out to roll the bike out it was a lot colder than I expected. I was wearing jeans with long underwear and the usual up top, including my electric vest, and planned to wear my winter gloves. I took off the jeans and put on a second layer of long underwear and then put on my riding pants, which I mostly wear in the winter. Then I pulled out my heated gloves. I didn’t want to be cold unnecessarily.

I took off, headed out west to Golden, to the Rock Rest Lodge, and yes it was cold. I had set the gloves at 50 percent power but soon wished I had set them at 75 percent. And I had carelessly draped the cord for the vest between the tank and my body in a manner that led to me accidentally turn it off three times. Let’s just say that when I reached the Rock Rest I was glad to get off and go inside.

It was a great turn-out–the best in years. And a lot of folks came on their bikes, as you can see in the photo. It was good to check in with all the usual folks (Mike: I guess it’s been exactly a year since I last saw you). Yeah, but in 2024 there are going to be some issues at the legislature where we’ll be seeing each other down at the capitol.

Coming home it was a bit warmer but I still set the gloves at 75 percent and that kept my hands toasty almost all the way home. And I was more careful with the cord for the vest and never once turned it off by accident.

Now I’m eager to check my odometers and see how many miles I put on each bike this year. I took three trips so it ought to be a higher number than last year. Those numbers will be showing up here soon.

Biker Quote for Today

2 > 4

This is where your bike ends up if there’s no one to fix it and keep it running.

How’s this for a scenario: Your dealer where you bought your motorcycle 12 years ago just told you that it’s too old, they don’t want to work on it any more. You’ve just been fired as a customer. Fine, you’ll go find some independent shop where they work on old bikes.

But each shop you go to tells you they can’t work on your bike because it requires specialized equipment and knowledge that the manufacturer deems proprietary information. You now have a very heavy, very expensive paper weight.

Does that sound a bit extreme? Maybe it is but that part about proprietary information and equipment is very real, as is the whole business of being fired as a customer. What can be done about this?

Both the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) and MRF (Motorcycle Riders Foundation) have sent me emails recently urging me to contact my Congressional representative to push them to support H.R. 906, the “Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act or the REPAIR Act.” I’m passing this on to you.

I thought for sure one of the emails had more specific information, something about it coming up for some vote or something, but for the life of me I cannot find any such email. Dang.

Well, nevertheless, here’s the scoop. Quoting the MRF:

The REPAIR Act ensures that vehicle owners or repair shops are not denied access to the information, software or tools needed to work on vehicles. The proposed law also establishes rules regarding vehicle data access. This commonsense law will help preserve consumer choice and a fair marketplace.

Then there is this from the AMA:

Do you believe in the Right to Repair your own motorcycle? Politicians in Washington want to limit your ability to repair, maintain, and modify your motorcycle.

The AMA is working closely with members of Congress to fight for your Right to Repair, the simple idea that when you purchase something — like your motorcycle — you should have the right to repair it or seek an independent repair shop to do the work, and manufacturers must make the parts and information needed for repairs available to the public for a fair and reasonable price.

In the House of Representatives, the AMA is advocating for passage of H.R. 906, the REPAIR Act (Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair). This legislation will ensure that motorcyclists and independent repair shops have access to the tools, parts and information needed to repair motorcycles.

Right now there are three Colorado representatives who have cosponsored this bill: Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7]; Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]; and Rep. Caraveo, Yadira [D-CO-8]. If your rep is someone else maybe you could drop them a line and push them to add their name to the list. I need to do that with Diana Degette.

Go ahead and give your rep a nudge. They’re there to work for you. Make them earn their pay.

Biker Quote for Today

“Try to remember the reason you started riding a motorcycle in the first place. For me, it was a couple of things but mostly rebellion.” ? Sonny Barger

The Halycon 250 made by Janus Motorcycles.

I had never heard of Janus Motorcycles but I got an email the other day from Grant Longenbaugh, the company’s president, complimenting me on this blog. He said he had run across it while they were here in Colorado doing filming for a ride on one of their bikes.

“If you haven’t heard of Janus, we make ultra-lightweight, classic bikes in Goshen Indiana. There are about 1500 of ’em out there, and we’re growing every year!,” he said.

Well, I hadn’t but now I have. So of course I had to check out their website and see what these bikes are all about.

The first thing that is clear from the start with Janus is that this is not a large-scale, cookie-cutter operation. As you can see from that screen shot above, you can pick from 15 different colors for your bike. Does anyone else offer that kind of selection? As for other customization, they offer a wide range of options from seat to mirrors to luggage and more. One bit of humor: On the FAQ page they go through what can and cannot be customized. Here’s one: “Can you buy ‘just’ a frame, tank, etc? Yes, but all frames come with engines attached, and all fuel tanks come with frame and engine attached.”

That reminds me of when I first bought my 1999 Kawasaki Concours and rode it to breakfast with the guys. Leaving the restaurant I told them they needed to look at the new seat I had just bought. (We had recently taken a trip to California and it was a long ride on my CB750.) When I walked them over to the bike I told them, “Yeah, the seat cost one heck of a lot but they threw in all the rest of the bike at no extra charge.”

Janus currently offers three models, the Halycon 450, Halycon 250, and Gryffin 250. The 450 has two cylinders and the 250s each have one. These are retro-looking bikes that definitely have you thinking of early Harleys and others. Which is not to say the technology is old school at all.

At the same time, these are not extremely complex machines either.

Our motorcycles are designed to be simple to understand and work on. We encourage our owners to perform their own routine maintenance and get to know their motorcycles. We believe that knowing your machine deepens the enjoyment of riding. We have an ever-growing YouTube channel of maintenance videos, and if there’s something you don’t know how to do or don’t want to do, we can help you learn, or help you find a local garage that will service our motorcycles.

So anyway, it’s always nice to have new companies coming along to build a wider variety of motorcycles. If this particular style stokes your fires you now have a source.

Biker Quote for Today

Bike may be new, but not my passion for riding.

In Cherry Creek State Park you can wonder, “where’s the city?”

The forecast for Tuesday was for a record high temperature for the date so of course I had to go ride. So did a lot of others; I saw quite a few motorcycles that day.

As so often happens I had no idea where I was going to go. I started heading south on Yosemite and had the idea to cut over to Dayton and take the road through Cherry Creek State Park over to Parker Road and then keep going south on Parker. I paid for a parks pass with my vehicle registration on the V-Strom this year and I figure I need to use it and get my money’s worth.

Of course, the last time I tried to go through the park, coming from the Parker Road side, I couldn’t get through because they appear to be replacing a small bridge. Surely that project was finished by now. Wrong.

The road goes through the park, past a lot of picnic areas and hiking trails, then past the turn-off to the model airfield, where two radio-controlled model planes were in the air. No drones on this day but I suspect this area gets used for drones now more than model airplanes. Then on to the turn-off for the shooting area, where you can take your guns and do target practice.

This was where the road was blocked going through the park. So I went up the short road to the shooting area, expecting to hear gunshots as I drew near, but I didn’t. What I did encounter was the unmistakable odor of weapons being discharged. I hadn’t expected that. And then as I turned around I did hear a few pop-pops of the guns. OK, back out of the park onto Dayton and south.

I went to Orchard and then east, to Peoria and then south to Arapahoe Road. Turned east on Arapahoe and then continued east past Parker Road. I got to wondering where Arapahoe goes as you follow it all the way east. Had I ever done that before? Maybe now is the time.

And go further east it does, on and on and on. I got to thinking that maybe I had been out this way before and that eventually Arapahoe would bend north and cross Smoky Hill Road, and the further out I got the more it looked familiar and I suspected I was right. It crossed under E-470 and eventually came to Powhaton Road, where I recognized that Arapahoe from here just went into the neighborhood across Powhaton and was no longer an arterial. So I turned north on Powhaton.

Powhaton, at least at this moment, is where the city truly ends. I rode north with houses right there on my left and nothing but prairie to my right. At first it was a four-lane road but eventually it narrowed to where it was two lanes without even a shoulder. As I went along I came upon a large, severe-looking building on the east side of the road, all by itself. What is that, I wondered? It looked like a prison. Getting closer I could see the sign out front: Infinity Middle School. OK. I’m sure a lot of the kids at that school would agree with my initial assessment.

Continuing north, Powhaton ends at Quincy. I turned west and was immediately back on familiar turf. I’ve come into town on Quincy many times. So many times, in fact, that this time I decided to do something different. At Chambers I turned north and went up to Hampden and then turned west on that. At least it was a change of scenery. Then I hit Parker, up to I-225, and home. And yes, we did set an all-time high for the day. What a great day to be out riding!

Biker Quote for Today

Twist the throttle and roll on.

The new Motorcycle Travel Network home page.

Long before the advent of this “sharing economy” as exemplified by AirBNB there was a website devoted to connecting motorcyclists to provide travelers with inexpensive places to stay with like-minded people. This was the Motorcycle Travel Network.

For $20 a night, as a gratuity, you had a place to stay with hosts who knew all the best local roads and places to visit. And in my own experience, it usually meant dinner and breakfast, although that is always up to the host.

Well, the Motorcycle Travel Network (MTN) kind of petered out in recent years and although we had stayed members, when a full year had passed and we had not used it and nobody had contacted us to stay with us we just let our membership slide. As did many others, I assume.

So–Announcing!–MTN is back.

Sometime earlier this year I received an email with this announcement in the subject line but the email was blank. I replied asking for more info but then forgot about it. Because this was via an email account I rarely use now I did not see the reply I got until just very recently. And yes, they are back, and if you are among the early folks to sign up they’re even waiving the annual registration fee for the first year.

I just signed up and I can certainly attest that the new website is significantly changed. Mainly it’s more up-to-date. The old one was pretty basic, reminding me of this website back before I got it modernized. (It really needs that again now; time marches on.)

I used MTN on my own and with Judy on our travels and we had some great times. Down in Fort Myers, Florida, we stayed with a couple who kept us regaled with stories of their rides. These were world travelers and she rides her own. We had a great time. We also hosted folks here and in particular there was a Canadian couple from Lethbridge, Alberta, who we had an absolutely fabulous time with. We really intended to return the visit but sadly have never made it to Lethbridge.

Will we have more great times now? Man, I sure hope so. Of course the more people who sign up the better the chances are that this thing will work well again. With AirBNB and VRBO this business of sharing your home with strangers is much more in the mainstream, but those sites also offer competition. What they can’t offer is the price and the in with local riders. Go ahead–sign up. I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.

Biker Quote for Today

Drop a gear and disappear.