Not a lot to say today, I just decided I wanted to post this photo. It’s available elsewhere on the website, but it’s a page that I don’t think many people visit, so it’s likely that not many people have seen it. I just think it’s cool, and I shot it, so here it is.
Always back your bike into the curb, and sit where you can see it.
Now this is kind of amusing. I periodically surf through some online motorcycle forums, reading posts of interest, responding when I have something to add, and sometimes searching for people asking something along the lines of “We’re coming to Colorado. Anyone got suggestions as to what roads we should ride?” When I find those, of course I make some suggestions and I post links to the appropriate pages on my own website.
Well, recently I logged in to one forum I visit and got a message telling me I was banned until March 29. What in the world? I wasn’t aware of having violated any rules or anything. Being banned I couldn’t get in to check for messages, to see why I was banned. So I clicked on a “Contact us” link and sent the guy an email asking what it was all about. Sometime later, receiving no reply, I sent another query. Still no response.
So March 29 arrived and I logged in and, sure enough, there was a private message waiting for me. Here’s what it said:
You have received an infraction at Motorcycle Rider Info.
Reason: Spam
——-
A signature link is cool. Even mentioning site is nice if done right. But a post full of self serving links is plain old spam.
——-This infraction is worth 50 point(s) and may result in restricted access until it expires. Serious infractions will never expire.
I was a bit annoyed. The message included the text of the so-called spam. Here’s what I had posted:
The intro to this thread is “Recommend places in your area that others would want to see and ride their motorcycles to” so that’s just what I’ll do.
In a word: Colorado.
Make that “Colorado!!!”
OK, I’ll be more specific.
Trail Ridge Road
http://www.motorcyclecolorado.com/trail_ridge_road.htmMount Evans
http://www.motorcyclecolorado.com/mount_evans.htmRed Mountain Pass
http://www.motorcyclecolorado.com/red_mountain_pass.htmGlenwood Canyon
http://www.motorcyclecolorado.com/glenwood_canyon.htmMonarch Pass
http://www.motorcyclecolorado.com/monarch_pass.htmThat should get you going.
Now, you’ll notice that, as I said in the post, the theme of the thread was “Recommend places in your area that others would want to see and ride their motorcycles to.” Funny, I thought that was exactly what I did. I guess maybe if I had added a sentence or two about each of those rides he might not have been so offended, but I figured that all you had to do was follow the link and get the full scoop.
Obviously I like to invite people to come to this site. I didn’t do all the work and take all the time I have just to look at it myself and admire my handiwork. I set out to make something really useful for people who are planning trips to Colorado on their bikes. And many of you have thanked me for my efforts, which I truly appreciate.
I’m guessing that the guy running the forum thinks I’m just trying to get people to visit so I can make money. I do, after all, have Google ads on the site. But I’ve got news for anyone who thinks I’m getting rich off Google. In the 2-1/2 half years this site has been up, I have not even made enough off the ads to pay for my web hosting. If I was in this thing to make money I would have moved on to greener pastures long ago.
And it’s not as if this guy isn’t out to make some money. He has all sorts of ads all over his site. He even has a message posted urging people to direct others to his site, although he does take care to ask that they not get carried away and cross the line into spam. The really funny thing is that, without having seen this message previously, I had already posted a link to his site on this blog. Back in February I made this post, pointing out a few forums I like to visit. His is the fourth one on the list.
So when I finally found out what my offense was I wrote him a note saying I was sorry if I offended him but that I disagreed about my post being spam. Again, I’ve heard nothing back from him.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he’s a bad guy. A little overzealous perhaps, may have shot from the hip without really analyzing the situation, who knows. I just thought it was a bit ironic, and I thought you might find it an interesting story.
Never be ashamed to unlearn an old habit.
The spam bastards are hitting this post so I’m turning comments off here only for awhile.
It’s getting toward that time again, so as I always do, I’m cluing you in to this year’s Ride Your Motorcycle to Work day.
This year the date is July 16. As always, that’s a Wednesday, the third Wednesday in July. This is a day to get as many bikes out on the streets and highways as possible, to make an impression on the non-riders as to just how many of us there are. Not for intimidation or anything negative, just to let them know we’re here and that they need to be mindful of us as they drive. I mean, have you ever been on the highway when someone in the next lane pulled into your lane without looking over their shoulder to see if perhaps someone might be there? No, it’s never happened to me either. Right!
So the point is to get out in force and impress upon them that they MUST look, MUST be aware, and MUST share the road. Maybe their lives don’t depend on it, but ours do!
If you really want to get into this, you can go to the website at www.ridetowork.org and download logos and artwork, public service announcements, and various other things to pass along to the local media or put up in public places. Here’s the logo.
Who knows, maybe this year I’ll be able to take part. The funny thing is that each year as I’ve promoted this thing, I’ve not been able to participate. Last year I was working a job that had me working at home. The year before that I was on vacation. This year I may be unemployed on that day, but if so I’ll at least get out and ride a bit just for the heck of it.
Anyway, I’ll bring this up again just before the date. In the meantime, take today’s quote with a grain of salt. Maybe.
If the person in the next lane at the stoplight rolls up the window and locks the door, support their view of life by snarling at them.
Please excuse the self-indulgence but I’m really pleased and want to share this. Cue the fireworks.
I just want to announce that this month, March 2008, is the first time in its history that this Passes and Canyons, Motorcycle Touring in Colorado website has exceeded 3,000 unique visitors in the space of one month.
Now, that’s not a big deal for a lot of sites. Heck, if Google got only 3,000 visitors in one second they’d probably be checking their systems to see what was wrong. But I’m not Google. I put this site up about two and one-half years ago and I’ve been pleased to watch its growth. Traffic generally trends upward from January through July and then trends downward from August through December. Then the cycle starts all over again.
What that means is that this is only the beginning. Although it has already — thanks to you, by the way — set a new record this month, the trend suggests it will continue to set a new record each month for the next three or four months.
The bottom line here is very simple: I’ve put an enormous amount of work into this site and it just makes me feel good to see that that effort is appreciated. Thanks to all of you for making this possible.
Motorcyclist are all bound together by a brotherhood tie through their love of the sport, and what difference does it make what make of machine he rides as long as he belongs to the clan. – Walter Davidson 1920
Here’s something you don’t often see. There was an article in Wednesday’s (3-26-08) New York Times about a bunch of new motorcycles being released. Apparently the article is reprinted from AutoWeek because you can read it on their website. Or read it on the NYT site and get the tables and photos.
Titled “Posh Bikes Rev Up Amid Slowdown,” the gist of the article is summed up in the lead paragraph:
Get set for an invasion of high-end motorcycles–just as the economy is heading into a possible recession.
The article continues, saying:
Manufacturers are rolling out a troop of powerful, opulent, feature-laden machines at prices that would have seemed outlandish for something on two wheels just a few years ago. Several motorcycles that recently went on sale or are expected in dealerships this spring cost between $15,000 and $40,000, more than a Mercedes-Benz C-Classs sedan.
While at first seeming to raise a red flag about pricey new bikes at a time when the economy is hitting a reef, the article then goes on to discuss the reasons why motorcycle sales may be recession-proof. These include the statistics about the aging riding population, with more money and more time to ride, as well as the idea that even people of average means can afford a higher-end bike, as opposed to the flashier, higher-priced cars.
Models discussed in the article include the Ducati Desmosedici, BMW HP2 Sport, Victory Vision Tour Premium, Harley-Davidson Rocker C, Honda Gold Wing Airbag, and MV Agusta F4-R 312.
If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.
If you ride with buddies — and who doesn’t? — I cannot over-stress the importance of making sure that everyone understands the principles your group will follow on rides.
Let me give you an example of what I mean. My buddies John and Bill and I have been riding together for nearly 20 years. We take week-long summer trips and go on various other rides over the year. We have had the good fortune not to have had any accidents along the way. Barely. That’s the issue.
We very nearly did have a serious accident on one of our early rides. I was in the lead, with Bill behind me, and John behind him. We were coming up a road that was snaking up a mountainside and I saw ahead of us a pull-out on the left with a terrific view of the valley below us. I slowed down as I considered stopping, and just as I decided that I would pull over Bill went shooting past me on my left. If I had made my decision to pull over half a second sooner he would have T-boned me and who knows how bad the injuries might have been.
So essentially, what I’m saying is that the most serious danger we have ever encountered was not at the hands of some inattentive driver, but at our own hands. There’s no excuse for that.
Every group needs to have signs and signals, and use them. The first and most obvious one is to signal your turns and look before turning. That applies to anyone on the road and should be so obvious as to not need mentioning, but I didn’t do either that day.
Other good things to have agreed-on signals for are gravel or other obstacles on the road, and reminding someone to turn off their turn signal. Indicating you want to make a stop is another obvious one.
What about the less obvious? For example, when it was just the three of us we all understood that when passing through a town we would stay bunched close so that everyone would make it through any traffic lights. It was up to the leader to judge before going through whether the others would have time to make it. Now that we ride with a bigger group I don’t think we’ve had this discussion with the other guys. Consequently, we end up getting all disjointed and needing to pull over and wait. Sometimes, with a larger group, that’s just inevitable. But not always. It’s guaranteed, though, if the last guy is half a block behind the next guy. Stay close.
It should be understood, too, that when making a turn at a crossroads, you wait until you’re sure the guy behind you has seen which way you’re going.
What else? I’m sure there are more things to discuss and agree on. The main thing is to raise the subject and then make sure everyone is on the same page. It will make your rides safer and help avoid stupid delays and hassles. Do it!
Don’t lead the pack if you don’t know where you’re going.