I went to the gym this morning and there, parked in the motorcycle parking area, was a bike I did not recognize. And it was an amazing looking bike. What the heck is this? It says it’s a Honda, but what is it?

Well, it wasn’t until I got home and did some internet searching that I discovered it was a Honda Valkyrie Rune. Here’s what it looks like.

Now, this photo really doesn’t do this thing justice. Yes, you can see that it has a shape and parts that are nothing like anything you’ve ever seen on any other motorcycle, but in the flesh this thing was amazing. For one thing, it’s huge. It sits really low to the ground but it is wide and solid. You don’t see through it the way you do a naked bike or even a lot of bikes with bodywork. And it has angles and metal everywhere.

The one thing that struck me very negative about this bike was that I couldn’t see how you could ride it. The seat is way back, with the pegs way forward, and the handlebars are a lot further forward than the pegs. Obviously I wasn’t about to get on it and see what kind of body contortions are necessary but it looked to me like it would be hugely uncomfortable.

That said, otherwise it was an incredible bike. My understanding is that it was overpriced and did not sell well and there are a lot of unsold new ones stored in warehouses. What I read said 2004 was the last year it was made, but this particular one said 2005 on it in several places, so I’m not sure about that. But despite the odd design and very unusual look, I have to tell you, up close and personal it was a beautiful motorcycle.

I definitely give Honda credit for having the guts to make this bike, and I hope that the experience doesn’t stop them from taking other such risks in the future. And I hope whoever owns this bike rides it to the gym again. I’d like to take another look at it.

Update
OK, I don’t understand this, but I just found a web page that shows a 2007 Rune. Has Honda started making them again? Can anyone help me out?

Biker Quote for Today

People are like motorcycles: each is customized a bit differently.

There was a comment on a previous post from Gianluca Pezzi, who is involved with Blogo.it. In case the name and the “it” at the end of that website name didn’t give it away, Gianluca is Italian. He mentioned two things that caught my interest.

First, he was calling my attention to their Two Wheels Blog, which he describes as “for readers interested in what’s happening on the motorcycling scene in Italy.” If you click on these links you’ll see that the blog is in English, but the website is in Italian. Unless you read Italian I guess I’d stick with the blog.

Anyway, the blog is a variety of information, including a lot of videos of bikes and such. Interesting to check out if you’re a big fan of Italian bikes. Says Gianluca:

Two Wheels Blog is a new initiative from Blogo.it, and is dedicated to the motorcycling sector in Italy: with everything from championships, to new models released, our favourite brands, photos and videos, we’re hoping to give voice to the dedicated motorcycling community around these parts.

So far we’ve written about our testing of the new Beta Urban 200 pre-series, included a video on a new BMW, written about the new Halley, and reviewed all the style of the Italian scootering tradition. We have a photo of the day spot, where readers can send their best pics from around the world, and you can point us to news or make comments.

The other thing Gianluca mentioned was that he couldn’t find any way to contact me directly on the blog. Now, on the main motorcyclecolorado.com website there are a number of places where I have placed javascript no-spam email links so people can contact me directly, but I had not thought to do the same here on the blog. I’ll need to do something about that right away but in the meantime, if you want to email me just send to either ken at motorcyclecolorado.com or to webmaster at motorcyclecolorado.com. Thanks. I always love to hear from you.

Biker Quote for Today

Tomorrow is uncertain, so today I ride.

I had a pleasing email in my inbox this morning. It seems the folks at Mile High Harley-Davidson discovered this site and liked it enough to feature it in a post on their blog. They sent me a bunch of rides to add to my Rides and Rallies page and mentioned, oh by the way, we recommended your site on our blog. Boy, did they ever! They didn’t just link to the home page, they gave their readers links to all of the great roads pages on the whole website.

If you are one of the folks coming here via those links, this “Welcome” is for you! Go ahead and explore the site. Then, if there’s something you particularly like I’m always happy to hear that. And if there’s something you’d like to see added I’m even more interested to hear that.

Of course, if you have any events you’d like added to the Rides and Rallies page just send them along and I’ll get them up right away. Thanks.

Biker Quote for Today

Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window.

One thing I really love about running this website and publishing this blog is the way I learn about new places to ride from the folks who visit the site. I’m not always able to go check them out right away but they definitely go on my list to get to as soon as I can.

The most recent road to add to my list is the Kebler Pass road coming over from Crested Butte to CO 133 coming down off McClure Pass toward Hotchkiss. I’ve mentioned Andy Simons several times recently and Andy gets credit for this one, too. He sent me some photos from the road and described it as “dirt road but suitable for all bikes (well graded and packed).” Here’s one of his photos that confirms his description.

Now, I have never taken this road, not even in a car. In fact, I didn’t know it was there and that you could go anywhere on a good road from Crested Butte other than back down the road you came in on. So I did some checking to find out more about this road. I found one site with a lot of photos where they had this to say:

This is a beautiful drive, forest road 12, that connects Crested Butte highway 135 with Paonia Reservoir and highway 133. Suitable for any vehicles. If you like aspens, mountains, and many photos ops this is the road for you.

Then there is this site where people can post their comments on various roads and such, where one person says:

i lived in colorado for about five years, traveled as many back roads as i could in that time, and Kebler Pass was by far my favorite…for one, it’s a little out of the way so it tends to not be crowded…it is also breathtakingly beautiful…the aspens in this area are huge, and the aspen stand is enormous, mile after mile of aspens…

I will note that another person on this same site had this cautionary remark:

The road is heavily washboarded in places and was very muddy after several days of rain, but was easily passable with our Subaru and wouldn’t present much of a problem to any vehicles if the driver is paying attention. I wouldn’t recommend towing over this pass however. Big snows at high elevation would be a problem – something to consider if weather is severe. Take your time as some of the curves are tight and the road drops a lot of elevation on the west side of the pass. We saw plenty of deer, but no other large mammals this trip.

So it sounds like it should be no problem as long as it’s dry. If it has rained recently don’t even try it. Fair enough. You probably won’t want to try it in May or June but by July or August it sounds like a go. I know I’m going.

Biker Quote for Today

The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rearview mirror.

Great weather today–got to get out in it. Just a note:

Five years ago I could fill the tank on my Honda Civic for under $10. Today I can’t fill the tank on my Honda CB750 Custom for under $15.

What more is there to say?

Biker Quote for Today

A good long ride can clear your mind, restore your faith, and use up a lot of fuel.

I want to take this opportunity to thank a few people who have very generously offered me photos and other information that has helped make this Passes and Canyons, Motorcycle Touring in Colorado website better and more complete.

Most recently, Andy Simons has sent me a considerable number of his photos from different roads around the state. I’ve got some of them up on the site already but there are quite a few more that will take me awhile yet to put to use. You can see his work on these pages now: Arkansas River Valley; Monarch Pass, Montrose area, and CO 92 from Hotchkiss to Blue Mesa Reservoir.

What I find really exciting is that Andy has sent me some photos of some roads I’ve never been on. Just recently I started adding a few roads that are not paved but are suitable for the more adventurous street-bike rider. Larry Matkovich, who runs Larry’s Custom Cycle in Canon City, got me started on this by sending me some info on a few such roads. Thanks here, then, to Larry as well. The material Andy has sent me will enable me to expand that section.

By the way, Andy is quite the motorcycle traveler and an avid photographer. If you want to see more of what he has done you can check him out on Smugmug.com and Angelfire.

I also want to thank guys like Brad Betts and Steve Shards who have written asking me for information as they plan their trips to Colorado. There is no better way for me to know what topics I should write about than for you to ask me for something in particular. Brad’s questions generated my most recent two posts and Steve’s questions resulted in the whole New Zealand Rides the Rockies series of posts.

There have been other folks along the way who have helped make this website what it is and I offer them my thanks as well. Keep those cards and letters coming in. I’m always eager to do what I can to assist.

One other thing. You may have noticed this “Biker Quote for Today” bit that I now end each post with. In case you wonder where these quotes come from, I have started copying down interesting/relevant quotes that people use in their signatures on motorcycle web forums. So thanks to all those folks as well for providing us all with their quotes.

Biker Quote for Today

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.

I’m following up today on a couple other questions posed by Barry, from Alabama, who is coming with some buddies to Colorado this summer to ride.

Barry asks, “We have to make some decisions about where to start in Colorado, north around Denver, or along the New Mexico border. We are definitely going to ride the train in Durango. Also is it fairly secure and safe to leave your bike parked while you are gone for a day on a train ride?”

I don’t know if there are any clear-cut answers to either of these questions but I’ll speak in generalities. First of all, these guys are coming in September, when the aspen trees will be displaying their fall colors. As I said Monday, that means the weather can be bad at times. The problem with any predictions this far off is that while it is generally warmer and dryer in the southwestern part of the state, there could still be a storm that hits that area just when they’re going to be there. Nevertheless, on the whole, you would probably be better off doing the northern part of your trip first and moving gradually south. That would also put the return portion of your trip through the more-southern states, where you would also be more likely to avoid bad weather.

While some of the higher passes and roads, such as Trail Ridge Road or Mount Evans, do close for the winter, they won’t be closing yet in September. So that’s not an issue. On the other hand, you could get snowstorms on those roads that would make them impassable momentarily. You’re going to want to check the weather forecast and keep your plans flexible.

Keep in mind, too, that while Durango is in the southwestern part of the state, that is a mountainous region and Durango is one of the coldest spots in Colorado in winter. The only realistic thing to do is plan for the worst and hope for the best. And remember that the weather is changeable, and snow at 10 am does not mean you won’t see 60 degrees and sunshine by 1 pm.

As for the safety of leaving your bike for the day, by and large there is not a lot of crime in Colorado. At least not compared to a lot of places. When we first started taking our trips we wondered how safe it was to leave our bikes fully loaded and go in somewhere, or wander off down the street. But in all the years we’ve now been doing this we have never had a single problem. Nothing on any of our bikes has ever been touched.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions. If you have a motel room I would leave my stuff in the room. Then take your normal security measures with your bike. It never hurts to talk to someone at the establishment you’re patronizing to see if they can recommend a secure parking location. Of course, putting a cover over your bike is never a bad idea. What someone can’t see they generally are not tempted to steal.

When I was wrenching with the Concours Owners Group recently the guy, Steve, who helped me install my highway pegs had a ‘99 Connie just like mine. But that’s like saying a Macintosh apple is just the same as a Red Delicious apple, just because they’re both apples. Steve has every electronic gadget imaginable on his bike, while mine is nearly stock. He has all his electrics wired to connect to his tank bag, where all the controllers live. When he parks the bike he disconnects a wire or two, zips the tank bag, and takes it with him. That means he leaves his GPS and radar detector and everything else on the bike. They’re bolted on but they’re there. He told me when he is nervous about leaving it he just covers it, and he has never had a problem.

Don’t get me wrong, people do steal motorcycles in Colorado, just like everywhere else. My buddy Bill had his Harley stolen from outside a restaurant where he was eating. That was in Denver, though, where I think you tend to have more dishonest people than you do in a place like Durango. The key point here then, again, is to use common sense. If you take reasonable measures you’ll probably be fine. And then don’t spoil your trip worrying about what might happen.

Biker Quote for Today

There are two simple rules for riding smoothly and safely in snow and on ice. Unfortunately nobody knows what they are.

Continuing something of a theme I’ve been developing this week, I want to talk now about hypothermia. As in getting really, really cold in an unsafe manner.

Hypothermia: An abnormally low body temperature, often caused by prolonged exposure to cold.

I wrote a on Monday about my day riding Motorcycle Lead for a bicycle race. The wind started blowing and the temperature dropped and it started to snow. By the time I got off the bike I started to shake and shiver uncontrollably. That was the beginning of hypothermia. Then on Wednesday I wrote about fairings and how they do so much to keep you warm. This was not planned but I might as well round out the discussion.

The first time I got a taste of hypothermia was on one of the earliest rides I did with my buddies John and Bill in our group that we call the Old Farts Motorcycle Club. We had been down in New Mexico and were headed back into Colorado when we got caught in a cloudburst. We didn’t have rain suits back then, we just got wet. At the time it didn’t seem like such a big deal. In Colorado it is common to have brief rain showers, and then the sun comes out and all is fine. We didn’t get drenched or anything, and we just kept riding.

Awhile later we reached Alamosa and, stopping at the first traffic light in town, agreed unanimously that we really wanted to find a coffee shop before we did anything else. We were cold.

We got to a coffee shop and ordered a pot of coffee and started shivering and shaking. A lot. A whole lot. Over the course of the next hour or so we probably drank eight pots of coffee but just kept shivering. Somewhere along the line we realized that this was hypothermia. We had gotten wet, but the wind dried us out when the rain stopped, but with the moisture it also extracted a dangerous amount of our body heat.

Hypothermia can be dangerous. It can cause you to become mentally confused, which can lead to dangerous or deadly mistakes when riding a motorcycle. It’s not a good thing.

So what should a motorcyclist do to avoid hypothermia, and what do you do if it happens anyway? First off, don’t drink coffee. Hot coffee may seem like just the ticket but you would do a lot better to drink hot cocoa or have a bowl of hot soup. Something with calories. Of course, if coffee is the only warm thing around, as was the case for me at the bicycle races, do what you’ve got to do. Wrapping up in a blanket or sleeping bag is a very good thing, too. If the hypothermia is serious you should not hesitate to call for emergency medical care.

It’s better to avoid hypothermia in the first place. The first line of defense is the proper gear. Carry a good rain suit and don’t delay too long in putting it on. Use your electric vest if you have one. Heated grips would be good. I swear by the fairing on my Concours, and the windshield on the CB750. Wear plenty of layers. Stop frequently and get warm in a convenience store/gas station, cafe, or rest stop. Wear synthetics or wools that don’t hold the moisture in direct contact with you skin. Avoid alcohol if you’re going out somewhere where you’re likely to get cold.

Mostly it’s just common sense: stay warm in whatever way you can. Don’t be an idiot. It’s better to arrive late, or call off the ride, than never arrive again.

Biker Quote for Today

Never be afraid to slow down.

In all the years I’ve had it I have never appreciated my electric vest more than I did Saturday, when I spent two hours in the lead of a bicycle race. To recap from my posting last week, I signed on to be a Motorcycle Lead for some bicycle races out at the little town of Deer Trail, about 50 miles east of Denver. As it turned out, it almost didn’t happen.

Saturday morning was chilly but sunny and I was prepared because the forecast was for possible rain or snow. I put on long underwear, my heavy boots, my electric vest, and plenty of layers. The cruise out to Deer Trail was extremely pleasant, and I felt like I would have loved to just keep on going, not stopping until I was somewhere in Kansas or Nebraska. I appreciated the Concours’s full fairing, too, because I knew my comfort had a lot to do with the protection it offered.

Arriving at the staging area for the races, they quickly outfitted me with a radio and told me what I would be doing. I headed for my bike and had not even gotten there when, over the radio, they called me back. On returning I was told they did not need me and other people needed the radio. Did I mind? “Not at all?” I asked. “Oh good, well thanks for coming,” she replied. “No,” I said, “that was a question. You don’t need me at all?”

Well, it turned out, they could always use Marshalls, where my job would be to just ride in front of the pack and be visible so motorists would recognize that a bike race was coming. Funny, that was what I thought I had signed on for. So I hustled off to the starting line and very quickly we were underway.

The course initially followed the frontage road along I-70, going out 8 miles to the Lowland exit and turning around, then turning around again in Deer Trail and right back out the frontage road, this time 12 miles to the Agate exit. From there it was back to Deer Trail again, through town and over to the other side of I-70 and out a ways, then a turn onto a county road, out 7 miles, and then return to the finish line. About 60 miles in all.

The first leg out was pretty brisk and I rode along at about 30-35 mph, with my eye constantly on the mirror. I had been warned to keep an eye on the riders because you never knew when someone would make a break and I needed to stay far enough ahead that they couldn’t draft off of me. Occasionally I was surprised to see how all of a sudden a small group of riders was indeed rapidly catching up with me, and I had to throttle up quickly to pull further ahead.

Turning around at Lowland and heading back, the entire situation changed. Suddenly we were facing a strong headwind, and it was cold. Obviously we had had the advantage of a good tailwind on the way out but now the tables were turned. For the 8 miles back to Deer Trail I had to get the knack of going very slowly. If I went 20 mph I would get too far ahead. I downshifted and worked at staying at about 15 mph, occasionally pulling in the clutch and coasting down to less than 10 mph, but even so there were times when I just pulled to a stop in the middle of the road and sat there and waited.

Then we got back to Deer Trail and turned around again, and once again it was a fairly high-speed ride the 12 miles out to Agate. By the time we got to Agate I was really in the lead of just a small group of riders who had left the rest of the pack pretty far behind. We turned around and once again the blast hit us in the face and once again it was a very slow ride back.

Nevertheless, by this time we were passing the lagging riders from the race that started out on this same course 15 minutes before our group. It was no problem when it was just one or two riders but I wondered how this would be managed when we came up on a large pack of riders to be passed. No problem, though, they know the routine. Perhaps alerted by my presence, the pack edged to the right to make way, I zipped past, and the lead riders behind me pumped up their speed and blasted past.

By the time we reached Deer Trail again there were only three riders behind me, and a support vehicle right behind them. We passed through town and over to the other side of the highway and out the county road. At this point we were moving directly perpendicular to the wind, and it was brutal. On top of that, it was starting to blow snow. Even these top riders, who had now ridden more than 40 miles already, could only manage about 15 mph, although on a couple downhills I once again had to goose the throttle to stay out in front.

At this point I was ever more thankful for my electric vest but I was still getting pretty darn cold. On top of that, with the side-wind, my fairing was not doing a lot of good and the body work on the Concours was acting like a sail, making it hard for me to stay on the road, especially at 15 mph or less. Some of the bicyclists were actually being blown off the road.

Half way out to the last turnaround point, there were only two racers behind me. We turned and headed back in and as we drew nearer to the finish line these two guys, who had now ridden more than 50 miles in horrible conditions, started to sprint. I crossed the finish line at 30 mph with them right behind me and I just kept on going, straight back to the staging area and relative warmth.

Then a funny thing happened. As long as I was on the bike with the electric vest providing heat I was cold but not horribly so. As soon as I got off the bike and no longer had the vest to provide heat, I started to shake and shiver horribly. I know that feeling, I’ve experienced it before: hypothermia. Lunch was waiting, hot coffee, but no heat in the building. I know coffee is not a good thing to drink for hypothermia but it was all they had. So I ate and drank and shivered for about 45 minutes.

While I ate I talked with another guy who was one of the referees, who did his work on a motorcycle, too. He had a full Aerostitch suit, electric vest, heated grips, and all on his BMW, and he was just as cold as I was. He said he’d been doing this for years and this was the kind of day he dreaded. He was just glad it was snow and not rain, because you get a lot wetter in the rain.

When asked if I would be working the afternoon races I politely declined. Too cold! I collected my check and headed to the nearest convenience store and went inside where it was warm and got a big cup of hot cocoa. Finally when I was no longer shaking I got back on the bike and headed home, passing through intermittent snowfall along the way. At home I took a hot shower for about half an hour.

So the question is, will I work the second race that I initially signed up for, in Hugo in about a month? I can’t really say at this point. I could use the money, and the weather ought to be a lot nicer. We’ll just have to see.

Biker Quote for Today

Good coffee should be indistinguishable from 50 weight motor oil.

I got the obligatory newspaper clipping from my mother the other day. You know, the one that talks about how motorcycle deaths are up at the same time that some states are relaxing their helmet laws.

Let’s face it, moms are just being moms when they send these things. They would rather you didn’t ride at all because “it’s too dangerous” but if you’re going to ride “you’d better wear your helmet every time.” They also tend to believe strongly that all states should mandate wearing helmets all the time.

I disagree. I do wear my helmets (I have several) a lot of the time. But there are times when I do not, and I would argue that I know more about the risk I am taking than someone who has never been on a motorcycle in their lives. I’m also a registered Libertarian, so obviously I believe the government has no business telling me I have to wear a helmet.

So let’s look at the information this particular article presents. It came from the Gannett News Service so presumably it appeared in a number of papers, maybe yours.

I’ll give them credit, it talks about deaths rising on the basis of per 1,000 riders. So many such articles say simply that deaths are up, but fail to mention that the number of riders is up as well. And if deaths per thousand riders are increasing then that is definitely of concern to us.

My issue is with the interpretations that people put on the statistics. They’re much too simplistic. Helmets are not some miracle cure for motorcycle fatalities. For example, the article states that “About 42 percent of riders killed were not wearing helmets.” What that means then is that 58 percent were wearing helmets — and they were killed anyway. It also implies that some percentage of those helmetless riders who were killed would have been killed even if they had been wearing a helmet. To me that says the cause of the accident should be more the focus than the gear the rider was wearing.

Another factor noted is the increase in the age of the average rider. Decreasing physical dexterity and slower reaction times are listed as the suspects.

Then it goes on to say that “Half of motorcyclists killed between 2002 and 2006 lost control and crashed without colliding with another vehicle.” This is what I’m talking about above. How did these accidents occur? Surely some involved other vehicles that may well have been the cause but were not involved in any contact. But in other cases, what we are talking about is rider error. This calls for better training but, again, has nothing to do with the gear the rider is wearing.

The article goes on to say that southern states have higher death rates, and they attribute that to the longer riding season. More time on the road equals more opportunity for accidents. That makes sense.

Then it talks about how the National Transportation Safety Board has taken the unprecedented action of unanimously recommending that all states mandate helmets at all times. Their justification for this is that “Medical and other costs for unhelmeted riders involved in crashes are staggering.” OK, then how about this: Let’s require all drivers and passengers in cars to wear helmets. There are a heck of a lot more of them getting into accidents and surely the costs are mega-staggering. Race car drivers wear helmets. Why shouldn’t mom and pop and the kiddies? Of course I’m sure they intend to imply that motorcyclists who do wear helmets and get in accidents cost the system nothing. That is what they’re saying, isn’t it?

And then finally, at the very bottom of this 51-inch article, they mention that, oh by the way, the two states with no helmet laws of any kind, Iowa and New Hampshire, have death rates of 3.5 and 3.0 per 1,000 respectively. Meanwhile, for example, Mississippi and Maryland, which require all riders to wear helmets all the time, have death rates of 20 and 12 per 1,000 respectively. Of course these numbers are discounted, and are explained away saying that in New Hampshire the riding season is short and in Iowa the ground is flat and visibility is good.

So thanks for caring Mom, I love you, too. But I’ll continue to make my own decisions and I’ll continue to belong to the American Motorcyclist Association and support their efforts to protect our right to decide.

Biker Quote for Today

Gray-haired riders don’t get that way from pure luck.