Passes & Canyons Blog

Screen grab from the Ride To Work site.

Let’s see, second Tuesday of June . . . something going on, isn’t there? Oh yeah, it’s Ride to Work Day.

You know, for some of us, riding to work is an impossibility because we don’t work. I’m retired. But when I was working you bet I made it a point to ride my bike to work on this day. Now I just get out and ride. Nobody knows I’m not going to work and besides, the work part of it is not the main point. The main point is to flood the streets with motorcycles and make drivers conscious that we are out there and they better be on the look-out.

I mean, when was the last time someone started pulling into your lane in your space because they didn’t bother to do a head check to make sure there was nothing in their blind spot? Yesterday? The day before? OK, maybe it doesn’t happen that often but I know that every one of us has had that experience numerous times.

And now, with lane filtering on its way, we’re really going to need to make our presence known. What better time to get started than on Ride to Work Day?

Of course, you know, another way to make drivers aware of us is not to blend into the scenery. I ride with the RMMRC a lot and most of those guys always wear high-viz fluorescent-colored vests and clothing. I finally gave in to peer pressure and bought a bright orange vest. You can stop ragging on me now Roy.

Biker Quote for Today

Under my helmet, dreams come alive, and I make them real on the road.

This year’s Ride to Work Day logo.

I feel like I beat the same dead horse almost every year when I do this post promoting Ride to Work Day. Nobody cares. And yet, I have always thought it was a great idea.

You know, why not, once a year, have a day when everyone who rides motorcycles rides to work or wherever, just to show our numbers to the rest of the world? This year that day is Monday, June 15. A week from now.

For one, think of the shock to the non-riding public to see just how many bikes and riders there are. And if that strikes them then it is at least possible that they will think to themselves, “gosh, there are lots of motorcycles out there, maybe I ought to pay a little more attention when I change lanes to be sure there isn’t one in my blind spot.”

Or, as the official ride to work people say on their site:

Ride your motorcycle or scooter on this day to demonstrate:

• The number of motorcyclists to the general public and to politicians.
• That motorcyclists are from all occupations and all walks of life.
• That motorcyclists can reduce traffic and parking congestion in large cities.
• That motorcycles are for transportation as well as recreation.
• That motorcycling is a social good.

Come on–do it this year. I’ll be out riding somewhere. Join me.

Oh, and a quick, unrelated aside: did you experience that extreme weather that swept through on Saturday? I was at home and I looked at the sky and decided I should cover the bedding plants we had just bought and barely 30 seconds after I did the sky opened up with winds that the weather service said exceeded 80 mph and hail came pounding down. Then it blew right on past in about three minutes.

Can you imagine if you had been on your bike when that hit? If you didn’t get blown over the whole thing would have gone past before you even found a sheltered place to pull over. It was crazy.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker when you know what a grasshopper feels like at 100 miles per hour.

Did you ride to work on Monday?

I guess I’m just one lonely voice in the wilderness. Every year I plug Ride to Work Day and never do I see those hordes of bikes out there that I hope for. Did you see them Monday? Neither did I.

I did ride to work on Monday and out of curiosity I counted the number of bikes I saw. I counted 16 besides myself going, and 12 coming home. I rode again today (Thursday) and on this totally non-special day I saw 21 bikes on the way in and 19 on the way home. So much for let’s all go ride to work on one particular day.

And by the way, I won’t be keeping a running count because it’s way too distracting. I had to keep telling myself to forget about the dang bikes, watch where you’re going and watch out for other traffic. Also by the way, I am pleased to say that on neither day did some other driver try to occupy the lane I was already occupying. That happened to me three times the previous two days I rode to work.

What was really odd, I thought, was that whereas there are four BMW riders who ride to work at the National Park Service nearly every day, on Monday of all days not a single one of them rode in. Of the seven or eight bikes that are typically parked in the lot there, only two Harleys came in. Plus me.

So yeah, apparently almost nobody pays attention to Ride to Work Day. That puzzles me. I mean, why wouldn’t you? I suspect the biggest part of it is that most riders have never heard of it. It needs better promotion. What can I do, other than what I’ve been doing for years? I’ll have to think about that. I don’t know about you, but I’d just love to see the streets of this town filled with motorcycles some day, making all the drivers’ eyes pop out wondering what the heck is going on. There’s got to be a way.

Biker Quote for Today

Ride to coffee, coffee to ride.

Monday is Ride to Work Day. Let's flood the streets with motorcycles.

I would normally publish on Monday but then there would be no lead time. So today is Sunday and I’m alerting you that tomorrow, Monday, June 16, is Ride to Work Day and if you can you really ought to ride your motorcycle to work. I will definitely be doing my part.

We’re in luck, too, because it is supposed to be a gorgeous day. Warm, sunny, and little chance of rain. Just no excuses.

Of course excuses are way too easy to come by. I generally go to the gym after work on Mondays and Thursdays and it gets a little tight trying to fit my briefcase, my rain gear, and my gym bag all into the bags on my bike. There’s plenty of room for two of the three but getting all three in is pushing it. So the lazy side of me says, “Oh, forget it, just drive.”

The biker side of me, however, says, “No, no, no. Too many years you have missed this either because you were off on vacation on this date or because you had no regular office-type job to ride to. This year you can actually do it and by golly, you’re going to!!”

Of course, this year it will be easier, too, because now that I have the V-Strom with two huge side bags as well as a top bag, getting it all in won’t be a problem. So look for me on the road tomorrow.

And just in case you’ve never heard of Ride to Work Day (where have you been living?), it’s a day for motorcyclists to show solidarity and make the non-riding public aware of just how many of us there are out there, and that they need to be aware that we are there.

Lord knows the non-riding public needs to have their awareness raised. The last two times I’ve ridden to work I’ve had to dodge three drivers who decided they wanted to be in my lane and never bothered to see if perhaps that lane might be occupied. Yeah, they may have checked their mirrors but we all know that’s not enough. They need to turn their heads and look–do a head check. In once case the driver started moving into my lane but apparently managed to spot me and swerved back.

In the other two cases, they didn’t see me at all and when I blew my horn long and loud they were totally startled and waved their hands apologetically. I did use the horn for an excessive amount of time because I really wanted to make the point that it was not OK.

So come on, let’s make people wonder where the heck all these motorcycles came from. Ride to work tomorrow.

Biker Quote for Today

My first car was a motorcycle.

This was not my smoothest move of the day.

Monday was National Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Day, so I did. I try to help promote this thing every year but it has been a long time since I’ve had an actual job to ride to. I do now, so I did.

You’ve probably already noticed the photo of my Kawasaki Concours laying on its side. Oh, yeah–that.

So I got to work expecting to see a whole bunch of bikes in the parking lot. Normally there are quite a few guys who ride pretty much every day when the weather permits. I was pretty surprised to get there and find the only other bike in this one of two motorcycle parking areas was that Honda Ruckus off to the right there. Didn’t ever get down to see who was parked in the second area.

OK, no big deal. I got off and set the bike on the side stand with that yellow disc under it so it wouldn’t sink into the asphalt. But with the slope of the lot my bike was sitting up too straight, worrying me that a good stiff wind could blow it over. It has happened before. No problem, I’ll just rock it up onto the center stand.

I have no explanation for what ensued. I’ve rocked that bike onto the center stand hundreds if not thousands of time. But the first time I tried it I couldn’t get it up. So I tried again. But something was wrong and instead of rocking it onto the stand, it just tipped over. Man, do I hate it when that happens!

Right at that moment there was no one around to ask for assistance so I took a whack at it myself. But a Concours is pretty darn heavy. I was getting nowhere when a guy I don’t know but had seen around the building came along and offered to help. We quickly got it back up. No damage.

He told me he rides a Vulcan but I was too distracted to pay much attention to anything else he told me about the bike. Next time I see him I’ll thank him again and ask.

So OK, it was no big deal but it sure was annoying. Plus, I’ve never had to pick that bike up all by myself. I’ve done that with my Honda but this bike is heavier. I’m not sure I could have. I sure wasn’t having any success before this other guy came along. Maybe the brain fart that was in effect that made me drop the bike was still in effect as I tried to lift it.

At least I rode to work on Ride to Work Day. Where were the rest of you guys?

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Going two-wheel on Ride to Work Day

Biker Quote for Today

An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered. — G. K. Chesterton.

Ride to Work Day 2012 was Monday.

I work at home so I couldn’t ride to work today, but I did get out on my bike just so I would be seen. What I’m wondering is, how many other riders got out today? I have a feeling it just wasn’t that many.

That is to say, I really question whether many people take this thing seriously. I have promoted it for years, and I always get out an ride, but I think I’m in a minority. The idea is great. Swamp the roads with motorcycles and scooters and really impress other motorists with how many of us there are. For a variety of reasons (see previous post). But at least here in Denver I get the impression people either ignore it or don’t even know about it.

Although I don’t ride to work, I did make a point to ride around down in the Denver Tech Center areas, figuring that’s where a lot of commuters go. As I cruised around I surveyed the parking lots and while I saw a few bikes, there weren’t that many. It looked like the random few you would probably see any day.

Oh well. At least I got out on a ride today. I hope you did, too, but if you didn’t, hey, your loss.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Ride to Work Day is Monday

Biker Quote for Today

You’ll never see a biker going down the road with screaming kids arguing in the back seat.

Ride to Work Day 2012 is Monday.

This coming Monday, June 18, is a day you ought to plan to ride your motorcycle to work. Why? Because it is the 21st International Motorcycle & Scooter Ride To Work Day. It’s a day to demonstrate to everyone else–and even to ourselves–how many of us there are.

Along with demonstrating how many it also demonstrates that because there are so many of us, drivers need to be aware that we are there sharing the road with them and that they need to look for us.

Or, as the organizers say on their site:

Ride your motorcycle or scooter on this day to demonstrate:

• The number of motorcyclists to the general public and to politicians.
• That motorcyclists are from all occupations and all walks of life.
• That motorcyclists can reduce traffic and parking congestion in large cities.
• That motorcycles are for transportation as well as recreation.
• That motorcycling is a social good.

And if, like me, you can’t ride to work because you work at home, then ride wherever else you need to go that day. Or just go out for a cruise.

See you on the road.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Details firming up for Lake Tahoe Adventure Motorcycle Ride & Rendezvous

Biker Quote for Today

Women love men with big KTMs.

Riders, start your engines. Monday is Ride to Work Day, or Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Day, or whatever you want to call it. Just do it.

Every year on the third Monday in June motorcyclists everywhere–yes, that means you–are urged to ride their motorcycle to work to demonstrate to the cagers out there how many of us there are, and that they really should pay attention to the fact that we might be when they’re getting ready to change lanes or turn or whatever. And then the other objective is to let the politicians know how many of us there are, in case they start getting silly ideas that we’re such a small minority that they can walk all over us and feel no repercussions.

So get out. Fill the streets with bikes. I don’t commute to an office, I just walk downstairs, but I’ll be out in the throng doing my best to be visible. I want to get some pictures of motorcycles in traffic, so what better day to station myself at good shooting locations.

Besides, you know, it’s fun to ride your bike to work. Back when I worked in an office I did it a lot. It’s much better than going in a car. You may like it so much you end up doing it all the time.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Third race weekend is charm for racer Kuo

Biker Quote for Today

Chrome won’t help if you can’t ride.