Posts Tagged ‘RMMRC’

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New Tire And Once-Over Means I’m Ready To Go

Thursday, April 17th, 2025

So I got that new front tire put on the V-Strom. And while I was at it I had them go ahead and do an oil change. Now I’m ready for a 3,200-mile trip.

Yep, this new tire sure has a lot more tread on it than the old one.

This was Fay Myers where I took it. I got there early on Friday and was able to go straight to the desk and get the whole thing arranged. The guy I dealt with was great and the whole thing took about an hour and a half.

As a plus, when I got the invoice and paid, I saw that they had basically done an overall check of the bike, which is a good thing to do before a trip. I know they do these things because if they find anything else they thing needs doing they want to bring this to your attention so you can presumably pay them to handle it.

So:
Inspect steering and suspension–check
Check battery and charging system voltage–check
Check operation of lights/switches/meters–check
Inspect/adjust control and cables–check
Inspect/top off cooling system–check
Inspect brake pads–check
Inspect brake fluid level/condition–check
Inspect/top off final drive oil–check
Inspect chain–check
Set tire pressure–check

Hey guys, thanks. I think I’m good to go here.

The funny thing was that then the next day I went for this ride with the RMMRC and mentioned to Bob that I had had the work done, and at Fay Myers. He asked me, “Do you trust them?” That took me by surprise, and as I told him, I had never heard anything to suggest that I shouldn’t. He didn’t elaborate but I thought that was odd. So yeah, I do trust them. Why shouldn’t I? Odd.

Now I need to start pulling things together and making a number of pre-trip decisions. And as departure day draws nearly the forecast keeps looking better and better. April can be tricky but it looks like we’re in luck. Oh boy.

Biker Quote for Today

How many motorcycles do you need? N-1, where N equals the number needed for divorce.

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Posted in Dual sport bikes, motorcycle mechanics, Motorcycle repair, motorcycle touring, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club, Suzuki motorcycles, V-Strom | No Comments »

Everyone Go Outside Now!

Monday, April 14th, 2025

The Phillips 66 in Morrison is a favorite gathering place for motorcycle groups.

To say that there were a lot of motorcycles out on Saturday would be a gross understatement. With temperatures in the 80s Denver set a new record high for the date. Meanwhile, not just motorcyclists but hikers, bicyclists, ATVers and everyone else was out in full force. This included the RMMRC.

Six of us gathered at the Phillips 66 in Morrison, along with about 30-40 other bikers in numerous groups. In an inauspicious start to the ride, Charley, who has recently had surgery and has trouble getting his leg over the saddle, ended up pushing the bike over and falling with it. With all these bikers around a swarm immediately gathered and got him and bike back up. He was unhurt and fortunately this was not a portent of ills to follow on the ride.

We headed north on CO 93 out of Golden, across Rocky Flats, to the south end of Boulder. Boulder is this huge blot on a rider’s route. There’s no good way to get through it and getting around it is limited by the fact of mountains on the west side. Fortunately what you can do at the El Dorado Springs intersection is go east a short distance and then turn north on Cherryvale Road. This takes you a good ways north up past Baseline Reservoir to where you go east on Baseline Road and then you follow a zig-zag pattern up through the less heavily developed portions of east Boulder.

That’s what we did, got into Niwot intending to go west on Niwot Road, but got to the Longmont Diagonal and found the road closed for construction. This put us on the Diagonal headed toward Longmont. With some more bobbing and weaving we finally reached CO 66 and were able to turn west to Lyons, our lunch stop. At Smokin’ Dave’s we found two more folks waiting for us. We got seated and ordered and in walked Bruce. The group keeps growing.

After lunch we headed up to the Peak-to-Peak Highway via CO 7, the South Saint Vrain road. This road had been closed for a really long time, including the last time we had been up this way but it is now finally open to traffic again. Nice.

So we took that southwest to meet up with CO 72, the first stretch at the north end of the Peak-to-Peak. It was starting to cook in the city but up on the Peak-to-Peak it was actually a bit chilly. I had started with a couple layer I didn’t need, had removed them, and now would have welcomed at least one of those back. But it wasn’t bad.

Motorcycles were everywhere. Every trailhead we passed had cars overflowing the parking areas. Bicyclists were everywhere. This was a day to be outside!

We headed south, with intentions of going back down via Golden Gate Canyon. However, at Nederland, with Bob leading, he missed the correct turn off the Nederland roundabout and we found ourselves headed down Boulder Canyon, right into the heart of Boulder. I had considered making the right turn and splitting off from the group but I didn’t. I figured what the heck, I ride Golden Gate a lot and almost never take Boulder Canyon. It will be a change of pace.

Of course Boulder was its usual horrible mess. Some of us managed to stay together and head south on 93 but bit by bit we got separated so by the time I got back to Morrison I was alone and just headed on home. And I was roasting. Really glad I had not put another layer back on, and wishing I could remove another layer, but not wanting to stop.

So. Good ride. Great day for a ride. And as for scuffing up my new front tire on my V-Strom, mission accomplished. What more can you ask for?

Biker Quote for Today

“Cyclists see considerably more of this beautiful world than any other class of citizens.” – Dr. K.K. Doty

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Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides, Day Rides, motorcycle clubs, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club, Suzuki motorcycles, V-Strom | No Comments »

The Cost Of Aging And Affluence

Monday, March 24th, 2025

I’m definitely going on this trip but it’s going to cost me a bundle.

I told my wife, Judy, at lunch the other day that I had spent the morning spending an obscene amount of money. I was making my motel reservations for this RMMRC ride to California in April. I’m figuring that by the time you add in motels, gas, and food I’m going to be spending around $3,000 on this trip. Yikes!

Why so much? Mostly it’s motels. There are only four of us going and two have agreed to share rooms. I would have been fine sharing with the fourth but he prefers to have his own room. I have no idea why; I just know that some people do prefer their privacy, even if it means paying more.

What a difference from the early days of the OFMC. Back in those days, long ago, we were not anybody’s idea of flush. John and Bill and I would get into town, split up, and go check prices and availability at several motels, then regroup and choose. Most of the time we got rooms with two beds and we rotated whose turn it was to sleep on the floor. We also carried tents and sleeping bags to we could camp if we wanted to or needed to. We didn’t make reservations in those days so sometimes that camping gear saved our butts.

So affluence is a big part of this spending escalation. We never went the expensive route back then for the simple reason that that was money we did not have. Cheap was a necessity. Fortunately those days are over. I’m not crazy about spending so much on this trip but I have the money and it is money I can afford to part with.

The other thing is aging, although for myself that really is not an issue. The group of us who are going got together the other day to prepare and they all agreed that camping is well in their pasts. Gosh, I still enjoy camping, as does Judy. But beyond camping, these guys have certain standards for accommodations that rule out most of the cheaper places. For instance, we’ll be in St. George, Utah, one night and there are a lot of places where you can get a room there for less than $100. The place the group selected, however, runs about $200. This is one instance where I opted to stay down the road a couple miles and pay about $60 less. It’s still a plenty nice place and I don’t know what the reason was for choosing the higher-priced place but I just can’t see any reason to pay that price.

In other cases there really was no choice. We’ll be spending one night in Death Valley and there are not a lot of accommodations available in Death Valley. And then, the place we’re staying has much higher rates on the weekend and we will be there on the weekend. So I’ll pay about $270 for one night in a two-queen suite all by myself. The point here is that we’re going for the real Death Valley experience. I’ve never been there so I’m not sure what that consists of but I’ll pay the fee and find out.

So it ought to be a really good trip. And I suppose there is an off chance that some fifth person will yet show up who I can share rooms with. But I’m not expecting it. It’s just money, you can’t take it with you when you die, and I have no heirs. Why not spend it.

Biker Quote for Today

I don’t want to know how much your motorcycle cost, shut up and ride.

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Posted in Motorcycle Accommodations, motorcycle clubs, motorcycle touring, OFMC, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club | No Comments »

New Cardo Communicator

Thursday, March 20th, 2025

My new Cardo communicator on my helmet.

Judy and I have a couple Sena communicators we use when we ride together but these guys I’m going on this trip with soon all have Cardos. My choice was to be the one not linked together or go get a Cardo. I got a Cardo.

We had a pre-ride get-together the other day to make plans and for those with Cardos to get all synced up. I didn’t have mine yet but immediately afterward I went to Performance Cycle and got one. I had the guy install it for me, which was a really good thing because he–with all his experience–did not find it an easy job.

I have two helmets these days, one a good Shoei that has the Sena in it. The other is kind of a cheapie I bought mid-trip when the RMMRC did its Great River Road trip in 2022. If I had other options this might not be the helmet I would choose to put the communicator in but it was what I had so I did. So now I have two helmets, one with the Sena, the other with the Cardo, and I’ll decide which helmet to wear at least sometimes by who I’ll be riding with.

I’m assuming having this communicator will be a good thing. Dave said it would be because he once did a ride in Spain where everyone else was linked but he was not. He said it was terrible. They’d all do something they had discussed and he’d be sitting there wondering . . . What? He said the other guys always forgot he was not in on their conversations.

What I hope does not happen is that there is this constant chatter that disturbs my solitude. I like riding alone and when I’m riding with other people I like the solitude of the ride where it’s just you. I hope turning this thing on and off is easy because I may do that a lot. Or maybe just turning the volume down will suffice. But then they may decide something and I won’t hear it and I’ll be the one saying “What?”.

I’m eager to see how this thing works and how well. From what people say, a lot of these guys in the RMMRC have tried Sena and have not been happy with them, which is why they switched to Cardo. And in the meantime, a box of Sena equipment that was no longer wanted has made it to me, which could be a good thing if the ones Judy and I have ever crap out. I try to keep them fresh by plugging them in every couple months, rather than letting the batteries drain dead, but who knows. Of course, the batteries in these ones I just got are probably dead and may not work all that well. Who knows.

Anyway, you can bet I’ll report here on how this thing works on this trip. Stay tuned.

Biker Quote for Today

A motorcycle can sing on the streets of a city.

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Posted in motorcycle clubs, Motorcycle Gear, motorcycle helmets, motorcycle touring, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club | No Comments »

Good Day In March To Ride

Thursday, March 13th, 2025

Arriving at the South 40 Bar and Grill in Elbert.

By now you know the drill: The temperature was supposed to be about 70 and that demanded a ride. Bruce put out the call through the RMMRC and seven riders showed up to head down to Elbert for lunch.

Five of us were regulars but we also had two new guys. Cool. We need new guys. Seven of us headed south. Bruce led us down Peoria to Lincoln Boulevard, east to Chambers, and south to Hess Road. It’s always interesting going through this area because there’s so much construction going on and you get to see what’s new and how much farther the urban sprawl has spread. At Hess it used to be a T intersection, and still is, but not for long. A lot of homes are going up south of Hess and a big road has been plowed. It’s just dirt now but not for long.

At Hess we headed east, crossed Parker Road, and got onto Hilltop, angling southeast. At Singing Hills Road we turned due east and here we were in for a new surprise. Somewhere out there was a new road being built to the south. More sprawl. Pretty soon houses will sprout. Something new to watch.

We worked our way around and got to Elizabeth, then turned south. That road eventually turns east, then south again and you’re in Elbert. The South 40 Bar and Grill was our destination. We got seated and just a moment later another guy in motorcycle gear walked in. Turned out he was a friend of Bruce’s who was just out riding aimlessly and decided to stop here for lunch. The more the merrier.

After lunch we started to disperse. Yoel, one of the new guys, had somewhere to be. I also had an appointment back in town and so I headed back the way we came. Paul, the other new guy also had somewhere to be. The rest were planning to go south a bit further and then cut over to pick up CO 83 back to town.

It was a good day for a ride. Good day to meet some new folks. A good day in March. We love this weather.

Biker Quote for Today

Good vibes and motorcycles will get you anywhere.

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Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides, motorcycle clubs, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club | No Comments »

A Terrific Extended Spring Ride Upcoming

Thursday, February 20th, 2025

There’s a 15-day ride coming up and I’m definitely planning to go.

The year 2025 is already looking like much more of a riding year than 2024 was. Starting things off in grand fashion at the RMMRC is this West Coast & Death Valley Spring Ride 2025 that will be a 15-day trip out and back. I’m definitely planning to go.

What I really like about this trip is that Alan, who planned it, is more of my type of thinking about motorcycle trips. Rather than what is usually the standard RMMRC approach, this one does not consist of day after day of long miles, with few stops at interesting places along the way. There are no days with more than 300 miles and there are even some with fewer than 200 miles.

I’ll also note that Alan has made provisions in case someone can’t manage or doesn’t want to do the full 15-day trip. You’d just be riding home on your own, unless there are others who also don’t want to do the whole trip.

The group will be leaving on Tuesday, April 22, and returning on Tuesday, May 6. Stops for the night, in order, will be Fruita (CO), Loa (UT), St. George (UT), Las Vegas (NV), Stovepipe Wells (CA), Bakersfield (CA), Monterey (CA), San Simeon (CA), Victorville (CA), Lake Havasu City (AZ), Globe (AZ), Eagar (AZ), Cuba (NM), Red River (NM), and then home.

Overall the trip will be about 3,215 miles, split out over 15 days. My kind of trip. This means there will be no need for crawling out of bed at the crack of dawn because you can leave at 9 or 10 in the morning and still have plenty of time to go 250 miles. With stops.

You can do the trip, too. Just go to the RMMRC Meetup page and sign up. You’ll need to join the RMMRC but that’s only–I forget–$10 or $12 a year. Not a big deal. Specific hotels will be selected and you’ll need to make your own reservations, though if you want to share a room with someone you can post a note on the ride saying as much and if someone else is looking to share (usually the case) you just hook up with them and either split up making the reservations or maybe that guy already made the reservations and has done all the work.

Because we’re talking late April the weather will be a potential issue. A late snowstorm would make going to Fruita that first day more than a problem. We’ll just be keeping a close eye on the weather in the days leading up to departure.

I’m pretty stoked. This is gonna be a good ride.

Biker Quote for Today

Riding a motorcycle is like writing a beautiful story with every twist of the road.

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Posted in motorcycle touring, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club | No Comments »

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