Passes & Canyons Blog

So far my longest ride with the RMMRC has been this four-day Colorado Cruise. This Great River Road trip will be nine days.

As the day for our departure on the RMMRC’s Great River Road ride I’ve been hearing from Roy, who is the group’s mother hen. Come over and get this packet of information he called me twice to request. So I did.

I’m not exactly new to long motorcycle trips, having been doing them every year with the OFMC for more than 30 years. But this will be my first long trip with the RMMRC. So this is the first time I’ve seen this sheet.

Roy gave me this legal-size page with a lot of info on it, including the names and cellphone numbers of everyone going. Good to have. It also has “The 12 Commandments of Group Riding” and information on all our motels along the way. And then there’s “The RMMRC Emergency Road Pack.” This list, divided into “must,” “should,” and “handy for emergencies,” has about anything you could think of, and maybe some you wouldn’t think of. I’m just going to give you the list, rearranged into the three groupings.

Must

• Copy of M.C. registration and proof of insurance in Ziploc bag: Keep on bike.
• Waterproof list of emergency contact numbers: Also cell #s of group riding.
• Tire gauge: Check tires before riding and needed for other list items.
• Valve core cap that can remove the core: Needed for other list items.
• Cellphone with 12V and 120V chargers: Will need in emergency.
• Spare ignition key hidden on bike–don’t forget where: a must.
• Camping tie-down straps: Long straps from BMW dealer or camping stores.
• Pressured tire sealer–Slime: Carry both for different conditions.
• Tubeless tire plug kit–mushroom type is best: Follow instructions closely.
• 12V air pump with correct plug or alligator clips: Test connectors.
• Side stand foot pad with cord for soft ground or asphalt. Use cord on handlebar.
• Water bottle: A must for long hot days!

OK, that group is definitely looking at emergency needs. I personally carry six of those items normally. I’ll think about some of the others.

Should

• Hand sanitizer and hand towels: Need for tire repair.
• Flashlight with fresh batteries–LED lasts longer: Test before long trip.
• Bike cover and old T-shirt: Pull T-shirt over windshield to protect.
• Zip ties various sizes long and short: Have gotten many riders home.
• Stainless steel zip ties long–Harbor Freight: Great for broken mounts/brackets.
• Duct tape, gorilla tape: A small amount of each.
• Baling wire or hanger wire: Around a tool or in a bag.
• Pliers with side cutters and/or vise grips: A must for working with the wire.
• Inner tire patch kit with glue: In case of a larger tear in the tire wall.
• Short tire irons (2) and extension tube tubular socket or short pipe with irons.
• Used inner tube from dealer for emergencies: Dealers throw away old inner tubes.
• Combination cable lock–no keys: Secure your jacket and helmet when parked.
• Windscreen cleaner and polish and cloth.
• First-aid kit–small: Basic kit, carry in tank bag or handy spot.
• Leaf bags large–2: Cheap, compact and have many uses.

And again, I normally carry six of those things. Truth be told, if I had a flat I would not know how to fix it so I’ve never bothered with these things. And the one time I did have a flat the tire was beyond repair, even for a short distance.

Handy for Emergencies

• MOA Anonymous Book: Worth the membership and lots of helpful folks. (OK, this is a BMW-specific thing here.)
• Small metric socket set: Handle and only sizes for your MC.
• Home-made jumper cables with alligator clips 8 to 10 feet long: Cheap to make.
• Small siphon pump with pump: Cheap at Walmart and worth it.

The only thing in that list I carry is the wrenches. But I do carry a length of tubing on all my bikes in case transferring of fuel is needed. Does that siphon pump come with a long hose? If not you’d better add that. Maybe that was supposed to read “Small siphon pump with hose.” And by the way, I’ve never had to pull out my tubes. We just make sure not to run out of gas.

As I say, this is not my first long trip but I will think about adding at least a few of the many items I don’t currently carry. Of course, the good thing about traveling with a good-sized group is that if you don’t have an item there’s a good chance someone else does. I don’t think we all need to carry every one of these items. Looking forward to this trip.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if the last time you went to the Harley dealer you came home with golf balls and a toilet seat.

The RMMRC preparing to leave Smokin’ Dave’s.

The forecast for Sunday had called for highs in the 70s so we were all a bit surprised to find the temperature in the low 40s as we geared up and headed out. Nevertheless, a big group, about 18 or 19 of us, gathered in Morrison for an RMMRC ride up to Lyons for lunch at Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ.

The gas station was a busy place. There were two other motorcycle groups meeting up there as well as a scooter group and a group of Mini Cooper owners. Presumably the gas station gets a fair amount of business from all this because the bunch of us took up nearly every parking place available.

The plan was to take side roads to avoid Boulder itself and then to come back via the Peak-to-Peak Highway. Presumably it was going to be a warm day.

In what was a nearly unimaginable feat, we made it all the way up to Lyons without getting broken into smaller bunches. We started out running up to Golden on C-470 and took CO 93 north over Rocky Flats. Coming down toward Boulder there was low-lying smoke all around thanks to the grass fire burning up near NCAR. But we didn’t really even smell smoke, at least I didn’t.

We skirted around Boulder to the east on Cherryvale Road and worked our way north to Niwot, then turned west on Niwot Road to where it meets up with 93 just south of Lyons. It was only at this point that we got a bit separated, and that was due to a few cars getting intermingled with us. We weren’t really separated, they just joined the group.

I was wearing my electric vest and darn glad of it, but my hands were pretty cold. We got to Smokin’ Dave’s and other people commented about how their hands were numb. Where’s that 70 degrees we’d been promised?

Lunch was good. I’m getting to like Smokin’ Dave’s more and more. And during lunch we discussed the question, do we really want to go higher, to the Peak-to-Peak when it’s this cool down lower. The general feeling seemed against it, plus, the South St. Vrain road that is the most direct way to the Peak-to-Peak continues to be closed. But a check on the weather showed that it was apparently warmer up in Ward than down where we were. Maybe the smoke was blocking the warming sun and the Peak-to-Peak is above the smoke.

Whatever the case, as we were getting ready to leave it was decided to run back down 93 and take Left Hand Canyon up to Ward and the Peak-to-Peak.

This was where I decided to go my own way. We’d been out for a pretty good while and I was more interested in just heading home so I stayed on 93. Going through Boulder with a large group would have been crazy but just a lone rider had no problem. Back down 93 to Morrison and then east on US 285 and home. A good day’s ride.

And then later in the day it really did warm up. Finally.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if you spit out the bug that just flew in your mouth.

Meet-Up is a good place to find groups of motorcyclists to ride with.

Some people just simply have friends with motorcycles and they get together and ride. But not everyone. I know when I got my first bike, my CB750, John had already bought his Virago. A little while later Bill bought his Shadow. And we went out riding together. The OFMC was born and more friends and relatives joined and soon we had a big group. Easy.

As time has gone by, however, the OFMC has gotten a lot smaller and those few who are left really don’t care to go riding as much as I want to. So I looked around. I was an ABATE of Colorado member but I never got to where I would have called any of them “friends,” rather, simply acquaintances. And the majority of ABATE rides are poker runs and such, which I’m not much into.

Eventually I found the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club (RMMRC) and that has filled the bill. This is a good-sized group that does a lot of rides and I’ve gotten on much more actually friend-like terms with a bunch of these folks than I ever have at ABATE.

But there are a number of other groups, too, and often it could be the physical location that leads you to join one group or another. The RMMRC usually has its meetings here in southeast Denver where I live so it’s convenient. I know the BMW Motorcycle Club of Colorado is very active and they are open to all bikes, regardless of the name. They meet way out west, if that’s more convenient for you.

The British Motorcycle Association of Colorado is out of Colorado Springs, although it appears they do have affiliated chapters in Denver and the Fort Collins/Loveland area. They also are welcoming to other bikes but do ask that you have an affinity for the older British bikes.

There are also a number of groups that have formed through Meet-Up, including the Highlands Ranch Motorcycle Riders. As the name implies, they are centered out of Highlands Ranch.

Also the Front Range Dual Sport Riders, of which I am technically a member but have never attended one of their events. I don’t think they have meetings so it’s just a matter of getting together at a starting point to do a ride.

And now the latest one that Meet-Up informed me of, Colorado Inclusive Meetup 20s-40s. OK, this one is interesting. First off, as the name implies, they state up front that they are looking for people in their 20s through 40s. As in, I’m too old, sorry. And I get the impression that it may be pitched to gays, which is what the “inclusive” part of the name is about. OK, I’m not gay but that wouldn’t stop me from riding with you guys if I wasn’t too old.

And lastly, they have this sentence at the end of their Who We Are page: Who the group isn’t for: honestly, trump supporters.

I found that especially amusing, especially since the first time I looked at their page that statement was a bit more blunt and off-color. I like a little honesty like that. This group definitely does not seem to lean toward Harley-Davidson and as we all know, the guys and gals on the Harleys tend to skew heavily toward Trump. So if you’re getting a group together why not be clear up front what sort of crowd you’re looking for?

Obviously there are other groups, too–you just need to look for them. I know that since I hooked up with the RMMRC I’ve had a really good time doing a whole lot of rides and meeting and getting acquainted with a whole new bunch of people. If you’re looking for someone to ride with, they’re out there.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if you fainted when you met Willie G.

We had a Vanderhall Carmel autocycle with us today.

I just got home from a ride with the RMMRC. With temperatures expected to be in the 70s on this early March day it should be no surprise there were altogether 17 people on this ride.

With so many people it was basically assured we could not stick together all the way to our destination west of Colorado Springs, in old Colorado City. But we also needed to pick up three others in two spots along the way, so we just made sure everyone knew the two spots and said get there and regroup.

That worked pretty well but then, leaving the second stop, in Franktown, we were headed to a restaurant in Colorado City that nobody was familiar with and getting there was not going to be necessarily simple. So once again the deal to get into Colorado Springs, get off at Fillmore Street, and regroup. Then try to stay together to get to the restaurant.

Let’s just say we managed. Only a little bit of chaos.

After lunch we were going to essentially backtrack, but Tim said he could lead us on a nice ride up through Garden of the Gods and then on the way we were figuring. OK. Tim is the one person I know who knows the roads better than me.

So we all got on our bikes and ready to go and looked around and where the heck was Tim? Nowhere to be seen. What the heck? So someone else took the initiative and led us off on what was not a very good route and within two traffic lights we were already getting broken up. We got on US 24 headed toward I-25 and then someone got in the left turn lane. Some people were able to get over but others weren’t and I saw Susan and someone else just go on straight on 24. The rest of us turned, except the one who initiated the turn did a U-turn and went back the other way. We just went ahead.

By the time we reached I-25 at the Uintah interchange there were only four still together in the pod I was in. Then we got on the highway and very soon Gene was the only one behind me and no one in front. So we got off at the designated exit and were cruising along when I saw someone coming up behind. It was Susan. So the three of us headed north toward Denver on CO 83.

Just before we reached Castlewood Canyon State Park I checked my mirror and Gene was nowhere to be seen. In other circumstances that would be cause for concern but with everyone basically just headed home he could easily have decided to take a different route. So we kept going. Around about Orchard Susan peeled off so I was alone but just then I saw in my mirror someone who looked to be Gene.

I figured I’d take it easy and let him catch up but Gene has a way of hanging back. Finally at a stoplight he got close enough that I could see it wasn’t Gene, but Pat, who also rides a Concours 14, as does Gene. Then things took a twist.

Traffic started moving and the guy in front of me started moving, just as I was looking behind me to ascertain that it was Pat. As I turned my gaze forward I saw the truck in front of me was stopped. I later learned there was a car stalled a few car lengths in front of him. I nailed my brakes and, fishtailing wildly, tried to direct the bike to the left of the truck. I came to a stop with my front wheel past the back of the truck but to the side and his rear bumper about two inches from my fairing. I would not have gotten hurt but there would have been damage to the bike. I got lucky. You know, forget trying to see who that is, ride your damn bike.

The rest of the ride home was uneventful, thank goodness.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: Your motorcycle never wants a night out alone with the other motorcycles.

Getting parked out in Kiowa.

I just got back about 20 minutes ago from my first ride of the new year. Nothing special, just a run out to Patty Ann’s in Kiowa for lunch. But what a great day to be out on the bike.

There have been a couple other nice days already but our street was still covered in ice and snow. Yesterday’s sun finally cleared enough that I had about a 10-inch path I could take to carry me past the ice that was still there. And by the time I’m home now that path has expanded to about three feet wide. That alone tells you it’s a nice day to be outside.

There were five of us of the RMMRC who met up at Sam’s #3 and with uncertainty about the roads we opted to stick to the main highways, figuring they, for sure, would be clear. I was leading.

Out Parker Road to Franktown and then east on CO 86. Nothing eventful, just clear roads and not that much traffic. At Patty Ann’s we were sorry to learn that due to the universal lack of workers they were cutting no slack and since we had arrived after 11 a.m. we could not order off the breakfast menu. Darn, because I really wanted the huevos rancheros. So did Roy. Oh well.

To the total shock of no one, we were approached while we were there by two guys in riding gear, asking who owned a particular bike. So there were stories to be exchanged and ride invitations extended. Roy is always good about recruiting new members for the RMMRC.

Heading back, Roy had the idea to head north on the Kiowa-Bennett Road but Harlan offered what we all thought was a better route. With him in the lead we headed west on CO 86, through Franktown to Castle Rock, across I-25 and then turned north on Daniels Park Road. Where the road splits at the entrance to the park we turned east and then at that first roundabout turned north on the road that eventually becomes Quebec St. Shortly after, we started shedding riders as each person turned toward home.

And that was that. Chalk up one motorcycle now ridden for January with two more to go.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 7. It’s perfectly natural to have a motorcycle parked in the living room.

It’s so nice to see my Concours out with the gang again, and running well, which is to say, normally.

I can’t even remember how long ago it was that my Concours started giving me trouble, but it seems like it’s been all summer. I packed it off to Joel before the OFMC bike trip but when he brought it back Joel said it still needed more work. But there wasn’t time to do that before the trip.

Once I got back from that trip I ordered the necessary parts and called Joel to let him know they were in hand and I was ready for him to come get the bike again, and this time bring it back really, truly fixed.

Well, Joel brought it back the other day and first I took it on a brief errand run to the wine store and then a few days later I rode it with the RMMRC to Daniels Park. And there was just one word for it: normal.

How wonderful it is for that bike to be operating normally again, finally. Normal is so great.

No more racing at a screaming pace when I pull up to a stop. No more dying as I coast to a stop. No more needing to ride around the neighborhood first to get the bike running halfway smoothly before getting out on the less forgiving main roads.

It was also nice once again to have the feeling of power. I had never noticed a lack of power in my other bikes before but lately I have. On the Colorado Cruise with the RMMRC I was on the V-Strom and for the first time it seemed like it was struggling for power going over the highest passes. That bike is currently with Joel and I hope it feels more back to normal when he brings it back. And then the other day I rode the Honda CB750 with the RMMRC up to Kremmling, and that bike was totally left in the dust by those other bigger bikes. The Connie has the power to keep up with any of these other guys.

Yeah, normal can often be boring. We crave some change, some variety. But when you’ve had a steady diet of not normal, and it hasn’t been fun, it’s amazing how wonderful normal can be. We all know that old Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. Right now I’m really hoping to be living in some boring times.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 19. We “need” a bunch of expensive riding gear, usually 2 or 3 of each item.

Val hams it up for the camera at Daniels Park.

I did a short ride with a small RMMRC group Saturday and we had an interesting encounter.

Val and Chris had invited everyone over to their house for breakfast before a ride down to Daniels Park. It was kind of nice because it offered a comfortable situation for a few of us who weren’t well acquainted to get to know each other better. Val is a relatively new rider who has a nice little KTM but thanks to Covid has not been able even to schedule a riding test to get her license. So she has to ride with someone who does have a license, such as all of us. From Daniels Park the group could decide to keep going, and they did, but I opted to head home–too much needing my attention at home.

So anyway, we headed out and were winding our way through Littleton and the south suburban area headed to the park when we came to a spot where we needed to turn right. There were seven bikes. I was riding sixth, behind Gene, who was behind I don’t know who.

Approaching this intersection the leaders passed a bicyclist in the bike lane. Not a problem, they were well ahead of him and they turned. One by one these motorcycles made the turn, but with each one the bicyclist drew closer. I was observing this with interest. It occurred to me that I wasn’t really sure who ought to yield the right of way when the cyclist got to the intersection, assuming he planned to go straight. But my thinking was that whatever was the “right” thing, he really ought to slow down and let these string of motorcycles make their turn as a group. I mean, how big a deal would that be?

But he didn’t. As he came to the intersection the rider in front of Gene turned in front of him, he hit his brakes and wobbled pretty fiercely, and as he then crossed ahead of Gene he angrily yelled at Gene. OK.

When we stopped I asked Gene what he had said but Gene had been listening to music so he didn’t catch the words but nobody could miss the anger. And I asked and everyone agreed that the right of way is supposed to be ceded to the bicyclist. But the guy in front of Gene, the offender, said he figured he had plenty of room to make the turn without interfering with the bicyclist. And apparently he thought he had done so and was surprised that there had been an incident.

Which just gets back to my original thinking. OK, the guy had a right to believe the right of way should have been yielded to him. (Nobody has the right of way, it’s a matter of who is supposed to yield the right of way. That’s a technicality but it’s good to keep that clear in your mind.) But in this case, wouldn’t it have been smart for the cyclist to have decided for his own safety to just defer to this string of motorcycles?

We motorcyclists know all too well that if someone violates our space that no matter how in the right we are, we’re still the ones who are going to get hurt. Clearly that applies even more to bicyclists.

And even if someone understands and accepts that the cyclist had the right of way, sometimes people make bad judgments. In this case that apparently happened. We follow the maxim of riding as if we’re invisible. Again, bicyclists should follow that concept even more since they’re even more vulnerable. I don’t think it’s any secret though that at least some bicyclists are overly self-righteous in asserting their right to their share of the road. And I think this guy was one of those. Fine, be that way, but I personally think my own safety and well-being take precedence over my rights on the road. I’d rather rant about some idiot later than wake up in the ER.

It all comes down to one over-riding principle: don’t be stupid. I think this guy was stupid.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if you’ve never ridden long enough to know that stock seats are never comfortable.

Stopping on top of Wolf Creek Pass. Guess what? It was cold.

If there was one thing that became abundantly clear to me on this recent RMMRC Colorado Cruise was that if you are riding in the high country, summer is over.

I very foolishly wore my mesh jacket and I intended to find the liner but forgot it, and that was quite a mistake. Every time we got up high–which was frequently–I was cold because that cold air just cut through that mesh. That’s what they’re for, to give you nice ventilation on hot days. But these were not hot days. So why was I wearing mesh? Idiot.

I did finally think to use my rain jacket as a wind breaker and should have done so a lot sooner. Sometimes your brain works better than other times.

At the same time, it’s not cold yet down here on the prairie. Shortly after getting home I took the Honda out for a ride and, having gotten plenty chilled again and again on the last trip, I pulled on leather AND a sweatshirt, and for good measure, my winter gloves. Out I went and gosh, who coulda thunk it, I was way too hot. I mean, heck, it was all of 80 degrees or more. But my brain was still back on top of Cottonwood Pass and Red Mountain Pass and you know, you can never be too cautious.

Yes you can.

So here’s a little simple, very obvious advice. At this time of year, if you’re going up high, dress for cold. If you’re staying down low, and the temperature is above 75, expect warmth. How difficult is that? I don’t know, apparently for some of us (me) it’s not as simple as you might think. Maybe some day I’ll figure it out.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: The rashes you get from motorcycles go away without those painful penicillin shots.