Passes & Canyons Blog

There was one major theme to my weekend and that was motorcycles. I started off Saturday morning running over to Grand Prix Motorsports to test ride some Victory bikes and from there headed over to Fay Myers Motorcycle World for the Civilian Top Gun competition. When I got there I discovered that they also had the trucks in from KTM and there were KTM bikes to be test ridden. So I did. I’ll have reports on test rides later.

Then on Sunday I went to my ABATE meeting and there were some interesting bits of news coming out of that as well.

On both days I rode my Concours and I have to tell you, it’s weird how I now find myself having to refamiliarize myself with my different bikes when I have been riding one of the others lately. The Concours has been my standard for years but now the pegs seem so high and the bike seems so heavy, it’s just bizarre. After awhile I do adjust, however.

So I got down to Grand Prix just as one ride was going out so I had about half an hour to hang around and get signed up and decide what bike I wanted to ride. I ended up choosing the Victory Boardwalk. The group came back and I claimed the Boardwalk and off we went. When we got back I sat on the bike a few moments while I made notes about my impressions and when I looked around all the bikes had already been claimed for the next ride. I had a lot to do that day so I was not inclined to stick around so I left having just ridden the one.

I got over to Fay Myers just in time to find that the competition was halted for lunch. I ran into Dom Chang, who writes for Examiner.com as the Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner, and he was there covering the Top Gun event. Here’s the link if you want to see his video and article.

So I strolled around a little and saw these semis with KTM on the side. Sure enough, they were doing demo rides. Now, I had never ridden a KTM before so I jumped at this opportunity. They only had two models on hand, the Adventure and the more off-road oriented version of the Adventure, with taller suspension and other modes. I only opted to ride the basic Adventure because the other is the kind of bike you’d ride through the Sahara and I’m really not interested in that kind of thing.

After the ride I watched the Top Gun competition for awhile and chatted with Dom and then took off.

Then there were two interesting things that came up at ABATE. First off, someone made the point that if you’re going to run a poker run you legally have to have a gaming license. ABATE does, but how many of these other organizations that hold one run a year–and they are proliferating in number–who do have a gaming license? I guess the state just turns a blind eye.

The other thing is the MOST program. This is the riding training program funded by the $2 we each pay each year when we renew our motorcycle plates. It was the subject of much controversy last year but the legislature voted to extend the program with revisions. Well, now the changes have been made and even the people who formerly supported it are saying that if this is the way it’s going to be run let’s just get rid of it. Terry Howard, the ABATE State Coordinator, reported that at Saturday’s state board meeting the vote was in favor of repealing the $2 fee and then if the state can’t come up the money to keep it going, let it die. There’s more to it than that but that’s it in a nutshell. A pretty amazing turnaround.

Biker Quote for Today

If we don’t change direction soon, we’ll end up where we’re going.

Can you believe it? I showed up at the Frontier Club Saturday for the party and games that followed ABATE‘s Randy Run, and even bought a fourth ticket in the raffle, but the KLR 650 I had planned on taking home was given to someone else! That bike was mine! Some guy named Rod Sommerall (sp?) from Highlands Ranch. And he wasn’t even there to ride the bike home.

Actually, the raffle was a little anticlimactic because none of the three winners were present. Second and third place prizes were a Garmin GPS unit and a bluetooth communicator set. You didn’t have to be present to win. But it just lacked in impact when they called these three names and nobody stepped forward.

Figuring to make up for that a little, one of the guys in the band stepped up and called for the t-shirt he had donated to the silent auction. It was one of those typical Harley-Davidson dealership t-shirts, except this one said Kandahar Harley-Davidson, Afghanistan. I have no idea if there is a Kandahar H-D dealership but there is definitely a shirt.

So the band guy announced that they would keep pulling tickets out of the hopper until someone who was actually there won that shirt. It took several more draws but someone did finally win it.

Overall sales of the raffle tickets was disappointing for ABATE, although they did make a profit. A maximum of 2,500 tickets had been set but when I spoke with ABATE State Coordinator Terry Howard before the drawing she told me they had sold fewer than 1,000. That may have changed, however, as tickets were selling like crazy before the drawing. But I’m sure it was still nothing close to 2,500.

Apparently, though, this raffle was just a toe in the water, and immediately after the raffle a new raffle began and this time the top prize is a Harley. ABATE will have to sell a lot more tickets to break even on a bike that expensive but you have to suspect there will be a lot more people interested. I’ll pass along details and a link on that once they are available. But I don’t think I’ll buy any tickets for this raffle. I really wanted the KLR.

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Going two-wheel on Ride to Work Day

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if your ol’ lady can only eat a hot dog if it’s suspended from a string above your bike.

I went to my ABATE meeting yesterday (yes, of course I rode one of the bikes) and among other things got an update on the odds I’m facing winning this KLR650 that I’ve spoken of before.

A recap: This is a new bike ABATE is raffling off, $10 per ticket, with a maximum of 2,500 tickets to be sold. The drawing is on June 15. I’ve bought three tickets. As of Sunday there were still only 641 ticket sold. That means I now have 1 chance in about 204 of winning. Try those odds on PowerBall.

So I’ve been figuring all along that of course I’ll win, but now that I’ve bought this V-Strom I figure it’s cinched. You know, what’s the best way to find something you’ve misplaced? Buy a new one. The old one immediately shows up. I wanted a dual-sport bike. I bought one. Now I’m sure to win another, right? Only about 20 days till I graciously accept that key. Geez, then where am I going to park a fourth bike?

I’m glad to see that number at 641. That means they’ve pretty much gotten the bike paid for. I’d like to see the group–us, my group–actually make money but at the very least it’s good not to lose money.

ABATE and MRA

I learned something else at the meeting that was pleasing. ABATE and the Motorcycle Roadracing Association (MRA), the local group that puts on racing at several tracks around the Front Range, have a very cooperative relationship. And the newest thing to come out of this relationship is that any ABATE member who shows up at the races can get in free by showing their ABATE membership card. Nice!

I’m not a huge race fan but I do generally get out to the races once or twice a season. Now I don’t have to pay the gate fee. It’s just $10, but until I took this regular job with the National Park Service I was scraping by for several years and that $10 was not of no consequence. Of course, now that I don’t have to pay it I’m in a place where I could easily pay it. But maybe there are others out there who are still scraping by and for them this could be a good thing.

Either way, it shows the good, mutually supportive relationship between the two organizations. And let me tell you, this is not the way it is in other states. In most other states the sportbike crowd despises ABATE. This good relationship is unique to Colorado. I’m pleased that I had a hand in making that happen, but I’m not going to rehash that story here. Maybe another time soon if you’re interested.

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Transportation choices in a narrow world

Biker Quote for Today

Across the country on the kindness of strangers and the strangeness of friends (and a DR650).

I’ve written before about this KLR650 that ABATE of Colorado is raffling off. It looks like my chances of winning it are pretty darn good.

I was just at my district ABATE meeting today and the raffle was discussed. While they have the possibility of selling 2,500 tickets at $10 apiece, so far they have only sold 324. I have bought three so that gives me a 1 in 108 chance of winning. Compare that to Lotto or Powerball.

Of course, if ABATE doesn’t sell at least somewhere around 700 tickets they’re going to lose money on the deal. I don’t want them to lose money; I want them to make money. So even though selling more will diminish my chances of winning, I’m passing the word along again so any of you who want to get in on the action can do so.

What you need to do to enter is go to this page of their website and order your tickets online. You’ll pay via PayPal, so you need a PayPal account. Then they’ll mail you your tickets.

Of course, the truth is, I’d like to see them sell all 2,500 tickets — as long as one of mine is drawn as the winner. And I’ll warn you, I may yet buy a couple more, so my odds will just be that much better. I seriously want a dual-sport bike and I want it this year. I’ve been putting it off for way too long.

So, really, just forget I said anything. Why throw your money away. They’re going to draw my ticket any . . . Look! A squirrel!

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Motorcycle safety studies continue

Biker Quote for Today

Everyone should be so lucky as to be able to ride a motorbike through the Himalayas. – Misery Goat

Given a reprieve last year following years of poor oversight, the Colorado MOST program’s new rules have been agreed upon and should go into force in mid-March.

MOST, or Motorcycle Operator Safety Training, provides funding to reduce the cost of motorcycle safety training for riders. That funding comes from an extra fee motorcyclists pay each year when they renew their plates, and when they renew their drivers’ licenses.

After surviving the legislative inquest regarding the poor oversight, the program was once again threatened when legislators on the relevant committee concluded they wanted to keep the fees but eliminate the trainee benefit, using the fees only to pay for other motorcycle safety efforts. That would have totally negated the purpose of the MOST program and left motorcyclists paying extra for programs that people in cars and trucks pay nothing extra for. Talk about unfair!

That challenge was faced and overcome, and now the final rules have been laid out and, according to ABATE of Colorado State Coordinator Terry Howard, they are acceptable. Howard told members at yesterday’s ABATE District 10 meeting that now it is time for members to let their legislators know they support the rules.

The process now was spelled out in an email from Emiliano Barela, of the Colorado Department of Transportation:

This email is to let you know that the rules were adopted by the Executive Director with no changes on January 14th. We have submitted them for review to the attorney general’s office today. That office has 20 days to review them, so must send us an opinion prior to Feb. 3rd. Once they send us the opinion, we file them with the Secretary of State: http://www.sos.state.co.us/CCR/RegisterHome.do and they are published in the Colorado Register. We believe they will be published on Feb. 10th, and they become effective 5 weeks later, so by mid-March. Attached are the same rules you reviewed for the public rule making hearing (red-line and final draft). There are no changes (except maybe numbering corrections) since that draft. The clean version will be the official rules when they are published.

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Only a biker knows . . .: Motorcycle wit and wisdom, #25

Biker Quote for Today

Practice makes perfect and is just an empty parking lot away.

Yeah, it’s cold and gonna get colder the next couple days, but then we’re supposed to get a little warmer. Just in time for this year’s final organized motorcycle ride, the Last Brass Monkey Run.

The Last Brass Monkey Run is put on each year by ABATE of Colorado and it starts out at a couple spots, The Frontier Club in Aurora and Susie’s in Golden, and comes together at the Grizzly Rose.

Registration at the starting points begins at 9 a.m. and the party at the Grizzly Rose begins at noon. Registration is $10 for ABATE members and $15 for non-members. Plus, if you’re an ABATE member and you renew your membership at the event it only costs you $5 to get in.

Goings-on include food and live music, a chili cook-off, cash prizes, door prizes, 50-50, and of course the chance to catch up with friends and get in your last ride of the year.

Of course, if the weather turns nasty or you just can’t motivate yourself to get on the bike, you can come in your car. What the heck.

So hey! I’ll see you there, right?

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Butler Maps goes east to the Ozarks

Biker Quote for Today

Trailering your bike is a sickness. Call 1-800 2 SCARED TO RIDE

This is just perfect for me. I’ve got a job again, so my disposable income is huge compared to what it had been for so long. And I’ve been wanting a dual-sport bike for several years, but didn’t have the money. Well, I learned at the ABATE meeting on Sunday that the state organization has decided to do a raffle, with a dual-sport bike as the prize.

Tickets will be $10. As poor and broke as I have been for so long, I would have had a hard time persuading myself to even buy one ticket, though I really want what they’re giving away. I mean, how tiny would my odds be of winning? Well, my odds will still be tiny, but I can afford it now.

Here are some particulars. The exact bike has not been determined yet. They were passing around a flyer on a Kawasaki KLR 650, but Terry Howard, the state coordinator, said they’ll be calling around to dealers to see what the best deal they can get might be.

Tickets will be $10 and a maximum of 2,000 will be sold. So that tells you right there exactly what your worst odds will be: 2,000 to 1. Of course, if they only sell 1,500 then your odds will be 1,500 to 1. Or if you buy 3 tickets you’ll be 500 to 1. Those aren’t great odds but they’re one heck of a lot better than your chances of winning Powerball.

The bike will be on display and tickets will be sold at several big events in the next few months, including the Last Brass Monkey Run, on December 30, and the Motorcycle Show and Swap February 2 and 3. They’ll also be sold online through the ABATE website.

The drawing will probably be held in June, at the Randy Run. The Randy Run is ABATE’s annual fundraiser to help out riders who have gone down hard and need assistance. Considering that you don’t have to be an ABATE member to receive financial assistance, this is a run everyone really ought to consider taking part in.

So I’m going to buy some tickets. I know I probably won’t win, but oh man, what if I do!? And if I don’t win, then I AM going to buy a dual-sport. The time has come.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Only a biker knows . . .: Motorcycle wit and wisdom, #24

Biker Quote for Today

People don’t understand what I’m doing. But it’s not for the lack of me telling them about it.

I’m not much of a glad-hander, so even though I’ve been an ABATE member for several years now and I go to my district’s monthly meetings as often as possible, I still don’t even know most of the people’s names, and I’ve never spoken to most of them. So I was very interested to figure out recently that one woman who has been coming for awhile, and whom I had never met, is Kathy Banning, one of the co-owners of United Dirt Bike School. And so at the meeting last Sunday I approached her afterward and we spoke.

If you’ve been reading this blog you know that for some time I have had a growing interest in riding off the pavement. I’m not necessarily interested in the serious, really difficult trail riding that some people do, I’m just tired of missing out on all these great roads that Colorado has that don’t happen to have asphalt on them. I’ve ridden a bit with Kevin Smith, of Colorado Mountain Moto, and Ron Coleman, of Western Dual Sport Motorcycle Adventures, but I want more. And most especially, I want my own dual-sport or dirt bike.

What I don’t want is to get out somewhere, all on my own, and get in trouble. Now, I’m a confident sort of person and I think I’m pretty good at recognizing my limitations, so I don’t really think that is all that likely. But what if it did? One way to improve my odds would be to improve my skills. I’ve taken the MSF Beginning Rider Course and the Experienced Rider Course, so why not take a dirt-riding course? And Kathy and her partner, Michael St. John, are both MSF certified to teach dirt riding. I told Kathy that I’m interested.

An interesting thing is that apparently, so are a lot of other people. They have limited access to the training course they use and from what Kathy tells me, they have a line of people waiting to get in their classes. That’s a good problem to have, I guess, though you would actually wish you could accommodate everyone who wants to pay for your services.

So I got the scoop on it all. They provide the bikes and the gear. You need gloves and proper footwear. A full-day class runs $175 if they provide the bike, $150 if you bring your own. Get on their email list and they’ll keep you apprised of class opportunities. And even with winter coming on, that doesn’t pull the plug on classes. As long as conditions allow it and they have interested students, they teach all year round.

I’m not saying I’m definitely going to do this, but I’m definitely thinking about it. And after working totally as a freelance writer for the past 3-1/2 years I have now taken an editor position, on contract, with the National Park Service, so I’m going to have some money again, at last. As always, you’ll read about it here if it happens.

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More articles published in Rider and Accelerate

Biker Quote for Today

Paved roads…… Just another perfect example of needless spending by the government.