Passes & Canyons Blog

I got out for three quick rides on Tuesday last week just to run the bikes a bit but on Wednesday the weather was very nice so I went out again on the Honda for a real ride. With no destination or route in mind–as usual–I headed west on Belleview to University and turned south. By this point I was thinking I would follow University as it curves to the east and becomes Lincoln Avenue, turning off at the road heading down to Daniels Park. I hadn’t been to Daniels Park in many years and it just seemed like it was due.

Now, just to date myself, I’ve been in Denver long enough to remember back when once you got south of County Line Road on University (C-470 didn’t exist back then) the road turned to gravel and there was nothing out there but grazing land. It’s all part of Highlands Ranch now, and it’s a city.

So Highlands Ranch had plenty of signs telling you this park is this way, that park is that way, and I figured they would have a sign pointing the way to Daniels Park but either they didn’t or I missed it. Back in the day it was easy: you just cruised along until you came to the solitary road going south, with a sign for the park. But I didn’t know what that road had become–it was probably something like County Road whatever back then–so I had no idea where to turn.

No problem. I continued on to where I hit I-25 and took it south to the Castle Pines exit and went west. I knew that ran into Daniels Park and I figured I would then take the road north and find out where it comes out along the road I had just been on. I was also sure it was all paved by now. I thought it was the last time I was out there.

So I got to the main parking lot and was very interested to see that the pavement stopped there. Fortunately, although I was not on the V-Strom, I was on the Honda and the Honda is OK on gravel. It doesn’t necessarily love gravel the way the V-Strom does, but it definitely doesn’t hate gravel the way the Concours does. You know, it’s an old CB750, a UJM, and those were do-anything bikes. I knew it would be OK.

It turned out the road was actually quite good. They’ve obviously put plenty of mag chloride on it so there was only the occasional patch of loose gravel.

So the road headed north as I knew it would, until it hit a T intersection marked Grig’s Road. To the right the road was paved and headed toward some houses. To the left it was gravel and open land, so I went left.

At some point this did turn into Daniels Park Road–I guess it has both names along here–and it was headed north again. But before long all the new roads totally obscured whatever the old road used to be. I ended up connecting with McArthur Ranch Road at another T intersection and this time I went right. That took me to Quebec, which I took north and eventually got to University.

Looking at the map I see that if I had jogged west a short run on McArthur Ranch Road I would have hit Wildcat Reserve Parkway and that looks like it would have taken me up to where the old Daniels Park Road must have turned off. But it’s all different now. There are houses and malls and churches and schools as far as you can see. It’s all just city. And even the roads that used to be don’t exist any more.

So it was a fun exploration, and a great day to be out on the bike. And then the next day it was cold and snowy. I want more days like that one.

Biker Quote for Today

Travelling in a car is like watching a film. Riding a motorcycle is like starring in it.

OK, I was wrong about our street being clear enough to ride on Tuesday. So I went down the sidewalk again. I’ve got motorcycles that need to be ridden, you know.

I took the Kawi out first, then the Honda, then the Suzuki. There’s more snow predicted for Thursday night and you never know when you’re going to get trapped at home again, and bikes need to run. So I ran them.

It was a warm day but I bundled up and put on my electric gear. The Kawi has good wind protection so I never turned the vest on and while the heated gloves were only set on the lowest setting, I considered turning them off.

The Honda has a lot less protection, just a windshield. Now I was wishing the gloves were set warmer.

Finally, the Suzuki was just about right, enough protection and enough electric warmth.

I also had all the other gear on. While I agree with ATGATT for the most part, the fact is I rarely wear my chaps. But I had them on on Tuesday, along with helmet, gloves, jacket, and boots. ATG. At this time of year you never know when you’re going to hit a bit of ice or gravel or something that is going to put you down. And that was almost exactly what happened.

I was coming north on University Boulevard past DU and was amazed how much new construction is going on along that stretch. It seems every old building for several blocks on the east side of University, south of Evans, has been removed and new multi-story buildings are going up. So there is a good bit of mud on the street from the construction vehicles. No problem, though.

Then I went to turn east on Evans and ran across what I took to be just a wet spot on the street. Wrong. It was a thin layer of mud and my back end swung way, way out to the side. I’m sure the guy behind me was wondering if this guy on this bike was going to fall right in front of him. I was wondering, too.

But the tire caught dry pavement and found traction and then, as I knew it was going to do, it stood up straight and shook the way a bike will do when you high-side. But I was going slowly and did not give it any throttle so I was able to ride it out. That definitely gets your attention, though.

By the time I got back from the third ride more of the street was clear and I only needed the sidewalk for a short distance, but even on Wednesday when I went out again the sidewalk was necessarily part of my route. We’ll see what happens with snow on Thursday.

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycles are like girls: It’s always better to have two.

The miles I covered on my bikes in 2015 totaled more than a 50 percent increase over 2014. That’s a really good thing. And the miles I put on the bikes far surpassed what I put on my car, too, which is another good thing. The only somewhat negative thing about last year is that I still didn’t come close to my best years on the bikes, where in some cases I just simply rode a lot more than I did in 2015, even though 2015 is an increase.

Every year at this time I check and record my mileage and see how the year went. This year’s numbers:

I only put 4,957 miles on my car, which is part of why the bike miles totaled more. That’s down from 7,558 in 2014. On the V-Strom I covered 3,849 miles, which is up from 2,596. For the CB750 it’s actually down, 531 in 2015 vs. 712 in 2014. I wouldn’t have thought that was the case but the numbers don’t lie. And for the Concours it’s 2,121 in 2015 vs. 1,037 in 2014. Total for the bikes: 6,501.

Just to put that in perspective, in 2012 I rode the Concours alone more than that: 6,785 miles. And in 2011 I rode the Concours alone 10,004 miles. Then add miles for the other bikes. But at least I’m back on an upward trend. And I expect those numbers to really surge in 2016. I mean, I have a lot more time to ride now. How could they not increase?

Right now, of course, the weather is the issue, blocking me from my first ride of the year. But the weather is in my favor now. Saturday was warm and sunny. Sunday was warm and sunny. Monday is warm and sunny. I went out on Saturday and inspected the streets around our house and concluded that by Tuesday the snow and ice would be melted sufficiently so I should be able to get out of the neighborhood. I’m really counting on it because the forecast is for more snow starting on Thursday. Let’s get this year started!

Biker Quote for Today

The engine charges the bike’s battery, and the ride recharges my own batteries. — Clement Salvadori

Yeah, it’s cold out there today (Thursday) but that’s not going to stop you from riding, is it? Today was the Last Brass Monkey Run, the ABATE event that closes out each year.

There were indeed people who rode their bikes, as you can see in that photo. And actually there were quite a few more than those guys, that was just the most interesting photo I got so that’s the one I used. Altogether I’d guess there were about 30-40 bikes that showed up.

Was mine one of them? No. Our streets are still covered in ice and snow and there was no way I could get out.

“You’re not going to try to ride your bike, are you?”

No, too much ice on the street.

“Well, you wouldn’t ride even if you could would you? It’s too cold out there!”

Yes, I would ride. That’s why I have heated gear.

But until they make heated tires that melt the snow and ice I have to bow to the whims of winter.

So most of the folks at the Grizzly Rose got there in their cars, including me. And presumably because of the cold there was not that large a crowd. I estimated about 150 in the building at the point when I left. Lots of parking available. The last time I went was a warmer day and I rode, as did many hundreds of others. The parking lot was jammed with bikes. Not today.

And while I knew a few folks there, ABATE members, they were all working the event so I got a bowl of chili and a hot dog and sat down by myself to eat. About then a guy with some pretty interesting facial hair came over and asked me if I’d like to be a judge in the chili contest. Sure, why not? He told me after I ate to go around the corner and do so. So I did but when I got there they told me they had already had 10 judges and 10 was all they needed, so OK, no big deal.

I hung around a bit longer but had other things to do, so I left. Other folks were leaving, too, I could see. Maybe next year the weather will be more cooperative.

Biker Quote for Today

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass, it’s about learning how to ride in the rain.

I’ve had my V-Strom for a couple years now and while I’ve been off the pavement a number of times with it I really want to do so a lot more. Now, in previous years I have gone on some good rides in the dirt with Ron Coleman but we didn’t get out this year.

What we did do, though, was spend a little time in a nearby empty lot working on slow speed maneuvers. Ron has a lot more off-road experience than me and he figured he’d help me with my skills.

It turned out, however, that I actually am more advanced than he expected. He wanted to teach me about trail-braking and he started off by demonstrating. Now you try it, he said. So I did, going in tight circles and figure 8s and while I wasn’t as good as he was he immediately saw that I was no novice.

So, not to make assumptions, but you do know what trail-braking is, don’t you? If not you really ought to learn. It’s just a matter of revving the engine while pressing lightly on the rear brake as you make slow-speed maneuvers. Revving the engine bumps up the gyroscope effect of the engine, creating stability, while using the brake keeps you going slow. Done right you can move at walking pace and just walk around in circles or–more usefully–make a U-turn in a tight area.

But Ron was making his turns tighter than I was and that’s where he was able to teach me something. It was counter-balancing. Making those tight turns he didn’t just rev and trail-brake, he leaned way off the seat to the side away from the turn. The more you can lean the bike the tighter you can turn, but you don’t want to lean the bike so far it falls down. If you lean way off in the other direction your center of gravity remains stable and you don’t go down.

I’m accustomed to leaning in the turns at speed, but this is different. When racers go around curves you’ve seen them leaning way off into the curve, scraping knees and elbows. Same principle in the opposite direction. At speed like that the idea is to shift your weight off so the bike can stay more upright and not low-side on you. At walking speed you lean the bike, not your body, into the curve and shift your body the other direction to counter the weight of the bike.

So I tried it and sure enough, I could make those turns even tighter. I wasn’t really good at it and was a bit unsure, so I definitely need to practice. And I will. And I’ll become a better rider. Thanks Ron.

Biker Quote for Today

Straights are for fast bikes, turns are for fast riders.

I’ve said more than once that in my opinion Utah is the most beautiful state in the US. You can see a lot of it from the pavement but imagine what more you could see if you got off the pavement!

That’s where the Utah Backcountry Discovery Route (BDR) comes in. The folks at Butler Maps, along with the folks at Touratech and others, have been doing a series of these exercises, charting–and then riding to make sure it works–routes across entire states mostly off the pavement. For Utah that route runs north-south but with all the twists and turns to conform with topography it must be double the miles vs. as the crow flies.

At the south end the route starts where US 163 comes into the state a little southwest of Mexican Hat. A bit north of Mexican Hat the route leaves the highway, heading up along something called Valley of the Gods Road. Now, that sounds promising.

The next prominent area I see on the map is a stretch through the Manti-La Sals. These are a cluster of mountains that I’ve looked at and admired for years. But I’ve never gotten into them. All the paved roads go around them.

This would be a good time to mention that this map more than others has warnings that you will want to pay attention to. In more than one place it says “Roads may be impassable when wet.” Boy, is that an understatement. I remember talking to Bill Eakins when they were developing this route and he told me of going out on a sidetrip at one point and getting caught in rain. While only a few miles from camp, it took hours to get back due to the mud that just cakes the tires.

We had a similar experience with cars quite a few years ago. We were headed to the north end of Canyonlands and drove all night to get there, reaching the road to Island in the Sky just before dawn. We drove in over from ground but as the sun came up it started to thaw. The mud got worse and worse till we finally decided we had better turn around. But by then, everything we had already been through had gotten much, much worse. We got out and pushed three cars for miles, taking most of the day, getting ourselves and the cars caked in red mud. Jerry told us years later that every time he washed that car for as long as he owned it there would always be red dirt on the driveway afterward.

The other warnings are where orange highlighted routes branch off from the normal yellow. These are marked, “Alternate Route, Experts Only.” Yeah, we’re separating the men from the boys here.

Further north, in the area west of Duchesne, the route runs up through the Wasatch Range, an area I’m familiar with. But you can bet you’ll be seeing parts of those mountains you’ll never see from the road. And they’re pretty beautiful from the road.

At the north end, the route comes out at Bear Lake, at Garden City. When you get here, even if you aren’t following the Utah BDR, you’ve got to stop and have a raspberry milkshake. It’s the specialty of the town. Good way to cap off your ride.

Biker Quote for Today

On a bike, no one ever asks, “Are we there yet?”

It’s that time of winter again. We’ve had some very nice days, good days to be out riding, but with our neighborhood streets covered in snow and ice I can’t get out. The forecast at this time suggests that before the sun does its job on our streets we’ll be having more snow. That’s exactly why I made a point to get out on all three bikes on about December 3 while it was still nicer weather. Who knows if I’ll get out again this year.

Some people are getting out, though. Obviously they don’t live on an inner neighborhood street. I mean, the main streets are clear if you can get to them.

What really amazed me, though, was a couple days ago I was out in my car and on Hampden I saw a guy on a bike. No big deal, except this was during the first melt after the snowstorm and while there was no snow or ice on Hampden, the entire road was very wet and sloppy. This was the sort of condition where your car gets coated in dark brown grime and if you don’t clean off your headlights, when you go to use them you find they don’t cast much light.

So this guy was out riding in this. Which means he was getting himself covered in all this gunk. Yow!

He was on a sportbike and had a helmet and leather jacket but unlike cars, helmets don’t have wipers to continually be clearing that stuff away so you can see. You’re more hard core than me, fella.

The next day I saw someone out, too, but by then the streets were much dryer. But at that point we were only starting to see a little asphalt show through on our street. It would take two or three more days like that to be clear and we’re apparently not going to get those days.

If there’s any way at all that I can get out, though, I will do so on December 31. That’s the day when ABATE of Colorado is having its annual Last Brass Monkey Run. This is intended to be the last riding event of the year but as you can imagine it is not always amenable to riding. So fine, if you can’t ride you go in your car. And I will. But I’d sure like to ride.

This thing has four starting points and the end is at the Grizzly Rose:
North–Rocky Mountain Saloon, 4329 CO Hwy 66, Longmont
East–Flying J Truck Stop, (I-70 Exit 285), 16751 E 32nd Ave, Aurora
South–Big Train Family Restaurant, 3050 N. Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs
West–In the Zone, 15600 West 44th Ave, Golden

If you’re going to participate the idea is to sign in (and sign your waiver) between 10 and 11 a.m. Or, finish line registration begins at the Rose at 11 a.m. Then they have food, music, and a chili cook-off, among other things. Plus an inside-the-Rose poker walk.

Then there’s usually a ride set for January 1 by a BMW group–the first ride of the year–but I’m not sure if that’s on this time around or not. I went looking for info but found none. Whatever.

So–bottom line: ride it if you can. Maybe I’ll be out there, too.

Biker Quote for Today

All I want for Christmas is you . . . Just kidding. Get me parts for my motorcycle.

When you can rent a car for a day for as little as $35, why is it that renting a motorcycle will run you into the hundreds? I know that there have been plenty of times when I’ve been away from home and would have liked to rent a bike for a day or three but the cost would have been more than prohibitive. And there have been a couple times I have rented but man was it expensive!

Judging from a link Alan sent me it seems EagleRider may have figured out that if the price wasn’t as high they’d get more business. What they’ve come up with is something called Club EagleRider and if you join, for $29 a month, you get one day’s motorcycle rental for no extra charge per month. If you don’t use it one month that day’s rental accrues, so after seven months you would have seven days no-charge riding.

At $29 per day, times seven, that would be $203 for a seven-day rental. That’s about what I have paid EagleRider in the past for a one-day rental. Holy smokes!

Now, be aware that there are other expenses. Taxes and insurance are two, but if you drop the bike you can plan on paying a very hefty deductible for the slightest bit of damage.

Take our experience renting out of Vancouver, British Columbia. One thing EagleRider promotes as part of Club EagleRider is also getting a free rental on your birthday. Well, that’s a long-time policy and we took advantage of it back in 2011. So we had the bike for two days, one being my birthday, but after paying about $200 for one day’s rental, another $100 for taxes (this was Canada, where taxes are higher), and $50 for insurance, we ended up paying a total of $350. Ouch!

Now, the thing with insurance is that the cheapest you can get is about $50, if I remember correctly, and that’s with $2,000 deductible. If you want to pay more you can get it down to only a $1,000 deductible. In other words, if you do the bike any damage at all your expensive rental just got a heck of a lot more expensive, even with the lower deductible.

Now compare that to Club EagleRider. Say you take the bike for three days, no fee because you have three accrued days. Add the insurance: I don’t recall if you pay insurance by the day, but probably. So let’s say $25 a day for a total of $75. Then what about taxes? Again, my memory from four years ago is not crystal clear but I think we did not pay taxes for the day we got the bike free, my birthday. Is that how it would work here? Or would the government consider that paying for club membership is like rental so you pay taxes even though the bike is “free”?

Let’s be pessimistic and say you pay $50 taxes per day in the US. We’re now looking at a three-day rental costing $225. Figure in a year’s membership–$348–and it comes to $573 for a three-day rental. That’s still not cheap but we’re getting there.

Now let’s say you do a seven-day rental, with seven club days accrued.
Fees: 0
Insurance: $175
Taxes: $350
Total: $525 plus $348 = $873

Divide that by seven and it’s just shy of $125 a day. Now you’re starting to speak my language.

And what happens to that cost if you don’t pay that $50 a day for taxes? Three days total: $423, or $141 a day. Seven days total: $523 or $75 a day.

Do you get the picture? Motorcycle rental just got a lot more reasonable.

Now, I’m not going to join up this moment, but as we plan future trips I’m going to be factoring possible motorcycle rental in. And if it works into our plans I will definitely be joining up some months in advance of the trip. Thank you EagleRider for bringing this cost down to something I consider acceptable. But I do want to find out about the taxes; that will make a considerable difference. And I’m still going to be super cautious about putting even the tiniest ding in that bike.

Biker Quote for Today

Life is short. Break the rules, forgive quickly, laugh easily, keep it simple, ride often, ride free, and never regret anything that makes you smile.