Passes & Canyons Blog

I wanted to ride my Honda CB750 Custom to Loveland last week for the Steel Horse Sisterhood Summit but before I took off I figured I ought to check the air pressure in my tires. Turned out they needed a little air but what really disturbed me was when I saw how badly rotted out the valve stem is on the front tire. Holy crap, is this going to die on me today, and if it does, how dangerous will that be?

Now I would guess the more safety fanatic among us would have told me I was an idiot to even consider riding on it like that. My thought process went like this:
1. It has obviously been like this for a long time and so far nothing has happened.
2. The chances that it will go out on me today of all days is probably quite slim.
3. If I take it slow and easy then if it goes there will be less danger.
4. If it does go it will probably be a gradual deflating, so I can pull over the instant I detect something wrong.
5. And I really do want to ride the Honda today.

So off I went.

I preferred to stay off the highway as much as possible so starting off I went through town. As I was riding along it occurred to me that if I passed a bike shop I might be able to stop and get it fixed on the spot. And then I had an even more brilliant idea (Ha!), when I inevitably passed a car tire shop maybe they could do it for me. It’s just a valve stem after all, surely they’re all the same.

So I did stop at a tire shop but that guy just looked at me and shook his head. No, we don’t work on motorcycles. But it’s just the valve stem, I said, can’t you do that? And he explained that it would be necessary to lift the bike (we don’t have the right kind of lift for a motorcycle) and to break the bead (we don’t have that equipment).

You mean you can’t just yank the old valve stem out and insert a new one? (Can you tell I’m not much of a mechanic?)

On I went to Loveland. Taking it slow.

In Loveland I found that there was almost no sign of the Steel Horse Sisterhood so I figured I might as well head to the local Honda shop. There the guy told me yes they could replace the valve stem but it would involve removing the tire and they would not be able to get to it for at least an hour and a half. It would cost about $45. Or for about $200 I could get a whole new front tire.

This was tempting because this is the whole issue. Because I have two other bikes I don’t put that many miles on the Honda. The tires both have a good bit of tread left but they have been on the bike for 10 years. The rubber is starting to rot. They need to be replaced. Doing both would have been about $450, including new valve stems on both. Why the heck not do it right now?

Because sometimes I’m impatient. And in an hour and a half I could be home. And get the job done some other time.

So I rode home and the valve stem held out and all was well. Now I really do need to do something about these tires.

Biker Quote for Today

Keep calm and ride on.

I’ll make it clear right up front that I was only there briefly, so what came later is an unknown to me. That said, my impression of the Steel Horse Sisterhood Summit that took place in Loveland the last few days is that this is an organization that is still very much in the building phase. I expected to see a parking lot filled with motorcycles and that was not the case. I expected to see crowds of women riders and that was not the case.

There were motorcycles and there were women riders, and those who were there seemed to be enjoying the camaraderie, and the presentations were good. I’m not knocking the event at all; it just seemed to be planned for a whole lot more people than showed up.

There were challenges that factored into the attendance. This screwy, stormy weather we’ve been having delayed flights and those who rode in faced challenging weather conditions. The event started on Thursday and as Judy and I were leaving on Friday in the afternoon there were more women riders even then just arriving.

The program was good. We enjoyed meeting people such as Karen Fritz, whose book The Art of Adventure I bought and will be doing a review of, and Pat Jacques, who does off-road riding training for women. It was also good to see long-time friends again, such as Alisa Clickenger and Jacque and Ron of Western Dual Sport Motorcycle Adventures.

Due to the wetness and the disruption it caused, the schedule had to be rejuggled on the fly, the dual-sport riding clinic had to be postponed, and I’m sure it must have been a major headache for the organizer, Joan Krenning. But she did the best she could with what the weather gods handed her.

If Joan remains game to keep doing this, despite the headaches and hassles, I’m guessing the Steel Horse Sisterhood Summit can grow into a substantial event each year. My only suggestion for Joan would be to temper her ambition and vision and next year engage a smaller venue where a smaller crowd than she really wants–but which may be all she gets–will not feel so lost in cavernous space. And let it keep growing every year.

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycles are better than men because your motorcycle never wants a night out alone with the other motorcycles.

I rode the Honda up to Loveland today to check in with the Steel Horse Sisterhood Summit that is now in progress but as of yet there really wasn’t anything going on. I knew there was not much on the agenda but figured there would be lots of bikes and plenty of people. Wrong. I guess the first real main event is tonight’s welcome reception.

You might think this was a wasted ride. After all, what I came for wasn’t happening. I don’t think that at all. The fact is, I had a really good day out on the bike. Not just a bit of a ride as I so often do, but the better part of a day just on the bike doing what I felt like.

I left home in the morning and worked my way through town rather than blasting around on the interstate. That got me through some areas I haven’t seen in a long time and man, do things keep changing!

Then I got on I-25 and cruised to Loveland. Went by the hotel first but very few bikes there so I headed over to Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson, which is a major sponsor of the event and where a lot of the activity will take place. Just a few people there at a registration desk and that was it. So I decided to pay a visit to the local Honda shop, Interstate Honda, since I was on my Honda, but it was a good thing I asked because they weren’t where I thought they were. Neither was Northern Colorado Euro Motorcycles, which has moved since I was there last. Both are further north along the highway. Obviously I needed to do some updating of my Dealer and Repair Shops page.

I left the Honda shop then and wanted to go back to the Sisterhood location because I still hoped to speak with Joan, the honcho. Not being inclined to jump back on the interstate I took the frontage road. Guess what? The frontage road does not stick to the interstate. I found my self veering pretty far from I-25 and even on some gravel for a ways. I hadn’t had the Honda on gravel for a long time but was pleased to find it really does do as nicely as I remembered on that stuff. Not like my Kawi, which hates gravel.

When I finally did get back to the highway I was still an exit away so I got on I-25. Do you know what rush hour traffic on I-25 is like in Denver? It seems I-25 traffic in the Loveland-Fort Collins area is like that all the time. It sure was today. I went down the ramp and as I was forced to come to a complete stop I saw one of those Colorado phenomena: a line of demarcation between wet and dry. And as is often the case, the line was moving my way.

I jumped off the bike and threw on my rain gear as raindrops started pelting me. The skies opened up, I rode to the next exit, and by then the rain had stopped. By the time I got back to the Harley shop my rain gear was almost dry.

I don’t mind riding in the rain; in fact, I kind of enjoy it, although not necessarily on an interstate highway in heavy traffic.

So I checked for Joan again; no dice. Went back to the hotel hoping to find her there but again, no dice. So I figured I’d just head on home. The sky didn’t look too bad that direction.

Ha! I got on I-25 and again it was a parking lot. And by the time I was approaching the very next exit I once again saw that line of demarcation between wet and dry. Only this time, it wasn’t coming my way. It was going perpendicular to my route. This time I took my time putting on my rain gear and even put on my rubber mittens, which I had not the last time. I also figured I didn’t want to be on this interstate in this rain so I would get off and head west to pick up US 287 south.

By the time I got halfway up the exit ramp it was coming down in buckets. There was a Conoco station right there so I pulled in under their awning and waited out the rain. That’s the photo above. I was there for 15 minutes and it was an absolute gulley-washer of a storm. I was glad not to be riding anywhere. But it was kind of enjoyable nevertheless to just be out here on this day on my bike, just doing whatever. I wasn’t impatient and I sure wasn’t bored with this huge storm going on around me.

While I was stopped there I figured I might as well go ahead and put on my last bit of rain gear, my rubber booties. Darn! I only had one. What happened to the other? I’m going to have to look for that.

The rain didn’t stop but it slacked off and I headed out again. The interstate didn’t look as crowded so I took it and had an uneventful ride back to Denver. Stopped halfway and stripped off the rain gear because it was once again a beautiful day. Not too long, though, and the sky ahead was again threatening. I only got a few raindrops though before I got home.

So yeah, I totally failed to accomplish what I set out to do. But what an enjoyable day! A motorcycle can do that for you. I intend to let mine do it for me a whole lot more times.

Biker Quote for Today

“Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it.” — Evel Knievel

Bob Kelly hosted his annual Vintage Motorcycle Show at Heritage Square on Sunday, the last to be held in that venue. (Heritage Square will be torn down soon.) Never fear; a new venue is in the works for next year.

On hand, as anyone close to the scene would have expected, were a lot of old British bikes (via members of the British Motorcycle Association of Colorado), old Japanese bikes (via members of the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club), and others.

Not a lot of words needed here; I’ll just give you some photos.

Biker Quote for Today

The only thing better than a motorcycle is two motorcycles.

We were headed east on I-70 from Salina, Utah, and pulled off onto a scenic viewpoint. It actually was very scenic but what caught my eye at the same time were three motorcycles parked in a group. Of course I struck up a conversation with the riders.

Turns out these guys were from Green Bay. They had left Green Bay for Chicago where they picked up old US Route 66, which they took all the way to Santa Monica. They then turned north and rode up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco, then turned east for Las Vegas. Now they were on their way back to Green Bay.

And what were they on?

“Let’s see, you’ve got two Sportsters and the other . . .”

“It’s a Sportster, too. They’re all Sportsters.”

“Wow, that a lot of miles on a Sportster.”

“Yeah, we get that a lot.”

“So when did you guys leave Green Bay?”

“A week ago.”

Holy crap! A week? Microsoft Streets & Trips tells me that’s about 4,000 miles. That’s about 570 miles per day. On Sportsters!

“Oh, we’ve got the peanut tanks so we have to stop for gas and stretch our legs every hundred miles or so.”

They said their longest day was about 600 miles, from San Francisco to Las Vegas. And they did skip some portions of Route 66 because it was taking a lot more time than they expected. But they said they were only doing 300 to 400 miles per day most days. Yeah, somebody’s math is a bit unclear. Maybe they started eight or nine days ago, not seven.

Nevertheless, that’s one heck of a ride, just burning up the miles day after day. And for pete’s sake, on Sportsters?!

Well, if that’s your thing, go for it, guys. I know three guys who will be talking about a certain bike trip for a long, long, long time.

Biker Quote for Today

The trick is not minding it hurts.

We met Sharon in Crater Lake National Park last week, sharing a four-plex cabin. Of course I took note instantly that one of our neighbors was on a Harley, and the fact that it had a Maryland plate make it that much more interesting. First I saw this middle-aged woman fiddling with the bags and assumed she was riding behind someone else. Then it became clear she was by herself. You bet I had to talk to her.

Sharon took early retirement and bought a motorcycle. Then she decided to take a long trip. “When will you be home?” her family asked. “When I get tired of riding,” she replied. She agreed with me that that might be never.

Yes, she had come from Maryland, the long way around. It was not her intent setting out but she was essentially doing a four-corners ride, having started by coming down the East Coast, then across the southern U.S., and was now going up the West Coast. After all this time alone she was going to meet up with a friend in Portland and another soon after that. Then she would be heading to Colorado.

“Are you going to the Steel Horse Sisterhood conference?” I asked.

Her jaw dropped. Up to this point I had not mentioned anything about the fact that I also ride a motorcycle.

“How do you know about that?” she asked. And yes, she is going to the event.

So I filled her in. Told her I’d be seeing her again in a few weeks.

Then we talked motorcycles. Of course. She asked if Judy rides and I told her only behind me–she’s afraid she’d crash and kill herself if she was operating the bike.

“Fear stops so many,” Sharon acknowledged.

But obviously it doesn’t stop Sharon. She was 5,000 miles and counting and wasn’t even thinking about heading home yet. I had to ask her if she knows Alisa Clickenger, one of the most gutsy women riders I know, and she said not in person but by email. She’s looking forward to meeting Alisa in person at the conference. I think they’ll have a lot to talk about.

As we pulled out Sharon was walking by and I called out to her, “See you in Loveland!”

“See you in Loveland!” she replied. And we will, very soon.

Biker Quote for Today

That road is fabulous, I wish to test it.

I mentioned last week that the Steel Horse Sisterhood Women’s Motorcycle Summit is scheduled for June 11-14 in Loveland. Here are some additional details.

Full registration for this four-day event is $125, or if you are a supporter or male companion it is $100. Some events are for women only but there is also a guys only ride. My guess would be these things coincide–that would only make sense.

Three are also additional fees for several classes. For instance, the accident-scene management course is $75, and the Western Dual Sport Off-Road Riding Clinic will run you $25. There are poker runs, breakfasts, receptions, and all the usual things you expect at motorcycle rallies. A new rider course offered by Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson is $249.

Here are a few of the items on the program and the presenters.

• Reduce the Odds presented by Laurie Latham
• Think like a Negotiator presented by Eldonna Lewis Fernandez
• A Woman’s Intuition presented by Brenda Simmons
• Alisa Clickenger – Life’s Journey & the Power of the Road
• Finding Opportunity in Adversity with Jocelyn Hastie
• Living Raw with Karen Fritz
• Let’s Talk About Gear – Brittany Morrow + Various Presenters
• Gentle Flow + Yoga Nidra Class presented by Marina Koyen
• Self Care for Bikers with Marina Koyen
• Weapons for Women presented by Laurie Latham
• Women Pushing The Curve of Adventure featuring Patricia Jacques
• Make Fat Cry Featuring Betty Rocker
• The Face of PTSD – A Spirited Panel Discussion
• Put On Your Big Girl Panties, Featuring Terri Collier of Thunder Roads OK/AR

Joan tells me she is expecting perhaps 1,000 people for the Saturday night shin-dig that will be the biggest of the social events. Overall conference attendance she expects to be approximately 300. At last year’s first-ever event the mistake was made to plan the conference for International Female Ride Day (May 5 this year). Apparently there was a bit too much competition on that particular weekend, so this year the event was planned for later. That plus better weather later in the season has hopes up for a good turn-out.

Biker Quote for Today

Dirt bike diva: mud for make-up, gasoline for perfume

We recently visited family in Idaho and Don–85 or so, I’d guess–told me about motorcycles and his family. He said all four of their sons grew up riding, though only Randy now continues to do it much. That reminded me of a family gathering a few years ago at a condo on Monarch Pass in Colorado. Randy showed up on his bike, which he rode in a day down from The Boise area. Yikes!

But Don said his only personal experience on a bike was when he was about 20. He bought a used German Zundapp bike, about a 200cc or 250cc bike, and rode it from Cincinnati to a summer job at a national park out by Port Angeles, Washington. Presumably that was Olympia National Park out on the Olympic Peninsula.

So he left Cincinnati and made a stop in Chicago for a couple days. Then he set out of Washington. He made the trip in four days!

For the most part it was good weather. That was good because all he had was a bag with clothes and a blanket, strapped on the rear fender. At night he would pull over somewhere and spread the blanket out on the ground and sleep. No big deal.

But then on the third day he was approaching Snoqualmie Pass and it started to rain. He stopped and put on the parka that was his only rain protection. And not good rain protection. His pants were getting soaked.

As he neared the top of the pass the temperature dropped and it was almost snowing. Don was frozen. Against all his instincts he decided to pay $5 for a motel room up on the pass–nearly half of the money he had left at that point. But he was cold and it was necessary. A couple young women schoolteachers also staying at the motel saw this wet, chilled biker and asked if he would like some hot chicken-noodle soup. You bet!!

The next day the weather was clear and he rode on to his final destination, where he spent a great summer living in an old stone house on the beach.

When it came time to head back to Cincinnati the bike was not running well. No surprise that there were no Zundapp dealers anywhere close by. Don used some of his summer earnings to buy an old car and managed to squeeze the Zundapp into the back seat, and that was how they both got back. Then he fixed the bike and sold it.

Biker Quote for Today

You’re a biker wannabe if you like to ride by stores with big picture windows so you can admire your reflection.