Passes & Canyons Blog

Nothing like a little moisture to liven up your day on the bike.

You may have noticed we’ve been having rain lately. I do ride in the rain but lately I’ve seen some people who are much more hard-core than I am.

I rode to work one day recently when rain was predicted and sure enough, about 20 minutes before I was planning to leave it was coming down in buckets. I had brought my rain gear in off the bike so I was prepared to head out in the downpour if necessary.

To my good fortune, by the time I did leave the rain had stopped. I still suited up because I knew that with water on the street I’d still be getting wet.

What really surprised me on that ride home was how many other people on bikes I saw. And what really surprised me was how many of them were the cruiser types with no helmets and no rain gear. I mean, unless all these folks headed out as I had, right after the downpour stopped, they must have been riding in the rain. I’ve ridden in the rain with no helmet; I don’t like it. It stings! Those little drops are like needles. And no rain gear? Yeah, I’ve gotten soaked before, even got a bit of hypothermia one time, but that’s why I own and use a good rain suit. As I say, if you’re going to get out and ride with no helmet and no rain suit you’re a lot more hard core than I am.

I’ve also seem some people who weren’t as hard core, but they at least were out in it, though some looked miserable.

The one that really caught my eye, though–and boy do I wish I could have shot a picture–was a couple on a sport bike. Not sure what the bike was; I was looking at them. It was pouring and he had no helmet and just a regular riding jacket. She had no helmet, just a winter coat that looked soaked, and a huge backpack strapped on her back, also soaked.

Were they really happy to be out riding? Or was he in for some serious crap once they got where they were headed, about “I’m never riding with you again unless . . .”?

You know what I like? I like a jacket that seals snugly at the (high) collar, a helmet that comes down below the top of the collar, serious rain jacket and pants, rubber booties, and waterproof mittens that allow me to slip my gloved hands inside. A nice full fairing helps, too. I can ride all day with all that stuff because I’m warm and dry.

Apparently some people are OK with less. To them I just say, “Wow. You are hard core.”

Biker Quote for Today

Not knowing where you are going is part of the adventure!

Dan getting ready for a ride.

Marijuana tourism is a very real thing that has hit Colorado since pot was legalized, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that someone is now offering motorcycle tours hitting the high spots (I didn’t really intend that pun) of the industry.

And wouldn’t you know it, that enterprising person is my friend Dan Patino who runs Go 2 Motorcycle Tours. I’ve remarked before that Dan is one of the most entrepreneurial people I know and here he goes again.

Dan wrote me the following email:

Ken,
interested in doing a story on a overnight tour I will be offering? It is the only one like it in the world. I will be the first motorcycle touring company embracing the Marijuana industry. I will be offering a overnight tour that visits dispensaries, and the world’s first legal Cannabis Club in Nederland. Overnight stay in Nederland with a shuttle to the club. I am about to post the info on FB then my website. My emphasis is to show a openness to the industry but also a responsible motorcycle operating. No guest will be operating under the influence but may wish to consume on the overnight.

Of course I had to say “tell me more.”

Dan’s reply:

I posted it on my FB page. I assume this click will let you view it. I want to emphasize a few things. One the reason, uniqueness of the tour, and responsibility.

The reason is the demand for visitors to want to visit and see a legal operation industry. Like ClubNed they get calls from all over the world inquiring about their operation and the industry here in Colorado. ClubNed is the only legal cannabis club in the world in operation.

Now the Uniqueness being Go2moto now the only touring company highlighting the industry in a private tour via motorcycle. To the only Cannabis club in the world.

Responsibility, upmost concern because we don’t ride under the influence. Like all tours, we don’t allow consumption of alcohol or and drug while operating a motorcycle. I get it. Cannabis tour via motorcycle, red flag! Like visiting Coors it can be done! Pictures, and knowledge of the industry is the focus of the tour. However the overnight stay in Nederland would give those an option to consume after the riding is done. A shuttle or a short walk will get those back and forth to their lodging, so no operation of bikes will be allowed until the following day. Specific on pricing will be available on upon request this being a private group tour. Prices depend on size of the group of riders.

Just from my experience talking with people from outside Colorado, I have no question there is a lot of interest in this legal marijuana thing. Dan may be on to something here. This is going to be very interesting to watch.

Biker Quote for Today

I have a fever, and the only prescription is more moto.

David puts on his chaps before taking off.

David from Ohio stayed with us last week, another Motorcycle Travel Network member passing through. By the time he got home he had been out for three weeks. Not an excessively long trip, but I guess for him it had been a long ride.

David has recently developed some unfortunate health issues and he was on a bucket-list ride. He had taken old Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica. His take on it was different than any I had heard before.

What he found particularly striking about that route is how old and worn out so many of the buildings were. Route 66 was once a happening place and then the interstate took over and the old route faded. All these motels and restaurants that did booming business in their hey-day were now rotting hulks.

What must people from other countries think about the U.S., he wondered, when they come here to ride this road and see all this decrepitude? He talked about how someone referred to some of these places as “ruins” and how he had always thought about ruins in the sense of Roman ruins or Greek ruins. But these absolutely were ruins, just from a much more recent era.

He said following the old route was pretty difficult at times, which doesn’t surprise me. I did an article a few years ago about an outfit that leads a Route 66 ride every year and the main guy told me that in some places the official route changed as many as five times. Each year he would vary things by taking different segments.

At other times, said David, the old road ran right alongside the new road and he figured out he could cut short some of the longer, more boring stretches by taking the new road. He’d still be seeing the exact same things and passing through the exact same countryside. Is that cheating? Some games you don’t really have to play by someone else’s rules, you get to make up your own. Especially if you’re riding alone.

One of David’s biggest disappointments about this ride was also interesting. He was passing through Springfield, Illinois, and stopped at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. This is a several-block area of old Springfield that has Lincoln’s home and all his neighbors’ homes just as they were when he lived there. An interesting coincidence here is that I was set to work on that park unit the very next day in my job at the National Park Service.

So what disappointed him is that he really wanted to see the actual original Gettysburg Address. And it wasn’t on display. They told him it is very fragile and is only available for viewing for short periods each year. I don’t remember exactly but they may also have told him that when it is on display it is not on display there, but somewhere else.

The next morning David rolled on across Kansas headed for another MTN stop out that way. We’ve become something of a route. Michel, our last MTN guest, headed out for that same Kansas stop after leaving us. And those Kansas folks have stayed with us previously. Everybody says the same thing: The Motorcycle Travel Network seems to be getting smaller and smaller. It may eventually sputter out. What a shame that will be if it happens.

Biker Quote for Today

Drive?! Why?! Cars have too many wheels… just makes me feel… awkwardly stable… I’ll ride thank you!

My National Motorcycles Examiner home page.

It wasn’t my intention to write about this today but when I became aware of it just by chance it became the obvious choice. As of today, this very 24-hour period, I have been writing for Examiner.com as a “motorcycle Examiner” for six years.

A little background may be in order. Six years ago the social internet was in its infancy. Friendster.com was still around, Facebook was just getting going, and the idea of crowd-sourcing website content was getting a lot of attention. I got an email out of the blue from an outfit called Examiner.com asking if I would like to write for them as their Denver Motorcycle Examiner. Ernie, the guy who contacted me, had seen this blog and figured I’d be a good fit. I said sure, you bet. And, just so you know, “Examiners” is what they call their writers. I later shifted and became the National Motorcycle Examiner, and then they tweaked names and I became–and remain–the National Motorcycles Examiner.

Starting out, the pay was practically nonexistent and it took me three months to earn enough for them to issue me a paycheck. But my earnings kept growing and I started getting paid every month. Then I saw that they had a second motorcycle Examiner they had brought on, Mark Poesch, who was the Washington DC Motorcycle Travel Examiner. I got his email from Ernie and made contact and we agreed to work together to promote each other’s posts. After all, we got paid on page views.

More motorcycle Examiners joined and for quite a while I contacted each one inviting them to join our little community. We grew and grew, though there were plenty who didn’t stick it out when they saw how little money they made in the beginning. But for those of us who applied ourselves and kept at it the checks kept getting bigger and bigger. Along the way, my Examiner postings caught the eye of someone else looking for a motorcycle writer and I was contacted to write for RumBum.com as well. Of course I said yes.

Shortly after this my latest contract gig ended and I made the decision that with my Examiner and Rum Bum earnings, and other opportunities opening up, I would not seek another job, I would go full-time freelance. And that’s what I did for the next four years.

The only constant is change, however, and Examiner made a lot of changes. They were trying to figure out how to make money on the Web and one thing they apparently figured out was that they couldn’t pay us as much as they were and make a profit. So changes followed upon changes and every change had the same result: our earnings got cut. From sometimes making more than $100 a day, my earnings dwindled to where I was lucky to make $50 in a month. And then Rum Bum went under. By this time Rum Bum had become my biggest client, so with them gone and my earnings at Examiner down by 90% my finances were really hurting. Right at that time this gig at the National Park Service came along and I found myself working in an office again.

Through it all though, I have continued to write for Examiner, but only about once a month. The reason there is that if you don’t stay active, posting at least once a month, they quit paying you, even though everything you have written is still out there and still gets read. In other words, you’re still earning them money, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t continue to get my meager share. I can do a piece in half an hour or less once a month and it becomes like an annuity, though an extremely small annuity.

And now today is my six-year anniversary with Examiner. It has been quite a ride. There have been a lot of good things that have come my way through my association with Examiner. High on the list was the media tour I was invited on by EagleRider a few years ago where they put us on bikes and paid all our expenses and took us on a darn nice ride through California. I have received all kinds of free gear and motorcycle books and maps in exchange for reviewing them. I’ve met a lot of people and made a lot of friends through all these events I have covered. It’s been good.

So it’s too bad that the money part of it no longer works. But I will keep posting enough to remain active. And I guess in a year I’ll be marking my seventh anniversary.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Only a biker knows . . .: Motorcycle wit and wisdom, #32

Biker Quote for Today

Happy to still be working though it interferes with riding!

Even if loud pipes do save lives, you better believe they seriously annoy a lot of people at the same time.

One of the biggest risks of excessively loud motorcycle exhaust systems is that influential people will get sufficiently annoyed that they will bring pressure to “do something about it.” Unfortunately, doing something about it all too often sweeps up the innocent along with the guilty.

Now, with the decline of newspapers it’s hard to say anymore how influential someone like the editorial page editor of the Denver Post is. Years ago that person had a good deal of influence.

Which all leads up to the fact that Vince Carroll, that aforementioned editorial page editor, had a column in Sunday’s paper entitled, “Mobile Noise Pollution,” in which he made it totally clear that too many bikers have pissed him off for too long. While the loud portion of our rider community claims that “loud pipes save lives,” other segments reply that “loud pipes risk rights.”

I’ve never been a loud guy myself. I have three bikes and none of them are louder than the typical car. And they’re a lot quieter than a good many pick-up trucks I’ve seen and nothing close to making the noise a semi makes. So my reply to the loud pipes save lives argument has always been that hey, I’ve never been in an accident, so maybe attentive riding and practiced riding skills are really the main things you need to save lives–forget the noise. And there are a lot of people out there like me. Somehow we survive year after year despite our lack of noise.

Sure I’ve had some close calls. We all have, haven’t we? The road is full of idiots. That’s why you always ride defensively, as if you were invisible.

And at the same time, I’ve known people on loud bikes who have gotten hurt. Was it just that their loud bikes weren’t loud enough? Yeah, let’s try making them even louder and then see how rabid the general public becomes toward shutting us all down.

Now, I’ll give it to Vince that he was not lambasting all motorcyclists. He very carefully made the point that his grudge is with a minority. But here are the words of warning:

Yes, they (loud bikes) are much harder to ignore. We can agree on that. But if safety can be achieved only by becoming a public nuisance–a questionable claim–then maybe these hobbyists need to find another pastime.

As I said, it’s hard to say how much influence someone in Vince’s position has any more. But what if a few legislators read his column and they agree? Perhaps they’ve had similar experiences. And they do have the power to do something about it. Then what happens?

Biker Quote for Today

The great riding pleasure is “to crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women,” all from a smaller, less powerful bike.

At least in Florida they warn you what to look out for -- panthers.

It seems apropos to revisit this thread from the Adventure Riders forum, “What is the strangest thing you hit/almost hit?” The weather is warm, there are lots of bikes out on the road again, and at least many riders have had the bike put away for the winter.

So this is a cautionary tale, a reminder that stuff happens out there, often when you least expect it. Here are a few things that other riders have encountered.

• A big fat woman in short shorts, about 11 pm doing her best Jesse Owens sprint across the highway. Missed her by a foot probably. Her drunk boy friend was on the other shoulder telling her to get across the road.
• Last week on my way home from work at 3am the road was on fire. 2 small patches about 5 inches each and about 3 feet apart. And not another car to be found anywhere. Was too weird to even stop, went around and kept on heading home. Strange.
• One time coming around a corner in some twisties I came across a sheet of plywood – it was too big to avoid, so had to go over it. As I went across, it started to slide, I started on the inside of the corner and came out near the gutter. I was still maintaining traction, kept my line and everything was normal…it was just that the the road I was on moved 3 feet.
• I was on the Causeway (24mile bridge) coming back from NoLa, and someone threw a dirty (poop-loaded) diaper out the window – right in the face-shield, glad I had leather on that day.
• An unidentified glob of gelatinous goo the size of a small pumpkin off the back of a garbage truck when it went over the railroad tracks. Hit me dead center in the chest. Had to throw away the riding jacket because I couldn’t get the horrible smell out. (even tried the pressure washer at the car wash).
• Traveling down W bound I69 into Flint Michigan, someone had lost a load of pallets in the road. I choose a clear path and thought I had it made till the woman in the van next to me decided my lane looked better than hers. I took the shoulder and a pallet square on. Stayed up, but sent wood and splinters everywhere.
• On I270S heading towards Washington, DC during the morning commute I saw a large wedge of geese heading east. There was a drainage ditch on the east side of the highway that they seemed to be aiming for. Unfortunately, the tour buses that were also heading south did not fit into their computations. The geese hit the buses and soon dead or dying goose missiles were coming at me from all angles. I do not have any idea how I managed to avoid getting hit. I just ducked (hah!) and rode through the onslaught.
• Earlier this summer I hit a black garbage bag kicked up by traffic in front of me. It hit my handlebars and stuck there, flapping right in my face so I couldn’t really see anything at all. Not really a strange thing to hit, all things considered, but definitely not a pleasant thing to hit. At least it wasn’t something heavy or solid, I guess.
• As a teenager years ago I was woods riding with a couple friends when a large black snake dropped from a tree ..and wrapped around my neck. I screamed like a girl, let go of the bike and was ran over by my buddy. Got a couple scars from that one.
• I hit a muffler and later a Porcupine on the same night. Made me start riding a little slower.
• A Dragonfly…well didn’t hit him but it came under my helmet and got trapped inside my face shield…..I couldn’t get it opened fast enough. Pretty weird feeling having a dragonfly bouncing off your face.
• I was riding home from work on 66 from the beltway around D.C. I saw a 5 gallon paint bucket fall off of the back of a paint truck. It started to spin and bounce and I did what I have always heard, aim for it and by the time you get there, it will not be. It just caught my foot peg and broke open. I got just a little on the bike, but the car behind me caught almost the whole bucket worth on his windshield. Wipers didn’t do much and he wound up into the guard rail. I stopped to give my testimony to the Police. That one was pretty wild.

And wow, I didn’t see it coming, but this is the end of this thread. I guess it will be quite awhile before I pull stuff off this one, until a whole bunch more people tell their stories.

Whatever. Be careful out there, you never know what you’ll run into.

Biker Quote for Today

After reading through this thread I’ve come to the conclusion that more people cruise the internet looking for reasons why X bike won’t work in Y scenario rather than actually riding their motorcycles. — RyanR

This diagram will help you understand this procedure.

When I went to work on it Saturday morning I was surprised how quickly and easily I resolved the various issues with replacing the handlebar end weight that got busted off when the bike fell over a couple weeks ago. Here’s how it went.

First I had to figure out how to put the whole assembly back in and have it stay. I had speculated that the nut on the very end (#9 in that diagram above) must screw into something inside the bar. Nope. I shone a flashlight up in there and there was nothing at all. Then it dawned on me: That rubber stopper (#8) is sandwiched between the nut and that washer (#7). Put the whole thing together but don’t tighten it down too much, slip the whole assembly inside the bar, and then tighten the screw such that it compresses the stopper, making it expand outward until it forms a seal with the inside of the bar. Presto! Solid and secure.

Then I turned to the other problem: how to get the broken bolt out of the damaged side.

Looking at the assembly from the undamaged side, I could see that flush with the broken end of the bolt was the rubber insert (#5). Maybe I could just grab that with some pliers and pull it out and that would make it easy to grasp the broken bolt.

I first used some needle-nose pliers to grip it and pull. It seemed to be coming but when I released it it drew back in almost completely. Almost. I worked at it on the other side and once again it came out and stayed out just the barest amount. Going back and forth I got it out enough that I was able to grab it with some regular pliers and then I really went to work on it. I got a bit more out on one side, then a bit more on the other, until the whole thing slipped out. Then it was easy to grip and twist the bolt and as soon as the pressure was reduced on the rubber stopper that whole assembly slid right out.

I then had an issue removing the broken bolt from that thin metal sleeve (#6). At the outside end it was right where the bolt broke, and it got damaged, too. Ideally I would have gotten a new sleeve, but I didn’t have one and wanted to get this resolved now, not later. I stuck the thing–with the bolt still in it–in the vise and did my best to bring it back close to round so the bolt could slide out. That worked.

Then putting the whole assembly back together with the new bolt was troublesome, too, because of the misshapen tube. I worked on it some more with the vise and got it reasonably OK, and then tapped the end of the bolt to get it to go through. Some more shaping in the vise and it seemed acceptably good. It went together and slipped into the bar.

The next issue was that the handguard had ripped off when all this happened, and the inside end of the guard that used to have a hole through the plastic/rubber/whatever now was an open notch. But the bottom side was designed as an open notch and the outer connector was, too. I figured that in all three cases if I could just get that bolt to cover and grip a piece of the guard it should hold sufficiently well. It did. More success.

Then finally, with the handguard in the position it naturally fell into, the little throttle lock I use no longer cleared the guard. I experimented with twisting it into less natural positions and found one where there was no interference. I tightened the bolts securely at that point.

And the job was done. Now all that remained was to take the bike out for a test ride. I know, this is one of those “it’s a dirty job but someone has to do it” kind of things, but hey, I’m up to the task. And I’m not one to leave a job uncompleted. So yeah, if you saw someone out of a blue V-Strom Saturday it might have been me.

Biker Quote for Today

My favorite ride is the one I’m about to start!

A stop up at Buffalo Bill's grave on Old Bike Ride 8.

Holy smokes there’s a lot going on this weekend. If the weather is sufficiently good–which it appears will happen–there are going to be a lot of people out on two wheels the next couple days.

To start with, the 12th annual Old Bike Ride is Saturday. This is a great thing to go to to see a bunch of nice old bikes that–obviously–are in good running order. There is no charge and this ride, as the website says, is “Open to all riders of (sufficiently) old motorcycles and all (sufficiently) old motorcycle riders.” That is to say, “a motorized vehicle with less than four wheels made in 1980 or earlier.”

I went on this ride a few years ago but have a habit of being busy when it’s happening. My 1980 Honda CB750 Custom barely qualifies as old enough, though that’s what I rode four years ago. No one told me to leave, you know. And the point of the ride is, “to encourage people to bring out their old motorcycles and ride them.” What could be more simple than that?

This ride starts promptly at 9:30 a.m. and leaves from one block west of Washington Ave on 13th Street in Golden.

Also going on on Saturday, of a totally different stripe, is the G-Force Powersport Bikini Bike Wash. I probably won’t be making it to this one but you might be interested.

Another Saturday event is the Fay Myers Block Party. They do this every year, with stunt riding and food and who knows what else. I’ve been to this and it was worth an hour or two for sure.

On Sunday morning, Erico Motorsports is sponsoring a very casual “Sunday Morning Ride.” Says Erico, “This is just going to be a couple hour ride through the front range.” Very casual. If you’re looking for a group to go ride with, this could be your ticket. The ride starts at 9 a.m. at the Butcher Block Cafe, 1701 38th St, Denver. RSVP to MatthewK@ericomotorsports.com if you will plan to go so they can get an idea how many will be coming.

As long as we’re going over upcoming events, here’s one on June 1. The 4th annual Vintage Motorcycle Show will be taking place at Heritage Square, no admission charged. Go and see what’s on display. This is another one I somehow manage to miss, though I intend to go every year. Maybe this year. Of course, that’s our wedding anniversary, so that may interfere. We’ll see. Maybe Judy would like to ride out there for it.

Of course, all these are in addition to the others I have listed on the website. I didn’t hear about these in time to get them up there.

So get out and ride this weekend. I’m planning to work on my V-Strom, trying to get the handlebar weights put back on now that I have the replacement parts in hand. Once I accomplish that, you bet I’ll have to take the bike out for a “trial run.”

Biker Quote for Today

If you cannot find a good companion to ride with, ride alone, like an elephant roaming the jungle. It is better to be alone than to be with those who will hinder your progress.