Passes & Canyons Blog

OK, this should have been easy but you know what they say, “When all else fails, read the instructions.” In my case I guess I should have done some research before picking up the tools.

I mentioned earlier that my V-Strom fell over and busted off the end weight that dampens handlebar vibration. What I guess I should have done was to go to the Stromtrooper forum first before fooling around with things.

I couldn’t get the broken bolt out so I removed it from the other side so I could take it over to Fay Myers and see about replacement parts. I had checked online parts places and could tell they didn’t have what I needed. The stock bolt is shorter than the one you need if you have the hand protectors, which I do. Plus, when I pulled the other one off I found that there was a spacer that apparently got lost in the confusion, so I needed that as well.

I worked with Barry at Fay Myers and he was terrifically helpful but ultimately unsuccessful in tracking down what I needed. He even emailed Suzuki asking about the parts and they said they aren’t sold separately. What should have been a five dollar repair was starting to look like a sixty dollar replace-the-whole-thing-because-you-need-one-small-part affair. Don’t you hate that kind of thing?

So I turned to Stromtroopers. Quickly and easily I found someone asking the exact same question and the answer was simple: My V-Strom is a DL650; if you buy the bolt for the DL1000 V-Strom, that’s the size you need, 6mm by 140mm. Plus, as I was looking at the schematic I saw that the DL1000 also uses the spacer I needed. Problem solved. I order one space but two bolts because I suspect this could happen again, though next time I’ll know to pick up the spacer. That thing doesn’t break.

Only the problem is not solved. I tried to put the good side back together and can’t get it to work. I unscrewed the bolt and the whole assembly pulled out, but now when I reinsert it there doesn’t seem to be anything for it to attach to. Examining it closely I found that the end piece is an open nut that I postulated must screw into something inside the handlebar and then you screw the 140mm bolt into the other side. I was going to shine a flashlight in there but checking on Stromtroopers I find that that’s exactly the case. And of course, they warn you about just this problem. Which only does you some good if you read the warning before you operate.

So I haven’t gotten back to it to see if I can get it to happen. And I still haven’t figured out how to get the broken bolt out. What protrudes is too short to get a grip on with vise-grips so I’m going to have to try something else. But at least I’ve got the parts on order.

Biker Quote for Today

“I’m always amazed at how smoothly a bike can idle while lying on it’s side.” Feo y Gordo

On Monday I gave the basic run-down of where we went on this Colorado Motorcycle Adventures “Intro to Adventure Riding” ride I did with Scott Lee and the folks who signed up for it. That recitation left out any of the personality and interaction that went on, and that’s the stuff that makes things truly interesting. That’s where we’re going today.

The first little bit of excitement occurred when we had come down Foxton Road to reach the Platte River and South Platte River Road. I was bringing up the rear and the group pulled over and parked next to the Platte. It was sloping ground and the other bikes pretty much took up the more level spots. I jockeyed into a position I cautiously deemed satisfactory–maybe–and then proceeded to climb off the bike very carefully. Then I stood there a moment checking it out to be sure the bike was stable. It seemed to be.

So I turned around and walked over to talk with a couple of the folks. A couple minutes later someone yelled “Look out!” and I turned in time to see my V-Strom topple over. You probably know: No one likes seeing their bike fall. It gives you a horrible feeling.

Of course there were plenty of folks to help get it back up and then moved to a more level spot. Damage was pretty minimal. It apparently hit on the end of the handlebar and the weight at the end that serves to dampen vibration busted off along with the hand guard that was attached at that point and further in on the bar. I haven’t done anything with it yet but it looks like all I need to replace is the long bolt that holds that weight on and all will be fine again. I can’t think of a less expensive motorcycle repair. But I still hated to see that bike fall.

We took off and rode along the Platte and this time I was second from the rear. This road is gravel and even on the V-Strom I could feel my tires slipping occasionally. The guy behind me was going pretty slow and I didn’t want to leave him behind in case of trouble so I hung back while all the rest of the group passed out of sight ahead. They eventually stopped and waited for us, fearing trouble, but no, it was just a guy who wasn’t used to riding on gravel and was skittish. After that a more experienced rider took the sweep position so I didn’t worry when I lost sight of them behind me.

At lunch we had more opportunity to get acquainted. I was surprised to find that most of the group was from the Denver area. There were a father and son from California and a woman by her self who was also from California. Everyone else was local. I found that kind of odd; why sign up for something you can just go and do? But they did have reasons. One guy was looking to buy a new bike and wanted to try out a couple of the ones he was considering. He and Scott traded back and forth during the day so he could test both bikes. And another guy had had the idea that this intro to ADV was going to be more of a training ride. Maybe that’s something Scott will want to consider in the future for this particular ride.

After lunch we turned off onto West Creek Road and then turned off it to go down a dead-end road that was just nice riding. We got to the end and Scott suggested that anyone who wanted to make a more spirited run should go ahead and just wait for the rest back at the main road.

So the father and son took off along with a couple others and I was in about the middle of the pack. They got out of sight ahead but in a couple minutes I came up on them, seeing that they were stopped in a group. Then I saw why. Seems the son had gotten a bit too enthusiastic and had run off the road on a curve, right into the woods. Oops. I don’t know if he went down or not because by the time I got there the bike was upright and several people had run over to help him wheel it back to the road. No injuries and only minor damage to the bike.

It was funny for me how my perception of the whole thing evolved. At first I thought, why is he riding out there in the woods? It was only as it dawned on me that he hadn’t had any such intention that I realized, oh, he kind of screwed up, didn’t he?

Then we went on to where we were crossing water. Everyone did fine in the water, and if anyone had gone down it wouldn’t have been a major mishap, though it would have been uncomfortable. Wet. I raised my legs when I went through but a couple times it still splashed up enough that I got soaked below the knee. Glad I had high boots on. And there was that one time in the middle of the muck that my rear-end started sliding away, but I caught it and got through OK. Hey, what’s adventure riding without a little adventure?

So that’s a bit more of the human side of this ride. Now, of course, I need to take Judy out and show her these roads.

Biker Quote for Today

When noobs give up, they’re not quitters, they just stay noobs.

These were exactly the kinds of roads I bought the V-Strom to ride. There are probably a couple thousand miles of these roads in Colorado alone, and I want to ride a lot more of them.

As mentioned previously, Saturday was my day to ride with Scott Lee and a group he was leading on a Colorado Motorcycle Adventures tour. It was a good day.

We met early at Foothills BMW/Triumph and all the paying folks did their paperwork. As a tag-along there was no paperwork for me but Scott’s wife, Lorie, did insist that I take a T-shirt and a Butler map of Colorado, and I spent some time getting acquainted with some of the other riders.

Taking off, we went out Sixth Avenue to C-470, down to the Morrison turn-off and up CO 74 to Evergreen. We turned south on CO 73 to Conifer, jogged west very briefly on U.S. 285, and headed on south along Foxton Road. That brought us down to the Platte River where we headed southeast along the river to where we hit the road that comes over from Sedalia, via the Rampart Range. A turn-off from that road took us back into an area I don’t think I’ve ever been in before, because of course, all of this was on gravel. That’s why I bought the V-Strom, to ride these gravel roads.

We twisted and turned our way along these roads until we finally came out on CO 67 a little south of Deckers, and then went to Deckers for lunch.

After lunch we headed south again on CO 67 for about eight miles and then turned off onto a gravel road called West Creek Road. This road took us down into an area that, like so much else in the area, was burned out in the Hayman Fire years ago. You know that eventually the forest will regenerate but it’s surprising after this many years how few and small the young trees still are. At the same time, with the trees gone it opens up vistas that you never would have seen before, and which are pretty dang impressive.

We turned off onto one road that was a dead-end but Scott figured the area it went through was worth seeing so we went down and turned back. It was definitely cool. I really wanted to be shooting pictures but I needed to steer the bike. The two people in the group with the GoPro cameras undoubtedly good some good footage.

Back on the through-road again, we continued on into an area that is designated for dirt biking. I’m really not at all sure what this area is. It’s not the Rampart Range, and it’s over on the back side of Pikes Peak so that we got a great view of the peak as I’ve never seen it before. We did see a couple dirt bikers whizzing along.

We stuck to the road, which by now was pretty narrow and uneven–exactly what dual-sport bikes excel at. We were having fun!

The route looped around and we picked up a stream that wove back and forth across the road. There were no bridges; we rode through it and definitely got wet. This was the first time I’ve ridden the V-Strom through water. I’d crossed little bits of water other times on other dual-sport bikes, and then there was the time on my Concours when we were coming down Hoosier Pass toward Breckenridge and there was water running eight inches deep across the highway, so it wasn’t my first time with water. But it was an adventure just the same, especially the one time when my back end started slipping sideways before my traction hooked up again.

After looping around through all this fire-scarred terrain I was surprised when we emerged back out onto CO 67 less than half a mile from where we got off it. So from there it was just back to Deckers, back along the river and up over and down to Sedalia. At that point people started peeling off and heading their own ways home. It was a good day to be out riding.

Biker Quote for Today

Always take the road less traveled, unless the riding is better on the other roads.

I don’t see Alan frequently; mostly we communicate by email.

But we did get together last week, while Michel was here, because Alan was interested in meeting Michel. That was on Wednesday.

Imagine my surprise when I got this email from Alan on Monday.

Hi Ken,
Bambi got her revenge on me! I was riding with Dan Leffert Friday morning down by Cripple Creek, when I was the object of a hit and run, by a deer! Fortunately I was in the lead and Dan saw the diagonal path of the deer run up behind me and then cut in front of me and knock me over. He was able to help me off the road, call 911, get me to a hospital and have my bike towed. Bike is a mess as to be expected and I am bruised up on one side with 4 broken ribs, but it will all heal with time. Tell everyone to wear ATGATT and watch for deer! The Kilimanjaro jacket, overpants and a full face helmet definitely saved me from serious injury!

Holy smokes! Two days later! Eating Italian on Wednesday, eating pavement on Friday. Ouch!

Now, I don’t know what revenge it is that Alan is talking about. What did he ever do to Bambi? Maybe he hunts.

I remember well my own closest encounter with a deer while on a bike. We were up in Idaho, had spent the night in Stanley (??), and were heading out in the morning. I took the lead and hadn’t gone far when I saw a couple deer along the side of the road. On my guard, I slowed down a little and kept my eyes on the leader. He started trotting alongside me, about 25 feet to my left, matching my speed.

Then he bolted across the road in front of me. I nailed my brakes and he got by safely. The guys behind me told me later I put up quite a bit of smoke from the rear tire as it locked up and slid. But I was in control the whole time and never at risk of going down.

What is it in an animal’s brain that makes it do something like that. Why couldn’t it just wait till I was past and then go? Why did that deer just have to cross the road right when Alan was there?

Another really scary time was once when we were setting off on the annual OFMC trip and we were headed for Montrose our first night out. It was getting dark as we came to the Blue Mesa Reservoir along U.S. 50. Johnathon was in the lead and I was pretty far back, so I don’t recall exactly what happened. I believe some deer gave Johnathon quite a scare. What I do recall is how our headlights were reflected from so many eyes out there alongside the road. It was “Oh my gosh, don’t let your guard down for an instant.”

And another time I was coming back from Utah, very late at night on U.S. 40 a little outside of Dinosaur. I was whizzing along and just for an instant saw the flash of a couple deer standing right at the edge of the road as I went by them. Maybe five feet away. Maybe four. They didn’t move a bit. Thank goodness. I went a little slower after that.

So yeah, they’re out there. And unlike us humans re. deer, deer don’t kill humans only in season. It’s open season all the time. Be careful out there.

Biker Quote for Today>/h3>
Motorcycles are like chlorine for the gene pool.

OK, this is going to be pretty brief. I don’t do a lot of passing along videos but Alan sent me this one and it blows me away. Before you read any further, watch this.

Now what the heck? Did that guy have that van totally packed with foam rubber to absorb his impact? Did he die?

I thought at first maybe they just set up the camera so it appeared that he went into the van, but actually went on the other side of it. So I watched it again and no, you can see underneath the van and he did not come down there, and when he flew into it the whole van shook. He really rode that bike right in there. Is he crazy? Is he still alive?

Beyond that, the guy did the thing really well. Would you be able to launch a bike off a hill and float it right into the back of a van? What if you were a foot too high–bye, bye to your head!

I’ve watched this again and again and it still just blows me away. So I figured it was something you might find equally amazing.

OK, a postscript. I just watched it again a few times and the dust that gets kicked up on impact makes me wonder. What caused that dust? Maybe they did the video equivalent of Photoshopping the van in. Maybe it was faked. I wonder.

Biker Quote for Today

“Without motorcycles, people live very boring lives.” – Malcolm Smith

Michel showed up a little later than planned on Tuesday night but was still in time for dinner. We ended up sitting at the dinner table talking with him till long past the time when we’re usually headed for bed. It was another good time with a Motorcycle Travel Network guest.

After five and one-half months touring the U.S. and Mexico, Michel is headed back to Toronto–but not before riding for a few days in Colorado with a buddy from Montreal who flew in today. And he’ll probably be staying with us one more day before he mounts the bike and starts the blast back home. Oh yeah, and what he’ll be mounting is a BMW 800 GS, not a Honda as I said before. Turns out his profile on MTN is wrong.

Of course he had some good stories to tell. Are you familiar with Mexico’s Copper Canyon? It’s like their version of the Grand Canyon, only bigger and deeper. And it has a road that runs through part of it.

So Michel was on his way to a town down there and saw some signs that the road was closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. That can’t be right, he figured, it must be incorrect or old or something, and he kept going. Twice he stopped and asked people and they assured him he could get through. I mean, he’s on this GS, so of course he can get through.

In the meantime, the road is getting seriously bad in places. On one side it is nothing but gravel about a foot deep and on the other side it’s hard-packed but there is a drop that goes a very long way down, with no guard-rail, of course. And it’s raining and getting foggy.

Then he encountered a guy going the other way in a truck who asked him where he was going. “You can’t get there,” he said, “the road is closed.”

“Sure I can,” said Michel, “I’m on this GS.”

“No, you don’t understand, we’re dynamiting. The road is really closed.”

Oh.

“Of course, you can get through after 6 p.m.

“On this road? At night? Oh, no.”

So he had to turn back. But he didn’t have enough gas to get back to the last town. And he couldn’t get there before dark.

Nothing to do but to do it. He did find gas along the way but toward nightfall he could only find a place that seemed to rent rooms in season but that was closed at this time. There was a shed so he figured he’s spend the night there. As he unloaded and took off wet clothes a woman and child came around the house. He asked if he could please stay the night in their shed and the woman replied, “Well, yes, but do you want a room?” Salvation!

There was no heat, and it was cold, and he was wet, but it was a place to sleep. In the morning he pulled on cold, wet clothes and gear and set out, reaching the town he had left early the day before just as it started to snow. Two days of tough riding and he was right back where he had been, and he couldn’t have been happier.

These are the kinds of stories we’ve heard so many times from our MTN guests and hosts. We’re really sold on this organization.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Product review: VikingCycle Warrior jacket warrants a big thumbs up

Biker Quote for Today

Quoth Dorzok, it’s a BMW. Just activate the levitation function that’s part of the optional accessory outer space adventure package.

Got an email Saturday from Michel. He said he was in Cortez, heading toward Denver on his way back home to Toronto. Could he stay with us a couple nights?

Michel, of course, is a member of the Motorcycle Travel Network, as are we, and that’s what the network is all about. You join and then when you travel you have other members to contact about staying at their homes. Or you are at home and someone comes to stay with you. We’re all into motorcycles so there’s never any doubt about a conversation starter.

Just from what little I know so far, it’s going to be very interesting hosting Michel. He has been on the road for five and one-half months, in the U.S. and Mexico. Do you supposes he’s going to have some interesting stories to tell? I’d bet my three bikes on it.

Truth is, we’ve never had guests who we did not find interesting, or enjoy getting to know. And we (or I, traveling alone) have never had a bad stay with other members. So we’re looking forward to this.

Of course, one of the better points of the Motorcycle Travel Network is that you can check out the person who is coming to your place before they get there. I went to network website and looked Michel up so I know a bit more about him. Not like AirBnB where you’re dealing with total strangers.

He’ll be arriving on Tuesday and staying with us two nights. Judy read my mind and said she foresees some blog posts coming out of this visit. Well, this is the first one but there will be at least one more soon. And depending on how it goes, maybe more. Stay tuned.

By the way
Totally unrelated, I just want to make a note here that in case anyone reading this blog would like to register to have it emailed to them each time it is published, that can be done but you need to email me to let me know. I used to have it set up so anyone could register but I was forever getting scores of spammers who signed up just so they could get their links on my site. It never happened because I always deleted them before any comment went up, but that didn’t stop them from registering and entering a comment. I got tired of deleting them so I changed the settings now so I am the only one who can register someone. I’m really sorry for any inconvenience this may cause a real person but if you email me at that address at right I’ll set you up.

Biker Quote for Today

He who rides alone can start today.

Bureaucrats really should mind their own business. This is no joke: the United Nations General Assembly voted to urge all its members to enact mandatory helmet laws.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m all for helmets, and always wear one myself, but I do not believe government has any justification for requiring everyone riding a motorcycle to wear one. Yeah, I know this is beating a dead horse; either you agree or you don’t and nobody is going to change anyone else’s mind.

Of course, you know it doesn’t stop at motorcyclists. We were up in Breckenridge last weekend and I saw a lot of skiers wearing helmets. How long will it be before either the government decides to mandate helmets for skiers or, perhaps even more likely, the ski operators start telling people they can’t ski their mountain without a helmet?

And then there are equestrians. Many people who ride horses now wear helmets, and helmets are showing up at rodeos now. How long before those are mandatory?

And then the bicyclists. Of course many of them wear helmets now but those excuses for helmets are only effective if you go down and hit a particular way. Good luck on that. My sister-in-law was wearing one when she got hit by a truck and she suffered permanent brain damage. So do we mandate that all bicyclists must wear real helmets, helmets like those we motorcyclists wear, that actually offer protection? They’ll be happy to have that extra weight won’t they?

And to all those who say, “yes, but if it saves even one life it’s worth it,” I say, then let’s require people in cars to wear helmets. How many thousands of lives a year would that save? That has to be really worth it!

Or we could all just agree life is inherently dangerous and we’re all going to die sometime, so in the meantime, let’s just all enjoy life in the manner we see fit, providing of course that we don’t do harm to others. Shouldn’t the UN be doing something constructive, like keeping Russia out of Ukraine, rather than worrying about my head? No one cares more about my head than I do. I’ll take responsibility for it. You go do your job in Eastern Europe.

Biker Quote for Today

Ride safe, ride often.