Passes & Canyons Blog

I wrote here about my trip to Arizona Bike Week when it happened, but looking at what I wrote I see that what I put up on Examiner was quite different. That makes sense since it would be boring to write essentially the same thing a second time. So here’s what you didn’t read previously.

A rest stop in New Mexico on my way to Arizona Bike Week.

The Pre-Rally is already in full swing but Arizona Bike Week itself doesn’t start until Wednesday. I’m en route and will be there tomorrow, Monday. I’m happy to be able to say that because it wasn’t a sure thing earlier today.

The weather gods seemed to be smiling on me this morning in Denver, with temperatures higher than they had been in a week and clear, sunny skies. I climbed aboard my Kawasaki Concours and took off with my only concern being whether I could keep my hands warm.

That particular question was starting to feel a lot more important by the time I got to Castle Rock, just 20 miles from home down I-25. My finger-tips were very cold but I didn’t have a lot of time to think about them because as I climbed toward the Palmer Divide I noticed that about half the cars coming the other way had snow on them. Then the highway started looking suspiciously wet and I wondered if that moisture was in liquid or solid form.

Then came the fog. I got over the divide and started the descent toward Colorado Springs and it was pea soup. To say that the warm, welcome sun I started out with was nowhere to be seen is an understatement. I tucked in behind a pick-up pulling a trailer that was going about 40 and just crept along. And I was getting a lot colder.

Of course I had my electric vest on, as well as my warmest longjohns and a bunch of other warm clothes. If not for the vest I would have turned back. No way would I ride on in that cold without that warmth. But by the time I got to the south end of Colorado Springs my fingers were screaming in pain from the cold and I pulled off to get a cup of hot cocoa at a convenience store.

With my freezing hands wrapped around the hot cup of cocoa, I questioned people coming in the store as to whether they knew how the weather was on south. No one knew for sure but the presumption was that it should be warmer heading toward Pueblo. I asked a guy where he was coming from that he had snow on his car and he said, “My house. Right here in the neighborhood. We had snow this morning, but I think it’s all done for now.”

With my hands warm again I got back on the bike and pressed on. Sure enough, the farther south I got the warmer it got. It was a little chilly going over Raton Pass but by the time I reached Santa Fe I switched the vest off because it was getting too hot.

Meanwhile, about the time I reached Walsenburg, before reaching the pass, I got hit by the first blast of the powerful crosswinds I was destined to contend with for the next several hours. Almost all the way to Albuquerque the winds played their cat and mouse game, easing off when the road dipped beneath the general landscape and blasting me as soon as I came out in the open again. I’d pass a truck on the downwind side and have to stand the bike up quickly to keep from steering right into it, and as soon as I would pull ahead the wind would blast me toward the median. I took to diving back into the right-hand lane as soon as I got ahead of the truck because while that’s exactly what happened most of the time, other times the blast hit me so hard that if I hadn’t already been leaned in like that it would blow me off the road.

At Albuquerque I turned west on I-40, so now at least, any westerly wind would be blowing in my face rather than from the side. I pressed on to Grants and considered continuing to Gallup. But the sun was at that point where if I had, it would have been setting and I would have been riding right into it the last part of that leg. I opted for Grants. That’s about 530 miles of the 850 from home to Scottsdale, where I’m headed. Another 320 miles tomorrow won’t be bad. Plus, I get to leave the interstate at Holbrook and the last 140 miles will be on two-lane through some mountains I’ve never seen before.

So all right! First bike trip of the year. Yee hah!

Biker Quote for Today

Riding fast is one thing, riding in a hurry is a completely different thing. Never ride in a hurry.

Before I decided to run this Examiner Resurrection I checked to see if this site still exists and whether the information I presented in 2011 had changed. It’s all still good. So I don’t need to change a thing.

A sample of what you get with Cyclepedia.com.

Figuring on restoring an old motorcycle you found in a barn? Looking for the technical info you do to do the work? Here’s a heads-up on a website I recently discovered that may be just what you need.

Cyclepedia.com is an online repository for workshop manuals for ATV, motorcycle, and scooter repair. If you’re only going to need access to the information while you rebuild the bike, a one-year subscription may be the way to go. If you’re planning on riding the bike for years, a lifetime subscription may be your best bet. Either one comes with tech support, so if you’re stuck trying to figure something out, they actually have a motorcycle technician available to answer questions or help you interpret the manual.

These are not just static text documents, like a printed manual that you access online. They come with videos to guide you through processes, as well as interactive features that a printed manual can’t offer. You do, however, have the option of printing the documents.

Want to see what the manuals are like? A sample manual for a Suzuki DR200SE is available. Open it and at left are topics such as:

• Periodic Maintenance
• Quick Reference
• Fuel System
• External Components
• Engine
• Final Drive

And more. Pretty much the stuff you expect in a shop manual. Also included are parts diagram, printable full-color wiring diagrams, and a troubleshooting guide.

I’ll be honest with you, I’m no mechanic myself, so I can’t judge the usefulness of this site; that’s up to you to determine. But I figured if you hadn’t heard about it, you might like to know the site is there. Happy wrenching!

Biker Quote for Today

Don’t make me use my motorcycle mechanic voice.

That’s our tent up there on the hill behind the bike, and that’s the bike we got there on.

It was something of an embarrassment for me that back in 2017 I added a note on my motorcycle camping page saying I intended that year to update the information. I knew that over the years at the very least the nightly camping fee on most sites I listed had increased. I also knew that due to budget constraints, the National Forest Service had closed some campgrounds. My data were out of date.

Did I get that done in 2017? No. Did I get it done in 2018? No. But the page still said I intended to do it in 2017. Well, ummm . . .

I did it. I got it done a couple weeks ago. And it is interesting to see what has changed and what has not. As expected, most fees had gone up, but there were a bunch that had not. I wonder what makes the difference. And in some cases I found that major work has been done on the overall sites.

For instance, one campground that previously had about 17 sites now has 42. They’ve obviously made some major changes. More commonly, the number of sites went up or down by 1 or 2.

Now, pretty much all of the campgrounds that I have included are sites I have personally visited, usually but not always on my bike. I stopped, looked the place over, noted the road quality, and listed the number of sites and amenities. For this update I did it all by computer.

The thing that struck me in doing this was how many campgrounds there are in Colorado that are not on my lists. Now, obviously considering that these are intended to be listings of motorcycle-accessible campgrounds, with an emphasis on street bikes, some campgrounds were just not going to be included. But finding so very many that are not included makes me wonder whether at least some of them ought to be.

I’ve always said that this website will never be “completed.” Things change and there is always more useful information to add. I guess now that I’ve been able to cross “update campgrounds” from my to-do list I now need to add “add appropriate additional campgrounds.” My work is never done.

Biker Quote for Today

The reason I’m drawn to it is – both the off-road racing and the motorcycles on the track – it takes a lot for me to quiet my brain and anything that requires 100% of my attention and focus I find very soothing and that is the closest I get to being content. — Dax Shepard

Who hasn’t been stuck at a light that does not recognize you on your bike?

Usually, for strong supporters of a piece of legislation, amendments mean a less favorable bill. That is not the case in the Colorado legislature with the proposed Senate Bill 144, known as the dead red bill. This bill is intended to address the issues motorcyclists face when traffic signals do not recognize their presence.

Currently state law says that you must wait for two cycles of the light before you can run the red. The catch-22, of course, is that if it doesn’t recognize your presence the light is not going to cycle so you can sit there forever. A revision was proposed that requires you to sit and wait for two minutes, at which time you are free to run the red.

Well, in the hearing on Tuesday the Colorado Municipal League objected to that wording. Their representative explained that they had spoken with law enforcement folks and the two minute requirement was deemed unenforceable. Then an amazing thing happened. The League, the Colorado Department of Transportation, and the Colorado State Patrol got together and concluded the best language was simply to say that the motorcyclist should treat the light as they would a 4-way stop. Come to a complete stop, wait until it is safe, and then proceed.

Wow! How absolutely logical! And the great thing is that this amended bill was approved by the committee unanimously. With any luck it might make its way out of the Senate over to the House by the end of this week. Don’t you love it when government works!?

Distracted Driving
Also of interest at the capitol on Tuesday, the distracted driving bill that would make it a primary offense to be holding an electronic communications device in your hand while driving–talking on your cellphone–also moved ahead, this time with some amendments. In order to win approval the bill was watered down a little more than it already had been in terms of the penalties.

Rather than a $300 fine for the first offense, the first offense would be set at $50, second at $150, and third at $300. Opponents working for these reductions made the argument that it works better to establish incentives rather than punishments. As Stump said in response, gosh, not incurring a $300 fine would seem like a pretty darn good incentive. And it doesn’t cost a penny to not use your phone while you’re driving.

Nevertheless, legislation is often a matter of baby steps. The most important things here are that using your phone while driving would become a primary offense, meaning the cops can stop you for that reason alone, and it would no longer be necessary to prove you were texting, which the current law against texting while driving requires. All it requires is that the cop sees you with your phone in your hand.

I guess considering that people now text or call with no fear of repercussions it makes sense to give them a break-in period with low fines. Then, once everyone knows that this is no longer permitted, perhaps fines can be increased, if indeed that is shown to promote compliance. Regardless, if we can get at least a significant percentage of drivers to hang up their dang phones while driving it will make the roads a lot safer for us and for them, too.

Biker Quote for Today

Never sell a motorcycle – it is a part of you. Just buy more.

When “going for a scoot” really means scooting.

I spoke last week about the planned hearing on the latest dead red bill being on Tuesday, but due to weather(?) or whatever, it did not happen and was rescheduled for same time, same place this week. That is to say, 2 p.m. Tuesday in room 352. So if you have a chance to show up in support, that would be a good thing.

Beyond that, I’m just going to make it easy for myself by again pasting in Stump’s report.

Today is the 72nd day of the 72nd Colorado General Assembly and 197 Senate Bills and 250 House Bills have been introduced. SB-012 (Use of Mobile Electronic Devices While Driving) has passed the 2nd and 3rd readings in the Senate. As soon as it’s assigned to a House committee
(and it might not be the H-T&LG) I’ll send out an action alert with contact information so we can contact the committee members and ask for their support on the bill. There have been a couple amendments passed, so the Engrossed version is different than the introduced version.

You can read the latest version at: http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2019A/bills/2019a_012_eng.pdf

The title has been changed, so the entire engrossed version is double underlined indicating Senate Amendments. The big change is lowering of the fines and points, which basically had to be done to pass the bill. It’s still a good bill though and hopefully will make our roads safer.
SB-144 (Dead-Red Bill) is scheduled for S-T&E Committee hearing on Tuesday, 3/19, at 2:00 PM. There will be an amendment introduced to delete the “wait for 2 minutes” but add in “the signal doesn’t recognize a motorcycle” so it allows the rider discretion on when to proceed.

There are also a couple other bills I’m keeping a close eye on: SB-175 and HB-1221. SB-175 (Serious Bodily Injury Vulnerable Road User Penalties) is scheduled for a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Monday, 3/18. This bill would increase the penalty for causing serious
bodily injury to vulnerable road users and motorcycles are on the list. You can read it at: http://leg.colorado.gov/bill-search?field_sessions=57701&sort_bef_combine=field_bill_number%20ASC&search_api_views_fulltext=SB19-175&field_chamber=2&field_bill_type=75.

HB-1221 (Regulation of Electric Scooters) is also on my radar, which includes EPAMD. It’s scheduled for a H-T&LG Hearing on Tuesday, 3/19. More info later.

OK, so I’m interested in this regulation of electric scooters thing Stump noted. But it occurs to me, is the proposal related to those little stand-up things, like Lime, or in regard to the scooters that we’ve had forever, only powered by electricity? I suspect it is the former so that would not be of all that much interest to motorcyclists. We’ll see.

Biker Quote for Today

With cars’ air conditioning, kids, radio, mobile phone, etc. they just don’t hear you. The only ones that hear you are the ones you tick off.

Just a shot in recognition that it is currently Bike Week in Daytona. (Photo by Friggs Pryor)

I was not the only one out of a bike on Thursday and Friday last week. I saw three other riders on Thursday and four on Friday. Meanwhile I was doing my standard thing of making sure each of my bikes gets ridden at least once every month.

It might seem that with that kind of policy I never have a chance for my riding skills to get rusty, and that is mainly true. However, when you think about it, in the worst case I can still go nearly two months without riding. That would be if I got out on the first of one month and then was not able to get out again until the last of the following month. That has happened a couple times.

And while it wasn’t so bad this time, it still had been quite a while since I had ridden. I went out first on the Honda and that was OK but when I brought that bike home and went out again on the Concours I could really feel a bit of hesitancy. The Connie is a big, heavy bike, and I just didn’t feel quite as at home on it as I normally do. Of course the best remedy for that is to ride, so I did. And by the time I was getting home I was definitely feeling more comfortable.

Not that the spin I took on the Honda was all peaches and cream. The road had been clear the day before but I didn’t pay much attention to the fact that we had a light snowfall overnight. I took off down our street and quickly found myself having to cross areas of ice from where the snow had fallen, melted, and then frozen. This was late morning and everywhere I rode through shaded areas it was the same. Then where it wasn’t icy it was generally wet. I got splattered a good bit and had to clean my visor when I got home. Of course the bike got pretty dirty, too, but I’ll tend to that later.

Getting out on the V-Strom the next day was totally different: dry and warm. It was just a good day to ride and was also an uneventful ride. We like those. “Eventful,” in this case, is a pejorative term. As in the Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.”

But now the weather is to get cold again. I sure hope I’m able to get out at least a few more times in March. Heck, that’s part of the reason I live in Colorado.

Biker Quote for Today

The best path through life is the open road.

Just a shot of a vintage bike.

OK, the time is now to contact your state senator in support of this distracted driving bill, SB-12. The bill would be a step toward persuading the idiot cagers that it is not OK to be using your phone while driving and, um, oh, by the way . . . mowing down pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists while being distracted by that phone.

The bill was passed out of committee a while ago, then made its way through the Senate appropriations committee, and will now come up for a vote on the floor of the full Senate on Thursday this week. We all need to contact our senators and urge them to support it. I do admit I have an advantage here, and will not be contacting my senator. That’s because she was the sponsor of the bill. I think I can rest assured that Sen. Lois Court will vote for it. For everyone else, if you don’t know who your senator is, here is a link that will help you find out: https://leg.colorado.gov/find-my-legislator

There are also two other bills of interest that you may also want to contact your legislators about. I’ll quote from an email from Stump on these:

Also, on Tuesday, 3/12, SB19-144 (Motorcyclists & Malfunctioning Traffic Signals) will be heard by the S-T&E Committee Hearing at 2:00 PM in room 352. Reminder to contact the S-T&E Committee members ASAP and ask for them to vote yes on the bill. It’s also very important for people to show up and testify or just show “silent support” on Tuesday. (It’s a Traveling Trophy Points event too!) Please do your “grass-roots” part and attend this important hearing. Thanks.

A bill was introduced last Friday, 3/1, SB-175 (Serious Bodily Injury Vulnerable Rd. User Penalties) and it slipped by me as it’s assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee. But the word “motorcycle” in the bill caught my attention. The bill lists motorcycles as “vulnerable road users,” along with 19 other users, and causing serious bodily injury to a vulnerable road user could result in license suspension for 1 year. I’ll be watching this bill more closely as it goes to S-Jud. Committee hearing on Monday, 3/18. The bill can be read at: http://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB19-175.

Lastly, as you know the wording in each bill has to be precise so there is no confusion as to the intent of the bill. Last year a bill was passed which changed wording in a previous bill from “and” to “or” (probably a big deal, I don’t remember). This might be helpful information for testimony as SB-144 is basically just changing some wording to make the law definable for motorcyclists. The point being is that HB19-1148 changes the maximum jail sentence for certain crimes from one year to three hundred sixty-four days. I just might have to attend the next hearing on this bill to hear why this bill has been introduced.

Biker Quote for Today

Why Motorcycles are Better than Men: Motorcycles don’t say smart-alecky dumb stuff.

The idea that women are drawn to men on motorcycles has never discouraged any guy from riding.

Chicks. Dig. Bikes. Those three words succinctly sum up one of the big reasons some guys are attracted to motorcycles at a young age. That was not the main reason I fell in love with motorcycles when I was a teenager, but I’d be lying if I said it was not something I thought about.

For the most part, it didn’t much matter though, because my mother would not permit me to buy a motorcycle “as long as you live in my house.” Thus, I was limited to occasionally snagging a ride on someone else’s bike, but I didn’t know many other guys who had bikes either.

That changed in the summer between my junior and senior years in high school. I got a summer job working at a family camp on an island in a lake in Minnesota. There were several of us kids who were basically the gofers for the adults running the camp. We provided manual labor when necessary, took the big camp boat in to the marina to pick up supplies, and did anything else we were told to do. Mainly we got to spend the summer at camp on the island and that was something we would have done for free, although they did pay us $25 a week.

One of the other kids was my friend Terry. Terry showed up at the beginning of summer on a brand new Honda 305 Scrambler. And he told me that any time I wanted I was free to ride it. How many different ways can you say “heaven”?

Terry and I shared quarters at camp. We lived in a big, canvas army tent draped over a custom-built wooden, screened frame that fitted it perfectly. Terry always left the key to the bike hanging on a nail near the head of his bed. The bike was parked at the marina and any time I was headed to the marina and would have some time to ride I’d grab the key.

Adding Girls to the Mix
Of course one of the nice things about our jobs was that families would come to camp with their teenage daughters. As the guys working at camp, we were seen as very cool, and summer romances were inevitable. On one particular week, a family from North Dakota arrived with their two gorgeous daughters, Randy and Sherri.

Everybody knew about Terry’s bike, and they also knew I was allowed to ride it, so one day when I needed to run into town I told Randy and Sherri if they’d like to come along I’d take them for a ride on the motorcycle. Of course they said yes.

As I was getting ready to go I went to get the bike key. Terry was there and he told me he didn’t want me taking the girls on the bike. My memory is not clear so I’m not sure if he told me it was a safety issue with my relative inexperience or whether I just assumed that. Either way he said not to do exactly what I was intending to do.

So the girls and I headed in to the marina and I told them what Terry had said. I told them I’d still take them for a ride, just don’t tell Terry I did it. We got to the marina and Randy and I got on the bike and rode into town on whatever errand I was on. Having completed it, we got on the bike just as a couple local guys came walking along. One of them called out, “Look at the girl on the bike!” Yes, she was a beauty and I felt proud to be the guy on the bike with her.

Now, the 305 Scrambler was a torquey bike and I was still having trouble smoothly releasing the clutch and easing on the throttle. In this instance, pulling away from the curb, I inadvertently popped a wheelie, thus making the whole scene that much cooler.

Randy and I headed back to the marina, where she got off and Sherri got on, and Sherri and I went for a ride out of town for a bit. Then we all got in the boat and headed back to camp.

Back at camp, when I saw Terry, he asked me if I’d taken the girls for a ride. I hated the thought of lying so I told him yes, I had. Terry could have chewed my butt, and I was prepared for him to do so, but he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t say a word. But that motorcycle key was never hanging from that nail again, and I never rode that bike again.

Regrets? Yes, I’ve had a few. But I’ll never forget popping that wheelie while those other guys stood watching, thinking (in my mind at least) that I must be just about the luckiest guy in the world.

Biker Quote for Today

I saw you have a motorcycle and tattoos . . . excuse me while I take my clothes off.