Passes & Canyons Blog

I had seen an article about the opening of a REV’IT! store in downtown Denver. Really? There is enough demand for an actual bricks and mortar store of REV’IT! products in this town? I had to check this out.

Then I took a quick look at Google Maps to be clear on my destination and noticed two things. First, the REV’IT! store was right across the street from Erico Motorsports, which I’ve been to previously, but also, right next door to Erico was a RevZilla store. I didn’t know RevZilla had physical stores either, and there it was in a cluster with the other two shops. More and more interesting.

It was morning and I saw that REV’IT! opened at 11 but RevZilla opened at 10 so I headed down figuring to go to RevZilla first. I parked in front of REV’IT! next to an Indian, crossed the street, and went in RevZilla. There I met Scott who gave me a tour of the place and told me this store had been open about three years. It was the first bricks and mortar store RevZilla opened. They now also have shops in Philadelphia and Newport Beach.

Curious, I asked Scott if, like China Town and Little Italy, did this area have a nickname? It seemed suitable. Yes, he said, it’s called Octane Alley. OK, that’s fun.

RevZilla primarily carries gear such as jackets, pants, and helmets, plus some supplies like oil and cleaners. Other less common items can sometimes be special ordered.

Next, heading over to REV’IT! I was greeted upon entry by Meg, who is the owner of that Indian out front. The sole focus in this store is on REV’IT! products, which consists of boots, gloves, jackets, pants, and riding suits. Plus, this location is the US Headquarters for REV’IT!. Meg not only showed me around the shop, she took me in back to the offices.

I inquired about a replacement insulated liner for my REV’IT! pants but Meg confirmed what I had been told by corporate that something like that can’t be had individually. That was what I figured but it never hurts to ask. What the heck ever happened to my liner? Corporate had suggested I purchase a pair of their insulated inner pants (don’t call it underwear! the tag read) so I asked to look at these. They didn’t have my size in stock, though, so I didn’t try them on. This is just the sort of thing I would like to try on before buying.

The atmosphere around Octane Alley seems pretty collegial. Meg said she knows Scott over at RevZilla and she told me how John, at Erico, was hoping to convert a small space between the Erico and RevZilla shops into something of a gathering spot offering seating, shade, perhaps concessions. That would be nice.

It was a good visit, nice talking with these folks. And now Octane Alley is a place in my mind. And yours.

Biker Quote for Today

Never sacrifice style for speed.

Have you ever whined that you’d really like to see how fast your bike can go but you don’t want to risk the ticket? Stop your whining, here’s your chance.

Erico Motorsports just announced that they are sponsoring two track days at High Plains Raceway, out east near Byers. The dates are June 4 and August 6.

The charge to just go out on the track is $250. For an extra Benjamin Erico offers “a ton of coaching from Team Erico to include classroom time. Yeah, we’re not pros but I’ll bet we can get you going much faster, staying much safer, and having a blast riding your bike how it was intended.”

Of course, you’ve got to have all the gear, and you need to drain your coolant and replace it with water. They’ll be serving breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and the track will be ready to at 8:30.

If you’re interested, you’ll need to contact John at john@ericomotorsports.com. He’s also there to answer any questions you might have and provide complete information.

I did a track day once and I have to tell you, it was humbling. There were the folks who knew they belonged in the beginner group and then some of us who couldn’t conceive that we should be in that lowly position. I went out with the mid-level group and promptly found myself the slowest guy on the track, by a long shot. But I had fun and maybe I learned enough to get at least a bit better. It definitely made me a lot more respectful of the skill those guys have who go really, really fast.

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Biker Quote for Today

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness has never owned a sportbike.

I’ve never been afraid to get my hands dirty, but that doesn’t mean I’ve ever been all that much of a mechanic. Granted, with the guidance of some experienced friends I did once drop a new engine into a 1964 Ford Fairlane, but that was long ago and far away.

When it comes to my motorcycles I have always been the guy paying someone else to do all but the most basic maintenance. Heck, I’ve never even replaced a tire. I generally replace oil and filters, and adjust the chain on my old Honda CB750, and that’s about it. I did replace the shift-shaft seal on the Honda recently.

I’m open to learning more. To that end, I plan to attend a basic motorcycle maintenance session the Erico Motorsports is offering on Saturday, Nov. 5. Here’s what they intend to cover:

1. Chain/chassis lubrication and adjustment
2. Oil level inspection and change along with coolant level checks
3. Brake pad and fluid inspection
4. Inspection of tires along with correct tire pressure settings
5. Frame and suspension inspection
6. General safety check
7. Benefits of a dynamometer and power commander
8. Set up for storage/winterization
9. Pre-ride inspection
10. Scheduled maintenance
11. Performance enhancement

Of course I have two interests in doing this. First, I’m hoping I might learn something. Second, I figure it will be an interesting session to write about.

In case you’re interested, you’ll need to contact Tai Beldock at Erico to RSVP at tai@ericomotorsports.com. There is no charge but they’ll be providing lunch and want to have an idea how many people to expect.

So stay tuned. Or maybe I’ll see you there. If you do come, please find me and introduce yourself. I’ll be the guy shooting pictures. I love meeting the folks who visit my website.

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Biker Quote for Today

Bikes are a ton easier to push through doorways when the guy on the bike isn’t holding the brake.

This looks like it could be an interesting event. Tomorrow (Friday, Aug. 5) from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Erico Motorsports is hosting “The Art of the Ducati.” For this event, Carlos Guerrero, a local “Graffiti Artist” (that’s with their caps, so I hope that means he’s an artist dealing in murals, not some tagger) will be creating a multi-media piece that includes the bodywork from a Ducati Monster. The piece he creates will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to Ronald McDonald House.

This is all part of the RINO (River North Art District) First Friday series of events. Music will be provided by Canyon Station, a band that includes John Beldock, the co-proprietor with Tai Beldock, of Erico.

Figuring that the more the merrier, Sqream, Denver’s scooter club, which has received a lot of support from Erico, will be there as well celebrating their 7th anniversary and “doing a scooter crawl of the River North First Friday Art Walk.”

Sounds like it could be a good time. Erico is at 2855 Walnut St., in downtown Denver, north of where Broadway cuts diagonally toward the river.

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Biker Quote for Today

You’re a biker wannabe if you think that a kick-starter is a mocha latte.

I’ve ridden motorcycle trikes before and I’ve never cared much for them. They don’t lean and they’re too much like driving a car for my taste. So I’ve been very interested for a long time in trying out the Piaggio MP3 scooter, which has three wheels but is not at all the same as a trike in its handling.

With abundant thanks to Tai Beldock at Erico Motorsports, I can now report that I have ridden an MP3 and it really is everything I expected it to be.

The difference with an MP3 is what Piaggio calls its “parallelogram suspension.” What they’re saying is that whether you’re leaning into a turn, one wheel’s going into a pothole, or whatever, those two front wheels remain parallel to each other. It’s like having one wheel in front in terms of handling, but two wheels in terms of stability.

That’s not to say that, trike-like, the MP3 won’t fall over; it will. Remember, it handles just like a two-wheeled motorcycle. If you come up to a stop on a regular bike and don’t put your feet down you’d better have exceptionally good balance. Same with the MP3, except that the MP3 has a button you can push at below 5 mph that will lock the fork and keep you upright. The lock disengages as soon as you start rolling again. Still, I found it easier to just treat it like any other bike and put my feet down.

Thanks to the elements I had a good chance to test the MP3’s stability. Going up and down Lookout Mountain there was gravel in many of the curves and having three wheels was very comforting. Later it rained heavily and splashing through puddles and turning on rain-slicked streets the MP3 again felt very secure.

This scoot–and it is a scooter, no gear-shifting going on here–comes in three engine sizes, 250cc, 400cc, and 500cc. While the 250 will theoretically run at interstate speeds, when I tried it I felt best in the right-hand lane. The bigger models do go faster, though not much. The main thing the bigger engines offer is increased acceleration and carrying capacity.

Now, I’m not about to go adding a scooter to my garage any time soon, but presumably decades in the future these big bikes I ride now are going to be a bit much for me. A lot of guys I know say they figure someday they’ll have a trike. Not me. Come that time I’d rather move down to something lighter, whether it’s a motorcycle or a scooter. And the MP3, or whatever like it is on the market at that point, would definitely be an option I would consider. Meanwhile, for anyone today who finds the stability of three wheels appealing, the MP3 is definitely something I would suggest looking at.

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Biker Quote for Today

I am in the relentless pursuit of 6th gear. I keep trying and it still isn’t there.

The word from Erico Motorsports is that Paolo Pirozzi, who is riding around the world on his Ducati Multistrada 1200, will be coming through Denver this weekend and they’re rolling out the red carpet for him.

According to the blurb, Paolo has mapped out a 90,000 kilometer route that is taking him from Europe to Russia, Asia to Australia, then on to North American and North Africa, ending up back home in Italy. Ducati gave him the Multistrada for the ride but the Ducati community is taking car of everything else.

In Denver, there will be a meet and greet at Erico on Saturday from 2-4 p.m., after which he will be given a tour of the sights of Denver on a bus loaded with the first 20 to sign up. (“Yes, free beer on the bus,” says Erico.)

When the bus returns to Erico at about 5:30, the party will move to Vintage Moto at 2762 Walnut for a private viewing of Jim Dillard’s vintage motorcycle collection. Then the local Denver Ducati Owner’s Club will be taking the guest of honor out to dinner.

The entire event is open to anyone, although the bus is expected to fill up quickly. For more information, contact Erico at 303-308-1811.

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Biker Quote for Today

Adventure is not the road we travel, it’s the obstacles we overcome.

This is a little bit of short notice but I finally paid attention to it myself. Jerry Pokorny, who is associated with the British Motorcycle Association of Colorado and who I’ve mentioned here before, is the featured speaker tonight at Erico Motorsports.

“Tales of Speed” is the title for his presentation, and it is about setting land speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Jerry has set two such records, the most recent a little over a month ago on his 1954 BSA A-10 “Golden Flash.” He also set a record in 2008 on his 1945 Triumph 3HW.

Erico is located in downtown Denver at 2855 Walnut St. . The doors open at 6 p.m. and the presentation begins at 6:30. As an added attraction, after Jerry’s presentation, Erico will unveil the new Triumph Sprint GT.

The invitation I received said to RSVP to Tai at Tai@ericomotorsports.com. I’m not sure that’s totally necessary but it can’t hurt. I’m sure they’d like to know how many to expect.

Maybe I’ll see you there.

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Biker Quote for Today

You ain’t livin’ unless you’re livin’ on the edge.