How to Organize a Ride in Way Too Many Steps

To be honest, we never thought it would end. The rain. For those of you who don't know, I live in Colorado where the natives like to brag about 300+ days of sunshine a year. Well, we're probably not going to meet that goal this year. The only two days in May (2015) that didn't have precipitation in one form or another (yes, it snowed and hailed) was the last weekend of the month - this past Saturday and Sunday.

But, now riding season is [officially] upon us. And with riding season [hopefully] there will be more posts to this blog.

Let's begin the summer riding season with a post I've had toiling around in the back of my head for a few years now. Actually, the idea came to me from another local rider who sent me a PM on a local riding forum asking me how to organize a ride. First, some background: we always had a local noob ride that unofficially kicked off the riding season by taking veteran riders and putting them in riding groups with newbies. Now, those noobs could be new to riding, new to sportbikes, new to Colorado or just new to canyon carving. Regardless, it became somewhat of a tradition and was, until he moved, put together by one of our local riders.

After he moved no one took up the mantle and I kind of liked the idea of the seasonal starter ride so I gave it a little twist of my own and made it happen. I'm also a military veteran and while I never organized convoys personally, I was a part of many of them over the years and I took those successes as well as the ever necessary After Action Review (or, AAR) and applied them to herding cats sportbike riders.

The first thing I did was change the scope of the ride from the annual Noob Ride to the annual Seasonal Kick-Off ride.

Why? Because we had habit of attracting sixty to 100 experienced riders and 8 to 10 noobs on the traditional Noob Rides. In my opinion the ride itself had morphed from a new rider mentorship ride to a bunch of friends getting out together before the responsibilities of summer life (mowing lawns, vacations, children being home, etc) started upsetting everyone's schedules. Plus, after winter we were all eager to be on two wheels and see old faces.

So, how did I do it? That's what we're all here for isn't it? How do you organize a ride?

Well, it's actually pretty simple. Or not simple, depending on how you look at such tasks. For me it was simple.

The first thing you need to know is your audience. That is, what kind of riding are you planning on doing? Are you cruising along, surfing the asphalt, breaking the sound barrier or out to enjoy the scenery? As any reader of this blog will already know, I ride a sportbike so this How-to will be geared towards sportbikes, but should be applicable to any style of riding. Will you be riding with your regular group where you all know each other's skill sets or will you be riding with unknowns, new riders, squids or other purveyors of chaos?

These are important considerations when planning a ride. If the riders you plan on attracting are regulars - people you've ridden with regularly - less planning needs to go into the starting point, finishing point and route. Chances are you already know it by heart. But, if you're going to be attracting a hodgepodge of riders, more planning needs to go into considered and implemented.

The second thing you should know is your route. This includes starting points, ending points and any rest stops along the way.

Starting Points, or Staging Areas:

Anywhere can be a starting point but here we usually start at a neutral location that has easy access to gas and caffeine, maybe some food as well. In general we pick a gas station near where our real riding will begin. Sometimes it's a coffee place near a gas station, but it's almost always near a gas station. We do not start at bars. This ensures everyone has a chance to fuel up before the ride begins, add some wake-me-up juice to their system and grab a quick bite to eat if they haven't already.

Ending Points:

This one is a little more ambiguous. An ending point can be anywhere. At the same location as the starting point, at a person's home, at a restaurant or another specific location. Many times our ending points are in the same location as our starting points with 300 miles in-between. Sometimes they're on the other side of the state or at a half-way point where the group will grab a bite to eat and people will be on their own from there to split off into smaller groups, go home or go on solo rides. Again, knowing your audience comes into play here. Do you normally ride in a group from start to finish? Do you typically ride from pub to pub to pub or some other string of stops along the way? Do you ride with an official organization that mandates all riders start and finish together? These are things that need to be considered when planning an ending point. Heck, there's been plenty of times where the official ending point was nothing more than a park-n-ride or a intersection where most people would then pick their own way home.

The [Actual] Route:

This is the tricky part and where knowing your audience really becomes a factor. Are you cruisers out for a ride? Are you kneedraggers looking for that thrill? Is your intent to get from Point-A to Point-B or is your intent to explore, to hit as many turns as possible or to wear the chicken strips off the rubber? These are the things that need to be considered.

For us, we're sportbike riders, so we typically plan our rides along twisty roads with little to no traffic. We also have to consider that sportbikes aren't terribly comfortable for sitting in hours on end. So, we take a lot of stops to got off and stretch legs. Is there a gas station for refueling? Bathrooms? At least some sort of scenery? Do you need to consider cell phone service? Living in Colorado we know not every inch of the mountains and valleys are covered by the mobile carrier maps, whether they're red, blue, yellow or magenta. And living in the southwest as I do, we know that sometimes you can get out into the middle of nowhere where the chance of a passerby is slim if there's an emergency and the cell phones won't get signal. Just be aware of local service coverage maps when planning out your routes.

Other considerations to make are weather (is there a high mountain pass? Is snow possible?), construction zones, known hot spots for speed traps?

HWY 128 in Utah

It helps to go over the route with everyone before the ride begins just in case someone falls out or has mechanical problems [but to be fair, that's what the sweep is for]. Leads and sweeps should be very familiar with the route in case the group gets separated somehow. They should also know about any stopping/resting points where the group can reform if necessary.

Size Matters: 

Not the size of your engine or the size of your saddle, but the size of your group. Are you organizing a ride for 3 people or thirty? Are you expecting a turnout of your most trusted compatriots or is it an open call ride? Should you consider capping the ride's numbers?

These considerations are important because they change how the ride should be handled. Does the number of riders change group dynamics? Do you have to plan for leaders and sweeps for a number of groups or just one fairly large one? Do you have enough people willing to play the role of leaders and sweeps? With more casual riding [read: cruising] having one large group might be feasible, but with sportbikes, not everyone rides at the same pace. This means, unless the ride is specifically targeted to a skill level you have to plan for that rider who wants to ride triple digits the entire time and that rider who just clocked their first hundred miles. With my rides, if it turns out we have over 15 people interested we generally break into smaller groups, each with their own leads and sweeps. 

I once planned a ride that had nearly 100 people show up. We broke down into eight separate groups, each with a lead, a sweep and each group based on the tempo the group wanted to ride. The faster group, obviously, went first, then the more moderately paced groups and finally the noobs whose leaders and sweeps were experienced riders. We even had enough women riders that they had their own group.

With the greater number of groups staging starting times becomes necessary. First group, then give a few minutes. Second group, then give a few minutes. Third group and so on. This gives the groups enough time to put some space between themselves so they do not end up merging into one larger group. This also gives any group that was stopped by a red light or two a chance to get going before the next group gets stopped or the two groups become a cluster f....

Cash is King:

This isn't something you can require your individual members to bring, but it's always a good reminder. Sometimes you get out into the rural areas and restaurants or gas stations may not accept debit or credit cards. Perhaps they just don't have a reliable internet service or maybe they're locally owned and don't want to pay the credit card company their 15% [or whatever the convenience fee is at the time you're reading this]. So, it's a good idea to remind people to bring a few bucks in cash, just in case.

Get the Word Out:

Message boards, social media and newsletters have made this pretty easy these days, so I won't get into too much detail here other than to say give your prospective riders enough time to plan for the day. Maybe they have to take the day off of work or put off a honey-do task; perhaps there's a few other events going on that day and they need time to make other arrangements. The simple matter is, people have lives and those lives, sometimes, take precedence over riding motorcycles. 

Becky [here] organized this ride

Blasphemy you say! Well, maybe, but it happens. The kids have little league, families come to town, or you go out of town. Life happens whether you plan for it or not. Unless you have a standing Saturday at 8am ride reservation with your regular riders group, give people enough time to make arrangements if needed. I suggest at least six weeks notice, but I've seen large turnouts with as little as a few days. This also goes back to knowing your audience. Are they just looking for someone to send out the "Avengers Assemble" command, are they used to meeting every Thursday evening at 5:30 or are they wild cats that need herding?

Also, as anyone who has been paying attention already knows, law enforcement knows how to use the internet, too. We take the extra added precaution of not sharing the route on social media or forums. The ride organizer usually shares the route with the leads and sweeps at her own discretion or waits until ride day to let everyone in on the plan. Hopefully this keeps the small town cops and state patrols from setting up speed traps along our expected path.

KSU:

If there's anything a regular rider knows it's that getting riders to ride is impossible. Sure, they all say they want to ride, but conversations start, socializing begins and suddenly you're way off schedule. That 8am KSU [kick stands up, for you laymen] has now turned into 8;45 with no indication you'll even be on your bike by 9;30.

Due to this, the ride organizer needs to be firm: KSU is KSU. If you planned on being on the road by 8am or 9am or 10pm, be firm with that time. That means the safety brief needs to be done beforehand, that the leaders and sweeps are matched up and set-up for riders to fall in and everyone needs to be fueled up already. 

Nanny State:

This shouldn't have to be said, but it needs to be said. No matter how dumb you think the person next to you is, someone else is dumber.

The ride organizer may consider making additional requirements for the ride. I bring this up due to a situation we had the first year I organized the above mentioned Noob Ride. While we were in the staging area socializing as the clock ticked towards KSU time, a local police officer parked in the parking lot of the gas station and just sort of hung out. He didn't harass anyone or start checking IDs or anything, he just sat there after getting his coffee and doughnut (okay, I guessed there) inside. 

Fast forward a half hour or so and we're leaving: group 1, group 2, group 3, etc. I think it was group 4 out of 5 that the police officer pulled over. Now, technically the officer can't pull over a group, but when he flashed his lights the lead pulled off to the side of the road and the rest of the group followed. They hadn't done anything wrong and the lead had no expectation of trouble. Except one rider. This guy took off and the officer called state patrol to go after him. 

Actual Photo of the Stop

Apparently the local officer had been in his car scanning plates. He discovered the rider who ran wasn't currently registered and, as it turned out, this rider didn't have his motorcycle endorsement on his license as well. And, it also turned out, the rider didn't have insurance. Now, the rider took it upon himself to show up and try to ride in the group while not being legal and that was his choice. However, he caused and entire group to be pulled over as well as misrepresented sportbike riders as targets for local police. Forever more he was persona non grata with our group.

So, this is up to the ride organizer, but you can require everyone be tagged and licensed properly or they're not allowed on the ride. I put this rule on all my ride announcements so there's no misconception at the staging areas. If I notice no tags or out of date tags I tell them they can't come. Sometimes they throw a fit and sometimes their friends throw a fit, but they always leave. 

And on a final note [finally!], the ride organizer has a decision to make. Which group to ride with? Does she or he go first, go in the middle somewhere or go last? Personally, I prefer to go last. I see each group off and join the last group or the next to last group depending on the skill levels involved. As the ride organizer I feel it's my responsibility to be the ultimate sweep, the ride sweep, if you will. This, of course, does not apply in smaller rides where the organizer will most likely be the lead rider, setting the pace and route.

Did I miss anything? Leave a comment below.

It's Not That Difficult

One of my least favorite things in the world is dying. No, no – not death. Dying. Specifically, when it's me. More specifically, when it's me doing the dying and someone else doing the killing. That's when you know life sucks.

Just a little bit ago I found myself just a reaction away from death. A little slower, perhaps a little more tired or had I been distracted and I wouldn't be here to type this out, relating how one man in a SUV nearly killed me because – why the hellz not?

The weather is dry, the sky is blue and I was riding my motorcycle running a few errands and grabbing a bite to eat. It was a normal day. I wasn't speeding (as if I ever do that); I wasn't in the canyons subtracting from my chicken strips nor was I acting the fool in any way, shape or form. In fact, I was merely leaving a parking lot via a one-way exit when a man in a SUV decided he couldn't wait until the corner to turn into the parking lot, he had to come in the exit.

Now, you have to understand, this is a dedicated exit from the parking lot to the street. From the street a sign clearly marks the exit as a Do Not Enter. In fact, the exit exits at an angle that should indicate to all involved it's not meant to be entered from the street.

But this jackass did. I can't recall exactly the make of the SUV, but it was one of those luxury kind, reminiscent of a Lexus or BMW – more egg shaped and less likely to be found with dirt under the tires. It was some sort of metallic goldish color. Not red or rust, but more beige than brown. I really don't know what color to call it other than ugly. The windows weren't tinted so I got a good look at the douchbag driving the thing. He was older than me, probably upper forties or early 50s, graying hair and a blue dress shirt. He actually had the audacity to wave at me as he drove around me.

Having my helmet on he more than likely couldn't hear me through my shield and his window and I doubt he heard my horn. From my rear view mirror I watched his SUV drive through the parking lot. Angry, I exited and rode around the corner to enter the lot from the proper side and then drove through looking for his vehicle. I didn't find it.

Not Actual Sign

Had I not been paying attention, had I been just a little more slow on my reaction time, I would probably be in a hospital right now if not dead.

The sad thing is, this isn't the first time this has happened in that exact same spot. The last two times I was in a cage, either my full size Chevy SUV or my friend's sedan. Both times wouldn't have been good for anyone, but at least I was protected by a metallic cage unlike today where only a helmet and leather riding jacket would have protected me.

Not that I'm complaining about riding at all. I take more precautions than a lot of people and less than a few (I rarely wear head-to-toe leather unless I'm carving the canyons). I'm complaining about the jackasses who don't obey the traffic laws, who can't read signs or who have decided that rules of the road are reserved solely for everyone else.

You wouldn't drive the wrong way down a one-way road, would you? Then why would you enter an exit only? Each and every one of us relies on the other's adherence to established rules to keep an orderly procession and while some rules may be a little more flexible than others, turning head on into traffic because you're a douche isn't one of them. 

Fantasy Bike

http://www.robotech.com/infopedia/mecha/viewmecha.php?id=65

When I was a kid Robotech was the greatest cartoon in the world. Seriously. Unlike more common fare like Transformers or He-Man, Robotech was a serial that followed Rick Hunter and humanity's first experiences with alien technology, space battles and giant transformable robots piloted by people. Each episode built on the previous episodes, each season a foundation for the next. People died, mistakes were made by leaders, romance, jealousy, treachery, you name it. Robotech was a new level of story for a ten year old kid.

And it was awesome. F-14's that turned into giant robots protecting the Earth from alien invaders? How friggin cool is that?

First there was Macross, then The Masters and then The New Generation. I can't recall specifically when they were introduced (The Masters or New Generation), but in the third Robotech War the heroes spent much of their time wearing mecha armor doubling as motorcycles in lieu of fighter jets. The Cyclone series mecha. They drove on the ground, dirt roads, pavement or over open grasslands. No longer relegated to the darkness of space or fleeting through the clouds, this new mecha brought Robotech much closer to home for a 11-12 year old kid. Where I couldn't imagine myself Top Gunning it across the clouds, I could definitely see myself on the open road, flicking a button and instantly covered with armor with a really big friggin gun.

And then some genius went and made a replica of the Cyclone motorcycle mecha.

Robotech Cyclone Mecha Replica

A motorcycle that turned into armor that flew you around and beat the shit out of aliens? Fuck yeah! I wanted one, wanted one bad. Unfortunately, science hadn't caught up to cartoons yet. One could argue that science still hasn't caught up to cartoons, but that's another discussion for another day.

There is a scene from one of the early episodes in the Third Robotech War where the heroes come across a shipping container of these mecha somewhere in the desert and I can recall the shock I felt when they only took the one for the kid that didn't already have a Cyclone mecha. They left a container full of mecha to rot in the wasteland of North America. Where was my container of badassery?

The Cyclone may have contributed to my desire for a sportbike over other options when I finally decided to purchase a bike for the first time. And to this day I look for the switch on my clip-ons for a button that will transform my SV into wearable armor ready to take on an alien army.

But, my SV has no such switch.

In reality, the reason I bought a motorcycle was because my bicycle wasn't going fast enough and I craved speed. Now I'm older, wiser and fatter. I don't crave speed (as much) anymore, but I still crave a Robotech Cyclone. Not a replica, although that would still be cool, but a full-fledged grenade lugging gun toting wearable armor. I'm still waiting on that NASA!

The point is, we all have some bike somewhere that, if reality could be altered, we'd love to have in our stable. It might be a speederbike from Return of the Jedi, bike from Akira or any of a gazillion other science fiction outlets, like Judge Dredd.

What's your fantasy bike? Not something you wish you could afford but rather, what fictional motorcycle do you dream about?

Toy Run 2014

This year's annual Children's Hospital toy run was today. Luckily, for early December it wasn't too cold, about 40 when I woke up at 7am and then close to 60 as the day wore on.

We met for breakfast and then rode over as a group to the staging are where we sat around for a few hours. I think someone said there were 2700 bikes represented, but then someone else said that was just the final wave. So figure, at least 2500 bikes showed and dropped off toys for sick children.

After dropping off our toys and before leaving, a woman came over and thanked us. I asked if she had a child in the hospital to which she replied, No. But, she said. I did a few years ago and you motorcycle riders helped out tremendously.

For the record, I brought a die cast metal Jeep for a boy and the Frozen DVD for a girl.

Damir on an Italian Steed

Cookies! Or at least, a Cookie Monster

Bikes! Bikes as far as the eye can see!

Vroom! Vroom!

I'm Not Doing That

I'm not going to lie, my balls are not this big.

Mid October Ride

I went riding. Nothing special, just a quick jaunt up Peak-to-Peak and back while the weather was good again. I'd made the same run last week, but this week the weather was more forgiving. Mid-80s in Denver with mid-70s in Estes Park and, unlike last week, there was little to no wind.

I recorded the ride on my GoPro on the way up to Estes Park and then moved the camera to record the ride behind me. It's that video that I uploaded to Youtube. Unfortunately, I got caught up behind a few cars and even another motorcycle that was going extremely slow and had to tone it down a handful of times.

To be fair, I tried adding music to the video just so you didn't have to listen to the engine's noise being picked up by the terrible mic in the GoPro, but I couldn't figure out how to add more than one song, especially since these videos are longer than a song's length.

So, my advice is to simply turn down the volume and enjoy.


This first video is from the intersection of Highway 7 and Highway 72, heading south. This is part two. Apparently, GoPro won't record one long video, but instead cuts off after about 20 minutes. Which turned out to be fine, actually.

Peak-to-Peak

Yeah. Sure.

Yesterday as reportedly the warmest day of the week. With highs in the mid-80s I thought it was a good time to get some miles on my wheels and took the SV out for a ride.

The original plan was to head south to Woodland Park and then out to Buena Vista, returning on 285 through Fairplay and the home. It would have been an all day ride, but for the most part, very long, very straight and very boring. So, at the last minute I decided to head up Peak-to-Peak highway from Golden, CO to Estes Park and back.

Being a Monday the traffic was light, but still much heavier than I was expecting, especially after the fall viewing season was pretty much over, but I persevered - sometimes at speeds matching the speedlimit. What really annoyed me, though, was the fact that I went on the ride unprepared for the cooler temperatures up in the high country. Since I wasn't really going over any passes I didn't wear anything more than a light t-shirt underneath my motorcycle jacket and my mesh gloves. Therefore I was a bit chilly during many parts of the ride, helped in no small part by the gusting winds that at a couple of points threatened to send me careening off the road.

Colors of Fall

I refilled the bike is Estes Park and debated taking another route home, but I knew from experience the other way would have much higher volumes of traffic and construction.

Overall, the ride was pleasant. One of the things I like about riding by myself was the ability to stop where I want to stop and set my own pace, as fast or slow as I choose to go, without having to try and keep up or slow down to stay with others. For example, on a ride like this, the normal group I ride with would have stopped four or five times each way. Instead I stopped in Golden, where I turned on my GPS tracker and then again in Estes Park where I gassed up and had a small bite to eat. I did made a couple of stops on the way home, though. One for the picture with the sign and once to, uh, relieve myself. According to my GPS tracker, I was recording for 4 hours and moving for three hours and fifty-eight minutes, if that give you any indication.

I almost brought the GoPro with me, but I worried traffic would be as bad as it was and that any video I recorded would show nothing but the tail lights of whatever cage was in front of me, so I didn't bring it. Sure, there were a couple of times when I regretted not having it recording, but all in all, I think I made the right decision.

In the end, I put in a little over 220 miles. So, it was a good day. Minus all the back pain. Damn, I'm getting old.

Green Start / Red Finish (for the most part)

Safety Brief

If you haven't guess yet, I ride a sportbike. An SV1000s, to be specific. What I love about the bike is, not only can it keep up with the hyperbikes in the twisties of Colorado, but it's comfortable enough for commuting and longer rides. Especially after I replaced the stock seat with a Corbin one.

The group I ride with are typically sportbike riders. On any given ride we might have your typical race replicas, big engine bikes like the Hayabusa's or bikes that don't fit into any particular category like Speed Triples. More often than not, though, the bikes that show up for rides are superbikes, very similar to their race brethren, just as fast and just as aggressive. Since most of us push the legal envelope when riding we have a pre-ride safety brief before each and every group ride, even when the ride is filled with veterans.

For the rides I organize, I like to use these safety tips in my brief:

• Don't Die

That's right. Rule number one is don't die. You'd think I wouldn't have to tell people this, but since we're sportbike riders and we like to push our limits, not dying is something we don't always think about before kicking our stands up.

• Don't crash

Dying is bad, Mmm'kay.

Again, this one seems self-explanatory, but sometimes you have to remind people of the obvious. The truth is, some people are a lot more rational than others and most sportbike riders are wondering if they're going to get their knees down or their chicken strips erased more than they're worried about going down. Don't crash reminds them to keep the shiny side up and be aware and alert of their surroundings and actions.

• Ride Your Own Ride

We're not all riding at the same level and even when we are, some people are just having a bad day. Maybe they went out drinking the night before, didn't sleep well, have a slight cold, or any of a thousand other reasons why people aren't up to their normal riding capabilities. Ride your own ride simply means don't try and keep up where you can't. If the person in front of you is riding beyond your capabilities, let them. It's not your responsibility to keep the group together or risk going down by taking that 35 mph corner at 90 mph. The sweep, a designated position, holds this responsibility.

• Hand Signals

Since we all wear our gear, including helmets, hand signals are an important part of communicating while on the road. From left and right turns, to informing the riders behind you of a police officer ahead, hand signals are important. Each group or style of riding may have their own signals, the ones we typically encourage are: turn left, turn right, road hazard left, road hazard right, police ahead. For lead riders, with more advanced riders the signal to let others know if it's safe to pass on a double yellow or where visibility is compromised is also important to know.

Speaking of lead riders, each group ride is going to have a lead and sweep rider. Some might call them by other names, but in general, they're the first and last rider of a group. Both of these roles have their own responsibilities, neither of which is to be too fast or too slow. Leaders and sweeps should be in communication with each other via hand signals, the leaders ensuring everything is okay and the sweeps indicating if there is any problem with the ride.

• Lead Riders

Leading Responsibility

A lead rider must know the route the group will take. To be fair, everyone should know the route, just in case, but the lead rider should not only know it, but be familiar with the plans. They should know appropriate re-grouping points, refreshment locations and gas stops. If the group is out for a leisurely ride, they should also know any points of interest. Leads have the responsibility of keeping an eye out for road hazards, police and a variety of other conditions that might affect the ride, the riders or be perilous to the motorcycles.

One of the rules I personally have for group rides, and this applies to everyone, not just leaders is to keep the bike behind you in your rearview mirror. This serves a couple of purposes, to include keeping the group together and ensuring the riders in front don't keep going if there is a mechanical issue, or worse, behind them. It also ensures the lead rider doesn't get too far ahead and run into their own problems, possibly going of the road as the remainder of the group rides on by.

• Sweeps (Tails, Rear Guard, etc)

Many people mistakenly believe that the sweep rider must be the slowest rider in the group. This is false. The sweep rider needs to be as experienced or even more experienced than the lead rider. Like the lead, the sweep needs to know the route or any waypoints the group might stop at; he, or she, also needs to know how many riders are in the group, and should know the answers to basic mechanical questions should anyone have a problem while out for a ride. A preference list is to have a cellphone that works in all areas in case 911 needs to be dialed as well as basic first aid skills should they be needed. It is the sweep's responsibility to make sure the entire group stays together. They aren't to leave the group and, like the lead, they shouldn't leave their role for a different position in the group.

A quick way to be banned from rides I organize is to be a sweep and abandon a rider in pursuit of a more spirited ride. In smaller groups, this may be okay, depending on the riders involved, but in larger group rides, where experience levels vary greatly, this behavior is a major no-no.

• Police

For those of us pushing the envelope, the police can be a major buzz kill. They pop out of nowhere, sitting behind signs or off in a hidden driveway. Sometimes they are heading your way in the opposite direction and sometimes they're behind you just waiting for someone to break a rule.

Remember, in most places, the police can only pull over one vehicle at a time. They cannot pull over a group. Typically they will light up the sweep (so the sweep should be properly licensed and insured) but on occasion they will split the group and single out a specific rider.

While this is happening the remainder of the group needs to keep moving until they arrive a predetermined way point or refill/refreshment stop to wait for the pulled over individual. Otherwise, an unethical policeman will try and ticket the entire group letting the courts sort out the confusion. 

When riding with a smaller group, say three or four, no more than five, the group may not need a dedicated lead or sweep, hand signals or anything else, especially if the riders are comfortable with each other. However, with a larger group, eight, ten or fifteen bikes, a dedicated standard of rules is detrimental to a good ride with the least amount of issues.

Remember, we're all here to have fun and one downed rider or incident with the police can ruin a good time for everyone. 

Epic

Staging Point

At the last minute I invited myself along on a overnight motorcycle trip. Now, I know what you're thinking: That Jason is a such as ass inviting himself on someone else's ride. But, you need to understand, the ride had an open invite and I was just one of 5 other people who decided to partake of the invitation.

The plan was simple: leave Denver, ride out to Glenwood Springs, the long way, and return. The original (tentative) route was to take highway 285 out of Denver to Pine Junction, south to Woodland Park, west to Divide and south to Cripple Creek. After Cripple Creek we'd head down to Canon City and take highway 50 west and somehow make our way up to our final destination where we'd simmer our sore muscles in the hot springs for which the city is famous.

However, like all well made plans, this plan fell apart before the first kickstand was up. We were supposed to leave at 9:00am but didn't get on the road before 9:20am. Bob, a former racer turned MSF motorcycle instructor, met us at the meet point without his oil plug and therefore hemorrhaging oil everywhere. He had to run to the TFOG motorcycle shop and borrow a plug from the owner and meet up with us later.

Of those who went all the way, Bob, Elliot and I were the most experienced riders, Mike, his mother Deba, and Sydney were the riders with the least experience. I don't know how much experience Sydney had, but Mike and his mother only took the MSF course and started riding last year.

Bob's oil Porblem

About ten other riders decided to ride with us for a little while before turning around, some breaking of at Woodland Park and others splitting off in Cripple Creek. We had lunch at a casino in Cripple Creek (which annoyed me since we hadn't been on the road very long and it was barely noon when we stopped). I would have preferred to keep going until Canon City or even further, having a late lunch and minimizing our stops, but I was out voted.

After lunch we tried to find our way out of Cripple Creek and south, but each way ended up taking us along miles and miles of dirt roads. I don't know about you, but sportbikes and dirt roads don't mix very well in my opinion.

Cripple Creek isn't that large of a town and yet we seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time there, backtracking over our routes and stopping to check directions a gazillion times. Elliot had his directions on Google Maps out, but not the actual map and none of us had data connections. I have a map of Colorado on my bike, but nothing detailed enough to get us around and out of Cripple Creek in the direction we wanted to travel.

South of Leadville

In the end we re-traced our path to Divide, gassed up and took highway 24 west to Buena Vista. Highway 24 can be fun, but a large portion of it was newly oiled and as the lead rider at that time, I decided to take it slow lest our tires not stick as well as they should and one, or more, of us went down. We finally made it beyond the fresh oil section in time for a long straight, yet very scenic, jaunt across central Colorado.

North of Buena Vista we stopped at the intersection for highway 82 and geared up for a chilly climb over Independence Pass. At over 12,000ft above sea level, the pass is cold in the height of summer and even colder in the non-summer months. And it was the first time all day we saw even the tiniest hint of rain.

But it was beautiful. I wish I'd had the +GoPro running, but even though I hit the button it didn't start recording and I didn't know until I arrived home the next evening.

We stopped at the top for a quick picture with the sign, a wedding party waiting silently by for us to be on our way and then headed downhill into Aspen where we regrouped at the Shell station. While drying off and stretching our legs we were witness to a woman wearing a dark blue dress ride up to the gas pumps on a dirt bike. On the handlebars rested her (I'm told) Coach bag.

12,095 Ft Above Sea Level

From Aspen we headed to Glenwood Springs and then on to Silt, CO where our rooms were booked. You have to understand, the ride organizer reserved our rooms and didn't tell us we were staying in Silt. Hell, I didn't even know where Silt was before we arrived there. Our hotel was nice, though and the restaurant down the street was surprisingly good. Good at everything. Their food was fantastic, their drinks were friendly and their staff was nice. I couldn't have dreamed a better restaurant.

We woke the next morning to dreary drizzle and while we'd discussed leaving at 11am (or at checkout), one person in our group was antsy to get moving and get ahead of the rain.  So, before 10am we were out the door and heading east on I-70. East of Glenwood Springs we were witness to a State Trooper chasing down a motorcyclist who weaved in and out of traffic to avoid being pulled over. We believe the motorcyclist was able to lose the trooper from the simple fact that we never saw the trooper and the motorcyclist pulled over on the side of the road.

Only in Aspen

We pulled over onto the shoulder of I-70 when Bob's bike turned over it's 75,000th mile, so he could take a picture, and then again in Minturn, CO to await the rest of our group to catch up.

In Leadville we stopped from lunch at a recommended local gem, The Silver Dollar Saloon. However, it wasn't much of a gem. Their menu only had a handful of items, all of which were hamburgers or sandwiches. Elliot is gluten free and couldn't have anything available. When he asked if he could buy two hamburger patties in lieu of s hamburger or sandwich, they told him he could buy two burgers at eight dollars each. Sixteen dollars for two hamburger patties? He then asked if he could get food elsewhere and bring it in to eat with the rest of us, they told him "no."

Deb, her son and I ordered our food at the same time and mine didn't come when theirs came. After more than 30 minutes of waiting I told the waitress to cancel my order I was going somewhere else. Bob ordered his sandwich after I ordered mine and he didn't get his until after I'd left to find food elsewhere. As it turned out, my sandwich came at the same time, even after I cancelled the order.

Horses at the Saloon

We adjourned from Leadville and headed south to Buena Vista and highway 285 which would bring us back to Denver. Once again we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful landscape as we shot along the center of the valley. In Fairplay we stopped for gas before heading east once more. At the west end of Kenosha Pass it started raining on us and then it turned to hail. Hail! Our options were limited: either continue on and hope it cleared up quickly or turn around and had back the 20 miles or so to Fairplay. There were no avenues around the storm to take and no place to shelter anywhere.

And so we trudged on. Up the pass through an inch of hail on the ground and then over and down the other side where the hail came once more. At the first chance I had I pulled over at an abandoned building that had a covered walkway and made a headcount. Luckily we all made it through unscathed, but many stories of fishtailing abounded. Having ridden through hail before, I knew what to expect, but three of the six of us had been riding less than two years and the other two hadn't ridden through hail at all.

This trip made riding veterans of everyone.

From Grant, CO until Lakewood we rode in the rain, which sometimes came down as a drizzle and sometimes so hard the Force was our only ally.

Looking East From Fairplay, CO

At C-470 we stopped to say goodbye to each other and for the first time in all these miles we had a mechanical fail. For some reason my bike wouldn't start. Nothing. It was weird. It had just started thirty minutes prior without a problem, but now I wasn't starting at all. Just as I was resigning myself to calling a friend and glad that we were so close to home Bob suggested trying to push start me. So, there we were on the shoulder of a highway trying to push start my SV1000s.

I popped the clutch and the SV started without a problem. I rode it straight home, another thirty miles, or so.

As I mentioned before, we had a rough outline of where we wanted to go, but no one created a detailed travel itinerary, so, like all well made plans, we ended up scrapping them as soon as they became inconvenient.

More Pictures:

Vroom! Vroom!

Mike

Deb

Elliot

Bob

On A Steel Horse I Ride

Our Route

And, if you've made it this far, here's a video of highway 24 between Minturn and Leadvilled, CO. Normally this video would have been more fun to watch, but the rain settled in and I kept having to slow down to wait for the rest of the group to catch up.

Runabout

I'd been busy the past couple of weeks and didn't get a chance to ride much. That's okay because the weather was nasty during those days, only getting nicer, once more, during this past weekend. Unfortunately, I was busy doing non-motorcycle riding things and didn't get a chance to put miles on the rubber.

Today, I did. A little over two hundred miles door-to-door, cold (at elevation), rain (okay, sprinkles), a lost +GoPro (that I was able to find again), and a trip down a dirt road. No, I didn't know the road was dirt at the time. Yes, there was one other avenue, but that was the one I was trying to avoid.

Remember, girls and boys, if everything goes according to plan, it's not an adventure.

Squaw Pass

I know it's late in the (riding) season and I've sort of let this blog become dusty, but I have something to write about now. Woot! Maybe, just maybe I'll continue to write in this blog, but who knows? Since I'm trying to write a novel, when I find myself in a writing mood, I usually sit down and bang at the keyboard in my novel and not a blog.

However, I like sharing and so share I shall.

On a whim last night I decided to check in with my local riding group and see if there was a ride scheduled for today. Sure enough, there was one on the books. Or, on the board, as we say in a modern world.

It was supposed to be a quick ride, up and over Squaw Pass, but we decided to go a little further. It wasn't far, just 91 miles from start to finish That doesn't include the 30 miles to the starting point and the 30 miles home.

Unfortunately, I didn't grab the GoPro on the way out the door. I really wish I would have, though. The scenery was great, albeit cold.

All in all the ride organizer expected 5 bikes to show and we ended up with closer to twenty.

The ride itself was fine. Squaw Pass recently had it's south facing roadway repaved and rides nearly like glass. The temperatures weren't warm to begin with and as we climbed higher it didn't get warmer. I was woefully underdressed in just jeans, boots, leather gloves and jacket over a long sleeved t-shirt. I really should have worn a sweater or something under the jacket.

The good news was, I was able to ride with some friends I haven't ridden with in a couple of years. Okay, I rode with one old friend and another caught up with us halfway through the ride.

Our route started at MOCO and headed up through Bear Creek to Upper Bear Creak and then over Squaw Pass. At the top we stopped at Juniper (I think) Pass Rest Area and took in the sights. Someone was kind enough to bring along their GoPro and record it, but I haven't seen the video yet. Maybe I'll update this later with GoPro footage. Maybe not at my rate. 

That's Mt. Evans in the background. 

Forevergreen

Superhawk, Busa, GSCR, SV

Stator Logistic Problems... Grrr!

Well, that sucks. I ordered a new stator for my motorycle off of eBay. The eBay store titled the item as Ricks Motorsport Electric 03-07 Suzuki SV1000/S Rick's Motorsport Stator 21-331.

The stator comes as described and I'm overjoyed. Now I just need a new gasket and we're good to go! Or so I thought.

I thought I'd be able to get the gasket easier locally, but as it turns out, no one carries a gasket for a 2007 SV1000s stator assembly. It seems the bike, at 7 years old and not a large seller to begin with, isn't worth the shelf space. So, I had to order one. 

Gah!

It finally comes in yesterday and I pick it up believing I can replace the stator today. I sit down with Youtube and watch a couple of stator replacement videos to familiarize myself with the process and then I turn to Ricks Motorsport Electric's YouTube video on assembling the connector:




Then I notice a discrepancy. The video shows attaching the wires to the terminals and the terminals to the connector. However, the connector I received with my new stator appears to already have terminals and wires inside.
Huh?
So, I call Rick's. They pick up quickly and the man, "J", listens to me. He's confused but eventually we hash it out. He then asks for some basic ordering information and I tell him I need to log into eBay and get it for him. He then tells me Rick's doesn't have an eBay store.
Gah!
I look closer and the seller is a "jdeere20" and if you scroll down to the bottom, s/he's with OEM Cycle.com. 
Okay, so I didn't buy the stator directly from Ricks, I bought it from a reseller. I politely excuse myself from J and call OEM Cycle.com. Jake answers and I give him the run down. He also seems confused but we clear it up quickly. Finally he asks for an email with a picture of the connector so they can verify. He doesn't say how, or if, they will rectify the situation, or if they will try to make me purchase an additional part or if I will need to buy the part locally -- just send them an email.
So, I did:

Hello,

I just spoke with Jack regarding my issue. This stator came with a connector that already has terminals and wires inside the connector thus preventing me from putting the new terminated wires inside.

As requested, here are a couple of photographs of the connector.

Thank you for working with me on this

 I also attached the following images:

Wires and terminals

Terminals from the "female" side.

Angled a little for better view

Now a wait for an email or call back. This is pain in the ass. I was hoping with the warmer weather I could finally start riding, but now I have to wait ... again.

I Present a Present

Not Mine, But Used With Permission

Ho, ho, ho! Gee, I wonder what it could be!

To be fair, this isn't my bike, my living room or my house, for that matter. This is a friend's bike he bought himself (wife's permission, of course) last year when he realized his '96 Yamaha wasn't keeping up with our newer sportbikes. He splurged and rewarded himself with this YZF. It's blue, in case you're wondering.

Have a happy holiday, riders. No matter which holiday you celebrate this season -- whether it's secular, Abrahamic, modern or pagan -- the winterfest holidays of a dozen cultural backgrounds all share many of the same attributes: family, feast, the giving of gifts, and more. So, instead of looking longingly out the window at snow covered streets, look instead to your friends, family and loved ones and let them know, at least for this one day, they come first.

Happy Holidays!!