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Colorado Rider News

Hornbuckle Foundation 5th Annual Poker Run Set for September 7th

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By:  Michael Hornbuckle

This will be the 5th consecutive year the Hornbuckle Foundation holds the “SoulRepo” poker run. September 7, the organization will team up with friends from the Sober Souls MC to host the roughly 80 mile ride that ends at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse, where the event will provide world class blues from Texas slinger, Chris Duarte, and Colorado native, A.J. Fullerton, along with raffles, best bike competition and prizes, and a few words from founder, Michael Hornbuckle. Kai Turner of 103.5 the Fox will be handling MC duties. It’s sure to be a don’t-miss event. 

The Hornbuckle Foundation continues to play a part in the recovery community through the generous donations of people wanting to help those that suffer from substance use disorder. The organization has helped to establish sober living homes and provide scholarships. Michael Hornbuckle (Founder/Executive Director) and wife, Sarah Hornbuckle (Director of Operations) have found a particular interest from (but not limited to) musicians/artists seeking a path to recovery. The pair are both in the music industry, in recovery, and certified sober coaches. They have developed a unique skill set while working with recoverees and want to be able to reach more people. 

The goal of this year’s fundraiser is to raise the necessary funds to train and employ a diverse roster of coaches that can be offered to the community. Sober coaching is a proven tool that can complement, and at times supplement the more conventional methods of treating substance use disorder. “Remix Recovery Coaching” will launch in 2020. 

Rider Recovery – Life After an Accident – Kerri Shimko

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By Stormy

Another Sturgis is in the books for Colorado riders. Riders started their journey home sunburned, with great stories to tell and time to get back to reality. For other Colorado riders it brings back memories that will forever be in their memory bank. 

I would like to introduce you to Kerri Shimko. In August 2018, she and her husband Steve were on their way home from a great week in Sturgis. In Lusk, they were involved in a catastrophic accident in their Dodge truck, with a toy hauler and their precious cargo … their bikes inside. They rolled 5 times right and while alive, everything was demolished and damaged. Kerri had her brand new beautiful 2017 Road Glide, with a custom gecko painted on the rear fender.

Steve was airlifted by Flight-For-Life to Denver, with blood on the brain and a horrific eye injury. Kerri sustained a broken sternum and was told there was nothing they could do for her injury. Kerri says, “Only time, and a positive attitude is going to heal the broken bones.” Steve on the other hand endured several surgeries to his eye, to save his vision, but sadly has completely lost the ability to see out of his left eye. 

Despite the long recovery, Kerri and Steve had the love of each other and a commitment to ride again and get their lives back. A life that started in 1991 and then married a year later. She exclaimed, “He was a biker before I met him and for many years, I rode bitch, until one day, I put my foot down and said, ‘no more’.”

When I interviewed Kerri, all I could think was how amazing she is because not only is she riding again after that horrific accident last year, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and she still rides. MS is a demyelinating disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. One day while riding, she noticed she couldn’t see out of her right eye. She ignored it for a few days, but when it didn’t go away, she decided to go see her doctor, and that is when she learned she has it, but it doesn’t stop her from doing what she loves, riding. There were times she thought she would have to give up riding for good. Her vision and balance are both affected if she gets overheated, and it can absolutely wipe her out. 

Despite the challenges that both have faced, Kerri and Steve just returned from a trip to Key West this past May. Hitting many of the states I’ve never really seen. Back roads sure do show you a lot of our beautiful America. I was most impressed with Alabama, which was surprisingly gorgeous in my opinion. We finally made it to our destination, Key West. We had an incredible time there, then headed up the east coast to North Carolina and rode the infamous Tail of the Dragon. We returned home after 3 weeks on the road, a little over 6.000 miles. Life truly is an amazing RIDE!!!”

Beartooth Rally, Red Lodge Montana

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By Stormy

If you are looking for an alternative to the crowds in Sturgis next year, consider attending the 2020 26th annual Beartooth Rally in Red Lodge, MT.  The rally is always on the 3rd weekend in July each year and this is one my favorite rallies.  It’s the perfect size, not too crowded, and the landscape scenes on Beartooth Pass are breathtaking!   If someone were to imagine what Heaven would look like, this would be it because it is on top of the world.  

We travelled with the Cool Biker Lunch & Rides group, some of us on bikes and a few trailered.   Beartooth is about 10 hours almost straight up I-25 so there are good roads and ample places to stop and gas up so you can make it there in a day. 

Red Lodge is a town 2,073 people and it was fun walking down the main street, checking out the shops and even with the biker crowd in town for the rally, parking and getting into restaurants was a breeze.  It is normally very hard at rallies to run into your friends, but within minutes we saw several friends from Colorado at the Carbon County Steakhouse.   Therefore, it’s one of my favorite rallies because it’s small and quaint, but still busy and fun. You can tell that the townspeople get a kick out of all the loud bikes and people roaming around their town, they were extremely friendly and welcoming of our biker dollar.  This is a community that does not roll up its main street but rolls it out embracing your friendship, support and welcomes you back year after year, not just for rally, but also to come and enjoy hiking, fishing and year-round activities.

Beartooth Rally has a full event schedule for the weekend, so you won’t be wondering what to do.  We did both the poker runs, on Friday and Saturday, one of the poker runs led us through graceful curves on the Beartooth Pass Highway that ascended to 10,947 feet and wrapped back around to the Chief Joseph/Sunlight Basin Highway.  The stops were at little hole-in-the-wall bars in sleepy, charming towns that were so welcoming and friendly.

On Sunday, Bone Daddy’s Custom Cycle hosts the Iron Horse Rodeo and everyone including bikers come for all around for this day of rider’s skills and games.  This isn’t your average rodeo, and the organizers have some great categories that are for both men and women and different than your average iron horse rodeo.

If you aren’t into poker runs or rodeos you can venture out on your own take a ride over to Yellowstone for the day.  Yellowstone and the national park are approximately 125 miles away from Red Lodge and the views are breathtaking.  Some of the highlights are Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, West Thumb Geyser Basin.  There are also some great places to stop and see the buffalos and bears up-close and personal.   

Our friend, Stacey Elswich led the group down scenic Highway 212 and described her experience, “We were about 30 minutes into the park when traffic started to slow down.  When that happens, you ask yourself ‘what is everyone looking at?’. Well, it was a bear, but not just a bear…it was a baby bear.  The little fella was frolicking in the meadow about 30 feet off the road. It was amazing, but I thought where there is a baby bear, there is a mommy bear!  

Red Lodge is an adorable little town with residence that thanked us for being in town for the rally.  The rally had good vendors and lovely people. Overall, it was a blast and I would highly recommend it. We all gave Beartooth Rally a thumbs up, and plan to make this an annual road trip!

Women’s World Record Attempt 2019

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On Saturday, August 24th at 10 a.m. at a Harley dealership in the city of Frederick, CO, women bikers attempted to set a world record of having the most women riding their own with no passengers in one parade ride.  This ride took place in the countryside of over 50 miles. I was fortunate to be able to work behind the scenes and see this event come to fruition. I oversaw organizing the road captains. It was a great feeling to volunteer for this wonderful cause as well as the attempt for a world record.

“In Colorado, women bikers are growing like a weed,” said Susan Udero, organizer of Colorado Women’s World Record Ride. “There are 88,000 bikers registered (in Colorado). How many are women? (The DMV) said 4,000 or 5,000.”

Susan says the world record is held by the United Kingdom, where more than 1,100 riders showed up.  Although it was a great event and the women riders had a fantastic time, they were not able to set the record.  The number of women riders were only 465, but they weren’t discouraged, because they were also riding for a wonderful cause, Firefly Autism.  The event raised $25K for children with autism because of these benevolent ladies.

“All the proceeds from this incredible event come directly to Firefly Autism,” said Jesse Ogas, Executive Director of Firefly Autism.

Firefly Autism is based in Denver and provides support to children and families who are impacted by autism.

“We work with children from 18 months to 21 years of age, who are impacted with autism,” Ogas said.  He continues and says that the money raised from this world record attempt event will go to scholarship families who might not be able to pay their deductibles, who might not be able to pay their premiums.  Ogas boasts, “These women are having a huge impact for the children and families at Firefly Autism.”

After the parade ride, a lot of fun activities were going on at High Country.  Angry Steve Band was performing on stage, trophies were given out for various categories, and guest speakers Momma D, Helen Tornquist, Rhonda Brown, and Kimberly Chavez spoke on their experiences at this Colorado world-record attempt. 

Susan Udero says that her and her volunteers will try again next year and are already planning and organizing.

Make BikerDown’s Roadside Membership Part of Your Road Trip Checklist

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As riders begin to get ready for their fall road trips, please take a moment to think about do you have the right coverages on your bike in the event of a breakdown or accident?

There is nothing more frustrating than the anticipation of the ride of a lifetime, only to have that trip shattered with un-expected expenses such as an expensive motorcycle tow.  

How many of you have had to have your bike towed and cringed when your insurances’ roadside assistance brought the wrong type of tow truck.  Being out-of-state, riders deserve to know that when they need a tow, the right type of tow truck will come out and pick them up.

BikerDown’s roadside membership for $35.00 per year includes motorcycle towing in our membership that is now NATIONWIDE.  BikerDown has contracted with MTS, LLC to provide its BikerDown members a true Motorcycle Towing service.  

We ask all riders to sign-up today before you head out on your next trip join BikerDown for $35.00 per year.  This membership level will ensure that if you need towing, you are covered.

Go to to our website to start your membership today!

RiderFriendly.com: By Riders for Riders

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By: Belt Drive Betty

This has been the riding season from HE** (Double Hockey Sticks) where I live in Canada.  Rainy, cold, miserable and a season filled with motorcycle accidents/crashes that have killed and injured large numbers of riders this year.  

The trend of higher than normal crashes and riders being killed is happening right across North America and figuring out why this is happening must become a priority.

There are tools a rider can have in their arsenal that will help them.

#1 – Training

Upgrading and practicing your defensive riding skills  including emergency stopping and maneuvering gives you peace of mind knowing your skills are honed and ready when you need them.  Many accidents while the cagers fault might be avoided if you continue to practice and rev up your reaction skills. 

#2 – Never Ride Alone Program 

It is available for members of riderfriendly.com for free, the Never Ride Alone Program is like having your guardian angel riding with you. The real people on the other end of the phone track your progress as you check in along your ride and should something happen that you forget to call them – they try you twice. If they still can’t reach you, they dispatch 911 to go find you from your last check-in. It’s based on the Never Work Alone programs and gives you and your loved ones some peace of mind when you are riding solo. Good in the Continental US and Canada – the toll free number can connect you to the community at riderfriendly.com too – it’s a direct – toll free line to our answering service who can reach myself or my webmistress and then we can reach into the community if you can’t! 

#3 – Networking 

Use the community to find riders to help you along with the directory at Riderfriendly.com for savings on hotels, motels and learn about businesses other riders are recommending. Knowing you can get help if you need it from fellow riders, and that you have another avenue to find businesses that want to work with riders, give one a little peace of mind. Again, your membership card with the toll-free number is in your profile page when you register for free.

#4- SkyMed Insurance

The cost of an air ambulance in the event of a motorcycle crash can be a rather jarring $10 – $60K depending on where the crash took place and the distance the air ambulance must travel.  Then there are a whole host of other considerations, like, your spouse/significant other, your motorcycle, your doctors/hospital bills and if you don’t have travel insurance that can run into the hundreds of thousands very quickly depending on your situation.

SkyMed Insurance offers several ways to help you minimize the financial trauma and it’s a product that Biker Down is now working with and the CMTA here in Canada is offering memberships to Canadian Riders who would be financially crippled if they were ever in a crash in the US.  Here is the link to the US site – https://skymed.com/ – ask Laurie Montoya, your editor to connect you to the person she deals with so that she can get you the Biker Down Rate.

#5 – BikerDown Foundation Membership

(www.bikerdown.org/join-us/) Because of the perks of roadside assistance and the assistance you get in the event of a crash, because you just never know when it could happen to you.

These are five things that I believe can help a rider enjoy their season a little more, upgrading your skills, using a free tracking device like the Never Ride Alone Program, the Rider Friendly Directory of Businesses, SkyMed Insurance and Membership in BikerDown. They all give you peace of mind and that helps make the season a little bit sweeter.

I am off on what will likely be my fourth and last ride of any import for the season.

I am off to film in Hafford Saskatchewan, the 2018 riding season’s winner of Canada’s MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest.

It will mean I get a paltry 10,000K/6,000 miles in on the season, but hey, it’s better than no mileage – right?

Next time, I’ll fill you in on my visit to Saskatchewan and show you why this little community has won our Contest!

Sturgis Cycle for Sturgis Repairs & Maintenance

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Sturgis Cycle is connected to Dirty Dogs Roadhouse and is your ONE-STOP-SHOP for any repairs or maintenance you need done on your bike while in Sturgis.

Come to drop off your bike and then enjoy some Colorado hospitality while your bike is being worked on.

  • Bike Repairs
  • Tire Changes
  • Oil changes

Connected to your favorite Sturgis Bar: Dirty Dogs Roadhouse!

Located at Junction & Main – Directly across from Sturgis Harley-Davidson

Make BikerDown’s Roadside Membership Part of Your Road Trip Checklist for $35.00 per year!

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As riders begin to get ready for their summer road trips or that annual trip to Sturgis.  Please take a moment to think about do you have the right coverages on your bike in the event of a breakdown or accident?

There is nothing more frustrating than the anticipation of the ride of a lifetime, only to have that trip shattered with un-expected expenses such as an expensive motorcycle tow.  

How many of you have had to have your bike towed and cringed when your insurances’ roadside assistance brought the wrong type of tow truck.  Being out-of-state, riders deserve to know that when they need a tow, the right type of tow truck will come out and pick them up.

BikerDown’s roadside membership for $35.00 per year includes motorcycle towing in our membership that is now NATIONWIDE.  BikerDown has contracted with MTS, LLC to provide its BikerDown members a true Motorcycle Towing service.  

We ask all riders to sign-up today before you head out on your next trip join BikerDown for $35.00 per year.  This membership level will ensure that if you need towing, you are covered.

Please go to http://bikerdown.org/join-us/