Colorado Powersports
Normally this November issue would be filled with holiday cheer and gearing up for Christmas, but alas our biker community is mourning the loss of Mark “Munky” Berman. It has only been a few weeks and the pain and loss are still so very real to us.
[Read more…] about Remembering Mark “Munky” Berman
Nominations for families is Open until November 30th
BikerDown Foundation is in our 8th year of Adopting Families for the Holidays program. The program started with the desire to help 2 families that had suffered a tragic loss due to a motorcycle fatality. While we knew we couldn’t replace the loss they were feeling, we could ensure that the family wasn’t alone and that the children had Christmas under the tree.
[Read more…] about Adopt A Family for the HolidaysThe fall season is here and fall colors are upon us and you only have a week or so before all those beautiful fall colors will have fallen softly to the ground and in a blink of an eye winter riding will be upon us… are you ready. Halloween can be seen in every store with Thanksgiving not far behind. I then realized that we are 69 days away from the Children’s Hospital Toy Run and 86 days away from Christmas. Where did our summer go?
Motorcycle Fatalities continue to RISE – Our biker community in Colorado has suffered 9 tragic motorcycle fatalities in the last two (2) weekends of September. My calculations, as President of BikerDown, is that we have recorded a record 74 fatalities on motorcycles so far in 2019. That is a staggering number of fatalities as my numbers do not include data on the western slope.
I don’t know what to say that hasn’t already been said or covered in previous issues of Colorado Rider News, but motorcycle awareness and safety is no longer about “Look Twice Save a Life” bumper stickers or “Can you see me now As*hole” t-shirts or patches.
Motorcycle awareness is now in the hands of the rider, and how experienced you are in defensive driving. It is about how fast you ride for the conditions; it is about being more cautious when going thru intersections and stop lights. Green no longer means GO, it means down shift and see if anyone is coming, looking both ways… before you proceed thru any light or stop sign. It means if you see someone driving distracted… you do all that you can to stay clear of that irresponsible driver – which is almost impossible because 4 out of 10 drivers are using their phones while moving.
Motorcycle Safety – use to refer to whether you wore a helmet or not. Now, considering helmet protection and wearing the right safety gear IS A MUST to stay alive and enable you to recover from an accident. Companies like Tobacco Motorwear are coming out with stylish denim jeans with Kevlar fibers in it, so that in the event of a crash it can help limit the road rash and damages to your body. Kevlar riding shirts that you wear over your t-shirts and under your vest and will protect your shoulders, elbows and most importantly your back. Knox armor in your leather vests or jackets that will protect your spine. Some will say I am not going to spend 300 on a pair of riding jeans or I can’t afford it. We are in a riding age where you can’t afford NOT TO HAVE some safety gear when you ride. This year I would ask all motorcycle riders to put safety gear on your Christmas list.
This month has some special events and CRN is proud to feature them in this issue:
October 12th – Dirty Dogs Roadhouse 2nd Anniversary Birthday Bash – who doesn’t love a party and Mark and Rob are pulling out all the stops for their 2nd year anniversary party. You can read more about that on page 4.
October 12th – Rider Justice 2020 Sturgis Giveaway drawing event – To go with the fun festivities at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse. Rider Justice has been taking registrations since August for a 2020 STURGIS VACATION GIVEAWAY. Next year is the 80th and reservations cost top dollar and everywhere will sell out. Take the stress out of the 80th and get up to Dirty Dogs and REGISTER for a chance to win. Registrations taken until 10/12. Also register online: RiderJustice.com/sturgis
October 26th – BikerDown and Wide Open Saloon will be drawing the winner of the 2017 Harley-Davidson Road Glide donated by Wide Open Saloon to help injured motorcycle riders with their recovery. Wide Open Saloon will be opening in early 2020 and will be hosting their raffle drawing at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse. A special thanks to Mark & Rob and Todd Hills, owner of Wide Open Saloon for working together to make this a very special event for BikerDown. These 2 businesses truly care about motorcycle riders and their recovery!
October 26th – Dirty Dogs Roadhouse – Halloween party – We all know that Mark & Rob know how to throw a party and their Halloween parties are legendary! So, get your costume ready for a chance to win a great prize!
We welcome your comments and thoughts on what CRN can do better in the future and enjoy the ride!
For several months Colorado Rider News has been advertising the Wide Open Saloon Bike Raffle of a 2017 Harley-Davidson Road Glide with the drawing date of October 26th. The proceeds of this bike raffle will go to BikerDown Foundation here in Colorado to help injured motorcycle riders.
With the drawing date nearing and Wide Open experiencing some renovation delays on their property in Sedalia, Todd contacted Mark & Rob from Dirty Dogs Roadhouse and asked them if they would host the raffle drawing for Wide Open. Dirty Dogs has supported BikerDown for many years and felt that if we can’t host the event ourselves, Dirty Dogs was the next best alternative.
The raffle drawing will be at 7pm and tickets can still be purchased online here.
You do not need to present to win, which is a great benefit to anyone purchasing a raffle ticket. BikerDown will do a Facebook LIVE video of the drawing so that all ticket holders can watch the drawing live and see if they won!
100% of the proceeds of this raffle go to help injured motorcycle riders in Colorado.
Ride Free or Die movie is an insider’s look into the political world of motorcycle clubs. The clubs are fighting for their constitutional rights against what they perceive as law enforcement profiling and harassment. The documentary features Mongols MC, Outsiders MC, Devils Disciples MC, Sin City Deciples, and clubs from all over America. Our local leaders in the Colorado Confederation of Clubs were also featured in this movie.
Motorcycle clubs are regularly portrayed as gangs on shows such as Sons of Anarchy, Mayans MC and The Devils Ride. The theme of these TV shows is violence, drug running, as well as demeaning women as pass arounds with no value in the club. While this is entertaining on TV shows, the truth is that most motorcycle club members are family orientated and believe in a biker code of loyalty, honor and respect.
It is important to understand the legal definition of motorcycle profiling because it happens every day to riders across the nation. There are an estimated 10 million registered motorcyclists in America representing all walks of life. They include doctors, lawyers, business owners, military veterans, blue collar workers, and even state legislators.
Unfortunately, the overly broad outlaw biker stereotype embraced by many in law enforcement results in selective enforcement and discriminatory traffic stops targeting a sizable portion of the motorcycling community. To understand your rights as a rider, you should know the definition of motorcycle profiling as it relates to the law.
The definition of motorcycle profiling is as follow: the arbitrary use of the fact that a person rides a motorcycle or wears motorcycle related paraphernalia as a factor in deciding to stop and question, take enforcement action, arrest or search a person or vehicle.
Solely relying on appearance as opposed to the legal requirement of conduct amounts to discrimination and violates federal law. You should immediately consult a motorcycle attorney and explore your options. Depending on the circumstances of the stop there are numerous potential claims that may be brought under Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act.
Profiling violates the 1st Amendment. Being in a motorcycle club or organization, and displaying symbols of association, are both irrefutably protected by the 1st Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 (1971) that individuals have the constitutional right under the 1st Amendment to wear clothing which displays writing or designs and has long recognized and protected the right of an individual to freedom of association. More recent cases confirm that 1st Amendment protection specifically applies to motorcycle club and organization colors and clothing.
Profiling violates the 14th Amendment. In Whren v. US (Supreme Court, # 95-5841, 1996) the Court made a clear distinction between discriminatory stops and mere investigatory stops. The court said, “The Constitution prohibits selective enforcement of the law.” Although the 4th Amendment is not the proper basis for a complaint, discriminatory or selective enforcement stops are a violation of the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment.
Profiling violates the 4th Amendment. When the duration of the stop extends beyond the reasonable amount of time to adjudicate the traffic infraction then the stop is may be found unreasonable under the 4th Amendment. There is no set time for a reasonable stop because the circumstances of each stop are unique.
This movie will show dash cam and body cam videos of law enforcement violating the 14th and 4th amendments with no probable cause other than the vests and club colors they are wearing.
Ride Free or Die is available to download on Amazon Prime Video and we hope that readers will take time to watch this movie and will walk away better informed.
September is here, Sturgis is over and for many your kids or grandkids have started back to school. While not the end of the riding season, Colorado weather can quickly change without notice so we ask all riders to be careful on the routes that they take. September is when many motorcycle riders start planning and anticipating the fall colors and the rides in Colorado that make living here extra special.
Biker Owned Businesses
We wanted to remind any Biker Owned Businesses that you can list your business in our “BOB” directory for FREE, and Colorado Rider News would love to do more features on what your business offers so that our readers who need services know they don’t have to go far to find a biker owned business that can help them.
Motorcycle Awareness and Safety
BikerDown, Abate, CORD and Rider Justice will begin discussion with Sen. Lois Court again to try an modify and introduce new legislation to attempt to take hand-held mobile devices out of the hands of cagers to lower the number of distracted drivers out there to make the roads safe for our riders.
Charitable Events
As we mentioned last month, we chose 2 charities this month to do FREE advertisements. Our first charity that CRN chose the Hornbuckle Foundation. The foundation is hosting their 5th annual Soul Repo Run with the help of the Sober Souls, MC. Their ride is scheduled for September 7th. Addiction is something that affects every aspect of your life and to know that our community can get the sober living grants to help them re-enter society sober is a great cause and helps our biker community.
Our second charity is Whitehorse Riders ministry, and they are hosting a Love Run on October 26th out of Colorado Springs. This Love Run will ask all riders to bring warm items including socks, back pack, gloves/hat and items that will help the homeless endure a Colorado winter. While I have never been homeless, I have known the FEAR of being homeless. Our growing economy in Colorado has forced many families out of their homes, not because they don’t pay their rent, but because landlords can double the price of their rent due to the overwhelming demand for housing.
Enjoy the cooler weather to come and remember, we welcome your comments and thoughts on what CRN can do better in the future and enjoy the ride!
Sturgis always gives small publications like Colorado Rider News an opportunity to see what new products are out there in the biker community, and the Atlas Hitch was a product that I knew I just had to do a review on. The first thing that came to mind when I saw this was WHY HADN’T THIS COME OUT SOONER. As with Shark Tank episodes, it takes someone to with a little ingenuity to solve a problem that all bikers have…which is transporting their bikes.
Traveling on your bike is always the preferred means of travel, but there are times that you just need to tow your bike and drive your vehicle to your destination. Some more mature riders can’t take long rides anymore, and large groups traveling long distances usually travel with some sort of chaser vehicle that can carry everyone’s stuff and help in the event of an emergency. The question is, what do you do when a bike breaks down? Sure, you can call a tow truck and wait sometimes hours for them to arrive especially when you are out of state and don’t have friends that can come get you.
Women riders are growing in record numbers and wanting to travel independently to rallies and events all over the country, but not everyone has a trailer or means to get their bikes to their event.
The Atlas Hitch is for Motorcycle RESCUE and for TRANSPORT and was invented by JAB Dynamics (Patent Pending) and is a MADE IN THE USA product.
JAB Dynamics was founded in July 1996 by owner & CEO, John Berggren. JAB Dynamics is a 28-year old company, which truly defines outside the box approaches to delivering high quality, long-lasting and easy to use products to our customers. We are not waiting around for the next great idea – we are actively creating it.
Since the first motorcycle was built in the late 19th century, committed riders have struggled to find a safe and convenient way to transport their motorcycle, when riding is not a viable option. The Atlas Hitch is designed to be easy and safe to use. It only takes one person just a few minutes to load or unload a motorcycle or Trike. The Atlas Hitch allows you to safely transport your motorcycle or Trike without the fear of injury, high-risk maneuvers or damage to your motorcycle or Trike.
The Atlas Hitch took years to be developed. The parts are machined, laser cut, and powder coated to last. The Atlas Hitch can be used on any vehicle the comes stock with a 2” receiver & can handle 600 pounds of tongue weight. The Atlas Hitch can handle (most) motorcycles with a tire width of 3.5” to 7”, providing the front foot pegs (mounting brackets) are accessible or up to 10” wide tire with the Spider option. If you choose to tow your motorcycle backwards, then securing the handlebars is REQUIRED so they do not turn (i.e. Dirt Bike, Spider).
The Atlas Hitch is on wheels so you can roll it to your vehicles hitch, then just crank it up until level with your receiver and slide it in. To store the Atlas Hitch, just wheel it under your workbench or in the corner of your garage. Truly our product is built for to be handled easily! Whether you select to utilize our manual crank model or prefer the electric version, both will provide you with the ease of self-independence and care when transporting your motorcycle. Yes, it is that easy!
The Atlas Hitch retails for $1,499.00 and beats the cost of purchasing a small bike trailer. It can easily be stored in your garage and kept in the back of your truck when traveling. It is easy to use for men and women! Jab Dynamics is continually adding accessories to the Atlas Hitch to make it easier for the consumer such as an LED tow light kit, adjustable light bar and Pintle Hitch for 6 different mountain positions
If you ride in a group, club or organization that does a lot of rides, this Atlas Hitch can be an extremely valuable addition as it can be pulled with any vehicle that can handle 600 lbs of tongue weight. The Atlas Hitch allows you to get a bike safely and quickly off the road and keep you moving on your ride.
For more information on the Atlas Hitch, please visit their website at https://jabdynamics.com/Product/atlas-motorcycle-tow-hitch and watch their YouTube video. I am sure many of you will see why we gave this product 5-stars!
What inspired you to create/build the Atlas Hitch? It occurred to us that when a motorcycle breaks down you only have a couple of options for rescue, an expensive tow truck or a friend with a trailer. Trailers are expensive and you need room to store one. I needed something that allowed me to transport my motorcycle without having to rely on a friend or a trailer to easily load and unload by myself.
Ultimately, I needed a way to take my bike to the shop for routine maintenance without my wife having to pick me up and take me back. I wanted to be able to take the family and bring my motorcycle with me on a trip. The Atlas Hitch solved it all.
Does the Atlas Hitch need to be licensed like a trailer? No, the beauty of the Atlas Hitch, in addition to its convenience and safety, is it does not require a state license or tab. We suggest you check with your local Department of Licensing for specific towing instructions/restrictions.
Can the Atlas Hitch be used on any vehicle? It can be used on any vehicle with a 2” receiver able to tow a trailer of similar tong weight. Most all vehicles, slated for towing, will tow the Atlas Hitch with ease.
Can the Atlas Hitch handle any type of motorcycle? The Atlas Hitch can handle any type of Motorcycle or Trike with a front tire width of 3.5”-7”, if the front foot pegs (mounting brackets) are accessible for the securement system.
Do the handlebars need to be secured by straps to keep them from turning? Only as a secondary safety system or if you haul your bike backward, then securing the handlebars is REQUIRED so they do not turn. We provide a handlebar strap set to use with off-road motorcycles (dirt bikes) and for a secondary safety system.
Is the Atlas Hitch hard to use? It is easy to use. We have a manual crank or an option for the electric version. It stores on wheels so you can roll it to your vehicles hitch. You just crank it up until level with your receiver and slide it in. It’s a breeze!!
How do you store it when it is not being used? It has wheels for storage. Just wheel it under your workbench or in the corner of your garage.
Is the Atlas Hitch safe to use? The Atlas Hitch is designed to be easy and safe to use. It only takes one person just a few minutes to load or unload a motorcycle. Loading a motorcycle on a trailer is dangerous riding or pushing up a ramp and it is more dangerous coasting a motorcycle backward down a ramp. The Atlas Hitch allows you to safely transport your motorcycle without the fear of danger or high-risk maneuvers or damage your motorcycle.
Does the Atlas Hitch come with a warranty? The information for the warranty is viewable on the product page under the terms tab.
The longer Colorado Rider News is around, the more perplexed I am on what type of publication I want this to be. I question every month: do I write this article about texting and driving, another biker fatality or articles about the right kind of insurances a biker should have. Many have said that CRN is so serious and that I should make it more fun to read. They suggest crossword puzzles, scantily dressed women photoshoots so they can pin them on their garage. Some would like to see more biker jokes & comics.
The current crisis’ that this riding community faces can no longer be ignored or left up to a few other organizations such as Abate, CORD, BikerDown and Rider Justice to do for you. I don’t believe the motorcycle community really realizes the POWER it possesses and their ability to make REAL CHANGE with the powers that be. There are 8,597,197 registered motorcycle riders in the United States according to 2017 statitics. That is an massive amount of power to make change. I can’t think of any other group that is over 8 million STRONG. If you can I would love to know who they are. There is a reason that President Trump has Bikers for Trump. In Colorado, we have over 190,000 registered motorcycle riders.
There isn’t a day that I turn on the TV, Facebook or better yet check my email and someone in our community or nationwide hasn’t been tragically harmed or killed at the hands of a cager or some form of distracted driving. There isn’t a month that goes by that we don’t read on blogs a rider being discriminated because of their cut/vest.
As the publisher of Colorado Rider News, I can’t in good consciousness pretend that all of this around our riding community isn’t happening.
So, I’ve decided I am going to continue to shed light and information to the riding community about what is going on that affects your rights as motorcycle riders on the road. This publication is going to continue to inform riders of the insurance coverages that they should have so in the event they are hurt or killed their families aren’t left picking up the pieces.
Each month, I am going to give 2 non-profits free advertising about their charitable events, and CRN is going to continue to highlight the good works of biker related charities helping injured riders in this community.
CRN will continue to support Biker Owned Businesses in the hopes that our readers will keep our spending power within our community.
We welcome your comments and thoughts on what CRN can do better in the future and enjoy the ride!
Here in Denver as we drive on I-25 you can hear the roll of riders heading up to Sturgis for the 79th Rally and I for one am getting excited for Rally. Mark and Cari drove up a week ago to get everything ready. Dirty Dogs Sturgis will be OPEN and ready to welcome Colorado riders to their own LOCAL bar. A place where you recognize most of the faces there and are greeted by STAFF from HOME!
People don’t go to Sturgis for the food and I worry sometimes when I go to some of the food vendors cooking outside under those tents, but the food at Dirty Dogs is served hot/fresh and made to order and the menu has many of the traditional items that we all have grown to love.
Need service done to your bike? Sturgis Cycle will be open and are conveniently located right next door, so if you need service or your bike breaks down, send it to a shop that has been there for 14 years and worked on by someone you know. Sturgis Cycle is an authorized dealer for Amsoil and can do most bike repairs, tire changes and oil changes
We have confirmed Bag Lady Sue will be on the Rider Justice stage in Sturgis on August 5th & 6th and Bags will be sure to not disappoint.
The new bar/restaurant is located at 1025 Junction Avenue and is right across from the Sturgis Harley Davidson store.
I am not sure if summer has really come yet, last week there was 2 feet of snow in the mountains, and it appeared that our April showers were just hitting us in June. This has been a crazy spring and filled with its share of weather interruptions.
As many of us begin to plan our road trips and vacations, it hit me that Sturgis was just around the corner. It will be the 79th Sturgis Rally and many Colorado riders will go this year, just to stay away from the organized chaos that is Rally on an anniversary year. According to the data I found, on the 75th Rally, there was over 750,000 riders that rode into Sturgis, and with that kind of crowd, comes many more opportunities for things to go wrong.
Most Colorado HD riders have done Sturgis and know what to expect, but the diversity that is now Sturgis every year brings more and more different manufacturers and a new diverse crowd of riders to our once predominately Harley based event. Women riders are growing in record numbers and venturing out on road trips on their own and Sturgis is always on their bucket list. Colorado riders that may have never been to South Dakota will want to check out our Pre-Sturgis checklist and hopefully will be prepared and ready for a great week of Rally.
Colorado riders who head out to Sturgis are one of the lucky ones to have their own biker bar in downtown Sturgis. Mark and Rob from Dirty Dogs Roadhouse are ready for their 2nd year at Rally. What I love about having our own biker bar up there, is seeing all my Colorado friends in one spot. Dirty Dogs is home to many of us here in Denver, and if you need to meet up with anyone, Dirty Dogs in Sturgis is where to go. It is centrally located but a block away from most of the traffic of main street and what does that mean for you? It is easier to get in/out of town and parking is more accessible to meet friends for a day of riding. Plus, who doesn’t want to walk into a Sturgis bar and have the owners greet you and say how happy they are to see you.
BikerDown as always will be there to help any of our Colorado riders, and I ask everyone headed up this year, to consider joining our BikerDown Roadside $35.00 per year membership with motorcycle towing. If you need a tow, make sure that a motorcycle towing company comes to pick up your baby. Most riders will be shocked with what your regular insurance company considers roadside towing. BikerDown has partnered with MTS and all riders with our membership will have NATIONWIDE towing and up to 2 motorcycle tows up to $150.00 each. In the event of a breakdown that 35. per year can really be worth the investment and is an extra piece of mind to have when you are far away from home.
Last month I devoted a good portion of the magazine to military groups and clubs to honor them for their service to our country and community. I ran out of space for this American Legion feature, so I hope you will take a moment to read about the progressive growth and direction American Legion and the American Legion Riders are taking. They do a tremendous amount of charity work for our veterans and community and I wanted to honor them for the sacrifice and humanitarian efforts for our veterans.
Please ride safe out there!
