Colorado Rider News

Colorado Powersports

 

 

From the Publisher

Colorado Rider News and Motorcycle Rider News Merge to bring you more updates and events

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By Laurie Montoya, Editor, and Publisher

Colorado Rider News and Motorcycle Rider News have MERGED to bring you a more regional and national look at motorcycle riding and what is going on in your area and nationwide. In March 2022, you will begin to see more diverse coverage, more writing contributors, and a more in-depth event calendar for those who take road trips and attend rallies all over the country.

What does this mean to you the reader? MRN will break down our articles and advertising by regions: West Coast, Rocky Mountain, Midwest, Southwest, and Northeast to still bring you the local coverage, but give you the ability to read about national news by region.

Audrey Paulus
Morning Stretch
Stretch is a new inspirational writer to CRN and avid rider in the biker community

Since 2018, Colorado Rider News has brought the Colorado powersports community great articles event coverage and focused on biker-owned businesses within our Colorado community. Publications have gotten slick and filled with so much advertising that you can get thru an issue in a few minutes. With the help of writers Audrey Paulus, Belt Drive Betty, and Morning Stretch with Stretch McClure our writers gave you the pulse and information you wanted to read about. Our success has resulted from our grassroots effort to go back to what Powersports publications used to be….things that matter to the rider.

As Editor and Publisher, it was vital to me to get motorcycle awareness out, keep riders safer on the road, and hopefully give them things to think about when or how they ride. This type of monthly publication isn’t easy, and being smaller our publications stayed more with local advertisers who helped get our message out. It was more important this publication wrote the stories we wanted to write and that readers wanted to read.

In 2020, we launched Motorcycle Rider News in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a year-round motorcycle riding and ATVing community with an old western flare. There are so many national parks, including the grand canyon to visit. Most traveling to California or the west coast tend to ride right thru, but our publication focused on great overnight day trips that riders can take to see all that Nevada and Arizona have to offer.

Shannon “Dazzlin” Ventoro
Nichol Jackie Zamora

MRN worked with great writers who had the pulse on the powersports community, such as Shannon “Dazzlin” Venturo and Nichol Jackie Zamora, who brought to the publication the charitable aspect of what the riding community does every week to help!

The pandemic brought many challenges to keeping these publications going, and our online publication has seen rapid growth and increased followers on social media. Therefore, we have decided to merge the publications and publish 2-3 hard copy issues each year and bring more content thru our website and social media.

We want to THANK each and every reader for their commitment to CRN and MRN and we hope that this new venture will enable us to bring you more and better content, and reach a larger demographic of riders.

Preview – 2022 Colorado Motorcycle Expo

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https://online.flippingbook.com/view/588258155/

Colorado Rider News is proud to host the Expo guide for the 2022 Colorado Motorcycle Expo.

Want to know who is VENDING?

Plan out your strategy for seeing everything?

Here is a preview of all that is going on at the Colorado Motorcycle Expo – click here

Colorado Motorcycle Expo Moved to February 19th and 20th Due to COVID Mandates

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The annual Colorado Motorcycle Expo was scheduled for January 29th and 30th and has now been moved to February 19th and 20th, 2022. This change was prompted by the State of Colorado’s vaccine mandate for indoor crowds larger than 500 people, as well as the surge of COVID cases in the state of Colorado and the staffing shortages this surge has presented.

The mandate will expire on February 3, 2022; thus, it will not impact the February dates. Additionally, Scott Schulz has proactively applied for a variance to the ordinance, which they anticipate will be granted should the mandate be extended through February. They have carefully thought through all the potential conflicts this will pose to our many dedicated vendors, who have committed or were planning on attending later this month. They have reached out to all the vendors, sponsors and this decision was an absolute last resort.

They feel very confident that despite disruptions to travel arrangements and the logistical challenges this may bring, these new dates will allow for a much better experience for attendees and vendors alike. In addition to the COVID restrictions being lessened in February, they strongly believe they will have a much better turnout from the public as this gives us even more time to promote the event and to ensure everything is in place to make this show bigger and better than ever!!

Unlike in previous years, having the Expo during a holiday weekend will allow them more flexibility with our schedule, particularly on Sunday, February 20th when they can have more flexibility to extend hours or even have some sort of event that evening. With Monday being a holiday, they definitely have more options and fewer conflicts!.

The Expo is fully committed to making this transition as seamless as possible for all of you, and we will be announcing more details and exciting plans for the new dates in the coming days.

They asked me to apologize on behalf of the Expo for any inconvenience this may cause and again assure you this was a forced decision.  Also, if you are trying to call us them with questions, please be patient and understand that they are being inundated with phone calls and there are only a staff of 2 of them trying to respond. And as you can imagine, with such limited notice, they are working through many logistical challenges themselves.  We know that email can be annoying, but you may possibly receive a quicker response that way.

On behalf of Colorado Rider News, I commend Scott and Christy Schulz for having to make this painful decision and think about the safety of attendees and put on the best Expo that they can. This is the 3rd year they have attempted to host this event, and last year, it had to be canceled, so it is so very important that WE as a biker community understand and stand by them.

The Holidays are HERE, where did the riding season GO?

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As we travel into the holidays, it has been a riding season filled with highs and lows.  One of the highs is that in Colorado, we went back to some of the normal we never realized we took for granted such as going to concerts, sporting events, and our beloved biker bars.  We still have some of the most remarkable motorcycle riding and rides in the country.  As I travel all over America, one thing that always brings me home to Colorado is just how majestic and beautiful our state is.   Riders saw many of our events and rallies came back such as Four Corners and Freedom Fest.  The lows are that our community and nationwide are facing shortages of goods, rising inflation, soaring gas prices, with the holidays less than a few weeks away.  Another low I must mention, is that the biker community has lost too many riders to distracted driving and we are breaking records every year with the number of motorcycle accidents.

Colorado Rider News will be celebrating our 3-year anniversary of publishing in December 2018 when we launched our first issue at the Children’s Hospital Toy Run.  We continue to listen to the power sports industry, and riders to cover things that you want to read about.  CRN has expanded another publication called Motorcycle Rider News, a more national publication to increase our reach with the motorcycle community.

Children’s Hospital Toy Run

Speaking of the Toy Run, it is back for 2021.  Children’s Hospital and Mile-High Harley with the help of Rocky Mountain HD is working with volunteers and dealerships to make sure the event goes off without a hitch and that riders have the traditions they expect, as well as all the updates on things that have changed.  Registration will be online this year, and Mile-High HD will be hosting the official after-party for the event.  Take a moment to read about the Toy Run in more detail in this issue.

Dirty Dogs Roadhouse Christmas Shop N Swap

It would not be the holidays without the Dirty Dogs Christmas Shop & Swap, this time-honored tradition gives those biker vendors and last-minute gift buyers a day to purchase gifts from vendors they would not normally see until the Colorado Motorcycle Expo.  This event is also a time to spend a fun day with friends before the holidays send us off to our families for the holidays. So, take a moment to check out the flyer and save the date.

Motorcycle Safety and Awareness is always in the minds of every rider.  The weather is holding in November and December is predicted to be a light month for snow.  We must as riders remember that the weather at higher elevations, or in the morning before the sun comes out can have black ice or frost.  Please consider wearing some additional safety gear this fall or winter to keep you a little safer in the event of an accident. 

We wish all riders and readers of this publication a Happy Thanksgiving and a very blessed Merry Christmas.  We welcome your comments and thoughts on what CRN can do better in the future and enjoy the ride!

Please ride safe out there!

Laurie Montoya

Publisher

Colorado Rider News

info@coloradoridernews.com

Letter From the Publisher – Fall is Finally HERE!

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While Global Warming is a topic that many would like to debate, there is absolutely no doubt that in Colorado, we have experienced one of the warmest summers on record this year with temperatures rising above 100 degrees for more extended periods.  We Colorado riders are so fortunate to head up the mountain for relief when the temperature is unbearable in town.

The 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 but a blink 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 are that we have recorded 77 fatalities on the motorcycle so far in 2021.  The more significant statistic that will surprise many of you is that rider error accidents/fatalities are up this year.  That is a staggering number of deaths.

I don’t know what to say that hasn’t already been said or covered in previous issues of Colorado Rider News. Still, motorcycle awareness and safety are no longer about Look Twice Save a Life or Watch for Motorcycles bumper stickers on cars or Can you see me now As*hole t-shirts or patches.   MOTORCYCLE SAFETY MUST BEGIN WITH US!

Motorcycle awareness is now in the rider’s hands, 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 it is moving.  

Insurance coverages/Reviews – Bike insurance, 2nd to safety gear, motorcycle insurance is the most essential item you can have for your bike.  It out ranks 85.00 Harley-Davidson shirts, cool chrome accessories, jackets, and rain gear….it out ranks everything.  Without good bike insurance and add ons such as under-insured or un-insured motorists, the injured riders will be surprised how un-insured they are and what the current bike insurance covers.  RiderJustice.com has always offered any biker a FREE insurance review to discuss what your existing insurance covers.  Be sure to stop by the Rider Justice booth next time you see them and get their suggested levels of insurance to keep you covered in the event of an accident.

Motorcycle Safety used to refer to whether you wore a helmet.  This isn’t a debate on where to WEAR or NOT WEAR a helmet.  Now, considering helmet protection and wearing the proper 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 them 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 will not 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 their Christmas list for next year.

Calendar of Events – This month has some special events, and Colorado Rider News is proud to feature them in this issue:

October 16th – Dirty Dogs Roadhouse 4th  Anniversary Birthday Bash – who doesn’t love a party when Mark and Rob pull out all the stops for their 4th-anniversary party.  You can read more about Dirty Dogs with some great photos showing how far they have come from when they started.

October 24th – BikerDown and Rider Justice are hosting another round of Accident Scene Management classes that teach a motorcycle rider how to render aid in the event of an accident.  Class to be held at Arapahoe County Fairgrounds from 8:30 am to 5 pm.  Rider Justice is offsetting the 99.00 class rate to $40.00 to make it more affordable for all riders to have these valuable skills.  For more information, go to riderjustice.com/rj-events/ to register.

October 30th – 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 great prizes!

We welcome your comments and thoughts on what CRN can do better in the future, and enjoy the ride!

Please ride safe out there!

Laurie Montoya

Publisher

Colorado Rider News

info@coloradoridernews.com

3rd Annual Colorado Rider News BEST of the BEST Contest is ON

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By Colorado Rider News

Colorado Rider News is bringing back our BEST of the BEST contest.  This year has been a year of recovery for our biker-owned business who survived the pandemic.  Biker-owned companies are just getting back on their feet, and we want to honor them for their hard work. 

CRN had such a great response from previous years, and we have added and eliminated some categories to keep it interesting.  This year, you can vote daily instead of one time per round to really up the competition.

Here is how the contest will work.  The survey/contest is on our Colorado Rider News Facebook page (click here)and our website www.coloradoridernews.com.  Vote daily and vote often.    On December 31st, we will tally all the entries and pick the top 3  semi-finalists and post them online and in the January 2022 online issue.  You will then have another 30 days to vote again for the 3 finalists in each category.    Awards will be presented in February 2022. 

Letter from the Publisher – We Must Never Forget 9/11

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Laurie Montoya, Publisher

It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.   I know that most of us can remember exactly where we were on that day and how they frantically rushed home to be with their families to ensure that we were all together, as none of us knew what the future held.

Everything changed on 9/11, and it made us understand that there will always be evil in this world and that we must fight that fight abroad and not in our country. It was a time in our country where we all flew a flag on our homes, cars/trucks, and for a very short time, it was us against evil.  

For 20 years, our country hasn’t had an attack of that magnitude, and it seems that pride in our country has faded.  We spend more time arguing and being divided than we are doing to be proud to be American.  There is a reason that millions flock to the United States every year because whether you agree with the government or your neighbor, you have a right to express your opinion and voice against your government.

Colorado Rider News wanted to commemorate the 20th anniversary of this devastating attack and losses with remembrance photographs and a timeline to remind us of the sacrifices that so many made and the lives lost.   Some riders will read this publication that wasn’t born before 2001, and hopefully, they will learn that this country should be more united than divided moving forward

In Colorado, our community annually honors these lives lost in rides and personal remembrance.  Since 9/11, we want to thank those who have served for protecting our freedom by attending the  Colorado 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Red Rocks.  This event is a way to connect, honor, and remember the FDNY firefighters who selflessly gave their lives so that others might live on 9-11-2001.  Each participant pays tribute to an FDNY firefighter by climbing the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center.   We must also not forget the brave souls of Flight 93 that overcame the terror.  Mile-High Harley-Davidson will also be hosting first responders, fire, and police at the Aurora dealership with a free BBQ meal, compliments of Taste of Texas BBQ.

Colorado Rider News and BikerDown Foundation will be compiling a team of other motorcycle riders to come and climb these stairs to honor the fallen and veteran and active military that have fought for our freedom and keeping terrorism at bay from our country.

This will be a day of hope and healing, remembrance and reflection, honoring the heroes, victims, and resilient spirit of everyone affected by 9/11.

Please ride safe out there!

Laurie Montoya

Publisher

Colorado Rider News

info@coloradoridernews.com

Thunder in the Rockies is CANCELLED For 2021.

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Thunder Harley-Davidson announced today that due to circumstances beyond their control such as COVID concerns, staffing, and supply issues, they sadly must cancel their Annual Thunder in the Rockies for 2021. This will be the 2nd year in a row that Thunder Mountain has had to cancel, however, this publication commends them for doing what they felt was best for the community, as well as not settling on an event that doesn’t meet the standards of what attendees are used to.

Here is their post on their ThunderInTheRockies.com website:

a group of rvs parked outside a building

THUNDER IN THE ROCKIES 2021 CANCELLED


We are heartbroken to announce the cancellation of the 2021 Thunder in the Rockies bike rally. This extremely difficult decision was made based on many factors including potential restrictions and entertainer concerns related to the most recent rise in Covid-19 cases. Lack of support due to supply chain issues and labor/inventory shortages throughout our vendor, sponsor, and business partner communities were additional factors.

All 2021 concert tickets purchased through our official Ticketweb outlet will automatically be refunded within 30 days. Any tickets purchased at Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson can be turned in at the Thunder Mountain front desk for a refund anytime within the next 30 days.

The Forever Family Ride will still happen on Monday, Sept 6th. It is very important to the Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson team to support Realities for Children and encourage our customers to get out in the fresh air and ride! Check-in and breakfast will begin at 9 AM at Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson, kickstands up at 10:30 AM. More information can be found at www.ForeverFamilyRide.com.

We have extended our Bike Night series an additional week to hold the 2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America giveaway. This event will be our last Bike Night of the season at Thunder Mountain Amphitheatre on Thursday, September 2, 2021, from 6 PM to 9 PM. The raffle prize drawing will be held promptly at 7:30 PM and the bike giveaway qualifier drawing/key turn at 8:30 PM. You must be present to win for both drawings.


The 2022 Thunder in the Rockies planning is already well underway so mark your calendars, Labor Day Weekend (Sept 2-5, 2022). We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your support. Ride safe!


THUNDER IN THE ROCKIES
4250 Byrd Drive
Loveland, CO 80538
Phone: (866) 646-6296
Fax: (970) 292-0440
For Questions Contact:
marketing@thundermountainharley.com

Be Sure to Visit the Infamous Sturgis Lemonade Stand

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It is estimated that over One Million motorcycle riders are at this years 81st Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Vendors are everywhere and a shopper can get brain damage trying to see all that the vendors have for sale from Biden Sucks tshirts to leather and fishnet outfits that would frighten fish.

However, a motorcycle loving 8 year old’s lemonde stand has become a popular attraction at Rally this year. Wyatt Dennis opened the stand last year to earn a little money toward a Lego set he wanted. He raised enough money to get his Lego set and donate $200 to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

This year, Dennis’ lemonade stand went viral after someone at a nearby campground posted about him on social media. But when Wyatt realized he had such a lucrative business, he sought some financial advice. He and his parents came up with a plan that 50% of what is earned should go to his college fund, 30% to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and 20% to buy a dirt bike.

As of today, Wyatt had raised about $9,000 at his lemonade stand. MedVed Autoplex in Denver also offered to match up to $1,000 in donations for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.  

In addition to quenching the thirst of Rallygoers and others, Wyatt believes he’s making people happy by operating the lemonade stand.

“When they come up to the table, they have a smile on their face. I think I’m inspiring people,” he said.

Wyatt, who will be a third-grader at Piedmont Valley Elementary School this fall, is thrilled to be able to donate some of the money to the children being treated at St. Jude’s.

“It feels like I’m making other kids and their parents happy, but also making me happy that I can help them,” he said.

Wyatt’s mom and dad, Robin and Devin, warned him that if he wanted to do the lemonade stand he was the one who would have to work it, not them. They agreed to be there with him, but he was the one to wave in the customers and serve the lemonade.

If you stop at the Wyatt’s lemonade stand, please share photos with us at info@coloradoridernews.com.

8/9/2021 – UPDATE ON WYATT’S PROGRESS – It has been reported that the Black Hill Riders and South Dakota Sport Bikes got together and presented Wyatt’s with a dirt bike today! Watch the Youtube video here

It’s a HOT One!

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With temperatures over 100 degrees, and riders taking long trips and getting ready to head to Sturgis in August, riders must understand that riding can come with challenges such as dehydration.  Dehydration can happen quickly in motorcyclists, decreasing your ability to ride safely and even threatening your life if not properly treated.  Motorcycle riding, like other sports, is a physical activity putting strain on your muscles and causing your body to release heat through sweat. If you must ride during the day or are traveling thru, we encourage you to go on our website (www.coloradoridernews.com) and read the June article by Shannon “Dazzlin” Venturo called 10 Tips to Stay Cool on Hot Motorcycle Rides.  This article gives great tips on planning your ride and staying hydrated.

This month our online publication starts our 3rd Annual Colorado BEST of the BEST contest; we ask the readers to vote each year and tell us who has the BEST of the BEST in each of our categories.  Starting in July, voters will write in their favorite business in each category.  August, we will tabulate the Top 3 for a semi-finalist round and readers will have an entire month to vote for the Top 3 semi-finalists.  Final voting will be published in our September CRN issue. 

Suppose Arizona is on your destination list this year. In that case, we have two great articles from riders who recently took trips to Arizona and shared with us some great history about their destinations.  If you took a Bucket List trip this year and would like to submit a story to Colorado Rider News, we would love to hear from you.  You can submit your article by emailing us at info@coloradoridernews.com

Motorcycle riders are still being injured or killed in record numbers surpassing the 33% increase in fatalities in 2020, and this publication will continue to put a FACE on this injustice.  Our sponsor RiderJustice.com helps riders with insurance reviews on their current motorcycle coverage, living wills, and BikerDown Foundation offers an Aflac Accident policy inclusive in their monthly $35.00 per month Roadside Assistance membership.  As riders must consider these types of upgrades in our coverages before their next ride. Driver’s are still out driving distracted, leaving the scene, and continue to have limited insurance or no insurance at all.  The injured riders are left alone to bear the burden of their recovery on their own.  If riders increased their insurance to include under-insured or uninsured motorist coverage on their car or bike, this would provide them with some assistance to help them recover.

Our Calendar of Events section is also growing as mask mandates. COVID restrictions have been removed, so we look forward to your continued addition of events to the calendar.

Please ride safe out there!

Laurie Montoya

Publisher

Colorado Rider News

info@coloradoridernews.com