Non-Profit

World Record Poker Run 2021 Comes to Dirty Dogs Roadhouse On Way to Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

July 14, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

On August 4th, over 140 Registered riders who started in Florida will be making a pit stop in Golden, Colorado, at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse. These riders began their ride to break the World Record Poker Run on July 30th, and on August 3^rd, riders will arrive in Durango for their 2^nd to last poker card stop.

On August 4th^, they will navigate the Million Dollar Highway to Grand Junction, up I70, and ending in beautiful Golden, Colorado, at the infamous Dirty Dogs Roadhouse.

A Moto Meetup Party and Fundraiser for BikerDown Foundation has been planned for the evening of the 4th at 6:00 pm at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse, 17999 W. Colfax Ave.

These riders voted to re-route their journey to come thru Golden and up thru I-25 to see the #1 Biker Bar in Colorado. So let’s show them a BIG COLORADO WELCOME by coming out to Dirty Dogs on the 4^th.

While riding to break the World Record is a big deal, all these riders are also riding to support the BikerDown Foundation and help this 501c3 organization help more riders nationwide. Funds raised thru this poker run and sponsors will replenish the national accident fund to enable BikerDown to reach more injured riders.

For 11 years, BikerDown has worked within the state of Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada. The Biker Badgers have a massive network of riders all over the country, and BikerDown with the assistance of this network is being recognized on a more national stage.

Everyone is invited to come to meet some of their favorite moto vloggers and Facebook personalities. The Moto Meetups along the World Record Poker Run Route are open to anyone who wants to come party. Bikers wishing to join the official riders on their way to Sturgis for the Rally will sign a Guest Book and are encouraged to donate BikerDown.org to participate.

TOMORROW: BikerDown’s Motorcycle Awareness Ride: Can YOU SEE Me NOW starts at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse

May 14, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

By Laurie Montoya

Tomorrow, May 15^th BikerDown will again be hosting their 9^th Annual Look Twice Ride and our theme again this year is CAN YOU SEE ME NOW. Motorcycle fatalities are up 33% from 2019 to 137. These are un-imaginable statistic and one that riders hope will not happen to them, however, there is hardly a week that goes by that someone in our network of friends isn’t reported to have gone down or passed from a motorcycle accident.

It is a well-known fact that the public does not watch for motorcycles no matter how many billboards CDOT puts up or lighted signs that are only up a few days in May or in August during Sturgis. It is a well-known fact that most motorcycle accidents involve a car and/or some sort of distracted driving. Distracted Driving comes in many forms including texting/driving, use of handheld mobile devices while driving, putting your makeup on while the vehicle is moving, looking in the back seat at your kids, eating while driving to changing the radio station.

Our riding community continues to be the victim of irresponsible drivers who are out driving with no driver’s license and little to no insurance and driver’s leaving accident victims on the ground and leaving the scene. Driver’s change lanes without looking and run stop signs/lights, hit the biker, and keep on going.

We are asking all riders who have been injured in a motorcycle accident or know of someone who is currently hospitalized from an accident, riders who have lost a loved one on the bike to STAND with us on Saturday, May 15^th and show this community of drivers to WATCH FOR US!

Riders will need to pre-register for the ride to guarantee themselves 1 of our motorcycle awareness t shirts. T-shirts will be available the day of the event in limited sizes. Registration is $25.00 per rider. Each rider who pre-registers will get 1 free month of motorcycle roadside assistance sponsored by Motorcycle Towing Services.

Our ride will start and end this year at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse in Golden with kickstands up at 10-10:30 am. The Look Twice ride is known for great rides routes and safety is always key for this event. Dirty Dogs will have some great entertainment for our event, and our sponsors and biker community always donate great raffles and 50/50 drawings prizes.

Our sponsor for the ride is again Rider Justice. For over 8 years, Scott O’Sullivan from RiderJustice.com has supported this event as well as BikerDown Foundation to ensure that injured motorcycle riders have a resource to go when they go down.

This is BikerDown Colorado’s primary fundraiser that will enable us to continue the mission of helping injured riders until the end of the year!

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month – Safety begins with the rider

May 5, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

Laurie Montoya is President & Founder of BikerDown Foundation and Editor and Publisher of 2 motorcycle publications Motorcycle Rider News & Colorado Rider News

By Laurie Montoya, President and Founder of BikerDown Colorado

The Phrase Everyday should be Motorcycle Awareness Day is a statement that signifies the epidemic of motorcycle riders across this country that are injured daily. Everyone knows of a rider who has gone down, been injured or sadly has passed from a motorcycle accident.

Motorcyclists weigh the risk versus the reward for the freedom of the ride and most would say that if they had their choice they would GO doing what they loved. What happens thought when they are injured and their families are left to pick up the pieces of recovery, how does the family survive when you are looking at 6-8 months of recovery and multiple surgeries? What do they do when the driver of the car that hit them has an irresponsible driver with no insurance or at the very least the state minimum required to be on the road.

The answer is actually very simple – Motorcycle Awareness STARTS WITH ME! – Freedom of the ride in no longer free my friends, it requires riders to have the safety gear to keep them safer on the road than ever before, and it requires them to no longer get on the bike without the adequate insurance so in the event of an accident or fatality, the motorcycle law firm of their choice will be able to get them a recovery settlement that they need to survive. THAT IS THE TRUTH, and THE TRUTH DOESN’T CHANGE no matter what your ride, how you ride or what group or club you are in!

The National Organization BikerDown Foundation and your local chapter of BikerDown Colorado is mounting a daily campaign “I AM A BIKER” during Motorcycle Awareness Month in the hopes that it will go viral and show drivers/cagers that there are faces behind those helmets, that we are mothers/fathers, husband/wives and that we are more than just a motorcyclist.

We want to give also give our readers and followers tools and tips on how you can make your ride safer on the road, or in the event of an accident have the insurance coverages that you need.

Today, we will start that campaign with a motorcycle insurance checklist provided by Rider Justice.com that is vital to your recovery in the event of an accident. We hope that all riders will take the PLEDGE TODAY, to call their insurance carrier and ask these very basic questions

In the event I am hit by an un-insured driver, what kind of coverage do i have? Do i have un-insured motorist? Did i waive it when i got the policy?
In the event I am hit by a driver with limited insurance, what kind of coverage do I have?
If i have a passenger on the back of my bike and we are hit, is the passenger covered?
Are my medical bills covered in the event of an accident? How much is it to add Med-Pay?
I have car and bike insurance – are my policies stackable?

Underinsured Motorist (UIM) – Purchase a minimum of $250,000
Medical Payments (MedPay) – Get the maximum offered by your insurance company, usually between $5,000 and $25,000
Umbrella Policy – If you own your home, you need an underinsured motorists’ umbrella policy for $1 million
Liability – Purchase a minimum of $250,000
Collision –
Comprehensive
Accessories Coverage – This protects all of the customized accessories on your bike. Be sure to get replacement value coverage

In Colorado or anywhere in the country, if you need an insurance review of what you actually have on your policy and a suggestion of what you should upgrade to, i would suggest that you call Rider Justice and speak to Scott O’Sullivan.

Motorcycle Riders Will Be Forever #BikerStrong

April 5, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

1 year ago, we were all living in a different space with COVID shutting all our lives down. COVID was peaking and our national and local government’s initiated mandatory shutdowns in the hopes that the shutdown would stop the spread.

I am happy to report that while many businesses have closed or will never re-open, our most of biker related businesses have found a way to survive here in Colorado and that is because of the YOU.

It was during these times of hardship that Colorado biker businesses and riders summoned the strength and resilience that lives deep in our DNA to survive. Our biker’s business proved that no matter how often we are knocked down, we will keep getting up and get through this pandemic together. Your commitment to support biker bars thru take out orders, direct donation and continuing to wear your masks has given these businesses just enough revenue to keep their doors open.

The challenges that biker establishments like Dirty Dogs Roadhouse and others have endured, the additional costs involved to remain compliant will take years to recover from, but 1 thing is clear…the biker community is resilient and a community of riders that stand together will forever be #bikerstrong

Colorado Rider News, the only remaining monthly motorcycle publication in our community also faced challenges, and thanks to our motorcycle advertisers and subscribers who continued to read our publication online, we too were able to weather the COVID storm and are still here today!

The future of our motorcycle events in Colorado are increasing, and slowly events are filling up our event calendar. Dealerships, promotors, and charities who struggled thru 2020, are scheduling their annual rides and events and we ask everyone to do what you can to support them.

In this issue we will share with our readers and update on the 2^nd Colorado Motorcycle Swap Meet held at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse in March. We have also dedicated a portion of this month’s issue to Women riders, their upcoming events, and businesses.

Lastly, April is also Child Abuse Awareness month and CRN was honored to touch base with Biker’s for Justice and Christian Riders MM who will both be hosting rides to bring awareness to child abuse and trafficking.

As always enjoy the ride, let us know what we can do better and BE SAFE OUT THERE

Laurie Montoya

Publisher

Colorado Rider News

info@coloradoridernews.com

Publisher, Colorado Rider News

Motorcycle Awareness – 9th Annual Look Twice Save a Life

April 5, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

By Laurie Montoya

BikerDown Foundation received a Proclamation in 2015 from then Governor Hickenlooper proclaiming May17th as Colorado Motorcycle Awareness Day. This was quite an honor to be recognized by the state of Colorado for the good work that BikerDown has done for the motorcycle community.

On May 15^th, BikerDown will again host the only motorcycle awareness ride on the front range, called the Look Twice Save a Life ride. We are going to repeat the theme of last year with Can YOU SEE me NOW. These awareness shirts were a tremendous hit with riders no matter what you rode.

Pre-Register to get your Can YOU See me NOW event tshirt

This is BikerDown Colorado’s primary fundraiser that will enable us to continue the mission of helping injured riders until the end of the year!

You can register for our event by clicking here to be guaranteed your own Can YOU SEE me NOW t-shirt. If you cannot make the event, please register and BikerDown will ship your shirt to you. 100% of your donation goes into the Colorado BikerDown Accident Fund to help injured riders.

Remember to Ride Safe and SAVE THE DATE!

Save the Date – May 1st is International Female Ride Day

April 5, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

Colorado Rider News in conjunction with Audrey Paulas from Cool Biker Lunch & Rides is hosting the May 1st International Female Ride. Please join us at Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson at 9am for a day of empowerment for women!

After a short ride, we will come back to the dealership and have an afternoon of activities including a women’s rodeo games, women biker vendors and music.

You can pre-register for the ride by clicking here. Pre-registration guarantees that you will receive an event tshirt and our welcome package. Huge thank you to our sponsor RiderJustice.com and our host Kathy and Marina from Rocky Mountain Harley. Kathy has been a women biker owned business for over 40 years and an inspiration to women riders all over the Colorado riding community including her annual Children’s Hospital Toy Run.

International Female Ride days is a globally synchronized women’s motorcycle ride

Proceeds from the event will go directly to the local food banks in Jefferson County and to BikerDown’s #2Wheels4meals program which helps 1st responders and injured riders with meals.

Help Us Help the Children in our Community

April 5, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

By: Bikers for Justice

For those of you who do not know, April is the official month for Child Abuse Awareness and we truly need to bring more awareness to this pressing issue. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak seems to have caused an alarming decrease in calls reported to the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline, 844-CO-4-KIDS (844-264-5437). The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) has calculated that calls from medical professionals have decreased up to 11% and calls from education professionals decreased by up to 30%! However, calls from friends and family have increased by 5%¹.

Michelle Barnes, the executive director of CDHS stated, “Usually, we see a drop in calls when school ends for summer, but the decrease started much sooner – in March when remote learning began – and continued throughout the summer until in-person learning resumed in the fall. As schools reopened with some form of in-person learning, calls to the hotline increased but have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.”

Colorado Children need our help and support and that is where our organization fits in!

Bikers for Justice is a riding group focused on preventing one more child from being abused.

We are BIKERS FOR JUSTICE! A group of riders who are coming together from every walk of life, but the one issue that binds them together is preventing one more child from being abused.

Our Mission is founded on the vision that every child has the right to feel safe from further abuse. We are there to empower the children that have been abused and free them from their fears. Bikers for Justice is focused to eliminate further abuse to children with our physical presence by providing a 360-degree shield to prevent further abuse. We will immediately respond to a child in need. We have got your back!

It is difficult to know the scope of how much child-abuse and neglect really affect one of our most vulnerable members of our communities. Abused children are often isolated, especially when the trauma involves a caregiver they depend on every day. The harm many children face is not recognized or reported by adults.

Here is some statistic that one might find shocking:

Every 10 seconds a report of child abuse is made
91% of child abuse perpetrators are parents
7.2 million children every year are referred to Child Protective Services
4 to 5 children die from child abuse or neglect every day
77% of child fatalities involve one parent
75% of children who die of abuse and are under age 3

The CDHS lists some examples of how our community can help to strengthen families, even those who are not raising a child or working with children or families every day¹:

Be a listening ear for a neighbor who may be having a difficult time.
Offer to shovel a neighbor’s sidewalk when it snows.
Help a parent connect to or apply for benefits. Let them know it is okay to need help.
Community groups can connect parents to one another to help build support networks.
Employers can allow for flexibility in scheduling where possible.
People in the service industry can notice positive parenting moments and offer compliments.
Faith communities can offer financial support or goods to families who need it.

The healing journey for the children that have experienced child abuse and neglect can be extremely painful. With the help of BIKERS FOR JUSTICE the healing processes can start. We work closely with the families, state, and local agencies to protect children.

BIKERS FOR JUSTICE’s mission simple Every child has the right to feel safe in their environment. We look to give a child it is power back. They will know that we got their backs, and they need not be afraid. We assist them in expressing themselves and to protect them to get their voice back to testify.

Remember: IF YOU SEE SOMETHING …SAY SOMETHING! It might just save a child’s life.

You can reach us day or night at our help line: 303-725-3159 or send us an email at bikersforjustice@gmail.com .

Great Things on the Horizon for the Local Motorcycle Museum

January 28, 2021 By Laurie Montoya 1 Comment

By Laurie Montoya

There are a lot of cool motorcycle museums in this great Nation, but here in Colorado, we have one that we can call our own.

The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum was founded in 1992, and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Colorado entity. The museum is home to some beautifully restored and original antique machines spanning 1906 to 1976.

One thing that sets our motorcycle museum apart from most others in the world is the price of admission: FREE. Yes, I said free. While donations at the door are welcomed, there is no cost for anyone to enjoy the spectacular display of two wheeled history.

MOVIN’ ON UP

From 1992 through 2001, the museum made its home on Colorado Springs southside next door to High Country Custom Cycles. When the chopper shop was bought out by the local Harley-Davidson dealer, the Museum was relocated to a building adjacent to that dealership. After several years, the Museum relocated to the mezzanine level of the dealership, where it has remained ever since.

That long time home will soon be abandoned, as the museum relocates to a brand new, prestigious location in downtown Colorado Springs.

Joining the new “City Works Eatery” complex, the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum’s new address will be 19 North Tejon St., in the heart of Colorado Springs’ entertainment district. “We are very excited about our new location, and extremely proud to join with Sam and Kathy Guadagnoli on their new restaurant project.” Said Jim Wear, the Museum’s Executive Director. “Sam and I have been friends and business partners for decades, and we have always dreamed of a motorcycle themed eatery. When I approached the Museum’s Board of Directors with the idea, it was well received and is finally now coming to fruition.” Kathy Guadagnoli said, “Sam and I are very excited that the heart of downtown will be home to the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum! Sam’s prized possession is his 1906 Redding Standard, the first motorbike to go up Pikes Peak. It’s a real piece of local history and was show cased at the Broadmoor Carriage House Museum for many years. We will also have a retro ice cream and candy shop, with a tiny motorcycle that was formerly in “Sam’s” – the World’s smallest bar named in the Guinness World book of records. Visiting children can get their picture taken on the little motorcycle! This will be a great opportunity for families to eat, drink, and enjoy an amazing display of antique motorcycles, and we could not be more proud to be a part of it.”

Aside from a newly remodeled, high-end location, the Museum will have more square footage and will have the ability for retail sales and exposure to a much larger, more diverse audience. “After nearly 30 years of having the Museum adjacent to motorcycle shops, it was pretty much the biker crowd that largely comprised our visitors. With this change in venue, we are sure to see much more of the general public. I mean to say that the motorcycle enthusiast will seek the museum out no matter where it is, but having the ability to expose the general public to the history of motorcycling and all of our antique and classic machines on display will go a long way to fulfilling our mission as an educational nonprofit entity.” Wear explained.

Several of Guadagnoli’s machines will also join the museums display. “Sam has a number of really nice antique bikes, many of which have lived in his garage all these years. Now, thousands of visitors will get to enjoy many of his machines and we are excited about and proud of the joint venture.”

MAKING THE GRADE

Click here to read more from Eagle Rider

Recently, the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum was named one of “12 of AMERICA’S BEST MOTORCYCLE MUSEUMS” by eaglerider.com.

“This is a huge deal for us.” Said Wear. “There are some spectacular museums on the list including the Harley-Davidson Factory Museum, Wheels Through Time, the AMA Hall of Fame Museum and the Peterson Automotive Museum. To see our humble museum standing side-by-side with these giants is extremely humbling and very encouraging,” explained Wear, “We never set out to become famous. We just wanted a place to share our antique machines and our love of them and their history with the public.”

PROPER RECOGNITION

Another huge accomplishment for The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum came recently when their all original, one owner 1956 Harley Davidson FLH Panhead was featured on the cover of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America’s magazine. The machine was also showcased in the “Exhibit A” section of the publication with an eight-page color layout. “The AMCA feature is an incredible honor for us,” said Wear. “Only six bikes a year get the cover and the Exhibit A feature. There are tens of thousands of beautiful, original machines amongst the membership of the AMCA, and to have one of our bikes chosen from a pool of such spectacular machinery is truly humbling.” Wear added, “It was a combined effort by our Board of Directors to secure this special bike for the museum, and we are proud to be its caretaker.”

The 1956 Panhead that Wear speaks of was sold brand new by Borgstetd’s Harley-Davidson dealership in Pueblo Colorado to US Army Veteran John Deatherage. John lovingly cared for the bike and kept it in pristine original condition until his passing in 2018. Despite some stiff competition for its purchase from many collectors, the Museum ended up with this unbelievably original machine, now known as “John D’s Cherry Pepper.”

“The bike has become world-famous, maybe more famous than our museum itself, in a very short time. No one disputes that this is likely the nicest example of an all original rigid frame panhead known to exist.” Wear added, “Due to the manner in which the owner stored the motorcycle, free of any sunlight and in a climate-controlled environment, the bike is literally like new.”

Colorado Rider News readers can look forward to seeing John D’s Cherry Pepper in its new home at The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum, 19 North Tejon St. in Colorado Springs when the museum opens in collaboration with City Works Eatery this spring. Cole Deister, a member of the Museum’s Board of Directors told us, “I think I can speak for my fellow board members in saying how excited we are for this new venue. Our other board members are from all over the United States and although they needed a little excuse to visit our wonderful state, this new venue will quickly become a destination location for them and others from all over the world. It will also be a way to introduce non enthusiasts to the hobby we love so much. I can’t wait to invite friends and family to join us for a day at the museum and to enjoy a world class meal in downtown Colorado Springs!

For more information, check out the Museum’s new website at www.themotorcyclemuseum.com.

BikerDown offers new stickers to try and get the message to distracted drivers

January 28, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

BikerDown Foundation’s mission is always to help injured motorcycle riders. A large part of that mission is getting out motorcycle awareness, distracted driving in all its forms including driver’s using hand held mobile devices and texting and driving.

Every year our community suffers many accidents due to careless drivers. To continue to support our mission, BikerDown has created these motorycle helmet or vehicle stickers with a very strong message. GET OFF THE F**CKIN PHONE!

BikerDown just released some new awareness t-shirts that they hope the community will purchase to support BikerDown. You can purchase them on our website store

Click HERE to purchase on their online store

BikerDown Foundation runs on the generosity of the biker community. If you know of someone who has been injured in a motorcycle accident, please do a help request on their website www.bikerdown.org

BikerDown’s Adopt a Family for Holidays Meets Goals with Help from Special Donor

December 17, 2020 By Colorado Rider News Leave a Comment

Adopt a Family raised over $14k for families in need!

There is nothing more stressful than the holidays for families, whether it is the COVID world that we currently live in with job layoffs, food service industry shutdowns and in-home learning requiring 1 family member to not work. Also, the normal high cost of living in Denver and surrounding areas makes it difficult for any extras each month. Gone are the days, when a family can put a little away every month, or the Christmas savings accounts one used to open every year to save for the holidays. Families struggle every year to provide the kind of Christmas that all children deserve.

BikerDown Foundation saw the need in the motorcycle community 10 years ago and implemented a holiday program called Adopt A Family for the Holidays. Since its inception BikerDown thru Adopt A Family has helped over 500 families have the resources to provide Christmas for their children.

Each family in the program receives a $250 Walmart gift card and partnered with Walmart to provide a full holiday dinner and to ensure that children have food to get them thru the New Year. What makes our program different is they allow donors to see their donations at work by meeting with the families, reading about their circumstances and getting to personally meet them at our Dinner with Santa.

Their goal in 2020 was to help as many families as they could but to also be realistic that everyone in our community was struggling and that donations could possibly be down this year. Adopt A Family even limited the number of families that could apply to 40 families, from the normal 75-100. BikerDown Adopt A Family also expanded their reach in 2019 to include the Las Vegas BikerDown chapter which each year has reached their family goals with the guidance of Shannon Venturo from Full Throttle Law & Bling Devas, MC, Cheryl from Original Sinners, MC and the Southern Nevada Confederation of Clubs.

On December 11, 2020, with 2 weeks away from Christmas, they began to get very worried that they just would not meet the goal of helping 40 families. On Wednesday, December 16, Laurie Montoya, President and Founder of BikerDown and Adopt A Family, received a phone call that she will never forget.
Michael Lord, a local Denver entrepreneur, called to adopt the last 4 families in our program. Mike then asked if there were any other families that they could help. In a matter of minutes, Mike and his co-workers adopted 10 additional families that were on the waitlist!

The program would be remiss to not recognize all the Colorado donors of this program, that each year make sure to adopt at least 1-2 families. These biker community donors have been the back bone of our program for 10 years and Adopt a Family would not have been able to survive and increase our help without their commitment every year. We would like to give special recognition to Scott O’Sullivan from RiderJustice.com and The O’Sullivan Law firms, Greg & Brooklyn Chmel, Art and Khris Cleveland, Derek from Ironwood Earthcare, BO Martinez, Skip Hohnhorst, Eli Ohlauser, Deborah Thomas, Kevin Maki, and all of you who attended the November Chili cook off. You are truly a blessing to this program.

Adopt A Family will continue the mission in 2021 and we look forward to bigger and better events that will enable us to extend our reach to more and more families.

We will all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you will raise your glass and join me in say FAREWELL to 2020.

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