Colorado Powersports
As we enter in to March and the see the snow still on the ground in Colorado, I am beginning to believe that Phil the Groundhog from Punxsutawney Pennsylvania who revealed that “Spring will be early” isn’t just a fun thing to do on Groundhog Day. Most of us are beginning to feel a little cabin fever and itch to ride but we must remember this is still Colorado, and it appears nature is replenishing its resources in 2020.
[Read more…] about Spring 2020
A number of you Colorado Rider News readers are all-season riders but not everyone rides in through the winter season. For those that put the bike away for several of the winter months, the warming weather really creates an itch to hit the road.
[Read more…] about Prepping for the Riding Season
Good for public safety – This bill could help prevent the 53 deaths, and 6,269 injuries in Colorado annually as a result of distracted drivers.4 This bill could help deter the behavior of the 90% of the population which engages in distracted driving behavior in Colorado.5 All of these deaths and injuries are preventable, and this bill will help to deter behavior that leads to these types of losses.
Good for Colorado’s economy – Distracted driving leaves quit a toll on drivers in Colorado by causing 43 crashes per day.6 By deterring drivers from this dangerous behavior, Coloradans could save money from costly accidents and higher insurance premiums. The additional revenue generated from the financial penalties of distracted driving will also help fund law enforcement agencies, particularly in small rural areas, to continue to protect and serve Coloradans.7
1 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
2 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
3 Colorado Department of Transportation
4 Colorado Department of Transportation
5 Colorado Department of Transportation
6 Colorado Department of Transportation
7 Rocky Mountain PBS
After a year of painstaking work, it appears that Wide Open Saloon is in the final stages and should be open this March just in time for riding season. Bikers and cagers who regularly drive to Castle Rock or Palmer Lake have been counting the days to have their local watering hole and restaurant back on Santa Fe (Hwy 85).
Owner Todd Hills has left no stone unturned when it comes to renovating this historical landmark in Sedalia. In fact, in my conversations with Todd, we confirmed that it probably would have been easier and more efficient to have torn down the whole building down and started over. Todd stated, the building has great bones and we wanted to keep the integrity of the older building and historical value.” We gave her a fresh look and have added some great additions including:
With renovating it has come with its own set of challenges and rumor is that this week Wide Open will get their final inspections and is hoping to soft open the doors on March 7th.
The name Wide Open Saloon is personal to the owner as in 2009 he hosted a Wednesday night bike night at Top-Gun Motorsports off 58th and I-25 and the name of the bar was Wide Open Saloon. Todd knows how to throw a party and create a biker friendly environment.
On behalf of Colorado Rider News, we want to WELCOME BACK Wide Open Saloon to our riding community and we hope that all our readers will stay updated on their website and Facebook pages. For more information please visit their website.
By Stormy
Motorcycle enthusiasts get excited when the Motorcycle Expo is in town. It reminds them that spring is coming and which in turn means it will be riding season soon. A lot of biker attendees noticed that there was something different about the Expo; they felt it in the air, ambience, and attitude. Well they are correct; there is a new owner of the Expo, an actual biker, Scott Schultz! He wants to take the Expo back to its original status and run it like a biker would run it. That means allowing the motorcycle clubs back into the Expo, and more specifically even allowing the club that the rider was killed a few years ago return. Another great reason to have a biker run the Expo compared to a Joe Blow businessman is that he understands the motorcycle community and knows firsthand what they want and what they want to see. He is going to bring back the great vendors that quit exhibiting because of all the red-tape restrictions. Most importantly, Scott wants to bring back the strong and loyal following that attended each year.
I was lucky to have a chance to meet the new owner, Scott Schultz. I learned that he is 42 years young and a life-long motorcycle junkie and accomplished businessman. He said that he is a transplant from North Dakota and has called Colorado home for 26 years. He is committed to his vision of bringing together bikers from all walks, united by a common love for these amazing machines.
The motorcycle show competition was great to see! They had over 100 bikes competing in more than a dozen categories.
Walking the Expo was so much fun. You run into so many friends; it’s like a big family reunion! It is also fun to shop and spend money at the vendors’ booths. One of my favorites was Vatos Y Viclas Magazine. They had some cool merchandise and a cute little chunky chihuahua named Athena running around in the booth. Vatos Y Viclas works towards helping Homies Unidos, a gang intervention/prevention program here in Denver.
My other favorite was Glitter Biker Boutique owned by Aimee Leigh. She has the best blingy bandanas ever! There were so many to choose from and in different colors
I also ran into Scott O’Sullivan and Chere Martin of Rider Justice. They are both awesome people in the biker community. They stand up for us bikers. In fact, for the third straight year, they are working to make it illegal for anyone to hold an electronic device in their hands while driving. Scott said, “We support SB20-065 because we believe this law will help make Colorado roads safer for everyone.” He goes on to say that if SB20-065 passes, all drivers would be prohibited from using a wireless communication device unless used in a hands-free manner. Navigation systems would be permitted if the address information was entered prior to operating the vehicle or in an emergency situation.
It was also cool to stop by Wide Open Saloon’s booth which is opening Saturday, March 7th. Anton Barich the general manager said they have big plans for the opening and have great bands lined up.
I am looking forward to next year’s Expo and see what Scott Schultz has planned.
By: Shawn Cox
I started my Bike build project in 2015 after buying a new stock Harley that my wife didn’t want me tearing down to build a custom bike. I was working with a new builder in town from Arizona who was bringing the big wheel craze into town. After seeing a couple of 23-26 and even a 30 roll out of his shop I knew I wanted to build one. I started watching insurance auctions looking for a bike to start with since I didn’t want to tear down my road glide.
I found a road king that looks to have been wrecked and missing all the parts I was going to replace. I picked it up to find the entire frame and motor was trashed. I was now out some cash and had nothing to work with. I reached out to Chassis Design in CA. and started ordering a custom frame to start my build. They sent out the wrong frame and when I finally got around to mocking it up, I found that the neck was welded wrong and trees wouldn’t fit correctly. After finding out the company had sold and the previous company owner gave me the run around for 6 month I resolved the issue with its current owner who was a great guy to work with and finally got my frame back set up for a 32 inch wheel.
So now I have all the parts including a Competition KIllas rear end from TOL in Las Vegas NV and a 3rd child on the way. Then again, I put my project on hold again for 6-8 months.
I had recently ran across another local shop called Notorious Concepts in Parker who installed a upgraded sound system on my Fat Tire Road Glide. They had done some clean work and I watched some bikes roll out of the shop and decided to work with them on this build. As all bikes start out, I wanted a simple bike 1 color that I could twist around on and have some fun. Well that’s as simple as it got….
As we stood around the shop looking at the bike as it progressed, we started looking at other bikes coming from Dirty bird in Arizona and DA Performance in the Mid-West simple wasn’t good enough any longer. I wanted to play with the big boys and build a showstopper. We started Dimond cutting the fins on a custom S&S 124 ci motor built by Mr. Tom Shoupe a great guy with a rep of building consistent power and good motors. We clear coated the motor and started sending everything else to Lee at Pristine Powder Coating to be done in candy apple green.
When it came time to pick out floorboards and controls, I found a new player in the parts game named Vitty Designs from Italy on Facebook. Mateo was doing things a bit different and caught my eye with his style and details. He also gave an option for brass and gold plating… Once those parts arrived, I was hooked. I thought I need the motor and other parts to match. I sent all my parts out to be chrome and asked what the cost would be to gold certain parts while out for chrome. I about fell on the floor, So I went online and did some research and found a way I could do my own gold plating for way cheaper. I called all my friend to donate any stock parts they would part from to practice on until I finally got it down. So, we began gold plating parts on my bike until we had just enough to bring out the bling and stand out. About that time, we took all the paint sets to Jarod @ Motorsport Concepts to have the paint done. Working with the Mad Scientist Randy Gustafson was the best. He took some conversations with Will, Jarod and myself and took my paint to the next level. I had seen Randy around for years in the car scene but never had anything worth his talent. He took some Fb photos of bikes I liked and added his own touch and as you can see knock it out of the park with the knurling matching gold leaf and hand painted stripes and candy paint.
A lot of people like to talk about this bike. They comment on the paint, the size of the wheel or how it lays frame on the ground, YOU CAN’T RIDE THAT BIKE!!
I sit back and laugh at some of the comments and try to educate them on how lay frames work and what air ride is and how we used a swing arm as our air tank among other unique custom thing that have been done. I ride this bike down dirt country washboards to get to the highway in Elbert county and they are in disbelief.
Do I ride this bike on long trips? No, I have a Road Glide with a 180-18 fat tire that I also ride on longer runs so yes this is a head turning fun around town bike that’s made to catch your attention and have some fun at shows. The first real ride I did with my wife after getting it finally registered and insured, I was being filmed by a couple in a brand-new bright orange Lambo. That made me feel good a 250K car and he liked my bike enough to film it out his window while driving down road. I was drooling on their car while they filmed me wanna trade?
We showed the bike in a booth at the 2019 Colorado Motorcycle Expo for Notorious Concepts and Motorsport Concepts. To date since finishing the bike we have won 2 back to back best of shows with the most recent one being the 2020 Colorado Motorcycle Expo.
We look forward to a long summer of riding enjoying this 32-inch Road King #KingofDenver
Riders are always looking for destinations that have great sunsets, mountain riding, small little towns that you can soak up local color and eat meals with people who live in that small town. This month we have chosen Arizona as a destination for March 2020.
We titled this article Bikes, Balloons and Baseball because Phoenix Arizona is over flowing with things to do when you aren’t riding in March.
Tombstone and Bisbee – Explore Southern Arizona’s unique charm and the history of the Wild West. Take the back roads through open desert. Best done late fall, winter and early spring to beat the heat of summer. Historic Tombstone and Bisbee, the OK Corral, Museums, Shopping, Restaurants and Mine Tours.
Bartlett Lake – Enjoy this quick 50-mile ride to one of Arizona’s beautiful lakes and the fantastic scenery of the Tonto National Forest. Short local ride through Cave Creek with restaurants and shopping. Beautiful desert scenery and Saguaros. Good, quick way to get out of the city any time of year.
Prescott, Jerome and Sedona – Sedona the scenic way. Open desert, mountain passes and forests. Allow 5 hours for this route to Sedona or more if you take time to explore historic Jerome or Prescott. High country riding best done late spring to early fall. Great summer escape from the desert heat.
Grand Canyon – Direct Route – Enjoy a 230-mile ride to one of the World’s most amazing destinations. Quickest route to Arizona’s most spectacular scenery. High elevation makes the trip best for late spring to early fall. Through Flagstaff and Williams on old Route 66. Make reservations early if you plan to stay at the Grand Canyon or in Tusayan at the entrance of the National Park.
Arizona Bike Week – April 1st thru 5th is the best early spring rally to attend. Great bikes, camping and live entertainment. There are also other rally’s such as Cave Creek Bike week March 27th thru April 5th.
Hot Air Balloon Experience – Start your Valley of the Sun day or evening by watching the sunrise/sunset from a hot air balloon tour in north Phoenix. There are several great hot air balloon companies that have shared or private experiences. The earth from above is a sight you will never tire of, and you can see wildlife from the ultra-quiet balloons. Every flight is unique, and the wind will decide your path, and offer you clear views of Lake Pleasant. The price during March will run you about 179.00 per person for a 45-90-minute ride
Spring Training Baseball Camps – Like motorcycles, baseball will always be one of America’s national past times and spring training in February thru March give us a unique opportunity to see baseball the way baseball used to be. The tickets are reasonably priced ($46 -$166), stadiums are small and intimate, and the smell of fresh popcorn is in the air. You will have a better chance to get an autograph from your favorite player here than at Coor’s Field. Families are everywhere to see their new rookies fight for a chance to get on the team. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale is where the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondback are based, but you can also see other teams that aren’t in our division such as Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, and Texas Rangers.
If you are looking for a long weekend destination that isn’t too far away and affordable, I can’t think of anywhere that holds this kind of value.
By Stretch McClure
Success comes in a lot of ways, but it doesn’t come with money and it doesn’t come with fame. It comes from having a meaning in your life, doing what you love and being passionate about what you do. That’s having a life of success.
When you have the ability to do what you love, love what you do and have the ability to impact people. That’s having a life of success. That’s what having a life of meaning is.
Crises marked by anxiety, doubt, and despair have always been those periods of personal unrest that occur at the times when a man is sufficiently unsettled to have an opportunity for personal growth.
We must always see our own feelings of uneasiness as being our chance for “making the growth choice” rather than the fear choice. This is the new year the new you. You can pass through another year, coasting on cruise control. Or you can step out of your comfort zone, trying things you have never done before, & make this year the year that you elevate from where you are & soar high.
Make it happen. Each one of us holds the promise of greatness within our heart, minds, and souls.
Our potential and where it leads us are as unique as our fingerprints, yet the way to access what is possible is universal. Affirm your life; find joy every day, even in the most mundane; and embrace your strengths and use them better yourself and the world.
By: Renee “Belt Drive Betty” Charbonneau
Spring, you can feel it, it is trying so hard to break free from the white cold fingers of winter.
Here in Northern Alberta, it’s been a long, cold, uncomfortable winter. There have been a couple of bright spots though. In January I took in the Edmonton Motorcycle Show as an exhibitor with a booth representing the Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association, Grande Prairie Regional Tourism and the presenting sponsor for the CMTA – White Knights Injury Law Team of Braithwaite and Boyle Accident Injury Law. And in February I took in the World of Wheels, again as an exhibitor, promoting our Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association, our presenting sponsor and Grande Prairie Regional Tourism.
Why is an injury lawyer sponsoring a motorcycle tourism association? Well Ken Braithwaite is an avid motorcyclist himself and he was involved in an out of country motorcycle crash. And so he gets it. He understands the need to ride and the fears, the challenges and frustrations felt by a rider who is injured. If you were injured here in Canada you want to know that there is someone who can help you, guide you and put you on the right path, who can partner with your attorney in the US if needed. Ken Braithwaite and the White Knights Injury Law Team are here to serve you in your time of need. They do nothing but Injury Law and can serve you in Alberta, British COlumbia, the Yukon and Northwest Territories.
If you intend to ride to Alaska like most red blooded Americans who ride do, it’s good to know who to reach out to. And hopefully, like packing rain gear, now that you know there is good a rider attorney who can help you if you are injured, you won’t need him and his team.
The CMTA has begun creating partnerships with all sorts of Canadian Influencers in the Motorcycle Travel and Tourism Industry and we have tour providers on both coasts and a few in between that we are now connected to. Tammy Kidd of Canadian Xtreme Adventures can help transform your trip to Alaska (a trip of a lifetime) into your trip through Western Canada to Alaska, (an EPIC trip of a lifetime!)
If you are planning a trip through Canada on your way to Alaska let us help you find the best resources to take advantage of! We have folks in the Kawarthas of Ontario, who can help you eat your way through the countryside, and on the East Coast, the Cabot Trail Biker can help you see Cape Breton in ways you never thought possible!
The Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association, Powered by White Knights Injury Law Team, here to help inspire you to take more road trips!
