Thunder Roads Colorado Magazine - Volume 12, Issue 3

THUNDER ROADS® Magazine COLORADO Published by Flying Hound Press, L.L.C. 7477 W. Layton Way Littleton, Colorado 80123 720-458-3134 www.thunderroadscolorado.com feedback@thunderroadscolorado.com

ABATE..................................................................... 7 Grey Ghost Bike...................................................... 8 Road Trip 1979...................................................... 10 Dallas Hageman.................................................... 14 Skin Art.................................................................. 16 Tasty Recipes........................................................ 17 Calendar................................................................ 18 Across The Pond................................................... 20 Events................................................................... 23 Fenders................................................................. 24 Ladies Up Front..................................................... 26 News Bytes........................................................... 30 Biker Friendly Directory......................................... 32 Joker’s Wild........................................................... 33 Thunder Cam........................................................ 34

EDITORS Patrick J. McCauley “5” President and Senior Editor Patrick@thunderroadscolorado.com Carrie McCauley Vice President and Editor Carrie@thunderroadscolorado.com PHOTOGRAPHERS Vickie Jo Mullin, Lead Photographer Vickie@thunderroadscolorado.com Wayne Madison wayne@thunderroadscolorado.com David Campbell davidc@thunderroadscolorado.com CONTRIBUTORS Adventure Hermit (Joe Trey) joe@adventurehermit.com

ON THE COVER

Peggy Bogaard-Lapp peggy@thunderroadscolorado.com

Motorcycle Name: The Grey Ghost Motorcycle Owner/Builder: Mike Lerdal and Elite V Twin Model: Tara Sexton Photographer: David Campbell

Scott O’Sullivan http://osullivan-law-firm.com Stump - Abate stump@thunderroadscolorado.com Whiskyman whiskeyman@thunderroadscolorado.com ADVERTISING AND DISTRIBUTION REPRESENTATIVES Greater Metro Denver Area Toby Schmidt tobyb@thunderroadscolorado.com (720)829-7954 Northern Colorado Zak Clayton zak@ThunderRoadsColorado.com (970) 301-4674 LAYOUT & DESIGN Meredith Hancock / Hancock Graphics mhancockgraphics@gmail.com NATIONAL FOUNDERS Toni McCoy Shearon & Brian Shearon 1528 Matlock Drive Chapmansboro, TN 37035 Thunder Publishing LLC, Offices 615-792-0040 thunderroadsfounders@yahoo.com www.thunderroadsmagazine.com ©2016 Flying Hound Press, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of the content may be reproduced without written permission. Publisher assumes no responsibility and is not liable for errors beyond the cost of space occupied by the error, slander by any group or individual, failure to produce any issue as scheduled, any and all suits for liable, plagiarism, copyright infringement and unauthorized use of a person’s name or photograph. Opinions and claims made by advertisers and authors/contributors are their own, and do not necessarily represent the policy of Thunder Road Magazine® Colorado, Thunder Publishing.

Publisher does not promote the abuse of alcohol or other drugs.

2 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

Want to be a contributor or correspondent?

We need contributors and correspondents for dirt bike offroad events, on-road cruiser, sport bike and adventure touring, rides, runs and rallies. Contact us today at contributors@ thunderroadscolorado.com or 720-458-3134.

The New Year is here and Patrick and I are glad to see the back side of 2016 for obvious reasons. We are hoping that this year will be kinder to both of us. Normally, this time of year we would be gearing up for the Motorcycle Expo, but this year’s event is cancelled. We are hoping (as I am sure all of you are) that this is just for this year and the event will return next year stronger and bigger than ever!

Full-time and part-time advertising representative wanted.

No experience required.

Contact us at sales@thunderroadscolorado.com or 720-458-3134.

This year’s riding season is a few short months away and we are asking all of you to please let us know about your events. We can place your event for free in our monthly event listings, please send us your event with the following information by the 15th of the month prior to your event.

For example: If your event is in June, we would need the information before the 15th of May to make it into the June issue.

Add your ride, rally or run to our free events listing page

Name of Event

Want to make some extra money?

We want your feedback

Please email us and let us know what you think and what you want to see at feedback@thunderroadscolorado.com or 720-458-3134.

Send us your event information whether on-Road or off-road, rides, runs, rallies and events for all types of motorcycles and three wheelers. We will list it free in our events listing for that month! events@thunderroadscolorado.com or 720-458-3134.

Charity benefactor of the event Starting point and starting time Kickstands Up Time Short description of event

Remember, we also give deep discounts on advertising for charitable events.

DON’T MISS IT!

We at Thunder Roads Colorado are very interested in helping out charities, give us a call to chat with us about potential sponsorships.

Make Check payable to: Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

Contact Information: email, Facebook event page address, webpage address, phone number

Carrie McCauley

Mail check and this form to:

Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 7477 W. Layton Way Littleton, CO – 80123 One year subscription to Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado is only $25.99 a year.

LIVE 24/7 Biker Radio

Rally Coverage

Name____________________________________________

Biker Music | BIker bands

Address__________________________________________

888.498.2123 w w w. b i c r a d i o . n e t www.thunderroadscolorado.com

The nation’s largest FREE biker publication can be delivered right to your door.

City______________________________________________ State___________________________ Zip_______________

January 2017

Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 3

4 Thunder Roads MagazineÂŽ Colorado

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

BRITISH MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION OF COLORADO Meets 1 st Saturday of every month, 10 am South Side Johnny’s 528 S. Tejon Colorado Springs, CO www.bmacinc.com All makes and models of bikes welcome! Contact John @719-213-3239 or 5pointsltd@gmail.com

WERE YOU AT AN EVENT OUR READERS MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN?

Let us know about it and give us your story and pictures by emailing us at contributors@thunderroadscolorado.com

6 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

CONTACTING YOUR LEGISLATORS affiliation, and Capitol phone number. To find more information or send an e-mail, click on their name. An information page will appear with an e-mail link. To send an e-mail, click on the link, and choose a launch application when prompted and an e-mail page will appear. (The only trouble I found was that you need a Yahoo or gmail account to access that page).

Hello Concerned Motorcyclists, Last month I wrote about the upcoming 1st Session of the 71st Colorado General Assembly. I mentioned a couple of bills of concern to motorcyclists (MOST Bill and Autocycle Bill) that will definitely be addressed this session. I also mentioned a few issues that might be pursued: RedLight Bill; Anti-profiling; Lane-Splitting; Motorcycle Only Checkpoints; and Distracted Driving.

The Session starts Wednesday, January 11th and depending on when you are reading this, I might already be discussing ABATE’s agenda with Legislators. ABATE’s mission statement is: “ABATE of Colorado exists to preserve the freedom of the road, to unite motorcyclists, to promote fair legislation, safety, and rider education, and to provide a network for communication on issues affecting motorcyclists.”

Below is a chart of the 2017 Senate Transportation Committee and the House Transportation & Energy Committee Members.

It includes their party affiliation and the Senate District or House District they represent.

SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Member R/D HD Sen. Baumgardner (Chair) R 8 Sen. Scott R 7 Sen. Cooke R 13 Sen. Fensberg D 18 Sen. Todd D 28 HOUSE TRANSPORTATION & ENERGY COM. Member R/D SD Rep. Mitsch-Bush (Chair) D 26 Rep. J. Becker R 65 Rep. Bridges D 3 Rep. Buck R 49 Rep. Carver R 20 Rep. Escar D 46 Rep. Ginal D 52 Rep. Hansen D 6 Rep. Jackson D 42 Rep. Lawrence R 39 Rep. McClachlan D 59 Rep. Nordberg R 14 Rep. Winter D 35 I give you this information because they are usually the first Legislators to discuss any transportation issues. All introduced bills get assigned to a committee for research and discussion on the pros and cons of the proposed legislation. Public testimony is encouraged, as this is one way the Legislators learn of the impact of the proposed legislation on effected parties. I also strongly encourage public testimony.

Another way to voice your concerns is by contacting Legislators by phone or e-mail. This year the Colorado General Assembly has a new website, www.lweg.colorado.gov. You can easily find your Legislator by clicking on “Find My Legislator”, then entering your address in the box in the upper left-hand corner of the map. Your Legislator’s information will appear on the right-hand side of the map, complete with phone number and e-mail address. You can also find contact information for all Legislators by clicking “Legislators” at the top of the home page.

A list will appear with their Senate or House District Number, party www.thunderroadscolorado.com

Constituents have more influence with their Legislators, but anyone can express their concerns to any Legislator. So if you have strong feelings about a particular bill, feel free to contact all committee members to which the bill has been assigned. Actually, it is your right to express your concerns and it is highly encouraged. Legislators are not experts on all the various topics that come up for discussion during a session and they need to be educated by the public.

I will be giving updates on Colorado legislative action in my article each month, but like all publications, there exists a time difference between the time I write the article and when you read it. One solution would be to join ABATE and be informed in a more timely manner. I send out weekly updates and “Action Alerts” so all members know when to contact certain legislators. Another way to become more legislatively active is through the Colorado General Assembly website. In addition to getting Legislator information, there is an enormous amount of Colorado Legislative information available.

Just “play” around with the various drop-down boxes and links and you’ll probably find more information than you care to! It takes a little practice, but everything you ever wanted to know about the General Assembly can be found here. One of my often used links, when I’m not down at the Capitol, is the “Watch and Listen”, where you can view and hear live broadcasts from the Senate and House Chambers. . You can also find valuable legislative information, such as the “Bill Process” on ABATE’s website at www.abateofcolo.org.

Once the 2017 Session starts, and it probably has already by the time you’re reading this, introduced bills and Senate and House daily schedules will be posted. Through that you can find the progress of each bill and when and where to go to testify in a committee meeting or even when best to contact Legislators.

Once a bill gets out of the initial committee, it might go to another committee or to the chambers. Again, you should contact the new committee members or your own Legislator with your concerns for when the bill comes up for 2nd and 3rd readings in the chambers.

I know I have just given you a lot of legislative information. Some of you know all this already and some of you will probably just ignore it, but I am hoping I encouraged some of you to become more legislatively active. This information can be used for all concerns, not just motorcycle issues. Do you care about gun legislation in Colorado? Or possible changes in tax laws or education? There were 685 bills introduced last year. How many of them affected you personally? Did you contact your Legislator and voice your opinion?

Lastly, I know I have mentioned ABATE of Colorado a few times.

If you are really concerned about protecting your right to ride your motorcycle the way you want, join Colorado’s only State Motorcycle Rights Organization and help fight to keep our freedoms.

Stump Legislative Affairs Officer – ABATE of Colorado, Legislative Columnist – Thunder Roads Colorado

January 2017

Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 7

THE GREY GHOST BIKE

Motorcycle Name: The Grey Ghost Motorcycle Owner/Builder: Mike Lerdal ñ Elite V Twin Model: Tara Sexton Photographer: David Campbell

Build by Mike Lerdal – Elite V Twin Model – Tara Sexton The “Grey Ghost” started outwith a deal on a new “take out” twin cam 103” engine with only 300 miles on it. After about a year, Mike Lerdal found an Evo style Sucker Punch Sally Hardtail frame in Cheyenne. The frame came with Fat Daddy spoke wheels & tires, it also came with funky handlebars that we tossed!

We started collecting parts both new and used: 5 speed transmission gears for a 2006 Road King, put into a new softail case, Softail inner & outer primary with heavy duty clutch, because we knew we would be riding hard! The Harley style ignition switch was mounted on the end of the started with a custom machined aluminum housing & push button starter on the end of the solenoid. The bike has a small green LED light below the switch to let the rider know the transmission is in neutral. The wiring is all hidden with the electric hidden under an old Panhead voltage regulator cover.

We used a new bullet headlight to match the 1939 Chevy car taillight. The frame was powder coated rough black like the Harley engine, and the tins were hand sanded then powder coated clear. The Vance & Hines pro pipe was used and cut down 6” for this bike with custom brackets & performance baffle. The oil tank was borrowed from another project, the 103” has Harley carb, electric ignition and power bumped up with Woods TW777 cams ! With custom ideas & hand work from Mike Lerdal, Mike Willey & Dave Perrin we now have an incredible machine with many custom parts & touches that not only is fast & light, but handles awesome!

8 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

January 2017

Thunder Roads MagazineÂŽ Colorado 9

Road Trip 1979

Charlie pulls out a US State Road Atlas and quickly flips to the center for the whole US map. I see the route highlighted in yellow and start to blink and think this is not all one trip, but he assures me it is. His finger drops down on St Paul Minnesota “We started here.” He says then starts tracing the yellow line down to Highland Indiana, stops and looks up with a big grin. “We were headed to the Kings House to kiss his front lawn.” Apparently my face relayed the need for clarity of who the King is and why the need to kiss his lawn? “Nashville…… long pause my face still being scanned he tried again, Tennessee.” he stated as he continued to scan my face for a slight hint of picking up on what he was getting at. However I was stuck on the curious need to kiss someone’s grass lawn.

Even with the wheels turning the hamster had not as of yet jumped onboard. “Graceland!?” he tried again. My blushing face was tell all to the hamster not only getting on but laughing his fat little ass off in the process while chewing on a piece of fresh grass. “Oh, Elvis Presley!” I blurted out. Shaking his head Charlie’s face shows wonderment of is it really going to be worth his time to tell me the rest of his story. “We didn’t make it the King’s house due a wrong turn.” “We wound up in Little Rock Arkansas instead.” “But it was all good, we had a friend in the area who hooked us up with tickets to a concert at the arena and we partied all night like rock stars.” He didn’t recall the bands that had been playing but he did remember the hangover. So I quickly jotted that part down.

Saying thanks for a place to stay to his friend and shrugging off the night of revelry of music and beer Charlie and his good friend from grade school through high schoolScotty, took off for New Orleans then Houston Texas with a stop at the Alamo. Riding further down into Texas heading to Corpus Christie and the San Padre Islands, (all separate stories in themselves)--perhaps another time. For now, let’s 10 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

pause and hang for a few in San Padre, beautiful beaches and gentle gulf water views beckoning all who wander to come and relax for a day or two. And so the two wanderers Charlie and Scotty, headed for the beach-front to answer the beckoning and get some rest while grabbing some views of the sand, water and bikinis.

The beach however was barren of bikinis. Matter of fact, it was barren of all people. There were not any No Trespassing signs so it had to be the right place! They enjoyed the incoming waves washing the sand up and pulling it back along the coast as far as they could see. Watching the clouds as they came rolling in only to have them grow stronger while they continued to gust inland. As the waves grew higher and the temperature quickly dropped, it was definitely time to head into town to find a place to get some gas and food. With the wind truly at their back and pushing them along, they came to find the streets unusually quiet as well. Stopping at a gas station to fuel up, they went inside the store to pay. The clerk’s radio was preaching the news to all who would listen, “Take Shelter”, “Be Ready”, a hurricane was being forecasted to hit the area soon! The man behind the counter’s nod of wisdom told them he’d seen it all before and was hurrying them to get what they needed so he could close the doors and go home. Paying for gas and being pointed in the direction out-of- town they headed towards Brownsville.

This trip took place in 1979, when going into Mexico was not the best idea.” “Federales “accidently” shooting people, laying the ground work for the drug-lords of today and their atrocities that make going into Mexico still not the best idea for an American.” Charlie’s shoulders squared up to add to the attention I should be paying to this detail of his story.

“Brownsville Texas to cross the border into Mexico.” And that

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

is where he left me, at the border as he pawed one finger to get me to follow him across the room away from the map to stacks of photo albums. Photo albums, the ones that stand the test of time gathering dust and protecting memories, the kind we don’t keep today but really should. He was pulling several of them out one at a time with a hand wrapped around the huge binding of each until he grabbed the big brown one, dusted it off a bit and gracefully began turning each thick page with the timeless imagery of what was already in his mind laid between the sandwiches of each sticky plastic wrapped cardboard leaf of rarely glanced at details of times that don’t seem that far gone.

Finding what he was looking for he stopped and pointed “That’s me!” I leaned in for a much closer look of a young good looking man with brown shoulder length wild hair. “That’s not you”, I winked. “Yes it is” he replied. Twinkletwinkle went my eyes... Remembering what is was like to be young and living life like it was going to last forever. Back before sunscreen was highly recommended for the fair of skin and a summer tan was the way it was and not something we spray painted on for sex appeal. Needless to say, I was overly impressed by the picture next to the one he was pointing at. The same handsome wild haired biker now standing on the seat of an old Honda his long body bent over as he continued to hold the handle bar grips. “Is the bike moving?”

It was in the middle of the street, but I kept shaking my head in disbelief. “Of course it was moving” “I was headed for the dip in the street to jump the bike!” Now his eyes started twinkling of danger and excitement but let’s get back to the border shall we?

Imaging if you will, two young men fresh out of college, one sitting on his 75 Honda 750-Four SS and the other on a 69 Yamaha 650 Electra looking ready for anything. Well, ok maybe Charlie was ready but Scotty was trying desperately to bring sanity into the conversation of staying state side and not going into Mexico. However, somehow, smooth talking Charlie convinced him with words of, “We will only be a day’s ride in” and Scotty followed his lead onward and inward across the border of Mexico, not even turning to wave

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

good bye to Texas.

Charlie “tipped” the border guard to let the bikes through instead of waiting in line with the cars and throttled up for Monterrey, an ‘easy day’s ride in’ carrying only a change of clothes, some rain gear, cameras, cash and a translation book for the newest leg of their adventure.

Riding into Monterrey, hungry and smiles full of bugs and dirt with a thirst for a drink, they rolled into a Mexican Truck Stop and started to ask anyone who would listen to them where there was a place they could camp for the night in the area. The frustration of trying to speak a sentence was more

January 2017

Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 11

than a tired traveler could wiggle out of his mouth with a solid American accent and a “D” grade from a high school Spanish class. The translation book they had brought was quickly getting that well-read look to it as it aided in jump starting the lingo in their minds.

Lucky for them, there was Dose Caballeros bobtailing home and they had a decent idea of what the two travelers needed.

Making hand gestures to wave them over saying “Mi Casa”, the message was becoming clear that they had found a place to stay. Following the big rig truck on their cycles off to Mi Casa to get fed and sleep in the back yard for the night. Full-warm bellies and a tequila buzz gave way to a dreamy night of star gazing next to a small fire. True Mexican hospitality had wrapped up their first day’s ride across the border. In the morning, tossing water over their faces and there packs back on the bikes, they mounted up said goodbye and thank you then rode off into the sunrise, but not back to the border….

“Scotty you’re so slow stopping every mile to take pictures! I’m going to ride on up and circle back, I just want to enjoy the curves and ride, all of this stopping all the time is a pain in my ass.” Scotty shrugged his shoulders. They had been friends long enough to know when and how to negotiate terms with each other.

This agreement became the daily routine with Charlie riding the ride and circling back to tag Scotty. On one such daily routine when Charlie was going faster and the distance between the two grew wider, Charlie thought he had gone far enough and did a U-turn in the road to circled back to Scotty, only to find him sitting on a rock by the side of the road.

His friend had gone down. Scotty’s pale face and glazed over expression made no eye contact but continued to stare straight through Charlie as if he wasn’t even there. All of his belongings, including his camera gear, scattered across the road with parts and pieces of the bike that had come off like rocks from a rock slide littering the street. The bike now un-rideable was not the main concern, getting medical help was! Many cars drove by as Charlie tried to wave them down. Some slowed but continued to pass by. Trying to communicate with a man in a pickup truck that had stopped didn’t seem to be going very well, especially after the man and his wife went back to the pickup. After a couple of minutes passed, the woman came back. Fortunately she was able to speak just enough English to say they would take Scotty to the nearest hospital. Relieved, Charlie waved his friend goodbye, and quickly hid the Yamaha and Scotty’s gathered belongings into the bushes along the roadside. Throttle down he rode hard and fast into town to find his friend with hopes of finding parts to repair the damaged motorcycle.

With Scotty safe in the hospital, Charlie was being blessed with the help of several children in the village who were willing to help barter in exchange for a ride on the big motorcycle.

Six of them, who somehow managed to understand his Neanderthal Spanish, climbed on and the two wheeled circus 12 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

with a plan was touring every corner street building that could possibly have usable parts in stock.

After Scotty’s wounds had been tended to and his eyes had returned to focus on the reality around him, Scotty was released and climbed on the back of the 750-Four. Holding onto Charlie with motorcycle parts in-hand quietly and much slower, it was a silent ride back to the scene of the accident to retrieve and repair the 69 Electra.

Having committed to going so far they only had one choice… to continue down across the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains. With the worst behind them, feeling stronger for the experience they did not want to pass up the El Spinea Diablo. Their luck had to be changing for the better and the all too famous Spine of the Devil is a lifetime dream to many bikers, they were there and they were not going to pass up the chance. (I highly recommend you-tube for videos for your own personal amusement on just how torturous yet beautiful and exhilarating this road can be.)

But the worse was not behind them. The devil started to laugh as he spit across the climbing twisting turns. Oil from previous vehicles refusing to mix with the falling mist and light rains lingered in every road dip and groove. With no haven to pull into they tried to continue on. Approaching another turn the rear tire spun out from beneath him, the road grabbing at his body as he summersaulted down the road, while image after image flashed briefly in his sight before the next summersault spun his body in the air, of red paint and metal spinning towards the cavernous mountain pass they had been tracing uphill for several miles. The bike was heading right for the edge where the road ended and the cliff began.

Sparks flying as it skipped across the pavement with an eerie screeching noise towards two large branches that had been fashioned into a cross planted firmly at the edge.

Finally able to sit up, only to see his ride caught on the cross and dangling at the edge of disaster, Charlie managed to get up and run to it. Pulling it back up onto the damp road as he slipped and fell flat back on his ass only to let go of the bike and hold his head in his hands as his body continued to shake from the adrenalin still pumping along with his quickened heartbeat. The unfortunate soul whose reminder of danger had saved the bike had lent a gracious hand to Charlie from being completely decimated of lack of transportation and his belongings in this beautiful yet foreign place so far from home.

Traveling on a shoe string budget, fueled by hearts for adventure and cell phones still waiting to be invented, in the middle of nowhere, the Honda’s cover to the points had worn completely through the metal. No way to ride without the risk of getting electrocuted or worse - shorting out the bike. Charlie found some wood and knew enough to be carrying the ‘fix anything’ duct tape in his bag and fashioned a shield to protect the points from being exposed. It would hold long enough to

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

ride off the Spine of the Devil and make it into Mazatlán or back to the USA.

“Seriously what happened to you?” “Three Days?!, “ “Well I met a girl, I was busy, man.”

…In Mazatlán you meet friendly people everywhere. “It turns out we were a big hit in town being ‘Americanos’, everyone wanting a ride on the ‘big’ motorcycles.”

Mazatlán, caressed by the warm California Gulf, was the perfect place to really take a break and recover from bruises and road rash as they heavily medicated on Tequila to prepare for the ride out of Mexico and back into the States towards Arizona.”

“That’s it? I asked, “He met a girl?” “Three days?” Charlie’s face was giving me that guy look of, “Yah, that’s it,” “and we rolled on.” I scrunched my lips around and rolled my eyes (only a little) like any good nice- biker chick would do, asked for more water to drink as my bottle was empty then sat down to listen to more, because this had to be the most amazing biker story I had ever heard. Sorry you have to miss all the parts I can’t relay because this is a ‘family rated’ magazine!

A few days later and back on the road they were cruising through Tucson.

Charlie was back in the groove of enjoying riding ahead while Scotty lagged behind to enjoy his own ride. A new agreement needed to be considered. “What to do if we get separated?” The two decided that if they did get separated was stop at the first bar with the most motorcycles in front of it and wait. This meant Charlie waiting for Scotty to catch up rather than circling back around. Simple, yet it proved effective more than once.

Charlie had arrived in Salt Lake City ahead of Scotty. Making contact with his Aunt who was a Nun living at the convent, Charlie was allowed to spend the night there and in the morning he would return to the bar that fit the agreed upon requirements and wait for Scotty to show up.

Enjoying a beer or maybe two, and shooting some pool to pass the time, Charlie noticed a small crowd outside checking out his bike. He headed outside to find several bikers discussing if they should “burn the rice burner”. Even though the men admiring his ride had names like “Squirrel” and “Skunk” displayed on their vests, the now seasoned rider himself didn’t hesitate to shout, “Don’t F@#ck with my ride!” amplifying his agitation by slapping a pool stick into the palm of his free hand while silently praying inwardly that no one would accept his challenge.

Biker ‘pleasantries’ were loudly exchanged, but the conversation eventually gave way to stories of being on the road for nearly 2 months. From riding out of St Paul to the San Pedro Islands up the Devils Spine and down into Mazatlán and of returning state side and being homeward bound. Somehow the biker code of ‘no matter what you ride, if you truly ride, you are a ‘brother’ prevailed and mutual respect gave way to more talk and more drinking with new acquaintances.

But day two was coming to an end and no Scotty. So back to the convent to rest, eat and clean up. Day three it was back to the bar to wait for Scotty…… Wondering if he was going to become a regular ‘regular’ at his new daily hangout, as day three slowly became another evening, his fellow rice burning motorcycle riding buddy came strolling in. Smiling and strolling like it wasn’t that big of deal to stop by and grab a chair. Charlie looked up, no smiles just plain and simple

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

“We came across the Rockies.” He continued, “On a motorcycle, the roads in the Colorado Mountains are more curvaceous than any woman I have ever known.” “And it was then; back in 79 that I had the epiphany that Colorado would someday be my home.” “It is a mountainous state made by God, just for bikers!” “Every serpentine turn adds a new smile-wrinkle to my face that I proudly wear today.” “I add another every weekend or so whenever possible” “I am truly blessed.” “Today I ride an 82 Harley Low Rider, but whatever, as long as it has 2 wheels and a motor I’ll have a hard on for the ride.”

My smile widened as he said this and I became momentarily speechless. His face gleaming Charlie looked down and shuffled his feet a little bit to give me a moment to let this all soak in, while desperately trying to add more to my notes that had become a mess of scribbles. He reached for a book. I hadn’t noticed it sitting on the counter the whole time I had been there. Then he picked up a second one. “Do you like to read?” “Yes” I answered.

“These are great books” Handing me the larger of the two, the title read Jupiter’s Travels by Ted Simpson. “This guy traveled the world on a bike back in the 70’s.” He let me hold it, but kept reaching back for it, so I gave it back and wrote the books name on the next sheet of paper of my notebook. “But you might like this one”, as he handed me the smaller soft cover book. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M Pirsig. Realizing they were not to be borrowed, I wrote down this title as well and politely handed the book back.

We talked briefly about other things then I sadly had to go. “Charlie, Thank you so much for sharing your story I hope you will invite me back for more as I have so enjoyed listening to your adventures and writing this story with you.”

His reply to my goodbyes was the perfect truth to end his story, “If you’re traveling in a cage you are looking at the scenery.” “If you are on a bike, you are the scenery.” Charlie.

RIDE ON!!

By Vickie Mullin and Charlie

January 2017

Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 13

Wave Goodbye to History

Can riders keep the flames of the past going?

By Dallas Hageman, Wild Ride Radio Host www.WildRideRadio.com Let us talk about the Biker wave…. But hold on, just wait a minute… Before you glaze over this article with that far off look in your eye that only a reader who has seen too many rehashed stories can have--give me a chance to somewhat eloquently present to you a new take on an old and somewhat beaten to death topic. Much like the cesspool social media has turned into, this industry has its fair share of people who want to contribute their two-cents to any number of discussion items; but it seems that many fall short of adding any real substance or at the very least, some newly polished ideas from their antique thought processes… and that is where you are lucky that you picked up this copy of Thunder Roads Colorado.

Now, I am not saying I have some gift that will evoke a new sense of wonderment in you. In fact if you stay awake through this article I will count it as a win as I have been told by a couple of “hilarious” fans of my show they take a great nap while it is airing. Har har. I am a little twisted and somewhat jittery though, which I think turns me into the proverbial monkey throwing poop at the zoo. Everyone wants to come take a look and even though they have already seen monkeys many times before, it is still entertaining to watch.

Since you are still here and two paragraphs deep you might as well stay with me and let us talk about this age old topic, and after that lengthy and pompous introduction, here goes...

To wave or not to wave, that is the age old question. Before I give my take on whether or not you show throw the old hand up in salute to another rider I think we should look at both sides of the argument and dissect the mind of a rider a 14 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

bit. Bikers, Riders, Motorcyclists or weekend warriors all have one thing in common (besides the love of travel on two wheels), we all have a bit of rebellious behavior woven into our psyche. Some of us, including myself, have a little too much (as law enforcement has made it abundantly clear to me from time to time).

We do not want safety, at least in the sense of overly protective living. We do not look at life as the general populace does and we have a passion for freedom from convention. If the “crowd” goes one way, our initial reaction is to change course just for the hell of it. This is so widely known and accepted that Harley Davidson has spent multiple millions of dollars playing up the fact that their brand is rebellious in nature. The tactic has proven effective, judging by the billions made over the years. This penchant for rebellion and risk taking is one of the many things I love about Motorcyclists. As time wears on however, it seems that there is a rift growing in the riding culture that is bucking the convention of what once was, turning on one of the traditions that has given Bikers the very identity the now draw from. Enter waving at other riders.

For those of you who do not know, waving at other Riders is a tradition that can be traced as far back (and even farther according to some accounts) to World War II. For the sake of this conversation, we will stick to World War II. I am sure you did not expect a history lesson buried in Thunder Roads Colorado (sneaky huh?!) Back when Veterans were coming home from the war they were, for all intents and purposes,

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

broke. There were barely any governmentally backed systems to get them acclimated back into society, and when they set foot on our soil again they were expected to jump from total hell on earth right back into the thick of normalized society. As you can imagine, this acclimation into society did not happen as smoothly as the history books would like us to think. A lot of Vets were looking for release with a little danger and could not find it in many places that a “civilized society” had to offer.

Many remembered how much enjoyment they got from their military commissioned Harley Davidsons and, most looking to get a bike with little money, purchased decommissioned Harleys and started riding… hard. This era spawned the beginning of the “chopper” and “Motorcycle Gang” era that we all know to this day. We will break away from talking about that and table those discussions for a different time though.

For all intents and purposes, as Veterans began to populate the roadways on their new rides they formed an unspoken and deep bond, eventually developing into a Brotherhood on the open road.

Unlike nowadays, motorcycles were MUCH more scarce on the roads. Finding another Biker back then was akin to finding a good deal at a Harley Davidson Dealership now, or finding unicorn poop, it rarely if ever happened. So, when one Rider saw another one they would wave as a show of solidarity not only for riding but also a connection that most times came through the military. The tradition eventually went full force towards anyone riding and since then Bikers would wave to each other, signifying and acknowledging an unspoken bond they had between them that was welded together with two wheels. This tradition was widely held between riders for over 50+ years and many still do it to this day. But as the newer generations come into the fold the lack of historical education takes its toll and unfortunately fewer and fewer Riders wave at each other.

I know, I know… there are two sides of every coin and this discussion is no different. So let us talk about the side against the wave first. There are those who feel it unnecessary to wave. It is either a time waster or a distraction to riding and some Bikers feel it is unnecessary to acknowledge anyone due to possible safety implications. Some think it is an antiquated system of communication and may even think it is gone the way of the Pez dispenser, needing to be put away and forgotten in history. I find that Riders who refuse to wave have a little more of the rebellious streak as well and if everyone is doing it, they won’t as a matter of principal. I get that. I can see why some did not buy a bike to impress anyone and may have an attitude of “Screw you, I have enough friends”. Some Riders even go so far as to refuse to wave at anyone who rides a different brand of motorcycle than they have. Many hard core Riders have taken this stance and may feel a disconnect with the weekend warrior since they have amply more miles than most other people on bikes. This isn’t a wrong way to look at it, just a different way.

Riders who are for the wave see it differently. They seem to take the stance that they want to convey to other Riders that they have their backs. They feel the need to connect more and, even though rebellious, see the wave as part of that www.thunderroadscolorado.com

rebellion. Whether it is from the historical aspect of keeping the wave alive or solidifying their Brotherhood with a gesture, they do it religiously and without fail. It is a signal that no other transportation group possesses and they like it. It connects them and sets and their riding Brothers and Sisters apart. Some in this group still reserve the wave for others on specific types of motorcycles and have selective preferences when it comes to giving the ol’ hello to other Motorcyclists.

Now, whether you are asking for it or not, here is my take.

At the risk of sounding like a greasy politician I will say that I have been on both sides of this debate, multiple times throughout my lengthy riding career thus far. Believe me, this debate on whether or not to wave has rattled around in my amply cavernous skull for nearly a decade and after over 250,000+ miles in the saddle, I think I have landed on where I feel most comfortable. I think the wave is something we as Riders own. It is a symbol of a bond that goes deeper than non-riders can realize. It is more than a gesture. It is power; a power that unites us. In every town across this land there are Riders, just like you and me, and we as a collection of Motorcyclists are more alike than you may realize. As Mark Twain said once “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” The well-traveled, weathered and wrinkly Biker that still haunts the backstreets of a Sturgis Rally, and sits in the back of the “hole in the wall bar” knows this all too well. These true Bikers, the ones that TV and time have nearly forgotten are the ones who embrace this tradition the most. These old souls show the miles in the lines of their faces and their weathered leather jackets.

They live the life, and it shows. The “Sons of Anarchy” knock offs and haughty arrogant weekend warriors are rapidly replacing the true blood, well-traveled rider and are snuffing out the flame of history in riding. The true Riders know that the ways of the “Biker” are fading away like the original paint of an old Panhead. This can’t happen, and it won’t as long as there are those to educate and perpetuate the ways of the Old School Biker. So wave…. not to impress someone or because someone decided to buy the same brand you prefer, but to preserve the history and legacy of the Biker.

That is why I wave, to pay homage to tradition on two wheels and keep one of the symbols of riding alive into the future.

In the end, of course, you will have to do whatever it is that feels right to you. But now you know the abbreviated history of that wave and hopefully you will have a broader and deeper understanding of where it came from and why it is important to keep traditions like these alive. Do not forget what I said, if you are an old school rider you are as rare. Do not let misinformation invade and degrade the Biker way of life. It is your ride, it is your freedom and it is your life. Like it or not, the Biker wave is part of motorcycling history and it is up to us to carry the torch for future generations.

Dallas Hageman is a regular columnist with Thunder Roads Colorado and is also the host of Wild Ride Radio. You can find more of Dallas at www.WildRideradio.com

January 2017

Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 15

S K I N A R T

16 Thunder Roads MagazineÂŽ Colorado

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

Tasty Recipes All of these recipes have been kitchen tested and biker approved.

Creamy Walnut Gnocchi

all the rage! If you don’t have a fondue pot, grab your mini crock pot and put it on low. Stir the cheese sauce frequently to keep the cheese from sticking and burning (you probably won’t have to because this goes fast!).

This is a recipe I created after one of our many trips to Las Vegas. I had a delicious dish similar to this one and I scoured cookbooks and the internet to find a replacement. I finally came up with this recipe and it is delicious, that is if you like blue cheese.

Ingredients 1/3 cup chopped and toasted walnuts 2 Tbsp butter 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme 3/4 cup heavy cream Pinch of white pepper 6 oz. blue cheese, Roquefort or Gorgonzola, crumbled 4 cups medium-size shell or orecchiette pasta 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley Salt and pepper to taste Procedure In large skillet, toast walnuts over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until fragrant.

Add butter and thyme; cook for 30 seconds.

Add cream, blue cheese and pepper; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened and cheese is melted.

Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain well reserving ½ - 1 cup of pasta water and return to pot.

If the sauce is too thick add some pasta water (a couple of tablespoons at a time).

Add sauce to the pasta; toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Serves 4

Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese Fondue

These are a delicious alternative to Buffalo chicken wings. I remember when I was younger, fondue was

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

Chicken: 4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves Cooking spray 1/4 cup bottled wing sauce, divided Other Dippers: 2 cups (3 1/2-inch) carrot sticks 2 cups (3-inch) celery sticks 2 cups red bell pepper strips 2 cups green beans, trimmed (about 8 ounces) 12 oz French bread, toasted and cut into 1-inch cubes Fondue: 2 cups (8 ounces) crumbled blue cheese 1 Tbs cornstarch 1 cup dry white wine 2/3 cup 1% low-fat milk 1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened Procedure Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare chicken, place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to a 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Place the chicken on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush with 2 tablespoons wing sauce. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. Turn chicken over, and brush with 2 tablespoons wing sauce. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until done. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and toss in remaining wing sauce.

Cook the beans in boiling water for 1 minute or until crisp-tender; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well.

Place beans on a platter with carrot, celery, bell pepper, and bread; set aside.

To prepare the fondue, combine the blue cheese and the cornstarch in a large saucepan. Stir in wine, milk, and cream cheese. Simmer over medium heat and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to mediumlow; cook for about eight minutes or until mixture is smooth, stirring frequently. Pour into a fondue pot or crock pot. Keep warm and serve with dippers.

Servings: 8

January 2017

Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 17

FROM ACROSS THE POND

1959 A10 Rocket 650 twin. This was BSA in her prime.

“THE HISTORY OF VELOCETTE MOTORCYCLES

BY ANDY TALLONE

1946 Velocette KSS. All K-series had OHC.

Classic-British-Motorcycles.com

IN THE BEGINNING

The early history of some of Britain’s finest motorcycle manufacturers from the classic era are surprisingly similar.

Velocette was established by a German-born emigre to England, just like Triumph. started out making bicycles, just like Triumph, BSA, Matchless and Ariel. By 1896, Johannes Gütgemann was building bicycles and in 1904 he bought out the Belgium firm Kelekom Motors and began experimenting with motorized bicycles.

He’d changed his name to Taylor by this time, and his company Taylor Gue, Ltd. produced their first true motorcycle in 1905, called the Veloce, with a whopping 2-horsepower. It failed miserably and the company went broke. He had changed names again, this time to John Goodman and formed a new company, Veloce Motors Limited to produce motorcycles.

THE EARLY YEARS

After some early failures, by 1913 they launched a new 2-stroke motorcycle designed

by Goodman’s son Percy, who had now joined the company. They named it “Velocette”, and it was the first use of the name, by 1916 they’d changed the name of the company to Velocette. World War I started and all production was devoted to munitions for the duration. After the war, the new D1 250cc single did well in the marketplace and on the racetrack, including the Isle of Man TT. They pioneered several novel innovations for the time, like the throttle-controlled oil pump. They were also light, handled well and were powerful for their day. By 1930, Velocette had developed the D1 into their new H- series 2-strokes which they built until 1946.

racing at the Isle of Man TT and Brooklands. The smooth-running, reliable machines scored very well in competition and cemented Velocette’s reputation as a builder of high-quality motorcycles. Street versions were soon to follow including the Velocette KSS (Super Sports), KTP (twin exhaust ports), KN (normal). The OHC engine continued on the roadsters until 1948, continuing to pioneer new innovations such as using strobe lights for accurate ignition timing, and the world’s first positive-stop footactuated gearchange.

M-SERIES

Velocette had great success with their OHC (Overhead Cams) singles, but in 1933, they decided to introduce a new line of OHV (Overhead Valves, ie: pushrods) machines, as a way of reducing their production costs while delivering a lower-priced motorcycle to market. The K-series had been expensive to produce. Skilled workers on the production line had to hand-assemble the tricky shaft-and-bevel camshaft drive. The simpler OHV design would be quicker to produce and would require much less highly-skilled labor to assemble. The first of these was the Velocette MOV, a 250cc single with square bore and stroke (68mm X 68mm). It was an immediate hit and proved to be an able performer, capable of 78mph (126 km/h), a stunning speed at the time. MOVs were also known for their reliability and excellent handling.

VELOCETTE K-SERIES

Velocette knew it needed to expand it’s product line to survive and so entered into the 4-stroke market in the early 1920’s. The new machine was to be very advanced for the times, with an overhead camshaft (OHC), 350cc displacement and a single cylinder. It was introduced in 1925 as the ‘K’ Series. Soon, the new KTT was 20 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

January 2017

1938 Velocette MAC. All M-series were OHV. www.thunderroadscolorado.com

THE MAC - BIGGER IS BETTER

The MOV was doing so well that a larger version was needed and by lengthening the stroke, they created the 350cc Velocette MAC in 1934. It became Velocette’s best-selling model. The much-needed capital was invested in an entirely new design, a 500cc OHV single to be called the MSS in 1935. This utilized an allnew frame, developed from the MkV KTT race machines and shared this frame with the KSS MkII, 1936-48. The MSS was another runaway hit for Velocette. Speaking of racing, Velocettes took 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places in the Juniors class at the 1947 Isle of Man TT, and in 1950 they won the 350cc World Championship.

This is the lovely Velocette LE

POST WAR & THE “LE”

Immediately following World War 2, there was a pressing need in the UK for simple, inexpensive, utilitarian personal transport to get to-and-from work. Velocette attempted to tap into this market with their radical new “LE” (it stands for “Little Engine”).

The 8-horsepower 149cc water-cooled, side valve, flat-twin was mounted in an unsightly pressed-steel frame with a swing-arm and telescopic front forks. Designed by Charles Udall, it was supposed to be cheap and easy to produce, so that it could be delivered to the market at a very low price. But the radical new design (including one of the earliest examples of unitized engine/transmission/ gearbox construction) proved to be complicated and expensive to produce. Strangely, despite all this, it proved to be a runaway bestseller for Velocette, in fact their best-selling model ever! Still, the high cost of tooling and manufacture made it almost impossible for Velocette to make a profit.

One nice feather in their cap was the wholesale adoption of the LE

by British Police.

VELOCETTE VOGUE

Velocette entered the 1960’s looking for direction. They thought they had it because the spartan LE had been such a good seller.

So they followed up with the odd Velocette Viceroy (a weird little 2-stroke scooter) in 1960, following it up just one year later in 1961 with the gorgeous, but misguided Velocette Vogue. This fiberglass wonder was completely enclosed, offered decent rider protection, and actually looked pretty good in the flesh. But it still had only 8hp and it failed to find a market.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE VELOCETTES

By the 1960s, the motorcycle market had clearly shifted away from practical, economical commuters, and toward high-performance bikes with sporting aspirations. Triumph and Norton were killing in this market, and by the mid-60s, the Japanese were taking a major bite out if it for themselves. Velocette, never having developed a vertical twin, like all the other British marques, had only it’s big singles to work with. But, they were very good at getting power out of big singles, it was their specialty. First up was the Viper. Introduced in 1956, it started out with the 500cc, but with a reduced bore, it displaced 350cc and was built like a tank. The Viper’s big brother was the 500cc Venom, launched the same year. Vipers were very fast to begin with, but Velocette made all sorts of factory racing parts available to its customers (ie: close-ratio gearboxes, racing magnetos, rear sets, alloy rims, etc.). In 1961 a Velocette Venom became the first motorcycle in history to cover 2,400 miles in 24 hours. The Velocette Thruxton was the ultimate evolution, much faster than the Viper with its 10:1 compression and Amal TT carburetor. A Thruxton won the Isle of Man TT in 1967. Despite all this, Velocette was fighting to survive. continued...

1964 Velocette Vogue, “the little engine that couldn’t” www.thunderroadscolorado.com

January 2017

Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 21

69 Velocette Thruxton !

THE INDIAN CONNECTION

American motorcycle maker Indian had struggled for most of its life. By 1953 Indian was DOA, and passed through several hands, all of whom had their own ideas of what an Indian Motorcycle should look like. Interestingly, they were all either British- influenced, British-built or had British engines. But in 1963, motorcycle repair manualentrepreneur Floyd Clymer bought the Indian name and in 1967 began producing Indian motorcycles in Italy with Royal Enfield engines. They were well-made bikes with top-quality components, but too expensive to sell well. Clymer tried the same thing using Velocette 500 engines, calling the bike the Indian-Velo 500. It too failed in the market after just 122 were built.

The 1970 Indian-Velo 500.

THE END

Alas, nothing could save Velocette. Their products were hopelessly outclassed and made obsolete by the onslaught of modern, reliable bikes from Japan. They were undercapitalized and so had no hope of developing a new line of state-of-theart machines. They were still deeply ensconced in old world manufacturing processes, which were craftsman-intensive and produced low volumes of products. Like so many classic British motorcycle manufacturers, Velocette was a dinosaur in an increasingly modern world, and in 1970 they became extinct.

Please visit us at www.Classic-British-Motorcycles.com

22 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

JANUARY 2017 6th Annual Kilt Nyte Out / Halfway to Ren Faire, Post Holiday Bash 1/7/2017 at 7:00 PM – 1:00 AM 11964 Washington St, Northglenn, Colorado 80233 Attention all Rennies, Pirates, Rogues, Scoundrels and Scotsmen.

(Scots-persons) The holidays are over and it’s time to let loose and party down to start the New Year.

Join in one and all for the 6th Annual Kilt Nyte Out / Halfway to Ren Faire, Post-Holiday Bash!!!

Featuring 2 Great bands; Potcheen and headlining Celtic Legacy, a.k.a. Kiltic with special guest appearance with Batavia-Fusion Belly Dancing between performances. The musical entertainment will include Iris & Rose.

Ren Faire garb, Steampunk, Pirate Attire and of course the KILTS!!!!

Are highly recommended but not required. So we look forward to seeing all of you on Saturday January 7th 2017, at @Cheers starting at 7:00pm. First act will take stage about 8:30pm.

Like always…. This is a 21 and over show NO EXCEPTIONS!!! https://www.facebook.com/events/333396607001583/ International Sportsmen’s Exposition 1/12/2017 -1/15/2017 Colorado Convention Center 700 14th Street Denver, CO 80202 Join us to celebrate our 40th year in Colorado. Check out what’s new--lots! More than 525 exhibiting companies offering gear... expertise and travel adventures. 125+ free seminars. Hands-on features. New, expert-led clinics. Archery, casting and a new elkcalling contest. And our giant Youth Activity Center, hosted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Hours Thu.. 11am - 8pm Fri...

11am - 8pm Sat..

10am - 8pm Sun.. 10am - 5pm http://www.sportsexpos.com/attend/denver/ Harry’s Roamers Motorcycle Club 51st Annual Ice Races at Rainbow Falls Mountain Trout Park Between Deckers and Woodland Park on Highway 67 1/8/2017, 1/15/2017, 1/22/2017, 1/29/2017, 2/12/2017 Sign up begins at 6:00 AM – 8:00 AM Races start at 9:00 AM Studded tire classes Pro 0 – 300 bike, open Pro Bike, Speedway, Quad Pro Studded, Sportsman Bike and Quad (Cash Payback) Powder Puff Class – Quad, 0 – 300 Bike, Open Bike A & Open Bike B, Master Bike 40+, Novice Bike, Vintage Open Bike (1975 and older), Amateur Quad Studded A, B & C, Mini Quad Studded (Max 150cc, minimum age 10 Years) ***maximum 250 studs per quad*** www.thunderroadscolorado.com

Bare Tire Classes Quad Classes 4X4 Sport, 4X4 Utility Quad 2X4 – A, B & C (90cc and Under minimum age 5 years) Bike Classes Bare A, B 3rd wheel, Mini Bike A (150cc or less, 14 years max), B (50 – 80cc, minimum age 5 years, 10 years max)

FEBRUARY 2017 Tri State Swap Meet Denver Colorado 2/4/2017 – 2/5/2017 2/4/2017 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM 2/5/2017 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM National Western Complex 4655 Humboldt St, Denver, Colorado 80216 The Tri-State Swap Meet is the region’s largest, indoor automotive swap meet featuring thousands of automotive related products, bumper to bumper and everything in between as well as tools, decals, memorabilia and more. http://www.tristateswapmeet.com/ Saturday - $10.00 Sunday - $6.00 Ladies Free On Sunday Children 12 and Under Always Free

MARCH 2017 27th Annual Super Show & Swap Meet 3650 N Nevada Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 10:00 AM March 4 - 5, 2017 Sponsored by Mortgage Solutions Financial Expo Center, RMC Distributing, and Law Tigers The swap meet will take place at the Mortgage Solutions Financial Expo Center, 3650 N Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs.

Doors open at 10:00 am. General admission is $10.00 per person.

Seniors will be admitted for $7.00 and children 12 and under get in free with an adult. In addition to the swap meet there will be a bike show, charity auction, tattoo competition, food, live music and more. Vendor fees are $120.00 for a 10X10 space. The fee to enter a motorcycle is $25.00 per bike. Bikes will be judged and prizes and trophies will be awarded to winners. For more information call (719) 487-8005 or go to http://www.pro-promotions.com/ pro-events/mss for more information.

25th Annual Colorado Tattoo Competition 3650 N Nevada, Colorado Springs, CO 80907 March 5, 2017 from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM As part of the 27th Annual Super Show and Swap Meet, this is Colorado’s largest & longest running tattoo competition. Custom awards in 10 categories including Best of Show! Come show us your ink! For more information call Pro Promotions.

719-487-8005 - Becky Wayman info@pro-promotions.com http://www.pro-promotions.com

January 2017

Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 23

FENDERS

24 Thunder Roads MagazineÂŽ Colorado

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

January 2017

Thunder Roads MagazineÂŽ Colorado 25

Pam (Z ipper) Redfern In 2005 before my divorce was final, I found myself reinventing myself. I need a new path to travel on through my life. As I was on my way to my brother’s house I saw a couple out riding on a motorcycle. I got a very strong urge to ride too. My brother had a Harley and I wanted a ride. Of course, he would not take me; he said people would think we were a couple.

So, I joined a dating service and began looking through profiles for men who rode. I struggled to find one to take me for a ride, let alone on a date. Then one day it dawned on me, “why don’t I ride my own?” Since the only biker I really knew was my brother, I discussed it with him. He said “you should ride your own. I think you can do it”.

So I took the Beginning Rider Course. The day of the final exam on the motorcycle came, I was so nervous, I thought at the end of the day, I had failed. But I passed, barely, my instructor told me. She said, “You need to practice, a lot.”

My first bike was an 883 Sportster and I did a lot of practicing on it with my brother, and after three months on that Sportster, I realized I had out grown that size bike. So I traded it in for a 2003 Dyna Super Glide. I had the bike adjusted with forward foot controls, because of my long legs and I ventured out to meeting other bikers through HOG (Harley Owners Group).

I had that Dyna for just over three years, when I purchased a 2002 Road King Classic. Man did that bike have get up and go. My husband at that time was competing in a top gun skills competition for civilians, and his 2009 just didn’t have the turning radius he wanted, so he would use my road king, when he competed.

When I saw how well he handled that bike, I realized that I could do more than I was and that I was not riding her as she was meant to be ridden. I took an advance riding course, so I could improve on the skills I already had. Oh, I watched videos on how to ride more like a pro, but taking a class and getting hands on instruction and being critiqued on how I was positioning myself on the bike made all the difference in improving my skills.

My confidence grew tremendously. I no longer feared situations, like gravel roads, hills, parking lots nor crowded biker rallies. I never worried if the wrong turn was taken or if a turn was missed or if I took the wrong road. I was able to make a U-turn on any road, or ride as slow as I needed to.

My then husband and I loved practicing these skills, so the “Dancing Harley’s” were born. We did several demos over the course of two years at rallies across several states, until my health took precedence. Although we split up, I didn’t stop 26 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

using my skills, nor training these skills. I retired for a couple of years to get my health back in order, and now I am training these skills again.

The Advanced Ironhorse Skills, I use each and every day, are needed to ride more proficiently and with precision, and assists all riders with the ability to make split second decisions when out riding. I no longer fear dropping my bike at slow speeds, and can make a U-Turn on any street.

I love the surprised looks on other bikers faces when they see me whipping my bike around in close situations. With todays traffic, and the lack of drivers noticing us bikers, we all need to be more aware of our surroundings and Advanced Ironhorse Skills assist in enhancing your awareness and will give you the ability to get out of tight situations.

I have had to make split second decisions many times when out riding, as I’m sure so many others have. Laying your bike down should never be an option with the proper training and practice you will never need to lay your bike down. The proper braking and swerving techniques are needed to avoid this with my training and coaching ability I am able to evaluate a rider’s abilities and techniques and can assist them during their training to develop the proper techniques. Being able to know how to position your motorcycle to complete certain moves on your bike, requires the proper training and practice.

I now own a 2009 Electra Glide Classic, black and I love it. The tour pack gives me the added space for the full face helmet. Adjusting my skills on the bigger bike has been fun and challenging but it is worth it.

I was riding with friends not too long ago; we needed to park our bikes alongside the road. Well, the lead bike went past a place we could park and we all needed to turn around on the mountain highway, and go back to the parking area. I

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

January 2017

Thunder Roads MagazineÂŽ Colorado 27

so on. I took a dip to the right, and turned my bike around without stopping. As I got turned around I notice everyone else behind me was walking their bikes in a U-turn. This was very dangerous as we were on the crest of a hill and if any cars or other bikers came over the hill my friends were at risk of being hit.

was the fifth bike back, and there were 3 more bikes behind me. The lead bike walked her bike out into the highway/road, and proceeded to turn her bike around, she even needed to back up her bike just a bit because she didn’t have the handle bars in full lock, then the next one did the same and

28 Thunder Roads MagazineÂŽ Colorado

I have had the opportunity to coach others in developing and enhancing their skill level since 2009.

It is very satisfying to see the looks on the faces of students who come to a class who said they are not able to do a 24-foot U-turn, and they accomplished it before they go home. A 24-foot U-turn is a very necessary skill to have when riding, especially in the mountains or on country roads.

You won’t always be able to go around the block or pull into a parking lot to turn your bike around, if you go the wrong way.

And it is dangerous to make a walking U-turn, while on the road or street.

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

Any motorcyclists can go fast in a straight line. But the roads turn at some point and traffic slows to a crawl too quickly.

Being able to swerve, turn your bike around and ride slowly, require training and practice. A trained rider coach can assist you with your techniques and skills on your own bike. Why your own bike? Because learning these skills on a training motorcycle won’t help you as much as getting the proper training on your bike. You must always practice, practice, practice, any skill you learn. Build your confidence, enhance your current skills or learn the proper position on your own bike to make certain maneuvers.

Take the Advanced Ironhorse Skills class, pamredfern13@ gmail.com or call 720-505-1505.

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

January 2017

Thunder Roads MagazineÂŽ Colorado 29

News Bytes THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit www.ON-ABIKE.com.

NCOM BIKER NEWSBYTES Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish, National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) DUMP TRUMP EFFORT IN THE DUMPS In a last-ditch effort by Democratic strategists and the Hollywood elite to derail President-Elect Donald J. Trump’s ascension to the presidency, U.S. Electoral College delegates have been swamped with requests to ignore their pledge and “vote your conscience,” but longtime bikers’ rights advocate Jim Rhoades of ABATE of Michigan, one of that state’s 16 electors, says they’re cries are falling on deaf ears because he’s obligated to speak for the voters of his state.

Appearing on FOX News network’s “Your World” wearing his ABATE shirt, Rhoades revealed that he’s gotten over sixty thousand emails, phone calls and basketfuls of form letters calling on him to vote against Trump, as well as some threats, but believes fellow electors also feel steadfast about their duty and will support the will of their states’ voters when they cast their ballots on Monday, December 19th.

Calling the pressure tactics a “waste of time,” Rhoades told FOX News host Neil Cavuto in the nationally televised interview on December 15 that “I’m not intimidated by any of this stuff,” and added “I’ve been riding Harleys since the sixties, so I’ve been around a long time, I’m a grass roots political animal… and I love what Trump says, and he’s got me fired up looking for great things and looking to make America great again.”

In the aftermath of a norm-busting 2016 Presidential campaign, Trump won 306 Electoral College votes to Hillary Clinton’s 232, but if 36 “faithless electors” changed their ballots it would send the election to the U.S. House of Representatives to be determined, where Republicans hold a majority. In the past, some electors turned “faithless” in nine out of the last 17 elections, and a total of 179 times throughout American history, but no electors have ever changed the outcome of an election by voting against their party’s designated candidate.

ANALYSTS ADVISE INVESTORS TO BET ON MOTORCYCLES AND PIZZA Every U.S. presidential transition brings a change in priorities, forcing market gurus to bet on which sectors of the economy might benefit from the new administration, but with corporate analysts admittedly baffled by Donald Trump, prognosticators are doing some intellectual gymnastics.

Joseph Spak, a Royal Bank of Canada analyst, thinks Donald Trump’s $1 trillion plan to rebuild American infrastructure will ultimately provide construction workers with extra cash. And what do construction workers like to spend money on? Motorcycles, of course.

“If the economy is stimulated and construction jobs increase,” Spak recently predicted that Harley-Davidson Inc. “could see some better demand.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, another firm advises investors 30 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado

that pizza-delivery companies that benefited from a high-drama campaign that kept many diners glued to their televisions might continue to profit from the drama of a Trump transition.

FEDS SEEK TO REQUIRE NEW VEHICLES TO TALK TO EACH OTHER U.S. auto-safety regulators have proposed new rules requiring automakers to adopt crash-avoidance technology that allows all new vehicles to communicate with each other, a move that could help accelerate the development of self-driving cars.

The requirement of so-called vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity (“V2V”) on all consumer vehicles within the next five years is viewed as central to the development of a new age of cars that can avoid accidents by wirelessly monitoring each other. V2V technology uses short-range radio communication to allow vehicles to identify each other’s speed, location, direction and acceleration or braking, within a radius of about 300 meters.

The move marks a concrete step by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration toward its goal of eliminating roadway deaths within 30 years, and agency officials told USA Today that vehicle-tovehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technology could eliminate or greatly reduce the seriousness of up to 80% of crashes that don’t involve driver impairment.

NHTSA pledges that the new technology would not divulge any personal information regarding drivers.

EUROPEANS TO TEST AUTONOMOUS CARS WITH MOTORCYCLES Vehicle authorities will cooperate with European motorcyclists’ organizations to conduct their own test program with different brands of semi-autonomous cars. “The Dutch are authorizing further testing to see if these ‘semi-autonomous’ cars can operate safely with motorcycles on the road,” says Oregon A.I.M. (Aid to Injured Motorcyclists) and COC (Confederation of Clubs) Attorney Sam Hochberg, who alerted the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) about this important issue here and abroad. “This is going to be a real issue here in the USA in the not-too-distant future.”

In response to a letter motorcyclists’ organizations FEMA (Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations), MAG NL (Motorcycle Action Group – Netherlands) and KNMV (Dutch Motorcycle Association) sent to RDW, with regard to the European type approval of the Tesla by RDW, a meeting took place recently where the motorcyclists’ worries were addressed. RDW is the Netherlands Vehicle Authority that issued the European type approval for Tesla.

A driver of a Tesla - and other advanced cars - can leave key actions to the vehicle itself, while in the opinion of the motorcyclists’ organizations this equipment is not, or not sufficiently, tested with motorcycles.

In the discussion about the concerns that motorcyclists have with admitting (semi-) autonomous vehicles on the roads, it soon became clear that many of the concerns of the motorcyclists’ community are shared by RDW. RDW proposes - in cooperation with the motorcyclists’ organizations - to conduct their own test program with different brands of cars with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. RDW also believes - as do the riders - that testing with motorcycles should be part of the test protocol for European type approval.

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

News Bytes

Dolf Willigers, General Secretary of FEMA: “We are very pleased with the outcome of this first meeting with the experts of RDW. We are going to act together and we will see in the field tests to which extent the technique takes motorcyclists into account.”

wall under the renewable fuel program.” Specifically, the bipartisan bill would cap the ethanol content of fuel at 9.7%, and would also effect the EPA’s Renewable Volume Obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard.

NEW YEAR, RENEWED EFFORTS IN D.C.

In addition, in January Congress banned the use of federal funds for controversial Motorcycle-Only Checkpoints as part of a $305 billion highway bill called the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, as well as allocating more than $4 million towards motorcycle safety programs, and going forward into the next Congress and an all new Administration bikers must work to protect those advancements we’ve already made.

With the 114th Congress set to adjourn, and a new congressional session beginning in January, some federal bills that motorcyclists have been advocating will expire and need to be reintroduced.

House Resolution 831 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 13, 2016 to “Promote awareness of motorcycle profiling and encourage collaboration and communication with the motorcycle community and law enforcement officials to prevent instances of profiling.”

WEIRD NEWS: WITCHDOCTOR SUMMONS BEES TO STOP MOTORCYCLE THIEF

The National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) is working with other state and national motorcycle organizations to address profiling legislatively, and with Washington State enacting the first anti-profiling law in 2011, followed by Maryland this year, a national motorcycle antiprofiling measure would advance the efforts in every state to prevent discriminatory enforcement.

Local news reports from Mbooni, Makueni in Kenya claim that a motorcyclist has managed to recover his bike from a thief after asking the local witchdoctor for help.

HR 4715 & S 2659, the RPM Act (Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2016), would ensure that the American tradition of modifying vehicles into dedicated racetrack competitors is not only continued for today, but will be protected for future generations of race fans as well.

According to motofire.com, the spell worked, and the thief is said to have run off ‘for dear life’ as the bees began settling onto the yoke and tank of the bike, as depicted in photographs of the scene. The reports then go on to suggest that the bees “also protected the bike from any further interruption for over half an hour until the owner could arrive, who then took his motorcycle home.”

Although the federal EPA bowed to political pressure and public outcry this past April by removing provisions from proposed regulations that would have prohibited street-legal vehicles, including motorcycles, from being modified for racing, members of both chambers of Congress have introduced bipartisan legislation to protect the sport of racing by blocking the EPA from over-regulating the industry and ensuring that it remains legal to convert street legal motor vehicles for racing purposes.

Responding to the controversy over the proliferation of E15 fuel, which is not approved for use by any motorcycle manufacturer and can invalidate warranties, Congress is considering HR 5108 (the “Food and Fuel Consumer Protection Act of 2016) “to alleviate the ethanol blend www.thunderroadscolorado.com

The witchdoctor allegedly contacted a large swarm of bees that had already begun to invade a local market, and sent them to track down the stolen motorcycle instead.

Some say the swarm was merely an act of nature and nothing supernatural at all, and Assistant Chief Patrick Mwanzia said that the swarm simply arrived after the queen of the hive got stuck within the bike’s handlebars. And, in fact, “a similar incident had happened just days before when another bike was covered in a swarm for over two hours”… but how does that explain how the queen bee just happened to get stuck in that particular stolen bike?

QUOTABLE QUOTE: “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” ~ PEOTUS Donald J. Trump, 45th U.S. President

January 2017

Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 31

BIKER FRIENDLY DIRECTORY AUDIO

LEGAL

PDA Roadgear 1600 W. Mineral Ave. Littleton, CO 80120 (303)761-6022 (800) 766-3955

Curtis Walton Law Firm 13984 West Bowles Avenue Littleton, CO 80128 (720) 323-9729

UniqCycle Sounds PO Box 271093 Ft. Collins CO 80527 (888) 864-7721

Law Tigers 4828 South College Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80525 (800)529-8443

INTERNET RADIO

Biker Inner Circle www.bicproductions.com (888) 498-2123

O’Sullivan Law Firm 600 Ogden Street Denver, CO 80218 (303) 388-5304

LEATHER GOODS

Biker Brad’s Motorcycle Apparel and Accessories 12543 N Hwy 83 Suite 208 Parker CO 80134 (303) 841-7727

MOTORCYCLE TRAINING & TESTING

Roy Hansen Motorcycle Testing 1800 Airway Avenue Ft. Collins CO 80524 (970) 690-8847 MOTORCYCLE REPAIR/SERVICE/PARTS

EM Leather 13980 East Mississippi Aurora, CO 80012 (303) 337-6690 Moses Leather Company 759 Horizon Drive Grand Junction CO 81506 (970)433-7319 Twin Peaks Leather 5655 Olde Wadsworth Blvd Arvada CO 80002 (303) 432-1047

EXP Motorsports 3301 W. Hampden Ave. Sheridan Co 80110 (303)688-4401 G.R.U.M.P.S 115 N 8th Ave Greeley CO 80631 (970) 353-1166 Thunder and Lightning Cycles 3986 S Broadway Englewood CO 80113 (720) 287-1670

WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

VETERAN’S COLUMN CONTRIBUTOR Call 720-458-3134

or E-mail us at: contributors@thunderoadscolorado.com

32 Thunder Roads Magazine Colorado ®

January 2017

MOTORCYCLE TRANSPORT

Motorcycle Transport Specialists https://www.facebook. com/motorcycle.transport. specialist/?fref=ts CO (720) 329-4514 PLACES OF WORSHIP

Church in the Wind 2411 Alcott Street Denver CO 80211 (720) 635-2897 RESTAURANTS AND BARS

Sunshine Café 1856 Colorado Blvd Idaho Springs CO 80452 (720) 203-4878 Wild Bill’s Saloon 6762 Lowell Blvd Denver CO 80221 (303) 428-7843 WOMEN’S APPAREL

One Bad Bitch https://onebadbitch.com/ Denver CO 80129 (888)244-9299 HAN Motogear 9349 Black Mountain Dr, Conifer CO 80433 (303) 356-8691

List your business here for as little as $30 a month!

CONTACT US AT

sales@thunderroadscolorado.com or (720) 458-3134

for more details. www.thunderroadscolorado.com

Ever since I was a child, I’ve always had a fear of someone under my bed at night.

So I went to a shrink and told him: “I’ve got problems.

Every time I go to bed I think there’s somebody under it. I’m literally paranoid. I think I’m going crazy.”

“Just put yourself in my hands for one year, said the shrink.

Come talk to me three times a week and we should be able to get rid of those fears.”

“How much do you charge?”

“One hundred fifty dollars per visit,” replied the Doctor.

“I’ll think about it,” I said.

Six months later the Psychiatrist met me on the street.

“Why didn’t you come to see me about those fears you were having?” He asked.

“Well, $150 a visit, three times a week for a year, is $23,400.00. A bartender named Bubba cured me for $10.00.

I was so happy to have saved all that money!”

“Is that so?” With a lot of arrogant attitude he said, “and how may I ask, did Bubba the bartender. cure you?”

“He told me to cut the legs off the bed.

Aint nobody or nothin’ gettin’ under there now.” ____________________________________________________

Rooster called 911 and said wife was dead. They asked how he knew and he said well, the lack of sex is the same but the laundry is sure piling up. ____________________________________________________ This morning I was sitting on a park bench next to a homeless man.

I started a conversation by asking him how he ended up this way.

He said, “Up until last week, I still had it all.

I had plenty to eat, my clothes were washed and pressed, I had a roof over my head, fresh bed clothes 3 times a week, a flat-screen tv and internet, and I went to the gym, the pool, and the library.

I was working on my MBA on-line. I had no bills and no debt.

I even had full medical coverage.”

I felt sorry for him, so I asked, “What happened? Drugs? Alcohol? Divorce?”

“Oh no, nothing like that,” he said. “Nah, I just got released from prison.”

A nice, calm, and respectable lady went into the pharmacy, walked up to the Pharmacist, looked straight into his eyes, and said, “I would like to buy some Cyanide.” The pharmacist asked, “Why in the world do you need Cyanide?” The lady replied, “I need it to poison my husband.” The pharmacist’s eyes got big and he exclaimed, “Lord have mercy! I can’t give you cyanide to kill your husband.

Absolutely not! You can’t have any Cyanide!”

The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the Pharmacist’s wife. The Pharmacist looked at the picture and said very professionally; “You didn’t tell me you had a prescription.” ____________________________________________________ Daffy Duck is staying at a local hotel. He calls down to the front desk and askes for a condom... the clerk says” Shall we put that on your bill?”

Daffy Duck answers “ Are you thucking thupid, I’ll thucking thuffocate. www.thunderroadscolorado.com

January 2017

Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 33

Thunder

Cam

PHOTOGRAPHER: VICKIE JO MULLIN 34 Thunder Roads Magazine Colorado ®

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

Thunder

www.thunderroadscolorado.com

January 2017

Cam

Thunder Roads MagazineÂŽ Colorado 35

36 Thunder Roads MagazineÂŽ Colorado

January 2017

www.thunderroadscolorado.com