The fall season is here and fall colors are upon us and you only have a week or so before all those beautiful fall colors will have fallen softly to the ground and in a blink of an eye winter riding will be upon us… are you ready. Halloween can be seen in every store with Thanksgiving not far behind. I then realized that we are 69 days away from the Children’s Hospital Toy Run and 86 days away from Christmas. Where did our summer go?
Motorcycle Fatalities continue to RISE – Our biker community in Colorado has suffered 9 tragic motorcycle fatalities in the last two (2) weekends of September. My calculations, as President of BikerDown, is that we have recorded a record 74 fatalities on motorcycles so far in 2019. That is a staggering number of fatalities as my numbers do not include data on the western slope.
I don’t know what to say that hasn’t already been said or covered in previous issues of Colorado Rider News, but motorcycle awareness and safety is no longer about “Look Twice Save a Life” bumper stickers or “Can you see me now As*hole” t-shirts or patches.
Motorcycle awareness is now in the hands of the rider, and how experienced you are in defensive driving. It is about how fast you ride for the conditions; it is about being more cautious when going thru intersections and stop lights. Green no longer means GO, it means down shift and see if anyone is coming, looking both ways… before you proceed thru any light or stop sign. It means if you see someone driving distracted… you do all that you can to stay clear of that irresponsible driver – which is almost impossible because 4 out of 10 drivers are using their phones while moving.
Motorcycle Safety – use to refer to whether you wore a helmet or not. Now, considering helmet protection and wearing the right safety gear IS A MUST to stay alive and enable you to recover from an accident. Companies like Tobacco Motorwear are coming out with stylish denim jeans with Kevlar fibers in it, so that in the event of a crash it can help limit the road rash and damages to your body. Kevlar riding shirts that you wear over your t-shirts and under your vest and will protect your shoulders, elbows and most importantly your back. Knox armor in your leather vests or jackets that will protect your spine. Some will say I am not going to spend 300 on a pair of riding jeans or I can’t afford it. We are in a riding age where you can’t afford NOT TO HAVE some safety gear when you ride. This year I would ask all motorcycle riders to put safety gear on your Christmas list.
This month has some special events and CRN is proud to feature them in this issue:
October 12th – Dirty Dogs Roadhouse 2nd Anniversary Birthday Bash – who doesn’t love a party and Mark and Rob are pulling out all the stops for their 2nd year anniversary party. You can read more about that on page 4.
October 12th – Rider Justice 2020 Sturgis Giveaway drawing event – To go with the fun festivities at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse. Rider Justice has been taking registrations since August for a 2020 STURGIS VACATION GIVEAWAY. Next year is the 80th and reservations cost top dollar and everywhere will sell out. Take the stress out of the 80th and get up to Dirty Dogs and REGISTER for a chance to win. Registrations taken until 10/12. Also register online: RiderJustice.com/sturgis
October 26th – BikerDown and Wide Open Saloon will be drawing the winner of the 2017 Harley-Davidson Road Glide donated by Wide Open Saloon to help injured motorcycle riders with their recovery. Wide Open Saloon will be opening in early 2020 and will be hosting their raffle drawing at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse. A special thanks to Mark & Rob and Todd Hills, owner of Wide Open Saloon for working together to make this a very special event for BikerDown. These 2 businesses truly care about motorcycle riders and their recovery!
October 26th – Dirty Dogs Roadhouse – Halloween party – We all know that Mark & Rob know how to throw a party and their Halloween parties are legendary! So, get your costume ready for a chance to win a great prize!
We welcome your comments and thoughts on what CRN can do better in the future and enjoy the ride!
