One Day In Colorado On A Rented Harley

[kendenton]

I had lots of grand plans for motorcycling during our big vacation to Colorado this year, from trailering my bike out there to renting a bike for 2 weeks.  What it came down to, ultimately, was a one-day rental while we were in Steamboat Springs.  I packed my Olympia Phantom suit and my helmet in the minivan, and counted the days until I could use them.

When I booked the bike before the trip, I asked if they could remove the quick-release windshield for me since I didn't want to ride behind a huge swath of lexan.  They assured me it wouldn't be a problem.  When I picked the bike up, however, I was told the "technicians" wanted the bike to go out as is, no removing of parts.  Great.

Warning - LOTS of pictures follow.



I picked the bike up as soon as Eagle Rider opened



Headed over Rabbit Ears Pass



I could see mountains, but the ride on this part of 40 and 14 was pretty flat



Looking through that big screen



The screen did make hauling easier though



Coming up to Cameron Pass on 14



At the top.  Love the 'POS' plate  



Going through the Cache le Poudre area on 14 - very cool once I passed a long line of RV's (who, when I stopped to take this picture, passed me)



Stove Prairie Road between 14 and 34.  THANK YOU everyone who suggested this little gem.  Hardly a straight  flat section, and zero traffic.



You can see how Stove Prairie Rd goes up, down, and around.  I did mess up at the end, though, and ended up in Fort Collins instead of connecting with 34.



Best Burgers in Estes Park, without a doubt.  I'd mention Penelope's in the same breath as Five Guys, and that's saying something.



The obligatory food shot.



Finally, I can complete a trip I started 15 years ago.  On my first trip ever out West, I took Trail Ridge Road only as far as the Alpine Visitor's Center before turning around.  I've since been over the road dozens of times in cars, but never on a bike.



From my first visit here in '94



I've been to RMNP many times, but Fall River Pass has never been open when I'm there.  Of course now that I'm here on a bike it is.



Frustration.



Tooling through RMNP







Artsy



A portion of Trail Ridge Road I came up







Snow!



Going through Rock Cut



A large part of the road is above treeline and across tundra



Beauty shot





Self-portrait.



Another beauty shot.  No matter what I think of how Harley's ride, I have to admit they can be beautiful.



Me and the bike, picture by a helpful stranger.



I had to take this shot to go with this shot from my '94 trip:





Big daddy elk



And then the rain started on the west side of the park.  Since I knew this would be my last time here for a few years I just pulled over and sat for a while, trying to take it all in.



Heading west on 40 towards Hot Sulpher Springs



You just can't go wrong with any road around here





Call me juvenile, but I laugh every time I see these places



Past Kremmling going west







Heading down into Steamboat Springs



My son snapped this pic of me the next morning on the way to return the bike.  Nice shot Mike!



The route for the day, around 340 miles.

Overall, a fantastic day of riding.  The Harley and I didn't get along too well, but the scenery made up for it.  I hated the windscreen, mostly in the twisties because the transition between looking around the screen and looking through it was wacky (there's the fogline, no, now it's over there!).  Most of the Harley's I've ridden had adequate (just) power, but this guy was a wheezer.  No real acceleration to be found, and the exhaust was much too quiet.  

The weight also took some of the fun away, because every time I wanted to stop for a picture I really had to evaluate the surface of where I would stop.  I didn't want to come to a stop with that thing leaning over.

I guess you get used to the kickstand's behavior, but it caught me by surprise a couple of times.  I would have the bike stopped, and start to dismount when it would roll an inch and cause me to lunge for what I thought would be a falling bike.  I know it's a good design (locking so it can't roll off), but I wasn't used to it.

[Bigfoot]

Nice report and pics.  Some beautiful scenery.

[chornbe]

I'm almost 20k miles into being a Harley owner and their kickstands still freak me out. What year was your rental? And that bull crap with the windshield was just stupid on the part of the dealer. I'd have taken it off and left it in the minivan or handed it back to them or something.

Glad you had a good time. I'll definitely be heading back out to do some riding in Colorado again some time in the next couple of years. I really had a great time out there.

[kendenton]

I'm almost 20k miles into being a Harley owner and their kickstands still freak me out. What year was your rental? And that bull crap with the windshield was just stupid on the part of the dealer. I'd have taken it off and left it in the minivan or handed it back to them or something.

Glad you had a good time. I'll definitely be heading back out to do some riding in Colorado again some time in the next couple of years. I really had a great time out there.

I suspect it was an 08, though I don't know enough about them to positively identify it.  I wanted to leave the screen in the minivan, but a) I couldn't figure out how it came off, and b) if it required tools I didn't have any.  It did end up being a good test to see if I hated a screen as much as I thought I would.

What surprised me a bit was how if I was riding on the straights for a while, and looking through the screen, the ride lost some it's 'bikeness'.  I felt like I was riding in a car.

It was nice during the brief rain however.  Of course the rest of the hot, dry day it blocked most of the air that would normally blow through the Phantom to cool me off.  More than once I extended my arms, wing-like, to get air through the sleeve vents.

[chornbe]

I'm surprised you felt it anemic if it was an '08 with the 96" engine. You'll have to ride my 'Glide some time to see how it compares. I still marvel that this 800lb beast can go and handle as well as it does. The Street Glide is a bit louder than the Road King (the model you had), so I wonder if they flow a bit better and that's part of it. Hmm....

[kendenton]

I'm surprised you felt it anemic if it was an '08 with the 96" engine. You'll have to ride my 'Glide some time to see how it compares. I still marvel that this 800lb beast can go and handle as well as it does. The Street Glide is a bit louder than the Road King (the model you had), so I wonder if they flow a bit better and that's part of it. Hmm....

I was equally surprised.  I've ridden most of the H-D range ( ), and this was easily the weakest big twin I've been on.  It was torquey enough off the line, but passing manouvers required planning.

[chornbe]

Oh, well... yeah, that's a given. They're not made for the top-end, arm-stretching power.

That's why I say it's probably the best legal speed touring platform around. Yes, on the 6-man cross country trip, "planning" my passes was a definite need. Once you get used to it, though, it all becomes second nature.

'til you wind up with an FZ1 in your garage, that is

[VIVID1]

Great report. I've been playing on all these roads since we've been staying in Fort Collins the last two weeks. We're going to hit them again this weekend  

What day/month your ride?

[kendenton]

Great report. I've been playing on all these roads since we've been in Fort Collins for the last two weeks. We're going to hit them again this weekend  

When was your ride?

Monday 7/7.

How are you liking Fort Collins?  The only part I've really seen is over near where REI is, College Ave?  That's a LOT of retail over there....

[VIVID1]

Monday 7/7.

How are you liking Fort Collins?  The only part I've really seen is over near where REI is, College Ave?  That's a LOT of retail over there....

We were in in Denver on 7/7, arrived in Fort Collins 7/14 and we're leaving tomorrow. I was asking because I didn't remember so much snow on the side of the road. It was getting dark though, so we didn't ride the whole road.

We really like Fort Collins, College Avenue is the main drag and where all the stores are, rest of town is not like that and downtown area is very nice. There are so many outdoorsy things to do here, we only wanted to stay here one week but we decided to do two to see more. It's our #1 choice for where we want to live right now. Now the trick is to find a job here   We're heading down to Colorado Springs next week but I've already been there and I don't think I'll like it better then FC.

[kendenton]

We were in in Denver on 7/7, arrived in Fort Collins 7/14 and we're leaving tomorrow. I was asking because I didn't remember so much snow on the side of the road. It was getting dark though, so we didn't ride the whole road.

We really like Fort Collins, College Avenue is the main drag and where all the stores are, rest of town is not like that and downtown area is very nice. There are so many outdoorsy things to do here, we only wanted to stay here one week but we decided to do two to see more. It's our #1 choice for where we want to live right now. Now the trick is to find a job here   We're heading down to Colorado Springs next week but I've already been there and I don't think I'll like it better then FC.

I highly doubt you're going to like Co Springs much - it's *way* bigger than FC, and is further away from great roads.  In FC RMNP is practically in your backyard, and some decent roads around there.   Do check out Manitou Springs though, that's a cool little town.

[scott-sts]

Nice report.
That windscreen pops right off-with no tools.

[Hardware]

Nice report.
That windscreen pops right off-with no tools.

Now you tell him!  

[atypical1]

Great report! Too bad you had to miss the fun road but sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.

You definitely made me want to hit Colorado though.

james

[stefrrr]

Great report - thanks for all the pics. It looks gorgeous.  

[Orson]

Great pictures  

Thanks for the Harley feedback  

[tripledigits]

Nice report.

I see you're shooting with a Lumix.  Great cameras - my TZ3 is a great all arounder.

[phoenix]

nice report. I know what you mean by losing the motorcycle feel of the ride with the big windshield in front, but sometimes that windshield makes for a much quieter ride. Unless the exhaust was loud, but it looks like OEM exhaust.

Is that a Road King Classic? Pardon my ignorance.

[R Doug]

Great report and pics as always Ken.  

Other than not taking the time to remove the windscreen as you requesting, how was Eagle Rider to deal with?  I'm thinking of renting a Harley from them when I visit Sedona later this year.

[garry]

Renting a Harley for a day when on vacation a long ways from home sounds like good fun to me. Rental rates aren't that bad ($100+) in the spots I've checked.

[1KPerDay]

Thannks for the report and pics. I did something similar in Maine... had a great time on a Road Glide.

[Jeff N]

Cool report and great pics!  

Do you think the altitude might have had something to do with the sense of power loss? When I visited my folks in Fort Collins many years ago my GPz900R was noticeably weaker in the mountains.

[bikerfish1100]

Do you think the altitude might have had something to do with the sense of power loss? When I visited my folks in Fort Collins many years ago my GPz900R was noticeably weaker in the mountains.

if it's a carbureted engine, yes, it would be choking on our air. if FI, should only be a very slight drop in throttle response and overall power.

[chornbe]

if it's a carbureted engine, yes, it would be choking on our air. if FI, should only be a very slight drop in throttle response and overall power.

eh... depends. That '08 is FI (All Harleys are FI as of '07 and it's been optional for about 10 years) and already runs sooooooooooo lean. Mine felt a little wheezy in the top end at the upper altitudes earlier in the year. The FI remained smooth, no abruptness, etc., just overall flatter in the top end.

[kendenton]

Great report and pics as always Ken.  

Other than not taking the time to remove the windscreen as you requesting, how was Eagle Rider to deal with?  I'm thinking of renting a Harley from them when I visit Sedona later this year.

I've rented from 2 Eagle Riders, Steamboat and Miami.  No problems either time.  The Miami outfit was a storefront in a strip mall, just bike rentals.  Steamboat's was part of a multi-line bike dealer, although not a Harley dealer.  The only thing I don't like about Eagle is the no-refund policy, but I can live with it.

[1KPerDay]

if it's a carbureted engine, yes, it would be choking on our air. if FI, should only be a very slight drop in throttle response and overall power.

The CV carbs on pre-FI harleys did fine at altitude. Both carbed bikes and FI bikes lose power at high elevation. Less air.

[bikerfish1100]

yeah, i said "very slight drop". maybe "some dropoff in power" would have been a phrase that all ya'll would have liked more?   it falls off somewhat with FI, but not all the way to the ground floor like it would with a carb. and whatever bikes lose, cars lose even more, so our power differential remains the same or better.
guys- i lived in CT for years, and now in the CO Front Range (45 mins from Estes Park, 1.5 hrs from 12,000+ ft. for the past 5) - i know what happens at altitude, believe me.

[1KPerDay]

yeah, i said "very slight drop". maybe "some dropoff in power" would have been a phrase that all ya'll would have liked more?   it falls off somewhat with FI, but not all the way to the ground floor like it would with a carb.

That's my only complaint. You make it sound like a carbed bike has to be pushed over the rockies... which isn't true.

[bikerfish1100]

That's my only complaint. You make it sound like a carbed bike has to be pushed over the rockies... which isn't true.

i currently ride both a KLR and my FI R1100S beemer, and have ridden late 70's BMWs (CV carbed) over Trail Ridge Road (at 12k+ ft, there are few roads higher in North America). Altitude would take the 1000cc bike and make it run like a 800 cc machine.

but is supect that the issues with this H-D's performance were NOT related to the FI/Carb situation. so any thoughts on what it was? just a POS?

[kendenton]

i currently ride both a KLR and my FI R1100S beemer, and have ridden late 70's BMWs (CV carbed) over Trail Ridge Road (at 12k+ ft, there are few roads higher in North America). Altitude would take the 1000cc bike and make it run like a 800 cc machine.

but is supect that the issues with this H-D's performance were NOT related to the FI/Carb situation. so any thoughts on what it was? just a POS?

Well, the tag did read 'POS"    I don't think it was altitude related, it didn't have oomph passing folks coming out of Steamboat.  

I say we stick a fork in the power issue - it's done.  Moving on...

[1reddawg12r]

Colorado is Beautiful..

[sagerat]

Nice pics; I've ridden in SW Colo but will now have to try to hit RMNP and central Colo.

[mtrider16]

I rented a R1150GS in Denver.     They have VFR, a Duc, as well as FJR and R1200RT.

Not the newest equipment on the planet, but it worked well for me.

David

[mtrider16]

 (Edited to remove sarcasm.)

Falls River Road is a beautiful ride when you get the chance.




David

[mtrider16]

Thanks for the pics.  - David