I got on my bike on a lovely spring day and rode reluctantly into the city to an independent motorcycle accessory store. I'd seen on their website that they stock waterproof boot covers. My old rubber pull-on ones were torn, useless.
A salesperson asked me if I needed help, a tall guy, strongly built, maybe 40. He had what we'd call an 'up attitude, a general cheerfulness. I liked him immediately.
I said to him: "You know, it took me forever to get here. I didn't realise how far it was, and entirely in unpleasant traffic. Do you ride to work?" "I do," he said. "From Morrison." "Oh," I said, "I don't live too far from there - in Lakewood near Morrison Road. How do you get here?" He told me he rides the same way I did, except he uses the limited-access Express Lane, the far-left lane, on Colorado Highway 470, our 'ring road. That lane is legal and free for bikes but there's a toll for cars.
"If I couldn't use the Express Lane," he said, "I wouldn't ride here. If I had to use the other two lanes, I just wouldn't ride. It's too dangerous, too scary." I want to take a moment to remind the reader that I'm talking here to a guy who makes his living selling motorcycle parts and accessories.
One would think that such a guy would want to talk about the freedom of the ride, the feeling of near-flight and the joy of precise control of the machine...
But this guy commutes to work - not in a scenic motorcycle advertising video, but in gritty, urban reality.
Esta historia es de la edición December 2022 de Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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Esta historia es de la edición December 2022 de Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
