Colorado Springs new MB enthusiast

[ashane]

Hi - my name is Tony and I just put together a "jet 80 cc" motorized bike. I've worked on a few engines before and I love how simple this is.

I am wondering if anyone has had any issues with riding motorized bikes in the Springs or if anyone has had problems riding on trails that are designated for bicycles. Of course you won't be racing around walking trails at 20 MPH with peds and other cyclists around, but here we have some really long trails that are more fun to ride in a certain direction (read downhill).

Thanks for any info you can share. I've read the forums extensively and plan on contributing when I can. There sure is a wealth of information on this board.

Tonyh

 

[Skyliner70cc]

Tony,
Welcome to the forum. If you ever need anything, whether it be parts, advice, or assistance, give me a holler. I've built over 100 MB's over the past 5 years or so and have a fair amount of experience and spare parts.

Also, I'm looking for a riding partner to ride some of those trails. I've ridden on Santa Fe trail and have gotten flack almost every time I ride but I ignore them. I usually shut my engine off and pedal past pedestrians and other bikers but that sometimes doesn't help with the judgemental spandexers. I'm thinking of doing a long ride up Pikes Peak and Rampart Range road.

Again welcome and I hope to run into you on the open road.

 

[ashane]

hey that's great. I have my bike together but the master link clip broke, it's heavy duty chain and I can't locate a place to get it locally. Do you know of a place or perhaps I could purchase one from you?

I live off 25 and Gleneagle. I don't think my posterior is up to a Pikes Peak run just yet, but it sounds like fun once I become more acclimated.

Anyway, if you know of some place locally where i can get some chain parts, give me a holler.

Thanks,
Tony

 

[wheelbender6]

Welcome to the forum.
State laws vary but in general, motorized bikes should be ridden adjacent to vehicular rights-of-way (roads, road shoulders, bike lanes).
You should kill the motor and pedal on multi-use paths/trails.
I travel to the Springs a few times a year for my job. It has a great downtown area.

 

[Skyliner70cc]

Ashane,
I just moved from Gleneagle and now live 3 miles South of Gleneagle off of Voyager on Almagre Peak Drive.

I have a brand new in package master link assembly waiting for you. IM me and I'll pass you my phone number. I work 12 hours tomorrow and am working late shift on Friday but have weekend off. I'm hiking up to Jones Park on Saturday morning but should be home in the afternoon if you want to get the masterlink and get your bike back on the road.

This is awesome! A fellow motorbiker who lives by my home. What street do you live on? I'm very familar with your n'hood.


I can recommend a great seat for those long rides. BTW, how about climbing over Mount Herman into Rampart Range road area sometime for a good first ride?

 

[bamabikeguy]

I'll always have 3 or 4 memories of the time I passed through Colorado Springs, coming straight south on Hwy 83 from Denver in June 2006.

I couldn't get a really clear photo of Pikes Peak, little did I know that platoons of tornado chasers were parked in Eastern Colorado awaiting what was on the other side of the mountains.

Hwy 83 banged into a 4-6 lane that wasn't on my map, on the right hand corner was this mega mega church, with a curb that went halfway up my thigh. I'm trying to boost my bike up on that sidewalk to get my map bearings, and cussing out the street department for this retaining wall they put in my way. I had to back track a half mile to find a driveway to get back on the road.

Ted Haggard got jinxed from my cussing him out, next time I saw that church was when the New Life scandal broke, and the news footage always showed that 3 foot high nemisis of mine, that nearly caused my one and only fall of the bike tour. While the story was hot, that picture of the "curb of death" haunted me on every news report.

Second memory was a super slow red light, where this mystery road I was on intersected another 6 lane. There was this black and white tuxedo'd bird, about the size of a small crow, hopping around the middle of that intersection, pecking for shiny objects (not food I don't think). He had guts, landed right in front of my tire trying to pick up a bottle cap.

When I turned east on Hwy 94, towards Yoder and the Hwy 71 intersection to take me to La Junta, about a mile outside of town was a sign that said "Next Gas 79 Miles", so I did a quick Huey and battled that durn parkway not on my map a second time, to find me a BP station.

Colorado Springs became the only town I saw twice.

 

[Skyliner70cc]

bama,
Neat story. I live 1.5 miles north of that Mega Church. If you ever ride thru again, give me a holler. We have a couple spare bedrooms and lots of room for overnight guess. I met my wife in Bama and you are welcome as long as you don't bring any of that infamous Bama humidity with ya!

 

[bamabikeguy]

I got my end of May/beginning of June mixed up, I passed through Colorado Springs on May 30, the next day were the storms of the season:

http://www.harkphoto.com/05312006.html

May 31, 2006: Colorado and New Mexico Storms

chase images and log by William T. Hark, M.D.


May 31 was a marginal day but there was still a possibility of storms in the eastern Colorado, and northeastern New Mexico. Jason and I started in Amarillo, TX. After a steak breakfast at the Big Texan, we were about to leave when we heard a faint mewing. It was cold, windy and rainy and the mewing faded with gusts of wind. We looked around and found a kitten hiding behind the front wheel of Jason's car. It was shaking and had singed whiskers. The cat was obviously very cold and scared. It was only a few months old and was probably near the engine for warmth. We stopped by Walmart for some cat supplies including a carrier. Luckily for the cat, Jason and his wife do cat rescue. Jason named her "meso."

Pike's Peak looked like pic 1 when I shot it, but coming out of the only diner in Yoder, the sky looked like pic 2.

Lotta fun wind-surf-biking that day, I tell ya.

I read a few tornado chaser stories after I got back, this guy must have passed me more than once on the Springfield-Campo-Boise City-Guymon on the next day.

The storm, now to our north, was all outflow. There was no chance of tornadic development. The scenery was still pretty, and Jason and I stopped to photograph the gustfront. Charles and his group stopped in Clayton for the evening. Jason and I followed the storm northeast along 412 back to Boise City, Oklahoma. There was some pretty lightning but nothing special. At one point, there was a suspicious lowering but as we got closer, it was obviously scud and an outflow feature. Jason decided to stay in Guymon before heading home. I checked some data in Guymon and decided there was not a decent possibility of tornadic development for the remainder of my vacation. I decided to drive back to Oklahoma City that night and was a able to catch a flight back to Virginia the next day. Thus, my chase vacation ended early. There's always next year.