The Deckers Route~Experienced Riders Discussion

[GixxerCarrie]

Jim, you and I have ridden deckers for years. Simply because it IS one of the best rides in Colorado. We have seen it all over the years. Yet we have never had any problems what so ever.
What do you suppose the difference is?
Bash too!

That was where I was going orig. when I posted this. Given Jim's experience and given some of you being Instructors now..What advice would you give...given your expierence and pointers that you know from riding that route many times...

Regardless I thought most of this discussion was good. I was primarily doing it for others as there are alot of newbs out there..who may use advice given..or as Bueller said..Just wanted peeps to be little more open eyed given the fatalities and deaths as of late.

[R1NORI]

First of all, we do have a lot of experience riding Deckers. Prob since the late 90's. However we weren't always fast. It took years and a lot of miles.
The best advice, and it is said again and again. Go at your own pace. It is not a race. No trophy at the top! As you learn- you get faster. It is not as you go faster - you get faster.
Jim and I know the Deckers ride as good as any race track. The difference is, conditions change, so ride with some reserve to adjust.
Take as many classes you can! American supercamp, track days,race schools,books, dvd's.
As you get better you can run at a higher pace still with some reserve.
The reality is that sportbikes are made to be ridden aggressive. That may be some of the attraction. But one should learn all they can before riding one aggressive.
One might say that riding aggressive in the canyons is stupid. And they are right! But there can be a huge difference in what stupid is, just by an experience standpoint.
Bottom line is, it is your personal choice and it is suppose to be fun!
Ride fast, take chances, be safe.
The perfect mix
If you can do all three
Good on you!

[Bueller]

^^Nice contribution

[Ezzzzy1]

I think there needs to be something said about the rides that are posted up on here as well... Not that its a bad thing but what it does is put a random group of riders together on any given day. I feel more comfortable riding (hard) in the canyons not having to worry if someone is going to fly by me, ram into me, stop in front or stand up in a corner.

Its not a stain on anyone, I guess my thought contribution to this thread is just that by riding in smaller groups that are more familiar to you, you can focus more on riding than the people around you.

[Bashed]

Jim, you and I have ridden deckers for years. Simply because it IS one of the best rides in Colorado. We have seen it all over the years. Yet we have never had any problems what so ever.
What do you suppose the difference is?
Bash too!

I will never forget the first time I rode Decker's. It was on my '81 XS650 Special spring of '82. It is a great motorcycling route that has quick access from the front range. I have seen to many accidents to count over the decades and the one thing that stands out to me as a leading indicator for accidents is rider error, for whatever reason. My one and only accident in the same time period was on Decker's, and my own fault. I didn't read the conditions and lost traction in the 2" of hail that was present that suddenly appeared. I hydoplaned and biffed it, but walked away without a scratch, due to me wearing all my gear. One accident in 30 years is and acceptable risk ratio for me.

It is easy to twist the throttle and go fast, the key to surviving many years of riding, is knowing when to close the throttle and slow down.

[CaptGoodvibes]

I think there needs to be something said about the rides that are posted up on here as well... Not that its a bad thing but what it does is put a random group of riders together on any given day. I feel more comfortable riding (hard) in the canyons not having to worry if someone is going to fly by me, ram into me, stop in front or stand up in a corner.

Its not a stain on anyone, I guess my thought contribution to this thread is just that by riding in smaller groups that are more familiar to you, you can focus more on riding than the people around you.

I have a health problem that causes injuries to heal very slowly. If I had a broken leg, there is a chance it would turn septic before it was healed and they would have to remove it.

When I went on my first CSC ride, it was the noob ride in 08. I remember talking to some guys that apparently weren't in CSC. They pointed across the lot at MOCO and said, "they're CSC. Those guys are nuts. They pass in corners and make each other crash. Be careful."

I've been lucky to stick with a core group of riders in CSC. But I've been wanting to branch out and meet some more people. I sure wish there was a way to do that with knowledge that my personal health issues wouldn't be strained to the max due to someone else riding like an ass.

[GregsGSXR]

My first experience with this road was my first ride with the CSC. I ended up with the "faster" group and I was way out of my league. As soon as we left Pine Junction I knew I was in way over my head. When you are doing triple didgets and not keeping up there is a problem. SO... having ridden for most of my life on some sort of bike, I backed off and rode my ride (they were on their way back before I even got to Deckers). The take away lesson from this is KNOW YOUR ABILITIES. It is fun to challenge yourself sometimes, hell you aren't having fun unless you are a little scared. This being said that road is sneaky sometimes with the tar, gravel, and other people (CARS AND BIKES). As long as you respect it that is a beautiful road all the way!!!

[Matty]

I will never forget the first time I rode Decker's. It was on my '81 XS650 Special spring of '82. It is a great motorcycling route that has quick access from the front range. I have seen to many accidents to count over the decades and the one thing that stands out to me as a leading indicator for accidents is rider error, for whatever reason. My one and only accident in the same time period was on Decker's, and my own fault. I didn't read the conditions and lost traction in the 2" of hail that was present that suddenly appeared. I hydoplaned and biffed it, but walked away without a scratch, due to me wearing all my gear. One accident in 30 years is and acceptable risk ratio for me.

It is easy to twist the throttle and go fast, the key to surviving many years of riding, is knowing when to close the throttle and slow down.

tear... Hahaha. Well said!

[R1NORI]

It is nice to have a "core" group to trust and ride with.
I have had a great core group over the years.
If you would like to ride with us tomorrow.
PM Me
Full leathers - is part of this core.
8 am departure

[Ezzzzy1]

You know what would be cool....? A ride that paired an experienced canyon rider with someone that know how to ride but is looking to get better in the canyons. Something like 5 groups of 2 going off in 5-10 intervals. I have a fair amount of canyon experience but would totally jump at the opportunity to be critiqued, might be the only way I would hear about something I am doing wrong or could be doing better.

Im sure it would take a lot for some of the boards better canyon riders to "donate" a morning but I think the opportunity to share some of the great pointers you have collected over the years would be awesome! Im sure lunch could be worked in there as well.

Dont want to jack the thread but I think its a really proactive approach to the original concern.

So lets just start a list of the 5 canyon experts and go from there..LOL

[KawBoy]

I've been riding sportbikes before they were even called sportbikes (since 1973) and have to agree with just about everything being said in this thread. Here's my two cents worth.

First of all, I try to think of EVERY ride as a practice ride, always evaluating my technique and striving for improvement. When I taught my son how to drive several years ago I suggested a "point" system to track errors, which I now use everyday on the bike. I know that some days I ride better than others, depending on god knows what. So I find that having an objective measure of how things are going is useful. I assign points for each error I make and if they get above 2.5, I know I'm in trouble. Here are a few examples.

Half point errors:
Forgot to signal or cancel a signal.
Stopping in a gear other than first.
Daydreaming at a light and didn't notice it change.

1 point errors:
Poor line in a curve at moderate speed.
Wrong gear choice for the curve.
Where did that car behind me come from?

2 point errors:
Poor line in a curve at high speed.
How did I get so close to that guy in front of me and who told him to stop?
Uh oh, I may be a little too fast in this curve, let's just hit the brakes.

3 point errors:
I'll never be able to navigate around that debris in the road, so I'll just ride straight through it.
Oops, I really wasn't expecting this curve to tighten up, so I'll just go wide, nobody's coming.

5 point error:
Speeding ticket

10 point error:
Crash

Feel free to add your own pet mistakes to the list. The good news is that you don't have to tell anyone how many screw-ups you're making and there's always tomorrow.

Also, if I ever got up the nerve to tape some motivational reminders on the inside of my windscreen, here is what they might say.

"I know I can pass this group of 6 cars in the no passing zone, but I won't."
"I know I can go flat out in this straightaway and not get caught, but I won't."
"Surely I can catch up to that guy in front of me, but I won't."

And the most important of all, "Look up."

The ride in and out of Deckers is a great run. Some say it's non-technical, others say its treacherous. Either way, it can and usually does present challenges to all of us, especially if you ride it enough times.

[VFR]

[Cornfed]

You know what would be cool....? A ride that paired an experienced canyon rider with someone that know how to ride but is looking to get better in the canyons. Something like 5 groups of 2 going off in 5-10 intervals. I have a fair amount of canyon experience but would totally jump at the opportunity to be critiqued, might be the only way I would hear about something I am doing wrong or could be doing better.

Im sure it would take a lot for some of the boards better canyon riders to "donate" a morning but I think the opportunity to share some of the great pointers you have collected over the years would be awesome! Im sure lunch could be worked in there as well.

Dont want to jack the thread but I think its a really proactive approach to the original concern.

So lets just start a list of the 5 canyon experts and go from there..LOL

I consider myself an above average rider with several track days and a couple of races under my belt. But being new to Denver Im finding the canyons more challenging than I expected. Id spring for lunch for an ego-free guided tour.
New thread?

[duelist13]

An ego-free guided tour.
New thread?

This sounds like my kind of group ride . I've slipped on sand enough times to know it's gotta be ego-free one way or another!

[stubbicatt]

Man. I rode here yesterday. There is a 6 mile stretch of road with those "snakes" pavement sealant applied to it which made it a much slower route than usual, starting about 4 miles south of Deckers and continuing.

Beware!

[stubbicatt]

I think there needs to be something said about the rides that are posted up on here as well... Not that its a bad thing but what it does is put a random group of riders together on any given day. I feel more comfortable riding (hard) in the canyons not having to worry if someone is going to fly by me, ram into me, stop in front or stand up in a corner.

Its not a stain on anyone, I guess my thought contribution to this thread is just that by riding in smaller groups that are more familiar to you, you can focus more on riding than the people around you.

Group of 1?

[Ezzzzy1]

Man. I rode here yesterday. There is a 6 mile stretch of road with those "snakes" pavement sealant applied to it which made it a much slower route than usual, starting about 4 miles south of Deckers and continuing.

Beware!

Those tar strips are no joke, no matter how many times you hit them you still start to wonder if both your tires just went flat!

Group of 1?

Group of 1 just as much fun as group of 10...

[GixxerCarrie]

17 of us rode it yestereday...Not one injury, not one crash. Washout (which you had to be aware of given the rain) more traffic than we have seen in a long time.

Eveyone rode their own ride...Was a good day.

[Ghost]

You know what would be cool....? A ride that paired an experienced canyon rider with someone that know how to ride but is looking to get better in the canyons. Something like 5 groups of 2 going off in 5-10 intervals. I have a fair amount of canyon experience but would totally jump at the opportunity to be critiqued, might be the only way I would hear about something I am doing wrong or could be doing better.

Not bashing, but really the best place to improve and get feedback is the track.

A road, any road, is too variable from corner to corner and there're just too many outside factors that can affect your ride--plus you can't (or shouldn't) push it on the street like you can on the track.

On the track, the "road" is always the same, so you can tell if you're improving or not since everything except you is the same each lap (mostly/except for minor changes).

Plus, with people able to both follow and lead you, and even people watching from the side of the track, plus video, you can get way more feedback than is possible canyon running.

17 of us rode it yestereday...Not one injury, not one crash. Washout (which you had to be aware of given the rain) more traffic than we have seen in a long time.

Eveyone rode their own ride...Was a good day.

Sweet.

[Bueller]

But being new to Denver Im finding the canyons more challenging than I expected. Id spring for lunch for an ego-free guided tour.
New thread?

Done

http://www.cosportbikeclub.org/forum...ad.php?t=41042

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

17 of us rode it yestereday...Not one injury, not one crash.

The way EVERY ride should end. (Oh, and no tickets either!)

[FZRguy]

But I've been wanting to branch out and meet some more people.

Exactly why I've been doing these.

http://www.cosportbikeclub.org/forum...ad.php?t=40955

[50sGrl]

Re: "ride your own ride" in groups

This is an excellent theory, but only works if the group occasionally waits for the slower rider who actually is riding their own pace. Otherwise, it's just lip service because that slower rider won't actually be able to be part of the "group" unless they push it and try to keep up.

[BC14]

Re: "ride your own ride" in groups

This is an excellent theory, but only works if the group occasionally waits for the slower rider who actually is riding their own pace. Otherwise, it's just lip service because that slower rider won't actually be able to be part of the "group" unless they push it and try to keep up.

I very much agree with that statement. You've got to have a good group of people riding that understand that not everyone is a speed demon and some prefer to ride more casually. Patience is a virtue.