If you’ve never ridden a dirt bike or dual sport in Colorado, you are missing some of the best riding in the world. Especially if you are coming from a generally flat area, like Texas. While my normal riding area is great and presents awesome challenges and terrain, Colorado is probably my favorite riding. Not only is the riding great, but the scenery and weather are something we just don’t get in North Texas. I’ve ridding a motorcycle in Colorado at lease once a year for the past 10 years or so, the first few on an adventure bike, and the last 5 or 6 years on a dirt bike or dual sport bike. I am by no means the ultimate authoritarian on the subject, and there are a lot of people who know much more than me and have different opinions. This article is mostly geared towards people who may have not ridden in Colorado before, or have very little experience with Colorado Riding. I will do another article regarding riding an Adventure Bike to and from Colorado, but for now, let’s concentrate on dirtbikes.
I’ve grouped dirt bikes and dual sports together as they are pretty similar. First thing is that if you are going to be riding a dual sport or dirt bike, you are almost 100% certain to be hauling your bike to Colorado. The nice thing about this is that you can bring a lot of gear since you will have your vehicle with you. It is easy to take tools, fuel, extra riding gear, etc… everything you may or may not need. The only downside is that if you are staying at hotels and hauling a trailer, you will need to find a place to park the trailer. Usually not too much of a problem, but it could be if the hotels are full – for example during a Jeep Rally or something like that in a town like Ouray or Telluride.
Prepare.
First things first, you need to prepare. If your bike is EFI, no issues, however if your bike is carbureted, you will likely need to re-jet (depending on where you are coming from). In general, while riding in CO, you will be riding between 7,000’ and 13,000’. Don’t even consider not re-jetting unless you are already riding in these ranges. Unless you are jetting the bike yourself, you may lose a day or two getting your bike re-jetted while you are in CO. And often, whomever you take your bike to will tell you they are 2 weeks out. That seems to be the common answer from most bike shops. Sometimes telling them you are on vacation and only there a few days will appeal to their empathetic side and they will get you in and out in about a day. But often you are SOL. On my KTM 300 I just followed the manual and re-jetted base on the altitude and temp range I am going to be riding in. All I usually have to do is make a little adjustment to the airscrew after I arrive, and my bike runs great. On my DRZ400, I purchased a JD Jet Kit and followed the instruction for the different elevations they recommended. Needless to say, once you get to altitude, your bike will not feel the same – at least it never seems to for me. It usually takes me a little while to adjust. I may have to keep the clutch slipped a little more, or keep the revs up a little. After about a half hour to an hour it all seems fine though. If carbureted, you may also want to consider something like a Lectron Carb – they are expensive, but if adjusted properly to your normal altitude, they adjust automatically. Experienced this first hand this past trip as Rachelle had one installed and it worked flawlessly (other than a little mishap, but that is another story).
If you are dual sporting (or day riding) and traveling large distances, make sure you can carry enough fuel. You may need to install a larger tank, or carry fuel bottles. Gas is available between mountain towns so determine how far you will ride and whether or not you can refuel in route. 4 strokes are no problem, but if you are riding a 2 stroke you will need to mix oil. I have a bottle I have marked in ¼ gallon increments that I use, so if I put a gallon and a half in my bike I know to use 6 increments of oil. This works pretty well when I know there is a gas station in route – for me, better than putting a giant tank on my bike or carrying premixed fuel. To date I have not needed a larger tank or to carry fuel. But that could easily change in the future. Also, depending on where you will be, you can actually get high-octane ethanol free gas at some stations. If you find one, fill up your gas can!
Altitude.
Altitude acclimation can be an issue on a dirt bike. Depending on how you ride, you are likely going to be exerting a lot of energy and breathing can be difficult. Hell, just bending over to check you tire pressure can seem like you are trying to breathe through a straw. Not a whole lot you can do about this, and it seems to affect some people more than others – just be aware of it, unless you are there a very long time, you will probably not fully acclimatize the entire trip.
Remember you are at a different altitude and altitude will affect tire pressure – if you are running bibs, no problem, but tubes – be sure to check your tire pressure before you ride. Most importantly, before the first ride in Colorado. I run tubes with slime in them, a lot riskier than bibs, but I have had pretty good luck. In fact, so much luck that I hardly ride with a spare tube any more…. But that is stupid. Carry a spare tube. If you want to go light weight, just carry a 21” tube, it will work on the rear as well in a pinch. A tube does you no good if you don’t have way to inflate it, so carry some kind of pump. I have a small slime brand electric pump that will attach to the bike battery. It works pretty well and is much easier than the small hand pumps. I’ve had the CO2 cartridges, and have used them, but they never really seem to fill the tire, so I opt for the pump.
Bike Maintenance.
Making sure your bike is well maintained each morning will go a long way. I check tire pressure, fill the gas tank and lube the chain each morning, along with anything else I think needs to be done to the bike. Be sure to check your air filter every couple of days, it is dry in Colorado, and dry can be dusty – especially if you spend most of your time behind another rider. Trying to avoid a problem is much easier than trying to fix it on the trail. I do still carry the OEM tool kit however; it covers most of the easier on-trail repairs you may need to make.
Bags and backpack.
I usually wear a backpack that has a hydration pocket in it. If just doing day rides to and from camp, I only fill it with enough water for the day and maybe a little extra in case we get stranded. I also have a set of Giant Loop Mojave tail bags. These are great! The fit close to the bike and you have almost the same maneuverability as if there were no bags on the bike at all. These are the smallest set of Giant Loop bags you can get, but they hold a lot, in fact I’ve done 2-3 day Dual Sport rides with the combination of these bags and my backpack. I had a set of normal soft panniers, but felt that the weight being closer to the axle seemed to move the back of the bike around too much. You would think the lower weight would be better, but the Giant Loop bags get the weight “attached” to the bike better than the panniers. The only issue I’ve ever have with the Mojave bags is that occasionally when jumping, or having to slide back on the seat quickly, my legs or ass gets hit by the bags, but it is hardly noticeable and has never cause me any problems.
Maps & Apps.
Technology is great, and there are a lot of great navigation apps out there. I won’t get into which is the best app, but one that you download the map to your phone is best. Don’t rely on anything that needs to connect to the internet for the map – you more than likely will not have internet connection or cell service while out on the trails. Your phone will still track you though through GPS without service, even in airplane mode. I usually start my tracking app, and put the phone in airplane mode to save battery. If you have an app like Avenza (which I have not used yet..) and have purchased the maps you should be okay unless your phone dies. I usually use a paper map for most of my navigation. Latitude 40° makes really great maps, and often they will have mileage indicators between points on the map. I always try to use my trip meter on the bike. Reset it at a known point and then watch the mileage so I know about when to expect the next turn or point. It does not always work, but it usually does. I will use both trip 1 and trip 2. Trip 2 for distance from the road for example, and trip 1 for between points on the map.
Weather.
Colorado weather can be kind of weird. It can get pretty cold at night, and then warm if not downright hot in the afternoons. Usually you will be wearing a jacket in the mornings, shorts in the afternoon, and back to a jacket in the evening. Because of this, riding gear can be a bit of a tough choice, especially if you are riding out early in the day. I’ve found the best choice is to gear up for the hottest part of the day, and then wear the rain jacket I mention below if I feel it a little cool.
July and August in Colorado is what they call the “monsoon season”. Basically what that means is that it is probably going to rain every day, almost always in the afternoon. So if you are out riding be sure to pack a light rain jacket. You may not think you would need it if it is hot, but once you are at altitude and it starts to rain, it cools down pretty quickly. You will be glad you had the rain jacket. The rain showers usually don’t last too long, and they are generally scattered, but anytime I have ridden in Colorado after July 4th, I’ve almost always been rained on, at least a little, in the afternoon. June is a pretty good time to ride in CO, it’s before the monsoon season, but if they had a good snow pack over the winter, you will likely run into some snow. Sometimes it is passable, other times it is not, and often, early in the season, the mountain passes you would like to ride might be closed. Also keep in mind that with heavy snow over the winter, there will be a lot of melt off, and streams and rivers will be more difficult to cross.
Lodging.
You will need to decide if you are going to Camp, or stay at a hotel. If you have family or friends who live in Colorado, even better.
I’ve done all 3, and my personal favorite is camping, or “glamping” in an RV.
Camping – there are different types of camping in Colorado – RV Parks, Established Campsites, and Dispersed Camping.
RV Parks are my least favorite simply because I am camping to be in nature and a trailer park style RV Park is not exactly that. The benefits is that they usually have full hook ups, so if you want all the comforts of home and enjoy the company and camaraderie of your neighbors this may work for you. They are also usually accessible to larger RVs. We generally avoid the RV parks so I don’t know a whole lot other than what I just mentioned.
Established campsites are nice because they can usually accommodate a small RV/Trailer as well as tent camping. Usually, the Forest Service runs them, or a company hired by the forest service. Most of the time they have some type of toilets (usually vault), and often have a water source somewhere close by. Most of the campsites are what they call Standard Non-Electric. Which means you are pretty much dry camping, but you can walk to a nearby toilet, and you can fill your tank or jugs with water close by, although the water is not always potable. So bring drinking and cooking water. We usually get bottled water and also the 1-gallon jugs of drinking water for cooking, etc… Showers are usually not available at these campsites. You will either need to get used to your own (and other’s) body odors, or have some kind of a shower set up. FYI… it is frowned upon to bathe in the nearby river – or it may be illegal, not really sure. But the water is freaking cold, as it was snow not too long ago… so I would not recommend this anyway.
Most of the time, in the established campsites, there is a Camp Host. In our experience this is usually a retired couple that the forest service hires to watch over the campsite. Our experience as well has been that they are really great people, very helpful and friendly. They can tell you about the area and things to do, and since your reason for being there in the first place is to ride, they know a lot about the trails and can make good recommendations. Since most of the camp hosts are a little older, they are usually riding 4 wheelers or SXS’s, so keep that in mind when listening to their recommendations. They do know about the single-track trails, but in most cases, do not ride them.
The only real downside to the established campsites is that 1) you do have to pay a fee to stay there, usually between $15 and $25 per day, and 2) they may not be as secluded as you would like. (e.g., if you have an external shower you will likely need to set up some kind of shower tent, or curtain system)
Dispersed camping is almost exactly the same as the established campsites, except there are no fees and there are no facilities. No Toilets and no water. You will have to make like a bear in the woods, and bring in all of your water. You can disperse camp just about anywhere in the national forests, but you can usually tell where people have been setting up camp. This is easier if you are in tents, but small RVs/trailers can easily disperse camp also. As you ride the forest roads to get to the trails you will usually pass campers disperse camping somewhere along the roads. Depending on where you set up, you can get as secluded as you would like.
Hotels/Motels are a pretty good option if you don’t have the means to camp. Until recently this is what I have usually done. You have all the accommodations, usually plenty of restaurants to choose from, and easy access to gas and other supplies if you need them. The only real downsides are that they are not cheap – usually in the $150+ range per night, and they are not usually as close to the trails, so you have to either trailer to the trails or make sure you have enough gas to ride to and from where you want to go. You will also be eating out most of the time, unless you do something like rent a VRBO where you can cook your own meals. Not a bad thing, just costs more than if you were camping and cooking you own meals. Also, most mountain towns are somewhat limited to restaurants. The larger towns like Telluride, Ouray, or Crested Butte have a wider variety, but much smaller than that… you may be eating a lot at the same place if you are staying any length of time.
If you have family or friends who happen to live at the start of a slew of killer single track trails, you have hit the jackpot! That’s not usually the case however, but it could happen. Staying with friends or family is really great in that you get to visit, it’s free (but buy them a meal or two…), have all the comforts of home, can cook, clean, wash clothes, work on the bike and all that good stuff. I have a friend in Estes Park that I stay with often. The only downside is that he does not live at the foot of some killer single track… So depending on where they live, you may have to trailer you bike to and from the riding areas. For what it’s worth – the Estes Park area is actually pretty good for adventure/DS riding.
And Last but not Least - Recreation
As everyone is probably well aware of by now – Weed is legal in Colorado. Partake if you would like, it is perfectly legal. Just make sure it is allowed where you are staying (I believe most hotels to not allow it, just like they don’t allow smoking tobacco). Just do not take it back to Texas (or any other state) with you, and remember it stays in your system for some time, and employers can still fire you for it. There are two different types of dispensaries in Colorado, Medical and Recreational, so if you decide you want to relive your “sex drugs and rock & roll” days, and don’t have a prescription - you will need to find a recreational dispensary.
Those are the main things I can think of at the moment. If you have questions or comments, please let me know in the comments section.
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