Welcome to Old Bike Ride Twenty One!

Sunday, September 8, 2024

Open to all riders of (sufficiently) old motorcycles and all (sufficiently) old motorcycle riders

This annual event was begun by Bob Ohman in the early 2000s. In recent years Norton Colorado provided Bob with logistical support. Bob died September 9, 2021, but we are trying to maintain the tradition in his honor.

The purpose of the Old Bike Ride is to encourage people to bring out their old motorcycles and ride them. American, British, Italian, German, Russian, Chinese, motorcycle, scooter, sidecar, concourse original or hideous mongrel, any engine capacity, we do not care as long as it’s old enough. The approximately 100-mile route takes us over some of the finest motorcycling roads of the Front Range. The Old Bike Ride is open to anyone riding a motorized vehicle with less than four wheels made in 1980 or earlier. We also honor people who refuse to quit riding just because they got old, so a rider over the age of 75 can ride whatever they want to, dammit.

Except for this Extremely Important Exception:

We are trying to encourage more riders of the female persuasion to get involved in vintage motorcycling. Therefore, since OBR13 and until further notice, women of any age are welcome to participate while riding (not as a passenger) a motorcycle or scooter of any age. Ladies, here’s your chance to ride with a choice collection of the crustiest old motorcyclists you could ever imagine! This is not a race. Everyone rides at their own pace and, to quote the old song, “never is heard, a discouraging word” about the mechanical preparation of one’s machine or one’s rate of forward progress, cornering abilities, or navigational skills (no one could be worse than Jerry Pokorny). We’d really, truly like you to join us.

In honor of Paul Swenson, departed Sidehacker Extraordinaire, we also open the OBR to anyone of any age riding a sidecar of any age.

Unlike recent runnings of the Old Bike Ride, the special decals commemorating this event will be issued at the first stop, at the Buffalo Bill Grave and Museum atop Lookout Mountain.

Location and Start Time

The ride will start from the same location in downtown Golden as recent years: the large parking lot behind the old Foss Drugstore, one block west of Washington Ave on 13th Street. Maps will be distributed to qualifying riders starting at 8:00 AM. Rider’s Meeting at 9:15. The ride will start at 9:30 sharp.

The Route

The route for OBR21 will be different from the last few years (download the route synopsis and map below). There will be no lunch stop. Maps and directions will be handed out at the rider’s meeting. Instead of ending the OBR at the Golden City Brewery in downtown Golden we’ll be trying something Completely Different, the Dirty Dogs Roadhouse (17999 Colfax Ave., Golden, CO 80401). You’re responsible for paying for your own food and drink. We expect to arrive back in Golden around 12:30 PM.

There are several places along the route where gasoline can be purchased, but it is highly recommended to start the OBR with a full tank. We do not ride as a pack. The motorcycles always spread out as people ride at different paces, and often stop for a break for one reason or another. We have two planned stops, the first is soon after leaving Golden. The leaders will pull into the parking lot of the Buffalo Bill Grave and Museum on Lookout Mountain briefly, to make sure everyone is running smoothly and to distribute commemorative decals. The second stop will be about 2-1/2 hours in, at the Stinky’s Sinclair station on US 285 in Conifer.

Breakfast

There are multiple coffee/dining establishments within one block of the parking lot, all of which will be open by 7:30 at the latest on Sunday:

Cafe 13, a coffee/pastry shop facing the parking lot at 1301 Arapahoe St.
The Table Mountain Grill & Cantina, full-service restaurant around the corner at 1310 Washington St.
Higher Grounds, at the corner of Washington St and 14th St, the
best coffee shop in the area, a short block away but worth the walk.
The Golden Diner, a couple blocks away at 700 12th St.

Sag Wagon

We will likely be accompanied by a truck towing a trailer in case of mechanical or personal distress.

Further Information

Need more details? Want to bitch about the rules? Contact:
Eric Bergman
(720) 400-7835
eric@nortoncolorado.org