Modern Buddy

Moving to the Denver Colorado area in August, is the area scooter friendly? That is to say are other drivers cautious and does the city have much in the way of designated motorcycle/scooter parking? Hows the dealership in Denver (as I will need a full tuneup having let the scooter sit for a year)? Does the area have any local scooter groups or events to meet others that enjoy scooters? My wife and I are looking forward to Denver and any advise in the way of things to do or places to go would also be helpful.

Denver is great for scooters and scooterists. I moved away from denver in november '09. I do not think there are any set areas for motorcycle parking in the streets. I believe there is still 50cc scooter parking on the sidewalks at bicycle racks. BUT you need to get the 50cc registration sticker or the police will give a parking ticket. Riding in Denver is really good. There are enough scooters on the road that everyone knows someone with a scooter now, and they're being more cautious. Not to say bad stuff doesn't happen sometimes, but still all-in-all its been getting better. Which Buddy do you have? If you have a 125 or 150 you'll be able to get up to the mountains on some of the back roads. My girlfriend and i went to Central City/Blackhawk for some casino gambling, all via back roads. Pretty view, fun ride. Her people 150 was working hard on some of the steeper climbs but she made it. My stella was having troubles because of the altitude. In august during the 19th through the 22nd there is a scooter rally that is all-welcoming brought to you by the Rival Gang, DMBK And the HighlandHooligans. Details on rivalgang.net. I myself am looking to get back to denver near the end of the summer. OH! And i forgot, there is another club that is very inclusive called the Misfit Toys S.C. I believe that everyone would be welcoming and willing to show you the burrito joints and dive bars that are the best.

and a great dealership is sportique scooters. google them. there are others that are good but I believe they are the best
they have several locations in the denver area and they even have a mobile unit for tune ups/problems/etc! so they're sure to be able to help you.
I believe they are also like one of genuine's top sellers (thats what I heard) as well so they are Very familiar with the buddy -
the only thing is that the economy hit them hard like all of us. so move here fast to you can take advantage of them!
I live too far north for them to be feasable so I have to go elsewhere. and the place I go is okay but its no sportique.

Welcome to Colorado!
(you will also need the scoot tuned to high altitude when you get here-I think- but the dealership/shop will know that when they see your plates.)

mhardgrove wrote:Moving to the Denver Colorado area in August, is the area scooter friendly?

more or less, yes. i'm not sure where exactly you'll be, but in denver proper, there are many side-streets that you can take if you don't want to be in with heavy traffic. but, you still need to drive defensively though, because there's no other way to ride safely.

mhardgrove wrote:That is to say are other drivers cautious and does the city have much in the way of designated motorcycle/scooter parking?

denver does not have proper scooter/motorcycle parking spots like in other cities. depending on where you go, you may be able to a) just park in an out-of-the-way spot or b) just park in a normal parking spot. idk which scooter you have, but if yours is a 50cc, then you can park it on the sidewalk downtown. if it's NOT a 50cc, then it's not worth the trouble imo. just take the bicycle. it's faster to move around downtown on a bicycle than it is in a car anyway. i ride around here all the time.

mhardgrove wrote:Hows the dealership in Denver (as I will need a full tuneup having let the scooter sit for a year)?

good dealer support network. sportique scooter is the local genuine dealer here. there are 3 locations, with the closest one right by downtown.

mhardgrove wrote:Does the area have any local scooter groups or events to meet others that enjoy scooters?

yes. sportique does local rides a couple of times a year. tehre's a girl's scooter club. there's a GLBT scooter club. there's also erico motorsports which sells vespas/ducatis and they have a club too i think. there are all-scooter rides, and there are vintage-rides. i'm kind of anti-social so i don't go to these events much but they're a bunch of them. the weather here in the summer/early fall is really ideal for scootering. i haven't driven my car in almost 2 weeks.

mhardgrove wrote:My wife and I are looking forward to Denver and any advise in the way of things to do or places to go would also be helpful.

be careful with berries if you go grocery shopping with a scooter!

mhardgrove wrote:...any advise in the way of things to do or places to go would also be helpful.

Do not miss the greatest Mexican restaurant in the Denver Metroplex: Casa Bonita.

Syd wrote:

mhardgrove wrote:...any advise in the way of things to do or places to go would also be helpful.

Do not miss the greatest Mexican restaurant in the Denver Metroplex: Casa Bonita.

YES! the south park episode was hillariously accurate!

Well, I don't live in Denver, but I play one on TV (ok, that really doesn't work, but, whatever...). I have family in Denver and love it out there, congrats on the move! There are a TON of scooters in downtown Denver, so I'd assume it's pretty scooter friendly (when the weather allows for it, anyway). Have a good time out there! I'm jealous.

FYI- coming from TN, your scooter will not be tuned right for altitude. It may run ok, but it will run better if somebody adjusts the carb and possibly rejets.

Another reason to have a shop work on it.

+1 on getting tuned when you get there. You're at below 1k ft in Tennessee. Denver is at just over 5k. I lose about 10mph at 4k ft from sea level.

Casa Bonita is sick and not in a good way. then MAKE you buy food cafeteria style before allowing you to enter and be seated. Just don't eat the food. it's gross. The indoor waterfall with divers is pretty cool. they cut off your tie if you show up with one and the arcade smells like egg salad farts from all the people who ate the food. At least that was the set up in 1997 - South Park way funnier than real life experience

I was a bike commuter in Denver & Boulder for 3 years. It's a very 2 wheel friendly place. More Boulder than Denver but when I lived in Capitol Hill (13th & Pearl) there were tons of scooters there in those years and I see lots of Colorado folks on here so you will be in good hands.

Denver was a fun place to live. It's a lot different now - I think the Wazee Supper Club is still there and that's one of my favorite haunts. 15th Street Tavern is gone

good luck with the move and have fun!

jijifer wrote:+1 on getting tuned when you get there. You're at below 1k ft in Tennessee. Denver is at just over 5k. I lose about 10mph at 4k ft from sea level.

Casa Bonita is sick and not in a good way. then MAKE you buy food cafeteria style before allowing you to enter and be seated. Just don't eat the food. it's gross. The indoor waterfall with divers is pretty cool. they cut off your tie if you show up with one and the arcade smells like egg salad farts from all the people who ate the food. At least that was the set up in 1997 - South Park way funnier than real life experience

Heh. That's not too far off. The cliff divers are still pretty cool, though.

jijifer wrote:...Casa Bonita is sick and not in a good way...

don't spoil it for them!
Casa Bonita is like the Matrix...
Unfortunately no can be, told, what Casa Bonita is; you have to experience it for yourself.
(smiley face in the matrix)

Denver is the best town in the world! And tons of scooter clubs. (Misfits SC does a ride at least one a month all year 'round.) VERY scooter friendly city, I have scooter friends with 125 & 150cc that live as far away as Highland Ranch and scoot to work downtown. (but I wouldn't recommend that 'cause "Breeders Ranch" is icky!)

Def. come to the rally, 3rd weekend in August. Tons of fun and free!! www.rivalgang.net Gimme a PM when you get into town & we can give you the tour.

Sportique is the only Genuine dealer in town, they have a shop on the west side of town and way down south in Englewood. Also check out their forum www.sportiquescooters.com/forums

And btw, it took me living here for 20 years before I made it to Casa Bonita. It wasn't as bad as I expected...

As far as parking, with a 125 The Man will consider you a motorcycle & you'll have to get an M endorsement on your license and a motorcycle plate and you can't park on the sidewalk. But I know people who just peal off the "125" and register it as 50cc ($7.50/3yrs for registration sticker) or some folks velcro the plate and pull it off when they park on the sidewalk. I only know one guy (tbonestone) who got a parking ticket for sidewalk parking his Stella. Lots of downtown buildings have free covered parking for employees' scoots.

kivrot wrote:
As far as parking, with a 125 The Man will consider you a motorcycle & you'll have to get an M endorsement on your license and a motorcycle plate and you can't park on the sidewalk. But I know people who just peal off the "125" and register it as 50cc ($7.50/3yrs for registration sticker) or some folks velcro the plate and pull it off when they park on the sidewalk. I only know one guy (tbonestone) who got a parking ticket for sidewalk parking his Stella. Lots of downtown buildings have free covered parking for employees' scoots.

Both of these suggestions can get you in trouble. It does not cost that much to register, and since just about everywhere requires some type of motorcycle license to run over a 50, I would assume the license wouldn't be an issue.

For what its worth, I have picked up a parking ticket for sidewalk parking a Stella.

Generally speaking, Denver is very scooter and motorcycle-friendly. We also seem to be in the midst of one of those "share the road" campaigns, which do seem to have a positive effect on rider awareness.

Like any place though, it's difficult to generalize. I've had more issues bicycling than I've had on scoots and motos combined, but that doesn't mean I'm immune. There's a pretty large contingent of aggressive drivers here, especially on the highways. Like anyplace else, ride like you're invisible. As for parking, get to know the city and you'll stumble on areas downtown where scooters and motorcycles park off street with relative immunity. Since Denver has a free 16th St. Mall shuttle, you don't have to park your scoot at your final destination. Park somewhere close to the mall and shuttle it.

Also keep in mind that since the financial collapse, local municipalities are looking for all kinds of ways to generate revenue. Denver is no exception so be prepared for lots of speed traps and stricter levels of parking enforcement. A lot has changed since 2004 but there are still places to park off street for free. What hasn't changed is how you'll be treated if you get caught trying the velcro-license trick or riding without the proper license and registration.

gt1000 wrote: Also keep in mind that since the financial collapse, local municipalities are looking for all kinds of ways to generate revenue. Denver is no exception so be prepared for lots of speed traps and stricter levels of parking enforcement.

+1 on that... More cameras being installed. More speedtraps. More unmarked vehicles containing cameras aka speedtraps. It's kind of sad that this is the way that revenues are being generated, but yes that's what's happening. Just be in the middle and go with traffic. It's annoying because there are a lot of zoned-out drivers, but it's safer.

un_designer wrote:

gt1000 wrote: Also keep in mind that since the financial collapse, local municipalities are looking for all kinds of ways to generate revenue. Denver is no exception so be prepared for lots of speed traps and stricter levels of parking enforcement.

+1 on that... More cameras being installed. More speedtraps. More unmarked vehicles containing cameras aka speedtraps. It's kind of sad that this is the way that revenues are being generated, but yes that's what's happening. Just be in the middle and go with traffic. It's annoying because there are a lot of zoned-out drivers, but it's safer.

Just putting my 2 cents in, not looking for a debate... I'm all for the speed traps and red light cameras. Arlington just reinstalled their red light cameras and it's a great way to generate some revenue from all the aggressive cagers (too many of which seem to be from Maryland) commuting or just "passing through". Instead of taxing everyone, just tax the people that are the biggest hazards on the road. No need for scooters to be driving aggressively or running lights. Let's all be safe out there!

Just putting my 2 cents in, not looking for a debate...

And I'm not debating. Red light cameras are one thing and yes, I'm ok with those. I'm less ok with photo radar because it's purely a money making scheme and I'm even less ok with abusive speed traps.

What's an abusive speed trap? If you live in Denver a good example is 20th street going from the Highlands towards downtown. 35 mph zone that changes suddenly to 25 as you go downhill near Coors Field. The moto cop is usually set up with a radar gun up at Jackson's and it's purely a revenue stream. OK, I'm fine with them nabbing some guy doing 45 there but not the poor shleps that they're constantly pulling over for doing 32 in a 25 zone.

Same goes for school zones. I've raised a daughter and I'm all for school zone enforcement but it can be abusive too. If you're doing more than 5mph above the limit in a school zone you need to pay the price. Under that, on a scooter? For me, that's within the realm of speedo inaccuracy.

Personally, I'd LOVE more red light cameras! I've NEVER seen cars blow through "orange" lights the way they do in Denver:
1) I stopped at a yellow on my scoot and heard SCREEEECH from the SUV that didn't rear end me.
2) Ever been at the intersection of Monaco & Speer, like 5 vehicles go through when it turns yellow?
3) Guy leading a rally almost got smoked 'cause he just started to ride when the light turned green. Silly scooter.

Something to note before you move out here. Otherwise best city in the world!

gt1000 wrote:

Just putting my 2 cents in, not looking for a debate...

And I'm not debating. Red light cameras are one thing and yes, I'm ok with those. I'm less ok with photo radar because it's purely a money making scheme and I'm even less ok with abusive speed traps.

What's an abusive speed trap? If you live in Denver a good example is 20th street going from the Highlands towards downtown. 35 mph zone that changes suddenly to 25 as you go downhill near Coors Field. The moto cop is usually set up with a radar gun up at Jackson's and it's purely a revenue stream. OK, I'm fine with them nabbing some guy doing 45 there but not the poor shleps that they're constantly pulling over for doing 32 in a 25 zone.

Same goes for school zones. I've raised a daughter and I'm all for school zone enforcement but it can be abusive too. If you're doing more than 5mph above the limit in a school zone you need to pay the price. Under that, on a scooter? For me, that's within the realm of speedo inaccuracy.

well put. there are rules that are put in for safety. and there are "rules" that are put in for making money. i'm also not going to get into the debate here because it's obvious already how some feel about these things, but those "rules" in the name of safety that are really just for revenues... not good. we're all intelligent enough to understand and see the difference.

Well, to resurrect an old thread for Denverites:

1) never had an issue on the Zuma 50cc.

2) As underhanded as it is, I think you could probably take off your plates if you have any normal sized scoot when parking. Most of the time parking enforcement is spotty on >50cc, but if you have plates on they will ticket it. I found it out because I take my plates off to prevent theft (they get stolen constantly), and a cop complemented me on my ingenuity. When I told him I didn't do it to skirt the law, he said as long as I was insured and plated he could really care less. He's a motorcycle rider and advocated taking advantage of parking when there's 2 bikes in 500 bike racks.

Of course that's just 1 officer. I haven't had a chance to use it all over and park in a variety of places, but I try to never be obstructive to pedestrian traffic (seems like a good way to lose mirrors or get keyed) and make it visible.