Ride GuideNew MexicoIn search of the Southwest’s best roads and trails
“Land of Enchantment.” If you’re in the state-slogan-writing business, that’s a pretty tough one to live up to. How were we supposed to know they were telling the truth? We’re now seven years into our quest to find the best places in America to be a motorcyclist. We haven’t exactly been everywhere, man, but we’ve been to Colorado, Massachusetts, Utah, West Virginia, Idaho and Michigan—great places all. And we can tell you this: New Mexico is different. Not just from that list of states, but from anyplace else in the country. Towering mountains. Sweeping valleys. Lush forests. Open desert. Ancient civilizations. Even-more-ancient volcanoes. Little towns that time forgot. Native American pueblos. Mexican villages transplanted a few hundred miles north. All in one state. And running through all that, you’ll find endlessly curvy pavement, remote dirt roads, two-track, single-track and everything in between. At least, that’s what editor-types Bill Wood and Grant Parsons reported after a week in New Mexico. As you’ll see on the pages that follow, they came back impressed, a little awed and, yeah, downright enchanted. ----------------------------------- Keeping the Past Alive Stop by Daniel Statnekov’s home in Santa Fe and you’d never guess he owns an exceptional collection of vintage racebikes. There are no pristine machines serving as the centerpiece of the den. No rows of exotica in the garage. In fact, there are often no vintage bikes at all. And that’s the way Statnekov wants it. Instead of filling up his home with classic machines, he fills up museums, loaning out his rare pre-Depression board-track and hillclimb racers to be used in displays across the country. “After I’ve found them and restored them, the thrill for me is knowing that other people get to enjoy them,” Statnekov says. Recently named to the Board of Directors of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum at AMA headquarters, Statnekov lent no fewer than eight Harley-Davidsons to the Museum’s current exhibit, “Heroes of Harley-Davidson,” presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance. Six of those are jewel-like board-track racers from the early 20th century. The others are 1928 and 1932 hillclimbers. The rest of Statnekov’s collection is currently on loan to Otis Chandler’s Vintage Museum in Oxnard, California. Through an evolution that Statnekov says is more accident than plan, his collection today consists entirely of American racebikes from the first third of the 20th century. And Statnekov doesn’t just collect them. He chronicles their places in history. His website, www.statnekov.com, shows photos of his bikes and includes all 25 chapters of his e-book, “Pioneers of American Motorcycle Racing,” which tells the story of the racers, tuners, engineers and machines who competed in the early days of racing. Statnekov traces his interest in old bikes to his childhood in Pennsylvania, when, as he points out, old motorcycles selling for about $50 were all that a kid could afford. He went on to ride Triumphs in the 1960s, then drifted away from motorcycling. That might have been the end of the story, except for an urge that hit years later. “When I got to be 40 years old, I hadn’t ridden in a while,” Statnekov recalls. “I decided to buy an old bike and tinker with it to bring back the old times. So I bought a 1941 Indian Scout. I had no idea of the obsession it was going to become.” He continued buying and selling old bikes—and riding some of them, including a Harley Knucklehead and a Brough Superior that later became part of the “Art of the Motorcycle” exhibit that drew record crowds to New York’s Guggenheim Museum. All of the bikes in Statnekov’s current collection were restored by a guy with plenty of classic connections of his own, Brad Wilmarth, a relative of Vaughan Beals, who led the buyout of Harley-Davidson from corporate owner AMF in the 1980s. Riding the back roads of New Mexico on his Suzuki SV650, Statnekov may look like any other motorcyclist. But in reality, he’s an enthusiast dedicated to preserving the heritage of motorcycling—not just for himself, but for all of us.—Lance Oliver ------------------------ Enchanted Land, Strange Laws In most respects, New Mexico is a low-key state. It’s seldom the setting for the lead story on the nightly news, and it’s definitely off the radar screen of most motorcyclists. But when New Mexico makes news in the motorcycling world, it tends to do so in a big way. In fact, a couple of the scariest proposals of the past decade have surfaced, and fortunately submerged again, here in New Mexico. The first represented an incredible bit of bad politics and bad taste on the part of state Sen. Allen Hurt. His proposal would have allowed the harvesting of organs from any motorcyclist who was declared brain dead as a result of an accident in which he or she was not wearing a helmet, whether that person chose to become an organ donor or not. This, despite the fact that adults have the choice to ride legally with or without a helmet in New Mexico. As we noted when we got wind of this bill, we think organ donation is a very worthwhile cause. But it’s a personal choice that should not become a government mandate imposed on one minority group. We got that message out on the www.AMADirectlink.com website on a Friday afternoon, and motorcyclists across the nation took up the cause. By the following Monday morning, Hurt had left us a message saying that he’d gotten the point and was withdrawing the bill. Meanwhile, the state capital of Albuquerque became the setting for a showdown over motorcycle noise laws in 2001. The city passed a law requiring that all motorcycles manufactured since 1983 be equipped with exhausts that have a permanent label stating they meet federal EPA sound limits in effect when the bike was made. By itself, that might not sound outrageous, until you realize that, in the U.S. market, the only exhaust system that carries such a label is almost certain to be the original-equipment system from the motorcycle manufacturer—a system that can cost $1,000 or more. Imagine if similar restrictions were imposed on car drivers, and you could only return to your Ford or Chrysler dealer to buy an original exhaust system if yours wore out. During public hearings, riders noted that applying such a restriction only on motorcyclists was unfair. They said the city could use a decibel limit to control loud vehicles without imposing discriminatory rules on riders. Eventually, city officials agreed, and Albuquerque avoided becoming the most restrictive city in the country when it comes to motorcycle exhaust equipment.—Bill Kresnak --------------------------- Rallying in the Aspens Looking for the origins of modern touring rallies in America? You’ll find it right here, in the resort town of Ruidoso, New Mexico. In the early ’70s, when the Windjammer fairing was just ushering in the era of luxury touring, Til Thompson created Aspencade, a yearly gathering of riders in the New Mexico mountains. Over the next decade, Aspencade grew so big that when Honda introduced an upscale model of its landmark Gold Wing, the new bike carried the Aspencade name. And a promoter in New York, Bill Dutcher, licensed the rights to put on Aspencade East in Lake George, a small event that has since grown into Americade. But even though the Ruidoso Aspencade died out in the ’80s, the spirit lives on with the Golden Aspen Rally, one of two rallies (the other is Americade) to earn the designation of AMA National Road Riding Convention. The Golden Aspen Rally cranks up on the third Wednesday in September every year, just in time to see the mountain aspen trees in their fall-color best. Last year, it drew thousands of riders from 41 states and three foreign countries. “It’s generally road bikes,” says Ron Andrews, who, along with his wife, Jill, has been involved with the rally since 1986, “but everything in the world shows up.” “It’s a family-oriented event,” he adds, “and maybe 40 percent are repeat customers. Some people have been with us 15 to 20 years, and have the pins to show for it.” The Golden Aspen Rally offers everything you’d expect to find at an AMA Road Riding National Convention, including numerous self-guided tours on scenic back roads, poker runs, a parade, seminars, free MSF courses, a big closing concert and a bike show that hands out 150 trophies. Plus, there are a few things you might not expect, like an AMA-sanctioned hillclimb and the “Best Biker Buddy” competition, open to non-human riders. And now, there’s a springtime companion to the Golden Aspen Rally: The AspenCash Motorcycle Rally on May 20-23. The “cash” refers to $10,000 up for grabs in the Poker Run. Interested? For more information, see http://www.motorcyclerally.com —Lance Oliver ----------------------- Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign Spend any time on the back roads of New Mexico, and it’s impossible not to be struck by the beauty and expansiveness of one of the country’s best riding locales. But there are a few things to keep in mind while touring the Land of Enchantment. First, the speed limits in New Mexico drop sharply as soon as there are any curves. In other states, you might find yellow warning signs with recommended speeds for curves. Here, you’re more likely to find a reduced speed limit—down to 40, 35 or even 25. Second, there are several levels of police jurisdictions in New Mexico. Depending on where you are, you might be under the control of local or state police, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the county sheriff or, on Native American lands, tribal police. Third, there’s no shortage of police patrols, even on roads that seem like they’re a long way from anywhere. Lastly, remember that on Indian lands, you’re essentially riding through a different sovereign nation, which may have different laws and penalties for traffic offenses. Put it all together, and the hint is pretty clear: There’s a lot of neat stuff to see in New Mexico, and slowing down is the best way to enjoy the view.—Grant Parsons © 2004, American Motorcyclist Association |
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