A couple of weeks ago I mentioned how one of the big windstorms that hit our area knocked down a huge tree in front of my house and onto my roof. It seemed like a big deal then until the next 100 mph windstorm came along and managed to annihilate about 1,000 homes of our neighbors to the north of us. I don’t think there has ever been that kind of fire destruction in the course of just a few hours anywhere. It was one of the most devastating and heartbreaking things to witness and served to remind the rest of us just how lucky we actually are. Since then, it’s also shown what kind of people we have living here in the Denver metro area. The tenacity of those who lost everything combined with the outpouring of helping hands and assistance from the entire community is just an amazing thing to witness and makes me feel so very proud of this place we all call home. Thoughts and prayers only go so far and around here, we dig in and get things done. That’s Colorado Proud in action.

Of course the relatively minor damage that happened to my house pales in comparison the that fire, but one of those big tree branches did manage to come crashing down on our row of motorcycles parked in the driveway. No major damage, but it did enough to warrant looking for a few replacement parts for a couple of the bikes. One of them is an older 1985 bike that doesn’t have any parts available for it anymore but that’s where my luck somehow manages to hold out. This happened just in time for me to go looking for parts at the biggest annual motorcycle exposition and swap meet in Colorado, and it’s going to be taking place pretty soon.

I’m talking about the Colorado Motorcycle Expo, and it’s going to be happening on January … Uh oh, wait a second. Breaking news here … make that Feb. 19-20. COVID strikes again!

Yeah, I was all set to write about this event happening in a couple of weeks when a notice just came through about the change of dates due to the new COVID restrictions set to be in place until February 3. But since that date change is as timely and important as the rest of the details, I decided to let people know the whole scoop now since we have so many riders as well as folks with booths and bikes in the show from Golden that are probably planning to attend this thing.

OK, so here’s the scoop with updates. The Colorado Motorcycle Expo is the biggest motorcycle show and swap meet in Colorado every year. It takes place at the National Western Complex located at 4655 Humbodlt Street in Denver. The show features over 800 vendors selling everything from used parts to clothing, accessories, art and jewelry as well as services including things like insurance and legal assistance. The also have over 100 custom and antique bikes there competing in more than a dozen categories that go from impressive to awe inspiring. If you want a little inspiration for that project you have been working on for five years in your garage, this is the place to get some. Plus there will be plenty of folks there that can help you with some advice and locating parts that you might need. Of course, if you get hungry or thirsty there are food and drinks available too. Plus they have live entertainment and even a used bike corral so you can buy one on the spot.

As with so many things, last year’s show was canceled and this year’s show was originally slated for Jan. 29 and 30, but as I mentioned, they just moved it out a couple of weeks to Feb. 19 and 20. This change was prompted by the state of Colorado’s vaccine mandate for indoor crowds larger than 500 people, as well as the surge of COVID cases and the staffing shortages this surge has presented. The mandate expires on February 3, 2022 so it, shouldn’t impact their new February dates. 

For more information, updates and tickets head to coloradomotorcycleexpo.com.

So let’s see. I need a gas tank for the V65 plus a headlight bucket and front fender for my Harley. My wife’s Harley came out unscathed, so she doesn’t need anything. Oh wait, more breaking news … She wants a new custom paint job on her bike. OK, let’s look at that vendor map on the website again. 

John Akal is a well-known jazz artist/drummer and leader of the 20-piece Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra. He also is president of John Akal Imaging, professional commercial photography and multi-media production. He can be reached at jaimaging@aol.com