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Thread: Anyone thinking of riding around Northern California - Here are some ideas

  1. #1
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    12th March 2010 - 15:21
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    Anyone thinking of riding around Northern California - Here are some ideas

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    First off.... this started out as an "out there" idea. I was going to buy an R6 to make it a track bike, but before tracking it, I wanted to do a Northern California loop. My friend who didn't live anywhere near me, decided to buy another R6 where I live, fly out and then ride back after we finished California... his R6 also destined for the track. Anyway - we're both over 40.... and the R6 is no touring machine, so we put them on the back of an F-150 and drove down. We stayed at a friend's place in Modesto and also rented a farm cottage in Santa Rosa. From those locations we did day trips. We were there at the end of August.

    First ride we hit up Sonora Pass - good pavement, we hit rain... not sure how since it was dry everywhere else. Even in the rain it was lots of fun.... in the dry there is a section getting close to the summit that is absolutely "the bomb".... good sight lines and great pavement.

    Then it was off to Sequoia National Park - you have to pay and there is a lot of car traffic and the speed limit is on the verge of silly slow. Most of California is very reasonable with twisty roads often 55mph = 88km/h.... and really I don't think they pull anyone over for less than 100kph.... more on that later. Very good roads, but really the reason to do this is to check out the trees. They are incredibly huge. The bark is soft. If you want the good twisties going up hill, come in through the south entrance.

    Then we rented a cottage at a horse farm in Santa Rosa. From there .... very good riding options in all sorts of directions. The highlight for me was PCH1 north of Jenner (I didn't go south mind you)..... we did Jenner to Fort Bragg.... plus a bunch of other roads in the area. The video is from PCH1.... we are heading south to Jenner.... first time on the road and it was misty then it started to drizzle. Being old and not so good conditions we took it easy. The road could also be bumpy at times..... not to mention you don't want to overshoot some of the corners there.... it's straight down for a long way.

    I think we saved the best for almost last. We started near Tracy, hit Tesla Road -> Mines Road -> 130 -> San Jose. If you like corners.... there are all types. Tight, sweepers, single lane, double lane..... very little traffic mid week. At the top of Mount Hamilton there is the Lick's Observatory. Good place to get some food or a drink, but keep in mind it opens at noon. The road down from Lick's towards San Jose (still 130) is awesome. Be careful with blind tight stuff... there can be some dirt/rocks, but many of the corners are tight, with excellent pavement and sight lines....good scratching potential. From there we hit up Alice's Restaurant.

    On the final day we did a loop near Tahoe.... very good too. My favorites were the Mines Road loop and PCH1. However, you really can't go too wrong. Plus there are many more roads to do.

    So Riding in California.
    - It is officially legal now to lane split. You do it between the middle lane and fast lane on most freeways.... no shoulder passing. The locals split with a fair bit of speed.
    - Speed limits - well, going with the flow on the fast lane when there is no traffic jam..... you're doing 80 mph (~130kph) or so and some folks will be going faster. On the last day of riding we were with our local friend and honestly although the pace felt perfectly comfortable for us, IMO we were pushing the luck with the police. On a 55 zone... (one lane each way) which the traffic was already doing 70mph.... we safely but swiftly passed a line of traffic. Except after merging over we noticed a California Highway Patrol vehicle. It turned around..... we pulled over before he even turned on the lights. Poor fellow was a bit confused. "Do you guys always pullover whenever you see a Patrol vehicle?" The local friend pipes up and says....well we were passing, so we were definitively over the limit and when you turned around we just pulled over for you. Cop asked us if we knew each other... yup.... going back to his house... yup. OK... cool, you guys were passing no worries. I think the fact we all have grey hair or no hair helped. ... later that evening my one friend did comment.... not sure what you have to do to get a ticket around here.... but we don't want to find out. I think we were a tad lucky to be honest. For the previous part of the trip, we kept it very sane... so don't expect to get away with a heavy dose of speeding.

    - Most cars will move over for bikes..... some don't. You see this on the video.... it's nice. Oh on the video you'll see me hitting the brakes going into the corner, mid corner.... whatever, don't get started on where to brake.... I'm comfortable doing this so let it be.... plus I'm going slow anyway.

    PCH1 Video:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VY_OT0N8Ko
    Note: the video is not exciting.... I just posted it so people can see what to expect. Like I said it was misty and then started raining. Also, the corners are somewhat straightened out by the camera... and I ride fairly slow on the street.... track is a different story.


    Pictures:

    Sonora Pass (slow speed action shot)
    Sequoia National Park (big trees - the tree hug is for perspective)
    PCH1 north of Jenner (Pacific Coast Highway #1)
    Mount Hamilton towards San Jose.


    Anyway - hope you guys enjoy the info. Honestly, there are fantastic roads in New Zealand, so I'm not sure you're missing anything related to "road riding".... but if you are thinking of heading to Northern California to take it all in, I hope this helps out. I had fun. I'll post up a Mount Hamilton video when my bud uploads it. Cheers!

  2. #2
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    When I saw that part of the States it was from a Greyhound bus. I loved it up that way and met some cool people and had a great time. My draw to that area was the Coast Redwoods, something that has always held me in awe. I spent a whole day in the Jedidiah Smith Park, forest. I saw one or maybe two people in the entire day. It was recommended I go there if I didn't want to put up with half of mainstream America standing on your toes.

    The Pacific Highway road looks about as cut up and fucked as a lot of our roads down here. It would still be something I would like to do on a bike. That will be another day and another fortune away, if ever.

    Cool.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by ellipsis View Post
    When I saw that part of the States it was from a Greyhound bus. I loved it up that way and met some cool people and had a great time. My draw to that area was the Coast Redwoods, something that has always held me in awe. I spent a whole day in the Jedidiah Smith Park, forest. I saw one or maybe two people in the entire day. It was recommended I go there if I didn't want to put up with half of mainstream America standing on your toes.

    The Pacific Highway road looks about as cut up and fucked as a lot of our roads down here. It would still be something I would like to do on a bike. That will be another day and another fortune away, if ever.

    Cool.
    The neat thing about California is how the scenery and climates change so quickly.

    Here is the road going from the Top of Mount Hamilton's Lick Observatory (pictured on original post) down towards San Jose. The ideal route is Mines Road from Livermore -> 130 towards San Jose. Preferably do it mid week - very little traffic. Nothing special about the vid - but you can get an idea of what this road is like. There are some really nice corners. The tight blind ones there might be some loose rocks/dirt. Friend (GoPro) and I having some fun... we kept it very sane.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvhXGN82Fd8

  4. #4
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    ...just watched that ride while listening to Simon and Garfunkel, with a bourbon...that whole stretch of road you rode is what every road in my neck of the woods is like...I thought I was out riding on my hills...the Akaroa GP freaks on here will recognise the similarities...spectacular scenery...

  5. #5
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    Just spent 5 days driving from Seattle to San Francisco down the coast - Oregon's coast is spectacular and the road was good. Also went into Jedidiah Smith Park to Stout Grove, drove in from Crescent City. Agree, if you don't go anywhere else to see coastal redwoods you must go there. While there a couple, husband and wife, arrived on their ElectraGlide having ridden in from the Hiouchi end of the road. They were from Oregon and used the bike for trips over weekends, he said he didn't worry about gravel roads.

    Further south are two other redwood areas worth seeing - Newton B Drury Parkway and the Avenue of the Giants.

    Road from Crescent City into redwood park was an old stage coach road.


  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by ellipsis View Post
    ...just watched that ride while listening to Simon and Garfunkel, with a bourbon...that whole stretch of road you rode is what every road in my neck of the woods is like...I thought I was out riding on my hills...the Akaroa GP freaks on here will recognise the similarities...spectacular scenery...
    For sure - you guys IMO are #1 in terms of riding roads. Don't go to Cali for the riding experience, because it isn't any better than New Zealand. However, the variety of things to do in California is pretty neat. SO many things to check out etc.... and good roads to top it off.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Moi View Post
    Just spent 5 days driving from Seattle to San Francisco down the coast - Oregon's coast is spectacular and the road was good. Also went into Jedidiah Smith Park to Stout Grove, drove in from Crescent City. Agree, if you don't go anywhere else to see coastal redwoods you must go there. While there a couple, husband and wife, arrived on their ElectraGlide having ridden in from the Hiouchi end of the road. They were from Oregon and used the bike for trips over weekends, he said he didn't worry about gravel roads.

    Further south are two other redwood areas worth seeing - Newton B Drury Parkway and the Avenue of the Giants.

    Road from Crescent City into redwood park was an old stage coach road.
    That road looks FUN AS HELL!!! Especially on a bike with some off road tyres.

  8. #8
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    Riding in 'Murica

    Courtesy of being temporarily relocated for a work assignment, I have again had the opportunity to ride a lot of miles in the western US in recent months.

    These are the things that strike me anew every time I ride in the States.

    1. The number one difference is not the side of the road they ride on - it's the basic courtesy extended to motorcyclists. Whether this is because they think we might be concealed-carrying, are lawyered-up, or simply respecting our road space - it's always a pleasant surprise compared to other places. Not just cf NZ. Certainly compared to Australia. Even more so compared to the UK. Definitely compared to Bangladesh. Equivalent to Vietnam and Thailand. Just sayin'.

    2. The price of gas. Cheap, cheap, cheap.

    3. When you absolutely positively need to get somewhere in a hurry, the Interstate is your friend. I ambled too long around Oakland and Sacramento last weekend, and had to make it back southwest In A Hurry to start work again. Cruising speed on the interstate is generally 5 to 10 mph above the posted limit; but stay in the stream of traffic. People who drive or ride noticeably faster than the fast-moving traffic stream, stand out. With expensive results for them. I'm talking about you, Porsche-hipster-guy on the 101.

    4. Especially if you ride a well-known brand of bike, you can expect quick and courteous service if you have to pull into a brand dealership for a repair to get you back on the touring road. Other riders will courteously move you up the queue if they are in for a routine service, when you need a tire replaced and a footpeg installed to replace the one ground down from leaning it waaaay over. It's not the first time I've noticed that, it happened to me three years ago up in Montana.

    5. Chrome don't get you home, but a turbo will get you to the next waypoint much faster. Many motorcycles have pedestrian performance and have to be thrashed to get somewhere in a hurry. If you're cranking out interstate miles on a regular basis, invest in the next level of performance.

    6. Motels, especially on the secondary roads, are friendly people. They'll give you a ground level (= 1st Floor in the US) room where you can park your bike outside and keep an eye on it. They will lend you a power cord if you have to charge the battery because your alternator is sucking a kumara. They will fry you bacon 15 minutes before the official breakfast start time if you need to get up early in the morning. They'll give you a bucket and rags to clean your bike's windscreen. They will in all respects make you feel welcome.

    7. Your mileage may vary, literally and figuratively, but it always takes me a couple of hours to get re-acclimatized to the LA freeways after picking up one of the bikes from near the airport. Maybe I'm just getting old and skeered. Yeah, that's probably it. Watch out for the California Exit Swoop. Really.

    8. 'Winter' in Arizona is magic riding weather. I mean, temps sink all the way to 16C!!!

    9. It's not hard to adjust to the fact that they ride on the right. In my experience, it's a lot harder to adjust to the fact that they drive on the right if you have to change to 4 wheels.

    10. You simply meet the nicest people inland from the coastal cities on both the East and the West.

    Enjoy.

  9. #9
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    When my wife and I went to the Auckland and points north about 2001 my comment when getting off the plane was "did we turn around? This is just like home in the Bay Area."



    The kauri trees are very much like the redwoods here. There are flocks of turkeys and the occasional opossum to make you feel at home. I'm still stunned that someone thought that opossums needed to be imported to NZ to fill a valuable ecological niche (road kill).

    I don't know if you had a desert hidden somewhere, but if you want different scenery from home you'll need to go to the more arid parts of the state.

    cheers,
    Michael

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