Well, I did it again. I took my RC51 for another tour last weekend. My two buddies, a VFR and a Harley rider and I took off for Reno, NV but we went through the smaller, twistier highways rather then the interstates. We took Hwy 4 over Ebbets Pass on Friday. It was spectacular. Just as wonderful as I imagined. Then we rode up to Reno for a night at Circus Circus Casino for drinking, gambling and women.
The next morning after our .99 cent Ham and Eggs breakfast we fired up our bikes in the casino garage and set off many car alarms. It was cool. Then we headed down Hwy 395 south for some beautiful scenery. Absolutely stunning! We hit the interchange for Hwy 108 which goes over Sonora Pass, Elev 9624ft. This is probably the most stunning hwy I have ever ridden on. I didnt know what to look at. The outragous twisty road or the breathtaking scenery. As ridiculous as it sounds I rode my RC51 at times at 20mph just to take in the sights.
Our ride took in about 600 plus miles. My legs cramped, but my back was fine. Thank goodness for tankbags. I also used a Throttle Lock and saved my right wrist too.
This is a picture from Alpine Lake on Hwy 4 heading up in the Sierras. Elevation about 7500ft or so. THe bike ran fine all trip with out any problems. Just alittle hard to cold start in the morning.
Check out that drop-off. Hwy 4... or should I call it a Siren Song? It just begs your to ride fast then surprises you with a killer curve. This one in particular was so deadly that I had to stop and take a picture. I was heading down the highway at a decent pace and the road had a nice hump to it and then a blind "other side" Well, the other side was this off camber turn to the left. And at 50mph or more it is an immediate turn to the left. I am so glad I was rolling at less then 40. Once again, just taking in the scenery. Btw... look at the skidmarks. It was so steep that I had to place the front wheel off of the road so the bike wouldnt tip over.
This curve was radical! It actually scared me alittle. We doubled back and stopped to just soak it in for alittle while. Then each one of us had to take a piss after. THats how scary this this was. The entrance to this turn was once again blind and could easily be very dangerous.
This curve was radical! It actually scared me alittle. We doubled back and stopped to just soak it in for alittle while. Then each one of us had to take a piss after. THats how scary this this was. The entrance to this turn was once again blind and could easily be very dangerous. You cant see the last part of the curve but it was just as evil as the beginning.
calspeed: Freakin' awesome stuff and great pics!! I've just started up a new website (http://www.sport-touring.net) and I'm looking for exactly stuff like this...pics, writeups, routes, etc.
Would it be possible for me to use the stuff you posted above? If so, just post in here or e-mail me at neal@sport-touring.net
Lovely bike, beautiful roads & great pics. cal. Glad to see a good old VFR in there also ! Had a nice run this weekend also, don't think there's many left before the weather turns real shitty.:crying:
You are a lucky man to live up in a beautiful part of California with so many awesome roads. Then again, I guess we both are lucky. The coastline is great too.
I will definitely be back in the hills soon. It is just so nice to do just once.
Cal,are you planning any rides next year?.How about coming up to Kelowna,BC and attend sportbikewest.This year I think they had 500 sportbikes show up,their website is www.sportbikewest.com.........ken.
Motorcycle touring is a ton of fun. Anybody with a bike that doesn't do at least some overnighters or long week-ends is missing out on a big part of the M.C. experience. Get a tank bag and a rain suit and try it out! If you don't like the idea of the rainsuit, watch the weather channel and wait for a week-end that suits you. It's cheap thrills!
Hey Dad, I did just that back when I was 19 years old and riding my VF500F Interceptor. I knew nothing about sport-touring. All I knew was, I loved riding my motorcycle. I was trying to figure out how to carry more stuff with me. So one day, I was "touring" my local Honda Dealer's parts dept and saw this handsome Honda brand magnetic tank bag for my 'Ceptor. What I great idea! From then on, I'd slap my tank bag filled with some clothes, a sandwich, and drink on my 'Ceptor's tank, choose a point in the map and ride there. That's how I discovered some great roads all over Southern California, along with some not so great roads! I remember riding through some pretty questionable places I'll tell ya. But the memories of fun I had is priceless.
It's too bad I rarely took pictures of the places I went to. However, I can remember riding the roads as if it was yesterday.
Thanks everyone for the positive feedbalk on the pics. As well, thanks for the invites to the different places. I do plan to make it to BC, Canada oneday soon. I have always wanted to ride up there. As well as SoCal, I will definitely make it down there.
That ain't Iowa, you musta actually ridden a tank or two to get there. Way to go. I saw a guy in a book on the Iron Butt who was ~60 who did the thing on the old torture rack GSXR1100. What a ride that must have been.
Awesome picture! There aint nothing better then having your girl enjoy a ride on a bike. Especially on a tour. I unfortunately am not blessed with that girl. Even though our first date was on my bike. She is good for only a night out hitting the cafe's.
You got it...! I will keep you advised when I decide to make it up there again. It is only rain here in the Bay Area. Definitely not enough to stop me from riding or commuting. Otherwise, for the hills I will stick to the 4x4 Pathfinder.
Looks like you were near Chinatown, except for the trash on the ground, however it looks like you were getting some pretty violent winds (overturned trash cans). I have always been amazed at how clean Chinatown is, surrounded by the general filth in the city. I simply love the aromas (incense from the Buddist Temple) food shops and pharmacies in C-Town.
BTW: Storm #3 is hammering us right now. 395 is closed for white-out and winds...65mph +
Driving the F-350 today
Kev
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