California the first 48 hours.
After my pharmacology class while not listening much to the various cardiac medications on the next test frightfulkarma picked me up from my house and I crashed at his place which was much closer to Newark airport for my departure very early in the morning.
The woman next to me was a nervous flyer, and I was using my psych skills as I slowly got more nervous about getting on a 1200cc tourer from my little Ninja 250. But there I was on a flight with reservations made and heading towards a life goal, riding the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).
At touchdown on time I began putting the plan in action. There was time to kill as the later I picked up the bike the later I could bring it back, and my co-worker Anthony who is 45 and still has not grown up was mandating that I go to In and Out Burger. So taking the shuttle to the parking lot I hopped over and had lunch there. The planes roared overhead at about 50 feet as I was walking in the sunny California spring.
It was good but no so good that it needed to be mentioned 15 or so times prior to my departure. I sat and loaded my camera, adjusted my armor, checked my routes, and collected my thoughts.
I then made it out by going back through LAX to EagleRider to pick up the R1200RT. After signing my life away, agreeing not to take the bike to Mexico, use two locks on it overnight, and only use 91 octane fuel, I was brought out to my shiny silver steed. To quote the mechanic who checked it out before departure: "It's the James Bond bike." After 15 minutes going over the trip computer, cruise control, heated seats and grips, power adjustable windshield, and how to use the luggage I was left to my own devices. There is something to be said for $20,000 of German engineering.
At this point he left to go help the flock of French tourists who were dropping off their Harley's and I loaded all of my gear into the two saddle bags and realized that my feet were barely touching the ground while sitting on the bike. But there was nothing to do but pull in the clutch start the bike and roll away into traffic.
At this point I wish I could tell you that my complete mastery of Motorcycling took over, I jammed it into 2nd, popped a wheelie and then pulled away at maximum acceleration. But what really happened was about a 3 miles of abuse of the very stiff clutch as I coordinated figuring out how this bike handled and coping with the 700+ pounds of weight with my sitting on it, and more so keeping it upright at lights. And in that regard, it was with the exception of balance when stopped a very tame machine for it's size and displacement. This did not mean that I did not do several stall outs and a few rolling restarts in the middle of traffic as well as fighting with the bizarre turn signal arrangement.
From there I was on side streets past LAX and learning how to handle this machine. I got on the 1 (the PCH) and began about 5 miles later riding through some of the most beautiful coastal scenery I have ever seen. There were times when the road was a thin ribbon between the sea and the rising hills on my right, the recent rain making the hills a verdant green and the fragrant mix of plants and salt spray wafting through my helmet.
From Pacific Coast Highway
At about 5pm, four hours after picking up the bike I arrived at Santa Barbara. I was tired from the long journey and the difficulties of learning a new bike, however feeling confident and very impressed with the overall deign and performance of the machine, and the beauty of the scenery. I stopped at the hotel and dropped off the luggage and then proceeded to explore Santa Barbara stopping and the Taco Place that Julia Child apparently loved while she was alive and spending her final years in residence. I then rode back, showered and slept for 11 hours until 7am.
I got up and began riding north along the coast. The early chill mad my liner in my Jacket, and my long underwear under my Leg Armor. The value of heated grips and a full fairing was evident as the road opened up and I began to gain speed.
From Pacific Coast Highway
North of Santa Barbara the road turned much more rural and I began being surrounded by farms as the road meandered from highway to two lane rural roads. I passed through several towns and the similarities of Sunrise Highway in the Hamptons would be appropriate for those of you from Long Island. The road was curvy but not challenging, but with several steep sections and interesting curves. Several times we headed inland and passed fragrant fields of plants including the aroma of a basil farm.
From Pacific Coast Highway
From Pacific Coast Highway
However at about 11am I stopped for lunch and felt rushed. I was enjoying the ride, and relieved that the rain missed me for the most part. However I was calculating the mileage and time, and realizing that it might not be possible to make Salinas today. My control of the machine improved but I was thinking was I really ready for a more challenging section?
At about 1:00 I reached San Luis Obispo and this point I was feeling the miles. I followed the signs for tourist information, fed a meter and looked a maps with better resolution than the one I was carrying. At this point I was 6 hours in the saddle. I knew from the tourism books I read that riding the Big Sur Region was going to take about 4-5 hours for the 120 miles from where I was to Monterey. It was the most challenging section of the ride, and I was getting tired. And once in the Big Sur Region there is only two ways out, ride north or go back.
I walked around, saw the Mission and thought. At this point I called toastysama who I was meeting for dinner and told her I would not be making it to Salinas. I canceled my hotel plans there and began riding for San Simeon, which route 46 is the last major road back to the 101 and 5 which are the major North South Roads.
From Pacific Coast Highway
About 10 miles south of the San Simeon Site is the little town of Cambira. At this point I was in the saddle for about 8 hours and I knew I would not have made it. I rode through this amazingly scenic tourist trap and stopped at a very outdated motel that looked good. I got a room and headed up to see Hearst Castle. Riding along the coast with severe cross winds I was amazed at the difference that 350 pounds of weight make for stability. I still got down against the tank and dropped the windshield to reduce my cross section. It was weird under the bubble of the fairing and shield, and the lack of noise from the engine pacing along at 2K rpm in 6th how quiet it was. My earplugs were also probably helping as well.
The tour of the house reminded me why we have an income and estate taxes. The views were amazing, and the bus drivers wound their full sized buses up a goat trail I would be taking slowly on the bike. Hearst being a bit eccentric served his table with not only appropriate gold accented china but also condiments in their stock containers. He also in his billiard room has a period tapestry of a stag being hunted of very similar to the Unicorn tapestry at the Cloisters.
From Pacific Coast Highway
From Pacific Coast Highway
Following this I was warned by the motel clerk that there were no cell towers in Cambira, and so I called Rebecca and my Mom from the parking lot at the bottom of the mountain. I mentioned that I was done, and I was going to get some sleep and then ride back the next day. While backing up the bike in the parking lot my foot slipped and the bike started to fall, and there was not much I could do except slow it down. Lucky for me this bike had 20K miles on it and someone else had also dropped it on each side already, and the rental place installed cylinder guards on the heads. So I picked it up and then feeling really stupid rode back. If I needed any more confirmation that I was at my limits this was it.
When I arrived back the motel just happened to be taken over by the South Bay Riders group and we all began talking and I ended going to dinner with all of them. A great group of people, most of them were older and had huge amounts of riding experience.
One of them had a R1200S and had some hints to make the ride home easier on me, including some of the setup tricks that the rental place was oblivious to because they mainly rent Harley's. When I mentioned that I had gone from a 250 to 1200 tourer after not riding for two years, and just did 8 hours he was like "Yeah it was time to stop"
Secondly they pulled out their maps and said "Stay off the 5, you took 1 up take 101 back, it's a similar path but a different view" And they were right. Actually that was one thing with California everywhere I went there were motorcycles and I kept meeting riders.
At 6AM I got up and rolled out at about 7 waving good bye to the early risers who were packing up. I headed west on 46 passing so many vineyards including one which looked like a castle and made me think of Suzanne and Thorolf http://www.eaglecastlewinery.com/ and I almost got hit by an airborne wild turkey. This road had amazing valley scenery and I stopped to take some pictures.
From Pacific Coast Highway
From Pacific Coast Highway
It also had some steep upgrades and I got to explore the 100 horsepower of the machine. Unlike the Ninja 250 or a modern sport bike this was like riding a ambulance or a large diesel pickup. It was not twist and go, but you had to plan your passing. Dropping it to 5th because 6th was a very deep overdrive and lugged at 65 on all but almost flat ground, the engine would be at 3,200 and then would pull like a truck building speed to suddenly your going 90 and the bike is as stable as it was at 30. And it was only at 5K where there was another 3K of RPM's to go. I never got that far, I was too afraid to go that fast and lose control. The 250 required frequent shifting and keeping the carbs on the main jets to get power from it. This was pure torque from 2K and onward. It felt slow, but I knew that full throttle at a low gear and this 700 pound machine was going to lift the front. For me this was more power than I could use, but add a girlfriend, the top case, and some camping gear and the power would be of use.
At the 101 I pointed south, and did about 250 scenic miles before entering the endless traffic of the LA basin. This bike was a delight on the highway, and at this point I figured out that the seat which was shaped like a touring bicycle and not a banana seat like the 250 was narrower in front and I needed to move forward for slow speed riding and then move way back on the highway so I could put my feet flat.
By the time I was in traffic on the 405 my back was screaming but I felt in control in bumper to bumper traffic and after about 7 hours of riding I knew that this adventure was almost over and soon I would regret giving the machine up but for now I wanted to get off this machine. Finally was back at LAX and with about 350 miles from Cambira to LAX ( Google Maps is wrong ) I gassed up for the last time and handed the bike back in.
I learned a lot about my limits on this ride, I did about 700-800 miles in 48 hours. I think with more time I would have made it further north. The last day if I made it to Salinas would have been probably closer to 425 which is from Long Island to Pennsic/Pittsburgh. As it was the last day was the distance from the PA/NJ border at Rt80 to Pennsic/Pittsburgh for those of you reading from Long Island in the SCA.
If I had doubts about my being able to handle a larger displacement machine those have been squelched. I rode in bumper to bumper, street traffic, highway, and city traffic with this machine. I am impressed, and though the total package was amazing. The unique front end was amazing, and the fact that this thing felt almost as agile as the 250 despite weighing more that twice as much. The stability on the highway and the comfort were major advantages. The 55 MPG was also nice since the 250 got 70 for 1/4 the HP and 1/2 the weight. I also can not comprehend the need for many of the cruisers to now be heading close to 2000cc displacement. It's not needed.
From Pacific Coast Highway
I did for the have some problems, the first was the mirrors were pretty useless, and the quirky turn signals took some getting used to and my hands were not big enough to use them well. And I do not have small hands. I spent some time with my eyes off the road in the beginning trying to figure them out. The clutch also was VERY hard to pull in. It was part of the trouble in the beginning trying to make my shifts smooth. That went away as I got used to the bike though.
I think I would buy a used R1200R but not the touring model and add a windscreen. But still an amazing bike for an amazing trip.
I'll tell you about the rest of the trip later.
The woman next to me was a nervous flyer, and I was using my psych skills as I slowly got more nervous about getting on a 1200cc tourer from my little Ninja 250. But there I was on a flight with reservations made and heading towards a life goal, riding the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).
At touchdown on time I began putting the plan in action. There was time to kill as the later I picked up the bike the later I could bring it back, and my co-worker Anthony who is 45 and still has not grown up was mandating that I go to In and Out Burger. So taking the shuttle to the parking lot I hopped over and had lunch there. The planes roared overhead at about 50 feet as I was walking in the sunny California spring.
It was good but no so good that it needed to be mentioned 15 or so times prior to my departure. I sat and loaded my camera, adjusted my armor, checked my routes, and collected my thoughts.
I then made it out by going back through LAX to EagleRider to pick up the R1200RT. After signing my life away, agreeing not to take the bike to Mexico, use two locks on it overnight, and only use 91 octane fuel, I was brought out to my shiny silver steed. To quote the mechanic who checked it out before departure: "It's the James Bond bike." After 15 minutes going over the trip computer, cruise control, heated seats and grips, power adjustable windshield, and how to use the luggage I was left to my own devices. There is something to be said for $20,000 of German engineering.
At this point he left to go help the flock of French tourists who were dropping off their Harley's and I loaded all of my gear into the two saddle bags and realized that my feet were barely touching the ground while sitting on the bike. But there was nothing to do but pull in the clutch start the bike and roll away into traffic.
At this point I wish I could tell you that my complete mastery of Motorcycling took over, I jammed it into 2nd, popped a wheelie and then pulled away at maximum acceleration. But what really happened was about a 3 miles of abuse of the very stiff clutch as I coordinated figuring out how this bike handled and coping with the 700+ pounds of weight with my sitting on it, and more so keeping it upright at lights. And in that regard, it was with the exception of balance when stopped a very tame machine for it's size and displacement. This did not mean that I did not do several stall outs and a few rolling restarts in the middle of traffic as well as fighting with the bizarre turn signal arrangement.
From there I was on side streets past LAX and learning how to handle this machine. I got on the 1 (the PCH) and began about 5 miles later riding through some of the most beautiful coastal scenery I have ever seen. There were times when the road was a thin ribbon between the sea and the rising hills on my right, the recent rain making the hills a verdant green and the fragrant mix of plants and salt spray wafting through my helmet.
From Pacific Coast Highway
At about 5pm, four hours after picking up the bike I arrived at Santa Barbara. I was tired from the long journey and the difficulties of learning a new bike, however feeling confident and very impressed with the overall deign and performance of the machine, and the beauty of the scenery. I stopped at the hotel and dropped off the luggage and then proceeded to explore Santa Barbara stopping and the Taco Place that Julia Child apparently loved while she was alive and spending her final years in residence. I then rode back, showered and slept for 11 hours until 7am.
I got up and began riding north along the coast. The early chill mad my liner in my Jacket, and my long underwear under my Leg Armor. The value of heated grips and a full fairing was evident as the road opened up and I began to gain speed.
From Pacific Coast Highway
North of Santa Barbara the road turned much more rural and I began being surrounded by farms as the road meandered from highway to two lane rural roads. I passed through several towns and the similarities of Sunrise Highway in the Hamptons would be appropriate for those of you from Long Island. The road was curvy but not challenging, but with several steep sections and interesting curves. Several times we headed inland and passed fragrant fields of plants including the aroma of a basil farm.
From Pacific Coast Highway
From Pacific Coast Highway
However at about 11am I stopped for lunch and felt rushed. I was enjoying the ride, and relieved that the rain missed me for the most part. However I was calculating the mileage and time, and realizing that it might not be possible to make Salinas today. My control of the machine improved but I was thinking was I really ready for a more challenging section?
At about 1:00 I reached San Luis Obispo and this point I was feeling the miles. I followed the signs for tourist information, fed a meter and looked a maps with better resolution than the one I was carrying. At this point I was 6 hours in the saddle. I knew from the tourism books I read that riding the Big Sur Region was going to take about 4-5 hours for the 120 miles from where I was to Monterey. It was the most challenging section of the ride, and I was getting tired. And once in the Big Sur Region there is only two ways out, ride north or go back.
I walked around, saw the Mission and thought. At this point I called toastysama who I was meeting for dinner and told her I would not be making it to Salinas. I canceled my hotel plans there and began riding for San Simeon, which route 46 is the last major road back to the 101 and 5 which are the major North South Roads.
From Pacific Coast Highway
About 10 miles south of the San Simeon Site is the little town of Cambira. At this point I was in the saddle for about 8 hours and I knew I would not have made it. I rode through this amazingly scenic tourist trap and stopped at a very outdated motel that looked good. I got a room and headed up to see Hearst Castle. Riding along the coast with severe cross winds I was amazed at the difference that 350 pounds of weight make for stability. I still got down against the tank and dropped the windshield to reduce my cross section. It was weird under the bubble of the fairing and shield, and the lack of noise from the engine pacing along at 2K rpm in 6th how quiet it was. My earplugs were also probably helping as well.
The tour of the house reminded me why we have an income and estate taxes. The views were amazing, and the bus drivers wound their full sized buses up a goat trail I would be taking slowly on the bike. Hearst being a bit eccentric served his table with not only appropriate gold accented china but also condiments in their stock containers. He also in his billiard room has a period tapestry of a stag being hunted of very similar to the Unicorn tapestry at the Cloisters.
From Pacific Coast Highway
From Pacific Coast Highway
Following this I was warned by the motel clerk that there were no cell towers in Cambira, and so I called Rebecca and my Mom from the parking lot at the bottom of the mountain. I mentioned that I was done, and I was going to get some sleep and then ride back the next day. While backing up the bike in the parking lot my foot slipped and the bike started to fall, and there was not much I could do except slow it down. Lucky for me this bike had 20K miles on it and someone else had also dropped it on each side already, and the rental place installed cylinder guards on the heads. So I picked it up and then feeling really stupid rode back. If I needed any more confirmation that I was at my limits this was it.
When I arrived back the motel just happened to be taken over by the South Bay Riders group and we all began talking and I ended going to dinner with all of them. A great group of people, most of them were older and had huge amounts of riding experience.
One of them had a R1200S and had some hints to make the ride home easier on me, including some of the setup tricks that the rental place was oblivious to because they mainly rent Harley's. When I mentioned that I had gone from a 250 to 1200 tourer after not riding for two years, and just did 8 hours he was like "Yeah it was time to stop"
Secondly they pulled out their maps and said "Stay off the 5, you took 1 up take 101 back, it's a similar path but a different view" And they were right. Actually that was one thing with California everywhere I went there were motorcycles and I kept meeting riders.
At 6AM I got up and rolled out at about 7 waving good bye to the early risers who were packing up. I headed west on 46 passing so many vineyards including one which looked like a castle and made me think of Suzanne and Thorolf http://www.eaglecastlewinery.com/ and I almost got hit by an airborne wild turkey. This road had amazing valley scenery and I stopped to take some pictures.
From Pacific Coast Highway
From Pacific Coast Highway
It also had some steep upgrades and I got to explore the 100 horsepower of the machine. Unlike the Ninja 250 or a modern sport bike this was like riding a ambulance or a large diesel pickup. It was not twist and go, but you had to plan your passing. Dropping it to 5th because 6th was a very deep overdrive and lugged at 65 on all but almost flat ground, the engine would be at 3,200 and then would pull like a truck building speed to suddenly your going 90 and the bike is as stable as it was at 30. And it was only at 5K where there was another 3K of RPM's to go. I never got that far, I was too afraid to go that fast and lose control. The 250 required frequent shifting and keeping the carbs on the main jets to get power from it. This was pure torque from 2K and onward. It felt slow, but I knew that full throttle at a low gear and this 700 pound machine was going to lift the front. For me this was more power than I could use, but add a girlfriend, the top case, and some camping gear and the power would be of use.
At the 101 I pointed south, and did about 250 scenic miles before entering the endless traffic of the LA basin. This bike was a delight on the highway, and at this point I figured out that the seat which was shaped like a touring bicycle and not a banana seat like the 250 was narrower in front and I needed to move forward for slow speed riding and then move way back on the highway so I could put my feet flat.
By the time I was in traffic on the 405 my back was screaming but I felt in control in bumper to bumper traffic and after about 7 hours of riding I knew that this adventure was almost over and soon I would regret giving the machine up but for now I wanted to get off this machine. Finally was back at LAX and with about 350 miles from Cambira to LAX ( Google Maps is wrong ) I gassed up for the last time and handed the bike back in.
I learned a lot about my limits on this ride, I did about 700-800 miles in 48 hours. I think with more time I would have made it further north. The last day if I made it to Salinas would have been probably closer to 425 which is from Long Island to Pennsic/Pittsburgh. As it was the last day was the distance from the PA/NJ border at Rt80 to Pennsic/Pittsburgh for those of you reading from Long Island in the SCA.
If I had doubts about my being able to handle a larger displacement machine those have been squelched. I rode in bumper to bumper, street traffic, highway, and city traffic with this machine. I am impressed, and though the total package was amazing. The unique front end was amazing, and the fact that this thing felt almost as agile as the 250 despite weighing more that twice as much. The stability on the highway and the comfort were major advantages. The 55 MPG was also nice since the 250 got 70 for 1/4 the HP and 1/2 the weight. I also can not comprehend the need for many of the cruisers to now be heading close to 2000cc displacement. It's not needed.
From Pacific Coast Highway
I did for the have some problems, the first was the mirrors were pretty useless, and the quirky turn signals took some getting used to and my hands were not big enough to use them well. And I do not have small hands. I spent some time with my eyes off the road in the beginning trying to figure them out. The clutch also was VERY hard to pull in. It was part of the trouble in the beginning trying to make my shifts smooth. That went away as I got used to the bike though.
I think I would buy a used R1200R but not the touring model and add a windscreen. But still an amazing bike for an amazing trip.
I'll tell you about the rest of the trip later.