My father in law needed to get rid of a few bikes, so I made arrangements to fly down, pick up a bike (Yamaha Vstar 650)and ride it home. All arrangements were made months ago (including my wife and son flying out for a vacation), so I really was at the mercy of the elements. And they did not disappoint! I had options to get home. 5N straight to Portland doing 100mph?? Nah.... not on a 650 v-twin. 395N through the SW dez and some beautiful landscape? Nah... gotta get through the Cascades somehow. Oh... how about the 101N through hundreds of miles of coastal mountains with imminent storms? Now we're talking! Day 1 - Left Orange County at 5:20am to beat traffic. 605N to 105W to 405N to 101N.....all the way to OR. I ran outa LA like a bat out of hell and made it to Ventura for gas and a warm cup of coffee. And then northbound.... First stop of any significance was Avila Beach. I remember being here in 2003 right after a woman was killed by a great white. Needless to say, I avoided the water! The break's over as I'm trying to get past the Bay Area before traffic goes crazy. Made it to SF around 4pm and traffic wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. Not only wasn't traffic bad, but it was freaking Free-Northbound-Friday. YES ! Probably saved $17 or so.... Made it to Ukiah, CA (approx 620 miles) and enjoyed Fish N' Chips, cold brews & some professional grade bullshitting at the Ukiah Brewing Co. Grabbed some Zzzz's at a hotel and awoke to a surprise. The parking lot is under water. Glad I grabbed my rain gear..... except the gloves kinda suck. Dont bitch, cold is all mental! I made it about 25 miles before I was saturated and my hands were numb. I was stopping often to warm my hands up on the exhaust pipes. Luckily, it was beautiful country and there was lots of pull off's. The next pics are all somewhere in the Emerald Triangle. Cant really remember where, but they were picture worthy, so up they go. Made it to the Redwoods, somehow. pictures just dont do justice to a tree that's 15' wide at the base Another wall of water. Sweet! I was just starting to get warm enough to feel my extremeties. Random pic Angry ocean Made it to Crescent City, Ca just before dark (a slow going 260 miles, I think) and got a room. Wind is howling at a constant 40mph, but I'm hungry and need some grub. Jump on the bike and headed downtown until the bike dies about a mile from the hotel. Gas seems pretty low, so I walk a mile to the Chevron station, borrow a can and put a gallon of fuel in. Nothing! Crap... I leave the bike in a hotel parking lot (yes, I asked first) and figured I'd deal with it tomorrow as weather is supposed to be better. I got drunk, woke up late and hiked over to the bike. Check all fuses and electrical connections for water and they look good. Pull the gas tank (with the sweet OEM supplied toolkit... a few open end wrenches and pliers), open the carbs (BRASS screws WTF!?!?) and see oil slicks. Got water in the gas from riding through a hurricane. Drained the other carb and she fired right to life. Thank goodness ! Rode back to my hotel, packed up and hit Hwy 199 to Grants Pass, OR. Weather is shit, again. Only 25mph winds though. I stopped at some rest stop and it started to snow, so I got out of those mountains quickly. Made it to 5 and did the last 250 miles in constant storms, semi trucks and frozen digits. I learned a lot after 1200+ miles on a 650 cruiser. -clipping along at 25mph in the wet woods isn't nearly as cold as clipping along at 65mph though the wet woods. -dont skimp on rain gear, especially gloves. -650 cruisers are only fun around town -LA and Bay Area drivers dont care about your life -The redwood curtain is alive, well and crazier than ever -I need a bike with double the fuel capacity, triple the torque and quadruple the horsepower. And some real wind protection. Even though it was a total pain in the rear and possibly the most difficult 3 days of my life, I still enjoyed it. Me and my father in law are planning a trip from Portland to Bellingham, WA to catch the ferry to Alaska this September. Needless to say, I'll be looking for something a little more distance worthy in the meantime!
Nice!!! I was wondering where you've been!!! At least it got you home!!! My only question is where are you gonna park it? You have a boat, like 4-5 dirtbikes, and no room that I could see for that beast!
Hey Dude! I've been wondering where the hell I've been too. I'm still in shock, I think. And I've got plenty of room in the gee-rodge. Just have to hide the Honda's on the other side of the boat. And most likely get rid of the lawn mower. And all of the crap the wife has stored. Then I'll have room for some more stuff.
Nice and quite adventurous. We just had record rain, nice timing. To funny as it was just today i send Blake an Email with CL links to cheap street bikes so he does not bitch when we are out having fun int he sun this summer. Love a good street bike ride up the gorge and all over helens / Rainier in the long summer days.
I think you like punishment. The last time I rode home through Crecent City it was very cold and it was summer time! Nice to hear you survived.
Great story,road riding seems so easy but always things happen to make make it an adventure,every time a bunch of us hit the road for a day its a blast .Glad to hear your home safe.See ya BILLF
I already got a few street riding in this winter, one good weather on for 180 miles. I like street too. - Blake you got a street bike yet?
I was loving it down south. Run down PCH to Laguna, look at the wildlife and then take the canyon twisties back to the fwy. And just like dirtbiking, its way for fun to make a loop vs. in and back trips. This bike will be fun around town and local mountain trips, but I'll never do more than 200 miles on it again. I want something with some power and some legs. Get shopping Blake!
keep dreaming guys... My street bike is a few years out still.... No time/money/motivation... Maybe a dual sport?
For me a dualsport was a much better solution for covering long distances for me. I still have road bikes around but they just sit. With a dualsport I can connect the asphaltic sections with gravel (no speed limit/fun) gravel to get to distant places. No more speeding tickets. $$$
I rode my K1200RS down I-5 to Grants Pass in 100 degree weather a couple years ago, then angled over to the Redwoods and nearly froze my a** off coming back up the coast ... same day, half the temperature and twice the humidity... That little mountain range between I-5 and the coast make a huge difference sometimes.
I like doing 150-250 miles days up the gorge or out toward rainier in the hot summer days. Can leave right from my house and a few stop lights later it is all back roads and country. I like off road riding in mild to wet conditions but kinda hate the dust and heat. So the street bike gets good use in the summer and after work for me. I LOVE Dsing now so have a DS bike (TE511). It's all good.
If anyone is interested. There will be some upcoming rides that originate at the Chevron station on Cornelius Pass/Hwy26 on Tues eves. @ 6pm, and ride until like 8pm. I'm sure it's sport bike oriented, but everyone is welcome. Let me know, if interested, and i will pass on the contact info.
