alfalfa

wednesday, July 31????

We are trying to be more inclusive. Its very difficult, but we are trying

Yeah, they weren't all that crazy. These connect the various camp grounds in the area, so are pretty well maintained. We only had four go down, but that was due to the high speeds more than the conditions.

Saturday, club run up Angeles Crest Highway (look it up - local squid run for Los Angeles) to Lake Arrowhead for lunch. First thing we saw was a body on the highway, covered and surrounded by Highway Patrol. Found out later a bicyclist climbing up the mountain must have expired. Makes for a sober ride. some fine classics at the meetup spot. After lunch, a spirited ride back over the Crest, and down Upper Big Tjunga (one of my favorites in that area) and out and down to civilization. Trying to find the most curves we could. Then, Sunday, another friend was leading a group ride for Aether Apparel and back up the Crest we went: Newcomb's Ranch was busy. Still trying to figure out why it closed and the land is up for sale. Trying to get the club to chip in $6k each to buy it! Would make for a great clubhouse, BNB, restaurant, shop, etc! Sunday's ride included some offroading along the myriad of forest service roads in the area. Kind of hard to grasp that we are about 15 miles from around 12 million people! It was a long, hot day on the trails. But lots of fun riding new roads and finding new camping options. Woke up this a.m. to proof its Monday: Couldnt run over that with the old tire. had to pick it up with the one that has just 50 miles on it!

Ah, yes. Highway 12! Told my brother (lives in Stevensville) to spread my ashes along that road, when the time comes. for some reason, he keeps offering to do it now.

serious question: what's the purpose of this trip? meaning, you staying on asphalt, or looking for some dirt? (i might have some ideas....)

Beauty of riding bikes, YOU get to choose Where was this happening? Just seems out of the norm for most of Calif. I've seen the flag bears go a little Respect my Authoritay sometimes. Fun to school them on the real rules.

really? That doesnt compute. You arent lane jumping when you filter, so i'm guessing a heavy handed flag holder. We've been flagged to the front of stopped traffic in several states. Its usually Colorado where we run into the "sensitive" types and get 511'd. Next time that happens to me there, i'm getting the group to drive the speed limit in all lanes and let them sallies behind me stew Double fines dont apply if you arent violating a regulation. I would have instructed the yellow creature in the errors of their way.

oh, yeah!!

you werent in California? We've never waited in line at any construction stop like that. Most people dont even blink, when we ride to the front. No matter the state. There is zero impact on car drivers as you are gone much quicker when they let traffic start moving again.

Get the strange feeling we may have crossed paths last Saturday. Four of us were in Mariposa, on Hwy 49, just outside Yosemite. Saturday we rode Sonora Pass - west to east. If you were there on Saturday, i'm sure we passed each other. If not, then it was probably one of several hundred other bikes out there Sonora Pass has new asphalt and was great. We came back from Mono Lake (the one in your pic) over Tioga Pass and back thru Yosemite.

That's Mono Lake - never dry, tho. Laws that state that LA City has to maintain flows into it, before filling the aqueduct to Los Angeles. Good to see you hit some curves. Just rode over that last weekend, myself.

Jeez, i'm gone for 5 days and no one searches for me. Just for that, gonna rub another trip/rally into y'all's faces. BMW Club of Northern California does a weekend shindig called the 49er Rally. Probably the first one of the year, due to the kung flu. It has been a favorite of mine for some time now cause of camping, roads, Yosemite Park, roads, Sierra Nevada passes, roads, drinking and drinking! we dont need no steeking gps thingy. Pizza! Created in the newnited states. dont care what the italians claim. Mono Lake, near Tioga Pass. Branded with the FTroop sticker, cause we get lost and things. Some Sonora Pass pics Half Dome in Yosemite, from the back side. Bike games courtesy of the GS Giants. I prefer the tent Some dont

That was 2 hrs into an 8 hr ride on 8 miles of dirt road. We should have walked

amateurs...

What i thought i had read in one of the comparos was that there was the stock seat (two positions) and that they offered the Reach seat and the Tall Boy seat options. Not sure if they also have two seat heights. The Tall Boy gives you a 35-inch seat height, which is ginormous!

taken off to keep from breaking.

there are 3 seat types, low to high. should fit you, pretty easily

After the Pan America ride test, my buddy and i head south, towards San Diego. He had being searching out some new roads, and the ones he found were epic, as much as they were new. It's pretty mind boggling to get up into the twisty's and forget that you are surrounded by about 15 million people! T This was the route, i'm pretty sure. All the green is the hilly section. Some of the highlights included a few miles of dirt between two paved sections, a decent that was over 26%, and a stop at Josie's Hangout, a re-opened biker hangout near Palomar Mountain. Josie's is where Gary learned not to give me the finger when i am sitting behind a Hells Angel wanna be The day was capped off at a diveish motel, next to Del's Hideout where i had the best hamburger i've had in years!. Not to be outdone by Gary, i plotted Sunday's return route and we spent a good three hours in the hills, with maybe three cars: We did have to forgo tacos in Baja, but that will happen soon! The bonus of Sunday's route was about 15 miles or so of good dirt at the highest point, culminating in some knee dragging as we descended back to pirate territory. Lunch stop at Josie's was time perfectly as we arrived and ordered before the parade of about 60 of Milwaukee's finest chrome showed up. There was the requisite burnouts and wheelies, but the greatest was the wideglide with the German Shepherd riding in front!

So, made it down to Lake Elsinore on Saturday. My appt was for Sunday, but a friend had his for Sat afternoon and then wanted to go play in the hills afterwards. Riding the twisty's sounded like fun so i blasted down after breakfast, showing up at the test area just after 1. There was a pretty good setup going. As is almost always the case, there were more reservations made than ridres showed, so i actually got to ride one, instead of waiting until Sunday a.m. This dovetailed nicely into our weekend plans, so off i went after a quick course on how the bike worked. I chose a "special" model (the one with auto-lowering, crash bars, extra riding modes, etc.). The only rules were to leave in RAIN mode, until familiar with the bike and return it unscathed. They had a long, if not boring route around the lake. Probably a good 15 miles, i would say. All town riding, but it did have some long stretches with no stops. Half a block out of the staging area, i hit SPORT mode, and man, what an engine! Very peppy response, firm suspension! Fun to play with. The only thing that bothered me (strong word, as it wasnt that bad( was a little throttle lag when shifting. I think that would go away the more you got familiar with the bike. The bike was comfortable enough on the streets. Mirrors seems a mite small, tho. Ergos were good for a 32-inch inseam. The lowering was interesting and should prove very popular for the shorter legged, or when offroad. After returning, i saw my buddy talking to one of the GS Giant friends, who was overseeing the offroad section. Well, it wasnt paved, but it wasnt really offroad. I guess HD lawyers are just as anal as BMW ones. I understand from our friend that it was quite the battle to just get permission to take the bikes into a level gravel area for some "testing". One bike at a time on the course was the rule. If you dropped the bike, you were done. Speed limit was 25mph, but there was no radar to keep you honest. So, wink, wink. When it was my turn, i took off on the slow slalom, getting used to the feel in loose stuff. Then came easy 180s, followed by a circle test. Did both sets of tests sitting and then standing. Bike was good at maintaining speed by clutching. Power felt good, not as low end as the GS, but not bad. The interesting test was the acceleration and braking, using the offroad ABS for hard braking. Very impressive as the bike slid to a controlled, straight stop. All in all, i think Harley has a winner with this bike. Consider is an SUV and you will see what the market and use should/will be. Meaning, hauling your crap long distances so that you can get dirty. I'm just hoping that they get their converts from their own base, as well as those who have been dual-sporting/adv-ing all along. Case in point - amongst all the bikes that were there, waiting to ride, most were dual sports, with only one HD bike. Not sure if that was someone test riding, or an employee, tho. Now, to sit down and figure out if i need 7 bikes............. (p.s., the HD Branded Revit gear is really good looking and looks long wearing!)

Interesting point. Like our autos, our motorcycles are made for the type of traveling you can do, mostly in the western states. Wide open, huge distances (California is over 700 miles long. I have to travel 2300 miles to get to Tennessee to buy my moonshine). Roads are wide and flat for the most part. The spaces between the roads (in the west) are also wide open. Like the GS, this bike will be an SUV for most riders. For the merry band of #AGALOS, we will hurt ourselves riding them like dirt bikes. Sunday is my turn on the bike, at Lake Elsinore (of On any Sunday fame). I understand we get to play in the dirt, even if it is a level, gravel lot. Unguided road rides means i will get to test the bike in Sport mode, and enjoy all 150 horses! Y'all make it out to Cali and you will see why most Europeans we run into on the highway are on Harley's.

my bike gets tired, too

2nd stab yesterday, Moderna. Side effects were minor for me, but not so minor for friend's wife. She said it felt like a truck hit her. Probably because she doesnt ride a motorcycle.

Then, the right gets all pissy for being cheated on.

what a beautiful country!! and, oh my! those roads!!!!