Tuned to the Sound of Motorcycle Exhausts Screaming and Engines Humming

Yeah i haven't been there in a long long time! Need to go back very soon! Actually just came back from a ride through Tahoe. Great ride... Will upload vids and pictures later!

Here is the ride i took.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=South+Lake+Tahoe,+CA&daddr=38.5325346,-120.4109903+to:Fremont,+CA&hl=en&ll=38.151837,-121.261597&spn=2.51823,3.900146&sll=38.477245,-120.653229&sspn=0.626771,0.975037&geocode=FRYtUgIdHUvZ-CnhT6XuiYWZgDGOkSP7Ri8b3Q%3BFbb1SwIdkqzS-CmLU3ljxBGagDH82CmwQd_u2Q%3BFe7wPAIdJJq6-Cn3yui3Rr-PgDHUiNiJOzHaig&oq=frem&t=h&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=10&via=1&z=8

I'll throw in my .02 cents...

I've spent years driving and riding twisty roads like Highway 9 and Skyline Blvd. I have driven these roads for years in a cruiser (I mean a Crown Vic with lights, not a cruiser motorcycle), and ridden them on a motorcycle. Tight twisty roads are fun, don't get me wrong, but what I really enjoy are the well-paved, sweeping (constant radius) turns on a bigger highway. The nirvana of which I speak is Highway 101 from the Golden Gate to the Oregon state line. Once you get north of Mendocino the road gets twisty, the scenery beautiful, and the curves are big enough you can open the throttle a bit and lean in with confidence...and there is nobody up there. I will never get tired of northern CA on the 101. And Crescent City is a nice little town to stay in, or if you're the camping type Jedediah Smith Redwoods just up 199 (another outstanding highway) is a gorgeous place to stop. The redwoods around Crescent City are where the "Forest Moon of Endor" scenes were filmed for Return of the Jedi.

Just off Highway 199 last October:

That’s terrific; you did what you always wanted to do.

Love the picture! I most definitely agree with all the roads you said! been up that way a couple times in a car and would LOVE to go again! I see you 1200 there right..? Would you say that area would still be enjoyable on a KLR650? When i went up to Tahoe last weekend i was booking 60-70 the whole way up, even in the twisties and gotta say it was fantastic ride!!

haha thanks! Made me realize though there are sssoooo many more ways to go! I plan on going there for Oktoberfest on the first weekend of October this year! Hopefully i get a crew to join me!

Taking a journey through the bay again! Here is my route!


I'll probably do a short RR this week on it

Now I know the title of this thread is "Bay Area Rides" but I prefer documenting all my RRs on one thread so I will just make this a Bay Area and my rides thread.

This is my first RR so please, do bare with me...

Not last weekend but weekend before last was my sister's and her fiance's bachelorette/bachelor (respectively of course) party. Now I know it seems weird to many that they would combine the tow parties since that sort of defeats the purpose but hey, it's their thing and frankly I had a small feeling it would be more fun like this (don't ask me why, I just did). I mean I love my future brother-in-law (we just clicked from the get-go) but I would want to share this moment with my sister as well!

So they planned to spend it Tahoe, my favorite place for many reasons! When they first told me they were planning on doing it in Tahoe, I was stoked because I love the area and Tahoe has been my get-away-from-life place, so I was ecstatic about it! So then I had a mind blowing moment which involved Tahoe, booze and motorcycles (the last two were one or the other, I never ride and drink). Now, I love beer, Tahoe and motorcycles, only issue was I also love leaning and with the current bike I had (which I was already trying to sell) i knew it wouldn't work, i had a problem... I found a way to sell my bike within 10 days of the soon-to-be-awesome weekend. Frist problem solved, now a second arose, i couldn't find a KLR, which is the only bike i wanted at this point. I would check Craigslist every hour but no luck. I was leaving on a Friday, and it was Tuesday with still no luck on a good KLR... the chances of riding there were sliming... and FAST! Then I saw one that was perfect! So I went to check it out. It was 30 mins away so i went to check it out on my day off, Wednesday. I tried out the bike, it looked and rode like a charm! So after discussing the price, took it home with me. I was happy as hell!

So it was Thursday and I had a day to pack and get ready for Tahoe. I was leaving the following day, Friday, after work around 9pm. At first, I was hesitant on riding a bike I just got for 500+ miles round trip and especially riding at night to Tahoe, 4 hours away. I suggested to my parents and both thought i was nuts for thinking that to begin with... My sister harassed me not to come on it. Talked to my girlfriend, she wasn't really for it either... :dog Then i talked to some friends about the idea and they thought it was awesome! That's all i needed, one person to think it was a good idea! So the rest of that day i spent planning routes that i could take on my way back (since it was gonna be night going up, i took the quickest route). That night after work, I did a full check of the bike: brakes, fluids, tires, all electric components. I was really happy everything came out perfectly functioning! So i was content and stoked for the Friday!

It was now Friday and I already couldn't wait to hit the rode. I worked at 4pm so had to pack and get ready so as soon I got off I could hit the road. This was the route I had chosen to go up. It took me a little less than the time suggested with on pit stop in Sac for a fancy gas station dinner and gas fill-up. I wish i had pictures of the ride there but it was pitch black and regardless of my efforts, nothing came up.

The ride up was really peaceful. As soon as i hit highway 50, the cars disapperaed. There were little to no cars all the way from Placerville to South Lake Tahoe. Most of the cars i did catch up to, let me by so i barely had to slow down. Of the cars that didn't let me pass, they got some high beams and
my loud exhaust to enjoy. Only signs of wild life i saw was a deer in the middle of the road i saw from 30 or so yards away that darted when i reved my engine in hopes of it getting out the way, which worked! When I arrived to the cabin, I was greeted by a very happy and surprised future brother in law and sister! The feeling of my ass hurting from the ride was all forgotten with that reaction. I arrived there at about 1am and drank till about 4:30... what a fantastic day!

The partying and drink went on for 2 more days after that till it was time for them to leave. My girlfriend hadn't arrived till 6pm on Saturday so not to make her drive longer than her stay in Tahoe we got a hotel in Tahoe and stayed for an extra night. Since we are on college student's budget, we got the cheapest motel we could find, $29.99 a night! Thought it was a good deal till we got to the room... felt like i was going to get some type of fatal disease just sitting on the bed, the rooms were that filthy... I think next time we will spend a few extra bucks and stay at a Motel 6. Sunday we spent by the lake and had a very relaxing fun evening.




It was now Monday and time to head home, we were not happy... Since my girl had to work at 4pm that day, she took the short routes, me on the other hand, don't work Mondays, so i took my time! Since i had to book it up here, i decided to take This route back. I have heard a lot about highway 88 and have never been on it... so i decided to try it out!

The ride back was fantastic! With my new toy, GoPro, I recorded most of the ride back. Because of my lack of thinking ahead, i didn't think to charge the camera after we'd been using it a lot the previous day. I was able to get most of 88. So i recorde 60% of the ride. The rest was really nice but i thought 88 was the best. The video speaks for itself and what i saw on the way back. I definitely plan to do it again this summer for Oktoberfest! Here Is the video!

Here are some other pictures i took with my Iphone while riding...










The roads through the mountains were truly amazing. I had never ridden that far but have always wanted to. Other than the fun roads and lots of leaning, little happened on the way home. I will definitely charge the camera for next time though! With a bike i now love and am comfortable leaning on again, I plan to take a lot more of rides like these!

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!

<object><iframe width="1280" height="720" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sg08sd9sA9E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></object>

Alright so Sunday plans didn't turn out as desired... turns out N Peak Access Road is restricted to authorized vehicles only... i was pissed especially since i had called and asked if commercial vehicle were allowed and was told yes.. which means we had to find out a new route... we found another road that would lead us through the mountains called San Pedro Road but apparently that is closed for some reason or another... At this point my buddy and i decided just say f*** it and decided to just take 92 back all the way home.

On arrival to the top of 92 where it meets with 35, i remembered seeing 35 going all the way through the mountains and connecting with 84, so i decided to go with it, my buddy just followed along! He's a really good guy for when it comes to changing plans.

Here's My route



So we turned right onto 35 and enjoyed very little traffic, chilling weather and driving through the clouds... literally. I recorded the ride (will upload soon) and there are literally points where my buddy disappear into the clouds. First time on wet roads with my new KLR and first time for my buddy... period. :eek1 So it was a really fun ride although after finishing our ride, we both agreed we were being very cautious on the ride

We kept riding along this road enjoying the windy roads and solitude. We get to the point where 35 and 84 meet and i realize we are right by Alice's Restaurant! We stopped for a beer, a lot of water, and warm tea... i was kind of broke so i just asked for hot water

After Alice's we took 84 down and decided to take a detour and took small roads, which eventually led us to Page Mill Rd. Although it was pitch black, it was a really enjoyable ride because it was way better than taking freeways.

Got home around 9:45pm tired but VERY happy with our day. Another day for books!

Perhaps we can get a title change since this appears to be a thread dedicated to a single member.

And because we already have a Bay Area Adventure thread.

two things:
1) i actually wanted to change the title... but didn't know how to! Could you help me out please!
2) Didn't know there was a bay area adventures so thanks for directing me to it!

p.s. doesn't have to be just about one member.. feel free to post!

I think of the whole area as <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1lace>Alice</st1lace></st1:City>’s. Go to the restaurant if you want a meal. Otherwise, go to the Trading Post.
Just about the whole parking lot at the trading post used to be filled with bikes on a weekend.

I must agree with you on that point! Any ride we take in that area, we end up at Alice's someway or another. 35 from from 17 though was a real blast! I had never been there and was really surprised by the turns at some points!

Haven't heard of the trading post.. what's it about?? Btw has anyone been to the restaurant across the street from Alice's?

Still is packed on weekends my friend

It’s just a convenience store, like 7/11with a little deli. Skylonda Trading Post I believe.
Across the street from Alce’s by the restaurant you asked about

Oh haha gotcha! I just always go to Alice's. I was brought there by a friend a few years back and would feel like i was betraying them if i went elsewhere... plus the girls there are cute.

Planning a little ride through the hills and highway 1 on August 3rd or around there... Takers?

Joy Ride Through the Bay

Here are my latest pictures.. I will write details sooner than later!

My apologies for the long time gap since my last update but this summer has been very very busy. First off, at the end of June my sister got married! She married a wonderful man that really treats her well and honestly, if he is still with her after 5 years, then he has my upmost respect… my sister is a P.I.T.A. to say the least. Family came from the other side of the world to visit and having 21 ppl in a single house was definitely an interesting experience. Good thing we are all family and can tolerate each other.. some more than others but let's not get picky!

The wedding itself was fantastic and the everything went perfectly as planned… surprising with my family. My side of the family did 98% of the planning and set up for the ceremony and the reception of the wedding. The 2% the other family had to take care of, we ended up absorbing that too so i guess we did all of it. But aside from the stress and exhaustion, it was a gorgeous wedding! Open bar was the best part...

I would post an image of the groom and bride but neither have responded to my text asking so it will have to wait… Sorry!

So after the wedding they left on their honeymoon and i was left with the family and requested a week of work off to enjoy them. The day before my first day of vacation, i get a new job. I'm super ecstatic about the new job, but bummed about not passing time with the family. I start the first monday (i was thursday) and that was that. Since i couldn't spend the time with the family, my cousin rented a motorcycle (Tiger Roadie) and i took my KLR. We did some 300 miles in a single day of simply windy roads and tried smoking a Ducati in the process… got close but the Ducati driver was a little less experienced than us but not enough to lose him. It was absolutely a blast! This weekend i will be editing the videos we took and posting them. I have a big test thursday so no time at the moment.

Family left, i kept working… Saw an opportunity to make a dream of mine come true. I have always wanted a Triumph Tiger 800 XC. I have been reading forums and pages for 2 years non-stop now and have fallen in love. Test rode it a few times and just couldn't settle for anything else. With the new job and promising future with them, I decided it was time to make this happen! I figured out my finances and convinced my parents i needed it. I would paying for it and everything else in full myself without help from them but as a family we have always made big decisions like these as a family, so their consent was kind of important to me. They indirectly said ok but that was enough for me The entire drive there and for the first hour there they still tried to convince me to think about it but i knew what i wanted. When everything in front of us, i asked if they approved yes or no... after long pause they gave me a ... let's just say the sales guy loved my reaction

So now, i have adopted a new baby! Her name is Daisy Duke!! Daisy for short.

I was so happy to finally have my dream bike that i was screaming in my helmet the entire way home! I was just dancing n singing in my head! The bike handled amazingly and just like excepted! I bring it in home, and show it off to neighbors and friends.

Keep in my mind i have been riding 6 years by myself and have never laid any bike down. Never gotten in an accident and have been riding long enough and am comfortable enough riding to scrape some metal off my KLR pegs and my boots from the amount of lean i ut in my turns. So i wouldn't say i am the most oexperienced, but after 40k accumulated miles, i'd say i'm decent.

Come sunday morning, i decided to ride to Monterey via Highway 1 (for those of you who don't know, it's a very common and one of the oldest roads in Califronia that goes all along the West Coast to Oregon and I think washington). There was no one of the roads... except that one moron. I start getting on the onramp to hit the freeway, knowing the right side is kinda slippery, i check behind me, and since i was in a single turning lane onto the onramp, i assumed i was clear. Checked the mirror, no one in sight... as i start to merge, check my blind spot, a car had cut through the Gore section of the lane and tried to pass me up on the on-ramp. I say this too late, tried to correct my turn. The bike slipped from under me due to new slippery tires and a slippery lane i was trying to avoid from the beginning... I realized i was going to bail and pushed with my legs the bike away from me to make sure i wasn't pinning my leg under it. The bike and i slid about 40-50 feet and finally came to a stop, luckily no cars immeditaely behind me. I jumped on my feet right way and checked my body. I was ok. Ran to kill the engine on my bike and tried to lift it. I think from the shock, i wasn't able to really get it up. Lucky for me, some guy stopped to help me get the bike up and move it to the side. I was asked by a dozen or so ppl if i was ok, and i was. Called my parents to come get me. Thought for a second my mom was going to die, i reassured her i was prefectly fine and had no pain anywhere and i was on my feet, she calmed down a little. They came, tried to do a police report, but since i couldn't get a plate and had no witnesses, it was useless. Dropped the bike off at home and went to the ER (yup priorities are in place )

Once at the ER, they took an Xray, did their poking around me all over to make sure i was ok. Turns out there might be a tiny change i fractured a bone in my wrist, but since i feel less and less pain i am starting to think that i am fine, i am going back next week though. Just to be sure it didn't worsen, they put a brace on me and told me to not take it off. Here's what i look like!

Other than that i have a little friction burn on my elbow from my jacket rubbing.

The bike still running but the front side, windshield, console, headlight, and most cosmetic things on the right side are beat up bad.
Poor Daisy...


Working with the insurance to get her all fixed.

I can't appreciate all the years i forced myself to wear my full gear and be lucky that today, it's just like wearing a seat belt... it's second nature. I can honestly said that without the pants, gloves, leather jacket, boots and helmet, i wouldn't definitely not be here. I wasn't going more than 30mph when i went down but it was enough to tear up my right side of my jacket and a little of my pants... It's a scary thought to imagine what would have happened had i not been geared up... :eek1

But all in all, even though i wasn't technically at fault, i am the one who went down... just because i assumed some idiot wouldn't cross illegally into my lane. My mistake was letting my guard down just because it was a Sunday with few people out on the roads. I guess this was just a wake up call after 6 years of nothing happening to me. Just keep in mind fellow riders... it is NEVER too hot to wear the gear.... i wouldn't be writing this had it not been for that gear.

So yeah! Hopefully Daisy will be up and running asap and i will take her for another, safer ride!

Till Next time!

You didn't give me time to congratulate you on the new bike before giving condolences for the crash. You're quick! At least it doesn't look like any serious damage was done to the important parts, so it should be good as new after repairs. Good call wearing the gear.

Sorry to hear you haven't had time to get the tires broken in to really appreciate them. I have the same Pirelli Scorpions on my Aprilia Dorsoduro, and find them to be brilliant on tarmac. For an adventure bike in the Bay Area, they are the perfect balance.

I suppose you'll be looking for some good adventure spots soon. When you get a free weekend, head through Gilroy over Pacheco Pass (careful of the wind gusts) to the Sierra and check out some of the mountain passes. You can camp on the other side, and ride back Sunday. There are a lot of forest roads on the west Sierra, and wide open spaces on the east. If you like to fish, its time to invest in a hikers fishing pole that packs small. PM me, and I'll show you around Sonora Pass.

Ha! Sorry! I in a sense didn't have time to appreciate the mere look of the bike until it went down. Daisy is in need of some serious bandaids! Luckily, everything worked out and the insurance is covering it all!

Yeah the scorpions are WAY more street oriented than i am used to. Personally like the look of the Shinko 705
I had these on both KLRs and have worn off the edges more than the middle... I love these hand down but i am not sure if they make them on the Tiger. I have always had these types of tires all my bikes, (even tried getting em on my Vulcan 800). But i do like the look of the Scorpions as well. idk man i already got a good amount of work to do in order to wear these bad boys down. How do they handle in the wet? I am gonna try to avoid the rain... sometimes i just ignore the weather man and get caught in the rain.. I personally love riding in the rain. Not the first few but middle of rainy season wet rides are really cool imo.

yeah though man i am down to go! I was supposed to ride highway 1 all the way to Ventura this weekend... but that ain't gonna happen But i got weekends off now so i will have a better chance to go on rides I actually plan on riding to Tahoe in October for Oktoberfest! Two days of riding and one full day of drinking! Three days of awesomeness! Let me know if you are down!!

Any other takers are more than welcome!

What? They have Oktoberfest in Tahoe? Sweeeet! I'll look into it. My last Fest was in Cotati (up near Petaluma). We stayed at the KOA, and rode our mountain bikes to the park many miles away. We came back after dark, hammered off my ass, and I wiped out on the side of the road. Good times!

I haven't ridden the Scorpions in the rain much, but they are supposedly designed for all weather/all roads. They come stock on the Ducati Multistrada as well as your bike. The only terrain they don't work on is mud and sand. My next set will be Continental TKC-80 tires, since I would like to get farther off road.

HA Yes they do sir!! It is at camp Richardson and we usually stay at fallen leaf lake campground. It's a 10 minute walk between the two camps. We try to avoid stay at richardson just because we don't wanna deal with the noise and shit all night But its pretty neat!! Where you located? I'm in Fremont! HERE is the info for the Fest. Oh there is the salmon down the road as well the same weekend! It's where thousands of salmons go up the river to to lay their eggs. It's pretty neat to see so many fish! That's all within a 15 minute walk to our campground!

Oh i see. Yeah they all say that but i don't always trust them i have definitley looked at the TKC 80 and LOVE the look... i have some weird obsession with tire designs. But if i can't get the shinko 705s for my bike, then i will be getting the TKCs... they are kinda pricy though... Rear Shinko for my KLR cost me $68.