Coast to Coast (and back?) with an Italian Supermodel

A buddy of mine has done track days at TH, Laguna, and Sears Point (sorry, it'll always be Sears Pt to me....was there in '77 watching Brad Lackey and Roger DeCoster!) and his opinion is: Sears is his favorite, a very flowing track. He enjoyed Seca, but said it has many high speed turns and his balls weren't big enough to keep the throttle pinned!

As a veteran of 60+ Thunderhill track days and all 108 pages of this thread, please trust me on this: for the true AntiHero experience you must visit the Maxwell Inn in Maxwell, CA. I don't know how an out-of-the-way bar managed to land a 4-star chef, but they did! The rack of lamb is highly recommended, but everything I've had there has been terrific (though it's been quite a while since I've eaten there). Despite outward appearances, the place is quite a bit fancier than anything else in the area. They've never turned us away, but you'll probably feel more comfortable if you're wearing something other than shorts and a T-shirt.

And remember: if you don't see the polar bear, you're not in the right place!

Read the whole thing yesterday. BRAVO!!!

Really? In Maxwell? I'll put it in the 'must eat' places, as I'll probably do 4 track days at TH this year.

I have been procrastinating for too long. Always looking for the obstacles.
I've only read up to Pg 19 of this thread and already I'm looking for a start date for my round Australia ride.
I won't take much either..just my imagination and a KTM SMT990.
Thanks for all your efforts, Antihero.

In one day? Did you stop to eat?

No lie! 81 Oak St. just west of I-5 a couple of exits south of Willows. I used to do 20+ track days a year at Thunderhill, so I've eaten at just about every place in the area. If I were making up a story about a great (at least the last time I was there) restaurant in the middle of nowhere, I couldn't come close to the surreality that is the Maxwell Inn.

Definitely the sort of place I could picture AntiHero enjoying, assuming the food (and bar) is still as good as the last time I was there.

Damn, that's a quick Si! Good luck with the rebuild--or let me know if you just want to purchase a low mileage S2000 that's ready to go!

Laguna is maybe 5 hours away from Thunderhill--but imho is a fairly boring track in cars. Other than the corkscrew and Rainey curve, it's just mostly just a straight, then a 90 degree turn repeated far too many times. Nice surface, though. And I'm sure it'd be a lot more fun on a bike than in a car.

RPS1030: You're a madman.

sstorkel: Maxwell Inn it is! Thanks for the recommendation. Sounds great.

Hadn't seen. Thanks for posting. And yeah--the 1199 IS that hard to launch.

Help, please!!!!!

I will be going to Austin on Monday for the 1199R launch. Ducati has asked me to bring a few books. And--I don't have any! And if I order today they won't be here in time.

Anyone in the Bay Area with a copy, please PM me ASAP! I'll come pick it up from and then order a replacement + hand deliver a signed, gushingly appreciative copy when I return.

Thanks in advance!

Sorry dude - I only have the iPad version... Good luck.

DD

Call the Ducati dealer in Austin, order and send them there.

Blurb prints the books out each time there is an order. Earliest date to ship is 3/23. The event will be over by then.

No worries, a couple dudes came through. Thanks everyone! Getting stoked for Austin. And Ducati just sent me a box full of gear!

I'm up to page 65 of your RR. I've been enjoying the hell out of it the last couple days. Great writing and awesome pics. I ride the crap out of my very comfortable 08 Vulcan Nomad and can't imagine how tough that ride could be on your beautiful Italian supermodel. You have a lot of talent. Thanks for sharing

Now you're true Ducatista, Dennis

Just not let them drag you into their corporate inners. That would hurt yourself worse than any fight with no immediate stitches available...

Have fun in Austin though :

so jelly, have fun in Austin Antihero, you deserve it!

I have a 998 that keeps on breaking on me, and have been longing for an "upgrade" to your bike for awhile now.

I saw this on cycletrader: http://www.cycletrader.com/listing/...2-Ducati-1199-Panigale-S-107481433?zmc=cfem1&

at the fugly paint job, but it is a great deal haha

Ducati dealers are offering some good deals on the 2012s....and if you're ever going to put an aftermarket exhaust on a Panigale, you want a pre 1/1/13 manufacture date (new noise law).

In any case, those fairings look a lot better than mine....

....

Yes. Tickle me with a fucking blow torch. I went to a classic car/wine/wood fired pizza meet and came out after to find out some fucker had plowed into the heroine who had survived so much over the past 9 months with barely a scratch.

















Bent clip on. Fucked front fairing. Cracked/damaged left side fairing. Damaged right side fairing (the side the car hit). Bent kickstand. Clutch lever is bent, which may have damaged the clutch cylinder, too. Left mirror is jacked. New bar end (which are extended to prevent damage) I put on yesterfuckingday is buggered.

Did the ass shit who backed into it leave a note or try to find the only guy at the event with a helmet? Nope. The felcher drove off instead.

Awwww $hit!
That blows! Some bad karma coming to that mofo.

Sorry to see that happen to anyone, especially to you and the anti stallion.
Ask around, maybe someone at the event saw something.

Just wondering did the dude backed into it on the right side of bike to land on its left? Any damage to the right side?
Maybe that dude was drunk and just got the hell outta there.

Hope she gets the TLC swiftly and not more damage.

Dave