ZenMoto Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Well, I picked the V12 up from Bazzaz Friday, though it won't actually have any of the Bazzaz farkles on it until they get production parts in a few weeks. So Satruday I took the wife for a bimble out through Ojai (prn. Oh-High) and out to lunch in Santa Barbara, but that's not the same as a real day-trip kinda' ride. Sunday is my church day, and I worship at the "1st Motorist's Church of the Tilting Horizon". ...today was my day to play. After an aborted attempt to ride locally, when my buddy's tire decided to eat a nail and he decided to call it quits, I felt it was an omen that I should get out of the area and REALLY ride! So leaving a bit late (noon) I headed out for points north. I ended up taking more slab than usual due to the late start, but that's ok, the ride was worth it. My route, which was a kind of work in progress, was basically this: Google Map... Except I didn't take the 33/166 north through Taft, instead I hit one of my favorite (and less traveled) roads, Soda Lake Rd. ...Google Maps won't even let me route through it, probably because about 25 miles of it isn't paved. ...but I'll get to that. Leaving Moorpark by the "back way" I made my way down Grimes Canyon to be greeted by weather like this: ...and the creative work of our local stoner kids who love to carve in the sandstone along the road; some of it is actually quite good! From there I took another back way vs. the length of hwy 126 just for the scenery. From then it was 126 to the 5 fwy up over the grapevine to Frazier Park. At Frazier Mountain Park Rd. I headed west with a slight detour up Mt. Pinos. ...it was a little chilly, but otherwise beautiful! Then it was back down to lower elevations, and higher temps, through Pine Mountain Club and onto a great stretch of road, Cerro Noroeste (or as I call it, Cerro No-Arresta); this road used to be amazing, now it has the peculiar ability to make you positive you have a flat front tire! ...still a great road though, and the views are awesome. As this is the order I took the photos in, I'll mention that I mounted an Axio tail bag to the passenger portion of the seat. It's the V.2 of their tail bag, and hard to find, but I like the way it looks and fits, and it proved really handy as a place to stash my crap without having to mount any of the hard cases. It was about this time that I rolled 2000 miles on the Odometer, so I took a photo to show tire wear for future comparison with other brands. At the bottom of Cerro, you make a right onto 33, then an immediate left onto Soda Lake Rd. ...for some reason none of my friends ever want to go riding with me! ...but I love this road! I've taken every bike I've owned (since living in California, anyway) out here for some photos; once I've put a bike through this loop, I feel she really belongs to me. The V12 handled the dirt, rocks and sand beautifully. ...it doesn't hurt that they must've plowed this season as there was almost no washboard anywhere! Brace yourselves for my photo-masturbation now! Here's a good shot of how the Axio tail bag and the Akro look in profile: And here's a pano view of Soda Lake Rd. ...I can't stop!!! The build quality and sound of the Akro are both top notch! And here's a sound clip of me running Mulholland from Cornell Rd. to Malibu Canyon Rd. recorded on my Tascam DR-07, wrapped in a towel and shoved in the tail-bag. Uncorked Akropovic on Mulholland. At the west end of Soda Lake it meets up with one of my all time favorite motorcycling roads, hwy 58. ...this road has everything from tight, banked twisties, to open sweepers, to loooong straights, and even some house sized whoops that you can get air on if you're too close to the ton! ...but the views make it that much sweeter! Hwy 58 dumps you off in Santa Margarita, a very small town that may be one of the last places in SoCal you actually pump your gas before you pay!!! They only sell diesel and regular, but the VFR didn't seem to care; and since I'd been on a blinking bar for 20 some miles I didn't care either!!! My turning around point was Morrow Bay: Which is just down the 101 fwy, then up the 1 (Pacific Coast Hwy), so it adds about 30 miles of going out of the way all said, but it's worth it to get off the beaten path. Beauty and the Beast? How about just beauty??? From Morro Bay to my home in Moorpark is about 175 miles and it was already getting dark, so it was the slab home on the 101 / PCH (not too shabby). I did stop off at the last minute for a sunset pano though. ...then home! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vfr_steve Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I fine set of pics! I don't know how or why, but your VFR in those pics are some of the best I've seen of the bike - You've actually started making me lust after it just that little bit more now! Great sound clip too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4 Rosso Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Yeah, it is like these photo's come straight out of a Honda brochure That tail pack goes very well with the shape of the seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer intercept this Posted March 14, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted March 14, 2011 Great report and I love the pics....Thanks for the eye candy. and GO BEARS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I think all that gravel and dust is scaring your riding buddies from riding that road at the bottom of Cerro. Honda finishes are great but not immune to chipping though and clearcoat swirl scratching........ Glad you had a great trip on the coast! The bike looks minty fresh nice! Beck 95 VFR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Beautiful pictures! I may have just gotten a new wallpaper. Keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Awesome pics and post ZM! I would gladly rip that Soda Lake road up with you....as long as I was either ahead of you or WAY behind you! lol. That whole report sounds/looks like a really cool riding loop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Which is just down the 101 fwy, then up the 1 (Pacific Coast Hwy), so it adds about 30 miles of going out of the way all said, but it's worth it to get off the beaten path. I have been on that dock many many times! We pulled in there on our patrol boat all the time. We weren't very popular with some of the fisherman there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer skymon Posted March 15, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted March 15, 2011 Nice pictures. I was in the same general area Sunday too. Took 33 to 58 to 229 to 41 to 1 to 101 to 166 and back 33. Kind of a Carrizo Plain loop. (With a little Rossi's driveway detour.) Anyway, somehow I missed you. Maybe cause I skipped the dirt tracking. I thought I was cold going through Ventucopa. I guess it was balmy compared to Frazier Park. Again, beautiful photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenMoto Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 Nice pictures. I was in the same general area Sunday too. Took 33 to 58 to 229 to 41 to 1 to 101 to 166 and back 33. Kind of a Carrizo Plain loop. (With a little Rossi's driveway detour.) Anyway, somehow I missed you. Maybe cause I skipped the dirt tracking. I thought I was cold going through Ventucopa. I guess it was balmy compared to Frazier Park. Again, beautiful photos. Sorry I missed you. ...in fact, I didn't really come across any other bikes all day! Once I was out of the LA area, it was EMPTY out there! ...not even any cars until I got on the 101. ...just a great day to be out on the bike!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddulu Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Nice write up Zen. We'll have to meet up on one of the SoCal rides come this summer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Yes, great pics. Few photos do this bike justice. I had to see one in person before I got truly excited. And great audio clip, too. I chose an Akropovic for my 12 as well. (My neighbor across the alley told me they like to hear me start the bike up.) The sound also doesn't usually come thru well in a sound clip. The YouTube videos are mostly at idle, and the rhapsody of this pipe happens on the road. Great job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer swas Posted March 16, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted March 16, 2011 Great pics of the 1200 best I've seen. Thanks for the map details of the ride helps us overseas members to get a better idea of it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted March 17, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted March 17, 2011 Great pictures and the bike looks real gooooooooooood. Maybe I need one of those. I have ridden most of those roads ............makes me want to go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer alwaysaware Posted March 17, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted March 17, 2011 Nice photos and man that bike is photogenic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted March 17, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted March 17, 2011 Nice report, great pics (the light in several of those pics is just beautiful!!!), and I usually hate talking about exhausts but given Honda's OEM, the one you have looks really, really good. Nicely done man. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenMoto Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed it. ...and I was blessed with a pretty beautiful day to lug the big camera out. :) The more I ride the big Viffer, the more in love with it I become!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Hey Zen, Awesome pics.... how long have u had the new viffer? My absolute favourite pic is attached.... there is something about the lighting and the paint finish that only confirms my decision to get one too!!!!! :-)) cheers.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenMoto Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Hey Zen, Awesome pics.... how long have u had the new viffer? My absolute favourite pic is attached.... there is something about the lighting and the paint finish that only confirms my decision to get one too!!!!! :-)) cheers.... Thanks Russel. I bought her on Jan. 22 and managed to put about 1700 miles on it (enough to consider it somewhat broken in) in the first 3 weeks, before changing out the oil(s) and sending it off to Bazzaz for a month. I'd have had more mileage, but we had some nasty weather (for SoCal) and some family obligations that kept me off the bike those first few weeks. I just got her back from Bazzaz last week, hence the need for a long day-ride. She now has about 2800 miles on her and is starting to feel truly broken in; better mileage, etc.. I will warn you this though. ...you need to feed the V12 beast a LOT of tires! The OEM rear is basically done. I can probably get another 4-600 miles out of it, but that's it. God help me when I get it back from Bazzaz the next time as it will have the unrestricted 1st & 2nd gears, a quick shifter, and smooth power delivery. ...I should just start buying tires by the pallet!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Nice pictures. The Axio 2.0 tail bag looks great on the 7 gen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vfracer750 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Awesome photos. I have 10 co-workers coming into town in May (they will be renting motorcycles) and hope to check out Hwy 58. Thanks for sharing. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Nice bike Zen. I love those roads. Except I read they got about 21" of snow in Pine Mountain Club yesterday, and 18" in Lockwood Valley. I never noticed those carvings on 150, guess I was too busy getting around the twisty turns. Although getting a clean run through there without getting stuck behind cars does not seem to happen often. Maybe I'll see you on the road sometime. To which end I'd suggest taking a look at burntheedge.com. Mostly SoCal residents. Sometimes we meet for a ride at the Kraproom 76 @ Spring and High. Run up and sometimes over the 33. Sometimes I spell town names backwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiac Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Wow... Amazing photos, and I agree, the bike looks as good or better in your pics than the "official" photos. I have had my eye on a 1200 since it came out. If it wasn't raining here last weekend, I probably would have pulled the trigger on a DCT, but instead I was stuck inside with the kids all day. I might try to follow your route exactly (minus the dirt) when i finally get my legs around her. peculiar ability to make you positive you have a flat front tire! I know exactly the road you're talking about. I actually got off my bike and checked my tires the first time i rode it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer justsky Posted March 22, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted March 22, 2011 Awesome pics! Once more Honda has proved that their VFR-series are the best sport touring bikes ever! Honestly, I don't see anything on the market coming even close to Honda's VFR series. There're excellent sport bikes and good enough touring machines, but there are very few really good sport touring bikes! P.S.: Honda didn't pay me for this add. I wrote it based on my own impressions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenMoto Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Awesome pics! Once more Honda has proved that their VFR-series are the best sport touring bikes ever! Honestly, I don't see anything on the market coming even close to Honda's VFR series. There're excellent sport bikes and good enough touring machines, but there are very few really good sport touring bikes! P.S.: Honda didn't pay me for this add. I wrote it based on my own impressions! Thanks guys. I agree, it's a fantastic bike!!! ...just wish I could get the mileage dialed in. On the fwy back from Morro Bay I got 43mpg, this morning I filled up after some commuting and canyon dancing ...33mpg! lol My low-fuel warning started blinking at 120 miles, but it only took 3.6 gallons so I still had a ways to go before empty. Lee, I'm always up for a ride, I'll check out your website; maybe meet up with you guys some time! Monkey, there's something about the way Cerro NoArreste has become rippled that gives it that funky feel. Most roads, when they get rippled from cars braking, etc., do so with the ripples running perpendicular to the road, but on Cerro they fan out in the curves so you're always hitting them at an angle and it makes the front feel like it's washing out. I've stopped to check that I didn't have a flat there too. ...it's really a creepy feeling, which is a shame, because 5-6 years ago, before this happened, it was one of my all time favorite roads to rail down/up. OTOH, now that they've repaved Mulholland between Cornell and Malibu Canyon Rd., a part of my daily commute for the past 8 years, I can absolutely FLY through there in the mornings when it's empty! :) ...the weekends are for tip-toeing though; the police have been out there like crazy every since they finished construction! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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