Notes From The Road: Laguna Seca 2013

[Lorne]

In mid-July my pal Tony and I left Victoria and headed to California for the MotoGP. I'd installed a set of peg lowering brackets from BLS and swapped O² sensor connectors. Neither mod lasted the trip.

The Coho ferry schedule requires a 4:00 am start on the 1st day - the toughest part of the trip for a night owl like me. That's one problem with living on an island. In the dark I discovered that both low beams were dead. The only VFR trouble all trip.

We took a side trip over Beartooth Pass again this year, one of my favourite roads. I prefer a south-to-north pass but time pressures allowed only one run. The wx was fantastic and there weren't too many cruisers clogging up road.

We transited Yellowstone NP only because it was the shortest route. One should really budget for a longer visit.

In Nevada, between Wendover and Ely, we were caught in a massive thundershower. For ~5 miles the rain was heavy to monsoon-like but unlike Tony, I have an Aerostich so no worries. The Toiyabe Cafe in Austin, Nv is a good place for breakfast.

Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, is my favourite way to cross the Sierra Nevadas. Hwy 49 from Jamestown to Bear Valley then J16 to Snelling are a sweet pair. Better yet is Hwy 25 between Hollister and King City - tight bends and great pavement.

At Jamestown I swapped the O² sensor back to stock and 86'd the foot peg brackets. I'll post an ad for them.

We lucked into mid-70°'s crossing California's central valley but the mercury rose and it was upper-90°'s at Paso Robles. Forty minutes later at Cambria it had dropped 40° thanks to the marine layer. A good Italian can be had at Lombardi's.

The next day's ride up Hwy 1 was under heavy skies, and foggy in spots, but with little traffic. For breakfast at Big Sur I recommend Ripplewood Resort.

Plenty more mist/fog each morning at Laguna Seca. Saturday only warmed to the mid-60°'s while on raceday it was a more pleasant 75° (according to my VFR). Not the most exciting race but I love standing trackside at T5 and watch them charge into charge into the corner only a few feet away.

In Monterey, First Awakenings is our usual breakfast stop. For pizza it is Gianni's.

Going home we rode the coast in mist/fog all the way to Crescent City. Cutting inland to Leggett I had a bit of fun hounding three guys on DL1000s. It's the first time in ages that I had a chance to ride with fast guys. My pal Tony is a bit conservative, speed-wise. After that it was a slog on I-5 through Ore & Wash to home. On the last night Tony noticed a dinged rear wheel on his ZRX1200 - bummer. At least it held air and there was no sign of a crack so we made it home ok.

[Auspanglish]

Nice write up and even nicer pics...

So do tell, why did those 2 mods get the old reverso treatment??

[VFR Capt.Bob]

Tony's rear wheel shows the signs of less than conservative usage. Must have been chasing the taillights of your VFR. What a beautiful trip you had. Montana and Canada are high on my list of epic MC vacations.

[Lorne]

Nice write up and even nicer pics...

So do tell, why did those 2 mods get the old reverso treatment??

Auspañol,

For this 5' 11" 59 yo, the lowering blocks had me dragging the pegs a lot more often without making my knees/hips any happier. Removing them at Jamestown would let me judge the difference during the trip. At the end of the next day's 480 km mix of highway & twisty roads my legs were no worse off. More importantly, I wasn't constantly dragging in the corners - or worried about doing so.

I'll try Rob's idea to replace the (too) long feelers before putting them up for sale. And it looks like I'll be back in California to try it out on my ride to the World Superbike race at Laguna Seca in September.

Regarding the O² sensors, others noted there is a 'small surge' at highway speeds. My '09 reacted much more strongly than that. Initially, nothing happened when I opened the throttle, say to maintain speed on a grade. Opening a bit more and it surged. I spent many hours on highways in 6th at ~5000 rpm getting more annoyed.

So it seems that I traded a slight improvement of zero to part throttle response(tight corners) for a more annoying one (highway speed).

Tony's rear wheel shows the signs of less than conservative usage. Must have been chasing the taillights of your VFR. What a beautiful trip you had. Montana and Canada are high on my list of epic MC vacations.

C'mon up, it'll help our balance of payments ;-)

The funny thing is that Tony couldn't remember hitting a pothole or curb anywhere in the previous couple days. And only one side of the rim is bent - weird.

[Dutchy]

Great pictures, always a pleasure to read vfr trip reports!

[GutsyGibbon]

That is an epic ride. Awesome pics, thanks for sharing.

[The Phantom]

Good stuff Lorne and nice to see you out and about here and on the list

Murray

[socalnative]

Great trip, write up and photos!

Nice inspiration for a west coast-Canada-Montana-rocky trip.

[CornerCarver]

thanks for the write up, I really like your under-stated style...

"We transited Yellowstone NP only because it was the shortest route. One should really budget for a longer visit.

...

Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, is my favourite way to cross the Sierra Nevadas. Hwy 49 from Jamestown to Bear Valley then J16 to Snelling are a sweet pair. Better yet is Hwy 25 between Hollister and King City - tight bends and great pavement.

...

We lucked into mid-70°'s crossing California's central valley but the mercury rose and it was upper-90°'s at Paso Robles. Forty minutes later at Cambria it had dropped 40° thanks to the marine layer. A good Italian can be had at Lombardi's.

...

The next day's ride up Hwy 1 was under heavy skies, and foggy in spots, but with little traffic. For breakfast at Big Sur I recommend Ripplewood Resort."

Thanks for the pics as well!

[DucatiTerminator]

Beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing!

[Switchblade]

Nice write up and thanks for the pic's .