Jump to content

Day ride recommendation near Irvine


RobF

Recommended Posts

  • Member Contributer
20 hours ago, thepretender said:

Not sure whats available but you might want to check out https://www.twistedroad.com/ 

What kind of roads to you want to explore takes at least a good 30min to an hour to get to some more interesting roads.

Technical, seanic , long sweepers?

 

Twistedroad's airbnb-for-motorcycles is an interesting concept. I should probably check it out. I like fast sweepers and some scenery. A good place to eat is nice. I don't mind riding an hour or two to get to the good stuff.

 

18 hours ago, Duc2V4 said:

Let me know when you’re here, maybe I can show you a few...

 

I'll be in town Friday, November 30.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

A few years ago I worked in San Diego for about 7 months .I had a 20 mile each way commute to the boat I was working on in National City. I lasted exactly 2 days in a rental car before turning in the keys and buying an 83 Honda CB650. This preserved my sanity, allowed me to lane split, and gave me something to tool around on, on the weekends. 29 out of 30 of those weekends I was on the bike, rain or shine exploring. So here's a few suggestions based on your starting point.

 

1. Head out to Lake Elsinore. This would be an easy day trip, without to much traffic. Head over to the Pacific Coast Highway and head south to San Juan Capistrano and get on Rt. 74. This meanders through a National Forest to Lake Elsinore. On a weekend there will be lots of bikes, and a number of places to stop for a bite or a break. Just before Lake Elsinore in the mountains is the Lookout, a biker bar with decent food and a great view. The Kawa is my buddy Marks and the VF1000R is mine. We drove out from Maine in 2012. The GS1200 is my buddy Jeff's, he was living in Newport Beach at the time.

 

2.Head out to The Pacific Coast highway and head south. You will need to jump on Rt 5 for a bit to get around Camp Pendleton, but at Oceanside get on Rt. 76 and head over to Mount Palomar. This to goes through a NF, so there is little traffic and some great roads in the area. On a weekend the sports bikes are all over this area. If you are in the mood head the few miles further to Julian, an old gold mining town. Its a bit touristy, but for Calf its down right restrained. If time allows rt. 79 south of there is a nice bit of road.

 

3. Head south down the PCH, again skirting Pendleton on Rt 5 and get back on the Coast road right after Carlsbad. Between here and San Diego are dozens of small and medium beach towns and 10 State beaches. Lots of places to stop, grab a bite etc. Make it as far as Pacific Beach and head up Grand Ave. Lots of restaurants, shops and a few blocks up on the right, Kon Tiki. Hands down the coolest Motorcycle shop in the world. This is no glitzy dealership, there are parts and catalogs crowding the counters, engines on the floor and bikes old and new everywhere. Alex and Jorge, the owners are great guys. I met them in 2008 when I lived next door in Mission Beach. Really if your in the area. stop in.

 

There are some nice rides north of LA, but I think the grind of riding through LA twice for a day trip would be to much. Plus I'm not sure how the forest fires have affected some of those areas. I'll let the local guys chime in on that.

 

Have a great time.

102_1828.JPG

102_1827.JPG

DSC00609.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer
On 11/18/2018 at 6:29 AM, FromMaine said:

So here's a few suggestions based on your starting point...

 

This is generous in its detail. Thank you for posting it.

 

I can't tell if your buddy's bike is a GPz 750 or a GPz 900. I had a GPz 550 for a couple years. It was a pretty great bike! I was, unfortunately, young and broke. I did not take proper care of that motorcycle and it died prematurely of negligence.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

Rob, is the day you can ride going to be Friday 11/30 or is that the day you arrive? I'm trying to keep that Friday open but I have clients asking for me that day. I cannot turn down work at this time but if I can post pone it, I will.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer
5 hours ago, RobF said:

Hi Rob:  

Marks bike is a 1983 GPz1100A. In 2010 Mark and I worked on the same ship together. He had 3 bikes in England, me 7 up in Maine. He was always talking about buying a bike in the US and going cross country on it. I said if he did buy a bike he could stick it in my garage, and if circumstances worked out I'd even drive it there.

Well, in 2011 we were on the dock in Gibraltar when Mark told me he was bidding on a bike. Two hours after we headed out across the Atlantic he owned it. It was in Florida, we were headed there, so it worked out. My rotation was up a month after we arrived, Mark was onboard for another 6 months, so I ended up returning my plane ticket home and had my wife send me my riding gear. It was late November when I headed north, the first day was fine, from South Carolina on it wasn't. It rained buckets from the Georgia border all the way to Harrisburg  PA. This took me 2 days, instead of one, it was that bad. Next morning in Harrisburg I woke up to snow flurries, I packed and headed out asap. It was on and off until Binghamton, then it became steady, but it was cold enough that it wasn't sticking to the road as the wind just kind of blew it around. I made it to Albany and called it a day. The next morning I had to wait for it to warm up and melt the snow, which it did, then headed home. It was fine until I hit Maine when the flurries started again. This was the least of my worries as it was dark by then and I passed a Moose by the side of the road in Wisscaset. Did not see him until he was next to me. I finally pulled in to my driveway around 9. Did not bother to unpack just took off my helmet and boots as I stepped inside and grabbed a beer and sat next to my wife on the couch. She looked at me and said "you look terrible" which I doubt I could dispute. Next day I went to put the bike in the garage. See pic below.

In 2012, Mark flew out from England and we headed out. We rode to western NC and rode the heck out of the roads down there then headed west to San Diego where we spent 5 days riding with my buddy Jeff. We turned east then took Rt 70 back to the coast, and 17 days and around 8000 miles later we parked it up. Marks married now and has indicated he is unlikely to be riding in the US again anytime soon. So I guess I'll be selling the GPz next Spring for him. So there is the short history of the Kawa, not that you asked for it  :>)

Hope you have a great time in Southern Cal.

Regards...……...Michael

 

5 hours ago, RobF said:

 

 

5 hours ago, RobF said:

This is generous in its detail. Thank you for posting it.

 

I can't tell if your buddy's bike is a GPz 750 or a GPz 900. I had a GPz 550 for a couple years. It was a pretty great bike! I was, unfortunately, young and broke. I did not take proper care of that motorcycle and it died prematurely of negligence.

 

102_1663.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.