Monday, May 08, 2006
Another Perfect Sunday
I rode w/ my buddy Doug up and down Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu today. Perfect weather - sunny, cool and a slight breeze. One of those days that reminds me why I love living here so much.
In any case I like riding with Doug a lot even though we have the most oddly paired bikes of any riding buddies. He's got a big ol' Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter 1500, not something you'd expect to see riding with an R6. When we ride together we don't even take any tight twisty roads (the kind of road I actually prefer) because he'll start scraping floorboards and doesn't enjoy the ride as much. He does appreciate sport bikes though as he used to own one, so he doesn't mind if we split up for a few minutes while I hit some twisties.
Today he recommended I try Encinal Canyon Road between PCH and Decker Canyon. It's a road he used to ride way back when he had a sport bike, so he thought I should check it out. It's only 5 miles each way, so he chilled out at the bottom while I took the road.
It's not a technical road at all; the turns are all pretty easy. Unfortunately what that means to some riders is that they "must" take these turns at high speeds to make them fun. The speed limit on that road is 40 or 45 mph, but another rider coming the opposite way was easily doing 75 mph when he passed by. I took the road at a safe (for me), but spirited pace. There's one long sweeper as you can see on the map, but it's also got some good bumps - nervous times when the bike's leaned over with a little speed. I can easily see it being a fun road for some, but I prefer something tighter and more technical. I'm not about all out speed; I prefer working on perfecting my turns and lines.
In any case it was cool to try a new road, get out in the perfect weather and hang out with my buddy. Weird how riding a motorcycle makes some things so much more fun. ¶ 12:19 AM
In any case I like riding with Doug a lot even though we have the most oddly paired bikes of any riding buddies. He's got a big ol' Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter 1500, not something you'd expect to see riding with an R6. When we ride together we don't even take any tight twisty roads (the kind of road I actually prefer) because he'll start scraping floorboards and doesn't enjoy the ride as much. He does appreciate sport bikes though as he used to own one, so he doesn't mind if we split up for a few minutes while I hit some twisties.
Today he recommended I try Encinal Canyon Road between PCH and Decker Canyon. It's a road he used to ride way back when he had a sport bike, so he thought I should check it out. It's only 5 miles each way, so he chilled out at the bottom while I took the road.
It's not a technical road at all; the turns are all pretty easy. Unfortunately what that means to some riders is that they "must" take these turns at high speeds to make them fun. The speed limit on that road is 40 or 45 mph, but another rider coming the opposite way was easily doing 75 mph when he passed by. I took the road at a safe (for me), but spirited pace. There's one long sweeper as you can see on the map, but it's also got some good bumps - nervous times when the bike's leaned over with a little speed. I can easily see it being a fun road for some, but I prefer something tighter and more technical. I'm not about all out speed; I prefer working on perfecting my turns and lines.
In any case it was cool to try a new road, get out in the perfect weather and hang out with my buddy. Weird how riding a motorcycle makes some things so much more fun. ¶ 12:19 AM
