Back in March I traded my K1200LT in on an R1150R. A big shift, but I was ready for something new. Until now, my riding had been back and forth from Sacramento to the Bay Area and a ride up to Nevada City and commuting between Sacto and Roseville. I didn't really have a sense of what the Roadster is about on a longer ride.
This past weekend was my daughter's 21st birthday, and she invited me down to celebrate with her in Santa Barbara. So it was a good excuse to load up the new bike with my gear as well as an extra helmet and jacket and give it a good shakedown.
I took Friday off from work, and rather lazily got on the road after 10AM headed south on I5. At that time I was still trying to decide my route, but after a bit of consideration it seemed that Hwy 1 would be better on a Friday than on a Sunday, so down by Los Banos I turned on 154 toward Gilroy and then Monterey. So far so good, not the freeway cruiser that the LT was, but that's no surprise. Plenty of power though. Much more bug splat on the helmet visor, but it was a nice day so the wind protection wasn't really missed. The one thing I did miss from the LT - and this may be hard to imagine if you haven't had it - was the cruise control. That is so nice on the freeway!
After wolfing down a sandwich and topping up the tank in Carmel, it was south on 1. This was only the second time I've ridden the Big Sur segment, as most of my riding on 1 has been north of SF rather than south. And my first lesson came early - do not miss any opportunity to pass. If you caught them, they WILL hold you up, and there aren't that many opportunities to pass. If you are in a legal passing zone, and it's clear, you will regret it if you don't get it done. As it was, most of the delays were relatively brief (some folks pull over right away, others never will) and the ride and scenery were as spectular as advertised.
For those who've not ridden this road, it is often heavily trafficked, and road construction is a way of life. The ground the road is built upon is wildly unstable, and portions of the road regularly shift and slide away. But where it's good, it's really good, and the views are always great.
As I approached the south end of the twisty bits I ran into the one thing on the road that's nearly as dreaded as a Good Sam caravan. You guessed it, a Harley group ride! How can those people ride like the own the whole effing road when everyone knows I own the whole effing road!?
Rather than start a whole string on this, I'll let it go......With this, the best part of Friday was over - except for meeting the itinerant artist who believes he is the reincarnation of Eugene Delacroix, but that's for another post.
On Saturday my daughter and I rode up highway 154 into the Santa Ynez valley. This is a very beautiful road with stunning views which led us to the village of Los Olivos. Los Olivos is experiencing a tourist boom from its exposure in the movie "Sideways". It's become quite a thing to try to recreate some of Miles' and Jack's wine tour, and that's how we were celebrating my daughter's birthday - with dad as the designated driver, of course. To that end, we had lunch at a cafe' featured in the movie, followed by my daughter's first tasting at Blackjack Ranch, where they made quite a fuss over her and really added to the day.
Next stop was down the country roads to Solvang to visit its incredible motorcycle museum. <http://www.motosolvang.com/> It is a 'must see' if you are in the area. Lots and lots of beautiful and significant bikes on display, though my two favorites - a Moto-Guzzi V8 replica and a Britten - were both missing on Saturday. My disappointment was tempered by the fact that they were missing because the owner actually rides these bikes rather than just collects them.
We continued due south from the museum, and the road wound back up into the mountains until it finally deposited on a remaining bit of the Old Coast Road, a real piece of motoring history and quite beautiful. Once back on 101, my daughter was dropped off for a night out with her friends . There are limits to the invitations extended to dads!
Sunday AM saw the roadster and me headed back home. We diverted off 101 out through Lompoc and past Vandenberg AFB for a change of pace, then back on to 101 until Atascadero, where it was time to head northeast on Hwy 41. 41 is a great ride, and I recommend it if you're in the area. I'm repeating myself, but it's a great ride with lovely views. 41 links up for a while with 46, and the combined highway passes through Cholame, the site of James Dean's death fifty years ago. There's a monument next to a cafe at this wide spot in the road, so it was a good excuse to stop for a late breakfast before continuing. 41 and 46 go their separate ways again, and parts of 41 continue to make good riding, but all the fun ends at Kettleman City where the long grind up I5 commenced.
After a ride that the mapping software says was 938 miles, how does the roadster compare to the LT? Well, the LT would have been nice on 5, but it's still a grind. On the curves, and pretty much anywhere else, I liked the R1150R more (if it had been raining I might have felt differently!). The LT, especially with good shocks, is remarkably capable on a twisty road, but it's still an awfully big bike. The roadster is easier and less tiring to ride in those circumstances. It sounds nice, it turns great, and both my daughter and finance' like it better than the LT. It's a keeper!
Cheers,
Kurt
