Silver Penguin
Silver Penguin
As promised, the write up of an awesome day out. Fairlaner will be adding a few photos later.
It was early, but far from bright when we left Westminster to join the pack of commuters heading north on the 405 freeway. I led our group of three (a big deal for me, since I'm a dedicated follower of anyone who knows where they are going). Russ followed but his buddy Dean on the Gold Wing was not in sight. When Russ had asked about a Honda rider joining us, I had joked that only if he could keep up with the FJRs. He later proved that he was more than up to the challenge.
Breakfast was in Torrance, where we met Richard (Fairlaner). We both have Chatterboxes, so they were set to the same channel allowing us to communicate. Mine seemed to have a broken record, because every time it clicked on, Richard said it was f*ing cold. I wasn't cold - thanks to the thermals and fleece jammies hidden under my leathers.
Now it was time to challenge the heart of LA traffic. So far, we'd been able to ride at a decent pace in the carpool lane (versus the indecent pace that we would later attain). It was a test of skills just to get across the six lanes to the HOV lane and then hardly worth it because it wasn't really moving. We practiced our clutch slipping and slow riding skills for far too long before giving in to the urge to lane split. Richard and Russ had no problems. Both have a lot of experience at this. I'm new to the skill, and have been practicing on my Ninja. The FJR, with bags on, isn't quite the same. Our Gold Wing friend didn't have much chance, since the space between lanes was tight.
Transitioning to the 10 freeway was via a banked on ramp. Richard warned me about the steep camber, since we had to stop several times. For once, I was able to touch a flat foot to the floor, with even a slight bend to the knee. So this is how it feels! (My left foot was a good 6" above the floor). Richard said it was f*ing cold.
Once onto PCH the riding got a lot better. The sun was out and illuminating the spectacular road between the ocean and the Santa Monica mountains. Traffic was light and we were able to reach somewhere in the vicinity of about 55mph (or was it double that?) There are some nice, sweeping curves along the road which keep it interesting, and enough extra lanes that one doesn't get stuck behind the slugs for long. Gusting winds added some challenges, even for the gargantuan weight of the Wing. Who would have thought that less than 24hrs later, the roads leading up into those mountains would be closed, due to snow. Yes, it snowed here on Wednesday. Richard was right about the temperature.
A short gas stop in San Marcos and then we took the beautiful 154 through the mountains. This is a scenic, well maintained, joy to ride kinda road. We found a few drivers who didn't want to go at FJR speed, but soon got around them. There was one guy with Oklahoma plates, who was using the left turn lanes as part of his cornering line. It was a little scary passing him since he was probably oblivious to there being other people on the road with him. The 246 took us into Solvang and to the motorcycle museum. At the gas stop, Richard had taken off his sweater, before riding into the mountains. Betcha can't guess what he said?
Barabus and Jean, DCarver and TwoWheelNut plus a friend of Barry's met us at the Motorcycle Museum, where we spent a very pleasant couple of hours reminiscing about first bikes, and looking at the spectacular display. Anyone with an interest in motorcycling should spend some time viewing this private collection of magnificently restored bikes.
Our local tour guide took us through the back streets to our lunch stop. We enjoyed food and fellowship, with a lot of laughter. For some reason, the server gave me a soda that was twice the size of everyone else's, and then a second bucket of soda when the food came. If I drank all that, we'd never make it home. Gotta stop HOW many times?
It was very tempting to just sit in the beautiful sunshine, with the food and the friends, all afternoon but we had an appointment with a twisty road. Those with directional ability will chime in and tell you where we went, but it was towards Jalama Beach. The road started off at a normal width and with the application of basic skills, one could whip through those turns with ease. Then the road got narrower. Then they took away the painted lines. Then they added gravel on the turns. Richard's experience allowed him to carry on at warp speed (despite the fact that it was f*ing cold) but I had to ease off the pace. It's taken me a long time to see the wisdom of riding one's own ride. Some of the turns were marked at 10 and 15mph. I don't think we went quite THAT slow, but close to it.
The road meandered down to the beach, revealing some spectacular views. Even if it was f*ing cold, it was worth it to see the sparkly ocean with it's blues and greens subtly blending, the white caps and the mountains. Cue photos! Hope the one of the bikes lined up against the back drop came out well.
From there, we headed home with a blessedly uneventful ride. Our gas stop in Oxnard was no fun. For several reasons, I dislike that town but even more so after the treatment we got there. The pumps no longer take cards, so we had to go inside to pay. I didn't see a problem, when each rider gives a card and a respective pump number. The clerk replaced our designated pumps with random pump numbers. She also snagged $75 on the first card, after hearing that the rider planned to fill the tank (an FJR, not the Wing). I told her no more that $20 on my card since it was for a bike. My $10 of gas was charged to Richard's card. His pump had no money credited to it. My card was credited to a pump with thankfully, no customer. The dipshits who did this had no idea how to correct it, nor had her supervisor. We spent far too long on what should have been a brief stop for gas.
From there, the riding conditions deteriorated as we headed towards LA. For those of you who are envious that we get to ride in January (despite the cold), just picture the 30 miles or so that was done in first gear on the freeway. My left hand was getting shaky. We did split lanes for a little ways, and doing so behind a GoldWing is a breeze. However, it was dark and we were all tired. The risk to benefit ratio had changed. (Unless of course, you're an ex-motorcycle courier).
I got home 13 1/2 hours after setting off, with a big smile on my face and a sore butt. Great ride. Great day. Great people.
Jill
PS Who was it who illicity had TWN's credit card? Take it to Chevron in Oxnard and have some fun.
It was early, but far from bright when we left Westminster to join the pack of commuters heading north on the 405 freeway. I led our group of three (a big deal for me, since I'm a dedicated follower of anyone who knows where they are going). Russ followed but his buddy Dean on the Gold Wing was not in sight. When Russ had asked about a Honda rider joining us, I had joked that only if he could keep up with the FJRs. He later proved that he was more than up to the challenge.
Breakfast was in Torrance, where we met Richard (Fairlaner). We both have Chatterboxes, so they were set to the same channel allowing us to communicate. Mine seemed to have a broken record, because every time it clicked on, Richard said it was f*ing cold. I wasn't cold - thanks to the thermals and fleece jammies hidden under my leathers.
Now it was time to challenge the heart of LA traffic. So far, we'd been able to ride at a decent pace in the carpool lane (versus the indecent pace that we would later attain). It was a test of skills just to get across the six lanes to the HOV lane and then hardly worth it because it wasn't really moving. We practiced our clutch slipping and slow riding skills for far too long before giving in to the urge to lane split. Richard and Russ had no problems. Both have a lot of experience at this. I'm new to the skill, and have been practicing on my Ninja. The FJR, with bags on, isn't quite the same. Our Gold Wing friend didn't have much chance, since the space between lanes was tight.
Transitioning to the 10 freeway was via a banked on ramp. Richard warned me about the steep camber, since we had to stop several times. For once, I was able to touch a flat foot to the floor, with even a slight bend to the knee. So this is how it feels! (My left foot was a good 6" above the floor). Richard said it was f*ing cold.
Once onto PCH the riding got a lot better. The sun was out and illuminating the spectacular road between the ocean and the Santa Monica mountains. Traffic was light and we were able to reach somewhere in the vicinity of about 55mph (or was it double that?) There are some nice, sweeping curves along the road which keep it interesting, and enough extra lanes that one doesn't get stuck behind the slugs for long. Gusting winds added some challenges, even for the gargantuan weight of the Wing. Who would have thought that less than 24hrs later, the roads leading up into those mountains would be closed, due to snow. Yes, it snowed here on Wednesday. Richard was right about the temperature.
A short gas stop in San Marcos and then we took the beautiful 154 through the mountains. This is a scenic, well maintained, joy to ride kinda road. We found a few drivers who didn't want to go at FJR speed, but soon got around them. There was one guy with Oklahoma plates, who was using the left turn lanes as part of his cornering line. It was a little scary passing him since he was probably oblivious to there being other people on the road with him. The 246 took us into Solvang and to the motorcycle museum. At the gas stop, Richard had taken off his sweater, before riding into the mountains. Betcha can't guess what he said?
Barabus and Jean, DCarver and TwoWheelNut plus a friend of Barry's met us at the Motorcycle Museum, where we spent a very pleasant couple of hours reminiscing about first bikes, and looking at the spectacular display. Anyone with an interest in motorcycling should spend some time viewing this private collection of magnificently restored bikes.
Our local tour guide took us through the back streets to our lunch stop. We enjoyed food and fellowship, with a lot of laughter. For some reason, the server gave me a soda that was twice the size of everyone else's, and then a second bucket of soda when the food came. If I drank all that, we'd never make it home. Gotta stop HOW many times?
It was very tempting to just sit in the beautiful sunshine, with the food and the friends, all afternoon but we had an appointment with a twisty road. Those with directional ability will chime in and tell you where we went, but it was towards Jalama Beach. The road started off at a normal width and with the application of basic skills, one could whip through those turns with ease. Then the road got narrower. Then they took away the painted lines. Then they added gravel on the turns. Richard's experience allowed him to carry on at warp speed (despite the fact that it was f*ing cold) but I had to ease off the pace. It's taken me a long time to see the wisdom of riding one's own ride. Some of the turns were marked at 10 and 15mph. I don't think we went quite THAT slow, but close to it.
The road meandered down to the beach, revealing some spectacular views. Even if it was f*ing cold, it was worth it to see the sparkly ocean with it's blues and greens subtly blending, the white caps and the mountains. Cue photos! Hope the one of the bikes lined up against the back drop came out well.
From there, we headed home with a blessedly uneventful ride. Our gas stop in Oxnard was no fun. For several reasons, I dislike that town but even more so after the treatment we got there. The pumps no longer take cards, so we had to go inside to pay. I didn't see a problem, when each rider gives a card and a respective pump number. The clerk replaced our designated pumps with random pump numbers. She also snagged $75 on the first card, after hearing that the rider planned to fill the tank (an FJR, not the Wing). I told her no more that $20 on my card since it was for a bike. My $10 of gas was charged to Richard's card. His pump had no money credited to it. My card was credited to a pump with thankfully, no customer. The dipshits who did this had no idea how to correct it, nor had her supervisor. We spent far too long on what should have been a brief stop for gas.
From there, the riding conditions deteriorated as we headed towards LA. For those of you who are envious that we get to ride in January (despite the cold), just picture the 30 miles or so that was done in first gear on the freeway. My left hand was getting shaky. We did split lanes for a little ways, and doing so behind a GoldWing is a breeze. However, it was dark and we were all tired. The risk to benefit ratio had changed. (Unless of course, you're an ex-motorcycle courier).
I got home 13 1/2 hours after setting off, with a big smile on my face and a sore butt. Great ride. Great day. Great people.
Jill
PS Who was it who illicity had TWN's credit card? Take it to Chevron in Oxnard and have some fun.
Nice to see a group of Guys and Gal having a blast.
