I spent the past weekend in the Sequoia's with 10 companions from SCS on an extended group ride. The Central Sierras is home to some of the state's best roads, even if you've never experienced them yourself, just a quick look on google maps blows the imagination away. Twisties like that are hard to come by, and guys get excited about roads that are 1/5th the length and a lot more crowded and a lot more dangerous (aka Palomar or Malibu).
The 10 of us found our way to Three Rivers, CA, which is a small town on the shores of Lake Kaweah and minutes away from Sequoia National Park. Hwy 198 runs from the 99 through the park to CA 180, which links to Kings Canyon and Fresno. It's a pretty busy area, as people from all over come to visit the majestic redwoods and experience the natural spectacle of the Sierra Nevadas. On a touring bike it's a beautiful way to experience perfect May weather, scenery, and lots of other tourists. On a balls-to-the-wall sportbike, the scenery is a consolation for the 5mph traffic crawl (just enough to keep you from going crazy), but once you get through the park (which i advise that you skip altogether, due to the traffic and the fact that a federal speeding ticket is not a good thing), it opens up into some beautiful riding. Whizzing through the trees at a modest 80 mph is a pleasant blur of green. Pictured above is our "welcome to the park" lecture by Park Rangers, who probably knew we might be up to no good...
Once through the park and onto the 180, we took a detour to Lake Hume, and eventually found our way to CA 245. CA 245 is the most twisted, technical, challenging road i have ever seen. It runs from CA 180 (elevation 5000 ft) to CA 216 (el. 1000-ish), so you have elevation changes, 4 distinct sets of scenery (High Altitude Forest, to low grasslands), 31 miles of twisties, and nary a cage from one side to the other. In the middle of the road, there's the "Mountain House Saloon" that has some of the best cole slaw around, and a place to kick up your boots and watch a MotoGP race, if you're so inclined.
The road requires that you work your ass off getting the bike back and forth, in the upper section, your butt barely gets settled on the seat, as you toss your body around getting the bike to whip around the continuous switchbacks, tight hairpins, and banked, linked turns. It's some of the most intense riding around, and it doesn't stop unlike pally or little T. It's tough to carry more than 40 mph, but the road is relatively clean, and doesn't have any weird offcamber turns or excessive potholes. I found myself struggling with some of the really tight hairpins, as it was difficult for me to carry much entry speed without knowing what lay in wait for me midcorner, but getting a knee down is almost a foregone conclusion--right before you have to flip it around to the other knee to make the next turn. This road is not for novice riders, and is not for the faint of heart.
Getting to 245 takes about 20 minutes from Three Rivers, and 3.5 hours from LA. Hotels in the area are plentiful, but it bears emphasizing that having gas cans is necessary for bikes without a lot of range. Also having a support truck was essential to enjoying the day--in case a bike goes down or if you want to bring tools or extra visors or snacks with you on your trip.
This road should be a destination for every rider on the West Coast, but bear in mind that it's isolated, but not completely uninhabited. I'm sure the locals wouldn't be thrilled about 50 sportbikes buzzing through their neighborhood at high speeds and putting them in danger--that doesn't mean you can't have fun, but as always respect nature and the inhabitants of your favorite twisties, and don't wear out your welcome.
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