Watching the MotoGP race at newcombs is a longstanding tradition amongst the area's motorcycle enthusiasts. Sunday rides on race days are started a little later than usual, so you get to nukes in time to get a good seat and watch the boys duke it out. It's one of those synergistics relationships between TV and real life.
This past sunday, i woke up around noon and realized that since i had nothing better to do, i'd meet up with the SCS guys and head up to nukes. The weather report was grim, though the weatherman assured me that the sunday stormfront was due in the evening, well after I'd get home and be warm, picking over leftovers.
The ride out to the shell was uneventful, I was running a little late, so i was hustling to get up to the tree and catch the SCS ride and ride up with them to Nukes.
On the way, saw the SUV and Stout setting up shop on the lower part of the mountain, and given the miserable weather all weekend, the roads were pretty empty. About a mile before the Ranger Station, I came upon a pretty gnarly wreck--I'm not sure exactly what happened, but from what i could tell, a rider went head-on with a neon. The bike was utterly destroyed, front end of the car also destroyed, and the rider on the other side of the road, being comforted by his friend, whilst bleeding profusely out of his nose and mouth. I'm not an expert, and only got a quick survey of the scene, but it appeared that the rider went wide and crossed the DY, though considering the road at that point, it was a little curious because it wasn't an especially hairy turn. Could've been a simple brain fart or too much speed, but since i didn't see pieces of the rider strewn across the road, i'm gonna chalk it up to the former.
It was my first up-close accident scene, and it wasn't a pleasant thing to think about as i made my way up forest. A little extra brake, a little less lean, a little more vigilance in every corner--i didn't break any speed records as i trekked along the road at 55 mph. It didn't help that it was freezing cold and my hands were freezing around my clip-ons. I closed every vent on my well-venting helmet, and tried to tuck as well as i know how. When i got to the tree i didn't see any of the guys, so I made my way back down forest. I wondered if i should head up 9-mile to watch the race, or take a hint from mother nature and head home.
Since i'm dumb, i decided to go to nukes. Nevermind the snow on the side of the road, and the wet spots on the upper part of the crest that could've easily been patches of ice. I shivered every inch of the way, and waded through the high sierra mist; when i finally got to newcombs, i took a good 2 minutes to lovingly embrace my tires and exhaust heat shield--just to get some warmth back in my fingers.
The guys were inside and i caught the tail end of the 250 race. On a sunny race day, Newcomb's is absolutely packed with bikes. This sunday there were 6 bikes up there. I guess 6 of us were dumb enough to ride up in that kind of weather. It was even dumber when it started to actively rain, and the mist got even thicker.
No pictures, but visibility was 30' at best, assuming your visor wasn't fogged. The ride down was the slowest ride down ever undertaken by a group of 4 motorcycles. 35 mph until halfway down the upper crest, and every agonizing second was cold, nerveracking, and painful.
Once in the lower elevations, it warmed up and dried up. At the shell it was almost pleasant. And news from CHP Officer Coleman (who stopped by the shell to shoot the shit with us, nice guy) was that there was no news about the downed rider. I'm hoping that means he pulled through.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
OT: so i got myself a camera
And i'm going to try to use it to take video.
It's a canon SD400, which is marvelously small, and thanks to the wonderful world of craigslist, really cheap.
a 4GB memory card is in the mail, and now i just need to figure out how to mount the thing to the bike or my helmet.
We're going multimedia here at "The Crest!"
It's a canon SD400, which is marvelously small, and thanks to the wonderful world of craigslist, really cheap.
a 4GB memory card is in the mail, and now i just need to figure out how to mount the thing to the bike or my helmet.
We're going multimedia here at "The Crest!"
Ride Summary 4/14/07
So i finally made it to the shell on time to ride with the SCS guys. in spite of the fact that i was out the night before, and got to bed at around 3:30 am, i woke up bright and early at 7:45 (which i can never do for school) and made my way out to LC-F. It was nice not having to haul ass to get to the spot on time, and actually having time to pee, drink a gatorade, get gas, and shoot the shit.
The SCS ride was pretty big, 20+ bikes, varying skill levels. There are the club racers, and the new guys, and the guys that like to take it slow because they're smart. I felt like i should be in the middle of the pack, but for some reason, took off with the smart guys. They took it real easy up the crest and left about 5 minutes before everyone else so they'd get there at about the same time, and i didn't want to pull DY passes to get ahead so i stopped at the ranger station to get my earplugs in and wait for the rest of the group.
The rest of the group came rumbling by, and i fell into line at the back. Not that i resent the backmarkers because it's fine if they want to ride a certain speed which may be slower than my pace, but after making a few passes i got stuck behind a guy who wasn't checking his mirrors, or wasn't aware that i wanted to get by him. It's hard to not be a dick when someone doesn't recognize your hi-beam requests to get by, so i stayed in that position, resigned to crawling up to newcombs.
The SCS ride starts at the shell, goes to newcomb's for breakfast/refreshments, and then heads out to the tree. This is counter to the way i usually hit the crest, which is generally tree, then nukes via 9 mile. So it was a little weird, and really cold bullshitting up there at nukes, but after an hour or so, a group of us headed out to the tree. Pretty much the fast guys, and me.
After the previous day's ride (Big Bear, in particular) i felt like i lost a little bit of canyon carving innocence. Like i said, the speeds at which i'm riding the canyons are getting to be a little high, and i'm going to have to start doing trackdays to get my fix in a safe and legal manner. Still, the pace set by the "fast guys" was fast enough to challenge me all the way out to the tree. 9 mile i felt ok, but my favorite section of forest was an absolute blur. I've never ridden it that fast, but i mostly kept up with the group and felt OK (like i wasn't outriding myself or the bike) about the ride out to the tree.
At the tree, i let R jump on the daytona and take it for a spin. It was a thrilling sight to see him buzz the tree at a very high rate of speed. The bike sounds beautiful when you're in the saddle, but lord it sounds even better when you're not on the bike. A little quiet, due to the stock exhaust, but still every bit the symphony everyone gushes about when it comes to the 675.
Leaving the tree, the winds picked up and made the ride back down absolutely hair raising. The problem with having a feather light bike is that a gust of wind will totally interfere with the direction you're traveling, so you have to be able to adjust quickly to it. I made it back down in one piece though, and had a great time. I'll be out there this saturday to be sure.
The SCS ride was pretty big, 20+ bikes, varying skill levels. There are the club racers, and the new guys, and the guys that like to take it slow because they're smart. I felt like i should be in the middle of the pack, but for some reason, took off with the smart guys. They took it real easy up the crest and left about 5 minutes before everyone else so they'd get there at about the same time, and i didn't want to pull DY passes to get ahead so i stopped at the ranger station to get my earplugs in and wait for the rest of the group.
The rest of the group came rumbling by, and i fell into line at the back. Not that i resent the backmarkers because it's fine if they want to ride a certain speed which may be slower than my pace, but after making a few passes i got stuck behind a guy who wasn't checking his mirrors, or wasn't aware that i wanted to get by him. It's hard to not be a dick when someone doesn't recognize your hi-beam requests to get by, so i stayed in that position, resigned to crawling up to newcombs.
The SCS ride starts at the shell, goes to newcomb's for breakfast/refreshments, and then heads out to the tree. This is counter to the way i usually hit the crest, which is generally tree, then nukes via 9 mile. So it was a little weird, and really cold bullshitting up there at nukes, but after an hour or so, a group of us headed out to the tree. Pretty much the fast guys, and me.
After the previous day's ride (Big Bear, in particular) i felt like i lost a little bit of canyon carving innocence. Like i said, the speeds at which i'm riding the canyons are getting to be a little high, and i'm going to have to start doing trackdays to get my fix in a safe and legal manner. Still, the pace set by the "fast guys" was fast enough to challenge me all the way out to the tree. 9 mile i felt ok, but my favorite section of forest was an absolute blur. I've never ridden it that fast, but i mostly kept up with the group and felt OK (like i wasn't outriding myself or the bike) about the ride out to the tree.
At the tree, i let R jump on the daytona and take it for a spin. It was a thrilling sight to see him buzz the tree at a very high rate of speed. The bike sounds beautiful when you're in the saddle, but lord it sounds even better when you're not on the bike. A little quiet, due to the stock exhaust, but still every bit the symphony everyone gushes about when it comes to the 675.
Leaving the tree, the winds picked up and made the ride back down absolutely hair raising. The problem with having a feather light bike is that a gust of wind will totally interfere with the direction you're traveling, so you have to be able to adjust quickly to it. I made it back down in one piece though, and had a great time. I'll be out there this saturday to be sure.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Ride Summary 4/13/07
So i put in over 200 miles on the bike today, without even realizing it was friday the 13th. i'm not a superstitious person, but considering the amount of riding i did today, in retrospect maybe it was a dumb thing to be in the saddle that long on a day like today.
Which is all hogwash. Perfect SoCal weather, though a tad windy. Made my way out to idyllwild and the 243 to meet up with C, whom i've never ridden with before. C is young and a little crazy, but a good kid, and not without hope. The 243 was characteristically beautiful, but uncharacteristically trafficky. Ended up stuck behind Vans, SUV's, Campers, and slow drivers in every good section of the road, and didn't get an opportunity to work up a rhythm on what is a very rhythmic road. There was a moment, early, on the 243 where we were passing a RV over the double yellow and i rolled on a little too hard--grip on the double yellow paint is much lower than it is on asphalt, as i found out. Felt the rear end slip out about 8" on me, but caught it before it got serious. Felt like Vale for a second. A dumb, slow vale...
Made my way up to Big Bear with C after that (he lives close to there) and got my first taste of the 18. Jesus H. Christ, is that road incredibly fast. It helps that it's 2 lanes up to the crestline (CA 138) junction, and it's mostly fast sweepers all the way up. We were flying up the 18, and i started to get tired and had some issues in a long carousel when i touched down a hard part, lost concentration, let off, and started to fall even futher in a lean without the speed to maintain it. I straightened the bike up and went on my merry way, but it was a sobering moment--i'd never touched a hard part previously on the 675, and it was WAY down there. I'd have to be going really fast to do it. And i was. Scary at that speed and on a road like that. That incident, in combination with my double yellow "back it in" moment on the 243 was perhaps Friday the 13th being passive aggressive about trying to kill me.
Stopped and turned around, and realized that i was making a subtle form mistake when i was hanging off. I was getting my butt off the seat, but i wasn't moving my upper body with it. On the way down, i felt much better hanging off the bike and the bike was much smoother, though i realize i need to work on the smoothness with which i transition from one side to the other.
It was a good day of riding, and there's more in store for tomorrow.
Which is all hogwash. Perfect SoCal weather, though a tad windy. Made my way out to idyllwild and the 243 to meet up with C, whom i've never ridden with before. C is young and a little crazy, but a good kid, and not without hope. The 243 was characteristically beautiful, but uncharacteristically trafficky. Ended up stuck behind Vans, SUV's, Campers, and slow drivers in every good section of the road, and didn't get an opportunity to work up a rhythm on what is a very rhythmic road. There was a moment, early, on the 243 where we were passing a RV over the double yellow and i rolled on a little too hard--grip on the double yellow paint is much lower than it is on asphalt, as i found out. Felt the rear end slip out about 8" on me, but caught it before it got serious. Felt like Vale for a second. A dumb, slow vale...
Made my way up to Big Bear with C after that (he lives close to there) and got my first taste of the 18. Jesus H. Christ, is that road incredibly fast. It helps that it's 2 lanes up to the crestline (CA 138) junction, and it's mostly fast sweepers all the way up. We were flying up the 18, and i started to get tired and had some issues in a long carousel when i touched down a hard part, lost concentration, let off, and started to fall even futher in a lean without the speed to maintain it. I straightened the bike up and went on my merry way, but it was a sobering moment--i'd never touched a hard part previously on the 675, and it was WAY down there. I'd have to be going really fast to do it. And i was. Scary at that speed and on a road like that. That incident, in combination with my double yellow "back it in" moment on the 243 was perhaps Friday the 13th being passive aggressive about trying to kill me.
Stopped and turned around, and realized that i was making a subtle form mistake when i was hanging off. I was getting my butt off the seat, but i wasn't moving my upper body with it. On the way down, i felt much better hanging off the bike and the bike was much smoother, though i realize i need to work on the smoothness with which i transition from one side to the other.
It was a good day of riding, and there's more in store for tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
OT: video cameras and digi cams
I know it's boring to read my novels with no pictures, so i'm working on getting a compact digicam to take pics. I've taken the D70 with me on some rides, but it's just too big to be convenient. I'm looking for a canon digital elph, or comparable, so there'll be more pretty pictures of overweight guys in leather suits forthcoming.
i'm also wondering about what sort of vid camera to get. granted, it's not like i have such superior skills that videos of me riding the crest will be anything but boring, but i'd like to have a setup for track days and possibly commuting (for evidence in traffic accidents), and making boring videos on the crest :)
the race car guys i know are using the canon ZR series, which i've been told sucks. Keep in mind that while i know cameras ok, i know squat about video. I've seen some guys take video with their digicams and a very large video card, which might be an economical solution as well. The other option is a tank mounted video mount, or a remote bullet cam connected to a camera, mounted somewhere on the bike or on my helmet. suggestions are most welcome.
i'm also wondering about what sort of vid camera to get. granted, it's not like i have such superior skills that videos of me riding the crest will be anything but boring, but i'd like to have a setup for track days and possibly commuting (for evidence in traffic accidents), and making boring videos on the crest :)
the race car guys i know are using the canon ZR series, which i've been told sucks. Keep in mind that while i know cameras ok, i know squat about video. I've seen some guys take video with their digicams and a very large video card, which might be an economical solution as well. The other option is a tank mounted video mount, or a remote bullet cam connected to a camera, mounted somewhere on the bike or on my helmet. suggestions are most welcome.
Ride Summary 4/6/07 and 4/7/07
S has told me that i'm the luckiest guy out there. I get to ride the canyons on weekdays, which i don't do enough, it seems. But this particular friday, V and I got to take a late afternoon ride up Azusa Canyon.
V works for the City of LA as an engineer, on-site in a very far away place, and doesn't get alot of weekdays off. Add to that that he's a reluctant work-a-holic, and it adds up to him not getting much time to ride. So it was nice to get up into the canyons on a really nice friday afternoon (compared to a really shitty saturday morning, described later) and explore my own backyard.
I'd ridden Azusa a couple of times. Halfway up west fork (San Gabriel Canyon Rd) and up east fork to GMR/GRR/Mt Baldy. I'd hated GMR and GRR for various reasons, but West fork is really nice. it's fast and a little short, but still a nice ride when combined with the lower part of azusa canyon, especially with low traffic (not alot of passing opportunities up there). Unfortunately, the giant storms of 04/05 wiped out the road that connected San Gabriel Canyon Rd to ACH (oh god, what a ride that must have been) as well as portions of ACH. Local riders surmise that Cal-trans won't be fixing the road anytime soon, so we're getting a stilted version of the CA HWY 39.
The daytona was typically marvelous, but V's K5 was troublesome. we've been trying to dial in the suspension on that bike for months now, and it just never seems to be as crisp and as solid as you'd expect a Gixxer to be. At the road closure, we switched bikes and i flogged the hell out of it on the way down for a few miles, and through the fast stuff, it seemed like the bike didn't want to lean. through the tight technical stuff, more of the same with some bouncy-shock action. I felt like the tires were low on pressure (they weren't), but it could also be because my bike is alot easier to get over than his.
His k5 has pilot races on, and they've seen lots of miles (down to the wear bars), so it could be that they're flat spotted and need to be replaced. For all the tinkering we've done on that suspension, it's pretty much the only thing that hasn't been replaced. At some point we'll get the set of pirelli's in my garage on the thing and hope it starts handling like it should.
Azusa regulars always say there's less cops up there, but it seems like there's enough to get you into serious trouble. On ACH, you're always afraid of stout popping out of a pine cone and busting your ass, so you have restraint built into your system. on azusa, 1) there's less riders coming up and down to give you any reliable info on where the bulls are hiding 2) it's ridden much faster (relative to posted speed limits) than the crest, well portions of it anyway. I envision myself getting caught doing very ugly speeds on this road and getting a CHiP rammed up my ass...
Saturday morning i was supposed to meet up with S to ride the crest with the SCS guys. I woke up mostly on time for the 10am meet. but when i did wake up, the weather was nasty. Threatening clouds made me want to go back to bed, but the crest was calling. The ride over to the shell was just as nasty, as the drizzle made me wonder if i should just turn around and go home, but i continued on. S was nowhere to be seen, and the clouds shrouded the mountains like stink on shit. I decided to give it a look see, because oftentimes, when the weather sucks down here, it's nice on the crest above a certain elevation. I was hoping that elevation wasn't too high up, so i made my way up the dampened lower portion of the crest. about 2 miles past the country club, i decided that this was too nasty to continue. visibility was shit (20 or 30 feet), the drizzle wasn't letting up (and my tires aren't exactly the best wet weather tires-supercorsa pro's have no tread pattern on the sides to maximize dry grip), so i turned around and went back down.
Later reports said that the weather cleared up around the AFH turn off (aka at the Ranger Station) and was beautiful beyond.
V works for the City of LA as an engineer, on-site in a very far away place, and doesn't get alot of weekdays off. Add to that that he's a reluctant work-a-holic, and it adds up to him not getting much time to ride. So it was nice to get up into the canyons on a really nice friday afternoon (compared to a really shitty saturday morning, described later) and explore my own backyard.
I'd ridden Azusa a couple of times. Halfway up west fork (San Gabriel Canyon Rd) and up east fork to GMR/GRR/Mt Baldy. I'd hated GMR and GRR for various reasons, but West fork is really nice. it's fast and a little short, but still a nice ride when combined with the lower part of azusa canyon, especially with low traffic (not alot of passing opportunities up there). Unfortunately, the giant storms of 04/05 wiped out the road that connected San Gabriel Canyon Rd to ACH (oh god, what a ride that must have been) as well as portions of ACH. Local riders surmise that Cal-trans won't be fixing the road anytime soon, so we're getting a stilted version of the CA HWY 39.
The daytona was typically marvelous, but V's K5 was troublesome. we've been trying to dial in the suspension on that bike for months now, and it just never seems to be as crisp and as solid as you'd expect a Gixxer to be. At the road closure, we switched bikes and i flogged the hell out of it on the way down for a few miles, and through the fast stuff, it seemed like the bike didn't want to lean. through the tight technical stuff, more of the same with some bouncy-shock action. I felt like the tires were low on pressure (they weren't), but it could also be because my bike is alot easier to get over than his.
His k5 has pilot races on, and they've seen lots of miles (down to the wear bars), so it could be that they're flat spotted and need to be replaced. For all the tinkering we've done on that suspension, it's pretty much the only thing that hasn't been replaced. At some point we'll get the set of pirelli's in my garage on the thing and hope it starts handling like it should.
Azusa regulars always say there's less cops up there, but it seems like there's enough to get you into serious trouble. On ACH, you're always afraid of stout popping out of a pine cone and busting your ass, so you have restraint built into your system. on azusa, 1) there's less riders coming up and down to give you any reliable info on where the bulls are hiding 2) it's ridden much faster (relative to posted speed limits) than the crest, well portions of it anyway. I envision myself getting caught doing very ugly speeds on this road and getting a CHiP rammed up my ass...
Saturday morning i was supposed to meet up with S to ride the crest with the SCS guys. I woke up mostly on time for the 10am meet. but when i did wake up, the weather was nasty. Threatening clouds made me want to go back to bed, but the crest was calling. The ride over to the shell was just as nasty, as the drizzle made me wonder if i should just turn around and go home, but i continued on. S was nowhere to be seen, and the clouds shrouded the mountains like stink on shit. I decided to give it a look see, because oftentimes, when the weather sucks down here, it's nice on the crest above a certain elevation. I was hoping that elevation wasn't too high up, so i made my way up the dampened lower portion of the crest. about 2 miles past the country club, i decided that this was too nasty to continue. visibility was shit (20 or 30 feet), the drizzle wasn't letting up (and my tires aren't exactly the best wet weather tires-supercorsa pro's have no tread pattern on the sides to maximize dry grip), so i turned around and went back down.
Later reports said that the weather cleared up around the AFH turn off (aka at the Ranger Station) and was beautiful beyond.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Ride Summary 3/31/07
And, i know this blog is dedicated to the crest, but there are times when a man wishes to dine on something other than bread. Sunday morning, i ignored the "come to church" phone calls from my parents and headed out into the vast expanse of the 909. destination: idyllwild. Met up w/ A and R at the diamond bar denny's (stones' throw from my hs alma mater) and made our way out to riverside to meet up with the deep 909 guys.
riding to riverside is generally something i'd look at with untold dread. straight freeway shot, to a seemingly distant destination, with lots of mixed traffic (aka, lots of big rigs). but at 8:30 am on a sunday, it's not bad. A leisurely pace to the meeting spot, and after no more than 30 mins, we were there.
if i ride the crest w/ an internet group, it's generally a 5-10 bike group. the 909 likes to roll deep, and we had a "small" group of 16 that made our way to idyllwild, of varying skill levels and w/ a number of different bikes.
Idyllwild is located in riverside county, in a solitary mountain range in the middle of the desert. Sandwiched between riverside and palm desert, the principle route through the random alpine environs and into the desert are CA-243 and CA-74. I hadn't been to idyllwild since...i wanna say 1984, when i was a 6 year old kid who loved lighting shit on fire. not only because of the passage of time, but the general impregnability of the 909 area code, idyllwild just seems far.
it's not. all told, continuous travel times would have been approximately 45 mins from my house (in the east 626), which is only 10-15 mins longer than it takes me to get to the crest.
Before i have to divide this post into chapters, we'll get into the road. The 243 snakes up the mountain face, and the climb up is nothing short of glorious. Fast, yet technical sequences remind me of GMR, except with much more room and vision around corners, and without the debris. I was riding midpack, and taking what i had learned the day before (see report for 3/30) about the 675, quickly caught a rhythm and found myself engaged in a 2-wheeled ballet up the mountain. The view from up there is also spectacular, and the whole first 10 miles of the 243 makes for awesome photo-ops. There was a scary moment in a right hander though: as i started to get the bike leaned over, i must have hit a rock of some sort, and felt the front end get airborne just a tad (which is always scary in a lean), but the tires re-established contact and maintained grip. if i was unluckier in life, it would have been a lowside, possibly right off the mountain face. So it serves as a reminder: keep your eyes forward and scanning for potential dangers!
At an intermediate stop, i looked at my front tire to find a nasty gash in it. After deciding to "take it easy" and not risk blowing out the front tire, i decided to continue on, at a more leisurely pace (well, as leisurely as one can manage up there).
Reaching the gas station in the commercial center of idyllwild, the town, we noticed we were a few bikes short. A shows up 5 mins later with a rashed up R1 and a nasty scrape on his knee. of course it's on a day when he's not wearing leathers (neither am i). Apparently, the insane amounts of gravel and red cedar through the middle section of the 243 claimed A's knee and left fairing when a suicide squirrel darted out in front of A, he dodged, then dodged the oncoming van, only to lose the rear tire and lay it down at about 40 mph. one of those unfortunate occurences, though personally i'm hitting the squirrel 101 times out of 100 and hoping the front tire doesn't go FUBAR. anyway, with the knowhow and saavy of a few health care practitioners in the group, he gets the wound H2O2'd and bandaged. 4 of us decide to pack it in early and head home down the 74 (into hemet.) The 74 west is also a nice road, reminiscnet of Forest, but with longer turns. In light of all of the things that happened on this ride, and my ticket, i'm not pushing it through the long, fast hairpins, and lose R riding in front of me. We stop to take a break and give A a chance to rest his bloody knee when the rest of the group rolls up--bad omens like an unavoidable lowside, or even my invisible rock episode were enough to get everyone to pack it in early.
we ride down into hemet and a bunch of "colored" guys on crotch rockets invade the local carl's jr. i hear at least 3 different discussions going on simultaneously about "bike riders"--some favorable, others scornful. i guess it's not something you fully understand until you get on a bike and try to get a knee down. i suppose that's a whole other post right there...
anyway, after lunch we make our way back through what might be the most po'dunk hamlets and cowtowns the 909 has to offer. Think harris ranch/coalinga, liberally sprinkled thorughout riverside county...it was a long ride back to the 15 and eventually home, but being tasked with making sure A got home safe, i made sure we took it nice and easy and we got back ok. It was a good weekend of riding, but not without heavy cost (front tire, ticket, A's knee) or the reminder that canyon riding is no time to get lazy about wearing gear.
riding to riverside is generally something i'd look at with untold dread. straight freeway shot, to a seemingly distant destination, with lots of mixed traffic (aka, lots of big rigs). but at 8:30 am on a sunday, it's not bad. A leisurely pace to the meeting spot, and after no more than 30 mins, we were there.
if i ride the crest w/ an internet group, it's generally a 5-10 bike group. the 909 likes to roll deep, and we had a "small" group of 16 that made our way to idyllwild, of varying skill levels and w/ a number of different bikes.
Idyllwild is located in riverside county, in a solitary mountain range in the middle of the desert. Sandwiched between riverside and palm desert, the principle route through the random alpine environs and into the desert are CA-243 and CA-74. I hadn't been to idyllwild since...i wanna say 1984, when i was a 6 year old kid who loved lighting shit on fire. not only because of the passage of time, but the general impregnability of the 909 area code, idyllwild just seems far.
it's not. all told, continuous travel times would have been approximately 45 mins from my house (in the east 626), which is only 10-15 mins longer than it takes me to get to the crest.
Before i have to divide this post into chapters, we'll get into the road. The 243 snakes up the mountain face, and the climb up is nothing short of glorious. Fast, yet technical sequences remind me of GMR, except with much more room and vision around corners, and without the debris. I was riding midpack, and taking what i had learned the day before (see report for 3/30) about the 675, quickly caught a rhythm and found myself engaged in a 2-wheeled ballet up the mountain. The view from up there is also spectacular, and the whole first 10 miles of the 243 makes for awesome photo-ops. There was a scary moment in a right hander though: as i started to get the bike leaned over, i must have hit a rock of some sort, and felt the front end get airborne just a tad (which is always scary in a lean), but the tires re-established contact and maintained grip. if i was unluckier in life, it would have been a lowside, possibly right off the mountain face. So it serves as a reminder: keep your eyes forward and scanning for potential dangers!
At an intermediate stop, i looked at my front tire to find a nasty gash in it. After deciding to "take it easy" and not risk blowing out the front tire, i decided to continue on, at a more leisurely pace (well, as leisurely as one can manage up there).
Reaching the gas station in the commercial center of idyllwild, the town, we noticed we were a few bikes short. A shows up 5 mins later with a rashed up R1 and a nasty scrape on his knee. of course it's on a day when he's not wearing leathers (neither am i). Apparently, the insane amounts of gravel and red cedar through the middle section of the 243 claimed A's knee and left fairing when a suicide squirrel darted out in front of A, he dodged, then dodged the oncoming van, only to lose the rear tire and lay it down at about 40 mph. one of those unfortunate occurences, though personally i'm hitting the squirrel 101 times out of 100 and hoping the front tire doesn't go FUBAR. anyway, with the knowhow and saavy of a few health care practitioners in the group, he gets the wound H2O2'd and bandaged. 4 of us decide to pack it in early and head home down the 74 (into hemet.) The 74 west is also a nice road, reminiscnet of Forest, but with longer turns. In light of all of the things that happened on this ride, and my ticket, i'm not pushing it through the long, fast hairpins, and lose R riding in front of me. We stop to take a break and give A a chance to rest his bloody knee when the rest of the group rolls up--bad omens like an unavoidable lowside, or even my invisible rock episode were enough to get everyone to pack it in early.
we ride down into hemet and a bunch of "colored" guys on crotch rockets invade the local carl's jr. i hear at least 3 different discussions going on simultaneously about "bike riders"--some favorable, others scornful. i guess it's not something you fully understand until you get on a bike and try to get a knee down. i suppose that's a whole other post right there...
anyway, after lunch we make our way back through what might be the most po'dunk hamlets and cowtowns the 909 has to offer. Think harris ranch/coalinga, liberally sprinkled thorughout riverside county...it was a long ride back to the 15 and eventually home, but being tasked with making sure A got home safe, i made sure we took it nice and easy and we got back ok. It was a good weekend of riding, but not without heavy cost (front tire, ticket, A's knee) or the reminder that canyon riding is no time to get lazy about wearing gear.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Ride Summary 3/30/07
Well, it finally happened. I got my first ticket on the crest. 63 in a 45, and i deserved every last bit of it.
But before i get into why i'm a total dumbass, we'll talk about the ride itself. Headed up the crest with a couple of friends and did the standard ACH>AFH (tree)>9 mile>ACH (Nukes)>ACH (home) ride. We got a bit of a late start, and it was eerily quiet on a saturday morning, given that there were no bikes at the shell at 11am. Though most people depart the shell by 10-ish, there's usually the late group that will meet and head up a little later in the day.
Weather was perfect, it was warm at the bottom, a brisk 60-ish on the crest, sun shining, and the road mostly clear of debris. Heading up AFH, i began to hit my groove once past the tunnel (and on my favorite section of Forest). This part of forest consists of very fast sweepers, and is especially wide and with good visibility. It's a perfect section to get your knee down with relative safety (good vis, lots of runoff, and in some of the faster corners, a passing lane for extra width), and i began to finally learn what the daytona is all about.
I'd previously had issues with holding a line on this bike. not that the bike can't hold a line, but it turns too well. Well, i finally learned what the triumph expects of me mid-corner.
At turn in, the bike drops quickly into a lean, and as you get to apex, you roll on the throttle--hard--and the bike squats and grunts and slingshots you out of the corner. nary a moment of wheel slip or anything that might be described as upsetting. the feeling of the centripetal acceleration as you rocket out of the corner is, for lack of a more exciting term, compelling.
So having learned how to ride my bike and take advantage of all the things it does so beautifully, i had a great ride out to the tree, up 9 mile, and to nukes, where we had lunch. I hate to say it, but i'm finally tiring of the food choices up there--for lunch anyway--and we shot the shit. Even at nukes it was quiet, not many riders at all. Got the report on where the chippies were hanging out (mostly at the bottom).
The ride down was fine, standard debris issues on upper ACH, some traffic, but still wonderful. At the ranger station we got some head taps from riders on the way up, and we toned it down--though downhill on lower ACH is generally toned down due to traffic. Passing the vista point on the right side, i relished the opportunity to roll on one last time before the long dark of minivans and SUV's made the rest of the ride a chore. I knew the bulls were close, but didn't see them so i rolled on.
I should've saw them, or practiced some self control, because sure enough just as i finished track out and started to slow down, there they were. waiting for me. 2 SUV's (CHP and Park ranger) and wrote me up. My insurance rates will not be pleased.
But before i get into why i'm a total dumbass, we'll talk about the ride itself. Headed up the crest with a couple of friends and did the standard ACH>AFH (tree)>9 mile>ACH (Nukes)>ACH (home) ride. We got a bit of a late start, and it was eerily quiet on a saturday morning, given that there were no bikes at the shell at 11am. Though most people depart the shell by 10-ish, there's usually the late group that will meet and head up a little later in the day.
Weather was perfect, it was warm at the bottom, a brisk 60-ish on the crest, sun shining, and the road mostly clear of debris. Heading up AFH, i began to hit my groove once past the tunnel (and on my favorite section of Forest). This part of forest consists of very fast sweepers, and is especially wide and with good visibility. It's a perfect section to get your knee down with relative safety (good vis, lots of runoff, and in some of the faster corners, a passing lane for extra width), and i began to finally learn what the daytona is all about.
I'd previously had issues with holding a line on this bike. not that the bike can't hold a line, but it turns too well. Well, i finally learned what the triumph expects of me mid-corner.
At turn in, the bike drops quickly into a lean, and as you get to apex, you roll on the throttle--hard--and the bike squats and grunts and slingshots you out of the corner. nary a moment of wheel slip or anything that might be described as upsetting. the feeling of the centripetal acceleration as you rocket out of the corner is, for lack of a more exciting term, compelling.
So having learned how to ride my bike and take advantage of all the things it does so beautifully, i had a great ride out to the tree, up 9 mile, and to nukes, where we had lunch. I hate to say it, but i'm finally tiring of the food choices up there--for lunch anyway--and we shot the shit. Even at nukes it was quiet, not many riders at all. Got the report on where the chippies were hanging out (mostly at the bottom).
The ride down was fine, standard debris issues on upper ACH, some traffic, but still wonderful. At the ranger station we got some head taps from riders on the way up, and we toned it down--though downhill on lower ACH is generally toned down due to traffic. Passing the vista point on the right side, i relished the opportunity to roll on one last time before the long dark of minivans and SUV's made the rest of the ride a chore. I knew the bulls were close, but didn't see them so i rolled on.
I should've saw them, or practiced some self control, because sure enough just as i finished track out and started to slow down, there they were. waiting for me. 2 SUV's (CHP and Park ranger) and wrote me up. My insurance rates will not be pleased.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Ride Summary, 3/16/07
After my final this morning, i decided to make a quick trip up to nukes to have lunch. Considering that the weather is absolutely perfect today, it was a nice ride up the crest with low traffic and relatively clean conditions (Lower ACH is clean, Upper ACH from Switzers to Upper Big Tujunga is a little messy). Police presence was low for my trips up and down, but the word up at nukes is that they're all over the place this week.
Last weekend, 2 riders went down and suffered serious injuries. Rumors say that they both passed away (RIP), and they were both off duty policemen. CHP has responded by increasing its usual presence from 1 moto-cop and 2 cruisers to something along the lines of 2 and 3 respectively. ACH was chp free, though i did see a cruiser on AFH (from AFC, approaching the ranger station), and others said that there was a cruiser patrolling the near the UBT/Wilson area.
Details on one of the accidents is unknown, but the other is purported to be the result of the rider T-boning a cage (semi-pejorative rider's term for "car") about 2 miles down from newcomb's. The car made an illegal u-turn, right in front of the rider who, in my estimation was probably traveling at a reasonable speed, and that's all she wrote. It's a sobering reminder that in any situation where there's mixed traffic, including motorcycles who may or may not be flying through, that the worst-case scenario lingers just a split second away. It's these kinds of high-profile tragedies that always brings a host negative repercussions for all riders on the crest, whether it's increased CHP presence (which in itself is dangerous*), puts everyone on edge, and makes the Crest collectively anxious for weeks after the incident. I'd like to take this time to make a plea to fellow riders and car traffic on the Crest: Please keep it sane up there, and please be aware of other vehicles!
The bike was a little difficult to manage up the crest (keep in mind this is the first ride up the Crest with the new bike), since it's a totally different bike than my previous. I need to adjust my turn-in points, as well as get used to how easy it is to pitch this thing in. The F4i required alot more work, especially in quick transitions, meaning that i'd do alot of hanging off and working the bike. This bike will turn in on a whim, and barely requires a weight shift to get it leaned over. I found that after getting some food in me (which really helped), turning down the front rebound settings 30 degrees, and keeping my butt in the saddle made for a much better ride down. I found my rhythm quickly and maintained a good pace down the mountain. It also serves to remind me that riding is an activity that not only requires physical precision, but mental as well. Riding tired, hungry, needing to pee can be just enough to cause the one mistake that "smashes your whole shit up." So stay in shape, eat well, and keep the sticky side down!
Last weekend, 2 riders went down and suffered serious injuries. Rumors say that they both passed away (RIP), and they were both off duty policemen. CHP has responded by increasing its usual presence from 1 moto-cop and 2 cruisers to something along the lines of 2 and 3 respectively. ACH was chp free, though i did see a cruiser on AFH (from AFC, approaching the ranger station), and others said that there was a cruiser patrolling the near the UBT/Wilson area.
Details on one of the accidents is unknown, but the other is purported to be the result of the rider T-boning a cage (semi-pejorative rider's term for "car") about 2 miles down from newcomb's. The car made an illegal u-turn, right in front of the rider who, in my estimation was probably traveling at a reasonable speed, and that's all she wrote. It's a sobering reminder that in any situation where there's mixed traffic, including motorcycles who may or may not be flying through, that the worst-case scenario lingers just a split second away. It's these kinds of high-profile tragedies that always brings a host negative repercussions for all riders on the crest, whether it's increased CHP presence (which in itself is dangerous*), puts everyone on edge, and makes the Crest collectively anxious for weeks after the incident. I'd like to take this time to make a plea to fellow riders and car traffic on the Crest: Please keep it sane up there, and please be aware of other vehicles!
The bike was a little difficult to manage up the crest (keep in mind this is the first ride up the Crest with the new bike), since it's a totally different bike than my previous. I need to adjust my turn-in points, as well as get used to how easy it is to pitch this thing in. The F4i required alot more work, especially in quick transitions, meaning that i'd do alot of hanging off and working the bike. This bike will turn in on a whim, and barely requires a weight shift to get it leaned over. I found that after getting some food in me (which really helped), turning down the front rebound settings 30 degrees, and keeping my butt in the saddle made for a much better ride down. I found my rhythm quickly and maintained a good pace down the mountain. It also serves to remind me that riding is an activity that not only requires physical precision, but mental as well. Riding tired, hungry, needing to pee can be just enough to cause the one mistake that "smashes your whole shit up." So stay in shape, eat well, and keep the sticky side down!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
The Tools of the Trade:
So there's a new bike in the collection, and I'm utterly in love with it and relish any possible chance to show it off and tell people about it. But for those who aren't familiar with bikes and gear, this will be an insight into just how much money we blow on all of this crap.
The bike: 2007 Triumph Daytona 675
Released in 2006 to a shower of Moto-Journalist praise, and signaling the 100% legitimized return of the world's oldest bike maker (Triumph), the daytona is, in many opinions, the finest middleweight sportbike ever made. Utilizing a 675cc three cylinder motor, Triumph was able to destroy the competition when it comes to midrange power and torque. The suspension and chassis design is equally slick, making a bike with razor sharp reflexes and effortless flickability. Aesthetically, the thing is just fucking beautiful, especially in black.
The Gear: Shoei X-11 (Ukawa), Teknic Chicane 1-Piece Cowhide Suit, AGV Exocet Gloves, Setup Vision Boots
It'd be hard to not write 23 pages on gear, and i'm sure it'd bore everyone stiff. But a quick description of why it's needed, and then a quick explanation as to why i like my gear will probably be concise enough to hold your attention.
It shouldn't require an explanation as to why a helmet is necessary. And please, leave the half-helmets with the kaiser spike on top at home. unless you like the idea of losing half o' your face in a fall.
Now, imagine being thrown out of a moving car. As you tumble down the asphalt, imagine your skin being torn off of your body, and your flesh being ground off and being replaced by gravel, bits of glass, and whatever else happens to be on the road. I can't stress the importance of gear enough--not only on the Crest, but on your daily commute. The concrete doesn't know that you're just cruising to work, and the cars around you don't notice that you're wearing shorts and flip flops when they change lanes into you. While a full suit may be cumbersome (as well as strange to run errands in), it's certainly what's recommended for a spirited ride up the Crest. Leather will hold up for about 8 seconds, sliding along the road at 60 mph. Denim lasts approximately .5 seconds, and performance textiles have gotten to about 3 or 4. Leather is still the fabric of choice for motorcycles, not because we like to cultivate the image, but because it keeps us from dying. Leather suits have integrated plastic and foam armor, as well as knee pucks and sometimes "speed humps". Besides, you look like a power ranger when you wear full leathers. That's like, so cool.
Boots are often overlooked, but shredding your ankle up is about the first thing that happens in the most common bike crash, called the "lowside." The lowside is when the bike falls out from under you, right onto your ankle, and then applies 400 lbs of weight on top of your ankle as you slide along the asphalt. As well as you think a high-top sneaker would hold up in this scenario, it won't. Riding boots have ankle protection, as well as shin and toe protection, and while it's no guarantee that you won't have bloody feet after a lowslide, it's certainly a step up from chucks. plus, wearing sneakers with full leathers is just bad form.
Gloves: do you like your fingers?
The gear collection i've put together isn't the nicest collection of gear, but it'll do. The x-11 is the best helmet on the market, imo. Awesome venting, good aerodynamics, and feather-light, it makes me positively giddy when i remember how much i paid for it: $125. Thanks Craigslist. The leather suit was also a CL special, and while it doesn't quite fit as well as the Alpinestars in my closet, it's close enough. I'm sure my testicles would disagree, but somehow they were overridden by the bank account. It's also thoroughly perforated, which makes riding in 98 degree SoCal heat a little more bearable. AGV Exocets are marketed as race gloves, but they're not quite up to snuff relative to the high-end gloves on the market. The leather in the palm is a little too soft for my liking, but there's enough carbon/kevlar to make up for it. Just gotta remember to land with my palms up. I'd love a set of kangaroo leather Held race gloves, but until someone paypals me $250, it's not happening in the immediate future. Setup Visions are made by Sidi, motorcycle booting's #1 manufacturer, but lacks the bells and whistles of their Signature line and top-flight race boots. Still, they're comfy, protect all the right places, and were affordable. I'd recommend them to the casual rider.
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