Greetings From California!

[BigBikeBKK]

Just wanted to give a quick shout!

In the middle of a 9 state, 6000 mile US tour with my son. Presently relaxing with family for a few days in northern California.

I'll be back in Thailand at the end of the month. It will be hard to leave my son and the K1200LT behind...

Happy Trails!

Tony

[moe666]

Toney sent you a PM from New Mexico, with numbers give a call if you come thru.

[BigBikeBKK]

Toney sent you a PM from New Mexico, with numbers give a call if you come thru.

Cheers mate, New Mexico in August seems ill advised, especially with the heat wave currently cooking much of the continent.

We're going to stick to the coast where it's nice and cool and slowly make our way up the California, Oregon and Washington coastline, finishing in Seattle where my son will start school this fall.

Ride on!

Tony

[engrin]

The Motorcycle forum misses you. Ride safe

[moe666]

Thanks for the response, Tony yeah it is a bit hot in places but higher up in the mountains not to bad. Enjoy your trip up the coast, highway one is fantastic rode that baby in 1971 and 72 on a BMW R50/5. Ride safe

[NomadJoe]

Hey Tony sounds great! Your son is getting big. Which bike is his? lol Be sure to visit Alice's Restaurant when you pass through the Bay Area. A little piece of motorcycling history that. It's been a meeting place for motorcyclists for over 50 years. The surrounding roads through the redwoods there are breathtaking. Riding along crest on Skyline Blvd. the mountain drops away to the sea on one side and the bay on the other. On the weekends it's not unusual to have 200+ bikes parked at "The Y."

http://www.alicesrestaurant.com/about/

And Tony, check your email.

[NormanW]

Glad you got a BM and not a Harley 555

Enjoy mate.

[nikster]

Wow, amazing trip! The little one is really getting big!

Are you going to make this an annual event & leave the bike there? I mean I think I would, I was thinking about leaving a bike in SF / bay area when I was still going there there 2x per year; but now it looks like it will be only once a year. Even so, having a bike there would be sooooo much nicer than driving one of those shitty american rental cars...

[karlos]

Nice to see your post on here. I was keeping an eye on your adventures via Facebook

When you return you'll be pleased to see i have some more gear, but still lacking an exhaust, nudge nudge wink wink

Enjoy the rest of your time there mate

[bbradsby]

Toney sent you a PM from New Mexico, with numbers give a call if you come thru.

Cheers mate, New Mexico in August seems ill advised, especially with the heat wave currently cooking much of the continent.

We're going to stick to the coast where it's nice and cool and slowly make our way up the California, Oregon and Washington coastline, finishing in Seattle where my son will start school this fall.

Ride on!

Tony

Sweeet... Cali is moto heathen heaven. Doing Big Sur on Highway 1? I'd do the entire coast on Highway 1 if you have at least a week to do it. Just LA to SF is a three day ride on Highway 1, but it's pure moto magic, twisties at the edge of mountains, sea & sky. Doing at least Big Sur is a must, and there's a connecting two-laner at Fort Hunter Ligget Smith that cuts over from Highway 101. Then you can head North to Monterey. In Big Sur, stop over at historic Deetjens Big Sur Inn http://www.deetjens.com/ in a redwood forest canyon along the Pacific Coast Highway. A non-profit historic inn, completely rustic & natural w/o the detriment of room phones nor TVs, it's a very peaceful place. But, call well ahead, as they often fill up. At least get breakfast there, awesome food, and it's just an amazing place.

On PCH, watch your speed as it's highly patrolled. On the other highways, if you go with the flow of traffic and stay out of the fast lane as much as you can, the speed limit is less enforced. Avoid the I-5 superslab like the plague... Pure torture. See pashnit.com for free biker route maps for amazing rides all over the region.

[KRS1]

Definately check out the Malibu/Santa Monica canyons if your down around this area.

Take PCH > Mulholland > (optional or bypass to 23) Sycamore Canyon > 23 > Las Virgenes > Piuma > Los Flores Canyon > Back onto PCH.....this route has Samoeng loop type twisties. Encinal and Decker Canyons are also all nearby and worth checking out.

Dont waste time going through Oxnard bypass via 101 then back to PCH

Angels Crest is another ride to checkout, this route has fast sweepers you can hit at 100mph (160kph) ...alot of riders up there with knee pucks so be careful and stay tight to the right.

Try to avoid these places on the weekends though, CHP is cracking down and gets federal grants to patrol it on the weekends, just got 3 tickets three weeks ago.

This is from Los Flores Canyon, looking down.

Encinal / Decker Canyon area

Los Flores View Point

[moe666]

Definately check out the Malibu/Santa Monica canyons if your down around this area.

Take PCH > Mulholland > (optional or bypass to 23) Sycamore Canyon > 23 > Las Virgenes > Piuma > Los Flores Canyon > Back onto PCH.....this route has Samoeng loop type twisties. Encinal and Decker Canyons are also all nearby and worth checking out.

Dont waste time going through Oxnard bypass via 101 then back to PCH

Angels Crest is another ride to checkout, this route has fast sweepers you can hit at 100mph (160kph) ...alot of riders up there with knee pucks so be careful and stay tight to the right.

Try to avoid these places on the weekends though, CHP is cracking down and gets federal grants to patrol it on the weekends, just got 3 tickets three weeks ago.

This is from Los Flores Canyon, looking down.

Encinal / Decker Canyon area

Los Flores View Point

If you check out some of the you tube stuff fairly dangerous on weekends

[moe666]

Toney, what kind of commets do you get about your son riding with you. I think it is cool you two can ride together.

[KRS1]

If you check out some of the you tube stuff fairly dangerous on weekends

The only dangerous part of Mulholland (a.k.a. Snake) is between the Rock Store and Kanan Dume roads.This is where all the people that ride for show congregate. There's even people that set up photo kiosk out there and take pics of posers on superbikes when they take corners. The whole thing is pretty gay.

The real riders hit Las Flores and the Malibu end of Mulholland after crossing Kanan Dume, really quiet out here 120 mph + no problem, lots of curves, posers on liter bikes fly off the side of the mountain and go missing all the time.

I want to find one of these bikes and send it to Thailand ..lol (ummm maybe that's not such a good idea)

[DLock]

Little fella is going to have a lot to talk about at "Show and Tell".

Very envious. Have a great and safe trip.

[loserlazer]

good trip big bike BKK

It is good to see adventures from abroad.

See you in teh forum soon then!

[monty1412]

hey Tony, Brian and i were only talking about you the other day while enjoying a beer or three in Chaing Kong.

Glad to see trip is going well and think its great you get time to spend with your son... imagine you are taking it a bit slower than the Gixer on highway 11 hey??

Chiang Mai still as great as ever... have to organise a ride when you get back

cheers Rob

[submaniac]

Hey Tony! Totally missed seeing this thread until now. Are you gonna be in SoCal anytime? (Or did you already leave to see the rest of the 8 other states?)