HotRod82

Anyone interested in parking at the Ocotillo Chevron and doing a loop this weekend? No set route, just wander around and maybe head for Borrego or Salton City for lunch and fuel. Intermediate (ish) skill level. Low key, no stress ride!

Mr. bfar33 had his camera out a few times, maybe he'll post them up.

We had a great day. No rain, but the wind came up later in the day after we stopped for fuel in Salton. The dirt is still really good, the sand is still wet underneath. Turned into a pretty big day at 138 miles....good times!

Great. Looks like it may be a little windy, but we'll power through.

You'll probably be OK as I was planning on heading to Salton City or Borrego for fuel. Don't let that stop you from joining us, I'll throw in my little Moose fuel bag for insurance.

Awesome. How about Sunday 8am at the Chevron?

After nearly two years off the bike, I'll be riding again in 30 days. This is without question the longest lay-up off the bike I've ever had. You will all appreciate none of this stemmed from a crash, just a sprained knee that didn't respond to PT, then turned into a tear requiring surgery. The ACL replacement was a decision by me to take care of an old injury while I was under the knife. Long, long, road to recovery but now I'm looking forward to riding with some of you folks again!

50/50 at this point. I checked out the website but didn't see anything about reserving a campsite, first come first serve?

...lurking. I really want to get up there.

It had been some time since I went on any sort of substantial street ride but the time had finally come to pack up my GSPD and hit the road. During the next 5 days, I would cover about 1800 miles, resulting in a fantastic solo ride that could not have gone better. I had planned to head for Moab earlier in the season, but life got in the way and the weather dictated a change of plans. I had not been through the sequoias or Tahoe in years so I decided to head that direction with no set plan. This would mostly be a street ride so I had a new set of 80/20"s mounted up so I could push the airhead in the corners a bit. Day 1 would take me from Alpine to Lake Isabella. I escaped San Diego on a Tuesday by heading east, enjoying the light traffic and grabbing the 79 all the way to Aguanga, up the hill on 371 to then Wilson Valley into Hemet. An uneventful and familiar ride so far, Hemet was broiling and I was relieved to reach the 38 heading up into Big Bear. The big airhead boxer was absolutely humming, making quick work of the climb into cooler temps. Headed west to the rim of the world, the glorious 138. I had a delamination issue with my boots so I had an unscheduled stop in Hesperia to acquire a new set. Time was getting short and it was quite warm so I jumped on 395 for a bit then took the dirt Bowman Rd. across to Walker Pass and finally into Lake Isabella for my first stop. My trusty old friend, the GSPD Lake Isabella My first stop - Paradise Cove. Clean and reasonably priced. Decent food with a full bar. One of the reasons behind my solo ride was to jump start my stalled fitness program. Unfortunately I had a head on collision with a truck in Big Bear weeks before while riding my KTM. The resulting injuries made it impossible to exercise so I was feeling terrible and needed to get the blood pumping again. I rose out of bed early and went for a short run, followed by some push ups and core work. Exercising is tough after you've been laid up a while. Feeling invigorated, I packed up the bike and did a quick pre-flight routine. Everything checked out so off I went, up the 99 along the Kern River. A familiar road I'm sure to those reading this. Not exactly a sporting road with the traffic and such but a nice ride none the less. At the top of the hill, the weather could not have been better, sunny and cool. I continued west on 99 which turns into M50. I decided to take a little side trip down the hill to California Hot Springs as I had not been there in at least a decade. The 15 mile trip down the hill to CA hot springs is fun but you need to be on your game with the logging crews and debris in the road. There are at least 6 very long radius 180's that are a blast on most any bike, rarely do you get to lean in all the way to the center stand and hold it there for what seems like forever. Upon arrival, I put on a pair of shorts, grabbed an ice cold soda and hung out by the pool for an hour chatting with the locals. This is a great stop with a decent sized kitchen and menu along with ice cream and even beer if you are so inclined. I still had lots of ground to cover so I suited up and headed back up the hill to the Great Western Divide road (M90) and to the Trail of Giants. After a nice walk around the trail of giants, I suited up and headed north toward the 190 however before getting there I couldn't resist the dirt road going up to Wolf Point overlook. This was about a 15 mile (roundtrip) side track that was well worth the effort. Aside from a couple of soft sections, this is a big bike friendly trail up to the look out. The old girl with some dirt under her fingernails, her natural state. Back on the tarmac and onto one of the greatest roads in motorcycling....the 190. For those who have not been on it, it's 50 miles of glorious mountain road that is significantly wider than most mountain roads. The turns are perfectly banked and the vegetation is cut back giving you great visibility. The traffic gods were smiling on me as I only encountered two cars on my decent into the valley and they both immediately let me pass. I thought I was taking it pretty easy, however by the time I got to the bottom the front tire was pretty greasy and the front brake required a pretty good pull to get slowed down.....the 190 is pure joy. Once down in the valley, I took Yokohl Valley road across to Visalia where I would call the local Hampton Inn home for the evening. Day 2 had been nothing short of epic and despite the last two hard days, the big GS was purring like a kitten without burning or leaking a drop of oil. Not bad for a 26 year old bike.... Enormous cattle ranches east of Visalia To be continued....

Here it was Friday already and sadly it was time to head home towards San Diego. I had such a great night at the Hard Rock that I considered staying another night but I wanted to take another shot at the 190, going up the hill this time. Heading south out of Tahoe, I took the 88 toward Pine Grove. Again the traffic gods were with me as the traffic was extremely light. I was surprised how many open trails there were going up over the summit, too good to resist so I picked one and headed down into a big canyon and ended up at a remote fishing spot. Amazing how unspoiled this area is. Not a bad way to spend a Friday morning. I climbed my way back out of the canyon and onto the 88 heading west. Toward the base of 88, there is a great little cut-off to the south, the 26 then a pretty quick left onto Railroad Flat Rd. This was a very rural road winding through the farms along the western slope. Zero traffic but livestock and other critters keep you on your toes. I zig- zagged my way down the 49 toward Angels Camp. I began running into the weekend traffic, so I no longer had the road to myself. I got off the 49 and took various farm roads to avoid the traffic, working my way southwest toward the 99. Once on the 99, it was a quick run down to Visalia where I would again stay at the Hampton Inn for the night. Again I was up early Saturday, I skipped the gym because I knew I had a lot of ground to cover as I had promised my wife I would be home today. I backtracked my route from earlier in the week and absolutely attacked the 190. I rarely push it on the street, I typically ride a very civilized pace thus avoiding unnecessary risk and of course speeding tickets - let's just say this wasn't one of those mornings...... Once at the top of the hill and back onto the Western Divide road I returned to my normal pace and headed down to the Kern River. I planned on going to rest of the way home without stopping so I stopped along the river one last time and had lunch. My last lunch stop. Not much rafting going on this year.... Sadly, it was time to go home. The typical route home, 395, 15, across to Hemet, then the back way through Julian to the 8. I arrived home in Alpine about 9PM. All in all, a great week and a great ride. I hope this inspires people to get out there and explore this great back yard we have. Cheers. couple random pics.....

Day 3 - Once again I was up early and utilized the excellent gym onsite at the hotel. The Hampton Inn in Visalia is a great place to stay. Excellent facility within walking distance to good mexican food and a Chevron for fuel. I had a lot of ground to cover so I jumped on the 99 going north to Fresno, then took the 41 to Oakhurst. The amount of construction going on in and around Oakhurst is astounding. I worry the traffic is going to get even worse in this area. To get into Yosemite, I went in the back way through Fish Camp and the west gate. Things got a bit interesting in the toll booth line. The weather was really warm, probably 90 degrees of so, and straddling the air cooled boxer was like sitting on a furnace. I began to get concerned when I could see the 91 octane boiling in the clear in-line fuel filters. I expected the bike to vapor lock and die at any moment but she stayed running. I'm not sure how the Bing carbs continued to function with the fuel boiling out of them...I guess those Krauts know what they are doing. Yosemite was busy for a Thursday, but not so crowded you couldn't find parking. I had forgotten how wonderful the valley and Half Dome village really are. After a few stops and a few pictures, I was off to the 120 headed east toward the 395. Spectacular scenery up over the summit to say the least. Tenaya Lake After the long decent down to the 395, I headed North to Topaz Lake, then west again on the 89 up and over Monitor pass. This is another great road which I highly recommend. Lots of steep climbs and switchbacks and again the traffic gods were on my side...I did not see another soul until I got to the 89/88 junction where I caught up to a group of Harleys. I stayed with this group for maybe 20 miles, but it was getting late and I wanted to get to my next stop which would be the Hard Rock Hotel in Tahoe. HotRod82's version of "bike camping" .... The Hard Rock didn't disappoint, excellent food and drinks. I camped out in the center bar and met some people from Germany....absolutely great day of riding topped off with good conversation. #winning! To be continued....

Given the condition of the motorcycle market in general, I applaud Honda for expanding the line! The 450L looks like a great start, maybe we'll get a lighter and more hardcore "Johnny Campbell edition" in the future?

very nice!

Great to hear something positive, thanks for taking the time to be involved!

The last time I was on Bradshaw 6 weeks ago, the west end of it that is down in the actual wash was a mess from all the Razors. We had several miles of axle deep washboard (razor bumps) that will shake the fillings out of your teeth. It's horrible, but probably dooable for an intermediate rider on a tiger with decent tires. Mojave Trail should be no trouble for you with exception to the west end in Afton Canyon where it can be very soft with several miles of Sand. The other question mark are the water crossings west of Afton Canyon. The last time I went through the one nearest the campground it went over my seat, time before that it was nearly dry. I've had to wade across that crossing more than once to rescue drowned bikes. I would call the NPS to find out if the trail closure on the east end near the fort has been lifted since it washed out last season. Great route overall, have fun!

Pencil me in. I've run Red Cloud several times in last few months, still open although the Proving grounds section has lots of new signs telling the offroaders to stay on the main road. The wash past the mine is a mess, it's really choppy from all the sxs traffic. YumaAdam and I have been mapping the area North of Blythe on the way to Parker and have uncovered a ton of (legal) rarely travelled routes. Such a great area!

No worries.

Sooooo I guess I'm riding solo......

I'm going to try to make this.....but don't wait for me if I'm not there by 8. The gas station you are referring to is the Chevron on the south side of 8 in Ocotillo correct?

We're planning on being down there although the weather might chase us off......

I hate to say it, but your bike is doing exactly what my 07 did right before the bottom end grenaded. I did a complete top end and was assured my rod bearing was within spec, about 50 hours later the bottom end was gone. I too began getting those metal slivers (bearing and/or race material) on the plug magnet but kept running it anyway. Hopefully you will get lucky and that metal was the result of the work that was done and is just now working it's way out. Like CID said, run it! As far as the oil in the window, my 07 was never consistent. I got in the habit of measuring exactly 1.5L going in, then only check the window level with the engine off at full operating temperature. As long as the level was between 1/4 and 3/4 I left it alone.

I've stayed at Brownstown campground and it is decent, only $30 a night with electrical and water. Located about a mile south of Bishop on 395.

I hope I didn't come across as being too negative, I didn't mean to steer you away from BB. The area around Bishop is awesome, Baker creek and the Coyote flats area have some really fun (faster) trails.

I'm not an expert on BB but IMO "fast aggressive pace" is the complete opposite of all that is BB. There's lots of traffic this time of year (mostly slow moving jeeps) especially on weekends. The SxS's are completely out of control in the green sticker areas, expect a power sliding razor coming at you at every blind turn. The main roads all have significant local traffic including cars, pedestrians, bicyclists, etc. The locals do not take kindly to being dusted out, my last ride there I had a water bottle thrown at me despite slowing down to 10 mph while passing them. The popular single track (like redondo ridge) is so rutted and dusty that you need expert level skill to go fast, even then I wouldn't describe it as "flowy". Don't get me wrong, BB is awesome especially during the week. I'm just trying to caution you that you might be disappointed if you arrive expecting wide open trails you can really hammer. My favs are the single track climbing out of devils pond, and the run down from Arrowhead to Silverlake. Have fun!