| Author | Message | ||
     Hooper |
I'm going to be in San Francisco this June and am pretty sure I have approval to rent a bike at Dubbelju's and take a 3-4 day solo ride. WHERE SHOULD I GO?  I'm lucky to have already done rides from SF a couple times before, having gone south down Big Sur (two-up on an Electra-Glide) and north up the coast to Ft. Bragg then east to wine country (solo on a BMW R1200RT). I'm thinking I either need to get into the woods north of SF or to the mountains in the east, toward Tahoe. Crater Lake might be too far - don't want to spend all my time on the interstate. Where should I go for 3-4 days on a BMW R1200GS? (I love this part of the trip planning - grabbing Google Maps and only having the boundary of time)  (Message edited by Hooper on March 25, 2011) | ||
| Hughesatron |
Yosemite and Tuolomne Meadows if you haven't been there. Most rediculously amazing place in the US. | ||
| Crusty |
Don't go West, young man. | ||
| 7873jake |
What Hughesatron said! That's worth 4 days right there! If you feel you must see the coast, well..., you could waste that time trying to get back towards PCH around Monterey and heading south a bit but honestly, you'd be missing so much in Yosemite. If you must see water, go to Mono Lake or some of the other lakes in Stanislaus or Sierra National Forest. | ||
| Hunn |
Go north on 1/101. Lost Coast and Trinity Alps ,4ish hours from SF on CA Hwy 101, if your in a hurry. CA Hwys 96, 3, and 36 is the absolute best riding in northern CA. Stay over night in Ferndale, CA , a picturesque Victorian town with great Restaurants ( historic Hotel/Bar/Restaurant Ivanhoe on Mainstreet is my favorite), from there explore the lost coast and the famous Matole Road and Redwoods. The views and the roads in the Trinity Alps are just mind boggling, if sometimes rough, great gravel tracks leading into the mountains, perfect for a GS. Give me a holler when you're headed that way, I'll show you around. | ||
| Rwcfrank |
Try Hwy 1 anywhere from San Luis Obispo to the Oregon border. Dont miss Alices at 4 corners hwy 35 and 9. | ||
| 2008xb12scg |
Hooper let me know when you come. Maybe I could show you around. Theres some great roads, actually PM ezblast he has a few really nice rides already planned out. But a run up to alices if you haven't been there is always nice or to point rayes way. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
Calaveras County! Go see the awesome Redwoods! It's beautiful there, and the ride up will be great.  | ||
| Hangetsu |
East over Tiogaa Pass, North on 395 to Lassen NP, west to the coast, south back to SF. | ||
| Motorcyclemike |
My favorite four days in California would be: Hwy 4 to Yosemite Valley, lunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel. Pick up 120 east, stop at the Mobil Mart in Lee Vining for a few snacks and then haul ass out 120 east to Benton Hot Springs for the night. Second day, Benton Crossing Rd to Mammoth for breakfast at the Breakfast Club. After breakfast, head north to the old ghost town of Bodie for a quick visit. Continue north to either Hwy 108 4, 88 or 50. All fantastic Sierra mountain passes. Sonora Pass is my favorite (Hwy 108). Spend the night in Angles Camp, famous for Mark Twain's frog jump. Travel Hwy 49 (California Gold Country) to Nevada City. Day three Ride Hwy 70 to the west, ending up in Willits. Day four, ride the coast south back to San Francisco. Most days are around three hundred miles, so t here is plenty of time to sight see and take pictures for your ride report. You are going to do a ride report aren't you? | ||
| Jlnance |
Death Valley is spectacular. It may be hot by June, but if it isn't scorching, it's a great place to look around. | ||
| Tootal |
Highway 4 north of Yosemite is a great ride. You might be able to incorporate it with a loop through Yosemite. The road is only 1 1/2 cars wide over the ridge and weaves between the trees. | ||
| Badrap |
There are all kinds of great rides available to you. What do you want to see? Ocean, Mountains, Giant Redwoods, Lava Tubes, Volcanic areas, Deep Clear Lakes, Rivers, Waterfalls, Historical Sites like Gold Country etc. etc.? The possibilities are endless. I recommend: New Priest Grade (aka: little dragon) the start of Hwy 120 heading into Yosemite. Hwy 120 through Yosemite N.P. Yosemite valley and especially Glacier Point. Sequoia National Park. North coast (hwy 1 & 101). Hwy 1 South of Monterey. Hwy 36. Hwy 4 over the Sierras. | ||
| Hooper |
Thanks everyone...I'm now in the planning stage using your great advice. Ride Report? Definitely...I've written one that turned into a novel. Ever been to Scotland? http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55 9053 I'll report back... | ||
| Billy_bee |
Hope you are not done taking suggestions. There are a lot of good ones here. A few things to bear in mind: Tioga Pass may well be closed well into June with the snow pack this year. Don't count on riding through Yosemite. The Valley stays open all year. Since you've been up and down the coast, I suggest you head to the northern Sierra. The riding through there is spectacular. There is a network of passes and mountain roads around Tahoe that is amazing. The major roads will be open. Like the 120, however, the smaller ones may be closed. I live in San Luis Obispo...a great riding area half way between SF and LA. The PCH north of Big Sur is closed right now and will likely stay closed for a while. But I can definitely recommend San Luis Obispo County. And I'd be delighted to join you on a day ride... Look forward to following your progress... Bill | ||
| Buellyxt |
Funny, just yesterday I was checking out the Dubbelju website, as I will be flying to San Fran from Virginia for a wedding Memorial Day weekend. Looking to get the Tiger or the Multistrada for a day. As for your trip, I spent a summer in Yosemite and that would be ideal for a multi-day trip, weather permitting. Snow may be an issue at Tioga Pass, as mentioned, but to ride into the valley and see all the falls just gushing is simply amazing. If you can get over the pass you can witness the stark differences in everything east of the mountains. Four days. Sounds awesome. | ||
| Hooper |
Sadly, my contract at work is ending this summer and I have no guarantee of being kept on with my employer...this trip may be a victim if I can't find something new before then. Talk about incentive to get my resume out there and get some interviews! Thanks for all the suggestions, which I shall use someday, if not this year. In the meantime, I'm thinking local multiday adventures on the Uly!  | ||
| Adamsandler |
Had a similar issue on old car when I rented it in Lake Tahoe Rental Vacation. The engine would run at low RPMs but cut out at higher RPMs. I eventually found out that one of the multi wire electrical plugs had water in it and would arc apparently at higher voltages. Got some electrical contact cleaner dried out the connection and everything was fine.http://www.tahoerental.vacations/ |
