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Southern California Shenanigans


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Guest bruinfj09guy
My buddy and I are riding Slab City, Palomar Mountain, Mountain Center areas the end of this month. Camping on Palomar Mountain overnight. Was supposed to go this past weekend, but the rain altered our plans.
Looks like a great ride. Nice and remote. Less cops and accidents (and cyclists), I would guess.
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My buddy and I are riding Slab City, Palomar Mountain, Mountain Center areas the end of this month. Camping on Palomar Mountain overnight. Was supposed to go this past weekend, but the rain altered our plans.
Looks like a great ride. Nice and remote. Less cops and accidents (and cyclists), I would guess.
 
 
Palomar is a "race track" on the weekends with plenty of people doing runs up and down tight side. They tend to fade out as the day progresses.
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Looks like a great ride. Nice and remote. Less cops and accidents (and cyclists), I would guess.
Palomar is a "race track" on the weekends with plenty of people doing runs up and down tight side. They tend to fade out as the day progresses.
Good to know. 
What's the law enforcement presence like in that area?
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Guest eatpasta
 
On weekdays however...it is empty and fun...so lessons learned there.
 

I know a guy that was hit and nearly killed on a Friday by another bike...
 
There aren't any safe days any more
 
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I know a guy that was hit and nearly killed on a Friday by another bike... 
There aren't any safe days any more

As an optimist, lately I take Little Tujunga to Mt Emma road and avoid it all...I can then go around the Crest to Littlerock, Devil's Punchbowl, Wrightwood or head west on the 138 to a totally different scene - higher elevation:Lake Hughes and beyond.
You mean lower BIG Tujunga to Angeles Forrest, to Mt Emma rd? Or Little T to Solidad, to Angeles Forrest, to Mt Emma rd?
 
A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Bikes:
2015 FJ-09, Seat Concepts seat cover and foam, Cal Sci medium screen, rim stripes, factory heated grips, Cortech Dryver tank bag ring, Modified stock exhaust, FlashTune with Graves fuel map, Cree driving lights, Aux power socket.
2012 Street Triple type R (Wifes)
2007 FJR1300 (Sold!)
 
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Guest bruinfj09guy
 
I'd be up for an FJ get together out there. I like the idea of a weekday. I won't have one free until about mid-May. Weather should be nice around then.

The times I've been out Malibu Canyon Rd and Mullholland it wasn't nearly as dramatic. Were those just lucky days?
It seems way less dramatic riding Malibu-Mullholland for sure...it would be fun to ride it with other FJ-09s some weekday or Sunday perhaps. 
...with more of a Hollywood atmosphere there a few cops stationed near the top of the Snake [Mullholland between the rock store and Kanaan road] and there are cameras and sometimes film crews/spectators...which is alot different and less treacherous than the rugged and raw Angeles Crest roads. Mullholland is better paved and maintained than the county roads and bonus-they will take your riding picture in high resolution -you can email them for a copy for those nostalgic memories:
 
My favorite Mullholand rides averaged in descending order depending on my skill level that day or if I just want to cruise:
55 mph windy canyon is Encinal canyon from Mullholland to the beach
45 mph Mullholland all the way to the beach
40 mph world renown Latigo Canyon from Kannan to the beach
35 mph Decker canyon Mullholland to the beach [California's windiest road]
 
Fun reading for other California rides: [url=]http://www.motorcycleroads.com/routes/WestCoast/CA/Routes/California_80.html

 
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Guest bruinfj09guy
Looks like a good run. And good looking bike! I got out on the FJR out the 101 to Calabassas, down to Mulholland Hwy, out to Kana, then down PCH. Came across Sunset from PCH into Hollywood back to 101 to get home. Quit the mix. Was a good little run to clear my head.
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Guest eatpasta
So. Cal .riders - had a great ride today a reporting the following un-traffic: 
Bouquet Canyon - solo, no cars
Lake Hughes Road - one car to pass and others only going in opposite direction
Lockwood Valley - one car to pass no others
Hwy 33 - one car to pass others only going in opposite direction
 
It was a great day and a great ride with almost no traffic and it was a bit unreal actually...
 
California Highway Patrol friend says that Thursday is their main day off...good to know...didn't see a single cop all day.
 
Rode 224 miles per map below, I call this ride  'World Tour' because it has Mountains, desert, Ocean, and sky.
 
hwy33%2004142016_zpsbgc0wdxz.jpg
 
One minute Video log:
 
[video src=https://youtu.be/Otq0EGDWD9w]

I used to do that one all the time - called it my "5 Counties Ride" - Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties..... good times.  All you need to do is throw in a little Carrizo Plain and you're done!
 
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Guest bruinfj09guy
FJk2DlI.jpg
 
This morning's ride. Having now done it, the FJ-09 up Sand Canyon from 210 to Soledad would have been better than the FJR down Sand Canyon from Soledad to the 210. All in all, still a good time. The bumpy road down gave me an opportunity to get more in touch with the FJR's suspension adjustments. :)
 
 
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Guest bruinfj09guy
Hey bruinfj09guy,  alrighty!...that's a  great ride...one of my favorite parts is Placerita --> Sand Canyon --> Little Tujunga cyn. and ride by the Wildlife Waystation and hear the lions, tigers, and bears howling in the distance toward sunset. Not the best paved road as I recall...got any pics?
Nah, no pics. Ya, Sand Canyon and the top of Little Tujunga seemed a little dicey. Yesterday it seemed like northbound was the way to take Little Tujunga. Today I went northbound and it seemed like southbound had the better of it. It IS a good ride, in any event. Lots of sharp corners with low visibility, though. I took it pretty easy. Of course, I'm still pretty unfamiliar with these roads.
 
This morning I took you and gotFZ1's suggestion on Mt. Emma out to Big Pines. It was another great run! Actually, that first stretch of Mt. Emma had me fall in love with the FJ all over again. It eats up that gritty pavement. Also, the sweeping corners out there are nice and easy with lots of visibility. It was a fast run. :)
 
Around El Tejon/Valyermo I got behind a car at a stop sign. She politely tried to give me space to pass right after the sign, but with a big bend right there I just stayed back to take it cool for a bit until out in the wide open vacant areas once again. Well that worked out just fine, as just around the bend there were two CHPs coming out from a little hideaway. :) The scales of fate tipped in my favor.
 
Up Big Pine I actually felt like I broke traction on a corner for the first. I'm no knee dragger, but I'm working on the cornering. I very much like not being completely horizontal, so I'll continue to keep it in my comfortable limits.
 
Here's the run from today. Clockwise this time, as opposed to counterclockwise yesterday.
 
http://i.imgur.com/8nqEom2.jpg
 
 
 
 
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Guest bruinfj09guy
The wind was actually super gnarly on Soledad, the top end of Angeles Forest Hwy and the beginning of Mt Emma. It wasn't too bad in the Cajon, but it sure was nice to get down to a lower elevation. I had the mesh on (with longsleeves underneath) and 57 degrees in Wrightwood felt brisk by the time I was there.
 
I would have found another route down, but the wife had to go to work and I had to book it back home. I almost actually skipped Wrightwood to double back Mt Emma and head home down 2. But I needed to do Big Pines. :D
 
I recently went back to stock from the Ermax Sport, but I really want to try the Vstream sport touring. I don't notice wind so much when I'm ripping the backroads, but it bugs me on the freeway. My helmet is actually quite horrible for noise/buffeting, also.
 
Did you ride today?
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Guest bruinfj09guy
My buddy and I are headed out to SoCal next weekend. Riding Slab City/Julian/Mt Palomar/Mountain Center/Palm Springs, then back to Phx. Feel free to join. We're camping over night near Palomar.
That is quite the journey! So Phx is home? It would be great to come down to meet up, but a trip like that is not going to be possible for the foreseeable few weeks for me.
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