From: salex@jpl-devvax.jpl.nasa.gov (Scott Alexander)
Subject: Re: Riding SF -> LA & back, alone
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)
Distribution: ca
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 18:52:07 GMT

In article <1992Apr15.053128.19764@cs.ucla.edu> noemi@maui.cs.ucla.edu (Noemi Berry) writes:
>when i was going to do this same ride alone (except in the other direction)
>i *planned* on stopping every 50 miles.  as it turns out, i found two
>riding companions, and we rode 90-100 mile stretches.   but we still left
>very early (sorry 'bout that, Scott) to allow time for everything to go
>wrong.  don't be in a hurry for a ride like that.

Given the problems the Suzuki had, I'm just as glad that I got into
San Francisco in daylight.  Besides, it was only a little earlier than
I normally get up. :-)

>also, don't be fooled by TV ads about sun'n'fun in So. Cal, it can
>get dern cold here at night, especially over the Grapevine.  don't
>think "oh, i'll bring a neckwarmer then".  think: "oh, i'll bring
>a snowsuit then".  the right gear can make all the difference on
>a long ride.

I have no idea what you're talking about.  The Grapevine doesn't get
cold.  I think someone did ice my handgrips while I wasn't looking
though.  :-)

>besides, I5 is about the most miserable road in the USA -- if you plan
>on taking a whole day anyway, make it a nicer route.

As another beginner, I think it would have taken much longer if we had
taken I5.  Riding back from the Joust last year, I found I needed more
breaks just because I was starting to space out because the central
valley is so boring.

>this is a muuuuch better way to go.  you can still make speed, er, time,
>on 33, and it is a lot less dull than I5 (won't say it's interesting
>though).  supposedly 33 is freer of police (except when you pass the
>state prison).

I don't know how this compares with 101, but I certainly found it a
pleasant, fun route to ride.  Even coming back, without the radar
detector, in the rain, I think it was much better than I5 would have been.

>yank and put that last paragraph a few times.  words of solid wisdom.
>(ok, so wisdom *does* have its own funny little niche in riding.)
>nothing like stress about mechanical integrity to ruin your ride.

I'd emphasize this too.  My tank bag formed a nice seal on my gas tank
causing a vacuum which attempted to suck all the gas out of the carbs
back into the tank.  As such, the bike didn't run well.  It took a
couple of days (and far too many stops on the way up) to diagnose
this.  While doing the diagnosis and not being certain whether the
bike was going to make it back to LA, my weekend was not the relaxing,
stressfree time that I'd hoped for.

>speaking as someone also new to long-distance riding, if you can, give
>yourself a day to recover -- try not to get there the night before
>you have to get up at 6am.  you will feel steamrollered; body, brain,
>heart and soul.  warn people you'll see about the "on the road" brain
>disconnection (term courtesy of Lisa Sieverts), it's hard to rejoin
>the real world sometimes.

I'll also put in another word for earplugs at this point.  Noemi
convinced me to try them for the trip up.  I felt much less ragged out
on reaching SF than I have previously on much shorter trips where I
haven't worn them.

Scott Alexander
salex@devvax.jpl.nasa.gov
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles