Clem is Bonneville Bound!

I don’t think there’s a motorcyclist out there who doesn’t know about Bonneville. Annual home to some of the world’s fastest wheeled vehicles. The Southern California Timing Association has hosted Speed Week each August at the Bonneville Salt Flats since 1949. More recently, the motorcycle speed junkies at BUB Enterprises have been putting on a motorcycles-only event, the BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials. This year is their 7^th and they’re going stronger than ever. In addition to AMA and FIM classes for just about any kind of bike imaginable, there is the “Run What You Brung” class. No records, just bragging rights and an opportunity to hit the salt. [Read more]

CruzTOOLS RoadTech M3 Tool Kit

Tools. Isn’t that one of the things that separates us as motorcyclists from the lower species like, say, politicians? A few days ago a friend of mine called to see if I could get him a tool kit to replace the one that now lay on the side of the road somewhere. A quick look at the CruzTOOLS website  and a just-as-quick telephone call got one headed my way. A RoadTech M3 in this case ($84.95), which is aimed at metric cruiser riders but will work on many types of motorcycles.

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Adventure GearLab 8: Giant Loop MoJavi Saddlebag

Carrying stuff on a dual-sport day ride is easy, right? You toss it in a backpack or bum bag and head for the hills. Or maybe you bungee it to the back or drop it into saddlebags. These conventional methods have worked for years, so why change? Comfort and performance come immediately to mind. I don’t like a big load on my back when I’m riding and don’t want to land on a fat fanny pack positioned to bruise my spine. Having gear strapped on behind hampers my movements and the bike’s handling. Saddlebags aren’t bad, but they also position the load behind the rider. [Read more]

Dual-Sport Riding in Big Sur

It is curious how dual-sport riders are willing to ride for an hour or two on good pavement just to get to a couple dozen miles of bad dirt road. A couple of friends had never had the dubious pleasure of riding up the old South Coast Ridge Road–a rare opportunity for dual-sport riding in Big Sur, so Kurt and I decided we would take them up one summer morning. As Mark Twain once observed, “The coldest winter I ever spent was summer in San Francisco.” And Big Sur has the same foggy climate.

Counting heads at Gorda; last chance for gas.

We met up in Cambria, at the south end of Big Sur, with two Suzuki DR650s, a Kawasaki KLR650 and a BMW R100GS…average age of the four bikes was over 15 years. Which is quite suitable, as no one sensible wants to bang up something new and shiny. It was overcast, the fog about 1,000 feet above our heads. And downright chilly, in the 50s.

We rode 40 miles north to the gas station/restaurant/motel complex at Gorda, then another mile to the turn-off for Los Burros Road and 23 miles of dirt, mostly in pretty acceptable shape. This was built long ago to haul supplies from where ships would off-load them at Cape San Martin to the mining town of Manchester. That town was the center of the Big Sur gold rush back in the 1880s, played out by 1900, the remnants destroyed in a forest fire in the 1970s. After a couple of steep miles we got into the fog, and after another two miles had risen above it. We passed the turn-off for Alder Creek campground, a steep downhill road going to the few remains of the old Manchester.

Coming out of the fog on Los Burros Road at about 2,000 feet.

A couple more miles and Los Burros Road turned into South Coast Ridge Road, built to supply the miners from the Salinas Valley – it would have been a long haul in an ox-powered wagon. The ridge road twists up and down and around, a delight to ride. We arrived at the turn to Prewitt Ridge, where the Los Padres forest service has a campground – no facilities, but at 3,300 feet right above the Pacific Ocean it is a wonderful place to spend the night. Though all we could see that morning was fog.

Another five miles along the ridge road, and we were on the pavement of the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, which connects the coast with the Salinas Valley. This road goes through Fort Hunter Liggett, a 165,000-acre US Army training site, and then comes out on County Road G14, which led us to Lockwood township and the Lockwood Diner. The temperature was now in the 80s, and the lunch and iced tea was well-appreciated.

Where Los Burros Road ends, butting into South Coast Ridge Road.

Standing atop Prewitt Ridge at 3,300 feet.

Fording the Nacimiento River in Fort Hunter Liggett.

The Lockwood Diner, at the intersection of Monterey County roads G14 and G18.

Ride for Life

I hadn’t realized I’ve developed a spiel for talking with motorcycling newbies until just the other day. Like most of you I take pride in being something of a Do-It-Yourselfer, except when it comes to washing windows. Unless the Yourself happens to be you, that is, and then I’m fine with it. Seeing as how you weren’t around the other day though, I hired a seemingly bright 20-something kid to knock out the job.

Spotting the large glossy photos and various other monuments to my motorcycling ego around the house, 20-something paused squeegeeing at one point to ask from down the hall (I was supervising from the recliner in the living room) if I did something related to motorcycling. [Read more]