Who lives in Cali? Is it really a heaven for motorsports?? (ride, drivers)
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I have always loved motorsports, last year I started riding on the road with a 2004 Ducati Monster 1000. I love it and even did a trackday with another bike ( suzuki sv1000). I know this is a passion for me and not just a little phase im going through. But lately ive been pushing the limits on the street and there is a lack of wide open country roads where you even feel remotely safe ''pushing it.'' Trackdays are great, dont get me wrong but at the sametime very structured and expensive. Last trackday I woke up at 6am got there at 8 and left at 5. So in 13 hours away I got 5 15 minute sessions.... kinda sucks. I would love to live within 30minutes to an hour of these windy canyone roads that ive been hearing about. For anyone that lives in Cali, Is it really that good?? Palomar mountain ect....
Lived there for 40 years. Got in an awful lot of riding for 22 of those years. Yes, amazing roads all over the place. Palomar is a good ride, but dangerous. Too many cars and REAL idiot bikers pushing it like they're at a race weekend. The other roads down there (76/79) are better IMO. Just tons of good roads in that area.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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There are lots of tracks in CA, which is where you should probably be riding it doing so aggressively. You should be able to find a few tracks that are pretty affordable. I'm glad the rules / cops / technology / power / and suspensions were not so refined in my previous days of wild riding. I made a few trips to CA, but spent the vast majority in Colorado canyons, and did the off road stuff on the open prairie and mountain forest access roads. The weather and wide curvy roads are great in CO, and parts of WY, SD. I only got tired of curves in CA, when after a few weeks you are happy to get back to UT and NV where you can go 100 miles with NO Curves!.
Who lives in Cali? Is it really a heaven for motorsports??
I live in kern county and there are great places to ride in any direction, normaly i ride year round but this year the weather is not cooperating but yes there are great roads to ride anywhere in california.
having moved from SoCal to NC in the last year, i can tell you NC can't hold SoCal's jock strap when it comes to great riding roads.
i lived just 30 minutes from Palomar Mtn in North County San Diego. i rode with a great group of sportbike riders that covered all ages, abilities, and demographics. we rode at least every other weekend, and the number of options is endless. you can head to Palomar (although as previously mentioned, it is very busy and full of squids, cops, and idiot cage drivers), but there is so much more. you can head north into the San Bernardino mountains near Idylwild, east to the desert near Montezuma or S2 (my favorite), or South near the border. i rode almost every weekend for a year, and hardly any route was exactly the same. the roads are generally in great shape, the weather is usually fantastic, and it's not hard to find those roads where you are the only thing out there so you have nothing to worry about.
contrast that with NC. i went on a group ride for the first time since moving here last weekend. this is around the Raleigh/Durham area. their idea of some good twisty roads are hitting the rural (but still very populated) roads and hitting relatively minor curves at outrageous speeds. not my thing at all. now, to be fair, there is some good riding in NC if you head west into the Blue Ridge Mountains, but in SoCal, i had all that in my backyard. heck, my house was 2 miles from the starter backroad every sportbike rider in SD used to head out to Palomar. i could run it after work whenever i pleased just for kicks.
as far as tracks, i know there are a few in SoCal. the one that sticks out the most is Buttonwillow, although i'm not sure if they do bike track days. i have never done a track day, so i don't know.
honestly, the only things i still really miss about SoCal are: good mexican food, friends, family, and those AWESOME weekend rides on the best roads i have ever ridden to date.
I'm glad the rules / cops / technology / power / and suspensions were not so refined in my previous days of wild riding.
I know that's right! I'm surprised I'm still alive.
CA does have a lot of beautiful roads and a motorcycle-friendly climate. TX isn't bad much of the time, and it has some nice back roads too. My favorite place to ride is in the mountains of NM.
Location: On the "Left Coast", somewhere in "the Land of Fruits & Nuts"
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Quote:
Originally Posted by catman
I know that's right! I'm surprised I'm still alive.
CA does have a lot of beautiful roads and a motorcycle-friendly climate. TX isn't bad much of the time, and it has some nice back roads too. My favorite place to ride is in the mountains of NM.
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Who lives in Cali? Is it really a heaven for motorsports??
but yes there are great roads to ride anywhere in california.
