Dead Man Rolling

The Hornet is in dire need of a mechanic, but I'm waiting to push through the holidays first. So after a battery charge, I rode the rusty gal around the neighborhood, and snapped a few photos down at the end of the peninsula in Belmont Shore. She was doing alright, but I noticed a low idle at the stops. After attempting to adjust the idle, I discovered the idle adjustment screw is not doing anything. 5 turns left, 5 turns right, and no change. So I'll have to dig into that, or just wait until I get it in the shop and have them take a look at it. *sigh*

San Gabriel Canyon

Today me, Seth and Adam rode up to the San Gabriel Canyon, just north of Azusa. It's probably the most fun I've ever had on a motorcycle. But like most good things, they never seem to last - the day ended with my battery dead and my bike spending the night in Glendora. Apparently there is still something wrong with the charging system.

Luckily, the battery began to really crap out when we reached the top of the mountains, so I managed to limp the bike down the hills from pull-out to pull-out, until the guys suggested just letting it roll down in neutral. So there I was, coasting down 15 miles of winding mountain roads on a dead motorcycle. It made for some pretty good, goofy smiles, watching me roll powerlessly and quietly down the mountain. But in the end, we made it all the way down into Glendora, where Kristen came and picked me up.

Other than the battery disaster, the day was pretty incredible. Perfect weather for riding, sitting, panning for gold, and falling in the river (Adam). Can't wait to fix the bike and do it all over again.

Palos Verdes Deux

Today was much warmer and sunnier, so I had another go at the Palos Verdes Peninsula. I rode up and across the whole thing. I had no idea there were such amazing roads up there. Twists, turns, curves, ups, downs, it was like a roller coaster, fantastic. These photos don't really do justice, but you could see all the way across Long Beach into Orange County, and off the other side, you could see the buildings of downtown Los Angeles. Beautiful day.

Palos Verdes East

Today was pretty cloudy and some rain was in the prediction, so I decided to stay closer to home. I rode up to the Palos Verdes Peninsula and it was actually a lot of fun to peel off on roads that I haven't before, and find some amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. The whole peninsula is this odd rarity of hills, tall grasses and rock, stuck in the middle of endless urban sprawl in every direction. Besides the peninsula, I have to head about 50-60 miles in any direction to hit open land, or hills, or fields, or any of that. I really like Long Beach, but it's not very accommodating for someone who loves rural landscapes. But I do what I can. Anyway, I made it out there and back, before the first rain drops started dropping on me about two blocks from home. Not a bad afternoon.

Lake Elsinore

I took this whole week off for no particular reason, and wanted to squeeze in a couple rides between napping and snacking. Today I rode the Hornet from Long Beach to the small town of Lake Elsinore. I chose this place because I rewatched On Any Sunday recently, and there's an entire segment that takes place in Lake Elsinore - as Bruce Brown covers the Grand Prix they hold here. The scenes are amazing, as Malcolm Smith and Steve McQueen tear down streets and trails around this little town, back in 1970 (or there about).

The bottom photo shows an abandoned building that I recognized from an aerial shot of Lake Elsinore in the film. This street (Main St.), is where hundreds of riders lined up at the start of the race.

The ride today was amazing. Well, it eventually became so. The route takes me down the crowded 405, to the crowded I-5, down to San Juan Capistrano, before I take off on the Ortega Hwy up into the mountains. Once you reach that point, the fun begins. The views are great, and the twisty, lazy curves of the road were intensely inviting. I've never seen the CB360 perform so well. She just ate up every windy ribbon of road through those mountains.

Of course I was passed every so often by a spaceship-like probe of a race motorcycle, or a glittery, massive harley-davidson, but these things don't bother me. You see, I wasn't there to win a drag race, or a bike show ribbon. I was there in search of ghosts. Smith and McQueen are out there somewhere.

There is something understated and mystical about riding such an old motorcycle. The engine vibrates madly, felt from your hands on the bars, to your feet on the pegs. Every rusty bolt, frayed wire, scratch in the tank has a story to tell. It swells you with nostalgia for a time you've only read about, or seen in grainy films. But it's more than a fading feeling - it's real. It's tangible - metal, rubber and wire - and I'm sitting on it, roaring down the highway at 75 mph! I'm riding a ghost.

Small trips like this remind me, that although substance and quality seem to be dropping out of everything around us, there are reasons to be optimistic. I still have the freedom to roll my motorcycle out of the garage and ride it wherever I want to. There are still hauntingly beautiful, brutally weathered small towns - and they're not that far away. That even at my age (31 now...sigh) when I feel like damn near all surprise and excitement are dead, barreling down the road on a small Honda twin can bring an unapologetically goofy smile to my face.

Guzzi Means Butt

Today was the best Saturday I've had in a while. Kristen and I got up, got dressed and rode the Hornet downtown to the Int'l Motorcycle Show. There must have been a thousand motorcycles parked at the Long Beach Convention Center - it was a pretty awesome sight. Inside the show was mostly mini-dealserships set up by each manufacturer to showcase their latest models. I did get to sit on a Triumph Scrambler, the new Moto Guzzi retro race bike, and some various dual sport bikes.

After the show, we rode down to 2nd Street and had some Sushisaurus for lunch. Delish. On the way, this old guy rode up next to us on a little BSA, and yelled out how the Honda CB360 was the first bike he ever owned, loved it and rode it everywhere. Then off he went. After eating, we got home and there was my new rectifier waiting for me in the mail. I've been having electrical/charging issues with the bike, and I've been waiting for this part to see if it fixes the problem. The part went right on with no trouble and the bike seems to be working great. Fingers crossed.

The best part of the day by far, was riding the Honda with Kristen sitting there behind me. It's a little tougher to maneuver, takes a little longer to stop, but it completely made my day. She's only been on the bike one other time, and we pretty much kept it in 2nd gear up and down the street. She was a little nervous that time, but this time, seeing that big, beautiful smile of hers, and feeling her little hands drumming on my back and legs at stoplights, let me know she was enjoying it as much as I was. It's a great feeling to be able to share a little bit of that motorcycle bliss with the one that you love.