October 14 friend and local banker John Harelson and I head East up through Ramona. It’s early Sunday morning, the sun is just cresting the Eastern mountains and the further we go the colder it gets. To put things in perspective, cold for a Southern Californian is anything below sixty degrees. As we wind up the 78 into the town of Ramona we enter a fog bank and in the moisture the temperature drops, the official low is 51, including wind speed and moisture it was damn cold.
Riding out old Julian highway and into Julian proper we made good time – not many people on the road in the early morning, just riders out looking for some fresh air and no traffic. On the way to Julian we detour down Wynola road, enjoying the twisty road and beautiful fall colors. We pass a group of wild turkeys standing by the side of the road and then wind into the town proper, stopping at the Julian Coffee House on the East side of Main Street, next to the gas station.
A few cups of coffee and the tanks topped up, John and I head East on the 78, to the desert of Borrego Springs. The ride down the mountain is fantastic, the air crisp and the wide-open roads phenomenal. We continue through the desert on the long, long road, past the sand dunes and desert rats. The Harley Sportster's XL1200 engine motors along a comfortable vibration coming from the v-twin, seemingly effortlessly moving us along at a cool 70 mph. North on the 86 we head up through the first traffic of the day to Salton City.
The Salton City area is the land of lost expectations with streets named Sea Oasis, Desert Shores, and other names that came from a more optimistic time. The Salton Sea has receded over time shore-front properties are now in the middle of arid lands, far from the water. Looking for a road that will take us to the water’s edge, we finally come across an RV park that has access to the sea.
We ride down one of two jetties to get a look out at the Salton Sea. Further out the water is blue, up close it is mostly clear. Most striking is the lack of activity; used to seeing people enjoying in water, boating, jet skiing, fishing, swimming and more, it is strange to see so much water with only the occasional bird.
Riding back we head up through the town of Borrego Springs and into the mountains. The air is remarkably blue and crisp, perfect riding weather. We ride back down into the valley and head back West on the 76. In all we cover 270 miles in about six hours. The whole time we are reminded of the beauty of rural San Diego, the sights, the sounds, the smells. All of nuance isn’t noticed in the climate controlled environment of a car.
Monday, October 22, 2007
From Sea to Sea with Desert in Between
Friday, October 12, 2007
Hot Deal on a Cool Cruiser Jacket
The folks at New Enough Motorcycle Leathers are blowing out the Power Trip Supercharger leather jackets at $72-$85. These appear to be pretty sharp and well made so I thought I’d pass it along. With the weather getting cooler now may be the time to get an extra jacket, to mix things up on the daily ride.
The Next Harley You Can’t Buy
According to Autoblog, Harley Davidson have announced the future release of the Sportster XR1200 for Europe. This model moves away from the classic cruiser style to more of a standard or “naked” bike configuration including an aero tail and real rear-sets, not the centered or forward mounted controls found on American Sportsters. This may be pure speculation but it wouldn’t surprise me to see The Motor Company looking to extend its presence in Europe where riders are far more likely to ride the more upright standards or sport bikes than cruisers.
The XR1200 looks like an evolution of the Nightster, with a radical rear fender and tail treatment (for a Harley). I’m not sure how they’re going to get enough air into lump through that little snorkel but I’m sure the details are all being worked out. So is this just a less comfortable version of the venerable Sportster or is this the new world market entry for Harley? Time will tell.
For kicks, check out the translated Italian announcement.
Update: UK Motorcyclenews confirmation of the XR1200 production announcement.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Life with the Harley-Davidson Sportster
Last night while riding home I couldn’t help but think how much I am enjoying my 2008 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL1200C Custom. I was on the freeway at the time, keeping pace (or ahead of traffic) when coincidentally the clock turned 700 miles. The bike remains stock, the first time I’ve had a bike and done nothing to it within the first couple of days. I’ve not made any changes because I want to take in the experience of riding the stock bike and because the bike is so damn good I don’t feel the need to make any serious modifications. Certainly accessories will come, but they don’t need to happen immediately.
I was coming home from the new customer appreciation event put on by San Diego Harley-Davidson in Kearny Mesa. The event, which included dinner, was very enjoyable and a good opportunity to meet the dealership staff in a casual setting. I was impressed by apparent interest the staff members have in the customer’s overall experience. This makes sense as there is tremendous ongoing sales opportunity for all departments, parts, service, sales, and motorclothes. As I was told when purchasing my Sportster, “you’ve just made your down payment on accessories.”
Also interesting was the recurring theme that being a Harley owner is a unique experience, comments ranging from “your life has changed” to “people will look at you differently from now on” came up several time from both the staff and the members of the local HOG chapter. This is a testament to both the machines and the brand, as The Motor Company has obviously done a great job of not only creating a brand image but in instilling that image in the hearts and minds of faithful.
So, complimentary hat, coffee mug, and fridge magnets stuffed into my jacket and powering up the 15 North at 75mph I was thinking of how nice the Sporty is to ride. Power is good and the handling is precise. The weight of the bike seems ideal to me, coming off of lighter bikes, as it smooths some of the bumps out of the highway. The ride is good and so is the sound, the subtle reverberation of the v-twins exhaust getting louder when passing other vehicles.
The ride only got better as I pulled off the freeways and into the back roads of Rancho Santa Fe. The bright headlight providing plenty of visibility for the extremely dark winding roads, illuminating my path and providing warning for the animals that come out at night. Riding motorcycles is a vastly different experience from driving a car, you are truly an active participant in the environment, taking in the sites, sounds, smells, kinetics, and not insulated from these elements by the temperature controlled box on four wheels.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Slow Isn’t Always Safe
On Sunday I had a chance to get out and run “the East County loop” as I’ve come to call the ride from the 395 North, to the 76 East, to Julian, and then back home via 78 West. To mix things up on this ride I ran the loop in reverse, hitting Ramona on the 78 East, to Julian, etc.
On this ride I encountered significant traffic on the 76 leg, pretty much from Lake Henshaw to the 15. The most frustrating of the traffic was a driver in a Mercedes SLK doing between 35 and 40 from the lake to the Pala Casino. The speed alone would have been marginally frustrating but it was a nice day and having a relaxed ride is not a bad thing. What was frustrating and dangerous was the build-up of cars behind the SLK, and more worrisome, my Sportster.
One ass rode the back of my Harley-Davidson for a good five miles. To try and be as safe as possible I put some distance between my front wheel and the car in front (an SUV behind the SLK). By the time the Mercedes reached the casino there must have been close to two-dozen vehicles (cages and bikes) stacked up. The driver and passenger seemed completely oblivious to what was going.
Now I know that twisty roads can be problematic for drivers and riders alike and that’s fine. Do what you do within your limits and be safe but please, use the turn outs to get out of the way and let the other motorists pass. What's safe for you may not be safe for those around you.
