California Road Trip: Hayabusa Diaries

HayaWakened

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Registered
July...

Sun 14th:
  • LA
  • Carrizo Plain via Soda Lake Road (Thanks Pashnit!)
  • Atascadero

Mon 15th:
  • Morro Bay
  • San Simeon
  • Big Sur
  • Monterey

Tue 16th:
  • Santa Cruz
  • San Rafael

Wed 17th:
  • Santa Rosa

Thu 18th:
...via Hwy 12 E:
  • Sonoma
  • Napa
  • Cordelia
  • Fairfield
...via i5 S:
  • Kettleman City
  • Wheeler Ridge
  • Simi Valley

Coffee anyone?
 
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A very likely possibility as my head is full of lead, but who cares!! Road Trip!! Something like 1,100 mi

Anyone have aftercare pointers after 20 mi hard-pack dirt road? I'm not bringing a chain maint kit, but maybe just a garden hose and some 80W??
Small can WD40 / rage to clean chain , and wallmarts dupont spray chain wax .
 
Mon 15th:
  • Morro Bay
  • San Simeon
  • Big Sur
  • Monterey

John - make sure to take a look at this article I wrote: lots of details and highlighting that regions sideroads around Hwy 1


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Thu 18th:
...via Hwy 12 E:
  • Sonoma
  • Napa
  • Cordelia
  • Fairfield

Looks like you're only going as far north as Napa and then circling around back south, but hitting the leg of Hwy 1 just north of San Francisco (?). If you don't have to shoot up 101 to San Rafael, take Hwy 1 instead up to Jenner and cut across to Santa Rosa. Slightly longer but 100x more thrilling than freeway, rides right on the ocean up to Jenner hundreds of feet about the ocean along sheer cliffs just north of Jenner. If you have time to do Jenner to Stewarts Point, you'll discover Stewarts Point - Skaggs Spring Rd.

The western half is narrow goaty paved road through a redwood forest.

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The eastern half is a racetrack. Literally. Super fun twisties. Incredibly scenic.

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Also, skip Hwy 12. They recently widened it into a big highway. It's short, quick but busy connector. Parallel to the north from Napa, take Hwy 121 instead

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then Wooden Valley Rd back to I-80. Ends up in the same place as Hwy 12 / I-80 junction. Hwy 121 is super-fun twisty over a low range.
 
The Carizzo Plain ...

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The white line across the horizon is Soda Lake - alkaline

The bike is performing flawlessly despite some shaky operator input on dirt road segment.
GoPro cam failed after only 10 vid minutes. Still looking into what caused that (probably operator input)
 
John, what rear luggage is that? Looks like a good setup.

Remote dirt road on a Busa, how'd that go?
 
It's a 29-liter daypack, face down, with the straps threaded through the grab rail. Zip ties are holding the straps to the forward tie-downs. This was the test run, 270 miles down I'd use it again.

That dirt road may have started out hard-packed, but was closer to beach sand for a good part of its 15 mi. I'm too old to be doing stupid stuff but haven't had that much fun in a long time

...to be continued...
 
After all those miles in the dirt ...
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...and this is a new leak. Havent tried to figure out where it's coming from yet

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...the stator cover.

This is what the daypack strapdown looks like ...


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And the gear indicator on the cluster started going blank when in 6th on the freeway. Then it would pop back on. No other data, just the gear #. Figure all those bouncing miles on the dirt must have jiggled something loose. Another one on the list.

Should have some decent pics of Hwy 1 tomorrow, above San Francisco
 
more trip photos ...
Point Reyes ?? (can't remember)

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Hwy 1 thru Point Reyes
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On the approach to Stinson Beach...
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Ran out of time just short of Skaggs Springs Road, so took Hwy 116 (River Road, NOT Gravenstein) from Jenner, CA to above Santa Rosa. Pics of that fabulous section of twisties sometime Friday.
 
the cover leak is common . The rubber stator wire plug does it .when you get home take fairing off / clean cover / rubber plug . then coat plug/wires coming out of plug with coat of Black RTV silicone . RJ did it to real early when he was new 4 years ago
 
1,307 miles in 5 days.
Long straightaways (hit 130+mph, then got to worrying about that ticket, backed off)
Tons of canyon stuff
and what a view for nearly all of it...

Hours of freeways miles coming home (South i5), about 440 miles
Cruised at 90 for much of that
Avg 41 mpg


Lockwood Valley Rd, Frazier Park, CA
34.795670, -119.037299
LockwoodValley.01.png



Shoreline Hwy (Hwy #1), Stinson Beach, CA
37.891707, -122.633650
Stinson.01.png


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Somewhere near Pt Reyes
Point Reyes Station, CA
38.091159, -122.820503
PtReyes.01.png


PtReyes.02.png
 
Only 1307 ???? rookie I do that in a day ;)

that's because your bike doesn't weigh very much. I have an iPad that weighs more than your bike. So basically, you're cheating. Speaking of weight, the winds were stiff and blustery coming down central CA on Interstate 5. Overtaking semis was weird: leaning left to fight the wind, then the wobble as I entered that dirty air, then the sensation of getting sucked into the truck when in its wind shadow, and then that blast coming around its front. I kinda grew to like it, and was grateful the bike weighed as much as it does.

My personal mileage limit seemed to be right around 130 mi. continuous riding.
On the straightline return trip I wanted to wait until the gas light came on before pulling over, maybe get into the 160+ mi range before refueling, but nope - after 130, give or take, the hip ache started nagging and I caved. I'm a wimp and a rookie, but you should see the smile that's still on my face...:D
 
Here's the road running through the middle of the state...

The start of Soda Lake Rd, Maricopa, CA
34.963507, -119.446169
IMG_2498.JPG


Paved, not in great condition, but definitely passable as long as I kept my speed down. Only got launched off the seat once by one of the many woops before I learned that lesson!

The dirt begins...
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Look how CLEAN that chain is!!

But it goes on...
58482334568__93D465DA-39DE-4A76-8C8D-72591DB6CD68.JPG


...and on ...


IMG_2501.JPG


... and I'd do it all again tomorrow.
 
Here's the road running through the middle of the state...

The start of Soda Lake Rd, Maricopa, CA
34.963507, -119.446169
View attachment 1601832

Paved, not in great condition, but definitely passable as long as I kept my speed down. Only got launched off the seat once by one of the many woops before I learned that lesson!

The dirt begins...
View attachment 1601833

Look how CLEAN that chain is!!

But it goes on...View attachment 1601834

...and on ...


View attachment 1601835

... and I'd do it all again tomorrow.
Did you happen to route out your trip to see how many miles your gonna cover? About to pull the trigger on the q3+ today or tomorrow and really curious what yours look like after your trip since im planning a run to South Carolina Carolina and possibly Georgia after I get mine .
 
Yes. Estimated mileage round trip was 1,289. Actual was 1,307
I don't have any pics of the tires before leaving, but here's what the rear looks like now with 3,566 miles on them. Hope this helps.

IMG_2672.JPG


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