How difficult is a trip up the 1, 101, or 5 for a newbie?

[Matt S]

Hi Everyone,

 

Thank you so much for your advice here a few weeks ago.

 

Since then I've put about 300 miles on the bike while commuting.

 

I live in Orange County, and work needs me to be in San Mateo next Monday for two weeks.

 

I'm very aware of my limited skill. The first couple thousand miles of motorcycling are probably the most dangerous. And I am happy to continue building that first couple thousand miles 16 miles at a time in my daily commute on streets that max out at around 55mph.

 

So my question is, how do you know when a longer trip, say a 420 mile one up the 1, 101, or 5, is the next incremental step? I can split it over a few days, and get on the road very early in the morning, say 5am, to be out of the city and out in the country before there's much traffic on the freeway. Or take PCH all the way out of LA, and then get on the 101 in the very early morning and ride through the desert with little traffic.

 

I'm also fine with putting off a long motorcycle trip for now and driving up in a car. There will be other chances for longer trips, unless I kill myself on this one-- so I have no problem taking small steps. I'm mostly just not sure how to tell when I am ready for the next step, and what that is. Driving around on the freeways in LA seems pretty intense, so I'd rather my first couple hundred freeway miles be in the middle of nowhere or in the early morning hours.

 

To give you an idea of my skill level, I touched a footpeg to the ground for the first time yesterday on my way home from work, and was surprised by how little I felt like I was leaning over. I am getting pretty comfortable in the 45-55 mph three lane surface streets I commute in, but am far from a ninja where I feel like I always have an overall picture of what the cars in my blind spot and behind me are doing-- to just know what the escape paths are at any given moment. I still glance in my rear view mirrors and am occasionally surprised that there is a car behind me that I didn't see coming up behind me. So I think that's what I lack-- a well developed situational awareness, probably because I am not dividing my attention properly between forwards, backwards, and sideways. And I am still in the early stages of controlling the bike, as evidenced by being surprised the peg touched the ground instead of expecting it.

 

Matt.

 

[Skywagon]

My .02cents... Freeways historically have less accidents than other roadways...or so I have read. However, I use to live in Northern California and have ridden my bike and driven my car all those routes.

 

The 5 is brutal. People drive fast and there is good deal of big truck traffic. The big truck traffic and the debris left behind creates an element of danger that might make you uncomfortable. Even if you cruise at 60mph, they will be blowing around you at 80+. It will also be blistering hot after you cross the Tejon Pass.

 

I would take the Pacific Coast Highway and enjoy the view. The ride is fantastic and you will have plenty of opportunity to stop along the way in small towns for breaks, scenery, photography, etc. You probably should check for closures. As you know sometimes pieces get closed such as devils slide.

 

No matter which route you take, Ride your Ride. Don't get sucked into riding above your skill level. Most of all enjoy!

 

 

[Albert]

To give you an idea of my skill level, I touched a footpeg to the ground for the first time yesterday on my way home from work, and was surprised by how little I felt like I was leaning over.

 

Hi Matt, I'll defer to the many locals on the board who are more familiar with the roads in your area, however the above comment gave me a bit of pause. You may want to have someone with a little more experience take a little ride with you to make sure you're not cross controlling the bike. If that's the case, the reason you feel like you're leaning so little is because you are leaning so little. In that situation the bike is compensating for you by leaning more. This can be a useful technique in very low speed situations as an obstacle avoidance maneuver but it's not something you want to train yourself to do all the time. Oh and congratulations to you for being concerned enough to ask questions and try to educate yourself on motorcycle safety. It's a rare commodity these days.

[russell_bynum]

The thing you need is more time on the bike. But...you don't want to get into stressful situations. If you've got a flexible schedule so you can stop when you need to and take as much time as necessary, and if you're familiar with the route, then the only problem I see is the fact that you've only gone on surface streets and only 55mph. If you do that on the freeways, you'll be a major traffic hazard.

 

So...I'd suggest taking the car this time. There's plenty of fun places to go locally, so make some plans for longer rides on the weekends. And definitely get comfortable being out on the freeways.

 

Also...I haven't ridden a G650GS yet, so I dunno, but most non-cruiser bikes' footpegs are pretty high. If you're dragging them, you need to take a good look at why that's happening. Usually it is because of poor line selection and/or cross-controlling the bike (pushing it down under you while keeping your upper body more upright.)

 

Again...I don't know the configuration of that bike, but if the footpegs do not fold up/back, you've reached the max lean angle of that bike...if you try to lean any more you'll lever one or both wheels off the ground and crash. Even if the pegs do fold, there's probably stuff on the bike that doesn't fold out of the way and when that touches down, you're at the limit.

 

I'd caution you to dial it back a bit. If you get into a corner and need to tighten it up because you've misjudged your speed or the radius of the turn or you see debris in the road on your line or any of the other things that can happen, if you're already out of lean angle then you've painted yourself into a corner. Again...I don't know where the lean angle limit is on your bike but in general all of the non-cruiser bikes that I've ridden don't drag their pegs until you're getting pretty close to the limit of the bike's available lean angle.

 

Here's an example:

 

This complete and total idiot is cross-controlling the bike and because of that is completely out of lean angle. If the turn tightened up, or if there was some sand or a dead squirrel or something in the road that he needed to avoid, his only option is to stand the bike up and run into the oncoming lane.

[tallman]

Find some time to go for a ride that includes some freeway, even if it is just an exit or two.

Get a feel for entry, merge, exit ramps.

Have an idea the Coast Hgwy might be more fun.

 

Russell gave some good advice.

 

Bounce that a picture of you back in the day?

[russell_bynum]

Bounce that a picture of you back in the day?

 

Yup.

 

Out of lean angle. Peg, lower fairing, and valve cover on the deck. Completely unnecessary.

[Albert]

Bounce that a picture of you back in the day?

 

Yup.

 

Out of lean angle. Peg, lower fairing, and valve cover on the deck. Completely unnecessary.

 

Looks just like me (only mine was a movie) at the Ride Smart morning session review. I had it mastered.

[Paul Mihalka]

"Out of lean angle. Peg, lower fairing, and valve cover on the deck. Completely unnecessary"

 

But man, you had fun! And thought you were the fastest rider on the earth!

[upflying]

A two week business trip to San Mateo on a motorcycle? A motorcycle limits your parking, shopping, security, luggage and clothing options. SF Bay area traffic is also intense.

If you want to ride, take 1 northbound and 101 southbound.

 

[russell_bynum]

"Out of lean angle. Peg, lower fairing, and valve cover on the deck. Completely unnecessary"

 

But man, you had fun! And thought you were the fastest rider on the earth!

 

Yup.

 

Then I noticed Dick Frantz kept leaving me in the dust...and when I looked at his bike...he had HUGE chicken strips and pristine peg feelers. My tires were worn all the way to the edge and my feelers were half gone.

[Mister Tee]

The 5 is the straight shot but it is sooooooo boring.

 

But I can see why he might want to take the bike on said two week trip. I imagine there will be at least one full weekend available for farting around or riding. I would suggest jumping over the Golden Gate and taking the 101 to the 1 (PCH) up coast. Lots of nice roads all the way to Jenner. Then take the 101 back home, jump over to the 580 (over the Richmond Bridge) then take the 80 back in to the City over the Bay Bridge. You have to cross three bridges but only one will be in the toll direction - the Bay Bridge into the City.

[tallman]

"Out of lean angle. Peg, lower fairing, and valve cover on the deck. Completely unnecessary"

 

But man, you had fun! And thought you were the fastest rider on the earth!

 

Yup.

 

Then I noticed Dick Frantz kept leaving me in the dust...and when I looked at his bike...he had HUGE chicken strips and pristine peg feelers. My tires were worn all the way to the edge and my feelers were half gone.

 

Tee hee, I've got chicken strips and wore out my feelers thanks to Ken, Chris K and Joel.

Can't keep up with them but they are great company when they stop.

[SageRider]

I agree with Russell's advice.

Based on your stated experience, I would do more local riding first. Gradually increase your distances.

You really don't want to start on a longer trip and run into experience / stamina issues that will be hard to resolve due to your distance from home.

 

Also agree regarding scraping of footpegs. Whether cross controlling or not, it is likely that you are already riding over your head. Take it easy. When you think you have got the hang of it is when it becomes most dangerous for you!

 

[leikam]

I would also advise taking the car this time. Travel by bike is fatiguing and if you feel your awareness isn't great on a short commute, it's only going to be worse towards the end of a long trip.

 

That said, I've done this trip on 101 at ~55mph. This will put you at the pace of the semis in the right lane. Spread over 3 days, the miles shouldn't be too bad on a bike like yours. As for the alternate routes, I-5 is out. Too boring and fast. Highway 1 along the coast is definitely scenic but also a more demanding route with fewer options if something goes wrong. The best riding between here and there is actually on the back roads rather than any of the freeways, but I don't think this is the time for it.

 

Keep on practicing good technique on the slow- and mid-speed stuff. To work up to longer trips, I would look towards getting some experience at higher speeds and with the logistics of multi-day travel. I would put in some freeway time: some place/time that's not too crowded. Get a feel for what your bike feels like, what traffic is like and what your options are. Not that you'll want to spend all your time on the slab but it should be familiar enough that it's not an obstacle should it make practical sense. I'd also plan my first multi-day trip on the bike to somewhere relatively nearby. Maybe somewhere like Palm Springs? The point is to figure out what you want with you on the road and how to pack it. Everybody has a different answer.

 

Keep at it. You'll get there.

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

Matt

First, if you retain the preposition before the Freeway number north of the Grapevine, you'll give away that you're Sureno.

 

I did 5 from Sac to Santa Clarita for work a month or two ago. Very interesting ride. Major wind issues with trucks if there is a prevailing wind. I rarely get passed so the only issue I had was watching the mirrors and off-ramps for a bored Chippy.

 

5 is dirty, dry and hot as stated above. You also get the sleeping drivers on I5 that further require some caution.

 

I have to second the comment above about lack of some convenience when on a bike for work travel. You might enjoy a cage more than the bike.

 

As far as situational awareness, it comes with time and miles.

 

good luck

[BlueTools]

I try to go through LA only during the hours of 10 am to 2 pm during the week and before 8 am or after 8 pm on the weekends. During that time, 405 is not a problem. Next, I find the most predictably unpredictable drivers on 101 all the way through Santa Barbara. After that, you're into God's country where new riders must be extra careful not because of other drivers but because of the scenery! As for 5, I avoid it through LA because there are still very narrow sections with only three lanes. However, after Burbank there is not much to contend with and the climb up to the 4000' pass, through the peaks and then down into the valley is enjoyable. I don't worry about the heat because I hydrate plenty before the ride and wear a perforated leather jacket (without the liner) which I believe stabilizes my body temperature without excess evaporation that comes with mesh jackets. I'm serious, Bakersfield in the summer is doable.

 

Plan your trip, have courage and you will feel rewarded. Stop as often as you like and reflect on your successes.

[Dave39]

I can respond as a newbie who went on a couple tours on hwy 1, 101, and 5 with little experience. I bought my first big bike in 2008 at the age of 68, a 2001 1100RT. Before that I spent about 6 mos learning on a Honda Rebel 250 and then an MSF course. After that, I did two solitary camping tours up and down the California Coast with little riding experience and survived. I'm not sure I can advise you personally since I know nothing about your particular riding experience and ability, except to say that it can be done even for a newbie if you're careful. My rides are documented here:

http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=31041&Number=334351#Post334351

http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=43261&Number=471466#Post471466

 

[Linz]

Even though I'm an Aussie, I've done Hwy 1 from LA to just past Monterrey (where I picked up 5 eventually). I've done 5 from LA heading toward Sacramento and wouldn't do it again. You will miss the scenic Kettleman City if you go up Hwy 1, but you'll be able to live with that

 

I'd ride the coast road and just rest when you need to. As I recall, it's not ALL twisties so you can relax in sections.

 

No recommendations from me, but I'd ride the coast. Lovely.

 

Linz

[nealopp]

You will miss the scenic Kettleman City if you go up Hwy 1, but you'll be able to live with that

 

But if he misses Kettleman City, he won't have any protein to scrapenoff his visor and windscreen for a snack!

 

In all seriousness, from what you have told us, absolutely do not take 5. The risks are too great for a new rider. If you aren't comfortable doing at least 80 and often 90, you'll be in a dangerous position.

 

If you have time to get a little freeway experience before you leave, 101 going North might be a good ride for you. It is far more mellow than 5, and you can easily go 60-65 and be doing just fine. That might even build up your confidence and experience enough to take 1 for a bit when you head back south, which is an absolutely gorgeous ride.

 

Overall, if you do decide to ride, take 101, but only if you get some freeway experience first.

 

I commend you for seeking advice, and admire your ability to be so honest a out your riding ability. When you get a couple thousand more miles under your belt, I would seriously consider taking the MSF experienced rider course. What you will learn there is worth it's weight in gold.

[Jim Moore]

Hell yes, man! Do it. Take the scenic route. It will be awesome! Practice a little bit beforehand. Go for a hundred mile ride today after work. Do the same thing tomorrow. Leave Saturday. Spend the first night in Morro Bay, then take the PCH to San Mateo.

[Marty Hill]

Weekdays on the PCH is bliss. Do it.

[Redbrick]

Matt..........

 

Suggest you consider a riding school at your earliest.....Streetmasters is good one for the basics.....Kathy and I did it at Willow Springs a few years ago.......Most of us can learn something new or be reminded of a correct method no matter how long we've been riding...

 

http://www.streetmasters.info/FAQ/index.html

 

Reg Pridmore's Class is another school that is excellent.....Reg has sessions at Willow Springs also....

 

http://www.classrides.com/

[r77toy]

Mail most of the clothes that you will need for work and take a ride up the coast. You'll be a better rider when you arrive.

[James Clark]

You have to cross three bridges but only one will be in the toll direction - the Bay Bridge into the City.

 

What if you get your hand stamped on the way out?

[James Clark]

I5 is less stressful than US101. Better pavement, consistent speed limits and fewer opportunities for bonehead moves.

 

Get off at SR152 and take Pacheco Pass to Hollister. Take SR156 to US101. Take 101 north a couple of miles and then Riverside into Watsonville. Take SR1 into Santa Cruz and either SR17,SR35,SR92 into San Mateo or SR1 (watch out for the fishhook @ 17) to Half Moon Bay and SR92 to your destination.

[russell_bynum]

I5 is less stressful than US101. Better pavement, consistent speed limits and fewer opportunities for bonehead moves.

 

Yes, but it will likely be hotter and it is often windy. Add to that the fact that he's only comfortable up to 55mph and he'll be an overheated, fatigued sitting duck by the time he gets to 152...assuming he's not run over by an 80mph semi truck by then.

[WestTX RT]

Uh I don't know I live in Texas. But I respect you for asking here and being willing to learn. I'll bet you last a while around here. There's a lot of good riders to learn from.

 

Oh, but only if you want to split a hair a lot of ways.

[Bill_Walker]

I'm with Bob (upflying) on this one. Your first long ride should not be a business trip, with its attendant schedules. You want to be able to be flexible so you have can adapt to the things you didn't expect (weather, getting tired, stuff you didn't know you needed). Take the cage for the business trip, and then ride 1 or 101 for fun.

[James Clark]

Weekdays on the PCH is bliss. Do it.

 

Until you come across 3 guys with a pickup filling a pothole and have to park for half an hour.

[Dave39]

Weekdays on the PCH is bliss. Do it.

 

Until you come across 3 guys with a pickup filling a pothole and have to park for half an hour.

 

Or even worse, half the highway torn up, a dozen dozers, graders, and dump trucks with a flagman making you sit on the bike in a one-mile line for 1/2 hour in the blazing sun. That's what we confronted at Clear Lake last week on a Monday ride. This is the season of road work. That's always the risk of summer weekday riding. There was such work on Highway 1 earlier, but haven't checked lately to see if it's done.

[Marty Hill]

Weekdays on the PCH is bliss. Do it.

 

Until you come across 3 guys with a pickup filling a pothole and have to park for half an hour.

 

Never happened to me and I've been on the PCH about 25 times including the entire length 3 times.

[upflying]

You can check for road work, detours, delays and closures here.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi

Real time CHP incidents here.

http://cad.chp.ca.gov/

[Matt S]

Wow, again, you guys are so cool.

 

I've spent the last few days paying attention to leaning with the bike, and doing it correctly has such an obvious feel of right. The bike now barely leans to make the mellow turns I am trying for, and I am happy that doing it properly means there is now ample reserve to tighten up the turn. Albert, you're amazing that you figured out what I was doing wrong from a quick aside. I don't know how long I would have continued with that bad technique if it weren't for this forum.

 

A friend has offered to drive his motorcycle up highway 1 and 101 with me. He's the kind that jumps into road trips at the drop of a hat. He thinks that all I need is more time on the bike and that if I follow him in a loose formation it'll make for an easy introduction. We've gone on a lot of adventures together, so I trust him, but I know he does everything by the seat of his pants and tends to throw caution to the wind. I am much more cerebral and methodical. It's odd that we've ended up doing many of the same things, despite having a completely different internal dialog while doing them.

 

I'm less sure about the 1. At my current skill level I might take the curves too slow and be rear ended by someone in a car that is trying to race around them. I drove Hwy 1 last summer and remember random patches of gravel and puffy rain clouds that seemed to hover over one spot and dump rain on just a couple hundred yards of the road at a time. At this point I think I would just be nervous. So I am pretty sure I am going to stick to the 101, and my friend will take the 1 on his return trip South.

 

I really appreciate all the routing and timing advice you guys shared. My current plan is to get on the road at around 6am on Saturday, to then be as far on the 101, maybe out of Los Angeles and as far as past Oxnard, by 8am.

 

I see on the map there's a 33 that heads North out of Ventura, which then meets the 166 going West and joins back up with the 101 later. Does anyone know what that road is like? It looks like I could skip the whole section leading up to Santa Barabara, though it would add miles.

 

Yesterday I drove a Ford Van towing a big dual axle trailer from San Diego to Irvine. Now that I pay special attention to motorcycles on the road, it was instructive to be back in the perspective of somoene driving an unwieldy vehicle with large blind spots on the freeway.

 

I won't have to drive once I am in San Mateo. I'll be staying in a hotel within a short walk of work. And work is casual, so I can fit everything I'll need for two weeks into one side box. The other side box will fit layers for motorcycling.

 

[upflying]

Since you are going up 101, stop for bit in Solvang and check out this museum. Don't know much about 33/166 but that detour will definitely eat up a lot of travel time.

http://www.motosolvang.com/

[Quinn]

Be sure to include a lot of breaks; and use them. Get off the bike, walk around, loosen up your shoulders and flex your fingers, take a few deep breathes and get your head straight before getting back on. Eventually, you'll learn to ride without the dead grip on the bars and hunched shoulders.

 

Just look on it as an adventure; one foot out of your comfort zone, but not in over your head. It'll be fun---maybe not while you're doing it, but later when you look back on it.

 

 

-----

 

[leikam]

I see on the map there's a 33 that heads North out of Ventura, which then meets the 166 going West and joins back up with the 101 later. Does anyone know what that road is like? It looks like I could skip the whole section leading up to Santa Barabara, though it would add miles.

 

Funny you should ask. 33 north of Ojai goes from being a windy mountain road to a farm road by the time it hits 166. It doesn't get a much car traffic. 166 is a local connector; comparatively fast and driven by people who know the road. Not much to recommend it.

 

I wasn't going to mention it but now that you've got the maps out ... the coastal mountain route. It's more technically challenging, time consuming and remote than the other options, but something like this is the proper way to ride between LA and the Bay Area if you have time to spare and aren't going along the coast.

[Tank]

Ride the bike up and have a ball. Settle in for work , rent a car for city / work..... ride home

[upflying]

I think leikam's coastal mountain route will take you near or at the James Dean crash site. That route also roughly follows the San Andreas fault, should be interesting geological attractions to see.

[Dave39]

I think leikam's coastal mountain route will take you near or at the James Dean crash site. That route also roughly follows the San Andreas fault, should be interesting geological attractions to see.

 

Dean crash site is about 26 miles east of Paso Robles at the fork of Highway 41 & 46.

[RTJohn]

Hey Marty. Let me give you my 1-1/2 cents worth. I started riding Jan '10 on a Triumph. In May of that year I bought my RT. I ride as often as I can. I recommend you ride all the time. Tell yourself to slow down. Don't try to keep up with other guys, at least not yet. It goes without saying to keep an eye on impatient drivers. They're unpredictable. Having said that, I think California drivers are the best, really. They're aggressive because they have to be. There's a lot of drivers out there competing for limited road way. At the same time, they're aware of all the riders. I'm always impressed with how often they yield to me even when they don't have to. At the same time, it only takes one of those knucklehead to ruin your day. In a nutshell: slowdown, ride often, yield the right of way without hesitation, look everywhere. Most of all, don't be in a hurry. Good luck.

[fattfreddie]

Riding school. Definitely.

[BMW_RT]

 

I wonder what the OP did, but I should say that some of the first rides I took the first year I had a bike were up and down CA. I did the 101 first, I think, but I also rode the 1 and the 5 within the first six months of riding.

 

I thought the ride up the 5 or the 101 would be better suited for a newer rider, myself. I actually thought those rides were calm compared to the freeways and boulevards of L.A. It was a long, tiring day in the saddle, is all.

 

I would suggest, now that I think of it, checking the weather up in the mountains on the 5 out of L.A. One trip up the weather was fine down in the basin but looked a little ugly up in the mountains. It was a dicey hour or so in heavy rain with poor visibility among all those trucks. Fine again after descending into glorious sunshine down in Grapevine.

 

Still, I would say that if the OP's not comfortable at 65+ yet the 5 is not the road for him.

 

Patience is probably the most important injury-preventing virtue, so, as others have said, if the OP is really unsure about it he can always rent a car and ride up another time. On the other hand, if he's riding the freeway already he'll likely find the trip up not as onerous as he might be worried about now.

 

 

 

 

[notacop]

I recently did 5 both way and it's not Boring. The crops are green, the weather was nice. What more you want? 101 has it's traffic.

Actually if you live and drive on California freeways, you already have a good idea what it'd be like only you don't have doors and a top to block the view.

Hwy 1 is nice but the summer can find it obscured in fog. Fall, October, is nice.Week days would be preferable since week ends get crowded.

Diablo canyon from Paterson on 5 over the hills to San Jose is fun especially the downhill from Mt Hamilton.

[James Clark]

Diablo canyon from Paterson on 5 over the hills to San Jose is fun especially the downhill from Mt Hamilton.

 

Just don't miss the right hand turn after you pass under I5 or you'll wind up at the Diablo Grande Estates gate house. (BTDT)

[Francis]

The traffic from Santa Cruz to San Mateo is still very aggressive...especially the trucks. You might want to time your arrival so you get there at a low point in the week or the day of arrival so you don't have to face the complexity of a new area with new informal rules of the raod and ingrained traffic patterns you don't understand and immediately have to respond to.

 

Since you asked this board the question about your mode of travel North, I could assume you have a question in your own mind about this trip and your ability to succesfully manage it up and back safely. I would recommend you take the car this time and continue to build your motorcycle skills and riding experience as noted elsewhere on this thread.

 

This approach is managing risk. The worst that could happen is you complete the trip in the car and think you could have done it on your bike....and you come home safe.