Aussies with no idea....

[Trilegy]

Hi

2 of us are heading to LA then San Diego in early March. After our conference we have 5 days free.

Our plan is to hire 2 bikes from LA when we land, and ride to SD. Then open to suggestions for 5 days riding.

We love back roads and hate freeways.  We would typically go on a 5 day ride from Sydney to Brisbane return over 5 days with no freeways. OK with 6-8 hours in the saddle. 

Probably hire r1200s. We have a r1250rt and gs1200 here.

And ideas suggestions for a route much appreciated.

 

 

[Trilegy]

sorry forgot to mention we end up back in LA to fly out.

[szurszewski]

High places, like the Sierras, are probably out, though that’s dependent on what kind of winter we’ve had.
 

The coast via highway 1 and then 101 as far north as the temps are pleasant is an option and won’t be crowded with tourists yet (I did a really nice ride from near Seattle, WA down to San Diego and back in March of this year and has a great time). 

 

But, unless you are specifically interested in that sort of classic American/California coast trip, I’d suggest heading inland and exploring Death Valley. 

[Bill_Walker]

You're going to be dealing with some very big and busy freeways between LA and San Diego, and there's really no way around it.  You can take bikes in the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes (inside lanes with double stripes, or sometimes a wall, separating them from other traffic), but in some areas on Interstate 405 they don't move any faster than the regular traffic at times.

 

March weather can be beautiful, or it can be rainy (historical average is 4 days of rain in March).  Riding in the rain in SoCal is pretty hazardous, because it rains so little here that most drivers have no clue how to handle it.  The Sierra passes (California State Routes 120, 108, 88, 4) and Angeles Crest Highway will likely still be closed in early March, and I'd expect that's true of many interesting places in Utah, too.  So, yeah, either work your way back north through LA and hit the coast up from there, or else explore the San Diego County mountains (if dry) and Death Valley.  You're going to have to flexible in your planning and adapt to conditions.  Much depends on what kind of winter we have.

Once you're north of LA, there are lots of great roads in addition to the legendary CA-1.  33 north from Ojai, 58 between I-5 and US101, 25 south of Hollister, Nacimiento-Ferguson between 101 and 1 (though I don't know if there are access issues on N-F for foreigners, since you pass through a military base, Fort Hunter-Liggett), and smaller un-numbered roads east and north of Paso Robles.  In 5 days, you could even go north of San Francisco, but the farther north you go, the more likely you'll hit inclement weather.

 

Bottom line: you can almost certainly have some fun, but it's probably safest to leave your route planning fairly late.  And if you're set on going north of LA, you might even want to consider not picking up your bikes until after your conference.

[RPondaRoad]

Our coast is beautiful...it's among my favorite rides.  But, you have stunning coastline in Australia.  Here are some things you don't have... Death Valley, Highway 395 along the eastern side of the Sierra, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.  All within range of a 5 day tour.  BTW, I heard a news report tonight that said that Death Valley just received several times it's normal annual rainfall.  That may mean it will have a "super bloom" in spring.  I was there a few years ago when this happened and the colors of the flowers in the valley were like something from a 1960's Peter Max painting. 

 

Early March out here is "iffy".  You may want to keep your rental options open so that you can grab an automobile instead of a moto if a major spring storm is headed this way.  You can get a good read from Australia before you leave, I'm sure.  

 

I hope you enjoy your time out here enough to come back and ride when all of our mountain passes are open.  They are eye candy and so exciting to ride!

 

 

[mrduck]

My two cents worth.......get a rent a car from LAX and drive to SD, the ride outta the LA metro area could  be the most intense/scariest thing you’ve ever done on two wheels! ( mucho respect to you guys that can ride in that!)

Pick up the bikes once in SD and head northeast -Temecula,  Anza Borrego, Joshua National Park, head over towards Havasu/ Laughlin....

if it’s spring break, find Pirates Cove, stop for food and brews, the scenery will be excellent!

Northeast around Vegas, Valley of Fire State Park, from there head west towards Death Valley and on over to 395

If you wanna see the Grand Canyon, head over to the north rim, great views, no tourists.......

Post  up your itinerary, you might get some locals to tag along on parts of your ride and share the good spots.....

 

And welcome to the neighborhood!

 

Don J