Week 27
This is VicToRia's twenty-seventh week home, and this week I did some modding and some riding.
This is VicToRia's twenty-seventh week home, and this week I did some modding and some riding.
First, the modding. After seeing my friend, Jim, low-side last week due to dragging hard parts in a turn, I decided it was time to resolve the ground clearance problems that VicToRia had. I got a set of Competition Werkes anodized red racing footpegs. But, simply getting the footpegs wasn't enough. I noticed that the next thing that would then touch down would be my Yoshimura RS-3, Carbon Fiber, standard mount, slip-on exhaust cans. So, I got my hands on a set of Jardine RT-One, Carbon Fiber, High-mount, slip-on exhaust cans.
The Yoshimura exhausts had racing baffles and had a rumbly, "wake up the neighbors" sound. Fine at the track or in the canyons, but a little annoying when inside the city limits. The Jardine exhausts have street baffles. Still a nice rumbly sound, but not an alarm clock for the neighbors or a warning to Law Enforcement that I'm coming their way. They look sweet too. I was a bit worried about how they would perform, but was pretty confident since Jardine is the offical exhaust system supplier to American Honda's Roadrace team (yep, Nicky Hayden had a set on his championship RC-51). I wasn't disappointed. They performed beautifally on the ride I took (more on the ride to follow) and even seemed to add a bit of pep in the lower rpm while retaining the high end power I had become accustomed to.
After making modifications, you have to test them out, right? Well, I got a perfect opportunity. My next door neighbor, Gary, gave me a call and said that his buddy Nick was planning a ride. In fact it wasn't just a ride, but his favorite ride. Kevin would be joining us as well. So, I would be riding with the Suzuki Intruder crew again. This was good because they knew that I would need to have my occasional high speed, canyon carving outburst.
We planned to meet at a local resturant in Moorpark at about 10:15am and then Nick would lead us on the rest of the way. So we gassed up before they arrived and watched as a parade of bikes rolled around town on what had to be one of the warmest winter days of the year, 88 degrees F. Once Nick and Kevin arrived we left after some short chit chat about the latest mods Gary and I had both made to our bikes.
We cruised out of town and headed onto some roads I was very familiar with, at least at first. Highway 23 North out of Moorpark to the Highway 126. I almost thought that this was going to be a ride similar to what I had been on back in Week 6 but I quickly found out that I was wrong. Nick made a turn onto a road I didn't even catch the name of and it was a great backroad. I can't even accurately tell which roads we took after that but all I know was that it was fun.
We eventually made our way by Lake Piru. These roads by Lake Piru are prime carving country. Very fast sweepers that were a thrill to ride. I had never been this way before but was throughly impressed with the roads. I had taken off out in front of the other guys to enjoy the roads at high speed. I eventually came upon a motorcycle accident scene. A sport biker had gone down in one of the corners and the local Law Enforcement and Fire Department were on the scene to assist. I knew that when the others came upon the scene, that they might think it was me. I wanted to stop there but was waved on by some of the other riders who were already there. So, I found the next spot that had enough room for me to park and stopped to take some pictures of the road.
Once, the others had caught up and were sure that I was okay I proceded to carve on up ahead until I reach the next intersection. I stopped and chatted with some guys on sportbikes that were waiting for some friends of their own to catch up. They ask me if I wanted to join them for a burger at a place just up the road but, I had to decline and wait for Gary, Nick & Kevin. I figured we would be eating at the same place and I would see them soon anyway.
When the others caught up I found out that I was right. We made our way to the Harley Rock Inn, where the sportbikers I just chatted with were heading in for some lunch. We did the same and watch part of the Cleveland/Pittsburgh Playoff football game. This was a cool biker hang out that had a variety of bikes there from cruisers to sportbikes to touring bikes. It was mostly a cruiser crowd but there were enough sportbikes there to make me feel at home.
Once we finished lunch we geared up and headed on what I was told was "the better part of the trip". It was indeed a great ride, but it's hard to tell whether it was better because the first part was also so good. We ended up going around Lake Hughes. This part of the trip had much tighter and twistier corners than the fast sweepers near Lake Piru. It was hard for me to tell weather I liked the fast sweepers are the tight twisty corners better. They were both VERY fun.
We eventually stopped by a place called the Big Oak. This place was really cool. It had an outdoor boxing ring that I'm told is actually used by patrons in the spring and summer months. It also had a very classy, nostalgic Hollywood decor. Lots of pictures of 50s and 60s Hollywood actors were on the wall and even the restrooms were labeled "Actors and Actresses". We stopped here long enough to use the restrooms and watch the remainder of a hotly contested Cleveland/Pittsburgh game . . Pittsburgh pulled it off in the end. As we were leaving we saw a rare black Harley VROD. The owner was a nice guy who was proud of his ride (like most of us riders) and let me take a picture of this rare Harley.
Once we left there it was more twisty stuff until we reach Santa Clarita. After reaching Santa Clarita we pretty much droned our way through town and onto the freeway home. It was a great day. The weather was warm and I was introduced to some new twisty roads that I had never been on before. The round trip for me was 129 miles and we were home in time to watch the end of the San Francisco/ New York Giants game . . another hotly contested affair that San Francisco ended up winning. I knew that made Kevin happy, probably a little nervous before it was all over too.