Ducati Monster Forum

  I've been wanting to see the coastline on the S4RS for some time so I was thinking about heading to L.A from Bodega bay down highway 1. What do you guys think? Has anybody done this? Is it too many miles in one day, will I be rushing the ride? And how long do you think it would take. Any input would be helpful. Thank [thumbsup]

i have done santa cruz to malibu on 1 a few times on the duc ... it can be done "if" the weather does not sock in with fog, and if you don't get stuck behind winybagles or other dork cages.

When ridden properly, that's a 3-hour trip on a 4-valver Monster ;D

Do it.  Leave early so you don't rush.  Stop every 100 miles for fuel and stretch your legs.  Take 101 to 17 or further south, then stick to the coast.  Get a plan for hopping over the mountains if the weather doesn't shake out for you.  Your cell phone probably won't work, know that.  Plan on sitting behind a RV or - worse - Prius-types being green and not mashing the make the beast with two backsing gas peddle on the fun parts of the ride. 
Which part of LA?  The valley's easier than slogging down to orange county or riverside (what river, btw?).  When I ride to O.C., I plan my departure based on when I'm hitting LA traffic. 
Ear plugs.  Maps.  Hydrate.  Fix-a-flat stuff.  Layers. 
Sounds like you haven't done a long trip before?  I'm guessing.  You will either LOVE or HATE your bike when you're done. 
Go for it, have fun.

It can be done, but that's a LONG, LONG day if you take HWY 1.  Leave at 6am and you'll still probably hit LA after dark.  It's more doable from SF than from Bodega Bay, but that's still a long way if you do it on Hwy 1.

If the idea is to enjoy the coastline and the ride, split it up over two days or a day and a half.  You won't regret it.  If you can, don't do the Big Sur part of the ride on a weekend.  You'll be stuck behind traffic all day wondering what it would be like to do that ride when no one is in front of you.

   Well, we're doing the 3 day family "Disneyland" thing and I thought i'd ride up and meet them  there and carry the bike home on the Versahauler bike carrier and make the most out of this trip. I regularly do 2-3 hour rides but never an alllll dayer. Getting there at night time may cause me to rethink the route and enjoy just a portion of Hwy 1 and then maybe bounce back on the main Interstate and make it to Disneyland in time for dinner and [drink]

If you're going to do a portion of it on a moto and the highway for the, hit the Big Sur portion.   You can always do
PCH down to SF and then down to Santa Cruz.  And while there are some good parts of PCH down near LA, other some parts aren't that great. 

Spidey's right - the premier section is from Carmel Valley to Cambria. So if I was worried about the time, I'd take 101 down to Prunedale (I love saying that) and head over from there to take 1 south. Gas up in Carmel Valley and have the ride of your life to Cambria, and continue down to San Luis Obispo then slab it south on 101 again.  There are some lovely roads through Santa Ynez, but they are short and if you're tight for time they could be skipped.

As for time, consider this. I made it from Mill Valley to Malibu in 6 hours, taking Hwy 1 the whole way except for a portion near Lompoc. Oh, and that was on a Vespa.

If you possibly can, travel on a weekday to avoid the winnebago/prius/minivan clustermake the beast with two backs. Those fookers are hard to pass when you only have 22hp, but you should be able to manage it easier. Also, if they're doing construction (they often are) and are down to one lane, snake up to the front of the line and you'll have many miles of clear sailing.  [thumbsup]

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Santa Ana River.

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Is there water in it? 

Strangely enough, yes, there's some water in it.  [cheeky]