Ducati Monster Forum

This isn't a group ride announcement; however, everyone who wants to come is welcome.

I have a business trip coming up, and I thought it would be fun to ride my beautiful motorcycle. I'm leaving at the end of April and hopefully riding conditions will be perfect.

The trick is to go through the town of Maricopa and take Dead Cow Road (aka HWY 238) to Gila Bend.

Here is my planned route.

Click for map
(http://www.bestdesignever.com/ducati/map-san-diego.gif) (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=S+24th+St&daddr=W+Hawthorn+St&geocode=FZik_QEdCmBW-Q%3BFahY8wEdhhME-Q&hl=en&mra=pr&sll=32.704689,-117.04628&sspn=0.396363,0.475845&ie=UTF8&ll=33.596319,-113.884277&spn=6.275924,7.613525&z=7)

Be VERY careful going through the mountains just outside of San Diego - it gets REALLY windy through there.

That is good advice.

There's that last border patrol stop (the one at the top of the mountain), and then after that there's about 20 miles of westerly-exposed mountain roads before you get to the city outskirts. Is that the area you mean?

I'll be sure to check the weather forecast for that area. If it's stormy, that'll be a deal-breaker. And it'll be the minivan for me.

... the awesome minivan.

I made that trip from Tucson the very beginning of May two years ago and had a fine time.  Just when you think you can't take any more highway on the way out there, you hit the mountains and start having fun.  Of course, on the way back it's a bit of fun mountains to start and then the bitter knowledge of hours of endless flat slab to get back home.  Have fun.

Is it like this:

(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c137/xscorpion8/minivan.jpg)

That would be awesome!

now that IS an awesome van! 

How long did it take you?

My plan for enduring the flat boring parts is good music.

I'm not sure what I want to listen to though.

I'm thinking Beatles, Led Zepplin, and Jimmy Hendrix for the straight aways. And then maybe trance or techno for the twisties.

Any suggestions?

Bombs & Butterflies....by Widespread Panic
Like something "jazzy"...anything by Urban Grooves.
How about some really good blues?   Luther Allison!

I honestly don't recall how long it took.  On the way out I went through Ajo so that added some time as I was trying to skip as much interstate as possible.  On the way back I just wanted off the bike so I ran the interstate all the way. 

My comment about enduring the slab was more about the hours in the same seat position on, let's face it, not the most comfy bike in the world.  Unfolding when you gas up is very refreshing, but after 6 hours it doesn't even help much.  Of course, by then you're there so you can grab a beer.  [beer]

I'm excited for this trip, but I feel like the more I prepare for it the more I need to fix on my bike. Do you know what I mean? It's like trying to fix one small things, opens up a huge box of problems that also need fixing.

After trying to replace my light bulb, I spent an additional week and half diagnosing electrical problems.

That's solved now, but I'm about to change my oil and I'm nervous about it.

I also want to change my brake pads and bleed the lines, but I might not with my current luck.

If your current luck is that bad then definitely change your brake pads. 

So, I got a new iPod for my trip.

It's so cool.

(http://ucables.com/img/extra/APPLE-IPOD-NANO-8-GB-R47230-3.jpg)

It's only as cool as the music it plays. Choose wisely.

Here's a sample of my playlist:
Rob Zombie - Dragula
Audioslave - Like a Stone
Beastie Boys - Sure Shot
Beastie Boys - Whatchya Want
Beastie Boys - Sabotage
Gorillaz - 19-2000
Fat Boy Slim - Weapon of Choice
Nirvana - In Bloom
Underworld - Cowgirl
Run DMC - It's like that
Mason vs. Princess - Perfect
Massive Attack - Karmacoma
009 Sound System - Trinity
Sound Garden - Black Hole Sun
Weezer - Beverly Hills
Superman Lovers - Starlight

I also bought an album (through iTunes) that has 30 dance/trance/techno songs like Porn Kings & DJ Supreme - Up to Tha Wildstyle.

I also have a vast collection of Beatles and Jimi Hendrix for when I'm in the mood for some classics.

Porn Kings & DJ Supreme - Up to Tha Wildstyle
Porn Kings Vs. Dj Supreme - Up To Tha Wildstyle(S&H Radio) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijVZfW0oeeI#lq-lq2-hq-vhq)

Run DMC - It's like that
(this is a great video)
RUN-DMC vs. Jason Nevins - It's Like That (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLGWQfK-6DY#lq-lq2-hq-vhq)

I just got back

About 790 miles total. (map (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=S+Lindsay+Rd&daddr=AZ-101+Loop+S+to:E+32nd+St+to:Unknown+road+to:Unknown+road+to:I-8+W+to:Unknown+road+to:Pacific+Hwy+to:W+Washington+St+to:Washington+St+to:Wildwood+Glen+Ln+to:32.778345,-115.569649+to:I-8+E+to:AZ-101+Loop+N+to:S+Lindsay+Rd&geocode=FaKh_QEd3oFW-Q%3BFVSo_AEdlKVU-Q%3BFap_8gEdSngr-Q%3BFSJ-8wEdJREW-Q%3BFTv48QEdrHAT-Q%3BFfbh8wEdJBsE-Q%3BFe1f8wEduLQD-Q%3BFQdr8wEdzREE-Q%3BFRC58wEdRisE-Q%3BFQi-8wEdFWgE-Q%3BFT4M9QEdKoAM-Q%3B%3BFfbb9AEdjqhX-Q%3BFbR6_AEdgqNU-Q%3BFRCg_QEd3oFW-Q&hl=en&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=11&sz=16&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13&sll=32.773419,-115.568876&sspn=0.013135,0.01929&ie=UTF8&ll=32.500496,-113.928223&spn=6.743131,9.876709&z=7))

 [moto]

It was very windy, but a really fun ride.

In Arizona, hwy 238 was the best part. Towards the end (towards Gila Bend) it has some nice curves and it's very scenic.

On the way there, I was freezing through those mountains (after El Centro) in California, but on the way back they were fantastic (the time of day being the difference). Very fun. No traffic, no cops, no construction. No sharp turns, just a lot of nice, well-paved curves.

I rode up on Thursday, and came back today (Sunday).

This picture was taken on the way back, before Yuma, where the highway is closest to the U.S/Mexican border. You can see the border fence in the background (a tiny dark line in the way back, along the horizon; I believe the white fence that is right next to the road is just to keep people from driving their sand rails on the sand dunes there).
(http://www.bestdesignever.com/ducati/2010-05-02.jpg)

Glad you had a good trip!  Who took the pic?

Sounds like a good ride! How'd your MP3 player work out?

A hottie in a car that drove by me.  ;)

My wife. She was in our minivan with our kids and her friend Alexia. They were my chase car, so to speak. Even though that was one of the few times that we were actually on the highway close to each other. We traveled separately most of the way.

See, I went to San Diego on business. I had to be there to do some filming for corporate interviews and presentations at one of my client's annual partner meeting (me behind the camera, that is; not in front). And since my client is paying for the travel and for the hotel, I invited my family to have a fun vacation in San Diego while I was there working.


Fanamatastic!!!

I love my iPod. I've never had one before, and now I can't image a road trip without it.

I don't know if you remember our trip to Sedona that one time, I lost my radio on the way out of Cottonwood. I always used to just have a radio; never an MP3 player. I like NPR and so I'll listen to that every morning while I jog. But an iPod has both a radio and an MP3 player! And the FM reception is fantastic.

The ear phones, however, are horrible on an iPod. Well, at least for helmets. They're actually really nice ear phones, but you'll need to use a different pair for motorcycle rides. The Marshmallow Headphones are a nice, cheap substitute that will stay in your ear the whole time.

(http://www.jvc.co.nz/assets/images/HA-FX34.jpg)

That sounds like a really fun trip, Michael!

And now to hijack the thread:
That iPod sounds like a good choice. Can you download podcasts to it?
Were those ear phones comfortable inside your helmet (I assume they were since you didn't say "geez, my ears hurt")
Did they cancel out the road noise decently? As good or better than regular ear plugs?

Thanks!

At first I tried using the iPod headphones in my helmet and I couldn't get them to stay in most of the time, and when I did they really hurt my hear. But when I switched to the marshmallows both those problems were instantly solved.

The "fitted" style headphones are probably the best. I don't own any, and I can't compare. But I will say that I heard the music well enough with the marshmallows. And since they're cheap at Walmart, I don't plan on switching from them.

Oh, and podcasts: yes, you can. You can put on movies, tv shows, pod casts, music, etc.

Hey Michael,

I use my mp3 player a lot when I ride and have found that the ear buds made by Sony work well too. They are a bit more expensive $30-40, but worth it for the sound quality that you get.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41RHvxLw3QL._AA260_.jpg)

Sounds like you had a great time!  Glad you made it back safely! [moto]

"I don't know if you remember our trip to Sedona that one time, I lost my radio on the way out of Cottonwood."

Yeah, I remember that!  I was dodging plastic shrapnel as I recall!  \;o