Ducati Monster Forum

Went riding today up the pch then back down all the way to palos verdes..

btw palos verdes along the ocean is a great ride!!

Anyone know of any fun, BUT safe rodes to travel in the los angeles area??

Depends how technical you wanna get. Lotta great roads down here!!

I like the 2 through the mountains to Newcomb's Ranch or on to Wrightwood.

I've hear Topanga Canyon can be fun also. Be careful around PV, the ground shifts and there's a bunch of scary creases around Portuguese Bend!

Topanga Canyon can be fun but it's extremely residential and usually slow (traffic) and it seems like the road is perpetually under construction.

On that side of town you'd be better heading toward Pepperdine U and doing Malibu Canyon -> Piuma -> Schueren Rd -> Stunt -> Mulholland. Some of those roads can be quite technical, Piuma especially.

Bearded duck is right on the above roads.... and include Latigo and Decker !




But remember Fun and Safe don't go together ....


I opt for FUN [thumbsup]

define 'safe?'

well speaking of "safe"

Ive heard a lot about mulholland, and its imfamous for being risky. For ex. Highside Motorcycle Crash on Mulholland (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlMbFlPzS24#)

There are plenty of vids regarding mulholland dr on youtube.

Im a beginner so i'd probably want a bit more practice before I tackle anything beyond my level. Something fun, scenic, cruise worthy, not too aggro.

Malibu is good i hear, and the canyons up there are pretty nice, from what i hear.

There are quite a lot of "crash" videos from that portion of Mulholland but most of them are due to inexperience or pushing too far. I've made that turn in the video a number of times and have come out unscathed and there are quite a few riders in this area that have made that section ritual and have also remained unharmed.

The key is, and you already said it, don't ride beyond your limits. That means both in your ability to handle your bike and you ability to handle the speed at which you're traveling. If you take it easy you should be able to make just about any ride fun.

If you want something more scenic I would try running the CA-2 up to Newcomb's Ranch or even to Wrightwood (before the snow kicks in). With the exception of 2 switch-backs you can do the whole run at about 50-55 mph without ever taking your ass off the seat. Unless faster or slower is more comfortable, then by all means....

If there is ever a time you wanna head that way give me a shout, I'd be more than happy to show the way.

agreed.  The first time I rode through it, I'd only been riding like 2 years.. we got to the top, pulled over for a break and I said "that was it?  How do people crash there?"

ACH on a weekday is pretty awesome.  barely any traffic.

There's also highway 33 which is pretty devoid of traffic. 

If you stick to your comfortable speed any road can be safe.

Yea I hear ya...

I rode on laurel canyon this weekend at night. Wasnt bad at all.

I thought of trying Topanga, Latiga, or Tuna canyons up in malibu, but also thought those might be a little too crowded for my skill level. What are your thoughts on those?

Also looking for a cool ride that has a great view of the city at the top. Know of any??

Still havent tried mulholland yet. As the only time i ride is on the weekends an am afraid i'll be impeding the flow of the other riders if i go on a saturday for example. Im a total noob, i even just rode on the highway for the first time the other day. The 405 to be specific. But, im getting more confident and more aware of my bike.

Im game to go riding anytime Bearded Ducc.

Been looking for other duc owners in the area, and the "clubs" arent very active. If anyone wants to ride, lemme know.

There is a vista point near Palos Verdes Estates. It would be pretty mellow street riding and make sure you follow the speed limits when in Palos Verdes.
Go to maps.google.com and search for "Palos Verdes dr west and paseo del mar, palos verdes estates, california"
You would just come south on PCH and make a right on Palos Verdes Blvd and follow it to the right to Palos Verdes Dr West and the spot would be at the right hand side. On a clear day, you could see Malibu from there. At night, you could see the city lights of Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. You could also see the airplanes taking off from LAX.
Enjoy!

if you don't feel like you have the skill don't try it at all.  My understanding is Latigo is pretty tough.  The others aren't difficult but have some sneaky turns if you're not familiar with the road.

Just wait.  Road isn't going anywhere.

Palos Verdes as described above is a pretty good ride.  Angels Gate Park is a pretty cool destination as well.

Latigo is for sure NOT for Newbies to the twisties...

Last weekend I rode all the way up Pch, and took a couple rodes off and around malibu.

I was gonna go all the way down through palos verdes to san pedro, but the skies were looking rainy.

I think this weekend im gonna head up near the griffith park observatory, i hear there are epic views up there.

Any other must see sites in and around the LA area?

Highway 33 and Cerro Noroeste are a good ride.  probably want to go now before it gets too cold (ie snow).  It's out beyond LA, but not too far.

Top of the World in Laguna is pretty nice I'm told.  21601 Treetop Ln Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/top-of-the-world-park-laguna-beach?select=SvFD-u2dLLvtS670EZCanw#UmPnSniPnTqDm-KVftCr-w (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/top-of-the-world-park-laguna-beach?select=SvFD-u2dLLvtS670EZCanw#UmPnSniPnTqDm-KVftCr-w)) but that's pretty far out of LA.

Top of the world is a mtb, hiking trail IIRC.... I used to get to it from Aliso-Woods canyon park when i was mtb'ing



The views around dusk were always killer

i thought there was a little park area?  my mistake if not, I've never been but know plenty of people who do on a fairly regular basis.

A nice ride  with views of the city and the SFV is Mulholland Drive on it's east end.  Start near the Hollywood Bowl and head west.  Slow and twisty with lots of local traffic, but the views can be pretty good.  Nice lookout above the Bowl.

Ride up to Griffith Observatory is nice (at least I think it's now open again).

Sounds like you are new to the area or at least new to bikes?   A nice area for riding is north of Santa Clarita:  Bouquet Canyon, San Francisquito Canyon, Lake Hughes Road, Spunky Canyon, Soledad Canyon, Aliso Canyon.  You can connect with Angeles Crest via Angeles Forrest from there as well.

Pie and coffee at The Place....mmmmmm.  Depending on the weather, heading up to Santa Maria (via 166) tomorrow and hope to stop there for breakfast.

Well worth the ride to get there in my opinion.  Though I now live in Santa Paula (highway 150, look it up  [thumbsup]), I used to ride out to the 33 from the South Bay back in the 80s.  33 is a spectacular ride...great surface, great views...you can take it easy and cruise, or scare yourself $hitless going really fast.  Cerro Noroeste, particularly the north end near the 166, is one of the best riding roads in the five counties.

I rode up the Griffith Park last week. Its a nice view, but you'd have to park it and get off to see the city.... I do like that area however.

I was pretty satisfied with my long ride back from there:

Sunset heading west all the way till pch, then pch south home...

I think i'll continue north next time. Gotta try Lagun Top of the world, and mulholland

If you want a really good view of the city (assuming you're referring to DT LA) ride up Mulholland Drive from the North end off Cahuenga. It's not really a riding road since it's pretty residential, kind of a dirty road surface and pretty heavy traffic. It's good for a view of downtown LA though about half a mile up from the North end. If you keep going on Mulholland across Laurel Canyon you'll get some nice views of the valley too.

Here's a nice beginner ride for ya:

PCH to Topanga to Mulholland to Las Virgenes. Then if you're hungry, continue North up the PCH to Neptune's Net and show off your bike. That was my first ride -- and on a little wobbly Honda Rebel no less!

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/20326093/Malibu%20Hills.jpg)

Oh nice!

Doing that tomorrow... :D

Just got back from that ride...

Took topanga to muholland back down through Las Virgines and pch home

Twas a good ride, great day too.

Jealous! Chore day for me. Happy wife, happy life right?!

haha, so they say... but high fives for any wife that lets theirs men keep a bike.   :D

Agreed!

WERD  [thumbsup]

The rain ruined this weekend...

hope it clears soon.. might have to do a mid-week ride

Mid-week??!!

Wednesday or later, head up the CA-2 to Newcomb's Ranch. Super fun ride, fast and sweeping with very little cage traffic and ususlly no [leo]. Check the weather or call Newcomb's to see what the road conditions are like before you head out, they do get snow and there might be some run-off.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the ride, kendallb! Maybe we'll cross paths next time!  [Dolph]

Been working so much that i havnt been really riding much ( had a gig driving a Jag for a week ) .... So im tentatively planing a ride thru the 'bu on Monday



anyone interested in taggin' along, Gimme a shout !

PM or email (lawbreaker@me.com)

So far its one of the best i've been on  :D

Im game to ride, anytime.... i'll take down your emails

I never see packs of Ducatis on the rode. If i did id probably geek out. lol