Ducati Monster Forum

Hi west coasters
Im coming over to California in August to visit family.
I will be staying in Santa Monica and while I am there I would like to go shopping  ;D
Does anyone have a Moto shop near by they could recommend .
Ill be looking for helmets specifically , they cost an arm and a leg down here and as it
is for track days not road it does not need the Aussie compliance  [bang] $$$$$ sticker .
Anything that is a must do in that neck of the woods ?
Best breakfast/bacon destination  [bacon] [thumbsup] Watering hole  [drink]
thanks in advance.
Two dogs

Good grief. Where to start.... [evil]

How long are you going to be here, and how much of that is free time?

There's tons of great stuff to see and do, and more trouble to get into than you may expect!

There's the Helmet House relatively close, what brands are you interested in?

Only there for a week , main focus is to spend time with my dad who is pushing 90 and on wife number 5  [laugh]
He is an Aussie that lives in the US and clearly likes the flavour of the local femmes  [clap]
Looking at Bell Schuberth maybe anything that fits a egg shaped Aussi nogin.
Hmm getting into trouble ..... better not let Mrs Dogs read this  [laugh]

Helmet House has Shoei and HJC. Thought they had more.... :(

Beach Moto and Honda of Hollywood have Schuberth.
Bell is a pretty common line, that should be easy.

I'll see what kind of non-serious mischief is available.  :)

I am Neil Diamond and I approve this thread.

Hey dogs, when i do track days they want to see the sticker... They must be more relaxed over east!

My last track day was the same, they needed to see the Aus standards sticker.
That was a loooong time ago however, so perhaps this can be cleared up by those who've done tracks days this year.

GK

Enjoy the trip btw!

GK

Moto Club in Santa Monica may be another option... not sure of pricing and stock but i'm sure another SoCal DMF'er will chime in soon.

+1 on Beach Moto

I have never been asked or had anyone look at my compliance sticker on my helmet at SMSP aka Eastern creek.
In fact I was on the RATS forum the other night and in a sub section on track days at EC there was a comment that DOT or SNEL certified helmets were okay there.
The whole subject on helmet compliance in Australia is from what I have heard under review , it seems silly that you can have the same hemet from the same manufacturer one being purchased in Australia with sticker at say $600 and the other from the good old US of A  via eBay for $170 the later voiding your insurance if worn during an acco.
That being said I can imagine there are buckets loads of shite products potentially coming in from East Asia that you wouldn't wear on a hobby horse. So maybe it will never happen.

I have never had a cop check out any of my gear while being pulled over , all they seem interested in is berating me on what an idiot I apparently are for riding 3 ks over the limit while handing me a ticket or trying to find ways of defecting my bike.
Most of them HWP would't know one end from the other a motorcycle cop is a whole other story but most of them seem , as long as haven't been a complete make the beast with two backstard to understand us and go a little lighter on the lectures.

Thanks for the info Speeddog and Lawbreaker  [thumbsup]
Keep it coming SOCAL lads. [thumbsup]

Have you been here before and seen the usual Southern California stuff?

If you've not been to the Rock Store, it's worth a look.
Saturday or Sunday, early afternoon will be the best for seeing what's up with motos there.
It's not spectacular, but it is quintessential Southern California Moto Culture.

May as we'll pay a visit to ProItalia in Glendale.

Beverly Hills Ducati is much closer, but I never got a good vibe in there, always looked like they're on the verge of closing up shop, or just want to cater to celebs.

I can't believe this thread has gone this far without a reference to Eddie Murphy.

(http://cdnl.complex.com/assets/CHANNEL_IMAGES/POP_CULTURE/2013/06/content/1372434639_gettingacab.gif)

(http://25.media.tumblr.com/6adcf593006b915aa8c8ef080da68a75/tumblr_mgp1sv9Uvs1s3umjmo1_1280.gif)

Oh and if you like whiskey and its iterations, check out The Daily Pint in Santa Monica on Pico Blvd.  Lots of brown liquors there.  Dive-y, with pool, shuffleboard, etc.

http://thedailypint.net/ (http://thedailypint.net/)

Eddie Murphy  [thumbsup]
That so funny keep em coming guys thanks , I will need to fill some time during the the days so great.
I have spent more time on the East coast , my Dad used to live in a nice little spot called Mystic Connecticut
Did a lot of sailing with him out in New England sound out too Block Island and Marthers Vinyard what a beautiful place
in the fall  [thumbsup]
I have been to LA before my wife is originally from Bakersfield but the last time was a bit of an eye opener  :o
It was 1992 the week after the LA riots Rodney King incident .
Made the mistake of renting a convertible RED Mustang at the airport to get out to her family ,we were stuck in gridlock on the motorway and I looked down and saw all the side streets empty  [thumbsup]
So I got off on the next exit ..........what a big mistake   :o  there was burned out buildings and trash everywhere with some scary looking people hanging around street corners and no other cars on the road.
We didn't stand out much  [laugh] to young surfer looking tourists in a rental , I went through a few stop signs without stoping .
And got the make the beast with two backs back on the motoway asap  ;D

Damn shame what they did to that dog. That's one of the lines from the movie that I can remember, not a reference to Two Dogs

I'm not sure why but I always liked Cooks Corner better than the Rock Store. But I had a Harley then so maybe that's why.

Cars and Coffee in Irvine if you're up super early, usually a great turnout.

Cars and Coffee? Pft!  Someone needs to start a Bagels and Bikes. Except I guess good bagels are hard to come by in sunny CA.

Maybe Donuts and Ducs?  I don't k ow if the roads near Glendora are any good, but The Donut Man makes killer jellies:

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6990529395_75dcc1441a_b.jpg)

Used to be Elvis's favorite, so I'm told.

Good bagels can be had in Calabasas. [thumbsup]

Definitely some good roads near there.  OK, if I ever end moving up back in LA, I will inaugurate a Sunday Bagels and Bikes.