Ducati Monster Forum

I have been itching to get out of the house and out of the area on my bike for a while.  Have had my 696 for about 8 months and nothing really spectacular to show for it.... I live in Scottsdale, my sister lives in Sunnyvale CA.  She invited me up to hang out for a while.  Is that too far too ride on a Monster....?  Only one way to find out.

I got ready for the trip and got together my gear.  Just got some TCX boots off eBay, got an Ogio  Mach 5 backpack, and tried to get a Tourmaster tank bag from a guy on Craigslist.  That piece didn't work out, but made due with another aviation headset bag not much smaller.  I also got a solar powered USB charger.   That might be the best $30 ever spent.  I carefully planned my route, and figured that I should be able to get to Lompoc on the coast before dark - about 100 miles past Santa Barbara. My plan was to head up Hwy 1 / PCH on Sunday morning.    The plan was going perfectly until Saturday morning.  I wanted to leave by 730am at the latest.  At 830am on Saturday,  I hit the starter, and nothing.  The first time she ever didn't start right up.  Anyhow, fast forward 3+ hours, about 1 hour of which was on the battery tender, it started right up.  I had planned 5 gas  stops before Lompoc, and the first 3 legs across the desert went perfectly.  Hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate.

I hit rain in the mountain pass around Palm Springs, but nothing too bad.  I don't have a lot of experience riding in the rain (hey, I live in Scottsdale, what do you expect?) But it didn't bother me at all.  Anyhow, with the last start, and the technical delay, instead of getting to Lompoc before dark. I didn't get to the hotel until almost midnight.  I was sore, tired, stiff, and spent but I made it.  The last hour was riding through patchy fog, at night on twisty unfamiliar dark roads.  Not what I wanted, but we got the job done.  474 miles in one day.

The next morning, I was excited to get an early start on my "E Ticket" PCH ride, But no go, same starting problem as Saturday morning.  Flash forward about another 4 hours, and a battery tender for me to get on my way.

Any way - 843 miles in 2 days.  The good news is that I need to ride my bike back to Scottsdale in a couple weeks and I am looking at a new route to head home on. It was a great experience and now I am shopping for a gel foam saddle to go home with

I might post some pics soon!

Well played.

Awesome, and buy a new battery.  [thumbsup]

nice.
there was actually flash flooding up in the mountains, near where you hit rain.

I looked at the radar from about 100 miles away and it looked scary.  By the time I got to around Banning, the path along the 10 had opened up.  Talked to some Harley guys that had just come through and they said it wasn't bad.

 If you want a seat that you can ride on all day without butt hurt, I have a Rick Mayer saddle that will fit your bike!

Hey Spike!  How much and where?   I'm planning a longer route for the trip home

Well done. [thumbsup]
And great signature. ;D

Good write up.  [thumbsup]