Epic Monster Ride - 843 miles in 2 days

[goog]

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!

[Dirty Duc]

Well played.

[red baron]

Awesome, and buy a new battery. 

[Privateer]

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

[goog]

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.

[SpikeC]

 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!

[goog]

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

[koko64]

Well done.
And great signature.

[MendoDave]

Good write up.