13 days, 7 states

  I recently returned from my annual trip to Laguna Seca and the World Superbike races, and am planning a more detailed write-up. But I need to finish editing my photos & videos first.

In the meantime, some notes from the road of this 13 day ride.

Total cost for 13 days, with motels split 2-ways: US$1550

Fuel:  US$307, averaged 42 mpgUS, 51 mpg-Imp, 18 km/litre

Meals:  US$450

Motels:  US$710 (my half of 12 nights)

Nasty wx (rainstorm e. of Missoula & forecast of thunderstorms for 3 days in the Yellowstone area) nixed our plan to ride Beartooth Pass & Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. And earthquakes made us bravely rethink getting south enough to ride Angeles Crest.

Hottest temp. according to my VFR was 31℃ / 88℉

Yamaha FZ1 measures oil level, not pressure as God intended

Hwy 89’s Monitor Pass is a fantastic road, Hwy 41 out of Atascadero is a peach, and Hwy 25 s. of Hollister is a gem. And the Pacific Coast highway - well, it is near perfection. (see below)

Lorne

Taking 5 along California's Pacific Coast Highway, on a switchback just north of Jenner.

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Nice numbers report, looking forward to the full one.  

Our Euro tours for 10-12 days usually cost £2000-£2500, but £250 of that is the ferry back from Spain. These usually cover 2-2.5K miles, averaging 250 miles per day, the last day is a 23hr ferry trip.

Out of interest how how much was a ticket to the WSBK ?

32 minutes ago, Mohawk

...£250 of that is the ferry back from Spain. These usually cover 2-2.5K miles, averaging 250 miles per day, the last day is a 23hr ferry trip.

Out of interest how how much was a ticket to the WSBK ?

I live on Vancouver Island, so two ferry rides are part of my trips, too, though much shorter. Usually, I take the American ferry south to Port Angeles, US$37.50 (C$51) one-way. BC Ferries is an alternative for eastbound trips, and costs C$45.95 (US$35).

Our longest day was 900 km/560 mi, some were ~700 km/435 mi, most were <300 km/180 mi. And in two full days in Monterey for the races we barely chalked up 100 km/60 mi. 

The 2-day general admission ticket cost US$85 includes some free grandstand seating - might I suggest at T4. Preferred parking (flat & paved) cost me another US$30. There is free motorcycle parking as well. 

Laguna Seca is a great track for spectators. You can walk along almost the entire track, and at some points see most of it - the hill by the Corkscrew. Attendance took a dive after MotoGP left and the tragic loss of Nicky Hayden, but has been building slowly over the past 5 years.

Weather at the track July is usually sunny - after the morning fog/low cloud burns off. And light breeze keeps the temperature moderate, my VFR indicated 18 ℃ in the mid-afternoon. But beware as the mild temps can lead to sunburn, especially for gingers.

Mohawk, 7/22/2019 at 11:48 PM

Sorry for the blank content. I answered a question that was answered and tried to delete it. Sounds like a fantastic motorcycle adventure. Hope to read more about it. 

Jimmy, two months on and I’ve yet to do a proper write-up of my summer trip. In the meantime how about a video of one of my favourite roads, northern California’s Monitor Pass.
  Monitor Pass - 2003 & 2014 comparison 
  Monitor Pass - 2014 westside ascent 

I took another turn over Monitor Pass this summer. Located in the Sierra Nevada mountains, it lies north of Yosemite NP and south of Lake Tahoe. Pine and aspen forest on the west side make way for sage and grassland on the east. The summit offers a nearly mile long straight across an old dry lake, perfect for those wishing to calibrate their speedo. Do stop at the viewpoint, a short ways down the east side, to enjoy a refreshing beverage and take in the view of Antelope Valley, Topaz lake, and the Sweetwater Mountains. Gives you time to decide to carry on or retrace your route. My preference is to ride eastbound, but that may be because it better suits my trip planning.

The road itself is good fun, fairly open and with no tricky corners. In my experience it is lightly trafficked and has always been well paved. The pretty scenery encourages a slower pace with plenty of stops. One of these times I might do so.

There’s plenty of choice for accommodation nearby: South Lake Tahoe & Carson City to the North, Placerville, Jackson, and Sonora to the west, and Bridgeport to the south.

While you’re in the area you really ought to take in some of the other nearby passes: Carson Pass - Hwy 88, Ebbetts Pass - Hwy 4, Sonora Pass - Hwy 108 (my favourite), as well as Tioga Pass on Hwy 120 through Yosemite NP.

That was a long-winded intro to the video mentioned above. A couple years ago I put together a side-by-side comparison of my 2003 (’98 VTR1000) and 2014 (’09 VFR800) crossings. I fudged the timing a wee bit to better match them, but overall my pace was very similar. And there is a ‘glitch’ in the 2014 vid where I edited a stop at the viewpoint.

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