You will be close to the farmers market off Fairfax. They don't charge motorcycles for parking, cool place to grab a bite, beer or glass of wine. And just people watch.
Driving in LA is no problem just go with the flow and pay attention. I ride 91 and 5 almost every day.

 

WOW-great feedback. Basiclly I'll be leaving Carlsbad on a Monday morning (8-9)& heading up 5 to San Clemente then get on hwy.1 to Long Beach. Staying on hwy.1 up to Redondo Beach then hopping onto Highland Ave.up to Venice beach. Head inland down Wilshire Blvd.,check out the tar pits & who knows what else at this time. I'm not set in stone & will get a better feeling when I'm out there. AVOID rushhour....got it!

 

Rush hour isn't bad if you're going in the opposite direction of everyone else. PCH on the weekends can get pretty congested, especially in the summer.

 

Here is my suggestion to you...

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...d4f16d91667553

This is about a four and a half hour drive. Freeways are faster but this will take you through some of the most beautiful and motorcycle friendly places in So Cal. Starting in Carlsbad you're going to head inland through Fallbrook and the twisting country roads to the west of the Temecula Valley and up to Old Town Temecula. Old Town is full of Antique shops but is a favorite hang out for motorcyclists at Texas Lil's and The Temecula Beer and Wine Garden. From there, you'll hop on the 15 and take that to the Ortega Highway. Winding up Ortega you'll have a beautiful view of Lake Elsinore as you head into the Angeles National Forest. There you'll find Hells Kitchen, a popular motorcycle friendly resturant and bar. Continueing down into Orange County you're next going to head up to Santiago Canyon Road. There you'll find So Cal's most famous biker bar, Cooks Corner. Leaving Cooks you'll continue on Santiago Canyon, past Irvine Lake, and out to the 55 fwy. Take that south and you'll wind up in Newport Beach. In Newport you can catch Highway 1, Pacific Coast Highway, and take that all the way into the Long Beach/Los Angeles area.

From there you'll need a new tour guide as I don't get up that way often.

Again, a suggestion but if you want a real good ride through some twisty roads and beautiful scenery, this one is hard to beat. Just be careful as Ortega can be a dangerous road during rush hour. Great ride, but keep alert.

 

You will be in Venice close to lunch time; if you want to hookup PM me for contact info. There's a great HD dealer here.

 

Don't let the horror stories keep you from seeing things you want to see. I commute daily on my bike sa well. Nothing to fear here but fear itself.

 

If you do the Tar Pits you have to go one block west to the best 99c store on the planet. They even have beer and Wine!!

5 blocks north is Farmer's Market (many stalls) and it is where you want to go to get lunch and gawk at the locals... and yes, many recognizable celebs if that is of interest.

 

Thanks again guys. Just what I was looking for. Especially like the info. on the bar scene(it's a Wisc. thing) & the varius routes to get there. I have a month off so I just may have to replan & stay longer in the L.A. area. To Robotech......when I seen your Oddball picture it immediately brought back memories of Ken,a good friend who rode & was a Vietnam vet but is no longer with us. The story goes during his nam days his fellow solders gave him the name Oddball because Ken looked just like him in Kelly's Heros.

 

I just arrived home today from LA. I have the unfortunate task of working and driving in LA for three weeks. This was week one. All I can say is LA bikers have nerves of steel. I saw lane splitting between narrow lanes, heavy traffic, a large number of truckers, and no one willing to give you a break changing lanes. Scary! You may want to take an alternate route. I wish I could!

 

CHG....I here what your saying,good advice,but 2 wheeling across America is a risk in itself.Nerves of steel? Maybe just nuts but I like doing it. Your right-L.A. is going to be a challenge but one I'm willing to take. I can think of other cities that I would'nt even think about riding in-L.A. is not one of them.