Hey there from down under !
My partner and i are planning a trip to California next month(Mid July), and would like to hire a Harley and ride from Los Angeles to Palm Springs, Joshua tree park etc..for starters, and then maybe back to San Franciso... Etc.

Just wondering if you can advise us on the best roads (least travelled)... Not mad about the interstates...want something that will show us a glimpse of the US...and some little old towns etc.. along the way... Nice quiet cruising type riding.. We'll have a few weeks to do it all in too..

Any advice appreciated...

 

Well, if you're talking LA to Palm Springs, here's what you do. Take I-5 south to Highway 74. Follow that east. Through Lake Elsinore and Hemet it sucks, but once you get out of Hemet, you're in the San Bernardino Mountains and it's ****ing gorgeous. There's a really nice family-owned cafe at the junction of Highways 74 and 371, the Paradise Valley Cafe. Great food, great atmosphere. Good place to stop for lunch on the way to Palm Desert. Once you get out of the mountains, you'll be able to find your way north to Palm Springs.

Alternatively, you could take I-5 all the way down to Highway 76, follow that east with a detour up Palomar Mountain, then get back on 76 and, when you reach 371, take it north to 74 then head east again.

 

Ah cool...sounds like you know the kind of riding we want
Just did a bit of a google maps search before your reply, and was thinking of heading down the 243 turn off at Banning.. stopping over in Idyllwild...then continuing south on the 243 onto the 74, round the back way into Palm Springs !
Then we're heading to Joshua tree park.. And onto the boneyard in Mohave desert...see if we can get close enough to snap a few shots of the planes...

 

LA to Plam Springs isn't much of a ride? You have plenty of time to see the sights. I would recommend highway 1 from LA to San francisco, 4 &16 up the river to Sacramento, 50 to Tahoe (ride around the lake), 88, 4, 108 over to 49, south to 120 into Yosemite and over to 395, South to Death Valley and Vegas, hit Joshua Tree, Mohave and Palm Springs on the way back to LA.
You will get a great glimpse of much of the US features on that ride. Enjoy!!!

 

Also good !

 

Oldhippie's got same great advice there. I took a trip to Sacramento from LA a few weeks ago, took 99 up there and then PCH all the way back. If you go up PCH, be sure to take Highway 35 (AKA Skyline Boulevard) and stop at Alice's Restaurant while you're on it. Just watch out for this one-lane road that intersects with it and climbs up a big hill... almost got creamed by a guy in a Winnebago that wasn't honking before hairpin turns.

 

all good suggestions, and the great thing is it probabally will def not rain like 99% it won't and if it does it's not much to talk about , have fun

 

Ah cool, that was my next question..re rain, weather etc.. Because here in Melbourne (Australia) we often get like four seasons at once ! We were planning on traveling fairly light... And was just considering maybe bringing my old vintage bell staff oilskin jacket, as it's not too have or bulky.. But will withstand a light shower, and keep me warn if the weather turns...

 

Plan on 100+ degrees in Palm Springs and the surrounding areas. SJ Ron

 

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