Hey Tom

I'm planning to do the same thing this summer. Whaen are you thinking of going?

Pete

 

And not one word about the noise police in all the ritzy areas along the highway. If you have loud pipes, you WILL be getting harassed and ticketed.

I do agree though, some of the most fantastic scenery on the planet.

jason

 

My daughter and I made the trip from Nebraska to the Pacific Coast last August. An awesome ride....we had been talking about it for a long time and finally made it happen. Riding across the Golden Gate Bridge is a real thrill. California is a great destination. We also visited Lake Tahoe, Yosemite Nat'l Park and other scenic areas. Made memories that will last a lifetime!

Enjoy the ride!

Zack

 

Dont forget to check out pashnit... THE CA riding site!

Pashnit.com

Tons of great info, check out the CA roads section, and even review the tours. Unbelievable stuff.

 

Tom, you might want to read the story in Febuary issue of American Rider. The Big Sur Highway. It talks about that shretch of highway 1 . Good luck and have a nice ride.

 

Try it you will like it.
Actually the correct answer is yes it is a great ride destination. I live in the San Francisco bay area and I have traveled and lodged my way up the coast many times. If you are interested I can assist you with lodging and dining ides. Maybe help you with a itinerary. B N" B's are great. There are also some unique camp grounds out there as well.
Here are some samples...
www.costanoa.com (foo foo la la camping) No roughing it here!
Green Gables Inn, Pacific Grove (nice accomodations)
Pelican Inn, Muir Beach (unique accomodations)
Casini Ranch Family camp ground (currently under water)
These are all within 125 miles of San Francisco.

PM if you want more info.



Joe

 

Particulary Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Malibu. It they just see you are not running stock pipes, they may pull you over..loud pipes or not.

 

We ride the North Coast(Sonoma/Mendocino) almost each weekend when the weather is good.
Hwy 1 is nice,you got to watch out for the ricers,they fly around ,mostly in the Marin area.

Post in the Pacific forum when you plan on doing this,and I might be able to hook up with you on your Nor Cal part of the trip.

 

Tom,

May I be candid? Here is the bottom line...there are crazy drivers everywhere you go. They're not just on California highways...although I must admit at times it does sometimes feel that way. The point is you're from Tulsa, OK and you're debating whether or not to drive the California coast because of overcrowded highways. Traffic or not...you owe it to yourself to take this ride. As to whether it's worth it or not, let me just say this....our cities, towns and freeways wouldn't be so crowded if it WASN'T worth it. Plan your trip well in advance. Since this is your vacation, you have the luxury of avoiding peak traffic hours. Just like any other metropolitan area, the busiest times are the hours between 7-9am and 4-6pm. Don't avoid San Diego. It's a great place. Lot's of things to see and do. In fact you could visit Sea Port Village on your way through, have breakfast or lunch, maybe take a tour of the Star of India (sailing vessel) or the USS Midway (Aircraft Carrier). The city has great hotels and great restaurants. Further north up the coast you'll pass through my neck of the woods (Orange County) home of the Angels. I could go on forever about what's beautiful and worthwhile to see here, so I won't. Check out Hollywood on your way up towards No. Calif. Stop and see the Walk of Fame, Mann's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Sign, etc... Not to far from there is Beverly Hills. You've seen all the TV shows so I won't go in to detail. On your way through town maybe you could have a nice lunch at one of the many fine restaurants. Maybe you'll see someone famous. I ran into Meg Ryan not to long ago on a visit to Century City Mall. So far I've only pointed out points of interest. What many people don't realize is that California has beautiful scenery. Our coastline stretches hundreds of miles and is among the most beautiful you will ever see (in the U.S. anyway). As you go further North through Central California things begin to get greener. Stop in Santa Barbara along the way and you're sure to have a great time. Cambria, Morrow Bay, Big Sur, Monterey are all places to consider along the way. In short...you are promised to have a great and very memorable time. Bring the camera and take lots of pictures. You will never be far from home because you will be among your extended Harley family...myself included. HD sells more Harleys in California than any other state and in some cases they sell more bikes here than several states put together. That's just to give you some perspective. We love our Harley's here and there are plenty of them. This is also an advantage should your trip be interrupted for some reason. You are never too far from a HD dealer who can help you out should your bike require service. I know I sound like a tourism director, but I want to be clear on what California has to offer and more importantly what you'll be missing if you don't make the trip here. I'm happy to help you if you need some assistance in planning your trip or if you'd like to meet while passing through Orange County. Besides myself, I have friends, neighbors, clients and relatives who ride HD's and I can tell you that you'd be welcome to join us for a ride during your vacation if you care to make some new friends.

Good luck in planning your trip and the next time I read your post I hope it's to find out you've decided to come to California. Please let me know if I can be of assistance. My em