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Wow, it does get cold in California! Temp was in the low 40s, or somewhere around 5C, when we woke up at 5AM (still on EST). Peeked outside into the darkness to make sure the bikes were still parked out there. We didn't stay in a very nice part of San Bernardino, so in the back of my mind, I envisioned our expensive Ducatis as hundreds of motorcycle parts in an LA chop shop.  Despite looking shorter than the 848 because of its chopped tail, the SF actually has a longer (by 2") wheelbase than the 848. I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed riding this bike. I want one!  Walking around the forest at the top of Rim Of The World We fueled up with a big American Denny's breakfast and suited up against the cold to climb the mountain leading back up to the Rim of the World Hwy which we abandoned late last evening. At least with all the cold weather stuff on, our backpacks were a lot lighter for the ride. Traffic was sparse for a Thursday morning, but we did have to stop a couple of times to warm up our hands. Every bike, bar none, should come with heated grips, dammit! We took the same road heading up to the Rim of the World, twisty roads feel much better going uphill than down!  ARGH! COLD! Thankfully the SF has two handwarmers. Unfortunately, they are located behind the seat, near the rear tire... The plan today was to ride through the San Bernardino forest and make our way to Mount San Jacinto, where we were going to pick up Neda's friend Amy, whom she met recently on her dirtbike ride through Colorado. Amy lived right in the confluence of a trio of very nice curvy roads, and it was a great feeling racing up the mountain roads. We were far enough from LA now that traffic had thinned out, and what little traffic ahead of us politely moved to the side of the road to let us pass. Motorists in California are very biker-aware and motorcycle-friendly, probably due to seeing motorcyclists all the time in the year-round riding season, and probably a lot of the folks in the cages also own and ride bikes as well.  848 on a straight stretch of road leading out of San Bernardino forest  Bikes cool down as their riders warm up, during an early morning rest break. Amy lives with her friend Pat on a beautiful house on an expansive lot overlooking the mountains of San Jacinto. Being editors of a motorcycle magazine called Friction Zone, they get the privilege of test riding new motorcycles given to them by manufacturers and dealers. When we arrived, there was a brand new black Yamaha FJR1300 sitting outside that Amy was going to take out for the day to ride with us. It would have been better if her FJR was albino (and Italian) like our Ducs, but since she was so nice, we decided to let her ride with us! Next time we come, she'll have to get Aprilia to lend her a nice white RSV4. Then she can let us switch up! Amy led the way to Palm Desert, a town at the base of the mountains, where we met Pat for a Thai lunch. And a good place to recharge the GPS as well. Since Amy was going to lead for the day, I could give the batteries a rest. I got to know Pat and Amy a little bit better over lunch and I can see how Neda made fast friends with such nice folks!  Amy leading us to Joshua Tree NP After lunch, we asked Amy to lead us to Joshua Tree National Park. We had a lot of success with our tour of US National Parks a few years ago, so we were eager to visit this one. Plus, I have to admit, I am a huge U2 fan, so this was kind of a pilgrimage of sorts for me as well! Although I didn't have my iPod for this ride, it didn't stop me from humming some old U2 tunes in my helmet on the way there!  Clouds Bullet the Blue Sky above a landscape dotted with Joshua Trees. You see what I did there...? Neda and I also switched bikes, as I wanted to give her a break from the cramped seating position of the 848. The seating position on the Superbike is exactly the same as the 1098/1198. The noticeable difference is a distinct lack of low-end grunt. Although more powerful than a Japanese 600cc supersport, the engine does require some revs to generate the power, whereas with the SF, you could be a lot lazier clicking down through the gears. The 848 in white is very hot though, suits the lines of the bike very well. This trip really opened my eyes up to how good a motorcycle looks in this colour.  We were required to show our admissions receipt at the gates of the National Park. They recommended to tape the receipt to the windshields of our motorcycles so we didn't have to stop to produce it. Because Neda was riding the SF, there was no windshield, so she had to tape it to the side of her helmet! :D  One of these bikes is not like the other... The Joshua Tree National Park was very pretty, but we missed a turn that took us to the area of the park populated by the majority of the Joshua Trees. The Joshua Tree is actually a subspecies of a tree called Yucca brevifolia, which is a fast-growing desert tree. A bit of U2 trivia: the actual yucca tree that is on the cover of the JT album died in 2000. :(  Neda and Amy in front of some Joshua Trees  Me sitting in a garden of Cholla cactus plants. There are signs everywhere warning that the needles are very sharp! I playfully kicked a burr that was lying on the ground and the needles embedded themselves into my boot!  Looking back By the time we got out of the National Park, the sun was starting to set and it was time to head home. I was worried for Amy as she was facing a ride through pitch-black mountain roads to get back to her home, but she assured me she knew the area like the back of her motorcycle glove! At a gas station, Neda and I switched bikes again, and I asked her how she liked the SF. She hated it! Hated the lack of fairing and windshield and was annoyed by the constant wind-blast. And here I thought I was a gentleman giving her what I thought was the more comfortable bike! Oh well, the road to discomfort is paved with good intentions. Or something like that.  Giving the 848 a whirl. Lack of a dry clutch on a Ducati sportbike is sacrilige!  One Tree. Hill in the background. :)  Sun sinking lower in the sky as we ride out of JTNP. We rode the rest of the way in the dark (at 6PM!), and Amy split off from us about 1/2 hour from our final stop of the day in Indio, just outside of Palm Desert where we had lunch. We found a nicer hotel just outside of a casino and bunked in for the night. Amy txted us right before we fell asleep to let us know she had fun that day and that she got back okay.
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