|
A sunny Monday in the land of coasts and canyons cannot go wasted. A quick call to Racy Rentals over the weekend made sure of that. Dan showed up with a shiny, white BMW K1300S in the morning all ready to hit the road. Neda had test ridden its predecessor, the K1200S a couple of times, and even rented a K1200R for a long weekend when we rode through New Mexico a few years ago. I knew what to expect of this 175hp, 560-lb beast. Or did I...?  The theme of this weekend is white motorcycles The plan for the day was to redo some of the canyon roads in the Santa Monica hills, while heading north-west out of LA and bypassing the Monday morning traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway. Again, the temps were cool and I was glad for the Beemer's heated grips. Man, I missed them! And the K had sidebags! Luxury! I had happily thrown the contents of my backpack into the soft panniers that morning, including the GPS, which I found I had no easy way of mounting on the bike. No matter, after a few days of navigating Southern CA roads, I thought my mental map was up to the task of getting me through the day. Boy was I wrong.  K1300S pausing for a scenic break on Mullholland By the time I was half-way through Mulholland Hwy, I had to stop to yank the GPS out of the sidecase to make sure I was where I thought I was. Good time to start peeling off layers as well, as the sun starting to warm the morning air. Mulholland Hwy gets a lot tighter and twistier the further west you head and the weight of the K was now making itself felt as I tried to muscle it through turns that the Streetfighter would have swallowed whole. Several times I caught myself having to let off the throttle because the bike wasn't falling into the turns as quickly as the Ducati. I was quickly realizing that I had the wrong tool for the job at hand, so I was glad when Mulholland rejoined the Pacfic Coast Highway just west of Malibu. By that time, the traffic had tapered off and I was free to enjoy the faster sweepers along the coast. These roads were what the K was intended to attack!  Hitting the PCH!  K13S by the beach Just outside of Ventura, I stop to refuel the bike and my gut. The main reason I'm out this way is to sample a road that Dennis at Beachmoto, the REV'IT store we visited last week, told us about. Hwy 33 starts out in Ventura from the coastal highway and runs straight north through a few towns until it reaches the Los Padres National Forest. That's where the fun starts. Pristine pavement and moderate sweepers meant that the K1300S could stretch its legs out. The road winds up through forests and up into the mountains offering up amazing vistas of sagebrush-dotted valleys. I love experiencing all of this on the back of a motorcycle! I share the road with nobody on this early Monday afternoon, and I greedily eat up scenery and mileage, and the K does not complain. It's a quiet bike, with its stock exhaust and smooth, powerful 4-cylinder engine. Such a difference from the rumbling and twitchy twin of the Ducati.  Taking a break on 33   The view from the top of 33 At the end of 33, I turn back east and start towards I5 that should take me back to LA. I have plenty of time, so when I see a sign that points north towards a National Monument - the Carrizo Plain - I shrug my shoulders and make the turnoff. The Plains are best known for housing Soda Lake, a dry lake of white salt set amongst the rolling grassy hills. I was congratulating myself for discovering such a great scenic route until Soda Lake Road turned into a gravel road. Again, a rental K was not the right tool to go dual sporting, so I turned back and headed back to the Interstate.  Turning into Carrizzo Plain National Monument, you can see Soda Lake in the distance ahead 
Stopping to take in the viewBMW's K1300S is a strong entry in motorcycling's Sport Touring segment. It's an exercise in compromise, as these bikes are not as comfortable as full-on touring rigs like the Goldwing, nor are they as nimble as pure sportbikes, like the 848. Personally, I feel my R12GS is more adept in the twisties *AND* has a more comfortable seating position for the long haul. It's just that it doesn't look like a sportbike and it's missing about about 50hp to properly qualify...  Casting a sporty shadow 
The interstate is a comfortable enough ride until I start to hit the early afternoon traffic into LA. The city is a great place to visit, but the population density is a killer for commuters! I don't have to return the K till the next morning, so I spend the evening tour(isting) around the Hollywood area on two wheels. I don't feel out of place at all in this city that rides 12 months out of the year, but I do feel very happy that I can escape the brutal cold of the north once in a while to live a little piece of the California dream. 
Prowling the streets of Hollywood
|
