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Passport Tours’ Nick Bailey and Michael Spiteri were both in California for work in April 2017 and at the end of their respective assignments, had a few days spare before returning to the UK. A motorcycle mini tour seemed like an excellent opportunity to use the time! Nick had previously rented a BMW RnineT from Dubbleju Motorcycle Rentals in Shotwell Street, San Francisco (www.dubbelju.com) for a few days at the end of January; sadly, bad weather at the time and unexpected work commitments meant that the bike was only used for one Sunday afternoon. A return trip to Dubbelju was arranged to try again and take advantage of the increasingly improving weather.
Dubbelju are an excellent outfit run by German Wolfgang Taft, with a great range of BMWs, Triumphs and if you must, the odd Harley or two to rent. The bikes are supremely well maintained and prepared by Wolfgang’s own mechanics. For this return visit, Nick hired a BMW R1200GS and Michael the exact same RnineT that Nick had in January. The GS was brand new, having only done 477 miles to be run in (or broken in as the Americans say!) by Wolfgang. There’s nothing like riding someone else’s brand-new bike… Paperwork and payment organised, including insurance and theft protection, the bikes worked out at c$200/day for a two-day rental, we set off. A UK driving licence (with motorcycle entitlement, obviously) is all that’s required. We started on a Saturday early afternoon and so had the rest of the Saturday, all day Sunday and until 17:00 on Monday before the bikes had to be back. We decided on 3 day trips from a single point rather than taking luggage and staying on the road. |
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The first trip was north, across the city and over the Golden Gate Bridge on Highway 1/101. The weather was amazing, bright sunshine and blue sky. Traffic on a beautiful Saturday afternoon was predictably heavy but once over the bridge, a destination in itself, the traffic thinned and we headed north on Highway 101 to Novato and then west towards the Pacific coast on Novato Boulevard and Point Reyes Petaluma Road to Point Reyes and Inverness. Once off the freeway, the roads were wonderful, all around Point Reyes were fast sweeping bends and open UK B road type roads with very little traffic. Some interpretation of both the speed limits (around 50 mph) and the double yellow line painting for mile after mile in the middle of the road is required to make the most of the road; being stuck behind slower traffic on great visibility roads at 40mph and officially no overtaking is just nuts…
We ran out of time after Inverness and returned via Highway 1 (another fabulous section of road, fast sweepers and great views through Olema Valley in the Golden Gate Recreation Area and around Bolinas Lagoon) to Stinson Beach. Highway 1 was closed just after Stinson Beach following weather damage, California having experienced some of the heaviest rain in 5 years, and so a diversion was in place around Muir Woods and to Mill Valley on the appropriately named Panaoramic Highway. The traffic was very heavy, Stinson Beach being a very popular day trip destination, and again, liberal interpretation of the traffic regulations was required if we weren’t to be stuck behind lumbering 4x4s and oversized people carriers for miles. Once at Mill Valley, we re-joined Highway 101, this time south over the Golden Gate Bridge back to San Francisco. Traffic remained very heavy all the way across the bridge and through the city, Nick doing a good job of navigating San Francisco from memory (and only having driven across it once before). A great day out, stunning roads and scenery, not to mention amazing weather. Sunday promised to be even better!
Which it was, weather wise, but again, a beautiful sunny day led to all of California being out on the roads for the day. We headed south to San Jose and were planning to get as far south as Monterey and Carmel on the Pacific coast. The traffic latterly was really heavy, and the temperatures were heading towards the low 30s centigrade which made filtering and queuing even more of a chore. Initially, we did well, heading down Highway 9 through Saratoga and off onto Highway 236 and into the Big Basin Redwoods State Park. An absolutely stunning road, pretty empty and that would not be out of place in any Alpine setting. Tight hairpins and contour risers combined with long straights. The road is stunning enough, the scenery even more so, huge redwood trees everywhere, a sight that needs to be seen to be believed. Some of the trees are over 1,000 years old and ridiculously tall and wide. Awe-inspiring does not do it justice. From the State Park, we continued along Highway 236 back to Highway 9 and into Boulder Creek where we stopped to re-fuel. Boulder Creek would not look out of place in a Western Movie and probably hasn’t changed a great deal since it was founded in the late 1800s.
In Boulder Creek, we re-joined Highway 1 and headed south towards Santa Cruz. It was from here really that the traffic started to get unbearable. Highway 1 from Boulder Creek to Santa Cruz is not unlike a long and tedious liaison in the Swiss Alps, very slow with lots of small towns and villages, heavy with traffic and restricted with speed limits and no overtaking. Combined with hot weather, not much fun. We stopped for lunch and coffee in Santa Cruz and then set off again on Highway 1 towards Monterey. Sadly, we didn’t get that far; traffic everywhere was just insane, solid in both directions for mile after mile. We got as far south as Castroville, think one-horse town with no horses, before bailing out and heading back north on Interstate 101. The ride back on 101 seemed to take forever, the two and three lane sections being solid with traffic as far as the eye could see. We eventually arrived back at our hotel, after a fabulous morning but not so fabulous afternoon and evening.
For our last day, we decided to have another go at getting to Monterey and Carmel only this time, we would take the direct route south that we’d traced north the previous evening. What a contrast! No cars and as pleasant a 2-hour freeway ride as is possible to do the 110 mile journey, and that despite missing a freeway exit south of San Jose which added 20 minutes or so. The approach to Monterey on Highway 1 is lovely, a dual carriageway but with nice bends and a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean; some great town and city names too: Sand City and Seaside to name but two!
We stopped in Monterey for a quick coffee before heading further south to Carmel. Made famous in 1986 when Clint Eastwood was elected mayor, Carmel is a beautiful seaside town with a stunning beach and view of the Pacific Ocean. It feels very much like the kind of place where rich Californians go to retire! A number of amazing houses along the beach front with surely some of the best views available anywhere. After revelling at the golden beach, ink blue sky and sea and beautiful waves, we headed back out of Carmel with the plan to ride Highway 1 north back to San Francisco. A brief detour to take in Carmel Valley Road and Laurels Grade Road that both looked like interesting roads on the map…they were, Laurels Grade particularly, another example of road engineering that wouldn’t be out of place in the Alps, and then left onto Highway 68. Almost immediately, we rode past the entrance to the Laguna Seca Raceway and perhaps should have stopped for a try of the corkscrew! From here, we re-joined Highway 1 at Monterey and headed north. The road is a mixture of fast sweeping bends, dual carriageways and single lanes all rolled into one. The road at times runs right by the Pacific Ocean, particularly after Santa Cruz, and with some more stunning views; keeping an eye on the road ahead was often a bit of a challenge! We stopped for an average lunch in Half Moon Bay and from there a brief run on Highway 92 east, some promise of a challenging road but was over before it got started where it joins Interstate 280 to San Francisco. For a freeway, i280 is far more interesting than most, with nice views and reasonable sweeping bends. Certainly a whole lot better than Highway 101 that runs alongside it through Silicon Valley. I280 runs straight into San Francisco and from there, a short hop back to Dubbelju’s garage on Shotwell Street.
An amazing 3 days of riding. Nick loving the regular GS almost as much as his own GSA; when the GSA is ready for replacement, it will be an interesting decision as to whether a regular GS is a better bet, certainly lighter and with almost as much wind protection. Michael spent most of the 3 days on the RnineT and there is no doubt that the previous air/oil cooled version of the BMW flat twin is smoother and with more character than the new water cooled engine. The new motor might have more power, use less fuel and emit less nasty stuff, it is not as nice though! Both bikes were huge fun and highly recommended for the 680 miles that we covered.
Huge thanks to Dubbelju, friendly, extremely helpful, welcoming and with a great range of bikes. Give Wolfgang a call on +1 866 495 2774; mention that Nick from London recommended you and you’ll get an extra special welcome!
We ran out of time after Inverness and returned via Highway 1 (another fabulous section of road, fast sweepers and great views through Olema Valley in the Golden Gate Recreation Area and around Bolinas Lagoon) to Stinson Beach. Highway 1 was closed just after Stinson Beach following weather damage, California having experienced some of the heaviest rain in 5 years, and so a diversion was in place around Muir Woods and to Mill Valley on the appropriately named Panaoramic Highway. The traffic was very heavy, Stinson Beach being a very popular day trip destination, and again, liberal interpretation of the traffic regulations was required if we weren’t to be stuck behind lumbering 4x4s and oversized people carriers for miles. Once at Mill Valley, we re-joined Highway 101, this time south over the Golden Gate Bridge back to San Francisco. Traffic remained very heavy all the way across the bridge and through the city, Nick doing a good job of navigating San Francisco from memory (and only having driven across it once before). A great day out, stunning roads and scenery, not to mention amazing weather. Sunday promised to be even better!
Which it was, weather wise, but again, a beautiful sunny day led to all of California being out on the roads for the day. We headed south to San Jose and were planning to get as far south as Monterey and Carmel on the Pacific coast. The traffic latterly was really heavy, and the temperatures were heading towards the low 30s centigrade which made filtering and queuing even more of a chore. Initially, we did well, heading down Highway 9 through Saratoga and off onto Highway 236 and into the Big Basin Redwoods State Park. An absolutely stunning road, pretty empty and that would not be out of place in any Alpine setting. Tight hairpins and contour risers combined with long straights. The road is stunning enough, the scenery even more so, huge redwood trees everywhere, a sight that needs to be seen to be believed. Some of the trees are over 1,000 years old and ridiculously tall and wide. Awe-inspiring does not do it justice. From the State Park, we continued along Highway 236 back to Highway 9 and into Boulder Creek where we stopped to re-fuel. Boulder Creek would not look out of place in a Western Movie and probably hasn’t changed a great deal since it was founded in the late 1800s.
In Boulder Creek, we re-joined Highway 1 and headed south towards Santa Cruz. It was from here really that the traffic started to get unbearable. Highway 1 from Boulder Creek to Santa Cruz is not unlike a long and tedious liaison in the Swiss Alps, very slow with lots of small towns and villages, heavy with traffic and restricted with speed limits and no overtaking. Combined with hot weather, not much fun. We stopped for lunch and coffee in Santa Cruz and then set off again on Highway 1 towards Monterey. Sadly, we didn’t get that far; traffic everywhere was just insane, solid in both directions for mile after mile. We got as far south as Castroville, think one-horse town with no horses, before bailing out and heading back north on Interstate 101. The ride back on 101 seemed to take forever, the two and three lane sections being solid with traffic as far as the eye could see. We eventually arrived back at our hotel, after a fabulous morning but not so fabulous afternoon and evening.
For our last day, we decided to have another go at getting to Monterey and Carmel only this time, we would take the direct route south that we’d traced north the previous evening. What a contrast! No cars and as pleasant a 2-hour freeway ride as is possible to do the 110 mile journey, and that despite missing a freeway exit south of San Jose which added 20 minutes or so. The approach to Monterey on Highway 1 is lovely, a dual carriageway but with nice bends and a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean; some great town and city names too: Sand City and Seaside to name but two!
We stopped in Monterey for a quick coffee before heading further south to Carmel. Made famous in 1986 when Clint Eastwood was elected mayor, Carmel is a beautiful seaside town with a stunning beach and view of the Pacific Ocean. It feels very much like the kind of place where rich Californians go to retire! A number of amazing houses along the beach front with surely some of the best views available anywhere. After revelling at the golden beach, ink blue sky and sea and beautiful waves, we headed back out of Carmel with the plan to ride Highway 1 north back to San Francisco. A brief detour to take in Carmel Valley Road and Laurels Grade Road that both looked like interesting roads on the map…they were, Laurels Grade particularly, another example of road engineering that wouldn’t be out of place in the Alps, and then left onto Highway 68. Almost immediately, we rode past the entrance to the Laguna Seca Raceway and perhaps should have stopped for a try of the corkscrew! From here, we re-joined Highway 1 at Monterey and headed north. The road is a mixture of fast sweeping bends, dual carriageways and single lanes all rolled into one. The road at times runs right by the Pacific Ocean, particularly after Santa Cruz, and with some more stunning views; keeping an eye on the road ahead was often a bit of a challenge! We stopped for an average lunch in Half Moon Bay and from there a brief run on Highway 92 east, some promise of a challenging road but was over before it got started where it joins Interstate 280 to San Francisco. For a freeway, i280 is far more interesting than most, with nice views and reasonable sweeping bends. Certainly a whole lot better than Highway 101 that runs alongside it through Silicon Valley. I280 runs straight into San Francisco and from there, a short hop back to Dubbelju’s garage on Shotwell Street.
An amazing 3 days of riding. Nick loving the regular GS almost as much as his own GSA; when the GSA is ready for replacement, it will be an interesting decision as to whether a regular GS is a better bet, certainly lighter and with almost as much wind protection. Michael spent most of the 3 days on the RnineT and there is no doubt that the previous air/oil cooled version of the BMW flat twin is smoother and with more character than the new water cooled engine. The new motor might have more power, use less fuel and emit less nasty stuff, it is not as nice though! Both bikes were huge fun and highly recommended for the 680 miles that we covered.
Huge thanks to Dubbelju, friendly, extremely helpful, welcoming and with a great range of bikes. Give Wolfgang a call on +1 866 495 2774; mention that Nick from London recommended you and you’ll get an extra special welcome!
