A few weeks ago, I put new tires on the motorcycle. A new set of tires changes the skill and agility of the motorcycle – in some ways, it rides new again. It is perfectly balanced and easily falls into turns with smooth, rounded tires. Old tires have a flat spot in the middle due to wear of long freeway rides.
That ease of cornering was so smooth it threw me off. On our weekend lunch run, my buddy asked me if I was doing okay as he thoughtI was riding like shit. I told him about the tires, and he referred me back to one of the basics of motorcycling: countersteering.
Motorcycling, unlike driving a car on public roads, is a sport. I’ve never really said driving a car, “Wow! I had an amazing turn!” Whereas on a motorcycle, turns are some of the most fun things you can do. When motorcyclists refer to miles, they often say how many (s)miles on your bike. I have to continually work at refining my craft on the bike. Skills atrophy. The world changes. I need to adapt. The new tires on my motorcycle clearly pointed out that I needed some tuneups in the turning department.
Unlike driving a car, motorcycles employ a technique called counter steering. Simply put, if the rider wants to turn the motorcycle right, the rider puts pressure on the right handlebar, effectively turning the handlebars to the left. This action throws the motorcycle’s center of balance off, making the bike’s natural movement to lean and turn right to keep the motorcycle in balance. As I was focusing on this technique, it became obvious I was using too much body English. Rather than control the bike by countersteering, body English means I use my weight to muscle the bike in one direction. That resulted in nonoptimal outcomes as it’s harder to muscle a heavy bike through a corner rather than use a rudder-like action with counter steering.
With each turn down Highway 1, my technique improved. Tight, downhill turns are still the hardest for me to master with finesse and grace, but I could see clear improvement on wide-open sweepers, and wind-through turns climbing a mountain. Much like yesterday, today was a great day to be on a bike. It was just a little cooler with more fog out over the ocean.
As I came north yesterday, I passed a young guy in a mid-1980s Honda. I could smell the age on his bike as the carbureted engine’s exhaust let out a sweet smell not found on modern fuel-injected engines. After a few miles, he pulled over one lane, and I passed him. He slid back into the same lane, and we rode in formation.
Throughout my riding career, I’ve often been first in a group ride. By default, then, I’m responsible for lane control, lane positioning, and the safety of other riders. I had no idea who this guy was, but somehow, I felt responsible for the two of us on a momentary group ride. At some level, it was nice to have the company. His posturing on his motorcycle clearly indicated he wanted to follow another rider. We were short-lived, however, as the low fuel light popped up on my bike, forcing an exit. We exchanged waves as he headed north with my eventual westward turn.
I’ve been trying to remember the last time I was on Highway 1. The portion south of San Francisco has been plagued over the last couple of years with closures due to landslides. The last time I was up here it was bone-chilling cold. Because of that, I didn’t prioritize this portion of our state. With a new Aerostich and updated liners, this southbound trip was definitely warmer. Even though temperatures never reached beyond the 50s, the sun was out, making the ride feel warm.
Seasons are gentle here. Winter brings short days, darkness, cooler weather, and rain. As spring rolls around, the winter’s rains truly green up the landscape. It was amazing to see how much green carpeted the landscape (and the bugs that come with the season). I was surprised how many bugs got past my windscreen and slammed into my face at 60 miles an hour. They said the last thing to go through a bug’s mind when hitting your windshield (or face) is its butt. I even had bits of bug carcasses in my glasses. Wow!
Stewarts Point Store sits at the corner of Highway 1 and Stewart’s Point Skaggs Springs Road. Stewart’s Point Skaggs Springs Road, often shortened to Skaggs, is legendary in the Bay Area. It’s eastern and usually garners high-speed racers on big sport bikes due to the road’s smooth pavement, good sightlines, and the road’s ability to taunt the bravado out of the rider. The western side couldn’t be more different. It’s tight, narrow, winding, bumpy, and unforgiving, as the coast’s western slope often dictates. Unlike most roads, this one always gives me some pause and mystery with a bit of wonderment tossed in. This road has stories, for sure.
Stewarts Point Store is known for great sandwiches. I couldn’t remember if they were open on Sunday. As towns went by heading south on Highway 1, I became more uncertain if the store would be open on Sunday. I’d go back and forth between “they’re closed on Sunday” and “one of their main audiences is motorcycle riders; of course, they’re open!” And, the inevitable in between that they were only open on Sunday during the summer. I didn’t know what options for lunch were open south of here, so I was betting on a win.
Fortunately, Stewarts Point Store delivered a big win. Their Italian calzone gave generous portions of just about everything and filled my stomach for a mere $18. I remember my dad telling me many moons ago lunch should never cost more than $5. Thirty years of inflation, California, and a captive audience out on the coast changed that. I definitely got a good meal at a reasonable price!
A touch south of Stewarts Point is Sonoma Coast State Beach. I always think of this section as the coastal Alps. The coastal highway climbs into the hills with a steep drop just to the motorcycle’s right. This section, for me, always has a mixture of thrills and chills, as it’s fantastic to see the ocean from such a high vantage point, but I can’t not think that it would be awful to have an earthquake right now. The chances of an actual earthquake are just about zero, but hey, it does give a bit of the thrill to this section of highway.
At about 4 o’clock, I was in the north end of the Bay Area. Google Maps gently coerced me from Highway 12 to Valley Ford Road, leaving the coast. This was the beginning of the end of my weekend adventure. Valley Ford Road became US 101 S, which then brought me into a dense network of highways, bringing me from the weekend adventure back to the reality of home. This one was a great run, and I’m definitely looking forward to the next adventure!
Be aware of the cattle guards!
Route:
Leave a Reply