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| Day 3: My Beeline for Home I got up very early and was rolling out of the hotel parking lot at 7AM. I even managed to lube my chain too! Everyone was still deep sleeping as I heard some snoring in one or two rooms! Hmmm�I wonder who that was? I pushed the Bandit out and away from the rooms to avoid waking anyone up with my booming exhaust. The fog was so thick my visibility was down almost 10 feet. Thank goodness there was hardly anyone on the road that early Saturday morning. Much to my relief, the fog cleared up passed Cambria and there was nothing but bright, early morning sunshine to warm me up for the next 300 miles. I originally planned to take some back roads home but I decided against it. I knew from past experience that the traffic jams entering Los Angeles even on a Saturday was going to be a total nightmare. And the last thing I wanted to do was to be splitting lanes in late June, with the heat from all the cagers and from my aircooled engine frying me inside my all black leathers. No way no how! So my altered plan was simple: make a beeline for home on the 101 and 405 freeways so I could make it to Orange County before lunch. Pretty simple huh? Traffic in Los Angeles doesn�t really start until well after lunch time so if I timed it correctly, I could be home within 4 hours and avoid splitting lanes in L.A. hell. Turned out, my plan worked perfectly! I left San Simeon at exactly 7AM and I made it to my driveway at 11:45AM. Okay. So I was 45 minutes late. Well, I had to stop to pee by the side of the road somewhere in Buelton. Then I had to stop somewhere passed LAX to switch my winter gloves and jacket liner for warm weather attire. Finally, I had to give my Bandit�s engine about 1/8 of a quart of oil in Santa Barbara. The best part was, I split lanes somewhere along LAX for just a mile or so. I was so happy. Of course, I had to maintain a speed of between 80 & 90 mph all the way down the 101 freeway. I even hit a 100 in the open spaces between Pismo Beach and Santa Barbara. If it wasn�t for my ability to squeeze through clusters of cagers perpetually stuck together at 75 mph, I don't think I would have made such good time. God! I�m so glad to be on a fast motorcycle. |
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| Looking for a mens� restroom somewhere in Buelton. When you gotta go, you gotta go! But at least I remembered to keep my bike in gear. Right Boxjoint? My Bandit 1200S performed admirably during the trip and I was really happy with it. |
| Conclusion The Bandit 1200S I was quite happy with the Bandit�s performance throughout this trip. She was a great partner in the twisties and in the straights too. The Bandit�s upright riding position made it possible to have lots of fun even on Goat Trails like Santa Rosa Creek Road. The bike�s Bridgestone BT020�s performed great and never once did I feel I needed more traction or ride compliance. Of course I had a couple of complaints. The Bandit sacrifices some ground clearance for comfort, which at times held me back from going faster in the corners. Only at times was it an issue though and they happened in the very tight turns where the bike would touch down a footpeg. But that was only when I was trying to run away from Dave and CWS! My other complaint was the wind buffeting I got at one point on the 101 Freeway when I hit a strong headwind while I was trying to maintain 90 mph. That was tough to do. Otherwise, the Bandit 1200S kept me happy and not once did I envy some of the sportbike in our group. Well, except for Dave�s silver ZZR1200. That bike was just absolutely stunning to look at. Luggage As on my Grand Canyon tip, I once again used my Tourmaster Deluxe Tail bag and Mini-Magnetic tank bag. Both of which I was happy to have. I did bring along an old Chase Harper Hydration Fannypack. This pack had a small pouch for cargo in the middle, flanked by two water bottles. I liked having this on me during my 300 mile loop with the ST.net group, allowing me to leave my tank bag back at the hotel. Its only shortcoming was the lack of more storage space. I was able to stuff my wallet, camera, and my jacket liner and map in it but that�s it. I think I will upgrade it to their bigger fannypack which also carries two water bottles. I learned early on that having water to drink was essential on long rides like these. The bigger pack will allow me to carry maybe a change of gloves and more maps without resorting to tank bags. I really don�t like tankbags. The Trip Overall the trip was a blast. The best one I�ve taken of the 3 Central Coast tours I�ve been on by bike. I liked it so much, my riding buddy and I are planning on doing this same exact trip sometime at the end of August. Cool. |