SoCal Halloween - Just 'Cuz We Can - Mini-Rally Ride report

[simi_ed]

It actually happened!  3 FJ's on the same road(s), at the same time.  No cops, only 1 minor Kookalooooo application, and a good time was had by all!

I met up with Steve & Mark @ Topanga Canyon & Ventura Blvd at 10:30, and we headed for the hills.  Down a stretch of Mulholland, up Stunt Road, down a bit 'o Rambla Pacifica, over Piuma Rd, down to Las Virgines Canyon.  Quick blast down PCH to allow for a fuel stop, then up Encinal Canyon, down Mulholland highway to PCH.  Quick spin back towards Zuma beach for a lunch stop @ Trancas Market. 

After lunch, we headed back North on PCH to Decker Canyon, then turned onto the worst piece of 'pavement' that any of us had ever scene.  <http://preview.tinyurl.com/goat-trail-rd>  Yerba Buena Rd, asphalt so old & degraded that the binder was gone, leaving only the 3/4" aggregate stone that was part of the original mix; kinda like cobblestones, but w/o the nice fit and somewhat even traction!  Also included in the road/goat trail were 2" wide cracks, the loose asphalt and erosion debris from the tumbling hillsides.  This wore us down after 5 miles of slipping, skating, standing on the brakes mid-corner and avoiding the on-coming Hardleys.

We stopped for a picture break ...


Note the carefully included 'Slide area' signage.  NO SHIT!  The previous 5 miles was all 'Slide area', due to crappy road surface. 
Anyway ...
A quick blast South on PCH (Some kid in an Acura actually didn't like bikes lane splitting at a Red light, and thought he had a vote in the matter   Not against the generous use of Kookaloo.  As they used to say a little dab will do ya!  Only this kid need a 2nd dose at the next red light. 
After the Kookaloo kid, a short hop North on Kanan Rd to the 101, where we parted ways, living to Kookaloo another day ...

There may be better weather than we had, but I can't recall better; about 75 at the beach, perhaps 80 in the hills, bright sun, no wind.  Why do those folks go to Tellico to get rained out, time after time

That's all from SoCal!
Ed

[FJmonkey]

Great write up Ed, but that goat trail reference kind of tames it down a little. It blew the oil out of Steve's forks and I am sure I lost a filling or two rattling down that road. I felt like I was on a dirt bike and goosing the throttle to get rear wheel to slide around the corner from all the hopping it did. Over all it was great weather and Ed was a great guide for picking some good roads (except one). I am looking forward to our next ride while the weather is holding and the Kookaloo is begging for more. 

Ed, get them weeds finished yet?

[threejagsteve]

Yes, Ed, nice writeup!

But...

The previous 5 miles was all 'Slide area', due to crappy road surface.  

That couldn't've been only 5 mi.! Except maybe as the buzzard flies...

It blew the oil out of Steve's forks

Well, not quite that bad... True that one of my just-installed-3-months-ago seals started leaking a bit, but I doubt that the total loss was more than 1 cc. When I got home, I pried up the dust seal and dried underneath.
I didn't go out today, but tomorrow will tell if it was due to the extreme surface conditions or if I'm gonna have to do that little fork seal chore again.

I guess that'll teach me not to buy eBay's georgefix's cheap aftermarket fork seals again.

I got 'em before I joined here and read all the negative comments about aftermarket seals; but since I already had 'em I figured I may as well use 'em...

Overall it was great weather and Ed was a great guide for picking some good roads (except one). I am looking forward to our next ride while the weather is holding and the Kookaloo is begging for more.

I'll second that!  

[jvb_ca]

Sounds like you guys had a blast. Rough roads and all....sounds like some of our Ontario roads. 
This weekend will probably be my last ride before the final oil change and winterizing.  Hoping for some half decent weather.

Cheers..Jake

[simi_ed]

Weeds are like rust ... they never sleep.  All caught up for now unless we get another 1/4" of rain!

[rktmanfj]

Why do those folks go to Tellico to get rained out, time after time

If'n you have to ask, you'll never understand...       

BTW, we have rain in Tellico sometimes, but I've never been to an FJ rally that was rained out.         

Randy T
Indy

[racerman_27410]

the answer is pretty simple really....

California = Brown
East Coast = Green

I'll trade a little rain for living where the mountains are green..... that being said the PCH is sweet once you get north of Santa Barbara and all the traffic. that and 150 thru ojai.... and angeles crest hwy all sweet riding....... still real rocky and brown though 


KOokaloo!

Frank

[Yamifj1200]

Note to self, spend the extra 5 bux and buy only Yamaha fork seals..No matter what anyone tells you the Yamaha fork seals are the best to use on your FJ. Thats unless you just loving pulling the forks down for kicks... JMO

Eric M

[threejagsteve]

...still real rocky and brown though  

Well, I can't speak for the other two, but when we were having lunch in Malibu, the only brown I was seeing was tanlines - and while there were some spectacular outcroppings, they didn't look rocky a bit! 

Come to think of it, maybe that's why my fork seal was drooling!   

And speaking of that fork seal, I was out a short bit today (only about 20 mi.) and took some medium-hard bumps, but when I got back, all was well - not a drop. So I guess it was just because of that washboard road. Still need to keep an eye on it, though, and who knows... maybe that'll be the excuse I need to upgrade to cartridges! 

[simi_ed]

California = Brown
East Coast = Green


[/quote]
Hey Frank, take a closer look at the pictures from Sunday.  Looks kinda green to me 
As Steve said, their were noticeable outcroppings, especially prominent around the beach, along with the tan line; actually they were attached.
That being said, I'd take a greener (non-AlGore type) pasture any day!

[Dan Filetti]

Yeah, all that green is why there are so many fires out your way... Ans so few out this way??  You may have great weather, but at least we do not have; the serious fires, earthquakes, smog, sky-rocketing house prices and taxes, and oh, let's not forget state-wide impending bankruptcy.

Aside from that, CA is great!!

En guard!

Dan

   

[FJmonkey]

You forgot the mud and land slides that happen in the burned areas after a rain storm. It is one of the many ways we keep the population down. Although it does not seem to be working, not enough people are leaving yet. Maybe there are stuck in all this nasty traffic and they really are trying to leave.....Don't bash on California too hard, our Governator might just Terminate you.

[simi_ed]

Don't get me wrong here!  I love Kalifornia, but I'd leave in a minute for parts elsewhere.  There are waaaaaaaaay too many problems here.  But the weather is nice...

[racerman_27410]

i can honestly say i have never seen or been in worse traffic than when i rode in California.... "the 10" from LA over to San Dimas (where MARc lives) was a sight to behold.....  every lane full of bumper to bumper for a far as the eye could see....... I told myself right then that i would never complain about east coast traffic again... and as long as i could see the stoplight at an intersection i would not even consider traffic to be remotely heavy.

"the 101" headed north to Santa Barbara was an adrenlin gland workout i shall not soon forget.....lane splitting?

oh yeah its a good thing out there but let me tell you for the casual East Coaster its an experience in terror control.

i now know why everyone out there refers to these major roads with the prefix "the" in front of them  "The 101" , "the 405" etc etc..... it's because everytime you venture onto these roads the journey is life threaten ing ly  epic.  

one good thing about California?   i couldnt find one decreasing radius off camber corner anywhere!


KOokaloo!

Frank

[threejagsteve]

Well, I could talk about the fun of 4 years (April to Thanksgiving) of lane-splitting 5 days a week for this 40-mi.-roundtrip rush hour freeway commute:



Or the joys of splitting lanes IN THE RAIN, or the thrill of slicing between the cars at 75 when they're bumper-to-bumper at 60... or the feeling you get when you realize those two 18-wheelers you're fast coming up behind are SIDE-BY-SIDE, but I guess that'd just be more keyboard clackety-clack. So I won't.