Need route help from my West Coast Brothers

[Trooper246]

...and Sisters.

my wife and I are planning a trip form Florida to Reno, where we plan on renting a bike and going to San Francisco and then down to Monterey for the US Grand Prix. What I am looking for are interesting routes from Reno west to San Fran. Any advice you could give on places to stay/eat/recreate would also help.

It looks like we found a Honda dealer in Reno that will rent me Goldwing. Not my Strom, but it will do.

[gibbage]

I have no experance, so this is just what I can see from Google Earth. Im sure someone with more experance will correct me if I am wrong.

The best motorcycle route that I see from Reno into San Fran so far is taking the 395S through Carson City, and then taking the 50W. The 50 will take you right by take Tahoe for a bit, and seems nice and twisty with good greenage along the route. The 50 will also take you into Sacramento, and then change for the 80W. The 80 will take you right though Oakland and onto the Oakland Bay Bridge. Stay on he Bay Bridge (2$ toll I think, but well worth it!) and that will take you into the heart of San Fran!

For your stay in San Fran, I suggest finging a place near Fishermans Warf. AAA got is a great rate at the Radisson right on the Warf with free parking. Free parking is CRITICAL in San Fran since 95% of the parking there is paid, and will run as high at 15$ for a day to park!!! The public transportation system is outstanding and my wife and I never once needed the cage. There is a pass you can buy for about 40$ that will allow you unlimited use of the public trans (except the Blue Line(?)) for a week, and just use the trolly's and cable cars! The rail systems all gather near the Warf, so you have access to almost everything in the city within a short walk!

I dont suggest riding the bike around town. There are a LOT of rails in the roads, the streets are VERY wet almost all the time, and the hills are VERY steep. All in all, bad conditions for any motorcycle, let alone a top heavy Gold Wing! Add to that all the trolly, busses, trains, and cable cars, and you will have a melt down just getting to your hotel for the 1st night. Unless you grew up riding in New York or Chicago or somethin, dont try it!!!!

Its a great city, and very romantic. Great sea-food along the warf, and the best view of the bay. For the week we were there, my wife and I drove the cage once and regretted it, and stayed in Fishermans Warf most of the time. I also suggest booking a trip onto Alkatraz in advance! Dont bother booking a bay tour since there are about 200+ boats willing to take you at any given notice ;)

If there is one place to go on the bike, I would say Coit Tower. Take your camera. You will need it! I also DONT suggest Lombard St on the Gold Wing unless you feel VERY sure about yourself. If your feeling up too it, take Hyde St from the warf up the hill (Russian hill) and at Lombard St, go left. Take it slow! This is the worlds most crooked street and earned the title. Contenue on Lombard St will take you too Coit Tower.

I hope you enjoy your trip! I know my wife and I did! I cant warn you enough though that the area is dangerous for motorcyles. If you have a lot of years under your belt, go for it, but BE CAFEFULL!!!! There, the public transportation has the right of way! You cant turn a trolly car, and you cant stop a cable car going down hill. Plus, like I said, the streets are almost ALWAYS wet, and the ammount of rails in the road is staggering. My fear would be getting a tire stuck in a rail just as a trolly needs that section. I have never seen so many large vehicles share the road with cars. Scared the crud out of me when I was in a cage!

[twowheelnut]

Spend twenty bucks and join http://pashnit.com/. Go to California Roads and be prepared for some great reading, but then you'll have to choose a route! Among my personal favs: Hwys, 49, 120, 245, 190/Sherman's Pass, 108, 4...

Have fun!

[brian m]

I live in the area and have ridden these roads many times. I'm assuming you have to return the wing to Reno, so I would ride one of these routes down, and another one back.

My number one recomendation would be to leave very early, ride down 395 to 270 and stop in Bodie. It's the largest, best preserved ghost town in the west and worth a stop. It's about 15 miles off the highway and the last 3 are dirt, but well maintained. From there go back to 395 south to 120 west thru Yosemite. Yosemite is stunning and should not be missed. Take a camera, stop at the vistas, you won't regret it. This will be a long day, 500+ miles and at least 12 hours, but doable. If you have the time, stay in Yosemite or one of the gold rush towns along hwy 49 like Jamestown or Sonora. If you don't have the time stay on 120/108 and just head straight for SF. Once you get out of the foothills there isn't much to see.

Another great route is take 431 out of Reno, right on 28, left on 89 south around the west side of the lake. The west side is more scenic than the east. Continue on 89 south to 395 south to 108 west to 49 north to 88 west. From there 12 west to 80 is probably your best bet.

My third favorite is the same route out and around the lake, but instead of going all the way to 395 take 4 west. There is stretch of 4 about 20 miles long that is narrow and technical (and fun!). If you are a confident rider it won't be an issue, but I wouldn't recomend it to a novice. Stop at Calaveras Big trees park and take in the giant redwoods. Take 4 all the way to Stockton, and then north to 12 or south to 205 to SF. Now that I'm thinking about it, this is my second favorite route.

My last one is the same route around the lake and hang a right on 88. This is the way I go if I'm in a hurry. It's still a great ride just less miles.

You could take hwy 50. It's not a bad road, but with all the others it would be a shame. Stay away from hwy 80 thru the mountains. It's a freeway with horrible pavement.

When I'm in SF I like to stay in North Beach. There is a place called the Royal Pacific on Broadway that is clean and cheap (for SF). It's on the boarder of North Beach an Chinatown. It's a great location and walking distance to fishermans warf. Ask for a room in the back, away from Broadway.

When you're in Monterey, ride the bike to the track. They have free public trans to and from Laguna, but last year it was a mess. There is a motorcycle only gate that worked great last year.

Hope this helps!