Palos Verdes Drive East 3/27

EternalNewb · April 1st, 2014, 05:00 PM

Last Tuesday, an acquaintance got in contact with me saying he wanted to ride Thursday. My Thursday, however, was really packed already, so our only options were early morning, or late at night. He opted for the former, so we met around 6:00am to make a few passes of Palos Verdes Drive East, then circle back around part of the Peninsula, back to Hawthorne, so we could go our separate ways.

We met at Black Bear Diner, and I let him lead for the first run up and down PV Drive East. He was riding a Honda Shadow, and said he hadn't ridden in a while, so I figured it would be best to let him set the pace. We turned around at PV Drive South and went all the way back to PCH. I asked him if he wanted to make one more pass on it, then take PV Drive South through the shift zone, and loop back down Hawthorne. He said he did, but that he wanted me to lead this time. I agreed, and just reminded him to "ride [his] own ride." He said he would, and given that he has been riding for many more years than me (I'm only really coming up on my first year marker this spring/summer), I believed him. Mind you, this guy always tells me how much more experienced a rider he is, compared to me, and I just respectfully nod.

I took it at what I believed was an easy, comfy pace for me, keeping a generous distance between me and the car ahead, before we got to the section on the back of the hill that's driveway-free. There, traffic came to a complete stop, due to some construction, which was a little disappointing, I must admit. Dude I was riding with pulled up, and made a comment about trying to keep up with me, and scraping his pegs a bunch.

I reminded him that he is riding a different bike from me, it's not a race, and that I did wait for him at every straight section of road and intersection, so there was no need to "match pace." So much for experience and wisdom.

Anyway, from there, it was back around the peninsula and down the hill, then off to work. It's a nice little ride, with plenty of police officers (passed at least 3, so average one per pass of that PV Drive East). If nothing else, It was a nice way to start the morning and be awake for work.

The experience did bring up some questions though. To those of you that have ridden standard/cruiser style motorcycles more, how do they handle differently in turns? I'd ask if they're capable on canyon-type roads, but I've seen Harleys and such do just fine on Angel's Crest, and I really wasn't going fast at all, so what might be wrong with the dude's technique? Curious minds and all.

Yakaru · April 2nd, 2014, 12:17 AM

Having ridden with you more than a few times in the last 2 weeks I can't imagine you riding with someone else at a pace that would reliably scrape pegs, even on a standard or cruiser... well, except maybe that time you led through Topanga (which was spirited but still quite reasonable). :-/

EternalNewb · April 2nd, 2014, 08:51 AM

Thanks, and yeah, that's part of why I'm concerned and trying to diagnose the problem. It's possible he may actually listen to what I have to say if I give him some feedback, and I don't want another asphalt casualty that could be totally avoided.

NevadaWolf · April 2nd, 2014, 09:52 AM

I haven't ridden cruiser style save once but I took it on the same road that I've been on my ninja. Even at the slow pace on both, I scraped footboard on the Shadow while sailed through on the Ninja.

I am a terrible one to talk about technique. All I noticed was on the Shadow I had to take corners a bit wider and more upright than on the Ninja where i could just lean into the corner.

Err guess that doesn't help much does it?

Dur de dur, zoom in on the map idiot to see the route.

jeffb502 · April 2nd, 2014, 11:10 AM

Those look like some nice roads, other than all of the residential roads that seem to feed in to them creating cross traffic hazards.

Scrolling through some of the rock store photos I was amazed at how close many of the cruisers were to scraping with so little lean angle, especially the ones with foot boards. One with custom pipes looked like it was scraping the rear tip of the pipe (which extended past the rear tire) and had plenty of clearance everywhere else. I would definitely take it slow if I ever went from a Ninja to a cruiser, and would fully expect to scrape even at moderate speeds.

I know people talk about how BP can reduce lean angle on the Ninja; maybe if the rider you mention works on BP on his cruiser he can reduce his lean angle.

We had a brief discussion on this in our MSF class. Some riders just want to cruise and buy a cruiser. They'll just cruise for years and not work on things like BP, cornering, knowing their max lean angle, etc. I just like seeing other people on two wheels so I really don't mind if somebody wants to ride like this, but years/thousands of miles riding in a straight line on a cruiser doesn't equate to knowing how to ride safely/efficiently on a twisty mountain road. "Different strokes for different folks" "Right tool for the job" etc.

I've never ridden a cruiser. Even in the MSF class it was mostly eliminator 125 cruiser style bikes, and I got to ride a Honda CB125T which is more of a standard that looks like a mini dual sport because I told them I was leaning away from starting on a cruiser. Since I was used to riding a bicycle on the road as an adult it seemed to make more sense to have my feet on the pegs underneath me instead of in front of me. I almost wanted to try out the eliminator to see what it was like having my feet out in front of me instead of underneath me, but I was so busy learning I forgot to ask.

April 1st, 2014, 05:00 PM	#1
EternalNewb ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: S Location: CA/MA, usually Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250R, 2007 Ninja 650R, 2001 F650 Dakar Posts: A lot.	Palos Verdes Drive East 3/27 Last Tuesday, an acquaintance got in contact with me saying he wanted to ride Thursday. My Thursday, however, was really packed already, so our only options were early morning, or late at night. He opted for the former, so we met around 6:00am to make a few passes of Palos Verdes Drive East, then circle back around part of the Peninsula, back to Hawthorne, so we could go our separate ways. We met at Black Bear Diner, and I let him lead for the first run up and down PV Drive East. He was riding a Honda Shadow, and said he hadn't ridden in a while, so I figured it would be best to let him set the pace. We turned around at PV Drive South and went all the way back to PCH. I asked him if he wanted to make one more pass on it, then take PV Drive South through the shift zone, and loop back down Hawthorne. He said he did, but that he wanted me to lead this time. I agreed, and just reminded him to "ride [his] own ride." He said he would, and given that he has been riding for many more years than me (I'm only really coming up on my first year marker this spring/summer), I believed him. Mind you, this guy always tells me how much more experienced a rider he is, compared to me, and I just respectfully nod. I took it at what I believed was an easy, comfy pace for me, keeping a generous distance between me and the car ahead, before we got to the section on the back of the hill that's driveway-free. There, traffic came to a complete stop, due to some construction, which was a little disappointing, I must admit. Dude I was riding with pulled up, and made a comment about trying to keep up with me, and scraping his pegs a bunch. I reminded him that he is riding a different bike from me, it's not a race, and that I did wait for him at every straight section of road and intersection, so there was no need to "match pace." So much for experience and wisdom. Anyway, from there, it was back around the peninsula and down the hill, then off to work. It's a nice little ride, with plenty of police officers (passed at least 3, so average one per pass of that PV Drive East). If nothing else, It was a nice way to start the morning and be awake for work. The experience did bring up some questions though. To those of you that have ridden standard/cruiser style motorcycles more, how do they handle differently in turns? I'd ask if they're capable on canyon-type roads, but I've seen Harleys and such do just fine on Angel's Crest, and I really wasn't going fast at all, so what might be wrong with the dude's technique? Curious minds and all.

April 2nd, 2014, 09:52 AM	#4
NevadaWolf Certified looney toon Name: Teri Location: 39°52'40.7"N 118°23'53.8"W (Northern NV) Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250, 102k+ miles -- 2014 CB500X, 42k+ miles Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 16 MOTM Jul '13, Jul '14	I haven't ridden cruiser style save once but I took it on the same road that I've been on my ninja. Even at the slow pace on both, I scraped footboard on the Shadow while sailed through on the Ninja. I am a terrible one to talk about technique. All I noticed was on the Shadow I had to take corners a bit wider and more upright than on the Ninja where i could just lean into the corner. Err guess that doesn't help much does it? Dur de dur, zoom in on the map idiot to see the route. __________________________________________________ <-- Linky Hey Unregistered! The code [you] shows the username currently logged in. IBA # 56020 AMA # 521481 Fun Rides! ][ My Videos ][ My Gear Hold yourself to the same rules you expect others to follow. Last futzed with by NevadaWolf; April 2nd, 2014 at 11:26 AM.

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April 2nd, 2014, 12:17 AM	#2
Yakaru The Violet Vixen Name: Yakaru Location: Issaquah, WA & Las Vegas, NV Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): Perigee (250), Hotaru (250), Saturn (300), Pearl (300), Zero (S1000RR), Chibi (Z125), Xellos ('18 HP4R) Posts: A lot. MOTM - Jun '16	Having ridden with you more than a few times in the last 2 weeks I can't imagine you riding with someone else at a pace that would reliably scrape pegs, even on a standard or cruiser... well, except maybe that time you led through Topanga (which was spirited but still quite reasonable). :-/

April 2nd, 2014, 08:51 AM	#3
EternalNewb ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: S Location: CA/MA, usually Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250R, 2007 Ninja 650R, 2001 F650 Dakar Posts: A lot.	Thanks, and yeah, that's part of why I'm concerned and trying to diagnose the problem. It's possible he may actually listen to what I have to say if I give him some feedback, and I don't want another asphalt casualty that could be totally avoided.

April 2nd, 2014, 11:10 AM	#5
jeffb502 ninjette.org guru Name: Jeff Location: Santa Maria, CA Join Date: Oct 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2013 White Ninja 300, 2010 Red Ninja 250r (Sold) Posts: 335	Those look like some nice roads, other than all of the residential roads that seem to feed in to them creating cross traffic hazards. Scrolling through some of the rock store photos I was amazed at how close many of the cruisers were to scraping with so little lean angle, especially the ones with foot boards. One with custom pipes looked like it was scraping the rear tip of the pipe (which extended past the rear tire) and had plenty of clearance everywhere else. I would definitely take it slow if I ever went from a Ninja to a cruiser, and would fully expect to scrape even at moderate speeds. I know people talk about how BP can reduce lean angle on the Ninja; maybe if the rider you mention works on BP on his cruiser he can reduce his lean angle. We had a brief discussion on this in our MSF class. Some riders just want to cruise and buy a cruiser. They'll just cruise for years and not work on things like BP, cornering, knowing their max lean angle, etc. I just like seeing other people on two wheels so I really don't mind if somebody wants to ride like this, but years/thousands of miles riding in a straight line on a cruiser doesn't equate to knowing how to ride safely/efficiently on a twisty mountain road. "Different strokes for different folks" "Right tool for the job" etc. I've never ridden a cruiser. Even in the MSF class it was mostly eliminator 125 cruiser style bikes, and I got to ride a Honda CB125T which is more of a standard that looks like a mini dual sport because I told them I was leaning away from starting on a cruiser. Since I was used to riding a bicycle on the road as an adult it seemed to make more sense to have my feet on the pegs underneath me instead of in front of me. I almost wanted to try out the eliminator to see what it was like having my feet out in front of me instead of underneath me, but I was so busy learning I forgot to ask.