Highways CA 243 and 74 to Idyllwild

TheTraveler · April 1st, 2013, 08:13 PM

I've been riding for 2 months and last Saturday was the 2nd time I took my 250 to do some twisties. About 3 weeks ago I had done Ortega Highway to Lake Elsinore, which was a lot of fun. I'm sure I still have a ton to learn, but I have to say that I'm starting to feel very confident on the bike.

It was an nice sunny day with temperatures around 75 degrees. I rode about 70 miles to the city of Banning, where I filled up the tank. From there I took highway CA 243 south toward the mountains. Here's a map of the ride:

http://goo.gl/maps/f2yMv

You start an gradual ascent with beautiful views to the north.

The road condition is not great in the first 20 miles or so. A lot of small cracks that makes for a slight bumpy ride.

This was also the first time I rode with the GPS on my cell phone, attached to the newly installed RAM mount. The road doesn't have many tight corners, but for some of these tight corners, there were no signs warning you to slow down. Most corners can be taken around 45-55mph, so without signs, you might not realize you might have to slow down a bit more for the tighter corners until it's a bit late. With the GPS on, I was able to anticipate them, but I do find it a bit distracting and may opt to not use the GPS in the future so that I don't take my eyes off the road.

The road climbs up to almost 6500 feet before Idyllwild. I was wearing a t-shirt underneath my kevlar jacket, and summer gloves, and I felt a bit cold at that altitude. I stopped at Idyllwild to use the restroom and eat a quick snack.

Back on the bike again. The road starts descending and is no longer bumpy. I reach the end of highway 243 and make a right at highway 74 towards Hemet. The next section was a lot of fun. Slight downhill with one corner after another. I stop to take a panoramic shot and see a white Ninja 300 pass by. The guy was wearing a black non-leather jacket and a white helmet. Maybe someone from this forum?

(sorry for the crappy picture quality, I used my cell phone)

After some more twisties, the road straightens out. I found a nice wide open patch and get up to 95mph.

After arriving at Hemet, I make a right on Mountain Ave, then another right on State St, which becomes Gilman Springs Rd. The next 12 miles in a very nice and relaxing ride, which big farms to the left. The only negative is that it stinks a little bit. This road ends where it meets with the 60 freeway.

I was a great afternoon of riding, and I look forward to doing this ride again in the coming months.

Alex · April 1st, 2013, 08:19 PM

cookiebug79 · April 2nd, 2013, 03:04 PM

Idyllwild is gorgeous! Glad you enjoyed your ride!

April 1st, 2013, 08:13 PM	#1
TheTraveler ninjette.org member Name: Kevin Location: Diamond Bar, CA Join Date: Feb 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250 SE (Red/Black) Posts: 33	Highways CA 243 and 74 to Idyllwild I've been riding for 2 months and last Saturday was the 2nd time I took my 250 to do some twisties. About 3 weeks ago I had done Ortega Highway to Lake Elsinore, which was a lot of fun. I'm sure I still have a ton to learn, but I have to say that I'm starting to feel very confident on the bike. It was an nice sunny day with temperatures around 75 degrees. I rode about 70 miles to the city of Banning, where I filled up the tank. From there I took highway CA 243 south toward the mountains. Here's a map of the ride: http://goo.gl/maps/f2yMv You start an gradual ascent with beautiful views to the north. The road condition is not great in the first 20 miles or so. A lot of small cracks that makes for a slight bumpy ride. This was also the first time I rode with the GPS on my cell phone, attached to the newly installed RAM mount. The road doesn't have many tight corners, but for some of these tight corners, there were no signs warning you to slow down. Most corners can be taken around 45-55mph, so without signs, you might not realize you might have to slow down a bit more for the tighter corners until it's a bit late. With the GPS on, I was able to anticipate them, but I do find it a bit distracting and may opt to not use the GPS in the future so that I don't take my eyes off the road. The road climbs up to almost 6500 feet before Idyllwild. I was wearing a t-shirt underneath my kevlar jacket, and summer gloves, and I felt a bit cold at that altitude. I stopped at Idyllwild to use the restroom and eat a quick snack. Back on the bike again. The road starts descending and is no longer bumpy. I reach the end of highway 243 and make a right at highway 74 towards Hemet. The next section was a lot of fun. Slight downhill with one corner after another. I stop to take a panoramic shot and see a white Ninja 300 pass by. The guy was wearing a black non-leather jacket and a white helmet. Maybe someone from this forum? (sorry for the crappy picture quality, I used my cell phone) After some more twisties, the road straightens out. I found a nice wide open patch and get up to 95mph. After arriving at Hemet, I make a right on Mountain Ave, then another right on State St, which becomes Gilman Springs Rd. The next 12 miles in a very nice and relaxing ride, which big farms to the left. The only negative is that it stinks a little bit. This road ends where it meets with the 60 freeway. I was a great afternoon of riding, and I look forward to doing this ride again in the coming months.

April 1st, 2013, 08:19 PM	#2
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	__________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

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April 2nd, 2013, 03:04 PM	#3
cookiebug79 n00b with the b00bs Name: Jen Location: Southern California Join Date: Jan 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2007 EX250, 2008 EX250, 2001 ZR-7S, 2010 ZX-6R Posts: 470	Idyllwild is gorgeous! Glad you enjoyed your ride!