Bay Area, California to Zion, Utah

So I have this long time friend, Tom. He owns a pizza place in Walnut Creek, Pinky's Pizza. Started there as a janitor in high school and has never left! Opens the store in the morning, works lunch, then thru dinner, and finally gets to go home around midnight. Works 7 days a week. I'd say he qualifies as a workaholic.

Tom’s main passion outside of work would have to be bikes, the motorized kind. Always a racer, he's raced most anything he could bolt a number plate to. Currently he's restoring a couple of Suzuki GT750's. His garage has his '99 Hayabusa, and even a Mike Hailwood Ducati! These were limited to production in 2002 only, (a mere 500 of those made it to the States) and all sold only over the Internet. Tom was measured by Ducati and then watched (via Internet) as his bike was custom built! Really different stuff!

Then again, how different is a GT 750? When was the last time you rode a 750 two-stroke down the street? Me neither!

If Pinky's Pizza sounds familiar - Tom is a huge supporter of local road racing, having raced himself and sponsored many AFM racers in the past including Steve Rapp, who's now riding AMA superbike for Michael Jordan Motorsports and doing really well!

Pinky's Pizza is also the host for many BARF socials… BARF in a Pizza Parlour?

B.A.R.F. stands for Bay Area Riders Forum and sometimes as many as 100 bikes show up to watch the AMA or MotoGP races on the big screen, drink beer and eat really good pizza!

20 yrs ago, with the release of the 48-state legal RZ-350, the four of us -- Tom, Tom, Ernie and I -- decided to go AFM racing (Tom and Tom were vet racers already). We all bought RZ's and formed Pinhead Racing. Our Motto was "Are we having fun yet?" Remember Zippy the Pinhead? Our idea was to have fun and not get caught up in the stress. We did have a lot of fun! Tom and Tom taught me how to really "ride" a bike.

Here I am in Turn 2, Sears Point, start of the first wave. Rider #443 getting an inside line!



So Pinky’s-Pizza-Tom has a regular customer we'll call Doc. Doc (he's really a doctor) is thinking about riding his bike cross-country to visit friends and family back east. One of the interesting things is that Doc has only a couple of early 80's Suzuki inline fours. He doesn't have, nor would he prefer, a new BMW GS. Just not his style. So the two of them are talking and soon Tom is thinking about taking his first vacation in so many years and tagging along.

I pop in one night and happen to be talking to the two of them. They fill me in on their plans. It's now evolved into a trip where they take as many side roads as possible, both riding their older bikes. Tom's thinking about riding one of his "Water Buffaloes" and Doc is thinking GS-750. So my wheels start to turn... Can I possibly swing a trip like this? Would the wife let me? Can I get away from work for that long?

Not a chance! Heavy bummer! On another night Tom tells me that our other friend Tom H. just opted to go. And maybe even another guy, Rich, too! Now the wheels are spinning again... Maybe I could just go for a couple of days? Maybe a week? But that means coming back home all alone. The wife worries enough as is, she'd never be OK with that... Awww shucks, another heavy bummer!

Another week goes by, and I mention what they have planned to our friend, Ernie, who lives up in Sacramento. Ernie had just bought a Yamaha RZ-350 on eBay and was getting back into bikes. Little did I know – Ernie’s wheels were now spinning, too! He has the same problems I have, wife and family, not to mention that job thing. I tell him I'm wishing I could go for just a coupe of days. Ernie suggests that maybe the two of us do just that. Suddenly I have a riding partner!

Personally, I can't imagine riding a little RZ-350 across the desert, but when that's all you have, you make do. I told him I'd trade off from time to time to give him a little relief.

So Ernie and I decided to accompany them for the first couple of days, taking the little roads they planned. On day 3 we would then take the quickest and shortest route back home. I got time off work, as did E, and the wives were happy as we were traveling together.

Tom H. and Rich changed their plans and left on Saturday (we left on Monday), made it to St. George and then started sightseeing while waiting for us to arrive. Tom isn't finished working on the GT 750 so he decides to ride another of his different bikes - a '77 Honda 750 Hondamatic!

Initially they were planning on riding thru Yosemite but the pass was closed so we decided to do Hwy 4 to 49 to 108 then up and over the Sonora Pass.

Here's my route map (scribbles included):