Pashnit & Cycle World Magazine - 1000 Mile Journey to NorCal

[pashnit]

And last but not least, my Venture which in the right lighting seems to clean up real nice. Just between you and me, I don't think I've cleaned it since I bought it!



The bikes



The bikes all together

[pashnit]

And in the end, it was all a lot more simple than you'd imagine. Just like the discussions in the Pashnit Forums Thread on Photography Tips... it was all about lighting. And maybe a little help from that expensive camera Jay was lugging around. Or maybe all that's bunk & it's the photographer.

So as the sun came over the horizon and showered down on the beach, and raging surf, we set up and Jay clicked away. Also gave me a chance to chat with some of the other riders.


Jay McNally trying to get just the right shot



Jay you can see is also using a filter. Something I should get. Probably UV since he's shooting across the ocean.



Allan Girdler, who's name I was remotely familiar with, is a rather weathered fella. Kind of person that was the old guy next door that stole your nose. Always with a knowing been-there-done that smile, but no-nonsense all business kinda-guy. Alan, it seems, has written quite a few books, and David Edwards would later relate to me is somewhat of an expert on the history of Harley Davidson.

Oddly enough, Alan was on the XR250, a bike I would have placed him on last. It's small, with a top speed of 55-60 mph, and running of full-knobby tires. There's a plate on the back. That's what made it street legal. And maybe a turn signal or two. Looked all stock, but turned out to be dead-reliable, and pliantly started up at every step of the way.

Mathew Miles & Allan Girdler discussing things



And what was in the distance. Btw, this is MacKerricher State Park just to the north of Fort Bragg. Neat place, especially for you campers.

[pashnit]

Mark Hoyer, who I had worked with in planning the ride, and had chatted with on the phone several times also turned out to a excellent fellow. Beyond friendly, well-travelled, storied, and had so many motorcycle experiences under his belt. The picture that stuck in my mind was the shot of him in Spain a few weeks earlier for a motorcycle's intro - and stuck in a freak snowstorm that cancelled the entire press introduction.

Probably the highlight of this ride was David Edwards. Since I have probably been reading Cycle World Magazine monthly for the last decade, at least, simply meeting him in person was almost an honor.

While David has quite the lofty title, Vice President & Editor in Chief of the largest motorcycle magazine in the United States, he's quite simply the most down-to-earth fella you ever met. Soft-spoken, level-headed, and as you might expect for someone who'd working in moto-journalism for years - quite a few stories rattling around in that head of his.

The one thing I did want to know, and asked several of the editors, was how in the world did you end up working for Cycle World. One interesting factoid about David, is years ago he got his start taking photographs of houses for those Real Estate ads (hopefully I got that right). Humble beginnings and far cry from a title like VP.

Mark Hoyer (feature editor), myself, & David Edwards (editor in chief) (no, i'm not always that squinty)



Yours Truly & Brian Catterson.

[pashnit]

Come time to leave and.... Looks like we are fixing the RD350, but Mark is a real pro and is on the road in no time.



Few miles down the road in the 17 mile stetch of goodness through the redwoods over to Hwy 101. David Edwards looks on.

[pashnit]

Maybe it's the points



Big & small




The XR250

[pashnit]

Brian Catterson's BMW. This particular bike ran the entire time with nary a whimper. Quite the classic!

33



Know what you're looking at? One of the most exhaulted stetches of pavement in the Motorcycle Paradise of California. The 17 mile inland of Hwy 1 to Hwy 101. Great fun! Brand new pavement. Non-stop twisties.



Don Canet on the GSXR. I think he was turning around to ride Highway 1 back the other way. The 17 mile stretch of pavement from Highway 1 to Highway 101 I have lauded over repeatedly since they repaved it in 2004. Silky smooth, non-stop curves over the two coastal ranges.

[pashnit]

Next order of business was the Avenue of the Giants. This sign was kinda interesting as to the high water mark. This was mid 1960's I believe. Inundated this entire area. The road itself (of 31 miles) through the Avenue of the Giants flows right along the Eel River for some portion.

http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/Redwoods.htm



Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County


Your typical view in the redwoods - very tall trees!

[pashnit]

So do you ever wonder how they get those cover shots for the magazines with the bikes all in tight formation? I do. Here's the magic secret.

So Jay hops on Tims' FJR and mounts a Gyro on the bottom of the camera. It even comes with a pretty heavy battery pack on Jay's right side.



See that huge lookin' thingy on the bottom? Pretty cool. No matter how much you shake or move the camera, nothing really happens. The gyro that's spinning in the bottom of that thingy keeps it all steady no matter how jarring or shaky the shot might be.



So what everyone does is Jay give the instruction for the order of the bikes, then we all ride out in tight formation only riding at about 20 mph following Tim on the FJR. As we go through the trees and the shadows of the rewoods Jay is clicking away. The bikes are clear and sharp, while the background and the road is all blurry. Pretty cool.

Come to think of it, the last month's cover of Rider Magazine was this exact shot with the camera man riding on the backseat looking forward at several of big bikes (Venture & Road King I belive) in tight formation. The clue was looking down, the riders were only doing 20 mph.

[pashnit]

Don Canet on the GSXR. Took a bunch of pics of this very cool rat bike. More I looked at it, more I thought I want one of those!

Don was a fun guy to talk to. He's the Road Test Editor for the magazine with a racing background. Chatting with him over dinner, sounds as if he's been involved in a great many road racing organizations and also himself organizing the races.



Afterwards as we roll through Eureka, it was just David Edwards and myself at that point and we come upon this scene.

While the break-down of some of the $1000 bikes didn't come as too much of a surprise, this did. Seems Tim's bike wouldn't work and it broke down in front of a motorcycle dealer. What are the odds of that. Not only did it break down in front of a motorcycle dealer, the mechanic there knew exactly what the problem was and how to fix it!

Now what are the odds of that!!



For whatever reason, the Power Commander on Tim's FJR quit working, and shut the bike off. The only option to disconnect it. But it seems the connection was underneath the gas tank so the mechanic and Tim worked to find it. He also explained this is a common problem with these Power Commanders (I have on my Hayabusa too) and they are known to fail on the FJR.

But it shuts yer bikes off.

[pashnit]

The dealer btw



Finally after loosing a bit of time, and now with the main group way ahead of us, Tim, myself and David Edwards took off to ride Highway 299 over to Weaverville.

http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/Highway299.htm