Rode the new 08 UC from Bremerton (West of Seattle) down US101 to Los Angeles and then back up US395 through the high desert. Not a total trip report, but a couple highlights.

1. Bike. The UC is what its name says. It is, IMO, the ultimate mile-cruncher. When I bought it I was thinking of a Street Glide because my FXST can't tote no gear. Mrs O'Lady says "Why not just go all the way and get the Geezer Glide?" I told the sales dude at Eastside Harley (great stealership) that I would never use the stereo and cruise control. WRONG! Tunes and cruise were on all the way. What a great ride. Still, after 16 hours in the saddle yesterday due to insane traffic on I-5 that turned my 12 hour day into something....more, I can say that ANY seat will be a literal pain in the ***. Get that riders back rest if you are thinking about it, as well as the highway pegs. Road Couch.

The 96" motor, mine is bone stock, is pretty gutless. Mine is stock, and very quiet. My other Harley has the noise, and it makes me less tired to not have to hear the bike all day. A nice, muted rumble. Smooth as glass after about 2200 rpm.

I got mileage from a low of 31 at 80 mph on I5 near LA in a headwind to a high of about 45 at about 67mph through the OR and North CA mountains. There is a natural break in mpg at about 70 mph. Do the math, get there a couple minutes later and enjoy the scenery while you get great mileage. IMO.

2. Scenery. The West Coast of the US is insanely beautiful and varied, especially from a bike seat. Went through Coos Bay and a little town called Bandon, OR on the first day southbound. Heavy mist and fog made it slow, which turned out good. As the water condensed on the windshield, which is about 2" too tall for me, gonna change it, I had to look over and around a lot. I can't even express how beautiful the mountains along the coast are. And people are very creative with their yard/home decorations out there for some reason. That windy road is fun if you can get Deer Death out of your head. This vid is a couple minutes of CA desert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMyKDPxMSjs

3. Hippies. There is a sub-species of beach bum out there with white dreadlocks and dirty camping gear. Lots of them about. They seem harmless, and they are low-key, but they are freaking everywhere along the coast. Who ARE these people? All muted natural colors and overweight backpacks. They seem dirty but calm. We don't have them in Bremerton and I saw none inland. Forest Dwellers? Ewoks?

4. Animals. I saw about a zillion deer. None came out to kill me but I was always watchful to the point of nervousness. I have been deer-struck before on a bike and it is bad news. But the only bike-animal interactions I had was a suicidal jackrabbit at about 5AM leaving Susanville, CA yesterday. Bastard could not have timed it better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v55m2EYov9g

5. Weather. It was 110 degrees in the afternoon desert and then 35 degrees in the morning mountains. I brought, I thought, too much clothing. Nope. Needed it all. rain and baking sun. Wind and blowing sand. I love the road.

6. Cars. People are funny. Some folks wave from their minivans and gave me extra room. Others tried to cut me off and flip me off at the same time. My un-scientific opinion is that overweight and unattractive women are the most aggressive in their cars. Weird. Side note: Probably less than 20% of the people I saw on the road in CA were "white". Mostly Asian and Hispanic. Lou Dobbs is right. No value judgement, just an observation.

7. Cops. I was not even looked-at twice by any cops. When I used to ride my Honda RC51 I was scrutinized constantly. On the UC, especially with the white helmet which makes me look non-biker-dude-ish, I guess its a no-brainer for Johnny Law. I kept speed reasonable, per mileage above, so it was a non-issue. Note: Oregon has a white Mustang with blue racing stripes. Totally covert and unfair, IMO, but watch for it.

8. Food. Per usual, no chain restaurants. I had no bad food. Favorites include the Black Bear Diner in Shasta City, CA. Corn Beef hash and eggs is great. Also there is a pancake house on the southern border of OR on US101. Don't recall the name. It is on the East side of 101 right before the border. Worth a stop. Note: I love waitresses but when did they all turn 12 years old?

9. Bikers. I love bikers. Always friendly and always interesting. Mega traffic FUBAR on I5 south of Portland yesterday. Shut down both directions for 4 hours. Ran into a bunch of "strangers" with air-cooled bikes waiting it out in the rest area. We hung out, talked about trips (some returning from Sturgis, a guy going fishing on his EG, two guys going back to Milwaukee via Coos Bay). Lots of friendly waves and a few chats at coffee shop counters. What a great hobby.

10. Gear. Chaps and a heavy jacket and gloves and a full-face helmet. I dress for the crash. I got insanely hot in the desert. All I could think about was Cool Hand Luke: "night in the box". Many bikers in tee shirts with their old ladies in tank tops. Lots of tennis shoes. Whatever. Hope you keep it upright. Tech: loving the GPS. Will never-ever ride without it. Mine is a Nuvi. When I took detours the GPS automatically calculated the way back to my route/destination. You just can't get lost while you get lost. A serious benefit for bikers.

11. Hotels. All over the map. The beach people think their isht is golden and are a prissy bunch. The desert people are friendlier. I like High Country Inn in Susanville, CA. Great jacuzzi, great air conditioning. Clean rooms and friendly. Wi-fi seems to be normal now. Nice deal. I took a nice laptop and was able to watch pirate streaming videos instead of paying for hotel HBO.

Today I have to power-wash the bugs and rabbbit off my bike. My **** hurts still but I am thinking of the next trip!

 

Sounds like a good time! The wife and I are going to do that run next summer on the RK. Got to pick up the extra storage first. As a fellow puget sound rider I would totally agree that we have some of the best scenery around to look at from the saddle.

-P

 

Damn rabbit broke my left side lower. I am not fixing it though. Can't see it easily and it still works. I will replace it when it comes apart on its own. Bastard Rodent.

 

Sounds like a great trip

 

Thanks for the write-up, feedback and video. I enjoyed the reading. Hippies, rabbits, and Mexicans......what a collage.

 

On the rode I see many people, some stand up, some azzholes, but that's the only 2 kind I've even seen on the rode.

Never seen life through the glasses u must be wearing when ur doing your "hobby"

Sounds like some nice miles to ride though..

 

3. Tree Huggers & Leaf Lickers

 

Isn't that tree smokers and toad lickers?

 

Sounds wonderful.........thanks! Road trips on a big a$$ Harley are what dreams are made of.

Here's 2 of mine:

http://imageevent.com/arp1/davidstev...zdpcv3.tiger_s

http://imageevent.com/arp1/davidstevensadventure

 

What kind of mpg's did you get at 100mph? Your temp looks good, 60's...perfect for us Northwesterners. That hundred degree isht is for teh desert rats.