There are three kinds of men in this world: those, who had a motorcycle, those who have one, and those, who will have one...
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Scene: on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles 1998… Driving home from work on the freeway, rush-hour traffic, moving on a parking lot at 5mph, and bikers are whizzing by like there is no tomorrow… I got nostalgic, and was bitten by the bug… when I got home two hours later, I told Ilona, that I had to have a bike, look how long it took me to get home…
She agreed and I signed up with a motorcycle riding training program for $180.00, got the two week-end course and the temporary permit. We went to the local motorcycle shop and bought the bike I liked: the Kawasaki Vulcan 750. V twin, water cooled, shaft drive, aluminum alloy wheels, classic cruiser. I put on 9000 miles just one year, by commuting to work on Thursdays and Fridays, when the traffic was heaviest, splitting the lanes… There was only one problem: the back seat was too small as compared to 28 years before… A good reason to trade it in for my Big Mean Green Dream Machine, the Kawasaki Voyager XII touring bike a year later. I put 58,000 miles on it so far, but the fun has just begun…
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A Short Trip to Ventura
November the 1st, 2009 was a beautiful day. We decided to go on a bike ride to the city of Ventura, about 60 miles north-west of Los Angeles, on the Pacific Ocean shore. I inflated the tires, charged the batteries (I installed a spare in parallel with the original in the saddle-bag for the bike to extend the life-cycle and the starting power.) I also checked the air in the shock absorbers and topped them off at 10 psi on the front and 25 psi on the rear shocks. The Voyager was ready to go at 12:00 P.M.
Route 126 is a newly rebuilt highway through the Santa Clara Valley, which has fertile land for cultivation and an ideal climate. There are orange and lemon groves along the way as well as vegetable gardens and fields that offer their produce for local consumption. The ride to Ventura was great in the summer-like weather. Temperatures were around 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the Sun was shining beautifully. In downtown Ventura we stopped to take pictures and a friendly couple even offered to take our pictures together.
From Ventura we took the 101 freeway north along the ocean shore. The Channel Islands, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa were visible in the haze. Midway between Ventura and Santa Barbara we turned right on route 150 towards Lake Casitas. It was a long winding road and we were ready to stop at the lake to take in the view. Our next stop was in Ojai, a picturesque town in the Ojai valley that was once settled by Chumash Indians. We continued the ride on 150 to Santa Paula, where we refilled the tank for $13.00 and returned home on 126 by 5:00 P.M. The mileage turned out to be 40 mpg on an enjoyable 111 mile trip.
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