2024 Pashnit Touring on a Hayabusa

Rain riding is about being dry, and warm. Long as you got that, no big deal.

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And finding a place to hang out and wait for the front to pass over. Little country market was perfect. Grab a snack and kick tires for a bit.

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These are all tumbleweeds. The wind brings them here and they accumulate.

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See that crack in the mountain range. We're headed there, that's the Kern River Canyon. Crazy clouds, but still no rain.

Those are all orange orchards. Smells divine at the right time of year when the trees are budding. The whole valley smells like oranges.

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There's a reason why we only come to the Bakersfield region in the early spring. This region is stupid hot in summer, and these canyons can be even worse as all the heat settles into these canyons and just sits there. But right time of year, and the weather is perfect. And no rain still. It's a fast ride up the canyon along the river headed up to Bodfish.

As you head into the Kern River Canyon, a sign warns of how many people have drown in the river. Since 1968. 325.

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Highway 178 - Kern River Canyon
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Motorcycle tour companies often like to tout that we know the local roads and you don't, therefore, you should ride with us & we'll show you the stuff you would easily miss. Not sure if that's a true statement, it sounds good on paper at least. Any curious biker can do the requisite homework in advance with any number of tools. Or just say I wonder where this goes and wander up a twisty road, hope it doesn't dead end & actually goes somewhere. However, nowhere is that original statement more correct than the Kern River Canyon due east of Bakersfield. Fun road, twisty canyon stuff following the contours of the river. But, halfway up the length of the canyon is a subtle Y in the road. Easily missed, Kern Canyon Rd splits off the main highway and parallels the main highway. Would you ever know this is here, not likely, but the punchline is Kern Canyon Rd is 10x better than the parallel stretch of Highway 178 up to Lake Isabella where everyone else is.

Left, or right?

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Narrow, twisty, repetitious s-curves, whoops, and canyon wall riding looking down, down, down into the Kern Canyon. Add in some slick cattle guards, some sprinkles of sand when you least expect it, occasional rocks in the road, some decreasing radius corners (no guard rails & long way
down) and we've got ourselves a very fun ride.

Kern Canyon Rd
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Friant is little more than an intersection, but it's got fuel & snacks.

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Can you ride a Goldwing on these tours?
If you can handle that big bike on our backroads, all the merry. We have two regular alumni that ride newer Goldwings on these tours on a regular basis. Goldwings can haul the mail, have a very low center of gravity & are quite nimble with the right rider at the helm.

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I have yet to see the current bodystyle Goldwing up close.
Is it really that much smaller than the previous gens(I know they weigh 90 lbs less)?
Or is the guy riding it just big?
 
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