2024 Pashnit Touring on a Hayabusa

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Can you tour on a GSXR1000? Gary is in early 70s and has the GSXR and a GTS1000. Not sure which one he prefers... He seems to rotate between bikes. Most these guys we ride with sign up for 3-5 tours per season.

I have 17 to choose from.

sprawling downtown Gualala

 

[pashnit]

If all you ever do is ride up and down Highway 1 in Northern California, you’re missing a lot. Once you do some homework on some alternative parallel rides, a whole new world opens up. The Mendocino Region along the Pacific Coast has some of the most perfect roads to ride, endless twisties, smooth pavement and minimal people. One of our favorite detours is Highway 128 to Flynn Creek to Comptche and right back to Highway 1 via Comptche-Ukiah Rd. New pavement on all three roads. Plus, zipping through slalom curves in the Redwood Forest on Highway 128 flowing with the curves of the Navarro River is ethereal. This loop adds a mere 25 miles of pure delight to our journey up Highway 1. Next time you head up Highway 1, take my advice & explore a bit.

Foggy Highway 1 - it's common to ride in and out of thick banks of coastal fog. Round a corner and zero fog, the sun is shining with blue skies above.

Highway 128 in the Redwood Forest

 

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Wiggle wiggle on Flynn Creek Rd

Mandatory stop in Comptche

Bikes everywhere! The Coast Range is one of the more popular tours we offer every July. Always a big group.

I have another 20 riders signed up already for July 2025 date for this same Coast Range tour.

Coast Range | Pacific Ocean Motorcycle Tour | Pashnit Tours

Ride the Perfect Tour across Napa, & Mendocino County along the Pacific Ocean with Pashnit Motorcycle Tour

www.pashnittours.com

 

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Love these old pumps

Road ahead is known as Orr Springs Rd, we haven't ridden it in years. Maybe we will someday.

 

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Comptche-Ukiah Rd

 

[pashnit]

Highway 20 in Northern California is one of the best sleeper roads you'd never realize is an awesome ride unless you actually ride it. Transitioning up and over the Coast Range from Fort Bragg to Willits, it's a main highway (& truck route) and often full of tourists headed for the Pacific Coast. What makes this road unusual is the pullouts. Lots of them. And, repeating signs: 'Slow vehicles must turn out' urging motorists to pull over for that Pashnit guy and his gaggle of bikers.

Somewhat surprising, at least to our out-of-state riders is how polite motorists can be - most of them- in allowing the gaggle to pass on by. I love this road, the Hayabusa loves it too. It's fast, smooth, endless slalom curves & hairpin turns, delves through a Redwood Forest and dumps you onto the east side of the Coast Range into Willits. This is the part of the day where the group looks at me with their laser eyes, and says, Where's lunch!? I might know a place. And it's air conditioned. Temps were 58 when we left the Pacific Coast, it's now 109.

 

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Highway 20

 

[pashnit]

And there's air-conditioning. Temps went from 58 on the Pacific Coast, 20 miles later it's 109 in Willits. - a bewildering 50 degree temp swing.

In Willits - Where the Big Boys eat

Probably not very politically correct to replace the word 'boys' with 'girls'.

 

[pashnit]

Branscomb Rd gets back across the Coast Range and back out to the ocean where the cool temps are

Branscomb Rd - I always stop in Branscomb, but it was so hot, could only think of getting back out to the ocean.

Back in the day while touring on the TL1000R - I recently sold my TL.

The Coast Range, the ocean in sight

 

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top of Graffiti Hill - all downhill after this

 

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Branscomb Rd down to the coast is super awesome ride - no-center-line swoopy ride - all downhill

Branscomb Road | California Motorcycle Roads | Pashnit

Best Northern California Motorcycle Rides - Branscomb Road Mendocino County Roads

www.pashnit.com

 

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Everyone waits at the end of each road to re-group

 

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They're so impatient. After a headcount, it's off. They know what's coming.

 

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Every motorcyclist's dream is imagining the 22-mile Leggett Section of Highway 1 repaved.

Last few years, it's been pretty tore up, bumpy and just plain beat up. Well campers, guess what, the majority of the 22-mile Leggett section is all new. And it's super-smooth! Lot of twisty roads in California, but the Leggett section of Highway 1 is regarded as one of the twistiest bits of road in the state. And it's been repaved. Most of it that is, the mid-section, likely about 15 miles of it is perfect. No lines have even been painted down yet and it's delicious. As good as it sounds if not better. Pure bliss.

The pavement is so fresh - it's like butter.

Lines haven't even painted down yet. About 80% of the 22 mile length has been repaved.

 

[pashnit]

It's amazing. I'll have to come back just to photograph the new pavement.

After an adrenalized ride, the kids need ice cream

 

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The Coast Range Tour zigzags across the range, making our way north to Shelter Cove.

Shelter Cove Rd back to the ocean where it's cool. You can keep your 109.

 

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Shelter Cove is a tiny remote community on a peninsula the juts out into the ocean.

Inn of The Lost Coast is our host

 

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What better way to escape the inland heat