45 Days on a Gen3 Hayabusa - 2023 Pashnit Touring

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Elwood Rd is short, fast, adrenalized climb up the valley, Pine Flat Reservoir at top left

All this green is actually very unusual to us. We only see it every couple years and only in spring.

Normally it is all brown, brown, brown. And in summer, crazy hot. 100 degrees daily is the norm.

But then again, this is the reason we only ride these regions in the spring time. - Same road.

 

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But for today, we'll enjoy the cool temps and brilliant landscape.

The road into Kings Canyon / Sequoia NP - that's closed.

But, we're headed there in May 2023 & that motorcycle tour has long-since been sold out. Looking forward to that ride.

Sequoia Motorcycle Tour | Pashnit Tours

Ride Tulare & Kern County motorcycle roads

www.pashnittours.com

Kings Canyon is crazy, a 5000-ft deep canyon you can ride into.

Kings Canyon

 

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The idea is to hop on the main highway and then get off that highway as soon as we can find the next backroad

It didn't take long.

A few miles later, the single lane Millwood Rd

Millwood Rd parallels the main highway. We didn't see one other vehicle the entire time we were on it.

All the tourists are on Highway 180, we're on twisty single lane backroads running parallel.

 

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Remember the whale sized rock from the 2022 Tour Thread? No?

 

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I knew this would be here:

This is the creek in a dry year - barely a trickle

Same spot.

And the year we're having. Kinda gives you a good analogy of what's going on out here in The Land of Fruits & Nuts.

 

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I have a plan to clean your shiny bike I got dirty. Sorry, not sorry.

This tour includes a complimentary bike wash.

Cleaning the Ducati

Cleaning the Goldwing

 

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Little flooded creek crossing to keep the tour route interesting.

Is this what Suzuki engineers had in mind when they designed my Gen3?

 

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Everyone survived.

 

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Deserted single lane backroads

 

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Wait a second, you promised not to ride above 4000 ft.

I was sort of vague about that 4000 ft thing

 

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Road Closed #3

Back onto Highway 245 - one of the twistiest stretches of road in the state.

Highway 245, Tulare County | California Motorcycle Roads | Pashnit

Ride Tulare County Motorcycle Roads, Central Sierra Nevada Foothills

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I likened this road to sitting with a 4-yr-old in church.

If you've ever sat with a 4-yr-old in church, you might understand that reference.
If you don't have kids, you likely have no idea what I'm talking about.

 

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A run down Highway 245, a fun run of non-stop twisties.

Wait a second, what's up with that white stuff! That wasn't in the tour description

 

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The new Gen3 is like butter, just purrs along, smooth and responsive. Same Busa, just everything better.

We finally dropped below the snow line in the distance

 

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Bruce, how's that Goldwing likin' the twisties? I'm draggin my boot, he says.

 

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The kids love stickers

Incidentally, that silhouette of the Busa on the sticker came from this photo: I had just bought my first Busa 20 years ago.

The 4-in-1 HMF pipe was so long, it stuck out behind the bike, and I loved it.

I might be getting my spiffy new bike a wee bit dirty

 

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Starting to get later in the day. It was horse to the barn time. Drop out of the foothills, punch the hotel into the GPS and head for the barn.