A Bucket List Ride Through California

3 days ago

Gliding on a Harley-Davidson

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Motoring editor Jeremy Taylor takes the latest Harley-Davidson Street Glide on a bucket list trip with photographer (and part-time fireman) Ben Akin-Smith.

Riding The Harley-Davidson Street Glide Through California

Last September, I rode the Pacific Palisades on the new, more fuel-efficient Harley-Davidson Street Glide. The epic ride from Los Angeles to the Big Sur coast is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure on one of America’s most iconic roads. Now part of that route has been destroyed by a wildfire that dominated headlines around the world.

The temperature gauge on my Harley’s dashboard screen flashes 42°C, confirmed by a shimmering heat haze rising from the asphalt. Up ahead, a Chinook helicopter is dumping water onto a hillside blaze and the resulting ash falls like snow.

A weather emergency has been declared in California and I’m stationary on the latest Harley-Davidson Street Glide with no gaps between the cars to filter. It’s sweltering stood still on a motorbike, and perhaps a warning of what was to come a few months later.

My co-rider Ben is a volunteer fireman in New Zealand, but even he hasn’t seen so many emergency response vehicles. More and more helicopters join the battle against the flames, dropping thousands of gallons of fire retardant. The solution is coloured pink to help pilots pinpoint where to drop the next tank-load.

Ben the photographer-fireman

At least the heat from the Street Glide’s V-twin engine isn’t as bad as it used to be. The updated and more frugal 117 bhp unit features a new cooling system that ‘optimises thermal comfort’ and offers a more pleasant riding experience.

Ducting from the radiator now funnels air away from the rider, a welcome source of heat for UK bikers in the winter months but not here in the Golden State. Even with the wheels turning, the temperature today is debilitating – like standing behind a jet engine at full throttle.

If that sounds like a first world problem, then there’s a bigger one ahead. I’m in California to ride one of the world’s most famous road routes, but Mother Nature has decided to toss a whopping spanner in the works.

Early in 2024, a winter storm in Monterey County severed the famous Highway 1 route from tourists when 300,000 cubic yards of rock cascaded across the Big Sur coastal road and into the Pacific.

Regent’s Slide, 40 miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, is the latest in a series of storms to damage sections of the popular route. The repair work was due to be completed by the end of 2024 but fears of continued movement means it could be 2026 before the road is finally reopened to traffic.

Cut into steep hillsides, this legendary section of Highway 1 opened in the 1930s and is a ‘must ride’ for bikers who revel in the sweeping bends and dramatic vistas. The ongoing closure and has seriously damaged visitor numbers, so is now the moment to beat the traffic and take a Californian road trip?

Work on the Pacific Coast Highway began in 1919, detonating more than 70,000 lbs of dynamite to cut a routeway that is now as famous as Route 66. The roaring 20s and 30s also marked the beginning of a golden age of hospitality in California, with hotels quickly springing up along its path.

My starting point is The Georgian in Santa Monica (thegeorgian.com), a beachfront masterpiece that became the go-to destination for Hollywood’s finest, from Clark Gable to Fatty Arbuckle. The art deco hotel dates back to 1933 and fits perfectly with both the Highway 1 zeitgeist and Harley’s old-school appeal.

One of LA’s oldest hotels, the Georgian’s Ocean Avenue address is catnip for Instagrammers. If you can’t bag a table in the basement-level Georgian Room steakhouse, a veranda seat in Sirena restaurant is a great place to watch people watching you admiring your bike.

I set out to the next morning to explore the coastline and hills north of Santa Monica, famous for A-list celebrities and surfers alike (and soon be the epicentre of last week’s fires). Everybody from Larry Ellison to Cher has a beachfront condo here. Turn inland for the Santa Monica Mountains and dramatic views across the Pacific Ocean.

The Street Glide is the perfect bike for this trip. It does have a rather pointless 200w sound system and satellite navigation – although the map system is painfully slow to load up on the 12.3-inch screen.

Not that there’s much navigating to be done on Highway 1. Turn right at the beach and keep riding north should direct me all the way to a first stop in Santa Barbara. The Harley’s a big old beast at 367kg and although a low 28-inch seat height helps, I’d rather be riding it on a six-lane freeway than maneuvering around downtown LA.

It’s late summer but the Pacific breeze and some classic Californian tunes in my helmet help take my mind off the searing heatwave. The real estate grows more impressive by the mile as I skirt Malibu. Further on is Neptune’s Net (neptunesnet.com), a favorite eatery for bikers.

Highway 1 then joins Route 101 for a fast stretch into Santa Barbara. A rail track still runs through the heart of the town’s vibrant Funk Zone and if you’re not riding afterwards, pop in to nearby Validation Ale (validationale.com), a brewery-cum-restaurant where drinkers vote for their favorite ales of the week displayed live on a screen above the bar. Puppy Paws hazy IPA and Kevin du Blonde are my top tipples.

I’ve travelled around the world on motorbikes and arriving at luxury hotel on two wheels usually has the concierge team in a panic. Not so at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, 20 minutes ride from the town center and set in 78-acres that overlook the Pacific (ritzcarlton.com). I’m welcomed with a cold drink while my bags, helmet and kit arrive in my suite before I do.

Ritz-Carlton Bacara

The resort is one of the few here with direct access to a beach, although for riders with an aching back there are countless treatment rooms in the fantastic spa, plus three swimming pools. A well-marked coastal trail stretches the legs, while diners should head for the in-house Angel Oak restaurant for an epic steak supper (www.angeloakrestaurantsb.com).

From Santa Barbara, Highway 1 meanders north, past the eerily quiet Vandenberg Space Force Base, the pristine white beaches of Pismo and on to the perfectly named dairy town of Harmony, a former pit-stop for guests travelling to William Randolph Hearst’s nearby castle.

Often bypassed by road trippers, the town is best described as quirky – it once displayed a toilet memorial planted with roses and a sign proclaiming that Rudolph Valentino had ‘used’ the facility in 1926.

After a cooling ice cream at the Harmony Creamery truck there’s a decision to be made. Continue 55 miles north up the coast on Highway 1 to the Regent Slide blockage on the Big Sur – effectively a ride to nowhere and the longest cul-de-sac in the state – or turn inland on Highway 46 and pick up the 101 to Monterey.

It’s a frustrating two-and-a-half hours detour in motorway conditions but also a no-brainer. The high-speed 101 can’t compete with the majestic beauty of the epic coastal route but I plan to ride the 45 miles back south from Monterey to the Regent Slide block the following day, through some of the Big Sur’s finest scenery.

The newly-refurbished Monterey Beach Hotel (marriott.com) has just reopened. The only hotel on the beach offers incredible sunsets across Monterey Bay, with outdoor decking to relax, stretch aching backs and legs and listen to the sound of waves crashing on the sand.

The next morning I’m up early for breakfast at LouLou’s Griddle in the Middle (loulousgriddle.com), on the town’s commercial pier. The pancake stack should keep me topped up until supper but before that I ride south on the final leg of my journey, past Monterey’s famous Cannery Row, the setting for John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name.

Nearby, 17-Mile Drive from Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach carries a $11.25 entry charge but should be included on every road trip itinerary. Then head due south again on Highway 1, through swanky Carmel (of Clint Eastwood fame), keeping the ocean to the right and admiring the rocky outcrops and tumbling waves at every turn.

The Street Glide’s lengthened rear travel shocks – upped to three-inches – enhance the comfort, while four selectable rider modes make for a more engaging ride. That said, this is one route where it’s almost impossible to keep your eyes off the astonishing scenery.

Bixby Bridge is the Big Sur’s version of the Golden Gate but arrive early to beat crowds of selfie-takers. However, few travelers venture much further south as the Regent Slide site at Lucia blocks their path. As the traffic thins and eventually disappears, Ben and I finally have one of the world’s greatest roads all to ourselves.

The Harley is purring through the Redwood forests as my nostrils scent a salty spray from the beaches below. Stretches of the rugged coastline are often topped with an atmospheric wisp of mist, while an occasional seal pops its head up above the waterline.

Unfortunately, there’s a growing sense of inevitability as the ‘road closed’ signs become more frequent. The highway ends abruptly with an innocuous line of traffic cones. I stop and join a handful of other curious travelers who stand and crane their necks in the hope of seeing the dramatic landslip just around the corner.

The classic, all-American road trip is especially dramatic along this section of the west coast of California. Epic views, fantastic biking and beautiful seaside hotels, even with a temporary landslide blocking the way, this is one of the best scenic rides on the planet. And whatever your riding style, there’s still only one make of machine to keep you company on the great American road trip.