Provincial_sweater09
Member
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2026
- Moto(s)
- SV650
Another newbie ride report - many of you said they liked the last one. Would love to hear comments
Route: Livermore-> Mines road -> 130 -> Lick Observatory -> San Jose
Ever since I saw a photo of Mines Road taken by another newbie BARF member, I had pegged it for future ride. Also, had gotten new tires 300 miles ago so had to "break them in" lol.
It has been hairy last few weeks at work so desperately needed a detox. Took today off to start long(er) weekend. 680 and then 84 into Livermore were blissfully empty and were covered quickly. From Mines road the ride began in earnest. Gentle sweeping turns gave way to one lane road and cattle gates (ugh). All of this helped me warm up to the mountain ahead. Tons of blind turns including hairpin bends kept me alert all the time watching out for gravel, squirrels darting across and an occasional bicyclist. It was still very peaceful - with empty road, blue skies and no one around for miles.
At the top of Lick observatory, took bio-break, listened to the documentary (very much in awe of truckers' skill hauling all that metal up the mountain decades ago).
Descended 130 into San Jose. Those sharp downhill hairpin bends put me in a rhythm of turns and intense focus. Every blind corner, occasional gravel and increased oncoming traffic (some drifting into my lane) kept me sharp and focused.
Overall, very stimulating but at the same time peaceful. The SV650 - I fell in love with her once again - how effortless it was to flick her through those tight corners - just relying on that low-end torque and trusting the new tires - could lean into the turn and - I don't know how to describe it - just "flow".
Overall, the whole mountain ride was blissful - I am running out of adjectives here...
(I must say that the ripples in the road were felt thoroughly and caught me by surprise - they are kind of hard to see! But it was just an annoyance, nothing more)
Total Mileage: About 100 miles.
Riding grade: Solid B+ for completing longest ride to-date and truly enjoying those mountain roads without puckering up - points off because I went wide on to the shoulder once - towards the very tail end of ride before entering San Jose because I let my guard down.
Edit: for typos
Route: Livermore-> Mines road -> 130 -> Lick Observatory -> San Jose
Ever since I saw a photo of Mines Road taken by another newbie BARF member, I had pegged it for future ride. Also, had gotten new tires 300 miles ago so had to "break them in" lol.
It has been hairy last few weeks at work so desperately needed a detox. Took today off to start long(er) weekend. 680 and then 84 into Livermore were blissfully empty and were covered quickly. From Mines road the ride began in earnest. Gentle sweeping turns gave way to one lane road and cattle gates (ugh). All of this helped me warm up to the mountain ahead. Tons of blind turns including hairpin bends kept me alert all the time watching out for gravel, squirrels darting across and an occasional bicyclist. It was still very peaceful - with empty road, blue skies and no one around for miles.
At the top of Lick observatory, took bio-break, listened to the documentary (very much in awe of truckers' skill hauling all that metal up the mountain decades ago).
Descended 130 into San Jose. Those sharp downhill hairpin bends put me in a rhythm of turns and intense focus. Every blind corner, occasional gravel and increased oncoming traffic (some drifting into my lane) kept me sharp and focused.
Overall, very stimulating but at the same time peaceful. The SV650 - I fell in love with her once again - how effortless it was to flick her through those tight corners - just relying on that low-end torque and trusting the new tires - could lean into the turn and - I don't know how to describe it - just "flow".
Overall, the whole mountain ride was blissful - I am running out of adjectives here...
(I must say that the ripples in the road were felt thoroughly and caught me by surprise - they are kind of hard to see! But it was just an annoyance, nothing more)
Total Mileage: About 100 miles.
Riding grade: Solid B+ for completing longest ride to-date and truly enjoying those mountain roads without puckering up - points off because I went wide on to the shoulder once - towards the very tail end of ride before entering San Jose because I let my guard down.
Edit: for typos
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