Best route? LA to Santa Barbara

[pmong]

Hi,

I think I posted on the wrong forum. Did not see this forum until now. Sorry about reposting my request, but would love to get input.

As stated previously, I am looking for route, safety, preparation, packing and other suggestions, recommendations and advice for a possible up coming trip from Los Angeles to north of Santa Barbara.

This would be my first 200 mile tip since I got returned to riding a motorcycle. Currently about 1.5k miles on a GS450GA, almost all short rides within LA, enough so that I have become very comfortable with the bike at low and medium speeds. Only a couple of short runs on the freeway, and the GS450GA is ok up to 60 mph, but feels light and vague over that speed.

I believe the bike is up for the trip since fixing a charging problem (bad RR), rebuilding the petcock (which unfortunately still has badly bent internal plunger that does not allow PRIME), getting a new front tire and battery, and recently replacing the crankcase and shaft oil. A couple of minor problems to work on before the trip.

Ideally, the upcoming trip would give me some highway experience; however, do not want to take U.S. 101 for the entire trip, only the part that I cannot avoid. Will travel up mid-day on a Friday and return late Saturday. Parts of U.S. 1 is good, but looking for other back roads with light traffic and few traffic signs.

Thank you in advance.

 

[posplayr]

Hi,

I think I posted on the wrong forum. Did not see this forum until now. Sorry about reposting my request, but would love to get input.

As stated previously, I am looking for route, safety, preparation, packing and other suggestions, recommendations and advice for a possible up coming trip from Los Angeles to north of Santa Barbara.

This would be my first 200 mile tip since I got returned to riding a motorcycle. Currently about 1.5k miles on a GS450GA, almost all short rides within LA, enough so that I have become very comfortable with the bike at low and medium speeds. Only a couple of short runs on the freeway, and the GS450GA is ok up to 60 mph, but feels light and vague over that speed.

I believe the bike is up for the trip since fixing a charging problem (bad RR), rebuilding the petcock (which unfortunately still has badly bent internal plunger that does not allow PRIME), getting a new front tire and battery, and recently replacing the crankcase and shaft oil. A couple of minor problems to work on before the trip.

Ideally, the upcoming trip would give me some highway experience; however, do not want to take U.S. 101 for the entire trip, only the part that I cannot avoid. Will travel up mid-day on a Friday and return late Saturday. Parts of U.S. 1 is good, but looking for other back roads with light traffic and few traffic signs.

Thank you in advance.

There are alot of side roads that go way out of the way but it also depends on where exactly you are going Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Maria, SLO.....? Most likely you would be on 101 and then go 154. If I knew the final destination I could add some alternate routes through Santa Ynez

 

[pmong]

There are alot of side roads that go way out of the way but it also depends on where exactly you are going Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Maria, SLO.....? Most likely you would be on 101 and then go 154. If I knew the final destination I could add some alternate routes through Santa Ynez

Thanks for the suggestion. I am headed to UC Santa Barbara, which is south of Goleta, next to Isla Vista. The tentative route is U.S. 1 from Santa Monica to Oxnard, catch the 101 until I can get off at State St or Modoc Rd in Santa Barbara, then westward down Hollister Ave followed by Route 217 to the campus. Don't think I have time for any side trips, unfortunately.