Saturday May 8: So I hated to leave you, the reader, stuck in Monterey Bay with me wondering how my day ended. But I knew it was the fitting point to pause, because Monterey Bay was a turning point of the trip. I didn’t know it at the time, but things were about to change. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for the better.
So I suppose we should just get right to it. After lunch I hopped back on CA1 and headed towards my destination: San Francisco. As I rounded the north end of Monterey Bay, the wind began gusting up again. I wasn’t too thrilled about the relentless onslaught of heavy gusts, especially as they were coming broadside. It isn’t the most comforting of feelings as a 30 mph gust pushes a 400lb object towards the edge of the road. But not a problem.
Eventually I got fed up with the cold wind and decided it was time to take a quick breather and slip on a long undershirt to cut the cold. That innocent and practical decision turned out to be one of the most regrettable choices I have ever made as a rider and as a confident human being. I approached a vista point/ turnout near Pescadero State Beach. I slowed down to first gear and waited for oncoming traffic before making the left turn towards the small parking lot.
The only details I remember of my rookie mistake, was hearing the engine rev high as my rear wheel lost traction and slid out trying to race the front wheel. I instinctively reached out with my left hand for the pavement as I detached myself from the Daytona. I’m not sure if I rolled or tumbled. What I do remember is me springing up to my feet and in one swell effort, threw my sunglasses and helmet and rushed to my downed partner, which was now teetering on the edge of a ditch. It was the most pathetic image which has been seared in the back of my mind: a finely tuned speed machine laying on its side, about to slip down a 2ft ditch, its rear turn signal signaling methodically to the left as if nothing was wrong. But everything was wrong. Sven crashed… in the middle of nowhere… hundreds of miles from home.
I attempted to lift my bike, but the 400lb machine proved to be too much to dead lift, even for my adrenaline charged body. I felt hopeless. I walked towards the roadway to see if there was any sign of help. A car or two passed by, but I wasn’t expecting them to stop. I saw two fellow motorcyclists streak by, and it was at that point that I lost all hope in it all. A lone motorcyclist standing at the mouth of a turnout, with a look of distress on him as his bike lay on the gravel, and two passing riders wouldn’t stop to help. I was going to be stranded in the middle of no where. No food, no water, no hope.
I was just about to turn and walk back to my Triumph as a car drove by, but put on the brakes as it passed and turned around. I immediately had a faint perk in spirit. I wish I could recall their names or how to pronounce them but to me that would be virtually impossible. A middle aged middle eastern gentleman and his senior father had gotten out of their car and immediately addressed the possibility of me needing medical attention. I wanted and needed nothing of that, I just wanted my bike upright.
The three of us all walked over to the bike and somewhat tried to survey the problem. We all grabbed a firm part and heaved and hoed the bike away from the edge of the ditch. I winced at each sound of grinding gravel. Eventually we got my tattered motorcycle upright and on the kickstand. OK, so far so good, but does it run? Yes? Good. The two men then again tended to me, making sure I wasn’t hurt. I told them I was fine, and they kindly offered me water, which I openly swashed down.
With a gracious handshake to each gentleman and my many thanks, the two middle eastern men continued on their way. I suited back up and with a bruised hand and ego, I crept back on PCH. No use in backing out now. I was more than halfway to Frisco.
The rest of the trip up to San Francisco remained slightly uneventful, I mean what could top that? I didn’t want to top that, but I almost did. In the town of Half Moon Bay, I almost endo-ed (Stoppied) my way into the back of some piss ant of a driver. Word of the wise to all you motorists out there: when the light just turns yellow and you’re 30 ft from the intersection, run it, that is what it’s for. Otherwise, a motorcycle might crash into your back end.
I pulled in the clutch and grabbed at the front brake. I also applied some rear brake, but before I knew it I was near starring down at the pavement, so what good is a rear brake? I shut my eyes and prepped for the worst, as my rear end came down in a heavy thud. That day wasn’t going my way. Out of it all, I do have to admit it was a near flawless endo. I wasn’t planning on it but executed it with near perfection… Nailed it. I made sure to let the dumb female behind the wheel my utmost admiration for her, or lack thereof.
I eventually made it to San Francisco without further incident, and I couldn’t have been more relieved. I made haste for the nearest hotel, and ended up at the Wharf Inn, which was conveniently located just next to Pier 39. I immediately stripped down to street clothes and ventured off into the bay city.
Aside from San Francisco’s over the top smugness, I love the city. The old style buildings, the narrow streets and alleyways, the artisan styled businesses, San Francisco meets old with new in just the right way. I would normally say something to the effect of, “I love the city, not the people” but that doesn’t quite fit. The city has its classes. The working class, the shop workers, and hustling and bustling crowd. It is these people that I had an admiration for, not the socialites who drink their wine with their cheeseburgers and discuss the atrocities of not owning a hybrid.
I spent my evening at a fusion Italian restaurant, enjoying a swanky pasta dish and nursing a hand of Jameson Irish Whiskey (screw fingers, I just crashed my motorcycle). With a great buzz, I purposely lost myself in the north end of San Francisco. The hooligan bars, Chinese shops, the bistros, and the odd about of topless bars and the bouncers hustling in men for a show. With a dreary disposition and encouraging alcohol, I was almost half tempted to take a gander (again, I just crashed my motorcycle).
Sitting back in my room, I closed the night in heavy reflection of that fateful moment on PCH, trying to find out the cause of my spill. Could it have been gravel, the freshly cut seaside grass that was left along the turn out, a rouge gust of wind, the two bastards on their choppers unexpectedly racing past me as I stopped before making my turn (not cool), or it could of been due to an exhausted rider who had been on the road for 10 hours and was beaten from unrelenting wind. I may never know what was the deciding factor in sending my Daytona into the dirt, and that is OK. I won’t sit here and place the blame on any one thing but myself. Even though there were plenty of external factors it all boiled down to rider error. I’ve always told myself that it is never a matter of if you crash on a motorcycle, it is always a matter of when. I just didn’t want it to be so soon.
Continue traveling with Sven up the California coast:
The Lonely Travels of the Lone Rider pt.1
The Lonely Travels of the Lone Rider pt.2
The Lonely Travels of the Lone Rider pt.4






























































