Choose Life
It’s not every day you get a call out of the blue asking if you’re free to join an eclectic group of winemakers, snowboarders, musicians and photographers on a motorcycle trip from Los Angeles up Highway 1 to Napa. What would you say?
If you’re anything like me, you conveniently forget any plans and after a dramatic pause used solely for effect, announce you’re in. Who could blame you? No one can resist the siren song of Highway 1. It’s a national treasure on par with the Going-to-the-Sun Road that slices through Glacier National Park or the Blue Ridge Parkway, a two-lane road that runs hundreds of miles along a mountain ridge, unmarred by a single traffic light. It’s what riding is all about.
The mastermind behind The Prohibition Tour was Carlo Mondavi. His grandfather, Robert Mondavi, brought worldwide recognition to the wines of Napa Valley and his family continues the tradition today. Carlo invited friends to celebrate the recent harvest by heading up to Napa on motorcycles. We’d ostensibly take note of the architecture built during Prohibition along the way, but like any motorcycle trip, context fades and the focus becomes the journey itself.
Perfect Road, Perfect Timing
The good people at Harley-Davidson generously provided fourteen glistening V-Twins for the trip, ranging from the minimalist Blackline to the over-the-top CVO Road Glide Custom. I was able to switch bikes a couple of times, but set out on a Street Bob whose solo seat, mid-mounted controls and “ape hangers” had a classic look and comfortable ride. It proved to be a perfect start to the day.
We weren’t exactly an outlaw biker gang, but fourteen motorcycles weaving through traffic attracts a lot of attention and in Los Angeles, that’s a good thing. I appreciated the nods of approval and thumbs up as we pulled out of Santa Monica and joined Highway 1. It’s heavily punctuated with traffic lights inside the city, but as we slipped away towards Santa Barbara, it opened up and we hit our stride.
We were lucky to have a number of talented photographers along for the ride including Josh Kurpius who takes incredible action shots. He rides up towards the head of the pack on a motorcycle so that he’s always in the middle of the action. To get the right angle, he’ll take both hands off the bars and standing, get the perfect shot. It's a sight to see.
We spent a few minutes in Morro Bay at a roadside stand getting burgers where I swapped the Street Bob for a XR1200X. I love the looks because the styling is reminiscent of a XR750, one of my all-time favorite motorcycles. It also felt like a dirt bike because of its’ tall, narrow stance. There is an AMA Pro Race series based around the XR1200 so you expect plenty of power, great brakes and maneuverability, and it did not disappoint. It quickly became a favorite and was perfectly suited for what lay ahead.
My favorite stretch of Highway 1 starts just north of San Simeon and runs for about 65 miles into Big Sur. You are still hugging the coast, but the road begins to climb and undulate, and before you know it, you’re riding a roller coaster hundreds of feet above the Pacific. It can get a little hairy though – the most technical sections have sheer drop-offs that fall hundreds of feet into the rocks below. A late start meant we’d hit them towards dusk, but any trepidation vanished as the riders and motorcycles rose to the challenge. As night fell, we took in a perfect sunset riding one of the most dramatic roads in the world.
