Saddlesore 1000 route review - california/nevada

#1
Hello Friends,

Planned date for the ride is December 7th. Just sharing my ride plan to see if anyone got any reviews or any comments on the route. Appreciate your inputs. Bike is 2021 HD street glide standard

Google maps :

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Eve...30bc7ff8ca!2m2!1d-121.971431!2d37.5136865!3e0

Leg - 1
Home - 4 AM start Fremont CA
Los Banos, California - 94 Miles

Leg - 2
Bakersfield, California - 167 Miles

Leg - 3
Shell, 1631 S China Lake Blvd, Ridgecrest, CA 93555 - 110 Miles

Leg - 4
Beatty, Nevada - 133 Miles

Leg - 5
Tonopah, Nevada 89049 - 94 Miles

Check ODO and see if its less than Leg(1-5) total distance

Leg - 6
Hawthorne, Nevada 89415 - 103 Miles

Leg - 7
Reno, Nevada - 124 Miles

Check ODO and see if its less than Leg(1-7) total distance

Leg - 8
Sacramento, California - 132 Miles

Leg - 9
Home - 105 Miles


All inputs welcome
 
Last edited:

Auburn

Premier Member
#2
Check your weather. Some of the northern parts of your ride may encounter very adverse temps and conditions. May want to have a southern alternative loop figured out in advance if the weather is not cooperative.
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#3
Tehachapi can be quite windy and cold with fog in the morning hours. Check the forecasts for wind/fog advisories and temps there the night before your ride. NOAA

You will have temps near or below freezing between Tonopah and Hawthorne at night, but you should be going through that area after noon w/o issue unless a cold front comes through with some precipitation that could ice up or fall as snow overnight. Plan on it getting cold going over Donner pass on I-80 in the evening. Once the sun is down, the temps fall quickly there.

If you take the 117 bypass at Fallon, you won't see reliable gas until coming into Fernley. Keep that in mind, along with your range, and make the call to go into Fallon and get fuel if need be. It doesn't add a lot of miles and only slows you a little bit with Fallon lights/traffic. It's also easy to miss the bypass sign if your GPS wants to take you into Fallon, (if you haven't ridden there before). I have ridden extensively in that area.

Also, the Chevron in Fernley is off route, but the Flying J truck stop is right off the corner of the ramp for I-80 with very easy access. You might consider that option, or one of the other gas stations right on your route through Fernley. Particularly the Shell just past the Taco Bell at the corner of Chisholm Trail and I-80 bus. Look in Google street view to see what I mean.

There is also a 24 Hr Shell station off the Truxel Road exit, (to the North at Truxel & Gateway Park), in Sacramento, the exit before your planned Chevron station that is much quicker on/off than the off route run to the Chevron in Sac.

IMHO, US-101 can be slow, even at early morning hours, and is more well patrolled by CHP. Consider running out 680 tp 580, a quick stop at the Shell to document the corner, then continue on 580 to I-5 and head South for the start of your route. Like this - LINK
 
#4
Tehachapi can be quite windy and cold with fog in the morning hours. Check the forecasts for wind/fog advisories and temps there the night before your ride. NOAA

You will have temps near or below freezing between Tonopah and Hawthorne at night, but you should be going through that area after noon w/o issue unless a cold front comes through with some precipitation that could ice up or fall as snow overnight. Plan on it getting cold going over Donner pass on I-80 in the evening. Once the sun is down, the temps fall quickly there.

If you take the 117 bypass at Fallon, you won't see reliable gas until coming into Fernley. Keep that in mind, along with your range, and make the call to go into Fallon and get fuel if need be. It doesn't add a lot of miles and only slows you a little bit with Fallon lights/traffic. It's also easy to miss the bypass sign if your GPS wants to take you into Fallon, (if you haven't ridden there before). I have ridden extensively in that area.

Also, the Chevron in Fernley is off route, but the Flying J truck stop is right off the corner of the ramp for I-80 with very easy access. You might consider that option, or one of the other gas stations right on your route through Fernley. Particularly the Shell just past the Taco Bell at the corner of Chisholm Trail and I-80 bus. Look in Google street view to see what I mean.

There is also a 24 Hr Shell station off the Truxel Road exit, (to the North at Truxel & Gateway Park), in Sacramento, the exit before your planned Chevron station that is much quicker on/off than the off route run to the Chevron in Sac.

IMHO, US-101 can be slow, even at early morning hours, and is more well patrolled by CHP. Consider running out 680 tp 580, a quick stop at the Shell to document the corner, then continue on 580 to I-5 and head South for the start of your route. Like this - LINK

Any idea on US -95 between beatty and tonopah. I see its mostly single lane road.. what would be the speed limit?
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#5
Any idea on US -95 between beatty and tonopah. I see its mostly single lane road.. what would be the speed limit?
The speed limit there is 70. Do NOT speed at all through any towns. The Beatty Sheriff has been known to ticket speeders for less than 5 mph over the speed limit coming into town and in town. In the Western US, when you come in to a small town, the speed limit usually drops progressively. For example, from 70 to 55, then to 45, then to 35, then to 25 sometimes for the town itself. Pay attention to those limits and do slow down.

If you choose to exceed the speed limits outside of towns/cities, wait for a 3-5 miles after you see the speed limit go up to maximum before doing so. It's quite common for police to park outside town and wait for people to speed up over the limit as soon as they leave town.

It appears that your route will be generally on Interstates and populated areas at night. If you find yourself on single lane road, (we call them two lane, one each way), at night, watch out for deer and cattle. US 95 is open range and cattle can be on the road, but it's more common at night. You will usually see signs warning that you are in Open Range areas. That means cattle can be on the road at any time. They generally will move away from motorcycles, but you may need to slow down and they can be unpredictable if spooked. A tap or two of the horn is fine, but avoid long blasts.

Just to prepare you, there is fuel at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley, but it is very expensive. Remember the basic rule of LD riding, "Don't pass up known gas for unknown gas."
 
#6
The speed limit there is 70. Do NOT speed at all through any towns. The Beatty Sheriff has been known to ticket speeders for less than 5 mph over the speed limit coming into town and in town. In the Western US, when you come in to a small town, the speed limit usually drops progressively. For example, from 70 to 55, then to 45, then to 35, then to 25 sometimes for the town itself. Pay attention to those limits and do slow down.

If you choose to exceed the speed limits outside of towns/cities, wait for a 3-5 miles after you see the speed limit go up to maximum before doing so. It's quite common for police to park outside town and wait for people to speed up over the limit as soon as they leave town.

It appears that your route will be generally on Interstates and populated areas at night. If you find yourself on single lane road, (we call them two lane, one each way), at night, watch out for deer and cattle. US 95 is open range and cattle can be on the road, but it's more common at night. You will usually see signs warning that you are in Open Range areas. That means cattle can be on the road at any time. They generally will move away from motorcycles, but you may need to slow down and they can be unpredictable if spooked. A tap or two of the horn is fine, but avoid long blasts.

Just to prepare you, there is fuel at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley, but it is very expensive. Remember the basic rule of LD riding, "Don't pass up known gas for unknown gas."
Hey Eric,

I am also considering an alternate route which is Fremont CA till Albuquerque, New Mexico via bakersfield, flagstaff. your thoughts on this route?
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#7
Hey Eric,

I am also considering an alternate route which is Fremont CA till Albuquerque, New Mexico via bakersfield, flagstaff. your thoughts on this route?
In some ways the loop route will be more scenic. NV East of the Sierra Mountains is lightly enforced once off the interstates.

As to the I-40 route, same cautions about Tehachapi and check the weather for Flagstaff too. Flagstaff is at 7000' (2133 Meters) and is forecast for showers, but temps above freezing at night, so should be ok, if cold/wet at night. Here is a suggested route with corner stops. I have found it much quicker to cut over from I-5 to 99 at Lost Hills on SR-46, then follow 99 South to Hwy 58, which gives you a smoother transition from 99 to 58. Route Link I-40 is mostly 70 mph speed limit with 55 for trucks, but most go faster.

Be aware that semi truck traffic on I-40 is often heavy, though usually not cause for obstruction, just not always the most pleasant riding around the big trucks. Try to avoid riding beside them for long periods. It's easy to lose sight of a small motorcycle when they are looking for other trucks.
---------------
It can be very confusing and have construction if you're trying to cross from I-5 to 58 farther South where 58 meets I-5. That stretch of 58 is very heavily used by farm traffic and is a rough road with more lights, plus the East end getting through Bakersfield and across the Kern river is a mess of confusing and poorly marked turns.
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#8
Note that if you plan your fuel stops, for the Flagstaff area, it's easier/quicker to get gas in Williams or one of the truck stops just before Flagstaff, (Pilot), or at the Little America travel center on I-40 at Flagstaff than to go into town on the Business 40 route.
 
#9
Naufal,
Flagstaff to Albuquerque can be cold. Anywhere in northern NV can be cold even in daytime. High desert. Are you going to run heated gear?
Ditto on caution leaving any small town. I have had that experience, rolled the throttle up to 75 right after leaving city limit, posted at 50, City cop was a mile up the road with a clean radar shot.