Ducks and Cruisers do mix

This last Saturday, my two friends Darrell and Ken joined me in a ride up to Lake Tahoe. The weather was to be hot in the valley, so it was an excuse to ride together for the first time and get up into some cooler temperatures and scenery on the bikes.

Darrell rides a Harley Dyna Glide and Ken's on a Ducati 1098. Me, I'm somewhere in the middle, with a Suzuki Vstrom 650 (but at the small end of the engine CC scale). So three very different bike styles. We met up at my house, near our freeway entrance, and took a few pictures before heading out.

Luckily Darrell had heard there was a bad accident on our freeway route, and we checked the Caltrans road conditions to confirm. In fact a FedEx big-rig truck had overturned, and the diesel caught fire scorching 3 of the 4 freeway lanes enough to need repair. There was potential toxic cargo onboard, so Hazmat was called out, which futher lengthened the ordeal. The entire eastbound freeway was shutdown for most of the day.

So we went up Green Valley road and around El Dorado Hills blvd to bypass the toxic mess, and jumped onto the freeway past the problem. There was very little freeway traffic on that east side, so we opened the throttles and climbed unfettered into the foothills.

For the most part, we all stayed together and ran at similar speeds and turn angles. Highway 50 is an interstate-style freeway for much of it, but there's also a 2-lane section with some nice twisties and long sweepers as you work up into the Sierra Nevada mountains.

I was expecting to not keep up with either of them on the straight parts, and to be waiting on the Harley through the turns. But that wasn't the case, as we all seemed to be able to ride at 80+ mph up the mountain straights, and respectable leans through the turns without losing each other.

It was also fun to listen to Darrell's loud rumbling Harley-Davidson with the after-market exhaust when it was opened up full boar going up the mountain. And to compare that sound with Ken's desmodromic-valved Ducati with it's after-market exhaust. It was a great symphony...and surprisingly, the Ducati was loudest.

In Tahoe, we had quick lunch and had to head back down so as not to take the entire day, and to keep domestic tranquility. A couple stops along the river for water and picture breaks and a nice ride back home. All told, about 3 hours of riding and half a day enjoying the sites and cool breezes of the Sierras.

Ok, one difference in the bikes...the Ducati is a thirsty beast; needing to drink about every 90 miles. (But by then, the wrists are crying out for a break from that extreme racing angle anyway, so I suppose it all works out.) But that's a small nit for riding the Italian art form that also happens to be the fastest production superbike you can just walk in and buy...the Ducati 1098.