Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

oldman wrote:Anaheim is South of L.A. about 45 miles. The freeway system in that area is amazing, unfortunately they outgrew it 40 years ago and it's a parking lot. Driving in L.A. is a joke and trying to drive through Hollywood would be like swimming in your waters covered in blood. Finding a good riding area would also be very hard as the good twisty's are a long ways away from where you are, (Anaheim). Do the tourist thing, Disneyland is right there in Anaheim. See Knots Berry farm and the labrea tar pits. If you want Hollywood take a tour bus. Ask the people at the hotel you are staying at what to do and where to go. L.A. County plus Orange County has a population of 17,000,000 people all cramed together and madder than hell at having to live in such a shitty place. Riding a Motorcycle in that area would be a bad idea if you are not familiar with California drivers. The drinking laws are very strict if caught drinking while driving so be sober when driving, (another good reason for a tour bus). Good luck and enjoy, it can be fun, but be careful. Are you sure the people buying you this trip are not trying to kill you?

Oldman is spot on!

staying in Anaheim? , get the hotel courtesy bus from LA airport to yr hotel
(its free and without the hassles) also get a tour bus for Hollywood and Universal
btw the HOLLYWOOD sign on the hill is no big deal!

I have driven in LA the last 4 times I have been there (limo service with work 2 times before that)
& TWICE I got lost trying to get outta the pharkin airport!! and they have very STRANGE road rules
for us Aussies...like turning right thru a Red light or Stop Sign. does that take some getting used to....
and
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EVEN THINK ABOUT exceeding the limit in a school zone

I would suggest you hire a car (slightly less risky than a bike in a strange city on the other side of the road) & and take a trip along the coast road from L.A. towards San Francisco. Me & my girlfriend (now wife) did it 4 years ago and it was fantastic. Oh and hire a GPS!

We stayed in Beverly Hills, so it was pretty central and close to the middle of most things we wanted to see/do aside from Disneyland (it was a 30 minute walk to century city , a 10 minute walk to Rodeo Drive, lots of house envy happening there and a 15 minute drive to Santa Monica peir).

Unfortunately it took a blt of travel to get to Annaheim (2 hours each way on the bus) so our day-trip to Disneyland meant that we left the hotel at 6am and got home at about 9pm at night, a BIG day.

Also San diego is about an hour and a half South. A good place to visit, (I lived there 20 plus years). If you do San Diego see; La Jolla, Point Loma's Cabrillo National Monument, Coronado, Old Town San Diego and Presidio Park, Downtown San Diego Gaslite district, (They have redone the whole downtown area), San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park, Sea World. If you go stay out of mexico as this is not a good time to cross the border. If you go to San Diego harbor Anthony's Fish Grotto is a good place to eat and take the harbor tour boat, (the one hour not the two hour tour). Now San Diego would be a good place to rent a Motorcycle as the Laguna mountains are close with many back roads as well as Cuyamaca lake, (ask for directions), Julian, Pamona, Ramona etc. Just don't try to go to these places on a week end.
If you see my daughter tell her dad said hello. Jim time.
Also feel free to call me in Salt lake, I can give you directions in San Diego. If you call make sure you have the number you are calling from as we can hang up and I can call you back, (I get free long distance within the U.S.). My number is 1 801 486 2588. Also ocean swimming in San Diego is good as we do not have the shark problem like Australia. The best beach is LaJolla Shores or Del Mar, (a little North of San Diego on the 101).

OK we have decided to hire a car for a few day's in LA to cruise around but I opted out of the helicopter flight from vegas to the grand canyon day trip that everyone else is doing as a big hole dosn't interest me .....Soooo I have found a few site's and gunna hire a cruiser/harly or chopper for a day to cruise the desert .....They only go in straight line's anyway's

Here are my option's

http://www.eaglerider.com/lasvegas/lasvegas.aspx

http://www.lasvegasharleydavidson.com/

http://www.lasvegaschoppers.com/

Hey,
I hired a car from LAX and drove to Tuscon. Didn't put much thought into it - I had a mate injured in a skydiving accident who I was in a hurry to get to see. If I was going again I would get out of LA by other means and drive from one of the outer suburbs or find transport to my next town (like Palm Springs) and drive from there. The volume of traffic, size of the over passes and freeways blew me away in LA. Really freaked me out and I did not enjoy the first couple of hours behind the wheel. By the time I hit Palm Springs I felt better but I never got the hang of turning left from traffic lights.....
Was stung for insurances (that I had coverage for with my travel insurance on the gold credit card) but the company was good and refunded the charge once I got home to Australia and complained. I was in a hurry and didn't have time to argue at the airport.
I'd totally drive/ride over there again, just not in the major cities.
CONGRATULATIONS on the wedding!!!