Steeper than ‘Frisco, Zanier than NYC

HOLLY S***! This street is steep. I’m leaning back on my Yamaha MT07 as we take the vertical plunge down Baxter – the steepest piece of tarmac in California. Jeez! And I thought Lombard Street in San Francisco was the record holder. Yet, this is LA, and I, plus 40 other bikers, are about to discover parts of it none of us even imagined existed. Welcome to Bonnier’s 3rd annual Alley Rally. Hold on to your handlebars, the ride’s gonna be tough!

The heavily tattooed Barista girl makes an almost perfect Italian Cappuccino. This is a very welcoming surprise given the tattered condition of this tiny coffee joint, and the overall lack of good coffee in this entire giant metropolis.

“thanks! that’s really good”, I tell the young girl on the other side of the bar. “hey-man, you’re welcome!”, responds her bandana-adorned dog lying next to me on the entrance floor. I start to wonder if that’s real coffee I’m drinking, or whether the ten hours jet lag is starting to play tricks on me.

Lucky Wheels is a cool-looking, do-it-yourself motorcycle garage, right outside the skyscraper enclave that makes Down Town Los Angeles. It’s also our meeting point to the start of the rally, and the riders are flocking in. Harleys, Indians, Goldwings, Nikens, Dukes, Gixxers, Bimmers, Scramblers, all vie for the limited sidewalk parking space. This is the third time Bonnier – the largest Motorcycle media company in America – is holding its annual rally. Unlike other rallies (check out Sturges) this one is not about wide-open spaces but about inner-city wonders, looking at a very familiar place from a totally different angle.

“What can be different about this boring town?” I thought to myself sipping my second double espresso.

As things would turn out, I would be proven very wrong.

The place is getting crowded now. Time to move. I mount my rented Yamaha MT07, with the same force and determination of my Honda Africa Twin back home and immediately flip it over… Lucky no one was watching. Recovering from this massive loss of bravado, I lift the surprisingly light bike back on its two phosphorous-yellow wheels, turn the switch, kick up the kickstand, shift to first and ride on. Heading with the group to Mt. Washington.

Never liked sandy dirt paths. Is it the memory of a hard fall seven years ago in Nepal? Or the fact that my two cylinder Yamaha has street tires? Or have I just gone soft?

Either way, seems I have no choice. The Goldwing ahead of me is riding effortlessly through the off-road path, and there are about 30 bikes behind me. Damn it! Can’t look like a chicken. After all, I’m representing Cardo Systems.

I admit not many people can call a weekend ride with forty-something other riders “another day in the office”, but Cardo is not your plain-vanilla company. Founded at the beginning of the previous decade, Cardo Systems has become the world leader in motorcycle communication equipment. I happen to be Cardo’s Chief Marketing Officer. It a hard, and demanding job, but it got its perks.

Sponsoring Bonnier Motorcycle publication group, I was invited to their annual event to demonstrate our newest offering – Packtalk Bold with Sound by JBL. You can read all about it here.

Back to the challenge ahead.

I pull on the throttle and the MT07 just laughs at my anxieties. Dispatching the dirt section like it was pure tarmac. Visibly relieved of passing the section without making a complete ass of myself, I take a look around the green, steep hills that surround me. The tall towers of LA Downtown are close and visible. All I can think now is, “wow”. I never imagined inner-city LA could be that close to Mother Nature. Ten minutes later we all gather at the top of Mt. Washington and admire the view. And what a view it is! On the Northeast the snowcapped Bear Mountain, on the southwest, city center. In between, green hills and yellow flowers all around. I pinch myself to make sure I’m 10 miles away from Compton and not in Vancouver.

The data sheet reads 33% gradient. Making this narrow two way street in the Echo Park neighborhood one of the 10 steepest tarmacs in the entire US. Numbers, though can’t describe the gut-wrenching feel as you release your breaks and slide down into the abyss. The data sheet also doesn’t say Baxter has not one, but several steep slopes with equally steep climbs between them. It is as if some long forgotten street planner just decided to draw a straight line through a string of rolling hills. The result is an intoxicating “up’n’down’n’up’n’down” experience like nothing this side of the country. Once the initial panic fades, I start to grasp I’m actually inside a roller coaster with 100% free admission. FUN!

I fantasize about full throttling through the pick of the climb, flying high up in the air like a trajectory into the next drop. Not being brave (and stupid) enough, I still fantasize when writing these very lines.

“I don’t want to move to a city where the only cultural advantage is being able to make a right turn on a red light”, said once Woody Allen in his perfect Newyork-ish accent. With that kind of attitude, I rode back from Baxter straight down into a string of “put your name here” alleyways only to find both of us wrong. Beautiful murals of all kinds, shapes, and colors cover every wall, fence, and building. Instead of ugly pathways full of slime and decay, we found an outdoor art museum like nothing I’ve seen before.

Alley after alley, lane after lane, all were zany, weird and beautiful. Some were thought-provoking, others – provoking awe. We stop to admire the graffiti, take pictures, and relax after a long drive.

We end our rally at the Peterson Automotive Museum. It’s 2pm and we all can use some rest inside one of LA’s best motor classic collection.

When I started this morning, I wondered what does the boring, endless sprawl of  LA might offer me. Four hours later I start to understand I’ve really haven’t seen much of it yet.

Big thanks to the Bonnier Motorcycle team for taking me into parts of LA I didn’t even imagine existed.