For many of us, the traditional two-week summer vacation, like our
first minibike, is a fond and distant memory. Reluctance to get away from the
office, escalating highway traffic, and increasingly nightmarish air travel are
among the numerous reasons we find ourselves living in post-vacation America. As
a result, busy couples face the vexing issue of how to spend their ever
dwindling down time.
Consider this scenario: One of you yearns to peel off a few
hundred miles of open road on the new bagger that has accumulated a blanket of
dust in the heated garage all winter, while the other half’s itch can only be
scratched by a seaweed body scrub and access to a world-class shopping district.
 Photograph by Tony Aguirre. (Click image to enlarge)
In an effort to ensure domestic tranquility, we recently undertook
the harrowing assignment of furloughing 150 miles south of Los Angeles to
explore the resorts, restaurants and backroads of North San Diego County on a
pair of classically styled touring bikes, the Moto Guzzi California Vintage and
Harley-Davidson Road King Classic, while clocking a few spa hours along the way.
Two Wheels
South
Getting an early morning start to meet Holly and our dog Hank
in Rancho Santa Fe, I shuffled the Moto Guzzi through downtown L.A.’s rush hour
swarm. As someone who rarely attempts the Angelino workday death-march on two
wheels, I quickly developed an appreciation for the weighty Italian’s
exceptionally virile Brembos and rubber knee guards. While not an agile crowd
negotiator, the California Vintage is reassuringly stable and corners well. In the 1970s, the look-alike Moto Guzzi Ambassador was a
favorite mount of the LAPD. Apparently, its ominous black and white heritage
still resonates. I soon found my path cleared by nervous drivers and was able to
roll on the 1,064 cc V-Twin’s bristling mid-range torque and clattering charm
all the way to California’s legendary Highway 1. Southbound and sitting tall in the Guzzi’s nearly 31-inch
saddle, the miles between beach towns unraveled on sandblown blacktop. The
onshore blasts kept my seaward glances to a minimum, but I managed to glimpse a
pair of dolphins gently arcing beyond the breakers near Huntington Beach. If
that doesn’t make you roll off the throttle and enjoy the ride, you might as
well fly.
 Photograph by Tony Aguirre. (Click image to enlarge)
A lengthy diversion onto I-5 hurled me through the seaside
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton security gauntlet, allowing the Guzzi a welcome
opportunity to open up. At lower revs, the 90-degree Breva-based mill produces
more of a muted shudder than traditional V-Twin pulse, but dropping into fifth
with the heel/toe shifter and winding up over 3000 rpm settles the transverse
Vee into a smooth, powerful gallop, aided by the Magneti Marelli phased
sequential fuel injectors. At impolite speeds, the strong coastal winds made for
some unavoidable helmet buffeting over the midsize windscreen, but I was soon on
the Coast Highway, gliding through Oceanside, where nearly every intersection
rumbled with the snarl of aftermarket pipes. Further south, funky beach towns such as Leucadia and
Cardiff-by-the-Sea drifted by, then I hit the left turn that took me up into the
languid hills of Rancho Santa Fe and through the gates of our first resort. I
found our casita and leaned the Moto Guzzi on its lanky kickstand. My arrival
was well timed. The big orange sun was dropping through the towering palms like
a hot stone, quickshifting me into martini and massage mode.
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