Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1546388
P116 FEATURE I BIG RIDE WITH DAD role as the guide for our little father-and-son excursion. For a machine weighing a claimed 584 pounds before you throw in 6.3 gallons of California's finest fuel and two riders, the RT's girth feels about a third less when you're on the move. I admit I paid little attention to the workings of the motorcycle because this ride was never about whether the RT is a good onto the broad, stark expanse of the Cuyama Valley. Harvey and I stop for a few shots, but I'm no photographer, and the junior Scaysbrook is starting to get a bit antsy. More miles and exploration are required, but it's hard to go from end-to-end on the 33 without slowly taking in the stunning remoteness you're in. This is what makes the 33 so special. It's no more than a couple of hours ride or drive from DTLA, but it feels like you've skipped countries, a bit like it does when you've actually done so in Europe. The 33 has been previously described in the Los Angeles Times as California's least- traveled state highway, noting its winding two-lane pavement, tunnels, mountains and vast Cuyama landscape. The isolation you feel is intoxicat - ing, and the BMW adores the atten- tion, reveling in its looks as sparse these days as it probably was nearly a century ago. The completed Maricopa- Ventura Highway officially opened on October 22, 1933. For a time, this road carried the designation U.S. 399. The high - way was eventually incorporated into California State Route 33 during the state's wholesale high - way renumbering in 1964. The Ojai-to-Maricopa section became known as the Maricopa Highway, although locals and riders gener - ally just call it "the 33." With full bellies and a BMW at the ready, Harvey and I headed north, away from the civilization of Ojai, through the orchards and past the homes that gradu - ally disappear as the ruralness of the Matilija Canyon begins to take over. Here, the road looks like any other deep canyon in Southern California, but as you begin the climb past Wheeler Gorge toward Pine Mountain, the landscape becomes increasingly remote, eventually spilling out (Below) A quick stop for ice cream in New Cuyama meant Rennie and Harvey were only 70-odd miles from their day one rest stop. (Right) On the final run from the 33 to State Route 166, the scenery opens up to reveal the mountainous desert landscape of the inner Central Coast.