JOHN TOCCI
Assistant Photo Editor
John Tocci/Assistant Photo Editor
Living in Malibu makes seeing motorcycles an everyday experience. Weekends bring motorcycle riders to Malibu in a variety of flavors — young and old, from cruisers with passengers, to sportbike riders wearing full leather suits. Pepperdine students add to the diversity of that mix.
The cruiser crowd is by far the most visible, riding PCH on its bike of choice: a Harley-Davidson. Traveling all over Malibu, they mark their passage with the trademark Harley thumping exhaust note and their pit stop on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon ride is The Rock Store.
“Just driving the canyon roads to The Rock Store is a pretty great experience,” said Scott Reynolds, senior and producer of the TV-26 show Driven.
“When you get there it’s like a custom bike show, every weekend,” Reynolds said. “Bikes include anything from Harleys to the sickest custom sportbikes. There’s something for everyone; everyone would love to go there.”
Weekends at The Rock Store are one part rock ‘n’ roll concert.
“Being at The Rock Store lets you have a window into motorcycle culture — the band is playing classic rock which goes with the HD biker atmosphere,” Reynolds said.
Bikers say The Rock Store is more than just a rock concert because it provides a place to discuss issues about a particular make or model, “There’s always someone there who is knowledgeable about bikes. They’re not there to pose with their bikes. They are there because they love bikes,” Reynolds said.
Senior Mark Schmaltz rides a sportbike, Honda CBR 954RR, and is car guy and motorcycle enthusiast.
“The sportbike community is much different than any other group I have been a part of,” Schmaltz said. “When you have a suped up car and you pull up next to somebody, then you are immediately in competition to see who has the faster ride. With sportbikes, when you pull up next to somebody, you already know the bikes are fast, and you have an instant connection in this common interest.”
If a Harley is a cruiser, then who makes sportbikes, and who rides them?
While cruisers ride out every weekend for the spectacular views and social interaction. Sportbike riders make the pilgrimage to Malibu for a different reason. They are adrenaline junkies.
They don’t ride up and down PCH all day, they don’t cruise below the speed limit to soak in the view. The quiet canyon roads around Pepperdine every weekend turn into a test of riding skill. Piuma, Stunt Canyon, Cold Canyon, Mulholland Highway, Encinal and Latigo shake off their weekday disuse and assume the worshipped role of “canyon roads.” The twists and turns provide a motorcyclist with a ride that according to Randy, a fifty-something year old Ducati rider from Arizona, “is almost as good as the Alps.” Randy rents a summer apartment in Camarillo for the sole purpose of riding his Ducati 999R. He rides it every day it isn’t raining.
Contrary to popular opinion, real sportbike riders enjoy curves more than the straights, and after the observation of a motorcycle rider, one can understand why. Motorcycles negotiate turns faster than about 25 mph by leaning. On a road with a posted speed on 55 mph, those sweeping turns turn into a physics defying adrenaline rush.
Despite the differences in riding styles, priorities and even age, motorcyclists are part of a community. “You can see the camaraderie with all bikes in the fact that any two motorcycles who cross paths wave to each other,” said Schmaltz who added that the connection extends to law enforcement officers. “I wave to motorcycle cops, but I’ll never wave to a patrol car.”
In Malibu, motorcycles break down deep-set social barriers and provide a bit of an adrenaline rush along the way.
***Please visit John Tocci’s photo gallery for more pictures.***
02-22-2007