Ride & Seek Episode 1: California State Route 33
Exploring hidden gem riding routes on the Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 and Vitpilen 801
Mulholland Drive. Angeles Crest Highway. Pacific Coast Highway. Even if they’ve never been anywhere close to Southern California, many motorcyclists have at least heard of some of these legendary riding routes known for their challenging twisties, sweeping curves, and stunning ocean views. But there are plenty of other routes in the SoCal area that offer beautiful vistas and best of all, because they aren’t as well known, they offer plenty of opportunities to test your riding skills.
In this new series presented by Husqvarna, we explore some of these hidden gem riding roads, and show why you should include them on your next visit to Southern California.
The Amazing California Ride That Only Locals Know: Ride & Seek Episode 1
For this first episode, MO Road Test Editor Troy Siahaan takes Husqvarna’s Chris Fillmore north of Los Angeles to Ojai, for the starting point of California State Route 33, or Highway 33, as the locals call it. SR33 winds north through the mountains, climbing to over 5,000 feet above sea level at Pine Mountain Summit.
To explore SR33, Fillmore brought along Husqvarna’s two middleweight streetbikes, the Svartpilen 801 and Vitpilen 801. Both bikes share the same 799cc Parallel-Twin engine and chassis, with the Vitpilen 801 offering sportier ergonomics and a slightly more modern look, while the Svartpilen 801 having a more upright riding position and classic scrambler styling cues. Both flavors of ’Pilens offer a wide torque range perfect for tackling roads such as California State Route 33.
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Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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Great ride! Did this way back in the 80s on my 1978 GS750. I miss that bike!
thanks for spoiling another great road by letting all the squids out there.