Question about Highway 17

[Enchanter]

Ok, if you insist. Do you recognize the guy at 1:18?

[youtube]<<snip>>[/youtube]

What part of that video was shot on 17?

 

[BigEddie]

I would ride to SJ around 8a.m. and go back to SC around 1p.m. During 1p.m. its pretty empty, so I think I'd be a bit more alert in the mornings.

The crashing scenario has been played in my mind, all there is, is a divider to the left and cars to the right. Would suck to fall.

 

[Enchanter]

None. It was a joke with Tee...

Oh, gotcha.

 

[Skulll]

Going over the hill in nice weather is OK if you like cages all over.

Your problem is that you are in commute traffic.

Which means accidents ahead.

Which means you have to watch out for like crazy sudden stops.

Don't rear end anyone.

Splitting, for me, on that road, out of the question.

Remember that traffic in the no. 2 lane usually will miss ya, especially when trying to get around a sand truck, or other slow traffic.

They don't want to get stuck for several minutes creeping along, and will make a judgment mistake.

I would NOT ride that road in commute stuff, if just starting out.

 

[lefty]

I love Hwy 17. I used to commute on it for years, when I was in lust with a Hawt(Crazy) S.C. Woman!!!

When I first started riding it- I was scared to death, but over time it became the best part of dating that Woman, (the ride on S.B. 17). I'm a 'slow and cautious' rider, but I learned to love each and every corner.

I rode it every morning at 5;am and I would have soo much fun. I got pulled over while doing 90+ through the twisties (by the Coolest CHP I've ever met!!!). I learned to cool my jets and just enjoy it.

I love that road- but I cannot believe these guys who speak of it as it is any different from any other road. If you ride like a moron on El Camino Real, you may die there also.

Yes- there are lots of drunks coming from the beach, but those same drunks are on 101 and 280 too.

Just ride smart and be safe. Avoid the painted arrows when it's wet and avoid riding at night, or the deer may take you out.

 

[9rPilot]

I commute over 17 almost daily on my bike from Scotts Valley to Mountain View.
I enjoy the 17 part of my ride. It's a nice start to my day and destress on the way home.
A few things to note:
- Prepare for tempurature deltas. This time of year its 35F in the morning and 55F in the evening
- Fog can be very thick at times severely limiting visibility and wetting the road surface
- Traffic can come to an abrupt halt (usually just around a blind curve) so you have to be prepared
- Locals drive quickly, tourists drive slowly, and 18 wheelers can really create a rolling road block as people get stacked up behind them
- When the road is wet, be prepared to find a spun out car around the next curve (seen twice in last 12 months)
- CHP (and SVPD) have routine radar points (Los Gatos side SB near Bear Creek Road, the summit, and between the Granite Creek and Mt Herman exits in SV).
- The white painted arrows on the pavement in the curves are slick when wet and create great opportunities to practice a little slide control
- There are a few bumps in the outer most NB lane on the North side of the summit mid-curve that can unsettle your suspension (and your stomach if your squeemish)
- There can be debris in the outer lanes during the rainy season from little rock slides etc
- Deer are common between Vine Hill and SC - be prepared
- There is often construction occuring at night (from 8pm to 7am) that shuts down traffic to one lane and puts dirt and debris on the roadway when it is re-opened
- During the warmer months, on Fridays, the beach traffic SB is very heavy so be prepared to split lanes almost the entire way over the hill. (and it's pretty narrow in many spots)
- Also during the warmer months the temps can hit some interesting extremes between Los Gatos (90+F) and SV (60F) within 15 miles. (Can add some additional stress when you're also splitting thru the beach traffic in full gear on the Los Gatos side) - the upside is it feels great when you finally hit the summit and catch the seabreeze - feels like someone just turned on the air conditioner)

 

[littlebeast]

17 gets a little challenging when there's a fair amount of traffic (heavy traffic, but not heavy enough to slow everyone down). lot's of moving pieces on the road. when it gets like that, the challenge i have is picking out where to focus - paying attention to what i need to. it's a little bit of I/O. it's not a big deal, but i'm usually glad to be done with it.

 

[ST Guy]

Old timers make it seem big...(not even that old timer =P) Just pre-divider days it was one of the most deadly roads in america(trying to find article).

It's not bad at all now.

True, not as bad as it used to be. But if you check out those center dividers in the curves, they're almost black from the tires slamming into it. I try to avoid being between a car and the divider in curves. Or at least, minimize my time there.

 

[SuperSixFour]

I commute over 17 almost daily on my bike from Scotts Valley to Mountain View.
I enjoy the 17 part of my ride. It's a nice start to my day and destress on the way home.
A few things to note:
- Prepare for tempurature deltas. This time of year its 35F in the morning and 55F in the evening
- Fog can be very thick at times severely limiting visibility and wetting the road surface
- Traffic can come to an abrupt halt (usually just around a blind curve) so you have to be prepared
- Locals drive quickly, tourists drive slowly, and 18 wheelers can really create a rolling road block as people get stacked up behind them
- When the road is wet, be prepared to find a spun out car around the next curve (seen twice in last 12 months)
- CHP (and SVPD) have routine radar points (Los Gatos side SB near Bear Creek Road, the summit, and between the Granite Creek and Mt Herman exits in SV).
- The white painted arrows on the pavement in the curves are slick when wet and create great opportunities to practice a little slide control
- There are a few bumps in the outer most NB lane on the North side of the summit mid-curve that can unsettle your suspension (and your stomach if your squeemish)
- There can be debris in the outer lanes during the rainy season from little rock slides etc
- Deer are common between Vine Hill and SC - be prepared
- There is often construction occuring at night (from 8pm to 7am) that shuts down traffic to one lane and puts dirt and debris on the roadway when it is re-opened
- During the warmer months, on Fridays, the beach traffic SB is very heavy so be prepared to split lanes almost the entire way over the hill. (and it's pretty narrow in many spots)
- Also during the warmer months the temps can hit some interesting extremes between Los Gatos (90+F) and SV (60F) within 15 miles. (Can add some additional stress when you're also splitting thru the beach traffic in full gear on the Los Gatos side) - the upside is it feels great when you finally hit the summit and catch the seabreeze - feels like someone just turned on the air conditioner)

Excellent rundown on 17 (not the 17, never heard anyone from Santa Cruz use that term in my life! The OP must be from Southern California originally).

 

[Karbon]

I commute over 17 almost daily on my bike from Scotts Valley to Mountain View.
I enjoy the 17 part of my ride. It's a nice start to my day and destress on the way home.
A few things to note:
- Prepare for tempurature deltas. This time of year its 35F in the morning and 55F in the evening
- Fog can be very thick at times severely limiting visibility and wetting the road surface
- Traffic can come to an abrupt halt (usually just around a blind curve) so you have to be prepared
- Locals drive quickly, tourists drive slowly, and 18 wheelers can really create a rolling road block as people get stacked up behind them
- When the road is wet, be prepared to find a spun out car around the next curve (seen twice in last 12 months)
- CHP (and SVPD) have routine radar points (Los Gatos side SB near Bear Creek Road, the summit, and between the Granite Creek and Mt Herman exits in SV).
- The white painted arrows on the pavement in the curves are slick when wet and create great opportunities to practice a little slide control
- There are a few bumps in the outer most NB lane on the North side of the summit mid-curve that can unsettle your suspension (and your stomach if your squeemish)
- There can be debris in the outer lanes during the rainy season from little rock slides etc
- Deer are common between Vine Hill and SC - be prepared
- There is often construction occuring at night (from 8pm to 7am) that shuts down traffic to one lane and puts dirt and debris on the roadway when it is re-opened
- During the warmer months, on Fridays, the beach traffic SB is very heavy so be prepared to split lanes almost the entire way over the hill. (and it's pretty narrow in many spots)
- Also during the warmer months the temps can hit some interesting extremes between Los Gatos (90+F) and SV (60F) within 15 miles. (Can add some additional stress when you're also splitting thru the beach traffic in full gear on the Los Gatos side) - the upside is it feels great when you finally hit the summit and catch the seabreeze - feels like someone just turned on the air conditioner)

^^^
what he said.


so basically if you're super new..don't even bother.

 

[louemc]

17 gets a little challenging when there's a fair amount of traffic (heavy traffic, but not heavy enough to slow everyone down). lot's of moving pieces on the road. when it gets like that, the challenge i have is picking out where to focus - paying attention to what i need to. it's a little bit of I/O. it's not a big deal, but i'm usually glad to be done with it.

Right , and the black tire marks on the center divider say the cagers aren't to be trusted.

It can be hairball when the flow is fast, just something to watch for. And an incentive to get professional instruction on bike control, in a safe place, so you can draw on that, if things get too Hairy for normal comfort

I like 17 because it is so fun.

 

[Asphaultnaut]

especially down by Santana Row.

I did my first six months motorcycle commuting on Stevens Creek before daring to take 280. Looking back, I did that backwards

17 is not a big deal. People make a big deal about it, but honestly... it's not a big deal, even with traffic.

Riding down roads like Stevens Creek Blvd. are honestly far more pucker inducing and sketchy.

 

[Cheyenne]

What I like about 17 is that you're in slow motion the whole time you're on it...

You all experience that right???

 

[Carlo]

17 sure has changed

Yeah, I was thinking "I know it's been a long time since I was last there..."

The section through Scotts Valley used to be (still is?) two lanes, but I don't remember all those curves!

And what's with the title "Down 9"?

 

[tim]

Yeah, I was thinking "I know it's been a long time since I was last there..."

The section through Scotts Valley used to be (still is?) two lanes, but I don't remember all those curves!

And what's with the title "Down 9"?

hehe ... no it's all 4 lanes on 17, 2 on each side of the divider. That was highway 9 in the video.

 

[Psyclotron]

^^^
what he said.


so basically if you're super new..don't even bother.

sure, just plagiarize his exhaustive research

 

[psychocandy]

^^^i was gonna say, it's been years since i lived in SC and drove 17 all the time, but hell, none of that video looks familiar.

i've actually only ridden 17 (definitely not THE 17) a few times and only NB, not sure why. it wasn't difficult. and i was relative newb on a mediocrely maintained '71 Honda CB500. i made sure to go when there was no traffic though. i imagine vallies going to & fro would make it much worse. i used to love going up 17 just outta Scotts Valley and taking that road that wound through the hills, past the Mystery Spot and then turned into Branciforte? i dunno, i just rode it slow and had fun with the two lane twisties. good for a newb on "not really performance" moto.

i am reminded of a legend about one of my old bosses. supposedly he was once riding a Harley over 17 (SB) and somewhere he laid it down and lowsided. BUT, he supposedly managed to get on top of the sideways hog and "surf" it until it slid to a stop. supposedly, the same guy did the DMV test on a hardtail Triumph chopper and bunnyhopped the back end around to stay inside the lines. the DMV guy said; "you're not gonna make it around the circle like that, but i can tell you know what you're doing so i'll pass you." chances are, both the stories are bullshit, but what the hey. fun stories.

 

[deekyoo]

I was all set to chime in until I read 9rPilot's post. (Who needs my two cents when he gave you a nice fat shiny quarter?)

In short, cars scary, road not that scary.

 

[sliverstorm]

I usually ride it in the off-hours so there's not much traffic, and I'm usually faster than the downhill traffic and slower than the uphill traffic, so I usually wind up in empty zones. I don't particularly like it- the pavement is just unpleasant enough in both my cage and on my bike that it's not really any fun. I also feel like the speed is a little too high for what the road is.

My rules of thumb: Stay away from other cars, whether you're a cage or not. Learn where the bumps are, at 65mph that one big dip on the left hander on the SJ side going north takes intelligent preperation. Keep your speed down- not because the turns are sharp, but because patches of the pavement can't be trusted.

Oh, and Anytime there is rain, there will be an accident involving an SUV. Guaranteed.

 

[Panamahaha]

The 17 won't kill you but the vallies who drive it will.

What a local!

vallie surprise?