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The stretch of Mulholland west of The Rock Store is known as The Snake. I don’t know officially how it got its name, but I’d say it is a safe bet the name came from the twisty nature along with the ability to bite the reckless rider in the ass. Just do a video search on motorcycle crashes on the Snake. Furthermore, anyone on two wheels has to be on the look-out for ‘cagers’ (people in cars) as they often drive beyond their capabilities and veer into the opposing lane (again, search YouTube). Head-on collisions between 2-wheeled and 4-wheeled vehicles often results in a mangled mess.
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| Track bike in the foreground. Race tires. No chicken strips. I.e. he/she might be crazy. |
The Snake is not a section of road to be taken lightly. The vast majority of the sport bike riders are fully geared up: meaning leathers, boots, gloves, and back protectors. There are not many chicken strips to be seen on the bikes parked at The Rock Store. There are basically three paces on the Snake: cruising, elevated, and balls to the wall. The ‘balls to the wall’ guys are the ones crashing in the videos and it really is unsafe, not only for them but for anyone else out there. The Snake is also heavily used by cyclists, so the guys on motorcycles really should be more careful so as not to cause a crash with their two-wheeled cousins.
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| Camped out just east of The Rock Store on Mulholland is Victory Jon. He takes sweet action shots of everything that goes by and can sometimes generate these amazing sequence shots. Check out his website: www.highwayphotos.net |
Motorcyclists are a special breed; for the most part, there are no posers. Riders ride because they love the feel of being one with the machine, bending the bike through the corners, the open air, the relaxing nature of a cruise or the thrill of the power. Sure, there are all types of riders from Harley guys to stunters, but they all share the common love of riding. Joe Schmuck multi-millionaire might buy the Ferrari F458 and show up to a car gathering, but it’s much more unlikely he’ll buy an Aprilia and show up to a bike meet. So for those of you that love vehicles of the two-wheeled variety make it a point to visit The Rock Store on the weekend if you’re ever in SoCal.
