Summer Road Trips: A Motorcycle Ride to Solvang

Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul. That’s a popular saying among certain motorcycle riders who believe a great ride should be a full-on sensory experience, with your entire body feeling every twist, turn and dip in the road.

That’s a feeling that our guide for this edition of KCRW’s Summer Road Trips series knows and loves. The Los Angeles Times’Susan Carpenter is a self-described “biker chick,” who has been reviewing motorcycles for her paper for years. She’s also an unabashed lover of speed and power. Her, she shares a route she’ll be taking in the coming weeks – a roundabout journey from Los Angeles to Solvang in the Santa Ynez Valley. Many people go to Solvang for it’s faux Danish architecture and food, but Susan’s destination is the town’s vintage motorcycle museum, where the bikes are works of art.

Check out audio of Susan’s tips below and the directions to get there. Susan’s taking her road trip on two wheels, but we think the journey would be just as beautiful on four.

Here’s the how you get there from Los Angeles.

Head north on the 5 to the 126 West

Take 126 West to Highway 101 North

Take 101 North to 154 North (San Marcos Road)

154 North to 246 West to Solvang

Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum

320 Alisal Road

Solvang, CA

(805) 686-9522

View Summer Road Trip #3 Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum in a larger map