Hello Rider Readers! We had the honor and opportunity to catchup with the third oldest motorcycle club in the world, the Pasadena Motorcycle Club! Members share the club’s history, favorite places to ride, experiences of going down and safety advice.
PMC History:
The Pasadena Motorcycle Club is the third oldest continually operational motorcycle club in the world. Originally founded in 1907 by several Pasadena residents and motorcycle enthusiasts who decided to form a club to pursue their passion of motorcycling. In the early years, much of the riding the PMC did would be considered enduro riding today; a combination of street and off-road riding. This was obviously easier to do before LA county became the crowded metropolis it is today. Riders could take off up Fair Oaks in Pasadena and be cruising through orange groves and up the mountain trails in a matter of minutes.
Photo Credit: The Pasadena Motorcycle Club
Some PMC members also participated in hill climbs in the 20s and 30s. One famous hillclimber and PMC member was Byrd McKinney who set a record for the fastest time at Weldon Canyon Hillclimb. He won the event with a time of 7.2 seconds on his 1930s Harley DAH Hillclimber.
Photo Credit: The Pasadena Motorcycle Club.
The club’s first home was on Green Street in Old Town Pasadena in the first decades of the 1900’s. After World War I the club then moved in adjacent to a shipping warehouse in central Pasadena. The club’s current clubhouse, a Pasadena Historic Landmark, is a World War II era Quonset Hut and was purchased by the PMC in 1948.
Photo Credit: The Pasadena Motorcycle Club
One of the famous rides the PMC organizes each year is the Greenhorn. PMC took over organization of the 2-day Greenhorn Enduro ride in 1947 and promoted it as an AMA sanctioned Enduro race until 1979 when the CHP no longer allowed enduro motorcyclists to cross freeways to access various off-road routes. In 1980, PMC pivoted and turned the Greenhorn into a 2-day road ride and rally. In the last few years, the PMC has reincorporated optional enduro sections into the Greenhorn route, and riders can compete to win a place on the Del Kuhn Memorial Trophy. Del Kuhn was the only 3-time winner of the Greenhorn Enduro in history. Other famous Greenhorn riders include Steve McQueen and his stunt rider Bud Ekins. Both rode several Greenhorns in the 1960s.
Today, the Club is thriving! The Pasadena Motorcycle Club continues to promote the love of riding motorcycles and goodwill among the LA moto community, and they are looking forward to the next 117 years!
Photo Credit: The Pasadena Motorcycle Club
The club is split in terms of favorite local rides/destinations. Some love riding north and often take the Angeles Crest Highway up to Wrightwood. Others prefer to head toward the coast to take the Malibu canyons down to Neptune’s Net. Some more favorite roads include the 2, 58, 33, 166, 18, 150, 178, 23, Little Tujunga Canyon, Angeles Forest Highway, and the list goes on!
The PMC’s favorite destinations include The Evergreen Cafe in Wrightwood, La Cabana in Acton, Barcade in Highland Park, and of course the Rock Inn and Rock Store.
Locally in Pasadena, they love to hit up the Blind Donkey, the 35er and Colorado Bar frequently.
PMC’s Favorite CA Highways:
https://goo.gl/maps/MzgmA6g5RLmBMkyC6
PMC’s Favorite CA Destinations:
https://goo.gl/maps/jGt3B4D8MLa1WVup9
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Any dangerous areas, road conditions, corners, or intersections riders should be aware of?
PMC member Swoop:
“In my opinion, the Angeles Crest Highway is becoming more and more dangerous for riders, particularly the section between La Canada and Newcomb’s Ranch. This section is the most congested section full of riders and drivers alike, which makes for an often lethal combination. It’s much safer to go out on the Crest beyond Newcomb’s Ranch or to take Angeles Forest Highway or Upper Big Tujunga Canyon. These roads are much more open and have less traffic.
My advice to the weekend warriors would be to take it easy between the 210 and Newcomb’s Ranch and then open it up more as you get farther north on the 2. Pick your battles. Find the sections of road that are safer and have fewer vehicles. But when you’re in the muck of it all riding 35mph behind a line of cars, just chill. Your time to open up the throttle will come.”
Photo Credit: The Pasadena Motorcycle Club
PMC member Hodgie:
“You must expect that every road, every corner and every intersection is going to be a dangerous area. Like my good buddy Dave Goguen once taught me, “If you crash, it’s your fault”.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Any PMC motorcycle accident experiences? If so, any advice to share?
PMC member Swoop:
“I’ve wrecked a bunch of times. Thankfully, none of them have been serious and I was able to walk away with minimal injury. As much as I hate to admit it, nearly every one of my wrecks can be attributed to panic braking. You see something happening in front of you, and you grab a handful of front brake. And since my last bike did not have ABS, that meant I was going down. A few other wrecks had to do with losing traction in some way. Most recently, I dumped my track bike out at Chuckwalla because I pushed too hard before the tires were warmed up. Yes, tires must warm up before they can be fully trusted. I think some riders might forget that. A lot of people will say the most dangerous people on the road are not the riders but other drivers. Yes, that’s true. Cars don’t always see us or anticipate that they can make lane changes or push through intersections in front of us. But we can see them. I think 95% of motorcycle wrecks could be avoided by staying alert, knowing road conditions, keeping your head on a swivel while riding through intersections or lane splitting, etc. Motorcycles have the advantage of being up higher than cars, being able to see more of our surroundings, being able to fit through tight spots in a pinch, and not being distracted by all the things that distract drivers. It’s our responsibility to use all those available tools to stay safe on the road.”
PMC member Hodgie:
“My one “big” get off was locally in Pasadena trying to corner too fast and panicking when I started to scrape. I ended up overcompensating and flipping my bike to the high side. To make things worse I made a rookie mistake of putting one hand out to brace my 75 mph fall. It turned out to become a 75 mph FAIL. Lesson learned was to always stay calm and when that doesn’t work, tuck and roll. The human wrist is not as strong as asphalt.” -PMC member Hodgie
Fun Fact: The PMC has ride pins dating back almost a half a century from their annual rides. When you see their booth at moto events, it’s likely you’ll find a ride pin from your birth year that you can add to your ride pin collection.
Special thanks to PMC members Swoop, Hodgie, Skipper, Trevor and the ENTIRE Pasadena Motorcycle Club for sharing your club’s history, experiences and advice. We appreciate your passion for riding and encouragement to help keep other riders safe and on the road.
www.pasadenamotorcycleclub.com
IG: @pmc1907
Photo Credit: The Pasadena Motorcycle Club
