Hello vitalmx
so I currently live in Washington st, I have 2 boys that ride and race, one 50cc, one on 85cc and gonna move up to a 125 soon. We ride moto mostly and some off-road. I have a job offer that would put me out in Palmdale/lancaster/cal city area. My question is what’s the moto scene like? In Washington we kinda put our bikes away in November and don’t ride much until March. Where I live there isn’t any tracks close. I gotta drive an hour and a half to 2 hours just to get somewhere cool. Are there any open areas out there where we can just make our own track and ride? Or is living in the desert gonna suck for moto. Any info would be rad. Thanks
LACR, Cal City MX, and endless riding in the desert are close.
Couple hours to get to Glen Helen, Perris, Lake Elsinore, DT1, Honolulu Hills, and KCRP.
Plenty of options.
That would be a great spot with several tracks nearby. You also would be able to ride year round.
Is there specific spots in the desert to ride? Locations to look for? Riding year around would be nice.
Palmdale/lancaster isint the greatest areas,unless there building it up. I used to work out there for a bit and it can get sketchy
The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Free shipping: VITALMX
Find Cal City MX and you'll find it all. Keep going north and you'll find more. Anywhere in that region.
Dove Springs (up off the 14) is my old favorite, but you need to get away from the popular spots like the sand pit to enjoy it. Couple really fun single tracks in the mountains there.
While it's true that there's plenty of "sketch" in certain areas...and that's in-town...there's also some damn nice areas out there and some good opportunities to own property with direct access to the dez...which is nice!
You get away of the crappy parts of town and out towards the outskirts...and there's plenty of nice ranch homes with land and access to trails.
Just north of there are some amazing trails that take you west, north or east for miles.
It's hard to explain...but, you can literally ride beyond the horizon as I sorta said in my previous post. From the towns you mentioned...you can go look at the trails on Google earth...that literally start on the edge of town and go waaaaay out there towards Kern County or north past Edwards AFB or east...out to...well, FOREVER!
Also, go look at the California City trail system just north of there...Randsburg...and there's a known route to Barstow and from there you can literally ride to Vegas.
If you move out there, get some nice dependable off-road scoots and put the big tanks on them!
This.
Theres also Gorman, Ridgecrest/Trona area which isn’t much further than Cal City.
Bikes will play a factor if you can or can’t legally ride year ride in the desert. Cal City tends to be more lenient, but if you get the wrong ranger they’ll pop you.
I’d probably have to live in Lancaster or Palmdale. Just looking at what’s available for homes. So I would be driving to places and tracks to ride. Which isn’t a big deal. I have to drive far now. How are the tracks for kids? 50cc or 85cc kids? I would be looking for just a spot for me and the kids to just ride in a turn track for practice out in the desert
Matt listen to my guy Manny (team green) ask him about the private riding areas that you can (buy) into. Pretty dang sick! Will be good to see you again and hit up some Pala Motos.
The areas for turn tracks are endless, totally different than the NW.
If you’re going to move to that area I’d look into property where you can ride on your own land or just outside of it.
There are tracks and unlimited desert riding in the area, but you couldn’t pay me to live in Palmdale/Lancaster. Not only do you have the meth heads (and chefs), but as South Central continues to gentrify and get more expensive they are exporting the gang bangers to the high desert. You ought to spend some time in the area for a few days before making a decision. Ad to that, the climate is like living on the moon. Never ending wind and miserably hot summers. Nice place to visit (with a dirt bike), but I wouldn’t want to live there. Put private school in the budget.
Very true, it’s the armpit of CA.
SoCal is beautiful but as others have said the areas you're looking at aren't exactly the nicest. Any way you could try to get closer to San Bernardino? Either way you're gonna have way more tracks and year-round weather than we have up here in Washington
I am looking all over but the job is located in Palmdale. I dont mind a commute. We will be home schooling the kids or private school for sure
Honestly Matt I know you are talented I’d find another company to work for. That area is shit to live in. It’s like south central LA was in the 80s. Mainly because all the south central people have been forced out of LA because it’s cheap compared to gentrified LA.
I would consider Bakersfield the armpit honestly, with South LA and the Tenderloin area of SF close seconds or maybe firsts
Didn’t think Lancaster/Palmdale was that bad in my times there, but I am not from Ca. and believe that most of Ca. is great in comparison.
Ok you have a point, maybe Bakersfield is the other armpit or Fresno ? 🤷🏼♂️
Pit Row
If you are going to homeschool, then find a ranch place out of town where you can ride from the house out to trails whenever you want. Lots are pretty cheap compared to Washington in that area. Probably won't notice the shady people as much either. The wind is real though and trees aren't really a.thing. At least not the kind of trees you are used to.
You could live in Agua Dulce (15-20 minute drive...very nice area)...Lake Hughes (nearby town in the hills 25-30 min commute)...get a rancho out at Lake L.A. (20 minutes) or Santa Clarita/Valencia/Canyon Country and have a 40 minute commute.
But, know this...we're talking about UNLIMITED riding opportunities 24/7/365 & those "private riding area" opportunities that OB is talking about have to be seen to be believed.
We live in Ridgecrest which is a tad over an hour north of Lancaster
Hot summers for sure but plenty of reasonably priced real estate and substantially less “ crime “ element in general
Endless riding in the desert and Cal City mx is an hour away . Our local fairgrounds has a volunteer mx track that isn’t the greatest but has a mini track and isn’t crazy packed with bikes
Bishop/ Mammoth /Eastern Sierras are just north as well if you like to Fish /hike etc
As others have mentioned I’d also recommend putting a serious effort in looking at all areas within an hour or so commute of your place of employment
👀
I'd check out living in Tehachapi. Many people I've worked with live there and commute the 45 min. it takes to get to Palmdale, Lancaster.
Lol. Sure, you can look stuff up like this and have your own opinions about it, and the whopping 10 reviews that are on there. But I went to Palmdale high school, grew up in Palmdale and still live in the area. I enjoyed Palmdale high school, had no issues. Also still work in the area at Plant 42. Anywhere you live you can find all the garbage you listed but it's not as bad as you make it out to be..LACR is one of the funnest tracks in SoCal. 40 minute drive will put you in cal city where you can free ride the desert or hit the track. I ride the hills of Palmdale all the time, illegal sure. But Palmdale has some of the best riding terrain around. Sucks housing development has ruined most of it.
As I read this...
I thought of Kurt.
Nice.
Kurt's dad Rich and my dad were buddies. Both were in the Prospectors club that's where I first met Kurt. Kurt's dad was my old man's pit guy for the hare and hounds. Kurt was 10 years older than me but he was always so cool to me, miss that guy.
Sucks housing development has ruined most of it.
.......and solar farms
Who do you work for at Plant 42? My youngest son's at Lockheed
Definitely Fresno takes the win for armpit of California.
x2
Not sure what your budget is, but just down the hill from Palmdale/Lancaster are MUCH nicer communities and schools. Plus, you’ll be going against the traffic to your job as the majority of people that live in the high dez commute into the greater LA area for work.
If you want the family to moto all year and you are gona do your regular business look at TX. Way better than Lancaster, Palmdale
Post a reply to: California moto?