I had the privilege of being the first moto-journalist in the country to try out the new waterboxer R 1200 GS for an extensive (1,433 miles with half of that accumulated off-road during the AZ BDR and the other from high-speed highway riding) first test. So far the verdict is “wow, this machine can do [...]

Camels are funny. I didn’t know this until I was stuck behind a camel convoy in Djibouti, Africa and couldn’t stop laughing and smiling. Luckily, Nick and I had intercoms so we could laugh together as we passed truck after truck hauling camels. It’s like riding a Segway; it’s impossible not to smile while driving [...]

Over a dozen years of all-season commuting has taught me many ways to handle a wide variety of situations. One of the most dangerous for riders is the left turning driver coming towards them. The 2009 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute report found that more than half of motorcycle-related deaths involved [...]

Looking for something to do this November as, for must of us in the U.S. at least, the riding season is coming to a close? How about riding a scooter from one end of Egypt to the other? The Cross Egypt Challenge is an annual (since 2011 at least) scooter ride spanning 2400km from Alexandria [...]

Most of the time we tend to think of Harley-Davidson as a truly American phenomenon (as in the United States of America). However, our neighbors to the south are pretty enthusiastic about the Motor Company too. As part of Harley’s ongoing 110th Anniversary celebrations, Mexico City hosted its largest ever motorcycle parade on May 11th. [...]

Last week I had some fun with the concept of calling people versus email and texting. In fact, smartphones have to be one of the greatest inventions ever for travelers. Case in point, whenever I rent a car I immediately hook up my phone and turn on the GPS. Don’t even get me started on [...]

I recently took a class in stress management, which was broken down into four categories: physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral. Believe me when I say I don’t take this lightly. I have been on the receiving end of stress throughout most of my adulthood; it comes with the territory. I also know it can really [...]

Smartphones are wonderful gadgets, aren’t they? Dick Tracy never had it so good. But they are such delicate flowers, afraid of the bumps, bruises, and occasional raindrops of everyday life. Nearly everyone gets a bulky protective case, even though it’s kind of like putting vinyl slipcovers on the good furniture in the living room. Enter [...]

Great photography is one thing that distinguishes RoadRUNNER from most other magazines. Having no photographic background, other than the usual family album shots, it’s quite a challenge taking worthy pictures with a rather basic compact digital point and shoot camera. We usually take around three hundred shots while on a tour, most of which are [...]

Well we’ve seen its engine, and now we know what model it will be and how much it’ll set us back. But that’s all we know about the forthcoming 2014 Indian. Now under the Polaris Industries umbrella, Indian Motorcycle continues to tease us with dangling carrots of information as they announced today that the first [...]

This morning I woke up already knowing which photo I would use for today’s blog. It is one of my favorites from our Africa trip, but there really aren’t 600 words of a story behind it. One morning in Ethiopia, Nick and I woke up to find kids outside our tent playing and spying on [...]

I’ll bet you thought this post was going to be a technical article about how to handle a motorcycle on gravel, right? Fooled ya, technical articles aren’t really my thing. I’ll leave those to people with more experience and ability than I. The title of this post is actually taken from a song entitled “True [...]

One of the many highlights of last year’s RoadRUNNER Touring Weekend was a presentation from Dale Walksler, curator of Maggie Valley’s famous Wheels Through Time antique motorcycle museum. Recently, while in town to scout out some new routes for this year’s Touring Weekend, RoadRUNNER’s publisher, Christa Neuhauser, sat down with Dale for a quick interview. [...]

Spring has finally arrived and it’s time to get back out on the road and enjoy the visual feast that is America. But, just like professional baseball players, you may need some spring training before venturing out. Here are a few things to consider before heading for distant destinations. Are You in the Right Physical [...]

What is It? Beginning and ending in Reno, NV, this is a relaxing round trip ride through the Sierra Nevada Mountains and around Lake Tahoe, which sits on the border of California and Nevada. Lake Tahoe was formed naturally by a combination of several geologic forces. It has a surface elevation of 6,225 feet and [...]