Yep, I screwed up, and not a cheap screw-up, this one cost me $8,000 for a bike I loved to look at but was afraid to ride and own. Me, afraid? I, who have ridden every kind and size of machine known to man, afraid? Yes. The shame of it—but yes. It all started a [...]

…just not enough to miss a race. That was the dilemma that Yates and I faced last weekend. Saturday, May 12th was the day of the Carolina Classic Motorcycle show sponsored by the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer. It is always a super cool event, especially considering that admission is free. And believe me, [...]

The fourth round of the MotoGP™ at the Le Mans race circuit in France added quite the handicap for the racers with the relentless rain that made conditions extremely challenging. Though Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) was in pole position until the end, the true excitement followed Valentino Rossi (Ducati). Through most of the race [...]

I grew up in East Germany, where almost every boy in our small town got his bike license at the age of 15. Cars really weren’t an option, as they literally took years to arrive after ordering. Bikes, though, were affordable and easy to come by. Not only did they get you where you wanted [...]

We had had such a good day’s ride yesterday that we were all looking forward to getting on the bikes today, despite still feeling a bit tired. The road to the town of Bukkitinggi had been a stunning nonstop ride. We spent most of the day throwing the bikes around the road, which twisted and [...]

It’s nearly summer, which means you’ve probably already ridden through plenty of construction zones. It may seem obvious that you should ride with more caution and watch for hazards in work areas, but did you know that nearly every state has special road construction traffic laws? As a motorcyclist, you should know the work zone [...]

We’re starting a new periodic column in our newsletter about some of the best and most iconic roads America has to offer. For touring motorcyclists, these routes should definitely be on your bucket list of roads to ride before, as they say, you kick the bucket. Our first featured Bucket Road is located in north [...]

Back in March, I wrote a post called Tips & Tricks Part 1. Here is another installment with a few observations that occurred to me today while commuting 40 miles in the rain. Wait for it: When pulling out from red lights, I try to wait a heartbeat after the light turns green. Frequently, and [...]

When I first started writing motorcycle stories 10 years ago, one of the first things I did was seek out examples of the genre so I could inspect and dissect how the best of the best told their tales. I sought the opinions of fellow riders for recommended books and then trawled local bookstores and [...]

Nowadays almost every cell phone comes with a digital camera, which makes it easy to snap a picture and quickly share it with friends and family. Currently, one of the most popular phones is undoubtedly the Apple iPhone, which in its latest incarnation comes with a whopping 8-megapixel camera, an LED flash, and an HD [...]

When I was in kindergarten, dad borrowed a little Honda 90 from a friend and took me for a ride through the hills around our home in Elkins, West Virginia. From that day on, two-wheel doodles augmented my schoolwork, Evel Knievel toys abounded, and the Schwinn Stingray became an impromptu motocrosser. I caught my first [...]

Today is Mother’s Day. I’ll take my annual ride to Wind Gap, PA, to see my mom, Mary Claire Einfalt. I’ll pick up a plant and gently pack it in my top box. Mom loves flowers and has a bit of a green thumb. Every year she points out the flowers my siblings and I [...]

I’m really happy it’s spring. Granted, today isn’t the finest day we’ve had in the last couple of weeks. It’s a little chilly, a lot rainy, and generally not conducive to inspiring an after-work spin through the country. Still, that doesn’t mean all motorcycling activity must grind to a halt. Days like today are good [...]

Spring has arrived and the “Regular Season” for touring motorcyclists is just around the corner. Similar to spring training for professional baseball players, riders need to make sure we and our mounts are ready for another exciting riding season. Here are a few reminders: Be All You Can Be, Physically: Practically everyone knows that riding [...]

Last weekend Christa, Zane, and I met in Maggie Valley, the meeting point of the 2012 Touring Weekend, to test the layout of the routes, set lunch places, and make sure the roads are where they are supposed to be. Who knows, maybe they moved. Of course it’s a great excuse to ride in the [...]