RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel Magazine

RoadRUNNER

RoadRUNNER is an independently owned and published motorcycle touring and travel magazine. On our website, you will find exciting travel stories, reviews, news, and other resources for planning your next motorcycle tour. We offer a wide variety of free content, but only our active web subscribers get access to the entire 650+ tour database, complete with maps and GPS route files. Web subscribers also enjoy exclusive web-only stories.

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In Pursuit of Wildness: Zion National Park

In Pursuit of Wildness: Zion National Park

In Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the two bank- and train-robbing bandits sought these red canyons as their hideout from the law. I was mesmerized by Paul Newman and Robert Redford in this modern-day Western, but honestly, the scenery captivated me more. I knew that one day I would

Santa Maria Valley, California Shamrock Tour® | RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel Magazine

Santa Maria Valley, California Shamrock Tour®

You think you know a place, but a simple detour can miraculously reveal some genuine charms you had no idea existed. Since 2000, I’ve been riding past Santa Maria and its neighboring Orcutt on my regular jaunts to northern California, never venturing beyond the gas stations along US 101

Classic Roads: Talimena National Scenic Byway

Classic Roads: Talimena National Scenic Byway

The Talimena National Scenic Byway is a 50-odd-mile route connecting Mena, AR, and Talihina, OK. It twists and turns along Rich Mountain in Arkansas, climbing from 1,100 feet in Mena to almost 2,700 feet at the summit before plunging into Oklahoma through the Winding Stair Mountains. There is

Destination: Goldfield Ghost Town, AZ

Destination: Goldfield Ghost Town, AZ

Ancient volcanic and seismic activity in today’s Arizona created the Superstition Mountains and the valuable mineral deposits buried within. But their most valuable resource—gold—wasn’t discovered there until the early 1890s. That, along with the legend of the Lost Dutchman’s Mine, created a gold rush fever.

Classic Roads: California Route 299

Classic Roads: California Route 299

Route 299 runs east from US 101 in Arcata, CA. Near the coast, temperatures are usually cool and fog is often present, especially in the morning hours. The route has many high-speed, sweeping curves for riders wanting more than just a “relaxing ramble.” Although 299 continues east of Redding, the

Baja California: Life’s a Beach | RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel Magazine

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Baja California: Life’s a Beach

Baja California is a gentle introduction to the colorful world of Mexico. Crossing at Tijuana with a vehicle is easy. Too easy, in fact—traffic only slows a little for the open barriers, the wait-go signs that immediately turn green, and the yellow topes (infamously high Mexian speed bumps) before

Pennsylvania: Dusty Adventure Trails

May/Jun '23 Premium Content

Pennsylvania: Dusty Adventure Trails

Three years ago, I crossed Pennsylvania from north to south following the Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route (MABDR), published in the RoadRUNNER 2020 Special Collector’s Edition. The journey revealed the wild beauty of eastern Pennsylvania and I developed a taste for more of such adventures. After a two-year lockdown, I

Latest Motorcycle Reviews

Review: 2023 Suzuki Boulevard C50T | RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel Magazine

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Suzuki Boulevard C50T

Since rebranding its cruiser lineup in 2005 as Boulevard, Suzuki has earned its share of fans for its metro cruiser—and for good reason. The Boulevard line currently features the C50, C50T, and M109R B.O.S.S. While the 109 sports the largest displacement in the group, the concept

Review: Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650

Motorcycle Review

Review: Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650

Riding motorcycles in India is a unique experience for those habituated to the relative predictability of American, Japanese, and European roads. For one thing, there are a lot more cows—and they tend to be on the road. That’s just daily life for the millions of riders aboard the

Review: 2023 Kawasaki Vulcan S

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Kawasaki Vulcan S

Riding the 2023 Kawasaki Vulcan S home to Long Beach from the company’s headquarters in Foothill Ranch, I noticed many things. The 649cc parallel-twin powering the motorcycle is a peppy companion. The bike feels lighter than its 498-pound claimed curb weight suggests. Throttle response can be kind of light

Review: 2023 Janus Halcyon 250 | RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel Magazine | Motorcycle Review

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Janus Halcyon 250

Awash in unending spectacle, it takes something special to command the attention of the average passerby in Venice Beach, the unofficial ogling capital of California. The Janus motorcycle I was riding had no problem drawing gazes, though. Maybe it was because two Janus models were puttering around the beach town

Review: 2023 KTM 890 Adventure

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 KTM 890 Adventure

KTM chose Portugal as the place to show off the 2023 base model of the 890 Adventure. It couldn’t have been more suitable. The country’s winding paved roads, interlaced with various off-road sections, run the gamut from skittish hard-pack to lush loam, from deep sand to tree-lined rock-strewn

Review: 2023 Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally

Ducati has redesigned the Multistrada to create the Rally model, a premium adventure bike to travel faster, farther, and more comfortably, even off-road and with a passenger. I took the bike for my first ride in Sardinia, Italy. With the Rally, Ducati goes one step further than the previous Multistradas

Review: 2023 Aprilia Tuareg

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Aprilia Tuareg

Many things have been said and written about the off-road qualities of the Aprilia Tuareg. But while private and semi-official teams kept lining up at the starting gates of ADV raids and European off-road races with the Yamaha Ténéré 700 bikes, Aprilia still hadn’t seen the opportunities that the

News

Andreani USA Expands Its Offerings

Andreani USA Expands Its Offerings

Having just opened its U.S.-based operations in North Carolina at the beginning of this year, Andreani USA is already announcing an expansion of its product catalog. Joining the fold are MIVV Exhaust systems from Italy and suspension components from England’s Nitron Racing Systems. Designed, developed, and manufactured

The King’s Stallion: Elvis’ Last Harley-Davidson

The King’s Stallion: Elvis’ Last Harley-Davidson

Elvis Presley is famous for his revolutionizing of pop music, his outrageously swinging hips—and his motorcycles. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s love for two-wheeled rides is well-documented in both photographs and the musical sensation’s own words. In particular, Elvis seemed to prefer Harley-Davidsons. One of those

Trail Tech Portable Air Compressor

Trail Tech Portable Air Compressor

Unless you’re properly prepared, a flat tire will bring your moto journey to a disappointing end. Trail Tech’s new portable air compressor [https://www.trailtech.net/en-us/shop/accessories/motorcycle-parts/electrical/electrical-components/portable-air-compressor/?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwxr2iBhBJEiwAdXECw1JxE7LRzmfYmTwoS0ggA2qqNmu0lVI9ad4PL1qLZa_tvDUevHXrXBoCeJYQAvD_BwE] lets you pump up your tires whenever, wherever. This

100 Years of BMW: New Bikes and an Exhibition

100 Years of BMW: New Bikes and an Exhibition

In 1923, a little company called BMW Motorrad built its first motorcycle. Now, 100 years later, the company is still going strong—and that’s cause for celebration. On May 12, BMW opened a new exhibition at the BMW Museum in Munich, Germany. The displays highlight BMW’s centennial journey,

BMW Teases a New R 12 nineT

BMW Teases a New R 12 nineT

In 2013, BMW Motorrad introduced the R nineT. Now, to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary, BMW has given us a teaser of a new machine in the retro-style roadster lineup—the R 12 nineT. The newcomer continues the nineT line’s tradition of offering a purist, classic roadster design

2023 Indian Chief Sport

2023 Indian Chief Sport

As far as Indian is concerned, there can never be too many Chiefs. Or Indians, for that matter. To help get more of both, Indian is introducing a new model for 2023—the Indian Sport Chief [https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/sport-chief/]. As its title states, this Chief has an

Moto Morini: Legend Reborn

Moto Morini: Legend Reborn

The annals of motorcycling are filled with stories about impassioned inventors and their dramatic travails of trying to turn those passions into pragmatic, successful businesses. Motor-mad Italy has produced an inordinate number of tales pertaining to motorcycle success and heartbreak. One such tale tells of Moto Morini [https://www.motomoriniusa.

City Escapes

City Escape: Chicago, Illinois

City Escape: Chicago, Illinois

This City Escape route begins in northeastern Illinois and tracks northwest to rural southeastern Wisconsin, heading for Madison. Advancing and receding glaciers during the ice ages have left the topography mostly flat, but the soil is noticeably rich. Large red barns, with their grain silos, dot the verdant landscape in

City Escape: New York City, New York

City Escape: New York City, New York

This scenic loop starts and ends in northern New Jersey, about 25 miles west of Manhattan. The route winds through the beautiful scenic lakes of Ringwood and Wawayanda state parks, then through the woods of Roosa Gap and Vernooy Kill state forests to the Ashokan reservoir. It continues on SR

City Escape: Vancouver, British Columbia

Mar/Apr '23 Premium Content

City Escape: Vancouver, British Columbia

The Sea-to-Sky Highway is one of those famous motorcycling roads that you have to ride at least twice. Once to revel in the sweeping bends and smooth surface, and then again to soak up the spectacular views over the turquoise-blue waters of Howe Sound and the majestic pine forests reaching

City Escape: Marietta, Georgia | RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel

City Escape: Marietta, Georgia

Shamrock Tours

Santa Maria Valley, California Shamrock Tour® | RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel Magazine

Santa Maria Valley, California Shamrock Tour®

You think you know a place, but a simple detour can miraculously reveal some genuine charms you had no idea existed. Since 2000, I’ve been riding past Santa Maria and its neighboring Orcutt on my regular jaunts to northern California, never venturing beyond the gas stations along US 101

Hot Springs, North Carolina Shamrock Tour® | RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel

Mar/Apr '23 Premium Content

Hot Springs, North Carolina Shamrock Tour®

I was wrapping up another season of selling pumpkins and staring down the barrel of an open calendar when the Yamaha Ténéré 700 began to take on a life of its own from the bits and pieces I was adding to it for the trip. October is the month to

Snowville, Utah Shamrock Tour® | RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel

Snowville, Utah Shamrock Tour®

Snowville, UT, is located off an unassuming truck stop exit along I-84, about 110 miles north of Salt Lake City. I glided into the Earp and James Hitching Post RV park, pulling my ATC travel trailer with my 2017 Honda CRF250L Rally secured inside. This type of moto hauling is

Washington, Pennsylvania Shamrock Tour® | RoadRUNNER Magazine Motorcycle Tour

Nov/Dec '22 Premium Content

Washington, Pennsylvania Shamrock Tour®: Forgotten Corners

Jeff Arpin and I have been eagerly anticipating our Pennsylvania Shamrock Tour®, but historically high August heat promised sweltering rides. A more recent weather forecast, however, now predicts cooler temperatures. But there’s a meteorological catch-22—the remnants of a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico are set to

Products Reviews

Review: Nikon Z6ii | RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel Magazine

Review: Nikon Z6ii

Documenting your trips is one of the most important yet often overlooked parts of moto travel. Stopping to snap the occasional photo is the best way to look back on special moments later—and returning home with a stack of spectacular photos is the best way to share these experiences.

Trail Tech Portable Air Compressor

Trail Tech Portable Air Compressor

Unless you’re properly prepared, a flat tire will bring your moto journey to a disappointing end. Trail Tech’s new portable air compressor [https://www.trailtech.net/en-us/shop/accessories/motorcycle-parts/electrical/electrical-components/portable-air-compressor/?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwxr2iBhBJEiwAdXECw1JxE7LRzmfYmTwoS0ggA2qqNmu0lVI9ad4PL1qLZa_tvDUevHXrXBoCeJYQAvD_BwE] lets you pump up your tires whenever, wherever. This

Review: Metzeler Tourance Next 2

Review: Metzeler Tourance Next 2

Since 2013, Metzeler’s Tourance Next 90/10 tire has delighted street-oriented adventure riders. Designed primarily for on-road use, it set a real benchmark for what an adventure bike tire can do. Over the years, the competition has closed the gap, especially on the performance aspect, but a loyal customer

Review: REV’IT! Sand 4 H20 Suit

Review: REV’IT! Sand 4 H20 Suit

The REV’IT! Sand 4 H2O suit [https://imp.i104546.net/5ggLRn] is a multi-season outfit meant to fall in the catalog between the time-tested Poseidon 3 GTX and the relatively new Offtrack2 H2O. I wore the Sand 4 H2O for a seven-day, 1,000-mile ride through Colombia. The journey

Neckerchiefs, Bandanas, Buffs, Oh My! 6 Ways to Protect Your Neck

Neckerchiefs, Bandanas, Buffs, Oh My! 6 Ways to Protect Your Neck

The bandana is the original biker’s neckwear. This multi-purpose square of material serves as neck protection against the elements, as well as a face warmer, a disptick rag, goggle cleaner, and much more. Whether it’s protecting you from debris, the weather,, insects, or the sun, a good bandana

Cardo Announces First Communicator with Subscription Service

Cardo Announces First Communicator with Subscription Service

Cardo has often been at the frontline of innovation when it comes to motorcycle communication systems. Now, the company is again breaking new ground—but not necessarily in a way riders expected or wanted. Cardo Systems recently introduced the Cardo Packtalk Custom communicator, the first motorcycle communicator to feature subscription

Review: Helite H-MOOV Backpack Airbag

Review: Helite H-MOOV Backpack Airbag

I tip my hat to Helite’s innovative H-MOOV airbag [https://imp.i104546.net/WqyXWP]. It combines protective airbag technology with the storage functionality of a backpack. The stylish backpack incorporates Helite’s Turtle technology. The CE-certified airbag inflates fully in less than 0.094 seconds, protecting vital areas including