Tips

Wiring Accessories

Many riders love having the latest gadgets and electronics plugged into their motorcycles. Before you begin cutting and splicing wires, though, take a few minutes to consider the best way to approach such a project.  Doing the wrong thing could result in a dead battery, a fried electrical system, or

Columns Premium Content

Interview with BMW Engineer Toni Decker

Toni Decker, born in 1963, joined BMW as a trainee in 1988 and started to work for the Bavarian manufacturer in 1990 as a design and project engineer. He is best known for being the project leader for the K-series of motorcycles. I sat down with Decker to ask him

Columns Premium Content

Pirelli-Metzeler Motorcycle Test Center

Most motorcyclists are familiar with the Italian island of Sicily as a vacation destination. In the off-season, Sicily’s mild temperatures, low-traffic roads, and spectacular landscapes tempt people to escape the Northern Hemisphere’s bad weather.  Some motorcycle companies have also recognized this and carry out their endurance runs and

Letter from the Editor Premium Content

Fire and Ice—A Letter From Marisa

Recently, I’ve been suffering from a terrible case of PMS (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome).  While it’s not officially recognized in the medical community, every rider knows this affliction’s symptoms all too well. They include restlessness, longing glances at your bike in the garage, and vivid dreams of open

Tips

Small Girls On Big Bikes

When I started riding motorcycles, I remember thinking on the saddle of my little 250cc: “There’s no way I will ever be able to ride a big motorcycle.” After all, how could a 107-pound girl ride a 550-pound bike? A year later, I ride big adventure bikes almost exclusively.

Shop Talk Premium Content

A Complete Guide to Motorcycle Cooling System Inspection & Maintenance

Many modern motorcycles utilize a liquid cooling system. These systems pump a water-based coolant through jackets in the cylinders, heads, and radiator to keep the engine at the ideal operating temperature.  Like everything else on your bike, though, this system requires regular maintenance. I’ll walk you through the basic

Columns

A Look Back—25 Years of RoadRUNNER

In the summer of 1999, my parents Christian and Christa, my brother Manuel, and I moved from Austria to North Carolina for a change in scenery and, perhaps, a quieter life. In addition to their photography business, my parents brought their motorcycles across the pond. My dad had his 1997

News

New Year, New Motorcycle

Enter to Win a 2025 BMW R 1300 GSA RoadRUNNER is celebrating a monumental milestone—our 25th year publishing the best motorcycle travel magazine! To show our appreciation for the incredible community of riders and adventurers who have supported us through the years, we’re kicking off 2025 with an

News

RoadRUNNER’s 2024 Milestones and What’s Ahead for 2025

As the year draws to a close, it’s an exciting time for all of us here at RoadRUNNER. It’s been a year of growth, achievements, and unforgettable moments. We’ve spent 2024 creating some of the best motorcycle travel editorial, while also laying the groundwork for even bigger

A Year in Review

RoadRUNNER's Best Online Articles of 2024

Our journalists have been busy this year! With so many great stories that didn’t fit in our magazine, our website is a treasure trove of motorcycling information.  Below are some of our favorite online articles from 2024, including interviews, columns, tech articles, tips, and travel destination features. Enjoy these

Columns

The Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the garage, Not an engine was rumbling, not even a Sportster's barrage. The helmets were hung on the handlebars with care, In hopes that St. Nick would soon be there. The riders were nestled all snug in their beds,

Destinations Premium Content

Visit the House of Santa Claus—North Pole, AK

Riding a motorcycle to the North Pole is impossible, considering it’s in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, surrounded by hundreds of miles of sea ice. There’s one place you can ride to, though, and still say you took a motorcycle to North Pole. Just go visit North

Shiftin' Semantics

GPS Terminology 101: Routes, Tracks and Waypoints

GPS navigators have been a real blessing for motorcyclists. Although some may mourn the demise of paper maps, GPS has made planning and sharing motorcycle routes easier than ever. Directions for GPS navigation are typically shared as GPS Exchange Format (GPX) files. You can download pre-made GPX files, for instance

Shop Talk

Motorcycle Oil Demystified

Every motorcyclist knows an engine needs oil to function correctly. But not everyone is aware of the nearly bottomless rabbit hole that is the infamous “oil discussion.”  Case in point, certain internet forums will delete all posts on this topic since the discussions often get so out of hand, quickly

News

The Future Looks Bright For MV Agusta

Today, MV Agusta sent a letter to all of their customers which outlined their 2024 results and plans for the future. The Italian brand would like to reassure consumers that the company is alive and well. See the letter below, directly from MV Agusta, to learn more about the brand&

Letter from the Editor

Thank You—A Letter from Florian

This time of the year is always one of reflection. It’s just natural after the whirlwind of a busy travel season. Last winter, I got ants in my pants and signed myself up for a whole bunch of trips. They were all epic, but with so much time on

Tips

4 Packing Tips for Motorcycle Tours

I currently have three motorcycles in my garage—a Yamaha Ténéré 700, Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE, and Honda Trail 125. Each machine is an entirely different experience, yet I have completed overnight tours on all of them.  Click here to find my current luggage setup for each of these bikes.

Columns Premium Content

Motorcycle Touring: The Long and Winding Road

Motorcycles, which breathe life into so many of us, are the result of a long evolutionary process. You could argue it all started with the invention of the wheel, which to best current archeological understanding happened in Mesopotamia in 5000 B.C.  Jump ahead a few thousand years, and you

News

A Motorcycling Icon Remembered—Malcolm Smith, 1941-2024

The news came as an unexpected surprise and with deeply-felt hurt. A fellow moto journalist posted a nice photo of Malcolm Smith. No statement, no words—but I knew what it meant.  We, the motorcycle community, have lost one of our greatest heroes. Malcolm Smith passed away on November 26,

Columns Premium Content

What Is the World’s Most Expensive Motorcycle?

Motorcycles can be exorbitantly expensive. A brand-new 2024 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide ST, for example, will set you back a whopping $42,999. In the grand scheme of bikes, though, that’s a bargain. Some motorcycles are much, much more expensive than that. That just begs the question—what is

Do Good

It’s the Season of Giving

Around Thanksgiving, we remember all the things we’re grateful for in our lives. First of all, we at RoadRUNNER want to thank you, our dedicated readers, for supporting us and making what we do possible. We’re also incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be motorcyclists. Let’s face

News

RoadRUNNER Black Friday Sales START NOW

Get some of the best RoadRUNNER deals, now through December 3rd. Keep scrolling to find all the deals! Gift Print Subscription Deal RoadRUNNER makes the best gift! Give a print gift subscription to your riding friends and family. It's the gift that keeps giving all year long. The

Shop Talk Premium Content

Motorcycle Tire Construction: Know How Your Rubbers are Made

Whether you like off-road riding, cruising the Pacific Coast Hwy on a slammed bagger, or racing on road tracks, you need tires. But not all tires are made equal for all types of riding. Picking the correct tire requires you to answer many questions before you pull the trigger. Where

Tips

Know Your Riding Risk Factors

There are some similarities between the causes of plane crashes and the reasons for motorcycle accidents: it’s often a combination of factors, or risks, that cause incidents in both cases. And in both, the fundamental cause can usually be traced back to “human error.” Just as in doing a