May/Jun '08 - RoadRUNNER

Mexico, Part 2: The North

A Mexican in a white sombrero rides his donkey on the dusty gravel road in front of us. His appearance in this deserted region presents an unexpected opportunity to ask if he knows of a shortcut through the mountains of the Sierra Madre. Squinting, he scans the surrounding hillsides. Perhaps

May/Jun '08 Premium Content

British Columbia - Pacific Rim Tour

There can't be too many places people travel to in order to watch the weather. But every winter patrons cram the hotels lining Long Beach on Vancouver Island's west coast and do just that. The next stop from there is Japan, and the 5,000-mile Pacific expanse between routinely unleashes

May/Jun '08 Premium Content

Northern Indiana

Transportation has a rich history in the USA, and a lot of it can be found in northern Indiana museums. So pull out your maps and start planning a trip to the flatlands of northern Indiana. You'll even see a little living history too.I'm very familiar with northern Indiana,

May/Jun '08 Premium Content

Nashville Roundtrip

I've grown "comfortable" with the wiggle pulsing through the big Bandit's bars as I transition from the banked front stretch on to the flat of the track apron. I tickle the front brake lever to scrub off some miles per hour that a mere second ago were probably surging past

May/Jun '08 Premium Content

Stormin' Across Eastern Kansas

Quite a few people who haven't been to Kansas have formed their impressions of the state by watching a movie made in 1939. The Wizard of Oz, filmed in a Hollywood studio, portrays Kansas as hot, dry, tornado-ridden and tabletop flat. While this may be a somewhat apt description of

May/Jun '08 Premium Content

Shamrock Tour® - Helena, Montana

My reward for hiking up the hill to Helena, Montana's timber-framed fire tower is a glorious view over the city in the warm light of late afternoon, encompassing the dome of the capitol, Last Chance Gulch, the twin spires of St. Helena Cathedral, and the minaret of the Civic Center.

May/Jun '08

Review: 2006 Kawasaki Ninja ZX14

Apprehension and sheer curiosity were the sensations rattling around inside my head the first time I thumbed the starter on the Kawasaki ZX14 Ninja. Though we ride bikes of all different stripes, I was uncharacteristically anxious about this particular model. After all, this is a machine capable of sub 10-second

May/Jun '08

2008 Honda VTX 1300T vs. 2008 Yahama V-Star 1300 Tourer

At first blush, we expected these machines to ride and feel nearly the same, but after hundreds of test miles, their separate identities began to emerge more clearly. A multi-day trip up the California coast to scenic Morro Bay, with a diversion inland on snow-lined mountain roads, steep, twisty canyons,

May/Jun '08

Ciao, Bella

Until the advent of the Vespa and Lambretta, most motorcycles were essentially heavyweight bicycles with an engine mounted in the middle of the frame. While perhaps the optimal arrangement from an engineering standpoint (the basic concept remains unchanged to this day), it left something to be desired in ergonomic terms.