Asia

WEB Exclusive Premium Content

Japan—40 Years Later

In October 1984, I took the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Hiroshima, totally unprepared for what became a three-year adventure of living in Japan. In October 2023, almost 39 years to the day after my first arrival, I got off the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Okayama. This time, I

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Riding the 2024 Kove Rally 450

A few years ago, I was at a motorcycle trade show in Chongqing, one of the world’s largest cities in the heart of China. It was a chaotic affair, and the noise and strange bikes probably traumatized me a little. The event almost made me lose interest in the

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Mongolia: In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan

We’re stopped at the top of a hill on the outskirts of Karakorum, the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire. Ahead of us is a vast valley framed by impossibly large mountains that stretch into the distance. From our vantage point, we can see the criss-cross pattern of the

Jul/Aug '22 Premium Content

Georgia: The Little Great Country

Canyons like Utah, glaciers on 16,000-foot-high mountains, prairies like Mongolia, and a subtropical coastline—Georgia has it all and much more. Yes, I came because of the great landscape. But already my first day on the bike reveals a flaw in my travel plan. I didn’t include the

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Scootering in Saigon, 1971

The motor pool for the US embassy was in a middling-sized windowless building, with maybe 20 sedans and a few International-Harvester Scouts, and I was there to get my own wheels. "And what you like, Mr. Salvadori?" the manager, a local hire, asked. Parked by his desk were

Mar/Apr '22 Premium Content

Vietnam: Riding Like a Local

For a long time, it was difficult for foreigners to travel to Vietnam. That has changed. The north of the country is still a very remote, but very much worthwhile destination. Traffic in Asian cities is not for the fainthearted, and Hanoi is no exception. After a couple of days,

May/Jun '21 Premium Content

Nepal

I have to keep reminding myself that this is a road. Ahead of me, a torrent of mountain water cascades over boulders before dropping off a sheer cliff edge. Muscling my Royal Enfield through what is clearly a river, the route goes straight into a steep chicane of vicious rock

Sep/Oct '20 Premium Content

Thailand: Road of 2,000 Turns

After 36 trips across the Atlantic for rides in Europe and Africa, it was time for something different. Having never been across the Pacific, I settled on Thailand for a new adventure. I would be taking part in Edelweiss Bike Tours’ “Thailand Extreme” tour, an eight-day trip covering 1,465

Jul/Aug '20 Premium Content

Afghanistan: The Other Side

“Afghanistan’s dangerous. Don’t go. What are you thinking?” they said. As we approached the border and saw the heavily armed guards, we wondered if they were right. I can’t look away from the staring soldier, clutching his AK-47, behind the fence. He tilts his head in confusion,

Jan/Feb '20 Premium Content

Ra’anana to Eilat, Israel: Watch Out for Camels & Tanks

I left the house at 8 a.m. and loaded my Honda CBR250R with a tankbag and a small 10-liter Kriega pack that fit nicely on the pillion seat. This was a solo trip. I wanted to escape from the city for a few days, and a ride through the

Jul/Aug '18 Premium Content

China: Keeping up with Indiana Jones

Riding across China is a motorcycle adventure like no other. Our China journey includes the Tibetan Plateau’s frigid mountains and grassy plains, the Gobi Desert’s towering pale beige sand dunes, and the Central Basin’s sweltering heat and humidity. We cover it all on small displacement Zongshen motorcycles,

May/Jun '18 Premium Content

Japan: A Rider’s Secret Paradise

Believe it or not, being a motorcycle journalist is hard work. Especially under trying circumstances. There are rarely second chances. It’s run and gun, get the moment now—or never. I had the time of my life working this project in Japan, and now, here on the plane, I’

Mar/Apr '18 Premium Content

Indian Himalayas: Spiti Amazing

Our route is entirely blocked. Facing us is a huge brightly colored truck, its wheels a foot deep in the fast running water. The driver’s door is wide open but the driver is nowhere to be seen. Behind the truck, a line of 4x4s and other trucks sit patiently,

Sep/Oct '13 Premium Content

World Travelers:Indonesia - Riding the Ring of Fire

We are at the Butterworth dock on Malaysia’s west coast, and the morning’s already a scorcher. Stinging sweat drips into my eyes as I instinctively duck my head; mere feet above me, my precious motorbike is lofted high and swings like a 700-pound pendulum as it’s winched

Jul/Aug '13 Premium Content

Malaysia: Jungle Joy Ride

Under a royal blue sky, we’re hurtling south along a smooth multi-lane freeway amid a sea of rolling greens hills. Waves of lush forestation, palm farms, and tea plantations stretch into the horizon. Malaysia is a dynamic melting pot that Malays, Indians, Chinese, and a host of others call

May/Jun '13 Premium Content

World Travelers-Thailand: A Land of Smiles

Under a veil of low morning fog, we quietly slide our motorcycles onto the pontoon and cross the Mekong River for the last time, exiting Laos and entering the most northern realm of the Kingdom of Thailand. After successfully getting the bikes off the float on the other side, without

Mar/Apr '13 Premium Content

World Travelers-Cambodia and Laos: Mekong Meanderings

With Pakistan, India, and Nepal behind us, we are flying low over Thailand’s hedonistic capital, Bangkok. Through the small oval window, we can see mile upon mile of rice paddy fields; the entire shimmering landscape is still submerged after recent heavy rain. Shantytowns intermingle with newer structures until all

Jan/Feb '13 Premium Content

World Travelers–Nepal: Earth's Eden

It’s 6 a.m. The bikes are feeling strong as we negotiate potholed tar around the town of Butwai in the dry Nepali lowlands. We pass a humble white-washed stupa (temple) on our left. Above our heads, attached to a long line, yellow, red, blue, and white prayers gently

Nov/Dec '12 Premium Content

World Travelers – India: Assaulting the Senses

I’ve gotta ask: have you ever dreamed of twisting the throttle and watching the road roll beneath you as you ride through a country unlike any other? You know what I mean–riding into a landscape that 1.2 billion people call home, and where sights, sounds, and smells

Sep/Oct '12 Premium Content

Pakistan: Pride of Pakistan

At 6:30 a.m. the day is already hot. Alex and Nicco, our new riding companions, are ready to ride. As I strap down the last of the bags, a young and slightly awkward Iranian soldier grabs my attention as he runs into the hotel yard, clearly out of

Jul/Aug '12 Premium Content

Reader Ride: Turkey Antalya to the Aegean

If you were to ask me to pinpoint when it all started, I would have to think back to one night a few years ago. I was flipping through channels looking for something to watch and that’s when I saw them, those two British actors riding their R 1200

Jul/Aug '12 Premium Content

World Travelers - Iran: The Different Faces of Iran

Every journey is unique and challenging. Sometimes the challenges are physical—a bad road, a water crossing—and other times they are cultural, where you’re forced to leave stereotypes at the door and keep your wits about you. Experiencing the differences that separate us is what makes travel so

May/Jun '12 Premium Content

World Travelers - Mongolia: Among Genghis Khan’s Heirs

“Welcome to Mongolia!” the customs officer says to me in perfect English while tapping me fiercely on the shoulder. Greetings like this don’t happen often at border crossings. What he probably meant was more like: “Lad, since you managed to survive our chaotic border post, you shouldn’t have

Mar/Apr '12 Premium Content

Reader Ride: Northern Vietnam

My husband, Josh, and I decided before starting a family that we really needed a BIG bike vacation. We wanted culture shock. Yet without a lot of money to spend and no previous adventure travel experience, we found it. Toronto to New York, west to Seoul, then arriving in Hanoi

Mar/Apr '12 Premium Content

World Travelers: Pamir Highway and Silk Road

The Pamir Highway: Since time immemorial, the Silk Route (M41) in Central Asia has existed as an artery of trade connecting west to east and north to south. Contrary to its name, the Silk Route is not a singular road but a web of ancient tracks and rock-strewn trails trodden