Tours

Jul/Aug '18 Premium Content

Western Washington: Wilderness & Waves

Beauty is truth, truth beauty—John Keats A photo story of a 600-mile motorcycle tour of The Evergreen State. Motorcycle & Gear 2016 Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin 2008 BMW F 800 GS Helmets: Arai Quantum II, Shoei GT Air Jackets: BMW Commuter 3, BMW GS Dry Pants: Firstgear Jeans Boots:

Jul/Aug '18 Premium Content

Alaska: From Whitehorse to Deadhorse and Back

“Somebody will pick you up at the airport and drive you to where the bike is, about 30 kilometers outside of town. Bring cash.” Those were more or less my instructions for a loaner bike I somehow found by pure luck, combined with a healthy dose of trust. I’m

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

Expedition Idaho: Where Memory Lane Isn’t Paved

Going the distance can mean so many different things. For wanderers, it typically refers to making a trip longer than expected, by choice, or sometimes, by forces beyond our control. For others, it just means that you’ve gone, or are going, as far as you can. Last year I

May/Jun '18 Premium Content

Rome, Georgia Shamrock Tour®: High Spirits in the Southern Appalachians

The Southern Appalachian Mountains dominate the landscape of North Georgia and Northeast Alabama. These ancient mountains have been the upland home of Native Americans and have borne witness to their life and death struggles from the earliest traces of human habitation (12,000 to 15,000 years ago) into the

May/Jun '18 Premium Content

Italy: Smoke on the Water

Mt. Etna, the largest of Italy’s three active volcanoes, commands the view to the east of Enna, an ancient town built atop a hill in the middle of Sicily. A few miles farther and 2,000 feet higher on the road climbing out of the Dittano Valley, the smoking

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’

May/Jun '18 Premium Content

Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York: In the Tire Tracks of a Pioneer, Pt 5

The home stretch. With the mountains and deserts and most of the country at his back, riding from Chicago to New York City should have been the easiest part of the trip for Wyman. It wasn’t. Against all odds, George A Wyman had crossed the Sierra Nevada, the Great

May/Jun '18

City Escape: Asheville, North Carolina

May/Jun '18

City Escape: Eugene, Oregon

This loop southwest of Eugene includes forests, rivers, lakes, state parks, and stirring views of the Pacific Ocean. Southwestern Oregon is filled with stunning scenery and this escape is a good sampler of what the region has to offer. This ride is best taken from late spring through early fall,

Mar/Apr '18

City Escape: Québec City to the Island of Orléans

The tour starts at the Fontaine de Tourny, travels around Québec City and the Plains of Abraham to Quai des cageux along the Promenade de Champlain to the point where you can see the old Québec Bridge over the Saint Lawrence River. It continues through the historic part of Québec

Mar/Apr '18

City Escape: Riverside, California

If you limit yourself to the freeways in Southern California, you’ll never know what treasures hide on the byways. This loop southeast of Riverside is a climb into the mountains on thrillingly windy roads. This is a three-season ride with only winter months to be avoided on two wheels.

Mar/Apr '18 Premium Content

Nova Scotia: Prince of Rides - The Cabot Trail

For the fourth time in one day, I am mangling the pronunciation of town names in Nova Scotia. Is it Why-COCO-maw or Why-COG-ama? Anti-GONE-ish or An-TIG-anish? Meredith and I have been in Canada for three days, but I haven’t gotten any better at this. Meanwhile, our traveling companions, Jimmy

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,

Mar/Apr '18 Premium Content

Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee: The Natchez Trace Parkway

For most people in Tennessee, fall riding means heading east toward the beautiful Smoky Mountains, but I did that last year. Of course, I see the appeal of the park when the leaves change and the days are shortening, but so does everyone else. It’s the most visited national

Mar/Apr '18 Premium Content

Pagosa Springs, Colorado Shamrock Tour®: Riding “Naked” in the Rocky Mountain State

With an abundance to see and do, Colorado is a tourist mecca for good reason. While many flock to explore the beauty and rugged wilderness (whether hiking, rafting or mountain biking), we made plans to visit some of the old mining and railroad towns that sprouted up in the mid

Mar/Apr '18 Premium Content

Nebraska to Illinois: In the Tire Tracks of a Pioneer Part 4

Surely the Midwest will be easier to cross than the Sierra Nevada, the Great Basin Desert, and the Rocky Mountains, right? For modern interstate travelers, it’s a yawn fest of endless, unchanging miles tempered only by sagging eyelids and bladders about to burst. But when George Wyman came this

Jan/Feb '18 Premium Content

Classic Roads: Blue Ridge Byways

The Blue Ridge and Appalachians are often referred to as the “gentle mountains.” Over hundreds of millions of years geological forces have rounded their shoulders and smoothed out most of their hard edges. The area’s long geological history and high levels of annual rainfall have produced a rich patchwork

Jan/Feb '18 Premium Content

Brattleboro, Vermont Shamrock Tour®: Green Days

I’ve logged a lot of miles with my wife, Meredith, riding pillion, but I’ve never seen this before: she’s back there snapping photos of a straight, four-lane interstate, as if we’re riding God’s own highway. “What’s up?” I ask. “Well, it’s the most

Jan/Feb '18 Premium Content

Lonesome Wyoming: In the Tire Tracks of a Pioneer, Part 3

In May 1903, George A. Wyman left San Francisco with the then crazy idea of riding his motorcycle all the way to New York City. Into the Rockies East of Ogden, the sharp, rocky 9,000-foot peaks of the Wasatch Range look impenetrable, but the Weber River has patiently carved

Jan/Feb '18 Premium Content

Austria: Behind the Mountains

For the longest time, the high alpine valley of the Lungau sat in remote isolation, approachable only by treacherous pass roads. And the region’s old traditions and stunning natural appeal have been preserved very well. Two of the many reasons to travel there. It’s slightly decadent. Plenty of

Jan/Feb '18 Premium Content

Rural Tennessee: Chasing the Cumberland Curves

The Ducati Scrambler. I can’t think of a better bike for Cameron on this tour. I wanted a touring partner for the trip that I was sketching out to explore a small portion of the Cumberland Plateau. The route was going to be only 308 miles by Google’s

Jan/Feb '18

City Escape: El Paso, Texas

Wineries, missiles, and views—this loop north of El Paso is a great mix for a short getaway. This city escape begins with a ride through a peaceful wine and agricultural region. It then tracks through a small portion of the fascinating White Sands Missile Range (ID and appropriate vehicle

Jan/Feb '18

City Escape: Athens, Ohio

This City Escape features a loop from the Athens County Visitors Center’s “Ohio’s Windy 9” map. The Pioneer Pass offers rolling hills and leads through Wayne National Forest, Stroud’s Run State Park, and Gifford State Forest. As if that weren’t enough, a taste of the famous

Nov/Dec '17 Premium Content

South Carolina: A Revolutionary Tour

By 1780, America’s war for independence from Great Britain had devolved into a stalemate in the northern colonies. British forces controlled major cities on the Atlantic coast, and the Continental Army under George Washington largely dominated the expansive interior. To break the impasse, Britain launched its Southern Strategy: British