Tours

Nov/Dec '18 Premium Content

Patagonia: Return of the Guanaco

We started at the southern tip of the continent and have seen many wondrous things. After a day off the bikes, the adventure of a lifetime continues … As much as I might have enjoyed a second day lounging on the shores of Lago Gral Carrera, it feels good being back

Nov/Dec '18

City Escape: Scranton, Pennsylvania

Get a taste of the Pocono Mountains and savor sweeping backroads to tight curves. This loop takes you along the Delaware and Lackawaxen Rivers and through the Delaware State Forest—a perfect mix of riding and country scenery sure to spark a smile or three. Length Approximately 220 miles Meet-up

Nov/Dec '18

City Escape: Reno, Nevada

Sep/Oct '18

City Escape: Hamilton, Ohio

This serene ride through rural America shows off the region’s beauty, and it also offers plenty of things to see and do in Hamilton and nearby towns. Country byways, Acton Lake, Miami University, and a KitchenAid factory serve up even more ways to stimulate the senses. Length Approximately 115

Sep/Oct '18

City Escape: Dallas/Fort Worth

This is an entertaining and varied loop located due west of the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area. Dotted with interesting towns and land features, it also offers a sampling of several different road types from straights to sweeping curves and even a few hairpins. The ride can be enjoyed year-round,

Sep/Oct '18 Premium Content

Kentucky to Idaho: Totally Eclipsed

I look for excuses to ride. Are we out of milk? I’ll be right back! Have you heard about the new breakfast joint that serves real maple syrup? Let’s check it out this weekend! Did you know a total solar eclipse is crossing the entire country? Let’s

Sep/Oct '18 Premium Content

Patagonia: Cry of the Guanaco

Write it down, write it all down before you forget! Write about the bikes, the people, the roads, the plains, the mountains, the lakes, the rivers, the glaciers, and the guanaco. Don’t forget the guanaco … Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina We gather in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in

Sep/Oct '18 Premium Content

California Amid Redwoods and Literary Giants

After years of traipsing the globe, putting various motorcycles on gloriously winding roads and mountain passes from South Africa to Tuscany and Morocco to Mississippi, I find myself returning again and again to the Central Coast of California, specifically Carmel and Big Sur. This part of the world is my

Sep/Oct '18 Premium Content

South Central Tennessee Shamrock Tour®: Nashville Countryside

Nashville is known the world over for its country music, and for many people that’s as far as it goes. I like the music too. But it’s the hills and smooth two-lane roads in the surrounding countryside that recently drew me there. The four loops of this Shamrock,

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