Jan/Feb '24

Whale Hunting in The Desert & The 1000 Mile Cheeseburger

"There’s whales in this here desert!” I proclaimed to Caleb as we swung our legs over our matching pair of Honda Gold Wings. “There’s whales, you just have to know where to look!” And that’s exactly what we intended to do. 9:07 a.m., Las

City Escape

Riding the Sandia Mountains—Albuquerque, New Mexico

In the high desert of New Mexico you will find one of the state's largest cities, Albuquerque. A city that weaves together a rich tapestry of culture, history, and natural beauty. With a backdrop of the Sandia Mountains and a skyline painted in hues of adobe, Albuquerque captivates

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2024 Honda Transalp XL750R

What magic did the 1980s possess that causes nostalgia for the age to be so prevalent? Notables, such as Harrison Ford and Jeff Bridges, have revived ‘80s characters, shows such as Stranger Things adopt the decade, and the list goes on. In 1986, Honda unveiled the first Transalp—the XL600V.

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 BMW R 1250 RT

Are you curious about what the “RT” stands for in the name of the 2023 BMW R 1250 RT? Well, the “R”  is for “Reise,” translating from German as “journey, trip, or voyage,” while the “T” means “Touring.” For the past 20 years, the RT has routinely been one of

WEB Exclusive

Review: 2023 Suzuki GSX-8S

Having already struck a first-inning home run with the V-Strom 800DE earlier in the year, I was eagerly anticipating the street version of Suzuki’s new parallel-twin that powers both the Strom and the GSX-8S. Swinging a leg over the 8S, it was immediately apparent the motorcycle wasn’t going

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE

When Suzuki introduced the V-Strom in 2004, its name was derived from a combination of its V-twin engine and the German word “strom,” which translates to stream or power. The V-Strom is still with us, having proven itself a formidable machine in the street/adventure realm. In fact, the bike’

Jul/Aug '23

Review: 2023 Can-Am Spyder RT Sea-to-Sky

Can-Am has always marched to the beat of its own drum. A subsidiary of BRP, the company invented both the Ski-Doo snowmobile and the Sea-Doo watercraft. When it rolled out the innovative three-wheeled Spyder in 2007, many of us in the motorcycle community didn’t know what to make of

Jul/Aug '23 Premium Content

Kalispell, Montana Shamrock Tour®

Kalispell, MT. Population, 26,000. Like me, you may have never heard of this small town just 34 miles south of Glacier National Park. It’s known as a hub town for the park, but it is so much more. After spending a week in the area on a Shamrock

News

Preview: 2023 Special Collectors Issue

Our 2023 Special Collector's Issue is now available to PRE-ORDER. This issue showcases a regionally balanced mix of 10 never before seen motorcycle tours with trip planning information and spectacular photography. Interested in seeing what's inside? Check out the story previews below. Pre-Order Now North Carolina:

Jul/Aug '23

Review: 2023 Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition—An Explorer in South Africa

Expedition implies a long journey. It’s curiosity put into action. The pursuit of wonder, mystery, and the unknown. It’s something that comes naturally to motorcyclists. That’s part of the magic of riding, right? Husqvarna thinks so, too. Just over a year after releasing the Norden 901, the

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special

Harley-Davidson made a decidedly bold gambit in 2020 with the introduction of the Pan America. After all, America’s stalwart heavy V-twin cruiser company—the 800-pound (quite literally) gorilla in the OEM room—was entering the ADV world, a realm already dominated by capable machines from a number of manufacturers.

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2022 BMW F 900 R

It was late April when I sidestanded the 2022 BMW F 900 R in front of Crystal Lake Cafe in Azusa, CA. Large piles of snow were abundant but melting rapidly, remnants of the atmospheric river that defined the winter of 2022 in California. A fellow motorcyclist noticed the dealer

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Suzuki Boulevard C50T

Since rebranding its cruiser lineup in 2005 as Boulevard, Suzuki has earned its share of fans for its metro cruiser—and for good reason. The Boulevard line currently features the C50, C50T, and M109R B.O.S.S. While the 109 sports the largest displacement in the group, the concept

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Kawasaki Vulcan S

Riding the 2023 Kawasaki Vulcan S home to Long Beach from the company’s headquarters in Foothill Ranch, I noticed many things. The 649cc parallel-twin powering the motorcycle is a peppy companion. The bike feels lighter than its 498-pound claimed curb weight suggests. Throttle response can be kind of light

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Janus Halcyon 250

Awash in unending spectacle, it takes something special to command the attention of the average passerby in Venice Beach, the unofficial ogling capital of California. The Janus motorcycle I was riding had no problem drawing gazes, though. Maybe it was because two Janus models were puttering around the beach town

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 KTM 890 Adventure

KTM chose Portugal as the place to show off the 2023 base model of the 890 Adventure. It couldn’t have been more suitable. The country’s winding paved roads, interlaced with various off-road sections, run the gamut from skittish hard-pack to lush loam, from deep sand to tree-lined rock-strewn

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally

Ducati has redesigned the Multistrada to create the Rally model, a premium adventure bike to travel faster, farther, and more comfortably, even off-road and with a passenger. I took the bike for my first ride in Sardinia, Italy. With the Rally, Ducati goes one step further than the previous Multistradas

Mar/Apr '23

Review: 2022 Harley-Davidson Low Rider El Diablo

With the Low Rider El Diablo, Harley-Davidson has leveled up the strange bedfellows of opulence and austerity. Parked on its side stand, the layered, faded, and pinstriped custom paint is breathtaking, highlighted by the textured black finishes of the valve covers and various other metal bits. Swinging a leg over

Mar/Apr '23 Premium Content

Hot Springs, North Carolina Shamrock Tour®

I was wrapping up another season of selling pumpkins and staring down the barrel of an open calendar when the Yamaha Ténéré 700 began to take on a life of its own from the bits and pieces I was adding to it for the trip. October is the month to

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Janus Halcyon 450

There’s something odd about this picture. I’m motoring along the backstreets of Venice, CA, on a motorcycle that is somewhat deficient in terms of power. There’s engine vibration ebbing up through the chassis into the handlebar and a pronounced sound of chain lash and road noise. Yet,

Jan/Feb '23

Review: 2023 Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Explorer

Triumph’s stable of Tiger 1200s includes five models—GT, GT Pro, GT Explorer, Rally Pro, and Rally Explorer. The three models with the GT tag are more pavement focused, rolling on 19-inch front and 18-inch rear cast aluminum wheels wearing Metzeler Tourance tires. The two Rally models are more

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Vespa GTS 300

Oh, to be 19 in Rome. That’s the age Vespa turns officially with its newest incarnation of the GTS scooter, given that the Granturismo line was born in 2003. It gives poetic significance to Ernest Hemingway’s famous adage: “One doesn’t grow old in Rome, but they grow

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411

Motorcycles and motorcycling, as well as the people who ride them, are changing. Over the past decade, among many enthusiasts, there has been a noticeable swing away from focusing on raw power, performance, and top speed in favor of more simplistic riding experiences. A large segment of the motorcycle community—

Nov/Dec '22 Premium Content

Snowbiking Serenity in Kalispell, Montana

I felt the crunch of compacting snow under my boot and before I knew it, I was face down—sunk to my hip in fresh powder with a Husqvarna TE 300 towering over me. The snow around my leg instantly solidified like concrete, locking my boot into place some 33-odd

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2022 Honda NC750X DCT

Honda first introduced its automatic dual-clutch transmission (DCT) in 2010 on the VFR1200F. In a continuing evolution and application of its automatic transmission technology, Honda has since adapted it to the Africa Twin and the Gold Wing. The other model in Honda’s line-up that offers a DCT transmission is