If you’re considering adding a motorcycle to your garage, join the club. Whether it will be your first bike or your tenth, you’ve got a ton of choices. One of the important decisions you’ll need to make is modern vs. classic. “Classic” is a relative term. When it comes to motorcycles, I’d put a classic…
Category: road trip
Some riders treasure their time on two wheels for the Zen solitude of the road. They don’t want any auditory input other than the thrum of the engine, the burble of exhaust, the hum of the tires and the roar of the wind. Sometimes, I love all of those inputs as well. But as the…
One of the frustrations of motorcycle travel is carrying your gear. If you load up your bike with everything but the kitchen sink, you’re going to have a heavy, cumbersome ride, and you might even be compromising your safety. You can ease your burden somewhat by choosing multi-purpose gear and by packing carefully or even…
One of the many great reasons to travel by motorcycle is fuel economy. Even a big touring bike can get over 30 miles per gallon or better. Even so, there are steps that you can take to improve your motorcycle’s fuel efficiency and save even more money when you travel. Routine maintenance. Perform your…
There’s a transitive property to motorcycling. It goes something like this: motorcycling leads to beer; beer leads to Oktoberfest. Therefore, motorcycling leads to Oktoberfest. There’s nothing like a cold mug of beer after a long day in the saddle. October is perhaps my favorite month to ride. The heat of summer has subsided, the leaves…
In the spirit of National Friendship Day (the first Sunday in August every year), I’ve been thinking about how motorcycling has influenced my relationships. The image of the lone biker seems contrary to the concept of true friendship, but in reality, motorcycling brings people together. One of my favorite experiences on a motorcycle trip was…
The Summer Solstice hits on June 21, which also happens to be Father’s Day this year. It’s the longest day of the year, with the most daylight hours and the shortest night. Naturally, the Solstice is also the perfect opportunity to take one of the longest motorcycle rides of the year. The Iron Butt Association…
All of my best vacations involve a motorcycle component. However the biggest question usually boils down to how to incorporate a ride: ride my own motorcycle to the vacation destination; tow or haul my motorcycle there; ship my bike directly; or rent a motorcycle at my final destination. If you’ve faced this challenge before, you…