John M. Flores

Jan/Feb '13 Premium Content

Vermont and New Hampshire: The Adventures of L’Uccello Arrabbiato and The Tomato

Two motorcycles—an orange Moto Guzzi Stelvio NTX (L’Uccello Arrabbiato) and a red Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring (The Tomato)–are parked in downtown Stowe, VT … “L’Uccello?” “Yes, Tomato.” “That’s it? They just leave us out here in the rain? They go into the cafe and get

Nov/Dec '12

Long-term Evaluation – 2012 BMW R 1200 RT: Jack of All Rides

> I don’t want to like this bike. BMW touring bikes, after all, typically appeal to people of a certain age, and liking the 2012 R 1200 RT is tantamount to admitting that I’m not as young as I used to be. That’s the stereotype at least,

Nov/Dec '12 Premium Content

Québec: Postcards From the Province

Big trips are curious things–miles and miles of road interrupted by moments of poignancy and snippets of time that persist in the mind as the years march on. “Remember that time…?” we say to ourselves and our riding partners. “You should have been there,” we say to others. Photos

Jul/Aug '12 Premium Content

Pennsylvania: Camping in the Pennsylvania Wilds

When Christa asked me to do a motorcycle camping trip in Pennsylvania, I said “Sure!” with great enthusiasm. Just between you and me . . . I didn’t mean it. The last time I lashed a tent to the bike was in the dark days BFI (Before Fuel Injection). I’ve since

Jan/Feb '12

2011 Moto Guzzi Norge GT 8V

> Let's cut to the chase - I took the 2011 Moto Guzzi Norge GT 8V into the wilds of Pennsylvania and felt really connected to this bike. Despite the cold and the rain and the occasional muddy patch, the Norge didn't miss a beat and,

Jan/Feb '12 Premium Content

Kansas

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, and he taught the world a thing or two. Why then do I find myself in the middle of Kansas thinking that maybe ol' Chris got it wrong? I've ridden more than 30 miles since lunch and haven't

May/Jun '11 Premium Content

Killington, Vermont Shamrock Tour®

"Long ago, the Great Bear wandered freely throughout the sky. His massive paws took him far across the unlimited ceiling of the world. He hunted and fished, finding food there in the many rivers of the sky. All throughout the first spring he did this, until his belly was

Jan/Feb '11 Premium Content

Riding and Eating in the Berkshires, Massachusetts

It's one of the ironies of motorcycling — you sit there on the bike, the motor doing all of the hard work, and you get hungry. Really hungry. It's understandable on a bicycle, your legs pumping like Lance Armstrong and your furiously beating heart making you regret

Mar/Apr '10 Premium Content

History Lessons in Central Europe

I'm in Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp. The railroad tracks beneath my feet...if they could talk, what stories might they tell of the cattle cars and the breaking apart of families and the dehumanization and the death? I am at a loss for words and struggle with

Sep/Oct '09

2009 Moto Guzzi Griso 8v

> Don't mistake the Moto Guzzi Griso 8v for a gentlemanly cruiser or a weekend toy for podiatrists and pretenders with more dough than go. Moto Guzzi, the stereotypes suggest, is a lifestyle brand long past its sporting prime, coveted by riders more interested in heritage and logoed

Sep/Oct '09 Premium Content

Rhode Island and Eastern Connecticut

My trip begins next to an 11-foot-tall green frog. On a spool of thread. On a bridge. Seriously. In the Connecticut town of Willimantic that's how they commemorate a peculiar bit of colonial history. One night in 1754, a terrible racket woke the local citizenry, and fearing an

May/Jun '09 Premium Content

Lake Michigan

"I love this state. When I was in the Marines, I couldn't wait to come back here," says the state trooper as he hands back my license. Thankfully, that's all he's handing back - no reprimands, no strings and no tickets attached.

Mar/Apr '09 Premium Content

The Philippines

Not every day do you get the chance to ride a motorcycle on the other side of the world. So when that opportunity arises, you best take full advantage by riding fast, riding hard, and savoring every mile. Dumaguete to Bacolod Day 1: Bacolod City. It's close to

Nov/Dec '08 Premium Content

New England Tour - Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire

From the weathered mountaintops of the Appalachians to the bountiful sea, stories of a native people and a young democracy are tucked away in the quiet villages, small towns and country roads of New England. Day 1  -  Shelburne Falls to White River Junction The start of this living history

Sep/Oct '08

2008 Piaggio MP3 400 & 500

> It takes a lot to catch the jaded eye of a typical New Yorker. But here we are in the metropolis astride Piaggio's second wave of funky 3-wheeled MP3 scooters, drawing long stares everywhere we go. One urban hipster eyeing the passel of Piaggios exclaims, with just

Jul/Aug '08 Premium Content

The Catskills

Angry clouds unleash a summer storm worthy of the evening news, toppling power lines and causing flash floods. I'm on an Aprilia Tuono (Italian for thunder, ironically), protected by a gas station canopy in Masonville, New York. I'm not alone though, as other riders have sought

Mar/Apr '08 Premium Content

Maine

The biggest, wildest state in New England, Maine is also the first state in the union to catch the light of the rising sun. As a September dawn wakes me in Kennebunkport, the nearby routes along this storied coast exert a very strong pull - nearly 3,500 miles of

Sep/Oct '07

2007 Yamaha YZF-R1

> Place the tip of your thumb and forefinger three millimeters apart. That's about 1/10 of an inch, and how much Yamaha engineers raised the rear swingarm pivot on the 2007 YZF-R1. Chew on that for a second  -  not 2mm, not 4mm, but 3mm, to reduce

May/Jun '07

Super-sized Scooter

> In the burgeoning maxi-scooter market, Piaggio's BV500 is more classically styled than the company's X9 or other more sportbike-inspired competitors. The front exhibits classic scooter design cues, but the rear has been transmogrified into a touring motorcycle. Is this the ingenious creation of an enlightened

Mar/Apr '07

2007 Honda CBR600RR

> For 2007, the 20th anniversary of the Honda Hurricane, Honda is dropping the venerable, street-focused CBR600F4i and returning to their "one 600cc sportbike for all occasions" formula. The 2007 CBR600RR has been thoroughly redesigned to appeal to track addicts and roadrunners alike, and when Honda invited us

Jan/Feb '07

Breaking the Mold

> The view from the top of the "steepest road in Texas" is, well, OK. San Antonio lies out there somewhere in the hazy distance, as an early October sun pegs the thermostat at 90+ degrees. Riders from similarly "mountainous" states  -  like Kansas and Delaware

Nov/Dec '06 Premium Content

New York Scooter Tour

Stand on a New York City subway platform in the summer and you'll know how Dante felt at the gates of Hell. Down there, beneath the melting tarmac, the air is so thick with heat it can be cut with a plastic knife. The subway cars are air-conditioned,

Mar/Apr '06 Premium Content

Viva Las Vegas

Las Vegas. The Strip. The showgirls. The strippers. Las Vegas. Sequins. Sin. Sex. Céline. Las Vegas. Glitz. Glamour. Dan Tanna. Las Vegas. Neon and Newton. Penn & Teller. Tigers and sharks... This pioneer town has had its share of ups and downs, from one incarnation as the mid-twentieth-century, mob-manipulated, Rat