From the streets of modern-day Leesburg, VA, riders motor through the idyllic horse and vineyard country of historic Loudoun and Fauquier counties, VA, and also will navigate briefly into Maryland and West Virginia. This backroad ramble can be taken anytime from spring through fall but is most enjoyable during fall colors in mid-October.

This circuit includes Seattle's own volcano, Mount Rainier, climbs over the 5,430-foot Chinook Pass, goes through Mount Rainier National Park, and returns via the Puyallup River valley. Park entry fee is for motorcycles. Stop in charming Elbe and take a two-hour steam train ride on the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad. The best time to visit is summer or early fall.

This mixed terrain ride takes you by The Round Barn, through an old ghost town, and returns via Route 66, where a restored WPA-era armory and the Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum make history of your rowdy scramble down Oklahoma's backroads. Spring and fall are the best riding seasons in Oklahoma.

Pizza is the United Nations of food, the one dining option that a group of hungry riders can readily agree upon. Burger joints are for carnivores; salad bars are for rabbits. But pizza, ubiquitous pizza, can be customized for nearly everyone.

I wake to a beautiful fall morning, and standing on the terrace of my room at the Matterhorn Inn, I am afforded a spectacular panoramic view of the red rock formations that characterize this city. I wanted to explore Sedona and the surrounding area by motorbike since I first passed through in 2006 on a family trip. To say I am quite excited is an understatement. In the next few days I’ll explore the city center, the towns of Winslow, Prescott, and Jerome as well as the Grand Canyon and much more.

A trip to the Canadian province of Québec is like going to France but skipping the long plane ride. Having been to Montreal and Québec City on a previous occasion, though, I’m looking for deeper immersion into the province’s culture and exquisite cuisine. Riding my BMW F 800 GS Adventure in early summer, I’m joined by sidekick Jeff Arpin on his Honda CB1100, and native Quebecers François Gariépy (our Charlevoix tourism host) on his Kawasaki Concours, and Alain Labadie astride his Honda Gold Wing.

Dream it, build it, and ride it … an unbroken road along the California coast.

Shenandoah to the Great Smoky Mountains

I have arrived in Tellico Plains, TN, and the official starting point of the Trans-America Trail (TAT). It took thousands of miles just to get here, but as I prepare to make my first turn onto the trail, I feel a weight and a reality of what I am about to do that I did not expect.

Back in RoadRUNNER’s August 2014 issue we introduced our Budget Touring Project Bike. The goal was to prove how affordable motorcycle touring can be by purchasing the cheapest road worthy motorcycle we could find and take it on tour. We bought a 1984 Honda Shadow 700 for $ 1,000 and spent less than $ 500 getting it ready for touring duty. To see how well our budget bike accomplished its mission, I decided to ride it for a long day trip from my hometown of Winston-Salem, NC, deep into the Appalachian Mountains.

The year was 1972 … the last time my old man sat on a vinyl seat, pulled on a helmet, and rode off into the sunset. So, when I approached him about riding bikes in Baja for a month long journey down Mexico’s infamous peninsula, I was surprised he agreed to go. However, my father is not one to say no. He’s accompanied me to Monza to document the Italian Grand Prix, to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix, and to France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The idea of riding dirt bikes into Baja wasn’t just an excuse to escape the States; it was also an opportunity to witness the 47th annual Tecate Score Baja 1000 off-road race, what some consider the ultimate test of both man and machine.

Yes, it’s a KTM. No, it’s not an off-road motorcycle. Since the rise in popularity of large displacement dual sport bikes, many riders automatically assume that an upright seating position equals dirt riding, especially with these three letters on the tank. Not so. Even though “Adventure” is in the name, this motorcycle would more aptly fall in the luxury sport-touring category, or more specifically, travel enduro (a term that hasn’t quite caught on in the States). Sure one can ride gravel roads with the Super Adventure, as with any motorcycle, but let’s not kid ourselves. This is a street bike.

Last year, Yamaha introduced the FZ-09 (known as the MT-09 in Europe) which, despite its initial flaws, has grown to be the maker’s number one seller for 2014—an MVP right out of the gate. Building upon the FZ’s price and performance success, Yamaha unveils the touring-minded FJ-09 for 2015.

Moto Guzzi’s Norge (which means “Norway” in several European languages) was named after a Moto Guzzi’s 4,000-mile journey to Norway and the Arctic Circle in 1928. Styling of the Norge GT looks the part of a proper sport-touring mount with roomy saddlebags, an adjustable windscreen, and large wind-cheating fairings.

Peter Calles, a noted international collector of classic motorcycles, recently finished a full restoration of this rare 1954 MV Agusta motorcycle. The saga behind the MV Agusta marque, however, began on February 12, 1945, when the company was founded.