May/Jun '07 - RoadRUNNER

RoadRUNNER

May/Jun '07

May/June 2007

Canada: British Columbia, Coast to Cariboo

May/Jun '07 Premium Content

Canada: British Columbia, Coast to Cariboo

"Ho-hum," a friend of mine remarked, tongue-in-cheek, as we stood looking across British Columbia's vast Shuswap Lake, "just more mountains, forests, rivers and lakes." Well, for once, he was right. Southern BC is mostly forests, rivers, lakes and mountains. And as motorcyclists know, these

Part I: New York Waterways

May/Jun '07 Premium Content

Part I: New York Waterways

The last glacial period in upstate New York left behind a lush landscape of rivers, lakes, gorges, waterfalls, and fertile land. Navigable waterways instrumental to exploration of the area by pre-colonial Europeans took on strategic importance as France and England laid claim to the territory. Forts were built and armies

Washington: In the Horse Heaven Hills

May/Jun '07 Premium Content

Washington: In the Horse Heaven Hills

If you've never heard of Bickleton, Washington, don't feel bad; you're not alone. Little more than a general store, a tavern, and a 90-student K-12 school, the town lazily straddles a quiet county road (the grandly named Bickleton Highway) in the baked brown hills

Shamrock Tour® - Boise, Idaho

May/Jun '07 Premium Content

Shamrock Tour® - Boise, Idaho

Departing from the heart of Idaho's capital city of Boise, you can be riding the open road in about 10 minutes. Since the state's principal claim to fame is its potatoes, you might expect to find yourself among potato plants. But those farms are elsewhere. You&

Texas: Wandering the Wide Open Spaces

May/Jun '07 Premium Content

Texas: Wandering the Wide Open Spaces

As I spur the big Heritage Softail® west out of Abilene, the light mid-morning traffic allows me to take an earnest survey of the immensity unfolding in every direction. Only smatterings of manmade structures and distant clumps of trees mar a limitless horizon that wouldn't budge the bubble

Turkey: Scenic, Safe and Sensational

May/Jun '07 Premium Content

Turkey: Scenic, Safe and Sensational

There is much to be said for seeing Turkey on a motorcycle. The roads, ease of traveling from the U.S., the unequalled historic and archeological wonders, and the excellent hotels and restaurants make it as convenient as touring in Europe. But the best reason for coming here is to

Canada: Newfoundland - To Terra Nova

May/Jun '07 Premium Content

Canada: Newfoundland - To Terra Nova

We couldn't recognize much of what the attendant was saying as English, nor did we understand him when he smiled and rattled off a rapid-fire warning, "Yobettagedyoassoutofhere!" But we quickly got the message as the big truck approached. The man's dialect, we later learned,

BMW R1200R

> An elegant new member of the naked community, the BMW R1200R is a very worthy successor to the extremely popular R1150R. Rolling out under a gray sky, with the clouds so low and swollen they looked as if they might burst at any moment, I kept a close eye

Ducati Multistrada 1000DS

Ducati Multistrada 1000DS

> If you want to stand out in a crowd, Ducati certainly has the answer. That's my first thought as I ride into a parking lot full of big, bad chromo-cruisers on a bright red Ducati Multistrada. The Duc's avant-garde bodywork and trellis frame give it

Harley-Davidson FXDCI Dyna Super Glide® Custom

Harley-Davidson FXDCI Dyna Super Glide® Custom

> There's no telling what tomorrow's assignments will bring. We might be exploring a great new road up in the mountains, riding off to a rally or charity event, or leaving at sunrise on another tour that's likely to eat up a thousand miles

Kawasaki Vulcan® 900 Custom

Kawasaki Vulcan® 900 Custom

> Just mention Austin, Texas, and I'm ready to head that way. A vibrant, college-town atmosphere, great food, innumerable live music venues, and some great riding make the Lone Star State's capital one of the coolest towns around. So when I recently received an invite to

Super-sized Scooter

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