Sep/Oct '04 - RoadRUNNER

RoadRUNNER

Sep/Oct '04

September/October 2004

Northern Arizona

Sep/Oct '04 Premium Content

Northern Arizona

I awake in Flagstaff to a dusting of snow on the trees and bushes. More of the same is heaped upon the naked rock that crowns Humphrey's Peak, the highest point in Arizona. This sharp summit, stretching 12,633 feet above this old railroad town, tears holes in

Norway: Wild, Scenic Fjord Country

Sep/Oct '04 Premium Content

Norway: Wild, Scenic Fjord Country

Want to explore Europe's wild North? Then traveling western Norway between the historic city of Bergen and Geiranger, along the secluded coast and over the central mountains with its demanding rides around Dalsnibba and Trollstigen, is your best bet. When the Fjordlines ferry Bergen opens its jaw-like flap,

Sep/Oct '04 Premium Content

Eastern Ohio

Why did the black snake cross the road? I don't know either. Maybe he's fleeing to higher ground from the floodwaters that have recently plagued the Eastern Ohio countryside. Maybe the critters on his menu are just a bit more succulent on the other side. Either

Missouri Rhineland

Sep/Oct '04 Premium Content

Missouri Rhineland

Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet left the first written account of the land that became Missouri after descending the Mississippi River in 1673. Today, Father Christian Neuhauser, his wife Christa, and their sons Manuel and Florian are on the road with Aprilias and Piaggios to follow their trail. Fathers

In search of Washington's Coastal Mountains

Sep/Oct '04 Premium Content

In search of Washington's Coastal Mountains

At a Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Group meeting the president looks over and says, "Robert's just back from an interesting trip."And perhaps a bit too smugly I begin to sketch the details of my recent tour of Washington's Olympic Peninsula; 700 miles in three

Shamrock Tour® - Williamsburg, Kentucky

Sep/Oct '04 Premium Content

Shamrock Tour® - Williamsburg, Kentucky

Two-lane asphalt snakes its way through steep mountain gorges sculpted over millions of years by rushing streams. Lush vegetation presses in from all sides, often overarching the road and blotting out the sun. My feet and hands move with practiced precision, downshifting, tapping the brakes, leaning deeply into the curves,

Aprilia Atlantic 500

Aprilia Atlantic 500

> It took some doing to find out where Salina is. Now I know. It's in the middle of Kansas, and after a 14-hour drive, we finally arrived at Salina Powersport. Robert Bohm, the owner, welcomed us heartily and set about explaining the operation of two Italian scooters,

BMW R1200GS

> Airborne at 50mph isn't the time to tell myself I should have slowed down. I have to keep the throttle open and brace. Landing cleanly and gracefully, I'm surprised to find I'm still in business, so I twist the throttle. The rear end

Victory Vegas / Triumph Speedmaster Comparison

Victory Vegas / Triumph Speedmaster Comparison

> Parallel twin versus V-twin in a no-holds-barred contest of cruisers. We grabbed two contemporary powerhouses in the muscle bike market to see which one holds the edge: Is it the parallel Brit style or American know-how in the tangent? When the powers that be at RoadRUNNER suggested the assignment

The Vespa 200 GT

The Vespa 200 GT

> Few other popular creations - maybe a piping hot Neapolitan pizza - convey the life-loving verve of the Italian people than a Vespa. As our city planners and legislators grapple more with the effects of traffic congestion and dwindling resources, it wouldn't surprise me some 20 years

Yamaha R1

> No doubt about it, Michelangelo was one of the greatest artists ever and a free spirit the like of few others before or since. Trendsetters in architecture, music, fashion, cars, and bikes, Italians seem born with an eye for design. And when I first saw the original YZF-R1 in