Jan/Feb '16 Premium Content British Columbia and Washington: The Border Tour The Canada-U.S. border disproves the old saying that good fences make good neighbors. It’s famously the world’s longest, undefended international border and, in much of the West, it’s simply a line drawn along the 49th parallel. There are no walls or fences, just a column of
Nov/Dec '15 Premium Content Michigan: A Quest for Pie Polishing off a pre-tour mahimahi taco and Key lime pie dinner while watching the sun slide behind a row of tethered yachts, I wonder if my preconceived ideas about the tour are about to be blown out of the water. I envision four days of sleuthing small town diners with
Nov/Dec '15 Premium Content Jefferson, Texas Shamrock Tour®: Bayou Chiefs It is 1901. Dirt roads are evolving from indian trails and wagon routes to connect a country in the midst of a technological revolution. George M. Hendee and Carl Hedstrom have just completed their first 1.75-horsepower prototype of the Indian Motorcycle in Springfield, MA. More than 114 years later,
Nov/Dec '15 Premium Content Catskills, New York: A Man Out of Time A short ride turns into a big adventure and poses a big question, “Can a Royal Enfield take you back in time?” The midday sun pokes through the canopy of leaves and warms my face. I hear a distant voice. “Wake up.” I’m in a deep slumber, swimming in
Nov/Dec '15 Premium Content Reader Ride–Southern California: Scootouring Scootouring (v.) the act of traveling long distances on a scooter. Sometimes the right word just doesn’t exist. Such is the case with touring on a scooter. With the advent of maxi-scooters (scooters with motorcycle displacement engines and similar performance), major manufacturers have embraced this growing market segment. But
Nov/Dec '15 City Escape: Richmond, Virginia > This route transports riders from Richmond, VA, the former Confederate capital, across rolling farmland in central Virginia to several iconic locations, marking the final days of the American Civil War in the spring of 1865. Riders interested in Civil War history should factor in plenty of time to peruse
Nov/Dec '15 City Escape: Salt Lake City, Utah > This route travels the rural “Wasatch Back” beginning at the mouth of Emigration Canyon in Salt Lake County and loops northward on twisty canyon roads, over mountain passes, and through the pastoral Morgan and Upper Ogden Valleys. June, September, and October are the most scenic months to ride. Length
Sep/Oct '15 Premium Content San Francisco, California to Seattle, Washington: The Unusual Route For simple navigation it would be easy to connect both cities via Highway 1 along the coast, but the inland route, including an occasional coastal intermezzo, promises much more diversity. Wow! This is steeper than it looks on television—and much better. We don’t know what to do first.
Sep/Oct '15 Premium Content Folkston, Georgia Shamrock Tour®: Sand in the Swamp Stretching across the Florida-Georgia border lies an impenetrable wall of stoic old oaks draped with Spanish moss and rooted in the dark, murky waters of the Okefenokee Swamp. With rumors of unexplained and supernatural phenomena, the swamp is full of secrets to be discovered. Sand Belongs on the Beach Folkston,
Sep/Oct '15 Premium Content The Oklahoma Adventure Trail: Mission Impossible “We’re taking the bypass,” a wise James Pratt belts out from aboard his faded yellow Suzuki DR-Z400. “I’m out of gas and there is no way these guys will get those pigs through the woods in this muck.” The “woods” we are about to enter are a segment
Sep/Oct '15 City Escape: Tucson, Arizona > This southern Arizona loop ride includes varied road types, picturesque scenery, and well-placed historic towns. Riders will get a taste of the Old West, peruse eclectic art, and enjoy rich desert flora and fauna. It’s a fall, winter, and spring ride since the summer temperatures in the southwest
Sep/Oct '15 City Escape: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania > This Bucks County covered bridge route is meant for laid-back scenic cruising. Along the way you’ll be rewarded with canopied country byways, crossing eight beautifully maintained covered bridges and through historic villages with an abundance of eclectic shops and restaurants. Riders will want to stop often. Length Approximately
Sep/Oct '15 City Escape: Las Vegas, Nevada > This loop south of Las Vegas is a serene escape from the urban bustle. Once free from the neon lights and the traffic of Sin City, riders will experience the raw beauty of the Mojave Desert. The clear desert air allows awe-inspiring views of rugged mountains, expansive sand dunes,
Jul/Aug '15 Premium Content Wisconsin: A Finger in the Lake On the northern tip of the Door County peninsula, the waters of Green Bay meet those of Lake Michigan creating a particularly dangerous stretch of water known to the region’s first French explorers as Porte des Morts Passage or the “Way to the Door of the Dead” (aka Death’
Jul/Aug '15 Premium Content State College PA Shamrock Tour®: Roads Less Traveled It’s early October in central Pennsylvania as days grow shorter, temperatures decline, the air is crisp, and fall foliage blooms. I’m reminded that it’s been 11 years to the month from when I did my first tour here for RoadRUNNER under the tutelage of magazine founder, Christian
Jul/Aug '15 Premium Content Trans-America Trail, Colorado to Oregon: Detours, Broken Bones, and New Friendships As if on cue, my new riding partner, Luke Swab, rolls into Fairplay, CO, on a Yamaha WR250R, where I am waiting to meet him by the side of the road. I’m relieved, yet I’m apprehensive to have a riding partner. The first half of the journey had
Jul/Aug '15 Premium Content Reader Ride–Utah Highway 12: It's the Journey and the Destination In my impetuous youth, I felt the kickstand was my sworn enemy. I was one of those guys who wore continuous hours of saddle time as a badge of honor and total miles for the day like the crown jewel on my riding tiara. In my more mature years, I
Jul/Aug '15 City Escape: Jacksonville, Florida > The low-lying coastal region surrounding Florida’s largest city isn’t home to lots of curves that many motorcyclists crave. However, what a rider will find along this day ride from the city are lovely little seaside towns, southern swamps, and quiet rural communities to give one a much-needed
Jul/Aug '15 City Escape: Santa Clarita, California > Santa Clarita lies just north of Los Angeles along the West Coast’s main north-south corridor, Interstate 5, so it’s easy to get to from many surrounding areas. Just north of town is Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park, with fantastic roller coasters, and Castaic Lake, which offers
Jul/Aug '15 City Escape: Austin, Texas > More sweepers than tight curves—explore the countryside southwest of Austin, which will appeal to every type of motorcyclist. From President LBJ’s ranch to German culinary delights, this route has it all. To include all stops along the way, plan ahead and hit the road early in the
Classic Roads Premium Content Route 66 East: America’s Main Street More than any other stretch of pavement, Route 66 imprinted the open road into the American psyche and helped shape the cultural fabric of the nation as the automobile came of age. The historic route can trace its origins back to 1857 when the Army Corps of Engineers began work
Classic Roads Premium Content Route 66 West: Riding the Mother Road Today, when people think about Route 66, they see visions of dramatic expanses of southwestern desert and the adventure of exploring the wide-open country. At its peak, the stretch of 66 through New Mexico, Arizona, and California was a bustling highway as Americans moved west to seek their fortunes. Then
May/Jun '15 Premium Content Boston, Massachusetts to Baltimore, Maryland: Life of Pie 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. Chew on this for a second—on any given
May/Jun '15 Premium Content Sedona, Arizona Shamrock Tour®: Mountains High and Valleys Low 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
May/Jun '15 Premium Content Trans-America Trail, Tennessee to Southern Colorado: Banjos, Tears, & Corn Nubbins 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
