AN AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE BRAND GOES AWAY. I’m surprised by today’s news that Harley is killing off Buell Motorcycles. Buell has offered innovative technology to the motorcycle world since 1993, as a small, American, sportbike manufacturer. Buell even won its first AMA Pro racing championship in September of this year. Click Read more
THERE ARE FAVORITE MOTORBIKE ROADS ALL OVER THE WORLD. And within North America, there are countless roads that speak the language of motorcycles, luring riders far and wide, year in and year out. One such road that truly bears the description “spectacular,” is the Beartooth Highway in Montana and Wyoming. Read more
ROADS ARE THE INTERNATIONAL PLAYGROUND FOR MOTORCYCLE RIDERS. Curvy roads, scenic roads, mountain roads, river roads, ocean roads, desert roads, canyon roads, fast roads, slow roads, paved roads, dirt roads, gravel roads, sand roads, bad roads, high roads, low roads…they’re all places for motorcycle adventure, amusement, camaraderie, solitude, contemplation, exhilaration, Read more
BIKERS MAY BE ACCUSED OF MANY THINGS, some true and some not, but for a number of riders, there is no escaping the accusation of being addicted to motorbikes. Can that get out of control? Although it’s hard to imagine “riding too much” becoming problematic, how about a malady that Read more
WHERE ARE YOU ON THE SPECTRUM OF MOTORCYCLE SAFETY? If you are reading this, it could be presumed that you have some level of interest in motorcycle safety. But in my experience, what that means in terms of “how much” or “how little” you routinely demonstrate the “best practices” of Read more
HOW SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT ARE YOU, COMPARED TO OTHER RIDERS? Over the years, non-motorcycle riders have asked me to express common traits among motorbike riders that I’ve observed. But I’ve been hard pressed to identify truly universal common rider attributes – other than a love of motorcycles and riding. Perhaps Read more
MOTORCYCLE CAMPING SURE DOESN’T SEEM LIKE IT SHOULD BE FOR EVERYONE. But it might be right for you! Well, I am a bit biased. I’ve been motorcycle camping for a long time and I’ve camped all over North America. Which, in my case, is a good and bad thing. The Read more
MOTORCYCLE RIDERS ARE A UNIQUE BUNCH. Over the decades I’ve managed to ride all over North America, including coast-to-coast, multi-week tours a number of times. As much as I love riding, I also love to shoot the breeze with motorcycle riders of all ages and experience levels, wherever we may Read more
WHAT ARE YOUR MOTORCYCLE TOURING SUGGESTIONS? A friend of mine just bought a new motorcycle (he’s been riding off and on for many years) and will be taking a trip with his wife and asked my advice regarding motorcycle security on the road; best gear for touring through mountains with Read more
THE BEST BOOTS FOR MOTORCYCLE FEET. No one needs to tell you that motorcycle boots protect your feet. And even if you don’t ever plan on crashing, your feet are in regular contact with the ground, including every time you stop. In the process, your feet can become acquainted with Read more
EVERY MOTORCYCLE RIDERS HAS HAD CLOSE CALLS. Which of yours were so close that you were in disbelief that a tragedy simply failed to materialize when it should have? (Write your experience below). The events that have really been on the edge of life and death for me, are some Read more
GOOD AND BAD NEWS ABOUT MAINTAINING YOUR MOTORCYCLE BATTERY. Maintaining your motorcycle’s battery is not likely as inspiring as getting out and riding. But you can squeeze a lot more life out of that battery if you give it some minimal attention. The good news is that as long as Read more
THE RACE IS ON, THE ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE REVOLUTION IS HAPPENING. April 2009 was a milestone month for electric motorcycles, and the two biggest news items are from the same company: Zero Motorcycles in Santa Cruz, California. To begin wtih, Zero Motorcycles staged the first 24-hour endurance event for electric, off-road Read more
THREE POINTS OF PROPER MOTORCYCLE BATTERY MAINTENANCE. I love riding motorcycles. I cannot say I “love” motorcycle maintenance. Although I have done quite a lot of bike maintenance in the past, including the basics, like changing tires, changing oil, replacing spark plugs, and air filters. I’ve also done electrical work Read more
SPEAKING WITH NEWBIES ABOUT STOPPING MOTORCYCLES. I was at one of the local motorcycle dealers this week. As I was walking around the large showroom, I happened to pass by a sales person while he was pointing out the motorcycle controls to a potential customer, “…and this is the front Read more