RoadRUNNER July/August 2005
Shamrock Tour
Shamrock Tour®: Ashland, Wisconsin
Nightfall, and after a long tiring ride we turn into the drive of The Inn at Timber Cove, our tour base camp. Hidden behind old, massive trees, this romantic Bed and Breakfast lies in a lush green meadow. The owners Tina and Brian Miller escort us to our cottage and light the fire. As the wood crackles cozily in the fireplace, we dive in on their welcoming...
National Tours
Arkansas
Farm tractors churning earth on either side of I-40 west of Memphis have created finely powdered clouds the prairie gusts tumble over the featureless landscape. Target: Gold Wing. Thanks to the conspiratorial workings of Mother Nature and John Deere, the grit slowly building on my sunscreen-slathered face has inspired images of a new super hero —...
Medford, Oregon
Commitment isn't what it used to be. Each New Year's Day millions commit to lifestyle changes that last, on average, two weeks. Couples vow " 'til death do us part," yet divorce is commonplace. True commitment – a parachute jump, for example – offers no escape. Like the rockslide I'm stuck in near Galice, Oregon. A narrow, rock-strewn path...
Rhode Island
An hour out of the Big Apple on my 2004 BMW Rl150R, I spy surly, fat, gray clouds rushing belly-up behind me in the mirrors. I, in turn, rush east on the super-slab of I-95 through Connecticut. I'm on my way to begin my tour of the biggest lil' state in the Union, Rhode Island...
International Destinations
South Africa: Between Cape and Kingdom
Braai (equivalent to an American barbecue) is the first word in Afrikaans that many travelers learn simply because they're invited to them so often. Having a braai involves grilling something over a fire, from huge succulent steaks to whole fresh fish. And it always tastes very lekker. In South Africa there is an abundance of lekker beaches, lekker...
Riding Impressions
Suzuki SV650s / Triumph Speed Four / Yamaha FZ6
Here in the good old US of A, it's no secret we like things big. Need an example? Just look at the recent spate of big honkin' pavement-churning machines on display at your local bike shop – 1600, 1800, 2000cc and more. Is this really necessary? Is bigger really better?...
Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Nomad
As so often happens, I'm sitting in this huge plane getting ready to fly between Charlotte and L.A., and I'm wondering: When did they build the first of these Jumbos? More then 30 years ago. It's 2005 and this bird looks the same. Well, of course, there are the more modern electronics and the seats have been changed a few times, but if it had developed...
Just right: Suzuki's Practical Classic
Once upon a time (and this is no fairytale), a motorcycle was just a motorcycle. It came from the factory in one flavor – plain vanilla. What you did with it after that was up to you. To go touring, you could add a rack and a pair of panniers; for off-road jaunts, a set of knobby tires; for sportier riding or some track time, clip-on handlebars...
Chronicles
Unlimited Horizons
After an article in RoadRUNNER whets your appetite for traveling have you ever wondered where you could meet like-minded people with the same spirit of adventure? Do you need some encouragement to pursue your dreams? One particular website, www.horizonsunlimited.com, was constructed with just those questions in mind. Founded by a Canadian couple, Grant...
Transalp Rally in Red Rock Country
When Honda introduced its unique "Rally Touring" XL 600V Transalp to the U.S. market in 1989, the reaction was a dispirited ho-hum. American riders didn't know what to make of the bike. Based initially on the rugged, rally-type motorcycles Honda built to enter in long-distance races, such as the Paris-Dakar rally, the Transalp seemed ahead of its time...
998cc Black Shadow - A fine motorbike
In our motorcycle-besotted, pre-license teen years, my buddies and I traded hyperbole like marbles. A Gold Star would do 90 miles per hour in first gear; a 650 Panther revved so slowly, it only fired once every streetlight; a 500 Velocette would pitch you over the handlebars if it backfired while you were kick-starting it. We knew these things to be...
The Name Says it All
Touratech combines touring and technology of course, and rallies and racing into a very successful young company – one with a lot to offer, whether your tour takes you across the county or the continent....
Road Bites
Got the munchies? We've all been there: it's mid-afternoon at a gas station. You missed lunch, and breakfast is a distant memory. No problem – there's plenty of food in the store: chips, pop tarts, candy bars. You eat your fill, wash it down with diesel-flavored coffee, and hit the road. For an hour you feel bloated, then you're starving again....
Exploring the Lincoln Highway on a Vintage Honda
In 1915, just two years after completion of America's first coast-to-coast highway, The Complete and Official Road Guide of the Lincoln Highway advised, "Given fair weather, and with the exercise of reasonable care and caution in your preparation for the tour...your trip across the Lincoln Highway should be neither perilous nor unduly hazardous." With...
