RoadRUNNER January/February 2006
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Shamrock Tour
Shamrock Tour®: Moab, Utah
"Ya gotta see the petroglyphs on the road to Potash," says my new best friend, as he hands me a bottle of Black Butte Porter. The affable Floridian, also staying at the Adventure Inn, is making his annual trek to the Canyonlands. Next morning, I'm standing by the rock face trying to decode the primitive etchings when a car pulls up. One of its occupants...
National Tours
Eastern Arkansas
The light slanting through the slit in the blackout curtains seems to indicate the day has dawned bright and sunny. Slowly, like a tortoise, my dream-fogged head extrudes from the dark shell of the motel room at the door and swivels in the outside world. Yes, it's a beautiful morning to begin a tour. A familiar grin tugs on the corners of my mouth and...
Charleston to Cincinnati
Well mama said, "Son before you goThere's something I want you to doPromise me that you won't go wrongAs you travel down Highway 52."With a map spread across our table at a rooftop bar in Charleston, South Carolina, we began calculating the daily distances of the upcoming tour. More than 2,000 miles of fascinating terrain lay ahead of us along Highway...
Southwest New Mexico
Silver City – Las Cruces (186 miles) Our morning ride begins in Silver City on 15, an extremely scenic, single-lane road that heads to the Gila Hot Springs. Backtracking some to 35, meandering south along a green valley, we take a left on 152 to race over one of the best 26-mile stretches of road in America. Using first and second gears, we zip...
Old Salem to Williamsburg via Virginia Highway 40
Ah, vintage motorcycles – No matter how well you plan and prepare, nothing seems to quell the mischievous nature of the little gremlin that seems to reside in all things carbureted. An irksome imp whom I oh-so fondly call #*@%^$ occasionally visits my 1978 Kawasaki KZ650C. Unfortunately, the little rat decided to check in just two days before...
International Destinations
Oman and a Woman
Arabia, the home of Aladdin and Sinbad the Sailor, has always intrigued me, and I eagerly signed up when friends began planning a motorcycle trip to Oman. As dual-sport bike riders, we especially wanted to get off the pavement and see Oman's backcountry. So there I was, flying to the Middle East on a 747 with a burqa in one hand and a motorcycle helmet...
New Zealand: The Land of The Long White Cloud
In a state of complete mental exhaustion at the airport in Auckland, I refuse to believe what the voice at the other end of the telephone line is saying: "You wanna collect two motorbikes from us? Shipped from Australia, you say?" An ominous, long silence follows. "I'm afraid that there's no such thing here." Putting the phone down, I take a desperate...
Riding Impressions
Honda GL1800A Gold Wing (ABS) - Long-term Evaluation
I've never liked Gold Wings. For years they were objects of derision. The characterizations I'd hurl in their direction included too big, too clumsy, too heavy, and the ever popular "it's nothing but a car on two wheels." On top of everything else, they seemed most often bedecked with teddy bears, flags, and identically dressed riders and passengers....
Honda CBR100RR / Kawasaki ZX-10R / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / Yamaha YFR-R1
The best of the best, cream of the crop, and pick of the litter are all phrases used to denote the outstanding single example of a collective. And when surveying the four 1000cc supersport models parked in the hotel parking lot, it quickly becomes apparent that picking the "Best of Show" isn't going to be an easy task. Each model arguably represents...
Who You Callin' Scooter?
In America, more is more. Size matters. We like things big – upsized, super-sized. From Jumbo Jets to Jumbotrons, we're Dumbo for humongo. We relish taking everything to the next level. Did you ever think the Big Gulp® would get bigger? Me neither. Well, now you can get something called the Super Big Gulp®, a plastic monstrosity that ought...
2005 Triumph Sprint 1050ST
I'm stuck behind a line of cars following a dawdling farm tractor along the winding A259 road between Rye and Hastings in East Sussex, England. A gap appears in the oncoming flow: time to test the new 1050 Sprint ST's acceleration. Staying in third gear, I signal, crank the throttle and pull out. In seconds, the speedometer is nudging three figures,...
Chronicles
Not Your Typical BMW Emporium
The San Francisco Bay area is unique in many respects. One that readily registers in a motorcyclist's mind is that, for all its urban congestion – three major cities and a dozen smaller ones surround the bay, there are still amazing amounts of quiet, crowd-free, winding roads. Perfect for a Sunday ride and most of them are within easy reach of...
At the Sign of the Wolf
When I started out in motorcycling, my second bike was a BMW 1100 GS. And since it's routine, simply a matter of good form to do so here in Austria, I mounted a Remus Racing exhaust on it. What a sound! Before the Remus Company began developing and producing high-end vehicular components in the Styrian enclave of Bärnbach, this Austrian village...
The Benefits of Becoming a Scooter Commuter
Back When Gas was 25 Cents A GallonAs a youngster I remember our car's glove box held a little book in which my father dutifully tracked the gas mileage. Although gas only cost about 25 cents a gallon then, gas mileage was discussed among family and friends with an intensity that bordered on religious fervor. These discussions haven't changed that much...
If octane is good, is more better?
Have you ever taken your baby to the gas station and decided to treat her? (I'm talking about the bike, of course.) So you pull up to the pumps and go for the highest octane you can get. After all, nothing's too good for your bike, or is it? What's special about higher octane fuel? More power? Better gas mileage? Longer engine life? Most of us know...
