RoadRUNNER March/April 2007
Shamrock Tour
Shamrock Tour®: Glens Falls, New York
The curves up the mountain are so tight that you are just peripherally aware of the rock alternating with the forested ravine, first left, then right; you're going so fast, you strain not to bang into the one or go sliding down the other. Your riding companion's taillight appears, then disappears; you focus, focus, as you continue the climb. But there...
National Tours
Montana: Into the Big Sky Sunset
Heads still awhirl from a day of amazing sights in Yellowstone National Park, Kathy and I exit the West Entrance and suddenly enter the town of West Yellowstone, Montana. Even though the shadows are lengthening, we decide that it's better for us to push on past this crowded tourist trap and end the day by letting the Wing reveal a bit of Big Sky Country...
Cruising Nevada's Lonely Roads
For a brief 18-month period between April 1860 and November 1861, the east-west route across central Nevada was the busiest it had ever been. Spurred by the looming civil war, California Senator William M. Gwinn proposed a fast mail service from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, provided the mail could be delivered within ten days. The Central Overland...
Southwest Georgia: Spring Below the Fall Line
Fleeing south on Interstate 85, I'm feeling relieved to have, once again, successfully completed another circumnavigation of the city of Atlanta. The sheet-metal maelstrom known as Interstate 285, encircling the Capital of the South, arguably has the capacity to supply more "interesting moments" than any road in the country. With the sun slowly making...
North Carolina: Nags Head Revisited
Up until a few months ago I didn't have any fond memories of Eastern North Carolina. The unfavorable impressions that I retain spring from long-ago drives to Nags Head on the Outer Banks – dull, dispiriting trips taken in old, mephitic cars packed with battered musical equipment and spent musicians that rumbled through a string of tired towns...
International Destinations
Canada: Meandering in Manitoba
You don't always need a Paris-Dakar race-rally replica with a jacked-up saddle, a monster fuel tank, and knobby tires to ride in exotic places. Equipped with a normal street bike and a healthy sense of adventure, you can leave the pressures of daily living behind and easily escape into the rare beauty that is Canada's remote northern wilderness....
Colombia: The Far Side Of The Moon
Riding a motorcycle around the world is the ultimate learning experience. Take Colombia. Whenever Uwe and I had thought about the northwestern-most country in South America, we immediately imagined drug cartels, chaos, and danger. We could only visualize the dark side of a country whose people have lived through many years of terror. But traveling there,...
Riding Impressions
Maximum Flash
Tucked away at Harley-Davidson facilities is a small team of engineers and stylists that works as a separate unit under the acronym, CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations). Responsible for producing limited numbers of highly customized motorcycles since 1999, the group has four individual models to choose from in the lineup for 2007: a Softail Springer, a...
KTM 950 Adventure
Ohio, the Spring of 2006. It was standing there, all dressed-up in day-glow orange, seeming to stare, as though daring me, through its double headlights. I thought, this is definitely not the bike you would buy for a Sunday outing to the next café, although it would certainly draw plenty of attention. No, this is a bike meant to be ridden hard...
2007 Honda CBR600RR
For 2007, the 20th anniversary of the Honda Hurricane, Honda is dropping the venerable, street-focused CBR600F4i and returning to their "one 600cc sportbike for all occasions" formula....
Yamaha FZ1
A "Jack of All Trades" with handlebars, the Yamaha FZ1 has been handling daily commutes, touring away vacation time, and tearing up track days since 2001. And although it's been called the poster child for limited garage space, this ride is usually much too busy and definitely too much fun to be hanging around for long with the lawn equipment....
Bumble Beemer
I once asked a BMW car marketing guy what differentiated his company's image from rival Mercedes. "Simple," he said. "We build motorcycles; they build trucks." And considering its traditional image as a maker of staid and stolid motorcycles, BMW has an impressive record of performance innovation: the first factory-faired sport bike, the 1976 Daytona-winning...
Chronicles
Is Motorcycle Camping For You?
Having covered a number of the "do's and don'ts" novice campers should be aware of in the last issue, we focus in this installment on 10 topics worth considering to enhance all of your motorcycle camping experiences....
Animal Crack-ups
I was still a good hundred yards away when the turkey started across the road. No problem, I thought: it'll see me and scram. It saw me alright, but decided it would try to outrun me instead. Turkeys aren't known for their swiftness, and it was up against 110 horsepower. By then it was too late to brake. I veered left, but so did the turkey. The only...
Product Reviews
Triumph Sympatex® Explorer II Boots
These extremely light, very durable boots feature nu-buck and leather construction with easy-on Velcro™ closures. I’ve worn them in all weather conditions and found them equal to all others, at any price, that I’ve tested. Very comfortable when worn with an average-weight sock, they also live up to the maker’s claims of being...
First Gear Jaunt Jacket Kwik-Dry Sport Tour Pants
As I spend months each year on the road, I’m always looking for the perfect three-season, waterproof, textile jacket. Recently, I think I found it. Made of 100-percent waterproof, 840-denier, Hypertex™ material, First Gear’s Jaunt jacket incorporates rain-beating features like fold-over, storm-proof pockets, and a rain gutter on the...
British Motorcycle Gear Rapido Gloves
I always use BMG’s Rapido Gloves for my longer tours. Smooth on the inside, without any seams in the wrong places, they fit comfortably around my hands. BMG uses Grade-A semi-aniline leather with carbon leather molded knuckle protection. Strategically placed padding ensures good protection, and air vents at the fingertips provide suitable airflow....
Lookwell Woodland Jacket & Storm Pants
No matter how well organized a tour may be, there’s no way to truly predict the weather. This was especially true on a recent tour in the Adirondacks. Though the forecasters promised clear skies during the planning stages, those rosy prognostications quickly went south as I ventured north. Thankfully, part of the trip’s strategy involved...
Hein Gericke Tuareg Rallye GTX II Jacket and Pants
Well known for producing functional and stylish motorcycle gear, Hein Gericke has created an excellent option that addresses a woman’s needs in its Tuareg Rallye GTX II ensemble. Once on, this jacket and pants combination feels, quite simply, like a second skin. The designer’s commitment to quality and eye for detail show up in the many...
Dowco Guardian® Ultralite™ Plus
Being out on the road does not mean your bike needs relentless exposure to the elements. When you’re snug in your room or tent, why should your faithful ride have to rough it? The folks at Dowco have a perfectly valid answer to that question in their Guardian® Ultralite™ Plus motorcycle cover. Yeah, we’ve all dealt with those hard-to-use...
BestRest Products Cycle Pump
You’re way off the beaten path and your tire goes flat, potentially a nightmare situation for the unprepared. Plugs and patches will fix the offending flaw, but playing the inflation game can be a whole new experience in frustration. Now, there’s no reason to be caught flat-footed and infuriated when BestRest Products Cycle Pump can have...
Joe Rocket Speedmaster Back Protector
I guess the timing was perfect – Joe Rocket’s Speedmaster back protector arrived when I was doing a bit of soul searching about the level of protection I employ while riding. On a recent motorcycle trip in Europe, after noticing how many riders were including back protection as part of their normal routine, I decided that maybe my spine...
Royal Enfield The Legend Rides On Celebrating 50 Years In India
If motorcycle history interests you, then you’ll appreciate Gordon May’s Royal Enfield, The Legend Rides On. Tracing the history of the marque from its beginnings in Redditch, England, in the late 1800s, to the iconic Bullet model produced today in the modern, Chennai, India factory, this fine coffee-table book is packed with lush photography...
Crystal-Glo
Those warmer days are just over the horizon and the sun will be shining down on a new riding season. Why not make the most of those rays and have the surfaces of your precious ride reflect them for all to see? That’s a perfectly easy proposition if Crystal-Glo Acrylic Motorcycle Polish is part of your bike-cleaning repertoire. This acrylic-based...
