Motorcycle Features
In this section you’ll find motorcycle-related feature articles including biographies, technical endeavors, historical spotlights and other articles that focus on interesting aspects of motorcycling culture. If it’s not a road test, motorcycle spotlight, news, gear, rally, blog or tour article, you’ll find it here!
Tales From the Dark Side: Putting Car Tires on Motorcycles
Eric Trow
June 11, 2012
Have you ever found yourself unwittingly in the middle of a heated religious or political debate between two vehemently opposed participants? Not since the dispute over conventional oil vs. synthetic oil have I seen such polarized and passionate opinions in the motorcycle world. The question is, unlike... Read more »
The Long Road to Indy, A Scenic Sport-Touring Ride to the MotoGP
Lance Oliver
June 6, 2012
(This Long Road to Indy feature was published in the June 2012 issue of Rider magazine.) Imagine a multi-state Main Street for Motorcycling, a cross-country route made just for riding. Miles of sinuous asphalt draped over rolling hills, winding past tumbledown barns with faded Mail Pouch tobacco ads,... Read more »
Great Motorcycle Riding and Camaraderie in Québec, Canada
Scott A. Williams
June 1, 2012
(This article was published in the June 2012 issue of Rider Magazine.) Story and photos by Scott A. Williams Heading north from the U.S. into the Canadian province of Québec requires crossing an international border. It also involves crossing a cultural border. Experiencing some of that culture firsthand... Read more »
Norton Moto-Electra: Rewiring a Classic
Robert Boucheron
May 31, 2012
(This article was originally published in the July 2012 issue of Rider Magazine.) Brian Richardson got his first motorcycle in 1969 at the age of 10. It was a 2.5-horsepower minibike from the Carousel department store in Richmond, Virginia. Within days, another boy challenged him to a race. The other... Read more »
Motorcycle Ride with Ride Ottawa Canada
Debbie Macdonald
May 16, 2012
Eight of us were invited to Canada by the Ottawa Valley Tourism Association, Go Ride Ottawa and Trillium Motorcycle Tours to explore the promise of their spectacular province’s slogan, “Yours to Discover,” by traveling the Ottawa Valley and Algonquin Provincial Park. So, after a long day of individual... Read more »
No-Crash Course Yamaha Champions Riding School
Greg Drevenstedt
May 6, 2012
(This Riding Around article was published in the May 2012 issue.) By Greg Drevenstedt • Photography by Jeremy Henrie I’ve got a confession to make. I crashed several test bikes during my first couple of years at Rider. Sure, I could B.S. you with tired clichés like, “If you don’t crash once... Read more »
Waiting for the Volcano: Motorcycle Travel in Ecuador
Dexter Ford
May 2, 2012
I felt stupid. Not a new experience, to be sure. But this time, even more than usual. I’d been invited to ride a motorcycle through Ecuador. Which sounded like a great idea. It did, however, raise some basic questions. Like what—and where—is Ecuador? I feel just a little smarter now. It took 10... Read more »
The Haul Road: A Motorcycle Tour of Alaska’s Dalton Highway
Frederick Tressler
April 4, 2012
My first ride to Alaska in 2008 was a 15-day, 7,600-mile affair and the fulfillment of a long delayed dream. Yet I still had the nagging feeling of unfinished business. In many ways it merely stoked my appetite for northern travel. This time getting to Alaska involved a 21-day, 8,400-mile round trip... Read more »
Newfoundland Adventure: Motorcycle Travel Feature
Jeff McQueen
April 3, 2012
I had ridden 1,000 miles to catch the 11:30 a.m. ferry to Newfoundland. But I was late and lost and boarding closed in 10 minutes. I had made the classic GPS mistake—punched in a destination without checking a map. I was in Sydney, Nova Scotia, but the ferry was boarding in North Sydney, 12 miles away.... Read more »
Going Loopy for New Mexico: Motorcycle Travel Feature
Bill Stermer
April 2, 2012
At an overlook near Cumbres Pass (elevation 10,022 feet) north of Chama, New Mexico, I parked the 2011 Victory Cross Country to take a break. Soon I was joined by a man in a cowboy hat who had climbed out of his pickup truck to stand on a granite outcropping and peer through binoculars. He explained... Read more »
