Motorcycle Rides, Roads and Self-Guided Travel
This section focuses on local and international motorcycle rides, roads and self-guided travel experiences from the editors of Rider magazine. Some of the articles you will recognize from print, and others are web exclusive. Click on any of the images to see the sites in a larger format. Planning a trip of your own? Check out RiderDiaries.com to see over 100 tour articles from the editors of Rider complete with large-scale ride maps, and dealership, accommodation and biker-friendly locators.
South Dakota Escape
Mike Koplen
March 6, 2013
As a young boy, my stamp collection included a green 1952 three-cent commemorative of Mt. Rushmore. The four presidential faces gazing wisely across America from the top of a mountain were mesmerizing, almost mystical in their patriotic magnificence. In my child’s imagination, they embodied the historical... Read more »
Crisscrossing the Lower Colorado River–Hoover Dam to the Oxbow Bridge
Clement Salvadori
February 4, 2013
For more than 35 years, a contingent of aging Yuppies that includes Yours Truly has been convening at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley in late winter. Now, after three nights of carousing, retelling oft-told tales and ignoring realities, the DV weekend was over. I cranked up the Honda Gold Wing GL1800... Read more »
Reservoir Roads: Exploring New York’s Southern Highlands
Kenneth W. Dahse
January 4, 2013
When I go on an extended motorcycle tour, I like to ride back roads with plenty of twisties to challenge me, in an area with forests, mountains, lakes and rivers to stimulate the senses. That’s why riding the reservoir roads of New York’s southern highlands makes for a fantastic motorcycle tour.... Read more »
Dreaming of Africa: Ayres African Southern Cross Adventure
Mark Tuttle
January 3, 2013
It was pitch dark, and the air buzzed with strange insect sounds and animal calls over the quiet ticking of the Land Cruiser’s cooling exhaust. Moments before, our ranger/guide Lyle had killed the Toyota’s engine and headlights on this lonely road in Kruger National Park in order to point out the... Read more »
Southern Utah Splendor
Michael S. Brown
January 3, 2013
For three decades, my buddy Ted and I have taken long rides from our homes near Portland, Oregon. Years ago, we exhausted all the scenic roads within a day’s ride, so we bought a Kendon Stand-Up trailer in order to get our 60-year-old selves and Suzuki V-Strom 650s farther afield with enough energy... Read more »
Gorgeous Columbia: Seattle to the Columbia River Gorge and Back
Phil Buonpastore
December 4, 2012
When it comes to unspoiled natural beauty, the Columbia River Gorge ranks as one of the most stunning places on earth. While that may sound like an overly hyped statement in an overly hyped world, in this case it happens to be true. Few places combine as many elements of beautiful geography and topography—mountains,... Read more »
Scouting the Cumberland Highlands in Tennessee
Clement Salvadori
November 9, 2012
I was sitting at a picnic table under a large tree in front of the Cyclemos Motorcycle Museum savoring one of Vinnie T’s burgers with all the trimmings, and a fellow on the other side of the table said, “You’re not from around here.” “Nope,” I agreed, as I looked over the map of Tennessee... Read more »
Catskills Escape: Curves and Coolness in New York’s Reservoir Valleys
Mike Koplen
November 7, 2012
Say “New York” and people think of Manhattan with its skyscrapers. But most of New York State is rural, with excellent motorcycle roads throughout. From my home in the lower Hudson Valley, I can ride 25 minutes south across the George Washington Bridge into the Big Apple, or head north and cruise... Read more »
The Long Way to Monterey and Morro Bay, California
Tom Culbertson
October 9, 2012
It’s 6 a.m. on a Wednesday as I head out of Port Hueneme, California, north to Monterey—the long way! There are so many fantastic back roads through this remote and pristine Central-Coast countryside that every trip is a unique and rewarding adventure. Today, riding my BMW R 1100 R, I catch Highway... Read more »
Motorcycle Travel Through the Rocky Mountains
Don Metz
October 8, 2012
The high mountain passes of the Rocky Mountains are an incomparable motorcycle touring experience, ringing with the legacy of tens of thousands of gold prospectors who fearlessly blazed trails across them in search of riches. Sunsets over the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains are often a spectacular... Read more »
