Road Trip

What better way of proving a motorcycle than with a near-impossible journey? And what could be more impossible than riding to the south pole, in -40°C temperatures? Which will give out first, the bikes or the riders?

Being the closest thing to flying without leaving the ground, Cruisers have been the incarnation of the ‘30s to ‘60s American lifestyles. Large motors with plenty of low-end torque, forward set footpegs, and a laid-back reclined riding position define any modern-day cruisers. Traditionally, large V-twins ran under the hoods, but inline engines have become more common these days.

Here is our list of new cruiser motorcycles coming in hot in 2020 that gets us to simply cruise, at one with our bike, taking in the sights and smells, the cool air washing over, and supposedly cleansing the soul.

We all know that Ducati is one such motorcycle maker which makes machines straight from the heart. Every motorcycle in the stable of Ducati speaks of some purpose which is beautifully blended with the pinch of hardcore passion. Ducati made a surprising move some half a decade ago when it unveiled the Multistrada for the first time in front of the world. Out of all the motorcycles from Ducati, the Multistrada proved out to be the most practical motorcycle which still doesn’t miss out on the specific Ducati principles.

The Multistrada gradually went on creating a new niche of motorcycles, thus changing the image of Ducati as a manufacturer of only hard-core supersports. Then in 2015, they gave us the Enduro edition. Unlike the urban design of the standard Multistrada 1200, the new Multistrada 1200 Enduro claims to expose the wild side of Ducati, with its pure adventure appeal.

Now in 2017, the brand has taken it to the next level. They have given the adventure junkie more tools to let the 1200 Enduro go “even more globetrotter with the Pro version”. To allow treading on even less-beaten track, the Pro features rally tyres, new tank bars, new colour schemes, type-approved titanium exhaust sets and more. Let me go ranting about them:

With the increased popularity of adventure bikes, so increases the need for good camping gear suitable for your motorcycle excursions. You want gear that is lightweight and compact so you can pack all you need without exceeding your bike’s maximum weight rating or your storage capacity. Looking at tents, the same criteria for backpacking fits the bill for motorcycling. It must be lightweight, but strong and waterproof, and pack into as small a package as possible. What separates your adventures from a backpacker, however, is the availability to park your motorcycle in the tent with you — protected from the weather and safe from prying eyes — while you sleep. Not all of my picks for best motorcycle camping tents let you do that; things like ease of assembly, quality and creature comforts took first priority.

(Continue reading for my picks for the five best motorcycle camping tents.}

Honda is set to being back the Africa Twin adventure bike in the US, albeit in a different guise from what we’re used to. That shouldn’t be an issue in the long run because the new iteration of the Africa Twin should make its previous incarnations proud.

Specific details surrounding the bike have yet to be announced, but Honda did say that the 2016 CRF1000L Africa Twin will essentially be the finished product of the True Adventure prototype the company showcased at the 2014 EICMA Motorcycle Show last October 2014.

Nice as that is to hear, it still doesn’t answer a lot of questions surrounding the bike since Honda didn’t reveal too much of the prototype back when it was displayed at EICMA.
Here’s what we do know. The bike will officially be called the CRF1000L Africa Twin. The use of the “CRF” name is important because Honda wants the adventure bike to be closely associated to its resident Dakar race bike, the CRF450 Rally.

Recent patent filings of the bike also revealed a few clues on what we can expect from the bike. The most noticeable part of those filings is the unique design of the airbox, which Honda supposedly created to provide more room for a larger fuel tank. That ties into the 1,000cc parallel-Twin engine that the Africa Twin will reportedly have inside its belly.

Performance numbers have yet to be released, but there’s enough reason to believe that while the Africa Twin won’t be as powerful as the BMW R1200GS, Ducati Multistrada 1200, and some of its other European counterparts, it’s going to have a lighter weight than its rivals, thus compensating for the supposed lack in power.

That said, there’s still a lot of information about the CRF1000L Africa Twin that Honda’s keeping close to its chest. Hopefully, details become available sooner than later because we can only enjoy these promo videos and teaser photos for so long.

Continue reading to read more about Honda’s plans for the CRF1000L Africa Twin.

We have no shortage of scenic routes here in the US so it’s fair to say that we can get our share of motorcycle adventures in our own backyard. But if you really want to embark on a real adventure, Europe and Asia are the places to be. Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman already did something like this years ago. Now, Compass Expeditions is recreating it in this new documentary called, “Beyond Siberia - Road of Bones.”

The title of the documentary is pretty self-explanatory. In it, a team of motorcycle riders, under the supervision of Compass Expeditions, embark on a 28,500-kilometer (16,500 miles) trip from London to Magadan in Eastern Russia. The whole adventure lasted 105 days and the team passed through 16 different countries in 11 different time zones.

If those numbers aren’t staggering enough, consider that the team of riders experienced pretty much every kind of road imaginable in weather conditions that ranged from blazing heat to freezing cold. Now that’s what you call an adventure.

The Beyond Siberia documentary will be made available on DVD in the next few months, but if you want to get a sneak peek of what these riders went through, check out the video and ask yourself if you could pull off something like that.

If you said, yes, well, you have a chance to actually prove it.

Click “continue reading” to read more about Compass Adventures’ tour offer for riders brave enough to recreate this trip.

Yep, I checked it again, the title it correct. Graham Merrick is a motorcycle enthusiast who together with his robot passenger will set off from John O’Groats on Tuesday 11th August 2009 10:00am and arrive at Cape Cornwall Golf & Country Club on Saturday 15th August. The plan is to raise funds so that Graham can take part in Enduro Africa.

Run by Global Enduro, Enduro Africa is an event that provides transport in the form of a motorcycle, which enables medical personnel to reach outlying areas and provide urgent medical care and aid to otherwise unreachable regions.

If he manages to raise the £5,000, Graham will travel to South Africa on 2nd October and ride a donated motorcycle for eight days and approximately 1000 km though rough and rugged terrain along South Africa’s “Eastern Wild Coast”.

Any contribution can make a difference, so you’re invited to visit the dedicated website, find out more about the challenging events and about Graham’s riding experience and even make a donation. So far, the website managed to raise £1,717.50.

Motorcycles, like no other form of transportation, lend themselves to long distance adventure traveling. Discovering remote countries on your motorcycle is easier than using car (or bicycle). They’re maybe not as comfortable, but you can go places cars can’t go, or at least with difficulties.

That’s why you see so many people taking their motorcycle and riding Round The World (RTW). Just have a look at the two actors, Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman (TV series Long Way Round and Long Way Down). Everyday, 100’s of riders are criss-crossing the globe on their motorcycles. Many are traveling around the world, or just going to some remote country to have a look. There’s so much to see, and so little time.

Long distance motorcycle adventure rides are not easy, and often a personal challenge. The issues of safety, visa, regulations, logistics, etc can be a nightmare to the most seasoned traveler, but it’s the unknown that makes it interesting. Any motorcycle will do, though the majority use BMW. But people have used Harleys, Yamaha R1 and even 50 cc mopeds.

For most international travelers there is only one source of information: Horizons Unlimited! Horizons Unlimited is a club and website offering the ultimate source of information to anyone wanting to travel abroad on their motorcycle.

If you’re looking for a company to ship your bike from the USA to Tonga, or need to know if it’s safe to ride through Sudan, what visa and paperwork you need to comply with when visiting Outer Mongolia, there really is only one place you can go to. Want to meet up with other travelers on the road while crossing a “dangerous” country? Head over to Horizons Unlimited.

The Horizons Unlimited website is called “The Hubb”, and there you’ll find many other travelers, some budding, some seasoned, but all with one common objective, discover the world on their motorcycles.

Horizons Unlimited also organize regular meetings, usually with guest speakers who have done the deed. Going to these meetings is not only fun, but you can really learn a lot if you want to go discovering other countries. You’ll be surrounded by people who don’t think you’re crazy for wanting to travel to Columbia, or ride through Africa to Cape Town. In fact, they’ll be helping you to achieve your dream.

Many travelers post their stories on The Hubb, so you can follow their rides in detail. There’s also a list of riders on the road at this moment.

If you want to see what it’s like to go RTW, have a look at Allan Karl site (http://worldrider.com/) He set out in 2005 for a RTW trip. Look at his story and great photos. Warning: you’ll be spending hours reading his story!

Click here to go and have a read at Horizons Unlimited: http://horizonsunlimited.com/

Did you go at the movie Easy Rider when it was rolling back in 1969? Starring Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson, the movie captures the journey across America of two motorcyclists in total freedom. Also famous due to its soundtrack called Born to be Wild, composed and interpreted in the late sixties by Steppenwolf, the movie had a lot to do with the rebel attitude that characterizes the period.

The title of this short post is also the title of the DVD illustrating a man with a goal. It synthesizes Gaurav Jani’s successful attempt to border China from Delhi to Changthang Plateau in Ladakh on the saddle of its 350cc Royal Enfield motorcycle and without any support whatsoever. There is no cameraman except himself, no sound guy, nobody!

On the seventy days trip, Gaurav filmed himself gathering miles, interacting with people, or simply admiring the wonderful sights that permanently surrounded him. Some of them were never even filmed before.

By simply checking out this short news and enjoying this video the adventurer spirit in every one of us comes to life and makes us crave for even a comparable experience. Who knows, maybe I’ll write something about your own adventure one of these days. It is all up to you. Until then enjoy this video!

From a solo trip in the desert for weeks, to a few days off the beaten track closer to home, adventure motorcycling means different things to different people. It requires commitment - physical, mental and financial - but the rewards are far greater.
Could 2008 be the year that you finally decide to take The Big Trip on your motorcycle? If so, then a new book has just been published which tells you everything you need to know to plan and complete the journey of a lifetime.
Adventure (...)

The famous BMW Safari, now into its 14th year, offers two opportunities for adventure in 2008, with the off-road GS Safari in March and on-road TourenSport (TS) Safari in August - and overseas visitors are most welcome. Early registration for the GS Safari has resulted in many places being snapped up, with just a handful now remaining.
BMW riders with off-road ability are invited to attend the BMW GS Safari, which will take place in the spectacular Victorian and New South Wales ’High (...)

An amateur photographer from Konya, Abdülkerim Uysal is set to go on a motorcycle trip of 5,180 kilometers across Turkey in an effort to contribute to the promotion of Turkey.
Uysal ventured out on a similar Turkey trip lasting nine days last year when traveled by train to mark the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) and opened a “Locomotive Photographs” exhibition, comprising the photos taken during his journey in Konya, Ankara, Adana and Istanbul. (...)

Exploring a new country by motorcycle really is the best way to travel, but how about using the opportunity to not only visit a new area, but also test ride several of the latest BMW bikes at the same time? BMW Motorrad’s experienced travel partner, Münchner Freiheit, has just released details of its 2007 programme and one of the latest incentives includes a new test ride touring programme.
These tours, which last from two to six days, give customers the opportunity to test ride almost all (...)

Looking for a little extra excitement in your next vacation? You’re certainly not the only one.
In fact, according to iExplore Inc., a leading resource for information about experiential travel, the adventure vacation industry is worth more than $40 billion and growing at a rate of 10 percent each year. Whether it’s climbing the Rocky Mountains or jumping on a motorcycle and touring the breathtaking coastline of California, more Americans are adding a dose of much-needed pep to their (...)

San Diego, CA — Sunday Morning Rides, a powerful new online trail and road mapping portal, has announced a new collaboration with Motoquest, Mexico’s leading online motorcycle touring resource, to promote adventure riding in Mexico and Baja. The two websites will share technologies and content to showcase Motoquest’s historic tours that distinguish Mexico as one of the truly great motorcycle adventure destinations.
By integrating Motoquest content via the SMR mapper interface, the (...)

Former world triathlon champion Felix Bergmeister decided that his own ’neighbourhood’ wasn’t big enough, so he decided to circumnavigate the planet and is currently in Namibia, riding to raise awareness of, and funds for UNICEF.
It’s hard to imagine just how fit you have to be to compete in ’ultra-triathlons’ such as the 10 times Ironman event, which Felix won in 2004. This back-to-back event alone consisted of a 38 km swim, followed by an 1800 km bike race and a 422 km run. Only a select (...)

Ride Across America, Ride & Fly Tours’ newest package, takes riders through the soul of the United States, from coast to coast, through miles of incredible sights and vistas. The details of the Ride Across America tour are available online at http://www.rideandflytours.com/coast_to_coast.php. “Close your eyes and imagine riding along scenic two-lane highways, seeing the natural beauty of this country and meeting the warmest people you will ever find,” says John Garwood of Ride & Fly (...)