In 2022, Moto Guzzi’s newly unveiled V100 Mandello with 115 horsepower and 77 pound-feet of torque is a certain far cry from your great grandfather’s original 8 horsepower Normale. After 101 years in the making, what else could one expect from one of Italy’s favorite motorcycle companies? To continue with its centennial celebration, on September…
Destinations :: Paradise on the Gulf of Mexico
The sand along the sea coast stretching from San Destin to Rosemary Beach, Florida, glistens like crystallized powdered sugar. Beyond these beaches lie the crystal clear and intoxicating Aegean-colored waves of the Gulf of Mexico. There is no other sand like this wind-weathered quartz which originated in the Appalachian Mountains hundreds of miles away. Over…
Expo Gear You Will Want to Explore: Savvy Creations for Outdoor Comfort
Amid massive builds with habitat boxes, larger-than-life bumpers, rooftop tents, and overlanding gear at this year’s Overland Expo Mountain West in Loveland, Colorado, the displays of homegrown and sustainable-minded companies punctuated the landscape. These are the companies and products that always garner my attention for their creative ability to meet industry demands and emerging markets….
Ready for Dirt: Suzuki’s 2023 V-Strom 1050DE/Adventure
I am always surprised when my moto racing friend Deana Kelley says she regularly takes to the difficult parts of BDRs on her V-Strom. There are few adventures the Suzuki-made motorcycle can’t handle, but baby heads on a steep gravel cliff aren’t exactly what I envision when thinking about this nimble bike. I had always…
Making it Out Alive: Learn to save your own life or the one you love
Fieldcraft Survival and TacMed Solutions, companies providing industry-leading medical, simulation, and protection solutions for combat military personnel and first responders, collaborated on this comprehensive trauma kit, the MTK (Mobility Trauma Kit), with everyday mobility, off-roading, and overlanding in mind. The kit includes everything you could need in a life-threatening emergency: a tourniquet, modular bandages, combat…
Stopping the Bleed: Yes, it Can Happen to You
Kevin Henson has been answering calls to horrific accident scenes for at least 34 years. The trained paramedic and retired fire chief still grimaces a little when thinking about the worst accidents he’s attended. Many of them involved motorcycles. But there’s one item he never reached for in a trauma event: a first-aid kit. When…
Four Simple Moto Gadgets with Big Pay-Offs
FOBO Bike 2 Monitor your tire pressure continuously with this easy-to-use Bluetooth monitor, even while riding. The FOBO Bike 2 is compatible with most motorcycles and can detect slow or fast leaks, providing alerts on tire pressure changes. This tool is super easy to install. Mount the sensors onto your tire stems, download the app,…
Inflation Reduction Act Removes Electric Motorcycle Tax Incentives
Just under a year ago, industry professionals and consumers were hopeful to hear that incentives to buy electric motorcycles would be offered under the Build Back Better Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in November. The incentive would offer substantial savings in purchasing electric motorcycle products as the federal government poises to replace…
Moto Dogs: Riding with Fido
Walter gets a little nervous when Reid Hobby isn’t around. The 4-year-old Deutsch Drahthaar doesn’t much like being without his human companion. “He’s a social dog,” Hobby says. “Actually, he’s like a leach. He’s the Robin to my Batman. He sticks to me like glue.” Walter has ridden shotgun in every vehicle Hobby has ever…
Bulbag USA: The best little bag on the planet
UkoalaBag has undoubtedly grown in popularity since its inception in 2013. The multi-pocketed pouch bag has become a favorite among outdoor enthusiasts because of its ability to carry a wide variety of essentials while being effortlessly strapped to the hip of its wearer. And now, with the release of Bulbag USA, the Georgia-based company is…
Clean Water for Kentucky, LifeStraw’s Appalachia initiative
No escape There was no warning, and no time to escape. When extreme rainfall caused devastating flooding in eastern Kentucky less than a month ago, residents lost their lives, loved ones, homes, shelters, schools, electricity, and access to food and clean drinking water. Since then, survivors have utilized springs, swimming pools, and floodwater for their…
Off-Road Cycling Endurance, The RAD Dirt Festival
Rad adjective slang Extremely exciting or good. Excellent; wonderful. Radical. The terrain They call it an “untouched plethora of gravel unlike any other,” that southern Colorado plateau laden with impressive mesas, paths that will bear the churning of hundreds of bike wheels on October 8 as riders compete for the top finisher in the RAD…
The Best of the Late Summer Moto Rallies
There’s still time to get in on late summer motorcycle rallies and rides and soak up the remnants of summer sun before the leaves turn golden and the weather cold, and the west has no shortage of great moto events to choose from. Four Corners Motorcycle Rally The Four Corners Motorcycle Rally is scheduled for…
Skyway to Highway, Overlanding notes from a bush pilot
It seems Ramona Cox was born for adventure. She won’t share the locations of her favorite fishing holes, but she’s quick to share her survival stories with other adventurers, whether they travel by land, air, or sea. The Hollywood, California, native has adventured through 50 countries, pushing the limits of her comfort zones and navigating…
Twisties, Curves, and Canopies: A Journey Through the Ozarks
It’s All in the Planning We had planned the trip for a couple of months, poring over the details, making inventories of what we had and would need for a long-distance moto journey across the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri. I would need to bring a new set of tires for my BMW F 750…
Trail Fire Grill, High-Elevation Cooking the Campfire Way
I knew I liked the Trail Fire Grill when I saw creator Mark Ritchie demo it at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona, this past spring. He had made a bacon and eggs breakfast for me and showed me how this camping grill serves as a barbecue, wok, and oven. I took the grill home…
Waterproof Your Adventure
For its 50th Anniversary in June, SHAD debuted its newest motorcycle soft bag in Barcelona, Spain, and now Shad TR40 Terra Adventure Saddlebags are available in the United States. Each lightweight bag offers a 32-liter capacity and up to 22 pounds of load per bag. Installation of the rack was easy with a little help…
Ruby: The Gem of Lighting
The sign said, “Go ahead. Blind yourself.” I accepted the challenge and pushed the button. I had heard about Ruby Moto auxiliary lighting from a friend who had recently outfitted his 2021 BMW 1250 GSA with them. They were pretty on that bike, but since we had never ridden at night, I wasn’t aware of…
Pigs in the Forest :: Annual Dirt Ride Slated for September 17
Photography by Matt Callaway An estimated 300 dual sport and adventure motorcycles will make their way through the north Mississippi hill country September 17, rain or shine, in a weekend of camaraderie and love for backcountry riding. And there’s still time to get in on the event. Shannon Smith of Byhalia, Mississippi, created the Pigs…
Air-Flow Seat Covers
Like everyone who buys a new bike with a stock seat, I quickly began looking for a solution to soften my ride. I had looked at replacing the seat on my 2020 factory-lowered BMW F 750 GS but found the price would leave me with few options in affording the multitude of accessories I dreamed…