Riding a motorcycle in distant lands is true adventure, but there are a few difficulties that come up once we attempt to fit everything we need into two small panniers and a top bag. One of the challenges for the adventure motorcyclist is striking the balance between protection and comfort, and between minimalism and excessive…
A Look Back at the Trucks and Campers of Overland Expo West 2019
Overlanding is about the journey. It’s about traveling to new places to experience different views, foods, and cultures while creating memories that will last a lifetime. Yet, if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s also about the trucks. Yes, yes, I know we’re never supposed to acknowledge the dirty truth that many of us modify our…
Our Love-loathe Relationship with Moto-travel and Why we Switched to 4WD
Photography by Jason Spafford After combining our love for diving and photography since childhood, during a decade of experiencing the world below the waterline, a change was eventually overdue. With a lifelong passion for taking pictures still in focus, we hung up the fins and decided on a big one. Long story short, sold our…
Overland Expo West 2019: A First Look
Overland Expo West is back, under new management, and bigger than ever. After spending nearly all of day one walking across the Fort Tuthill fairgrounds, we have barely scratched the surface of the amazing vehicles, gear, and people spread throughout this event. There are innovative new campers, stunning restorations, and a heap of brand new…
Where the Road Ends
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Spring 2019. Photography by Jake Hamby and Alex Manne We rolled up the 20-foot-tall garage door a little bit before 3:00 a.m. The temperature inside the WWII-era steel Quonset hut plummeted as the wind forced snow and ice in around us. One by one we…
Expedition 65
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2018. Photography by Alfonse Palaima, Scott Brady, and Colin Evans Expedition 65 was not a tour; it did not even have a leader. While some might view that as a recipe for ending friendships, it played into a grand experiment and ultimately a…
Until the Break (of Dawn)
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Spring 2018. Dusk is settling into the hills along the Sea of Cortez. The sky is a bruised purple, still streaked with veins of red and yellow, a reminder of the brilliant but difficult day behind us. Our band of friends rides west leaving the coast behind,…
2018 Triumph Tiger 800 XCA
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Winter 2018. Photography by Jason Spafford Triumph launched the Tiger in 1937 with a 4-speed transmission and 20 horsepower; the model was produced until the night of November 14, 1940, when German bombers leveled much of the city of Coventry, England. Triumph’s off-pavement legacy continued…
RawHyde Adventure Days 2019
If you haven’t heard of RawHyde’s Adventure Days yet, it is an overland and adventure motorcycle training event planned for February. Their location is about an hour north of Los Angeles in the beautiful Mojave Desert. This location provides easy access for all of our friends in the Southwest, especially SoCal.
Celebrating International Women’s Day
“…as woman, I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world.” -Virginia Woolf Six months ago I became the “woman behind the phone” managing the Women Overlanding the World Instagram account. On that site, I share tales and photographs sent from women adventuring all over the…
Classic Kit: The Ural Sidecar
The tri-wheeled motorcycle favored by the Red Army and adventurists alike.
The British Touring Jacket You’ve Always Wanted
I’ve wanted a Belstaff Tourist Trophy motorcycle jacket for a while. That classic, British, belt-waisted jacket made famous by just about every American actor who’s thrown a leg over a motorcycle. Most notably, Mr. McQueen (see: here). My good friend Andy has one, something he scored from a smelly thrift shop in the Pacific Northwest….
A Look Back at 2018
It seems like yesterday that we were sitting down to write this same story on 2017, and now here we are aggregating our favorite trips and memories from 2018. Holy cow, were there a lot. This past year held some of our biggest adventures to date, from right here at home all the way to…
Overland News :: Adventure Days at Zakar !
Rawhyde is famous for their adventure motorcycle training and events held in California and Colorado. For 2019, Jim Hyde and his team are holding their 4th annual Adventure Days at their new Southern California facility, codenamed Zakar! Event Dates: February 21-24, 2019 Here is their press release and links for more details and to register….
Wonderland
Mr. Xavier tries out the new BMW R nineT Scrambler and finds that as with any motorcycle, it’s where it takes you that matters.
Video of the Week: CA BDR South
The Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) are a series of trails that cross some of the most stunning regions of our favorite states. Over the past few years, they have continued to expand their list of tracks to encompass states spanning from Oregon to Pennsylvania. Now, they have one more to add to their list; the…
Moto Guzzi Unveils V85 TT
More and more manufacturers have been embracing the adventure bike concept as of late, and it has certainly created plenty of buzz. I mean who expected Harley Davidson to step up to the plate with their Pan America? But out of all the amazing bikes entering the arena, this new release from Moto Guzzi is definitely one…
Video of the Week: Ural’s Insane Product Testing
When most people see a motorcycle and sidecar rolling down the street, they think it’s a bit of a toy. Sure it might look adventurous, but it must be some vintage bike intended for running around town and driving in parades right? Well, not if it’s a Ural. These monsters possess the grit and durability…
Travel Tunes: The Overland Playlist
We’ve all got them, those treasured playlists we save for kicking up dust on our favorite backcountry trail, or hammering out long miles on some grand trip. They might be filled with throwback tunes from the ’70’s or a modern mashup of electric funk, but their rhythms are like a narration to our adventures, and…
Great Plains Drifter
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Winter 2017. Like all young boys, my childhood was filled with fanciful tales of soldiers clad in shining armor, new lands explored, and the quest for treasure. As a resident of Glasco, Kansas, I assumed such exploits only unfolded in places distant, if not imagined….