For a midsize ADV/road bike combo, Triumph’s 850 Tiger looks like a great option. Having replaced the Tiger 900, just introduced in 2019, the 850 is now the base model for 2021. The Tiger comes with the same chassis and engine as the 900, but the former is detuned to fit into the A2 licensing…
Triumph Partners With Motorcycle Safety Foundation To Offer Free Basic eCourse To New and Former Riders
When I wanted to learn to ride, I debated paying the large $800 fee for a motorcycle safety course. This was in Canada, where insurance companies give big discounts when you pass the course. However, $800 was expensive, and I planned to be mostly off-pavement. At the end of the sessions six weeks later, I…
Humanity :: Those Idahoans
Two weeks into a two-year motorcycle adventure around the world, I’m cruising along the St. Joe River on the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route. One mile remains on the trail before my boyfriend and I will connect with a paved road leading into the endearing hamlet of Avery. I spy a boulder the size of a…
Field Tested: Scotts Steering Stabilizer
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Gear 2021 Issue. The Scotts Steering Stabilizer has one purpose: keep you in control of your motorcycle by limiting wobble, weave, and unintended deflection of the front wheel. The device is a hydraulic shock absorber housed in a gold-anodized aluminum box that mounts to…
BDR Announces Plans for the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route
Anytime Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) announces another project, I can’t wait to get on my F 800 GS and go there. So far, I’ve ridden four of the BDR’s 10 routes and hope to add more, including Wyoming, which the BDR team has declared their next project for 2022. Highlights of the WYBDR are three…
Harley Davidson Reveals the Pan America Off-road Bike
When you think of Harley Davison motorcycles, do you imagine mud, sand, and mountain roads? Do you think of straight-lining up a sandy slope, or drifting a dirt corner? No? Well, you should because Harley Davidson just added Adventure Touring to their website, where you’ll find the newly revealed Pan America 1250. If you are…
How Good Are You Really?
Photo: Christina Tkacs It’s been a long day. The sun is sinking low, and camp is still 30 miles away. One rider drags behind, struggling to keep pace. Fortunately, the ride leader is counting heads at every turn, but tension mounts as darkness approaches. If you ride off road, chances are you’ve been “that…
Snow Bikes—Your New Favorite Winter Toy?
Snowbiking is fast attracting the action sports herd with companies like Red Bull holding freeride and moto-cross style events worldwide. Athletes and recreationists alike are only too happy to test the seemingly unlimited possibilities of this rising winter star. So what is a snow bike? Think about a snowmobile and a dirt bike spending a…
Filson Debuts Alcan Moto Collection
A new line of motorcycle apparel has hit the industry, and it’s pretty darn hot. Filson, an established outdoor outfitter since 1897, has launched their first-ever moto collection using toned-down, natural-looking fabrics that blend in well with the outdoors. The Alcan Collection consists of pants and jackets, along with helmets and gloves. You’ll also find…
A Fine Line
Leaving is hell, especially on dreary, dismal days, which only rush the hemorrhaging of bleeding hearts and heighten the tension of departure. “The traveler’s guilty pleasure is staying home,” wrote Paul Theroux, and those words came to me as I stood looking out at the dripping leaves and grey sky of morning. It had been…
The Overland Journal Podcast: Episode 36, The Best Overland Gear of 2020
Join Matt and Scott as they discuss the overland industry challenges and opportunities of 2020, along with their favorite overlanding equipment, 4WDs, and motorcycles.
Overland News of the Week
Mac’s Tie Downs Monkey Face Mac’s Tie Downs’ latest offering is a nifty little device called the Monkey Face, designed to make securing cargo even simpler for folks with stake pockets. The .375-inch laser-cut steel tie-down interface is welded to a .1875-inch square steel tube (which secures in stake pockets with an included linchpin), and…
Ending the Year at the Sabie Bubble Run
For the past six years, South African motorcyclists have been making the annual pilgrimage from Johannesburg to the small town of Sabie for the Sabie Bubble Run, South Africa’s only traditional motorcycle run. The motorcycle run started in 2014 when three friends set out from Johannesburg on their motorcycles for a weekend of riding and…
Field Tested :: Nocs Provisions Standard Issue 8 x 25 Binoculars
Nocs Provisions Standard Issue 8 x 25 Binoculars Fuss and bother are two elements I can live without when it comes to gear, and these binoculars from Nocs Provisions, lovingly conceived in San Francisco’s Citadel of Excitement, fit the bill. First off, they come in a small, recycled cardboard box put together without glue—easy to…
2021 Yokohama Sonora Rally Postponed
The cancellation or postponing of events is common news these days, but organizers are doing what they can to work around COVID-19 restrictions. The 2021 Yokohama Sonora Rally is one of many who have been forced to reschedule. The event, normally scheduled in March, will be moved back to May 9-14. From presenters Method Race…
Riding Full Circle: The U-Turn
A long and unexpected delay during a round-the-world journey
Alloy Versus Spoked Wheels on Motorcycles
Up until the late 1960s, most motorcycles came with wire-spoked wheels. That all changed in the ’70s when one-piece alloy wheels hit the market. Nowadays, you’ll find alloys on the majority of modern motorcycles on the road. So what’s the difference? You’ll always see exceptions, but for the most part, alloys, or cast wheels, will…
Overland News of the Week
Ötzi Adventure Gear Spark Flatpack Portable Grill Bringing the barbecue along on off-road adventures can present a bit of a dilemma if you have limited space. But with Otzi’s flatpack portable grill and 9- by 9-inch footprint (when packed flat), there’s no reason to leave it behind. The Spark is made of precision-cut pieces of…
CAKE Develops New “Kalk AP” Electric Anti-Poaching Bike
Swedish electric dirt bike company CAKE, which is on a mission to bring sustainable electric transportation to the world, has partnered with Goal Zero and the Southern African Wildlife College to take on poachers with their new Kalk AP or “anti-poaching” bush bike. Based on the original Kalk platform, the CAKE product team has collaborated…
Garmin inReach Explorer Satellite Communication
Product Review—Garmin inReach Satellite Communication First off, a disclaimer: my husband and I used Garmin inReach Explorer Satellite Communication during a round-the-world motorcycle trip that lasted 708 days. DeLorme inReach (bought out by Garmin in 2016) gave us two Explorer devices—one we received on loan; the other we paid for at a 50-percent discount. The company…