With Father’s Day approaching, I’m reminded of the one and only long-day ride my dad and I did together in 2014. I was on a BMW G 650 GS while Dad rode a Harley Davidson Classic. Neither of us cared about the oddity of being on two very different bikes. Although this late September day…
Publisher’s Project: Moto Guzzi V7 Special
Editor’s note: This article was originally posted in Overland Journal’s Spring 2021 Issue. Opening image is from a movie production, closed course. We always recommend wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle, but also acknowledge that helmet laws vary by state and country. There is such joy in simplicity, distilling a pursuit down to its…
Off-road Training for a Post-Round-the-World Rider—What I Wish I Knew Before I Left
I’ll admit that after 708 days riding around the world, my first thought was, what could I possibly learn in a Level 1 off-road course? I’d spent two years swerving around stray dogs and potholes, hopping my fully loaded F 800 GS up mountain roads, and throttling through countless creek crossings—what would weaving between orange…
Overland News of the Week
USWE CORE 16 & 25-liter Dual Sport Daypack USWE Sports is a Swedish backpack company that was founded by a group of dirtbike riders. Their idea was straightforward: design a backpack that doesn’t bounce around when you are participating in action sports, like riding dirtbikes, trail running, mountain biking, skiing, or anything else that involves…
ACR Electronics Bivy Stick Satellite Communication Device and App
If you’re someone who enjoys venturing into the backcountry, then your safety should be a primary consideration, and the ability to share your location and alert emergency services in the event of an accident is crucial. In the past, I’ve been a fan of SPOT Satellite Communication Devices (generally alongside a second “burner” mobile phone,…
Seven Hydration Packs for Summer Riding
Hydration is crucial to the human body. We all know what it feels like to be parched after a long day in the sun exerting ourselves, and it’s not a feeling we can ignore. Maybe some of you, like me, have even suffered heat exhaustion or heat stroke—a life-threatening situation that can be avoided by…
Book Review :: 2Up and Overloaded by Tim Notier
Having done a fair amount of long-distance moto travel, the first thing that struck me about Tim Notiers’ book, 2Up and Overloaded, was no way in hell would my husband and I be together today if we traveled two-up on an ADV motorcycle like Tim and his fiancée, Marisa. One of us would likely be…
10 Years, 10 Routes, 10,000+ Miles—A Decade Anniversary for Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR)
Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) are one of the best ways to adventure-road trip around the U.S. And what better way to celebrate Motorcycle Awareness month and National Road Trip day (May 28) than with the 10-year anniversary of BDR—an organization that literally defined the phrase “adventure riding.” What is BDR? Using double-track, forest service, and…
Overland News of the Week
Trestle Aeropress K-cup Adapter Let me ask you a question: are you really an overlander if you haven’t added aftermarket parts to your Aeropress? The Trestle Aeropress K-cup adaptor allows you to utilize K-cup coffee pods with your trusty coffee syringe. Advantages? Well, to start, K-cups are pre-portioned and pre-ground which makes measuring or adjusting…
Scottoiler V-system—An Auto-oiler Overview
With the dusty days of summer inbound, chain lubrication should be at the top of every rider’s motorcycle maintenance list. In fact, some experts say motorcycle chains should be lubricated every 300-600 miles, though this is debatable and depends on riding conditions. Why Do I Need To Lubricate My Chain? Lubrication will increase the longevity…
Long Way Up Review
It’s been a long year for most of us. With a global pandemic and the social unrest the world has faced, anything to get my mind off of the global problems was a welcome sight. In 2004 and 2007, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman released two of the greatest series on motorcycle and adventure travel…
Rescue Build on 1983 Honda CX500 Café Racer
When Tom Gilroy, founder of Gold Coast, Australia’s, Purpose Built Moto, took on a rescue build for a Honda CX500, he inherited a challenge. The bike came to him through a customer who’d had a bad experience with a former custom motorcycle designer, and the dream build didn’t turn out how the customer had imagined….
Overland News of the Week
AEV Jack Base for Jeep Wrangler JL or Gladiator AEV’s jack base for Wrangler JL or Gladiator provides an additional 3.5 inches of height for the factory JL or Gladiator scissor jack. This lets users easily change tires as large as 37 inches with their factory jack. In addition to providing extra height and being…
Five Lightweight Motorcycle Options for Vehicle Hitch-mounts
There are many reasons why riders might want to transport a motorcycle by vehicle: maybe you need to take your bike to the dealer for repairs or want to get from A to B without riding hours on the interstate. For example, if you live in Washington and want to ride the Colorado BDR, you’re…
10 Solutions for Carrying Extra Fuel on Motorcycles and Off-road Vehicles
Updated April 28, 2021. Many overlanders have a conundrum—how to carry extra fuel for those far-from-it-all excursions we all dream about. Carrying gas or diesel safely is even more of an issue: gone are the good old days of filling up plastic Coke bottles and strapping them to your overland rig or ADV ride. Even…
Video of the Week: Never Ride Alone
There are few humans out there willing to endure physical hardship like Scott Englund in Never Ride Alone. But watching this film, I understood him; I understand the desire to attain something everyone else thinks is crazy—a goal that takes up so much space in your brain there is no longer room for reason, so…
Overland News of the Week
Osprey Talon Pro 30 The comfort of Osprey’s backpacks is well known amongst outdoor enthusiasts, and their new Talon Pro 30 brings that comfort to the world of ultralight backpacking. A lightweight wire frame and injection-molded framesheet provide support for this 30-liter pack. Osprey lists a recommended maximum payload of 15-25 pounds for comfortable carying….
Humanity :: Kindness of Strangers
Clouds of dust drift away as I sit up and take off my helmet. My bike stretches out across the Trans-Labrador Highway on its left side; its wheels still spin, but the engine has stopped. Something is wrong. But I don’t know what. My heart races as my brain takes inventory. I’m breathing. I’m in…
Horizons Unlimited HUMM Event and Travellers Meeting, 2021
Horizons Unlimited Mountain Madness (HUMM) Cascades 2021 Event Described as “the best 48 hours of my life” by one participant (who later had to apologize to his wife for saying that), Horizons Unlimted’s HUMM event is essentially a make-your-own-adventure, off-road scavenger hunt. Riders form teams of two or four and spend two days chasing tags through…
Triumph 2022 Scrambler 1200 and Scrambler 1200 Steve McQueen Edition
If I could afford more than one motorcycle, a Triumph Scrambler would be on my list: iconic, cool, stylish, fun. Maybe that describes a lot of motorcycles, but ever since I test rode a Ducati in Salt Lake City, I’ve always loved Scramblers, and that day, I really wanted to take one home. Now, Triumph…