This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2020 issue. One of the wonderful things about adventure motorcycle travel is the simplicity, eschewing the complexities and excesses of daily life. As a rider, we can only bring so much, and the more we travel, the more we tend to leave behind. The less we…
Get your tickets to THE BIG THING 2026!
World Record Crossing of Lake Baikal by Motorcycle
The Baikal Project, Part Two A Guinness World Record for the Longest Distance Traveled Off-road On Ice Photos courtesy of the Baikal Project and Egidijus Babbelis Imagine Russia’s Lake Baikal during the dead of winter: does it freeze over entirely or just in spots? Are the frozen areas smooth like glass or chunky with plates…
Royal Enfield to the Dig Tree
In 2015, I had some fuel buried in the Western Sahara by a Belgian couple on their way to Mauritania. A few weeks later, they sent a picture of a thorn tree with “CS” carved on the trunk. “Mark two meters north, and dig,” it said. “We left you a mystery gift.” I nicknamed it…
Living Legends: Interview with Elspeth Beard
Elspeth Beard tells how motorcycling around the world at a young age set her on track for a life of challenge and achievement.
The End of the Journey to the End of the World
Lois Pryce earns every inch of the last 600 miles of her motorcycle trip down the length of the Americas.
Prologue: In May 2003, Lois Pryce left Anchorage, Alaska, en route to Ushuaia, Argentina—a journey of nearly 17,000 miles and eight months.
Some of The Best Overland Routes In The USA
Each year, our staff members spend months exploring some of the best backroads our planet has to offer, from the red sands of the Simpson Desert to the frozen expanses of Greenland. Along the way we’ve discovered there’s no lack of breathtaking adventures to be had, but believe it or not, some of the best…
The Coolest Cause You’ll Read About All Week: Rally For Rangers
Imagine a motorcycle rally where riders tackle rugged, challenging terrain, delivering new motorcycles to park rangers across the globe, enabling them to protect endangered species and precious cultural resources by performing their duties more efficiently and effectively. This ride exists and is called Rally for Rangers; it’s making an impact across the globe “one motorcycle…
The Baikal Project—A Freezing Cold Attempt at A Guinness World Record
Breaking a world record takes creativity, ingenuity, and—in the case of the Baikal Project—at least one Irishman with unstoppable perseverance. In February 2019, Declan McEvoy arrived at the Russian border from Estonia with his motorcycle. He had with him the necessary documents for entry: temporary vehicle import papers, passport, and visa. Friendly border patrol officers…
Where the Mountains Meet the Desert
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal, Gear Guide 2019. It’s springtime in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains. The wildflowers are out, birds cheep, and there’s a soft warmth in the air. My flying visit here is capping off a satisfying bout of winter travel in North Africa. A few weeks prior, I’d joined…
Honda’s Newest Midweight Adventurer
My first motorcycle was a Honda. . . and so was my second (curiously, my first car was also a Honda). It was that XR250L that opened my eyes to the fun and adventure of exploring by dirt bike, and my life-long love for adventure motorcycling. When I think back, it was the reliability and…
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,…
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.
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….
Bonafide Moto Adventure to Sani Pass
When we planned this recent adventure we had these crazy ideas and high hopes to summit Sani Pass in the middle of winter with snow all around us. Thankfully that was not the case and somehow we managed to pick the perfect weekend that gave us a nice mix of slightly warm weather in the low lying areas and some very cold moments up at the top of the pass.
Triumph’s Adventure Experience
After the first day, my arms were absolutely wrecked! The rain had been coming in sideways, stinging my face. Visibility was only 100 meters, blocking out the highly anticipated scenery. My gloves were squishy, my toes were wet, and a stream of water had infiltrated the small gap at the top of my jacket’s zipper….
The Utah Traverse
Exploring the depths of America’s most captivating landscape.
In Search of Swazi Gold
A Bonafide Moto Adventure from South Africa to Swaziland.
Five Reasons to Ride in Bolivia
If you want to get a reading on a place, it’s always best to ask the people who have traveled there. What’s even better, is to ask someone who has traveled there, and just about everywhere else. Someone like Antonia. She has driven a pink tuk-tuk 12,500 miles from Bangkok to Brighton, is a founding…