I love the style of Royal Enfields, but they’ve always looked uncomfortable for anything longer than a day trip. However, it looks like that may have changed. Since its international debut in 2018, the Himalayan has undergone significant changes to appeal to more long-distance riders. (PS-there’s even talk of RE developing a 650 cc engine.)…
Finish and Publish Your Moto Travel Stories
Do you have an incredible tale of adventure? Have you been told you should publish your stories? Does the thought of pitching to magazines or publishers sound daunting? If so, you need to check out Carla King’s Your Moto Diaries writing workshop. I took the YMD workshop at the beginning of 2021 to help with…
Telkwa Pass—British Columbia’s “Shortcut” between Smithers and Terrace
Photos provided by ridingfullcircle.com, Uncle “M” (advrider.com), and Jillian Kofoed (Totem Auto Group) He’s about to suggest riding something I won’t like and will do everything he can to convince me. Dave’s been scouring Google Earth and paper maps for a few hours now and has found a little side tour over Telkwa Pass—a rugged 71-mile…
Chickistan—Michelle Lamphere Talks About Being One of Nine Women Riding Pakistan
A week ago, I arrived in Rapid City, South Dakota. Michelle Lamphere—author of The Butterfly Route, organizer of Black Hills Film Moto Festival, and part-founder of Rev Sisters—graciously picked me up at the airport. Michelle owns the Chalet Motel in Custer and had invited me to spend almost three weeks there on a self-imposed writer’s retreat, working on…
Olabisi Ajala’s Round-the-world Trip on a Lambretta Scooter
Photography courtesy of An African Abroad by Olabisi Ajala Arriving at the Mandelbaum Gate border post between Israel and Jordan’s Jerusalem, Nigerian journalist Olabisi Ajala spotted a sign on his right that read: “This is Jordan. Beyond is no-man’s-land. Only U.N. officials allowed.” Guards and soldiers from both nations watched from high towers, bombed-out buildings,…
Field Tested: Micro-Start—The World’s Smallest Jump Starter
Created by Antigravity Batteries, known for high-end lithium batteries, the Micro-start is the first, original mini jump starter. These days, we rely on electronic devices more than ever—even in the middle of nowhere—which is what makes the Micro-start an essential item whenever I walk, drive, or ride two wheels off into an adventure. This pocket-sized…
12 Tips for Packing Light on an Extended Motorcycle Trip
What I’ve learned over the past seven years of moto camping and long-distance riding is that you pretty much pack the same amount of gear for three days as for three months: tools, camping stuff, rain gear, off-bike clothing, first aid kit, camera, etc. As for food, you can only fit a few days’ worth…
Humanity:: From Russia with Love
Inside the world’s largest country, you’ll find elderly ladies baking bread in wooden houses with painted window frames; large, prosperous cities and honking horns; children riding bicycles on gravel roads, and some of the most industrious, approachable people on the planet. Russia scares many travelers. Bad things happen there, just like bad things happen in…
Leave No Trace—Outdoor Ethics for Riders, Overlanders, and Other Land Users
I was camping in eastern Washington a month ago. We had a gorgeous spot right on a river and plenty of space for three vehicles and six dirt bikes. On arrival, I jumped out of the truck and headed into some trees to relieve my water-filled bladder. Walking a few feet away from camp, I…
Leaning Into A Weakness
For years I’ve been going on adventures where someone else other than myself has provided the route that the group will be using. Rarely have I ever been the one to plan a route as it’s not been a strength of mine and I was happy to pass on that responsibility. When it comes to…
Moki Dugway—a Father-Daughter Ride on Two Very Different Bikes
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…
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…
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…
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…
Wanted: Riders Willing To Get Dirty!
Dirty For Good—Female Focused, Situational Trail Training/Fundraising Tour in Haverhill, New Hampshire, August 22-27, 2021 Hosted by SheADV and Women’s Motorcyclist Foundation, the Dirty For Good Situational Trail Training/Fundraising venue is aimed to attract female dual-sport riders at the intermediate level. Dirty For Good provides real-life training experience on Vermont Sections 5 and then 4 of the North East Backcountry…