Photography by Expedition Overland Botswana offers the ingredients of a wild adventure. Hundreds of unpaved tracks made of thick sand and bone-wrenching washboard could keep an overland traveler busy for many months, if not years. Add fuel logistics and range considerations, regional raw meat restrictions, and the systematic destruction of your vehicle to the mix,…
Dumb or Dumber? A Half-Life Man Learns to Ride
(Great Falls, Montana)—My home state of Montana is famous for its instantly recognizable landmarks and unique history. From the rapidly disappearing glaciers of Glacier National Park (see them while you still can!) to the Little Bighorn Battlefield, where a confederation of Plains Indians routed a hapless group of US Army soldiers led by an overconfident…
Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway
Editor’s Note: Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway was originally published in Overland Journal’s Fall 2023 Issue. They say the Million Dollar Highway begins and ends between the Colorado mountain towns of Silverton and Ouray, but traverse it, and you’ll also discover a plethora of dirt road hideaways laced with abundant scenery, lakes and streams, ample camping…
Grandriders Circumnavigate Taiwan by Motorcycle :: Video of the Week
In Go Grandriders, 17 senior citizens embark on a 13-day, 1,178-kilometer ride by 125cc scooters and small motorcycles around Taiwan. With an average age of 81, the octogenarians take to one of Taiwan’s most dangerous roads: the Su-Hua Highway. Weaving amongst roaring cargo trucks and behind packed tour buses, the group enjoys lush cliffside scenery…
Overland News of the Week
Salewa Announces Collection for Spring/Summer 2024 This week’s overland news begins with mountain sports company Salewa’s announcement about its upcoming trekking collection, which blends technical performance with natural fabrics such as hemp and merino wool. The brand’s Puez Hemp/Durastretch 2/1 Hybrid jacket and pants are designed for strength and breathability with the ability to withstand…
Eva Rupert :: Modern Explorer
Editor’s Note: This Eva Rupert interview was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2023 Issue. “Hey, I know you. You’re famous. I’ve seen you on TV.” I stood at the entrance to a convenience store in northern Nevada, about to buy food for a week-long motorcycle adventure in the backcountry. As she spoke, the woman…
Overland Events and Rallies You Don’t Want to Miss This Fall
AMERICAN NORTHWEST Descend on Bend When: Sept 1-4, 2023 Where: Oregon Outback This family-friendly overland event near Pinnacles National Park is accessible to all vehicles, including motorcycles and rental cars. Live music, a daily maker’s market, and morning yoga are some of the highlights, while the event website sold me on its “coffee and affogato…
Giant Loop Armadillo Bag :: Field Tested
Of all the things that can put the brakes on a motorcycle journey, running out of gas has to be the easiest to avoid. I ride by this maxim: “Know thy range, read thy map, and carry extra fuel.” That last bit became much easier when I bought Giant Loop’s 2-gallon Armadillo Bag, which is…
Ural Gear Up Expedition :: New for 2023
Ural, king of the 2WD sidecar motorcycles, announces their top tier Gear Up Expedition model. The company modestly calls it “a fully equipped, go anywhere, do anything machine that can tackle nearly any situation on or off the road.” The Better Equipped Ural The Expedition comes straight from the factory with everything a rider and…
Overland News of the Week
Space Acacia Camping System In this week’s overland news is the Space Acacia camping system; a unique glamping tent that gives you a cozy interior while camping out in the wild. The tent is made with ultra-durable 300D Oxford cloth with a waterproof coating and can withstand wind speeds up to 45 miles per hour….
BMW Motorrad Days Americas
BMW will host the first BMW Motorrad Days Americas during the Barber Vintage Festival in Leeds, Alabama, from October 6-8 this year. Join them to celebrate BMW’s first century of motorcycle manufacturing. BMW Centenary It’s been a 101 years since BMW chief designer Max Friz put the first full-scale BMW motorcycle on the drawing board….
AltRider ADV Moto Products :: Field Tested
AltRider produces a wide range of rugged adventure bike accessories. Reviewed below are three of their products that I’ve tested on my Yamaha Ténéré 700. I chose them because they solve real-world problems for adventure enthusiasts, and are available for several other motorcycles. My T7 also wears AltRider’s crash bars, which Heather Lea highlighted in…
Dusty Lizard Campout by Mosko Moto
Mosko Moto is calling all Reptilian riders to meet at their Dusty Lizard Campout Event near Park City, Utah. Bring your own dust and eat plenty more while riding a planned Adventure or Dualsport route, or create your own ride. Where and When The Mosko event site is 17 miles east of Park City in…
Triumph Tiger 900 Aragón Editions
Triumph is offering two special Tiger 900 Aragón editions to commemorate Iván Cervantes’ decisive victory at the 2022 Baja Aragón race. Cervantes won the Trail category of the 280-mile contest by over an hour on a Tiger 900 Rally Pro. Proven Triumph Performance The Trail and Maxi-Trail categories at the Baja Aragón were created in…
Overland News of the Week
Barbara Toy’s In Search of Sheba Returns to Print with Introduction by Lois Pryce Barbara Toy, famous for her solo overland travels by Land Rover in North Africa, Arabia, and beyond, set off in 1959 to drive from Libya to Ethiopia. The result: her travel memoir, In Search of Sheba. Thanks to the persistence and…
Rev’It Lombard 3 RF Motorcycle Jeans :: Field Tested
I wore blue jeans when I hit the trail on my first motorcycle. They were the uniform of the day, despite providing just a touch more protection than cotton pajamas in a get-off. When textile gear came of age, I moved on to a higher level of protection. Now technology has taken us back to…
Dunlop Trailmax Raid ADV Tire
The Dunlop Trailmax Raid is ready to hit the road, paved or not. The aggressive 40/60-rated tire lies between the gnarly D908RR Rally Raid that inspired it and Dunlop’s popular Trailmax Mission. Their target ranges from mid-sized dual-sports to large adventure bikes. A Tread Talk Without looking too hard, it’s easy to see that Dunlop…
Riding Georgia’s Infamous Abano Pass :: Video of the Week
The Abano Pass is a stretch of unpaved track linking Omalo to Pshaveli in the northwest region of Georgia. Featuring 70 kilometers of gravel, rock, mud, and water crossings, at 2,864 meters (9,396 feet) above sea level, the road is the highest drivable pass in the Greater Caucasus mountain range. Well-known within the adventure biking…
Gear Round Up Overland Expo PNW 2023
There are three main reasons to visit any of the Overland Expos including the PNW and other nationally, and those are (in order) the people, the vehicles, and the gear. While the people and the vehicles are generally easy to spot, even if some do insist on being clad in camouflage, finding the newest, best…
Road Tested :: Honda XR150L
Riding a motorcycle on a curated route for a few hours, as I did recently at the 2023 Honda XR150L launch, is an exciting introduction to a machine. Having one in your own garage is motorcycle heaven. Suddenly that run to the store requires a detour over a favorite twisty road—for the fourth time that…