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Favorite Rides

Day Cruising the Farmlands and Hills of Clarksville, Tennessee

Clarksville, also known as Queen City, sits along the Cumberland River in Tennessee about 50 miles northwest of Nashville. Lifelong residents mingle with newcomers...

North by Northeast: Minnesota Motorcycle Ride

With the crack of the throttle, my son, Chad, and I started our northern Minnesota motorcycle ride, he on his 2009 Harley-Davidson Fatboy and...

Riding the Roof of Wyoming Motorcycle Ride: Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, Beartooth Highway, and Yellowstone National Park

In late September, I joined my riding buddies Ray, Rafi, Ashish, and Jay for a northern Wyoming motorcycle ride through wild landscapes, including the...

30th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America Preview

More than 30 years ago, a small group of friends swung legs over their bikes in North Carolina and rode to a race in...

Wheels and a Wedding: Wisconsin Motorcycle Ride

A wedding is a wonderful time to celebrate with friends and family, but when that family resides in Wisconsin, it is also a great...

Peaks, Valleys, and Coastline: Southern California Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

The August 2019 issue of Rider included my tour story, “Palms to Pines to the Pacific,” about a Southern California motorcycle ride west on...

Historic Forts and Family Roots: Arizona Motorcycle Ride

Arizona was added as the last of the contiguous American states in 1912. While “State 48” is relatively young, its military history predates its...

Catskills to Cooperstown, New York Motorcycle Ride

Cooperstown, New York, is not only home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum but also historic buildings, restaurants, and parks, and...

Keystone Curves: Pennsylvania Wilds Motorcycle Ride

When my two riding partners, Yamaha Joe and Pathfinder Rich, said we should hit the road for a few days, I suggested north-central Pennsylvania...

Eric Trow, Contributing Editor | Ep. 82 Rider Magazine Insider Podcast

Episode 82 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is sponsored by FLY Racing. Our guest is Eric Trow, a contributing editor at Rider and...

Flagstaff to Barstow on Historic Route 66 | Favorite Ride

Testing the new Can-Am Canyon Redrock in Arizona presented me with an opportunity to ride part of Historic Route 66. I began in Flagstaff,...

Yore Mother Road: Recollections of a Route 66 Motorcycle Ride

Decades after its official demise in 1985, Route 66 remains in fragments, with the rest either paved over and renamed or reclaimed by nature....

From Ojai to the Carrizo Plain: California Adventure Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

When I want a taste of adventure in my own backyard, one of my favorite rides is around the Carrizo Plain National Monument, a...

Ural-ing Around Colorado Motorcycle Ride

Backed by lush orchestration, the opening credits of the 1969 John Wayne film, True Grit, reveal a beautiful farmstead nestled in a green valley...

American Rider June 2025

Testing six cruisers in two days gave us an opportunity to hone in on which of the updated 2025 Harley-Davidson Softails is our favorite. Can you guess which one we picked? Photo by Brian J. Nelson.   

Utah Motorcycle Ride to Great Basin National Park | Favorite Ride

Ten years ago, doctors removed my left kidney – and the golfball-sized tumor attached to it. To mark a decade of being cancer-free, I...

2025 Triumph Tiger Sport 800 Review | First Ride

If you were riding a motorcycle on the roads near the southern edge of Portugal, you’d feel lucky to be on the new 2025...

2025 Yamaha R9 Review | First Ride

I’m no stranger to Yamaha’s R-series sportbikes. I’ve owned an R3 and an R7, and there’s an R6 parked in my garage. Honestly, I...

Western Connecticut Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

It had been years since I last explored the winding, scenic roadways of western Connecticut, but I fondly recalled the joy of cruising alongside...

Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan Motorcycle Ride

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which sits above Wisconsin and separates Lake Superior from Lake Michigan, is an often-overlooked haven. Its combination of rugged mountains, lush...

Touring the 9 Lakes Region of East Tennessee Motorcycle Ride

As my husband, Jake, and I packed our saddlebags for a three-day East Tennessee motorcycle ride in the 9 Lakes Region, I realized it...

Chasing Dragons: Tazewell County, Virginia Motorcycle Ride

While many Southern towns have struggled with the disappearance of anchor industries, some have bounced back on a rising tide of renewal and resurgence....

Southern Utah Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

Some roads are famous for the scenery through which they traverse, and some are famous for the unique nature of the roads themselves. There...

Hudson River Valley Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

Three things that make a perfect ride for me are rural roads, scenic diversity, and a relaxing pace to savor the passing landscape, especially...

Traipsing Across Washington Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

Matt Terry, a riding buddy from Florida, planned to travel out West with his family, and he always trailers his two Ducati Diavel Stradas...

The Lost Sierra: Northern California Motorcycle Ride

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in the October 2004 issue. The phone rings. It’s Werner Wachter calling from Austria. “You vill come to...

Northern Pocahontas County, West Virginia Motorcycle Ride

While riding from Highland County, Virginia, over the West Virginia border, the road surface on U.S. Route 250 magically changed from occasional crumbling asphalt...

North Georgia Triangle Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

My family and I live in Jacksonville, Florida, where midsummer heat and humidity can press down on you like a weight. Looking for a...

Clam Chowder in Connecticut Motorcycle Ride | Favorite Ride

In places where the four seasons are distinct, “off-season” is a familiar term. That’s especially true in my native New England. When the off-season...

Bullitt County, Kentucky Motorcycle Ride: Rolling Through Nature and History

As a Kentucky native, I was long overdue for a visit to Bullitt County, home to two famous whiskey distilleries – Jim Beam and...
2026 Motorcycle Buyers Guide