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North Central U.S.

Favorite Ride: Wisconsin’s Waumandee Valley River Roads

Buffalo County, Wisconsin, is a hidden gem for motorcyclists. Located in the northwest part of the state, its southern border is the Mississippi River,...

Highway 61 Remastered: Riding Along Minnesota’s North Shore

If you go when the snowflakes stormWhen the rivers freeze and summer endsPlease see if she’s wearing a coat so warmTo keep her from...

List of U.S. Motorcycle Tour Operators 2020

With international travel in 2020 looking less certain by the week (and possibly risky, not just health-wise but also with the possibility of becoming...

Connecting Small Towns in Northeast Iowa

Iowa is not known as a motorcycling destination, but rather a through state. Motorcyclists travel mostly on the four-lane roads thinking that’s all there...

Big Water: Exploring Southern Indiana’s Chunk of the Ohio River Valley

Despite being a lifelong Hoosier, I hadn’t spent much time riding in the southern part of Indiana. This year would be different -- I...

Iron Range Ramble: Riding Minnesota’s Arrowhead Region

"It’s not the destination, it’s the journey," says the motorcycling adage. That’s true! Most highlights of motorcycling are experienced during the ride. I choose...

One Ride, 47 National Parks

Forty-seven national parks, 17,335 miles, 67 days, three flat tires, two forest fires, three boat rides, temps ranging from 31 degrees and sleet to...

Stayin’ Safe: Riding Like Heinz

Improving slow-speed stability can be fun. No, really. More than any other skill, riders tell me they wish they had better low-speed control. And no...

Bluestem Pastures: Exploring the Flint Hills of Kansas

A couple of years ago I did an east-to-west and back ride across north central Kansas. One of the highlights was the Flint Hills,...

Kansas Moto History: The Evel Knievel Museum and Twisted Oz Motorcycle Museum

The shot of George Hamilton racing toward the canyon and destiny in the 1971 movie, "Evel Knievel," had my eyes glued to the screen...

Chasing Black Hills Gold: Great Roads in South Dakota

"I hear the voice of the mystic mountains/Callin' me back home/So take me back to the Black Hills" -Doris Day   Doris Day is one of...

Favorite Ride: Minnesota’s Otter Trail Scenic Byway

Thinking of Minnesota roadways, superlatives do not normally come to mind. Riding Minnesota’s Otter Trail Scenic Byway can change that. The route includes many...

Back Home Again In Indiana: Motorcycle Touring in the Hoosier State

I was born in Indiana, so I am, by definition, a Hoosier. I didn’t learn to ride there, but I spent 10 years in...

Michigandering: Riding Western Michigan on the Cheap

My friend, Rick, lives near Chicago, and I live in Ohio. When we decided to squeeze in one last motorcycle excursion last fall and meet...

Solitude and Scenery: Riding West Kansas

Kansas is sometimes thought of as part of the “fly-over zone,” a place that doesn’t matter much in the bigger scheme of things. I...

A Tour Unlike Any Other: The Motorcycle Relief Project

Update: The Moto Relief Project is dedicated to helping our veterans heal after the traumas of war and the toll it takes on their...

Indian Summer: A Meandering Ride in Minnesota and Wisconsin

During my college years, rather than waste time studying nonsense such as biochemistry or the comparative structure and function of vertebrates, I instead spent...

Double Take | A Midwest Motorcycle Ride

Quick! List your top 10 places to ride in North America. Did Kansas make the cut? How about Nebraska? Iowa? My thoughts exactly. So whenever...

From Canada to Mexico on U.S. Route 281

Riders brag about their coast-to-coast exploits—how many times, how many days, how many hours. I’ve been across the country 21 times myself. Seeking a...

Historic and Scenic Routes in Western Nebraska

The first transcontinental railroad, first transcontinental automobile highway (the Lincoln Highway), the Oregon Trail, the California and Mormon Trails and the Pony Express riders...

Sea to Shining Sea: Coast-to-Coast for the Heck of it

I love these long hauls, love looking at the beauty, and occasional ugliness, of this great nation, love stopping at all the historical markers...

Motorcycle Riding in Wisconsin's Door County

The first slice of this three-day tour began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where five intrepid motojournalists landed on a Thursday afternoon at the city’s General...

Eastern Kansas: Time Traveling in the Sunflower State

I was about an hour outside of Kansas City heading south on U.S. Route 169, a lightly traveled four-laner, and it was great to...

The Ride to Red Wing: Meandering Through the Midwest

The planning session for the ride had been laughable. We were three old farts, card-carrying AARP members, edging into retirement. Gary had suggested a...

Riding the Tail of the Newt in Kansas

Kansas City straddles the border of two states, so if you are from the area, starting in one state and finishing in another is...

Exploring Wisconsin State Route 67

My Dad told me, “Always go home a different way than you went, or you’ll never learn your way around.” I’ve always tried to...

Motorcycle Ride in Door County, Wisconsin

Door County, Wisconsin, covers the tip of a narrow peninsula, with Lake Michigan lapping at its eastern beaches and Green Bay gracing its western...

Following Hemingway: Motorcycle Adventure on Michigan’s Lower Peninsula

Iconic author Ernest Hemingway followed his own path in a distinctively adventurous manner. I’ve compared his approach to life to that of motorcyclists, pursuing...

Pigeon River Country: Sport Touring in Michigan

Michigan riders looking for sporting back roads with minimal traffic and serious curves in the northern portion of the Lower Peninsula need only follow...

Sidehacking into History

Many motorcyclists consider freeway speed limits to be a barrier. On a Ural, they’re more like an accomplishment. But the thrill one feels at...
2026 Motorcycle Buyers Guide