California Motorcycle Rides

Renaissance Riding: Local Roads and Shakespeare Out West

I was pleasantly surprised a couple of years back when I wrote a travel piece for Rider called “Chasing Shakespeare: An Elizabethan Tour of...

Monkey Butt 500

Rider rides a mile for every issue: 500 in one day...on li'l singles. Because we can. A ride is an experience, a long sequence of...

Sources of Power: Touring Some of California’s Powerplants on an Indian

I always enjoy riding over to Morro Bay...and not just for the pleasure of calamari and chips at Giovanni’s. Coming down the west slope...

Stop and Smell the Roses: Lonely Roads in Oregon and Northern California

How often have you handed out this pearl of wisdom: “stop and smell the roses”? Plenty of times, right? Now the harder question. How...

The Secret Life of a Travel Writer

I'm sitting on a bench in an old graveyard, wooden crosses standing before me, the Pacific Ocean off to my left. In the near...

Honda NC700X DCT ABS | Tour Test Review

Confession time: It may seem like the result of careful planning, but serendipity often plays a big role in our ability to create good...

Favorite Ride: Riding the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway in Northern California

If you have traveled Interstate 5 between Oregon and California, you’ve probably seen one end of the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway. Eleven miles south...

The Flight of the Wasps: Touring on Vespa Scooters

The Vespa 300 GTS Super scooter is a unique ride. While iconically Italian, its 350-pound weight and 31-inch seat height blurs lines. Is this...

Favorite Ride: Unexpected Serenity in Southern California

Is there any scenic countryside left for motorcyclists in the urban sprawl of Southern California? Actually there is, and it’s surprisingly close to the densely...

Favorite Ride: Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway

Most people ride U.S. Route 395 in California just to get from point A to point B, but wandering off the highway reveals numerous,...

Chasing Shakespeare: An Elizabethan Tour of the American West

The Plan “…then begins a journey in my head…” (Sonnet 27) Bourbon and conversation, biscuits and gravy, movies and popcorn–some things just seem to go...

2016 Yamaha FJR1300ES | Road Test Review

What do a state park, an international border crossing, a dirt road and a coastal highway have in common? Together they make up the...

Twisty Roads and Redwoods in Northern California

On a warm summer morning, my wife and I departed on a four-day trip that would take us on some of the finest motorcycle roads...

Hide Ride: Escaping to Some of the Loneliest Country in California

I sent my grandson a pup tent and told him to sleep in the backyard. Sometimes a guy’s got to hide, I said. When...

Circling the Sierra: A Three-State Ride Around Snow-Covered Mountains

Itching for a Northern California adventure, my longtime riding partner, Patrick, and I mull over the possibilities. It’s too early in the season for...

The Salton Sea: The Strange Beauty of the Post-Apocalypse

“Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent desolation.” That was how astronaut Buzz Aldrin described what he saw as he left his famous boot prints on the moon’s...

35 Bucket List Motorcycle Rides

We all have a bucket list of motorcycle roads we’d like to ride before we highside off this mortal coil. Here are 35 recommended...

A Short History of California's Cuesta Pass on U.S. 101

I imagine we all have a lot of favorite roads. One of mine is very short. About three miles long, ascending, or descending, a...

California Motorcycle Rides

Renaissance Riding: Local Roads and Shakespeare Out West

Monkey Butt 500

Sources of Power: Touring Some of California’s Powerplants on an Indian

Stop and Smell the Roses: Lonely Roads in Oregon and Northern California

The Secret Life of a Travel Writer

Honda NC700X DCT ABS | Tour Test Review

Favorite Ride: Riding the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway in Northern California

The Flight of the Wasps: Touring on Vespa Scooters

Favorite Ride: Unexpected Serenity in Southern California

Favorite Ride: Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway

Chasing Shakespeare: An Elizabethan Tour of the American West

2016 Yamaha FJR1300ES | Road Test Review

Twisty Roads and Redwoods in Northern California

Hide Ride: Escaping to Some of the Loneliest Country in California

Circling the Sierra: A Three-State Ride Around Snow-Covered Mountains

The Salton Sea: The Strange Beauty of the Post-Apocalypse

35 Bucket List Motorcycle Rides

A Short History of California's Cuesta Pass on U.S. 101

FOLLOW US

CURRENT ISSUE

May 2024