Riding the Great River Road

This summer, in two trips, brothers Jared Andersson and Heath Anderson rode on the Great River Road which follows the course of the Mississippi River from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Heath says their different approaches made the trip better, and while Jared is good at details, Heath tends to ‘jump in, screw up and jump in again until I get it right”. But, together they set out with a purpose of experiencing the Mississippian cultures and places that are testament to the pre-Columbian world, long erased and forgotten. Visiting sites of the early native people, ancient mound sites, eating walleye and looking for wild rice made for stories to be shared of self-discovery, and an appreciation for the lands and people, both past and present.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Rider Skills: Getting a Grip on Gravel Cornering - Chris Birch

On this episode of Rider Skills you’ll learn how to corner in gravel confidently, you’ll pick up key tips like when to sit and when to stand, and how your bike design will affect that decision. Instructor, Chris Birch, also talks about why peg weighting matters and how leverage comes into play, and how the dirt and asphalt corner differ and why the two shall probably never meet.

Posted on August 5, 2021 and filed under Rider Skills.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Working to Ride: Hank Arriazola

Hank Arriazola is a long time BMW rider with a passion for travel and photography. He’s travelled extensively in Mexico, Central America, South America, and Africa, putting 540,000 miles on his 1995 BMW R1100GS. Hank also runs a BMW repair shop called MotoHank and specializes in long distance travel preparation, getting the motorcycles ready, and helping out with the required documents and items needed for that specific trip. A conversation about travel, trip preparation and motorcycle life.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Motorcycle Theft Tracking and Prevention Tips

Motorcycle theft can and does happen all around the world and chances are either you, or someone you know, or someone you’ve heard about has had their motorcycle stolen. Thieves are quick and they’re brash. But, there are things you can do to help prevent motorcycle theft.

Posted on July 22, 2021 and filed under Gear, Security.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

How Dare They Shoot At Me - Riding By The Seat Of My Pants - Richard Georgiou

Richard Georgiou likes to pack his bike sparsely and ride off into the sunset with only some basic information about where he’s going and what to expect when he gets there. He let’s adventure unfold around him, often shooting from the hip. It’s not always comfortable but that’s the way he likes to ride. And sometimes that does get him in to trouble, like the time when he was lost on a motorcycle trip and approached a road block stocked with armed men. Unable to figure out what was going on Richard decided to hunker down and crack the throttle and… well, let’s just say that adventure has a way of finding Richard Georgiou.

Posted on July 15, 2021 and filed under Solo Travel, Travel, Adventure, Adventure Bike.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Rider Skills: Hill Climbing for Adventure Motorcycles - Bill Dragoo

On this episode of ARR RIDER SKILLS, off-road instructor Bill Dragoo walks us through the ascent and descent of a dirt hill climb specifically for adventure motorcycles and then off-camber riding. How-to instruction with tips and concepts of why we do what we do when riding hills.

Posted on July 8, 2021 and filed under Rider Skills.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

How the Pandemic Saved an Alaskan Adventure - Donovan Lucibello

Donovan Lucibello hadn’t ridden a motorcycle in years, but when he discovered dual sport riding he decided that he wanted to ride from Montana to Alaska. Having a short window he rode one way and decided to leave his motorcycle in Anchorage with a plan to return the next year. But as it is with life, other things got in the way and then he started a new job. When he was laid off in June of last year he was crushed, but the very next day he made the decision to return to Alaska and finish his trip. And although the country was in the midst of a historic pandemic, he found that he was made to feel welcome by the hospitality, perseverance and generosity of the people he met. For Donovan, the trip to Alaska was ‘motorcycle therapy’ that helped to set him right again.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Life is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React to It - Justin Kleiter

When a freak skiing accident left Justin Kleiter laid up on his couch he needed something to do, and by chance he discovered a whole new world of motorcycle adventure that would lead him to South America, Mongolia and many more places.

Posted on June 24, 2021 and filed under Travel, Adventure, GS Trophy.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Life Calls for Adventure - Graeme and Sue Duncan

Graeme Duncan is a self described workaholic. It’s a family thing, Graeme, his brothers, his dad and it runs deep. His wife, Sue Duncan, relishes the idea of a vacation, but trying to convince a workaholic to skip work and pour out some hard earned cash for a vacation requires the tactics of a top earning vacuum salesperson. But, Sue did find a way and as you can imagine, it had something to do with a motorcycle.

Posted on June 17, 2021 and filed under Women Motorcycle Riders, Two Up, Travel.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Pulled, Pushed and Towed - From Germany to New York on Ural Motorcycles

Five young artists decided to take their studios on the road for an expedition - on four Ural Sidecars - from Germany, through Russia and to New York. Their trip included “armies of mosquitos and mountains of bureaucracy”, riding on the Road of Bones and building amphibious motorcycles. They had an incredible 972 breakdowns, which culminated in meeting some strange characters who helped them continue their adventure, but only until the next breakdown.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Rider Skills: Learning to Ride Ruts on Adventure Motorcycles | Clinton Smout

Ruts can be one of the most difficult challenges for motorcyclists and although ruts are usually found when riding in dirt off-road, you may come across them in construction areas and even at the side of the road where the asphalt often has a lip and a dirt shoulder. Riding off to the side of the road over that lip is usually uneventful, but if not done correctly re-entering the roadway and crossing that rut can put a rider down. Riding ruts, tips, tricks and even a few stories from Clinton Smout of SMART Adventures.

Posted on June 3, 2021 and filed under Rider Skills.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Motorcycle Playlist - The Sheepdogs - Ryan Gullen

If you enjoy listening to music, your playlist may have a big impact on how you feel as you ride. Fast paced music feels great for carving corners or riding rough trails at a moderate pace. Or your playlist may fit well with working on your bike or hanging out with like minded riders. And since music and motorcycles go together so well, we talked to motorcyclist and bassist Ryan Gullen from The Sheepdogs about music, building vintage bikes, and riding motorcycles. So, what’s on your playlist?

Posted on May 27, 2021 and filed under Vintage, Playlists.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Riding the Balkans - The Adventure Continues - Travis and Chantil Gill

After spending years saving and preparing, Travis and Chantil Gill left on a year long motorcycle trip. They planned to explore Morocco and as much of Europe as they could. Then the pandemic struck and they made the tough decision to take a chance and go ahead with their plans. Just a couple of weeks in to their trip, they found themselves stuck in Spain but when things eased up they were able to start travelling again in South Eastern Europe. Because of the pandemic restrictions they’ve discovered slow travel which could ultimately change the way they travel in the future, but they’ve also been faced with some moral dilemmas at the same time.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Can You Justify the Cost of a Motorcycle Airbag Vest?

Airbag vests could be for the upper body what helmets are for the head. And they could mean the difference between life and death. We’ll spend a small fortune on a helmet or a riding jacket and pants, yet we have trouble justifying the price of an airbag vest. On this episode, why should we consider an airbag vest, what will it do for us, what choices do we have and what are we paying for?

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

RIDER SKILLS: Simple Cornering Methods For Adventure Motorcycles

On this episode of RIDER SKILLS, Bill Dragoo from Dragoo Adventure Rider Training walks us through some simple steps that will help improve your cornering skills while riding your adventure motorcycle on the street, either loaded or unloaded.

Posted on May 6, 2021 and filed under Rider Skills.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

GEARING UP: Essential ADV Gear - Shawn Thomas

Feeling confident when you ride off the beaten track has everything to do with two things, what skills you possess and what gear are you carrying. But deciding just which skills you should learn and what pieces of gear you should carry comes down to experience. On this episode of Gearing Up we’re going to speak to Shawn Thomas and learn about some essential gear that he rides with and a bunch more.

Posted on April 29, 2021 and filed under Gear, Gearing Up.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Cure the Wanderlust - Geoff Keys

Some of us are born with it, some of us develop it and some of us are just sideswiped by it - it’s something called wanderlust. Geoff Keys had ambitions to travel the world for a long time. Further inspired by adventure travel books and moto documentaries, he decided to follow his dream to tour the world and naturally the mode of transport was motorcycle. As Geoff shared with us, his “reason for travelling is simply to scratch the itch, cure the wanderlust, see what there is to be seen and meet the people with whom I share the planet”. With a pure attitude, leaving all inhibitions behind, Geoff has faced some challenges and met many people along the way, and even made headlines when he was lost in the Australian outback for two days.

Posted on April 22, 2021 and filed under Adventure, Adventure Bike, World Rider, Travel.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

A Huge Fraternity of Motorcyclists - Sean Burch

The motorcycle community is a pretty close knit group of people. We wave when we pass each other, we’re always willing to help out a fellow rider when they have a problem and many of us have an open door for traveling motorcyclists. We connect through social media and forums, with many of us forming lifelong friendships. And sometimes we’re fortunate to come across people who are so generous and so kind that it’s almost surreal. And imagine coming across not just one person, but several people who through their actions confirm your faith in humanity. And that’s just what happened to Sean Burch from the United States, who found friendship all over the world and kindness in strangers.

Posted on April 15, 2021 and filed under Adventure, Travel.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Australian Desert Forges New Rider - Benji Brundin

A few years ago Benji Brundin went through some major life changes, including losing his dream career and his wife, and decided that the best course of action was to break from conventional life. So, leaving his past behind, challenging his fears and limitations he bought a camper van and outfitted it for adventure, then headed out to circumnavigate Australia with a dirt bike strapped to the back. Although he had never ridden a motorcycle before, adventure riding has now become Benji’s focus, and has led to him discovering a passion of riding in sand and ultimately crossing all ten deserts in Australia.

Posted on April 8, 2021 and filed under Desert Crossing, Extreme Riding, Australia.

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Harley-Davidson Pan America Enters the ADV Scene - How’s That Going to Pan Out?

Harley-Davidson has announced the Pan America, an “adventure touring” motorcycle which is projected to be released in May, 2021. There’s been mixed reactions amongst the adventure motorcycle community, as Harley-Davidson has traditionally been known for big and loud bikes. We went to Harley-Davidson and to industry expert Tim Calhoun to get some of our biggest questions answered including what’s behind the thought process of the Harley-Davidson breaking in to the adventure motorcycle market with the new Pan America? What can we expect from this new adventure touring bike? Will the adventure motorcycling community embrace the Pan America and are we even willing to give it a chance?

Listen to more of our best motorcycle podcasts here.
Subscribe anywhere you find podcasts!
Please give us a rating on Facebook and wherever you listen to your podcasts.