#travel

The best country for motorcyclists? That question could generate a vigorous debate. But if you’ve not ridden in France, and should you have the chance, you should. While we U.S. riders can boast of our expansive spaces, and the broad varieties of geography herein, and cheap gas, we’re well behind the curve in terms of status on the international transportation scale. When bikes were all but eclipsed by cars in the States, about 100 years ago, motorcyclists were assigned the Second Class label. Been there ever since.

Dang, we really do need to get out more. Frankly, I had misgivings about six days on the road with eight other MOrons, but by the time we got home I was wondering, why do we all live with these other 11 million morons packed into SoCal anyway? Can’t we just keep riding? Oh well, at least we lucky few have the chance to escape it now and then, to see the other California. The Central Coast, like between Santa Barbara and Monterey, is nice enough. Camping at Big Sur on our first night out was okay, but to me, camping in campgrounds is like staying in a hotel with no walls. It’s not until you make it north of San Francisco, quite a ways north, that the real mental adjustment can begin.

We hear a lot about how it’s the ride, not the destination. Okay, understood. But, since you need a place to turn around, the destination has to figure in there, right? Not that you have to actually know where it is when you set out, but when you get there and say okay, time to turn around, that was it. Destination Point. The place to which you were going, whether you knew it or not. So you take a picture.

The great thing about being a motorcycle rider in this part of the globe is that you can do and see plenty on two wheels within the confines of the contiguous 48. However, if you want to expand your borders a little (literally), the options for moto-exploration become even greater should you decide to travel either north or south. Of course, I’m talking about touring to Canada or Mexico. While there are plenty of great roads, paved or otherwise, in both countries, this particular piece is aimed more towards the rider who has never embarked on a trip across these international borders. Here are a few tips on what you need to know, helpful advice, and suggestions to make your ride just a little more enjoyable.

If you’re desiring to roll some serious mileage on two wheels but the roadways leading to all the familiar haunts (Sturgis, Daytona, Laguna Seca, et al.) are seeming somewhat lackluster, the cure may be to ride outside your national comfort zone and travel abroad. A foreign escapade brings with it a litany of uncertainties, one being insurance and how to make sure you’re covered in the worst-case scenario, a long way from home in a place where English isn’t the ubiquitous language.

Most of these I’ve traversed, but I attempted to avoid personal bias by including a few I’d like to add to my personal list of best roads ridden. So much exists out there to ride a top 10 list doesn’t do justice, nay, not even a top 100 list would begin to scratch the amount of asphalt deemed epic by motorcycle standards. These are but 10 of the best known stretches; the roads that every motorcyclist should at least ride a few of in his or her lifetime.

In the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to take some extended rides at night – most recently my return from this past weekend’s World Superbike round at Laguna Seca. As I frequently do, when I have a bunch of saddle time on my hands, I started noodling on something to while away the hours. For this trip, the topic was how much I love riding motorcycles in the dark.

Last weekend, I found myself faced with the unhappy task of a 700-mile round trip to attend the memorial service for a friend who had lost her battle with cancer. Since I came to motorcycling during a period in my life that I largely associate with loss, I have continued to use two-wheeled travel as a means to work through and let go of the emotions associated with difficult times. So, naturally, I expected to ride up to the event, but when I informed Editor-in-Chief Duke of my plan, he reminded me of why he’s the boss (and I’m just a hired hand) by saying that it might penalize the FJR1300ES in our upcoming sport touring shootout if I put those miles on the Michelin Pilot Road 4 tires without prior experience of their longevity. I could handicap the FJR in its title defense against the other sport tourers on their fresh rubber.