Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i Motorcycle Mojo Magazine

I am fortunate to have ridden a motorcycle in a good number of places, not only in North America, but various locations around the world. There isn’t a place that I wouldn’t want to go back to continue to explore. Visiting a city does nothing for me – I’m not a fan of traffic and lineups and intersections – but put me on a motorcycle in the great wide open and I could be gone for weeks or maybe even months at a time if life didn’t get in the way. Even though I’ve ridden on four of the seven continents (I still need to ride in South America, Australia and Antarctica, although the last might be a challenge logistically and given the simple fact that I don’t like the…

Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times. That lovely proverb is believed to have originated in Asia. What’s for sure is that it best describes the reason you should travel. I love exploring and travelling in general – I always have. There’s something within me that just wants to go and experience new places. And there’s something particularly compelling about making new discoveries by motorcycle. If you need to justify why you should travel (seriously?), here is some fuel. Travelling allows you to step outside your comfort zone, which is a huge thing. You learn to be adventurous – trying different foods, learning to communicate with others if you don’t know the language. You’ll need to get along with people you’re travelling with who…

Croatia has become the hidden gem of Europe for many reasons. The small country, which borders the Adriatic Sea, is often overlooked by travellers headed to the more common destinations of Italy or even Greece. Although it has mostly recovered from the Croatian War of Independence, which was won in 1995, there are still remnants of the battle, evident from bullet-ridden bricks and vacated buildings throughout the country. Despite the battle scars, however, Croatia has risen above as a hearty, proud and humble country, eager to welcome visitors to take in the beautiful landscape and enjoy all that it has to offer. An invitation to ride was all I needed to venture to Europe. Before I knew it, I was boarding a plane from Toronto with my carefully packed bags…

Some of the members of my Jewish motorcycle club, the YOW (Yidden on Wheels), from Toronto decided to honour Israel’s special 70th birthday (Yom Ha’atzmaut) by touring the whole country for two weeks this past April. The preparation took over a year, but the results were incredible. In fact, we just proved an exception to the riders’ motto “It’s not the destination but the ride,” because this special trip was both. The logistics of getting 14 big touring bikes halfway across the world was daunting, to say the least. We needed a customs broker, a shipping company, an insurance broker and, most importantly, proper documentation for everything. As an example, one of our riders had a new bike but the paperwork had one small mistake, resulting in a four-hour delay…

As I prepare for back-to-back motorcycle adventures, first in Spain and then in Nepal, I’m thankful for a few high-quality pieces of riding gear that I’ve acquired over the past few years. I used to just make do with what I had around the house — old gear, used or cheap stuff that I picked up because I couldn’t spend the time or money to get the good stuff. However, after having a few less than ideal experiences, I’ve come to the realization that good-quality gear that fits the situation is totally worth it. On one of the first long-distance road trips I ever went on, from British Columbia to California and back, I wore race leathers. I had rolled my eyes at the idea of having a tour-specific outfit…

I squinted in disbelief. On a grinding wheel of terror, a whole city’s worth of boneheadedness came crashing down like a shelf full of shoes, all around my head at once. Welcome to Lima. Dodging demolishment by the skin of my teeth was one thing in this black-souled and brazen traffic, but glimpsing a severely injured motorcyclist in an ambulance made my soul cold. Lima’s wrath will sweep you from the road like a bit of goose down in the wind if you’re not careful. Breaking out of a thick knot of cars, I rode Pearl, my F650GS, with the agility and speed of a frightened rat fleeing a rising flood. Barely retaining a grip on the Kamikaze traffic – what did I expect when Peruvians are not required to…

Over 30 years ago, I set my heart on exploring one of the most beautiful countries in the world, New Zealand – a remote oasis miles from anywhere – on a motorbike trip, and have been dreaming of it ever since. This year, on turning 60, I decided it was time to turn my dream into reality and head to Aotearoa – (Māori for “Land of the Long White Cloud”) for a new road trip. At first I thought about shipping my KLR from Vancouver to Auckland, on New Zealand’s North Island, but it was not the cheapest and easiest solution for a two-week trip. And doing this tour with my wife, Margaret, meant we needed a more comfortable motorcycle. The best option was to rent a bike in New…

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: I’ve only ever once run out of gas on a motorcycle, and it happened on a 1986 BMW R80 G/S Paris-Dakar that had a big 32-litre fuel tank. It was at night and I hadn’t planned for gas stations being closed. That experience taught me to plan ahead for gas stops, especially when travelling in remote areas. Today, it’s much easier to do thanks to apps that allow you to find the nearest gas stations based on your location, like GasBuddy. Bikes have different ways of telling you you’re low on fuel, either by warning light, fuel gauge or odometer reading. Note that because motorcycles have asymmetrical fuel tanks, fuel gauges are notoriously inaccurate, so you can’t always rely on them. The best way to keep track of…

Best Feature Film and People’s Choice Award The Unfamiliar Road, produced and directed by Daniel Greening The Unfamiliar Road follows the overland motorcycle journey from Perth, Western Australia, to London, England – a trip that covers 37,000 km and 24 countries. Judging Panel comment: “This film was truly amazing, inspiring; incredibly well edited, shot, written and assembled, especially considering it is a travel documentary. The music really makes the story flow, the dialogue is the right amount of information and personal feeling. Extremely well done!” Best Canadian Film No Highway, directed by Virgil Laferté At the dawn of his 50th birthday, Marc Provencher begins his journey that will take him on 6,500 km of gravel road, through northern Quebec and the Maritimes. What follows is a stream of honest self-reflection…

I was on a recent adventure tour with lots of other riders, and was shocked when one of them declared that he liked “around 12 pounds of air in the tires.” I won’t name names, but I don’t mind risking making someone angry with me if I highlight that person’s ignorance or mistakes here to help others prepare properly for a motorcycle trip. I have learned a lot from more experienced riders, from reading lots of adventure-touring stories and from riding a fair bit myself. My advice can be very helpful if you are new to touring or if you haven’t done any mechanical work on bikes, and will help facilitate a faster, safer and more successful journey. What frustrates me is riders who have lots of touring miles under…

Sun and Shadow Warm weather, sun and an absence of the typical IoM rain and fog resulted in a record-breaking pace in 2018. But clear skies also bring the challenge of the strobe effect of alternating sun and shadow at race speeds. Here, two riders power out of Quarterbridge corner during qualifying for the Senior TT. Posted speed limits do not apply! The Isle of Man TT is something that all motorcyclists should experience at least once in their lifetime Stop and Go Pit stops are critical to race success. The bike takes on fuel, the rider takes on fluids. Conor Cummins, on board a Padgett’s Motorcycles Honda, pits during the Senior TT. Cummins finished third. Riders must adapt to changing handling characteristics after pits stops due to fuel load.…

Some things in life are meant to go together – a crisp glass of wine with a delicious meal, a chunk of hard cheese with fresh crusty bread, scenic motorcycle touring with track time. Cat MacLeod of Leod Escapes has found the perfect pairing by combining 4-6 days of breathtaking road riding with two days of exhilarating track riding – on world-famous Moto GP circuits no less! Having participated in one of his combo tours two years prior through the Italian Alps and on the Sachsenring circuit, I had high expectations of this inaugural trip through the Spanish Pyrenees and on to the Moto GP circuit of Aragon. The bar was set very, very high. MacLeod has been running these perfectly blended tours for six years, offering international choices: Australian…