Originally built more than a century ago, Seven Bridges Road parallels and crosses Amity Creek, which cascades down a series of waterfalls for 400 vertical feet. This road was a highlight of this Minnesota motorcycle ride. A couple summers ago, I flew to Minneapolis for a CFMOTO press launch and to visit our parent company’s home office. When CFMOTO gave me the key to a 650 ADVentura and let me loose for a day, I made a beeline north to Duluth to pay a visit to my friend Andy Goldfine and tour the Aerostich factory and store. Related: 2022 CFMOTO Motorcycle Lineup | First Ride Review Scan QR ..read more

This Southern Minnesota motorcycle ride included an early morning stop at Church Hill Overlook on the Root River with a great view of the Lanesboro Stone Dam, constructed in 1868 with unmortared limestone blocks. (Photos by the author and Chad Cochran.) Motorcyclists living in Minnesota experience long winters with plenty of time to think about roads we want to ride. It’s a sweet feeling when spring arrives and the bikes come out of hibernation. My son, Chad, feels the same way. We kicked off the riding season with an overnight Minnesota motorcycle ride down the Great River Road (U.S. Route 61 ..read more

This Kentucky and Tennessee motorcycle ride includes a section of the Natchez Trace Parkway, which starts less than 20 miles from downtown Nashville. The historic road follows an ancient pathway for 444 miles to Natchez, Mississippi, on the Mississippi River. (Photos by the author and Cheryl Kessel) When a family friend decided to celebrate a milestone birthday in Nashville, our interest was piqued. Being big music fans and suckers for seeing new places, especially those with famously good motorcycling roads, my wife, Cheryl, and I decided to tag along. Others handled the search for accommodat ..read more

Riders enjoy the winding asphalt on this Route 66 motorcycle ride outside of Oatman. Route 66, or the Mother Road, is indelibly stitched into the fabric of the American psyche. The iconic road once traced its way for 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California. But it was more than just a long stretch of tarmac. Route 66 became a cultural phenomenon that inspired and piqued the American obsession with travel and adventure. Songs were written about it, quirky and kitschy roadside attractions sprouted beside it, and Americans longed to traverse it. The Mother Road was a main ..read more

On the Dalton Highway, Sukakpak Mountain rises 4,390 feet and reflects in the Koyukuk River. Sukakpak is an Iñupiat word meaning “marten deadfall” because, seen from the north, the peak resembles a carefully balanced log used to trap marten. (Photos by the author) It wasn’t that she was a princess. She had lived and taught on a reservation in northern Ontario where she gutted geese, chopped down trees, and drove on the ice roads. But by her own admission, my partner, Steph, was a sun ‘n’ sand type of vacationer. Riding and wild camping with no electricity was not her idea of a good time. And a ..read more

Nothing says “Arizona” like tall saguaros. These thorny towers are in the Sonoran Desert National Monument. Arizona is known for its five Cs – copper, cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate – all of which are represented on the state’s great seal. I experienced three of them in abundance on this scenic southern Arizona loop, rolling past harvest-ready cotton fields and large dairy farms and enjoying spectacular weather. Two more Cs – cactus and cars – were also highlights of this entertaining ride.  Scan QR code above or click here to view the route on REVER Before you get the wrong impress ..read more

On the northern tip of Keweenaw Peninsula, West Bluff provides a sweeping view of Lake Superior and Copper Harbor, Michigan – a great spot to stop along this Michigan Upper Peninsula motorcycle ride. Photos by the author and Craig Moll. As a resident of Minnesota with incurable wanderlust, I’ve visited Michigan’s Upper Peninsula a few times, including doing the 1,300‑mile Lake Superior Circle Tour twice. But one area of the Upper Peninsula – known locally as the “U.P.” – I had yet to explore is the Keweenaw Peninsula, a 150‑mile‑long wedge of land that looks like a long dorsal fin jutting into ..read more

There are several hairpins just west of the 1.1‑­mile Zion‑­Mt. Carmel Tunnel, which separates distinctly different parts of Zion National Park in southern Utah. Living at 6,000 feet in Cedar City, Utah, most of my winter riding involves heading south, which offers a quick drop in elevation and less chance of the falling white stuff. So that’s what I did a week before Christmas, giving myself a gift of a one‑­day ride through some southern Utah and Arizona history. See all of Rider‘s West U.S. Motorcycle Rides here. The day promised unseasonably warm temperatures…eventually. Just after the sun ..read more

If you’re a fan of Rider’s touring stories, you’ve likely noticed that we have been using REVER maps to accompany the stories. The REVER app, available for free on iOS and Android, works in conjunction with the REVER website to help riders discover the world’s best roads, create custom routes, track epic rides, compete for bragging rights, and share riding experiences across social platforms. Recently, the company has upped its game with the ability to import georeferenced PDF maps into the app. These maps have embedded GPS boundaries that overlay on any existing map style and display your cur ..read more

The Trace through Land Between the Lakes offers scenic picnic areas for a mid-ride break. These days, I’ve become so enthralled by all the great motorcycle roads around the world and on my bucket list that I forget about the ones close to home. For this ride, I retraced steps from my early riding days with a 140‑­mile Tennessee motorcycle loop around my hometown of Dover, which is located on the Cumberland River about 30 miles west of Clarksville and, as the crow flies, a little over 60 miles northwest of Nashville. Scan QR code above or click here to view the route on REVER I was joined by m ..read more