BMW Motorrad USA is proud to announce the return of BMW Motorrad Days Americas, as part of the storied Barber Vintage Festival, for 2024. The first ever BMW Motorrad Days Americas took place last year and helped celebrate the 100 Years history of BMW motorcycles with record attendance at the Barber Vintage Festival. “Last year’s celebration of the BMW Motorrad Days Americas at the Barber Vintage Festival was so much fun, there is no way we could not be back.” said Luciana Francisco, Head of Marketing and Product, BMW Motorrad USA. “There is no better community than the global motorcycling comm ..read more

I — get this out of the way up front: you need to come to the Twin Valley Riders Rally next September. If you can’t have a good time there, you’re not trying. It’s typically a fun journey getting there, riding across western Virginia without a single traffic light beyond my neighborhood, but a beautiful Thursday afternoon in mid-September, my progress was impeded by a yellow Montgomery County school bus disgorging children on their ways home. Then, by the time I reached Craig County, I waited through a long road construction delay. Happily, I wasn’t in a hurry. Wilderness Adventure at Eagle’s ..read more

My motorcycle is my own personal time machine. It allows me to return to places I’ve visited in the past and reconnect with people that have earned special spots in my heart. Even when I’m headed off in a different direction and meeting new people, the memories of something once experienced, long ago, seem to be ever more deeply rooted in my heart and mind because of the motorcycle. Because of the adventure. Because of the enchantment that is only understood by those who travel on two wheels. These were my thoughts I shared with other riders as a speaker at last summer’s Motorcycle Sport Touri ..read more

Tallahassee. Scheisse, I’m still only in Tallahassee, Florida. Every day, I think I’m going to wake up back in the mountains. When I was home after my last tour it got worse, When I was in the mountains, I wanted to be home. When I was home, all I could think of was getting back into the Blue Ridge. I’ve been home for three months now. Waiting for a mission, getting softer and slower. Every minute I stay in the flatlands I get weaker. Every minute my friend Elio carves twisties, he gets stronger and faster. Each time I look around the walls move in a little tighter. When I get the mountain rid ..read more

As motorcyclists in an ever-changing world of both style and technology, the time has come to ask ourselves: Are airbags or air vests essential safety gear? Do they work? Are they affordable? Are they reusable? MotoGP, the top tier of motorcycle racing, requires racers to wear a specific helmet, leathers, pads, boots, gloves — and yes, airbags. In fact, airbags have been required in MotoGP since 2018. The MotoGP racer airbags are state-of-the-art technological wonders.  The airbags are triggered by combination of a gyroscopes, GPS and accelerometers working together to detect a crash and ..read more

Motorcycle riders have no shortage of scenic ways to venture to Waynesville, North Carolina, where not far from Main Street they will find one of the region’s finest leather goods shops.   Born of an idea hatched in October 2014, Axe and Awl Leatherworks is the brainchild of Spencer and Courtney Tetrault. The duo, along with their exceptional team of makers, have transformed Axe and Awl into what has become both a staple to the community and a heritage brand that offers the highest quality handmade leather goods. Photo by Main Street Photography Although not exclusively a motorcycle brand ..read more

Without realizing it, I eased the bike to the opposite side of the lane, instinctively avoiding the pothole I knew was around the next bend. I know every crack in this backroad. It’s one of my favorite local loops when I feel like riding but don’t feel like really going anywhere. The warmth of spring has yet to arrive. I ride out the last of winter daydreaming about more motorcycle adventures as the year starts to unfold. Meanwhile, I stick to some of my favorite loops here in Western North Carolina. We all have them. We all need them. I love hitting the road for a weeklong trip, but those sho ..read more

Glowing neon letters spelling out “Mars Theatre” beckon as the sun sets on Main Street in the small Western North Carolina town of Mars Hill. Music begins to fill the air as you open the big double doors of the old 1947 cinema house and follow the stairs down to a whimsical eatery, brewery and makeshift community center. Scott Spruill, who operates Mars Theatre Brewing Co., stands at the bar clad in a leather motorcycle jacket as he chats with a few regulars. No one seems a stranger here, even a newcomer venturing in for their first visit — especially a fellow motorcyclist. Spruill and his bro ..read more

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