The Ride One of our Instagram followers in the area suggested Sandy Hook Cafe.  Leaving Cross River on the BMW R1200GSA, the Beeline indicated 19.8 miles as the crow flies.  See our article on discovering new roads with Beeline. We’d be crossing into Connecticut and many excellent roads there, so I expected our ending mileage to be up a bit from the compass distance. I headed north on Route 121 toward North Salem.  At the split with Route 116, I turned east to align with the compass.  Route 116 turns south here, so I needed to find a way to head northeast as the Beeline com ..read more

The Ride Another ride in our Upstate Coffee Crawl series, today’s destination was 68.6 miles away as the crow flies, according to the Beeline compass. Churchill After Hours, located in Eldred, NY, in Sullivan County, was sure to add more miles, with some incredible scenery along the way.  See our article on discovering new roads with Beeline. I had a riding buddy join me before we departed from Cross River. We headed north on Route 121 to connect with the reservoir road running alongside the Titicus Reservoir as I rode the BMW R18 Classic. We routed toward Croton Falls and onto Route 34 ..read more

The Ride With the recent snow finally cleared from the roads and no ice, it was time to take the BMW GSA out for a coffee ride.  From the Cross River, NY departure point, the Beeline compass indicated just 13.9 miles to the Humbled Coffeehouse across the border in Stamford, CT. Leaving Cross River, I headed west on Route 35 and then turned right onto Route 124, heading south following the compass indicator.  I split off in Pound Ridge, NY, and traveled on Route 137 toward Stamford, CT.  As I arrived in Stamford,  the Beeline indicated a sharp left.  I found a street he ..read more

Motorcyclists in the United States are a small percentage of the general population.  The IIHS estimates that there are only about 8.6 million registered legal road motorcycles in the United States as of 2021, about 3% of all registered vehicles.  Of all vehicle miles traveled, the NHTSA estimates that 0.6% are on a motorcycle.  It wouldn’t seem odd to see a motorcycle only once in every 165 vehicles.  We are out there, but you have to look to find us. While some motorcyclists own more than one bike and a few use it as a primary vehicle, the number of motorcyclists as a per ..read more

The Ride My riding club knew about the Moto coffee rides on Tank of Coffee and was eager to tag along and savor some coffee.  We decided to make our club ride a coffee ride to the Village Blend in Sloatsburg, NY, in Rockland County. We sometimes use affiliate links in our content.  This won’t cost you anything extra, but if you purchase something from one of the links, we may earn some money for coffee.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. From our starting point in Cross River, the Beeline mounted on the BMW R18 Classic indicated 31.4 miles to our destinat ..read more

The Ride Riding buddies love hearing about my coffee rides on Tank of Coffee and ask if they could join me.  I often leave pretty early, so the timing doesn’t work for them, but today was an exception, as one riding buddy could make it.  I waited for them at our starting point in Cross River. Our destination today was the Diplomat Cafe on the other side of the Hudson, so we knew it wouldn’t be a quick trip.  The Beeline Moto indicated 38.5 miles with compass mode, but we aimed for the Bear Mountain Bridge to cross the Hudson River. We departed from Cross River, heading north on ..read more

Tank of Coffee appreciates the rich, bold flavor of espresso and espresso-based drinks. We enjoy discovering charming coffee shops to indulge in our favorite beverage after an exhilarating ride. However, if you want to bring the delightful coffee shop experience to your home or even a camping trip. In that case, you need a compact and portable espresso maker to churn out a delicious cup of espresso. One such device that we highly recommend is the Wacaco Picopresso. This miniature brewer is perfect for making espresso on the go, and its affordable price point of approximately $130 makes it an e ..read more

The Ride I was bringing the GSA in for service and picking up the R18 that had been out of commission since the electrical fault.  As MAX BMW is in New Milford, part of Litchfield County, I decided to find a nearby coffee shop.  River & Rail Cafe was in downtown New Milford, so I pointed my Beeline there, and it indicated shy of 24 miles as the crow flies. I headed north on Route 121 as I left Cross River.  This beautiful motorcycle road passes several farm and horse properties along its route.  After passing Peach Lake, it terminates at Route 6, where I made a right. R ..read more

The Ride Aboard the BMW R1200GSA for this trip, the Beeline was 39.1 miles.  See our article on discovering new roads with Beeline.  Departing from Cross River, I headed west on Route 35, which follows the north shore of the Cross River Reservoir.  I passed the dam of the Amawalk Reservoir as I approached Yorktown. I tried a new road, turning north on Broad Street and left onto Granite Springs Road, connecting me with Route 202 near Yorktown High School.  I stayed on 202 until the turnoff for the Bear Mountain Parkway, which I joined.  This is a meandering four-lane pa ..read more

Tank of Coffee often writes about visits to local coffee shops on a motorcycle.  These craft stores are experts at creating a great cup of coffee and moto coffee is a beautiful pairing.  But sometimes you want to make a good cup of coffee at home.  Whether it is because of the weather keeping you off your bike or another reason, how do you get your coffee fix when you are at home?  Homebrewing is the answer.  While you won’t become a barista overnight, you can make a decent cup of joe at home.  Many of these approaches also work when you are motocamping, so your s ..read more