I recently returned from two fabulous small bore motorcycle rallies. I first visited the 2nd annual Barber Small Bore Rally hosted by Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama. The second rally was held in Maryville, Tennessee, the Smoky Mountain Small Bore Rally. This is my second year being involved with the small bore motorcycle community, and I even purchased a Honda Monkey a little over a year ago to participate.
Read More
It’s riding season, and time to plan those bucket list road trips you’ve been dreaming about! How do you make those dreams a reality? The first secret to a successful ride is proper planning. Whether rolling solo or leading a group, developing a simple plan is always the best way to go. Let’s get started
Read More
Riding to Sturgis, South Dakota in August is always an experience. It’s usually hot and dry with the occasional thunderstorm. This year’s trip was the wettest I’ve seen and I’ve been going to the rally since the late 1970s. Yes, I’m that old.
Read More
I am rather late to the game in this niche of motorcycle mania. I learned about this rally at the beginning of the year, and it looked like a lot of fun. So, I went to my local motorcycle shop, Cycle World of Athens, and bought myself a new 2023 Honda Monkey (above). I have been riding for over 60 years, but this is a different experience entirely. The fun I’ve had riding this little bike around my region and taking it to Daytona Bike Week led to my decision to attend this rally in the mountains and see what other like-minded folks were doing with these little bikes.
Read More
This 2023 Honda Monkey is currently my ninth registered and running motorcycle and if I could sum this bike up in one word, it would simply be “FUN”. The Monkey takes me back to the days of my youth! Styled after the old Honda Mini Trail 50 and early 60s Monkey from back in the day, the new Monkey is thoroughly modern and built for grown-up riding. The seat height is 30.5 inches, which I understand is 3 inches taller than Honda’s Rebel 1100 that Rob and Phil rode and reviewed. And what a comfortable seat! My bony butt never gets sore, even riding around on it most of the day.
Read More
On my 2018 Honda Goldwing, with my friend Max on his 2015 Harley Road King, we launched out on our whirlwind 6,000 mile, 2-week trip across the United States. Sick of the constant negative news and craziness of current culture, we hit the road to get a taste again of real America, like the old Simon & Garfunkel song to which my title refers. We averaged between 400 and 500 miles each day. We left North Georgia and blasted our way up through Kentucky and Illinois into Iowa. It was amazing to see the changes in the landscape from the eastern United States to the central and then to the west. Our lands are rich in diversity, in so many ways.
Read More
If you’ve never experienced a weekend at Vintage Fest, you really should make plans for next year. It’s truly a memorable experience, a walk back through motorcycle time actually, with bikes, brands, makes and models from all eras of motorcycle history. Every year I’ve been able to attend, I’ve found something I’d not seen before, or at least in many years, and the people attending are from all walks of life, every age, from across the country and really the world. I’m so glad Vintage Fest was back on this year, as it’s truly one of my favorite annual motorcycling events.
Read More
Mike Boyd is an American treasure, though he does not perceive himself as such. A Vietnam combat veteran, Huey helicopter pilot, and Purple Heart recipient among other honors, Mike has experienced much of life in his 70+ years. Among his great loves is motorcycling, of which he has amassed untold miles criss-crossing America upon countless bikes over his lifetime. Mike has photographed for us here at Road Dirt as well, and we love the guy. He may be all of 5’7” or so, but he’s 10-feet tall to us.
Mike recently completed a trip out west astride a new Honda CB500X with plenty of photos, and we wanted to share his journey with you. Our hope is that you’ll enjoy his trip chronicle, and be inspired to launch out on your own adventure this year.
Recent Comments