Advertisement

Ride Life

Stories From The Open Road

What Bikers Wish Every Driver Knew

While most of the time I feel like “cagers” (biker slang for automobile drivers) are aware of and largely respect us on the roads, it’s a sad fact that too many motorists don’t give us the margin and consideration that we deserve. We are often viewed as a traffic nuisance at the very least, and at worst are considered outlaw biker gang types or irresponsible stunters. Newsflash: While those elements do exist, the overwhelming majority of us riders are law-abiding citizens, with families and jobs, like our fellow “cagers.” Conversely, all too often we riders regard our fellow motorists as inattentive, distracted adversaries, who crowd us out and cut us off on the roads, with no consideration for our rights or well-being. Of course, we know that’s a generalization as well, aware that most motorists aren’t trying to kill us.
They are pretty distracted nowadays, however.

Read More
YouTube video

Resurrecting a Laverda, Part 3

The air feels heavy from the recent rain, as if there is nowhere left for all the moisture to go. The saturated path is soft and spongy underfoot, and tree limbs hang heavy from the weight of the water drops. Overhead, black threatening clouds hang oppressively low, matching the darkness in my soul. It’s cool, not cold, but I shiver as I climb up into the dark, silent woods, alone with my thoughts. Just two weeks out of riding through the war in Ukraine for the last five weeks, yet I haven’t made it back yet.
Suddenly, a young dog comes racing around the corner, the first sign of life I’ve seen as even the birds seem to have stayed home today. Clearly inquisitive, but wary, he circles me as his owner comes into view. The quintessential Scottish dog walker- wax cotton rain jacket and rubber boots, the practical choice for these conditions. He has a shock of dark hair, a thick goatee beard covering his face and after calling his dog, we exchange pleasantries. Actually, we enter into a bizarre conversation that just seems to get stranger. At first, I think we must have met the year before, the way he greets me, so I ask how his dog has been doing. He tells me he only just got him, hence his untrained behavior. These disconnected exchanges continue as I conclude that we haven’t met before. Then he asks me a question that leaves me as stunned as I am bewildered.
“How’s the Mirage doing?”

Read More

My Scooter Youth: 1962 Vespa 150

Most who took up motorcycle riding as kids typically got their start on pull-start Sears & Roebuck minibikes, Honda Trail 70 or 90 bikes, or maybe something like a Yamaha YZ80. I got my start on a scooter. I was 14 years old, Christmas of 1962, and to my surprise, I was gifted a brand new Vespa 150 motor scooter by my parents. From that day forward, my whole life changed. I was free. I could go where I wanted, when I wanted (or so I thought), a very dangerous prospect for a young rascal like myself.

Read More

Fight For Donni

Donni Reddington is one of us. A passionate, highly skilled motorcycle rider, Donni has collaborated with Road Dirt on several stories over the life of our little publication and community, contributing photography, riding stories, bike/gear reviews, and lots of laughter. We love her, and are thankful to know her.

Read More

Why We Ride- How A Movie Became A Mission

Bryan Carroll is a man on a mission. He wants to see childhood brain cancer eliminated in our lifetime. And he’s determined to help make that dream happen. Bryan, the producer and director of the acclaimed 2013 motorcycling film, “Why We Ride”, along with his friend and colleague James Walker, love motorcycling, and love the motorcycle community. And like so many in our community, Bryan and James have big hearts for philanthropy, specifically for children’s causes.

Read More

Daytona Bike Weekend

In the early hours of Thursday, March 6, 2025, I left home pulling my toy hauler/trailer, headed for Daytona Beach. I had loaded in the trailer my Honda Monkey and CB500X , and my friend David’s Triumph Bonneville 1200. David was pulling his teardrop camper with his Mercedes as we headed on our way to Florida. The weather was good and we made it to the Florida line somewhere around noon.
Daytona, here we come!

Read More

Moto Misfortune

First published years ago by Rebecca Dudley of the News-Tribune, she shared the story of a biker who pushed his motorcycle from his front patio into his living room, where he began to clean the engine with some rags and a small bowl of gasoline. When he finished, he sat on the bike and decided to fire it up, to make sure everything was in running order.
Yes, in the living room.

Read More

Neale Bayly’s Moto Flashbacks: Connecting The Dots

“Of course when the Russians kidnapped me, they held me at gun point for 36 hours, but I’ve got to go…” As the phone line went silent my mind drifted back to the day I crossed the Carpathian Mountains on my old Kawasaki KLR650 motorbike and down into the city of Bucharest in search of my old friend, Simon.

Read More

Spotlight: 50 Years of CMA

My initial contact with CMA (Christian Motorcyclists Association) came in 1998, when I was invited by a friend to a local chapter meeting and dinner. The group convened monthly in a fire station cafeteria, and one of the first CMAers I met that night was a big bearded burly guy who approached me and introduced himself as “Rev”. As I extended my hand, he instead reached past and gave me a back-popping bear hug, declaring, “You are welcome here, brother!”
Within months, I was a patched-in member, and I’ve never left.

Read More
Loading

Our Social Pages

2.5kSubscribers
685Followers
465Followers
187Followers
3.8kTotal fans

Get Rob’s Newest Book

Why We Ride- To The Quail

MotoAmerica 2025

Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge

Law Tigers

Cycle Gear Products

Recent Videos

Loading...

The Road Dirt Podcast

Picture of The Road Dirt Podcast Cover Art