Ride Life
Stories From The Open Road
Analog- 1993 Honda VFR 750
In a digital world driven by touchscreens, scrolling menus and artificial intelligence there lives a Unicorn, a 1993 VFR 750. In this electric world measured by binary strings of 1s and 0s she is a deliciously analog endangered species driven by feel, a deft but heavy touch, proper feel at the levers. Her cockpit is full of spinning number odometers and sweeping white needles on black numbered faceplates that don’t disappear when the bike turns off. When I feel saturated by screen time and need to unplug and return to the heart of motorcycling, the core of who I am, I ride The Unicorn.
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Dennis Gage On Two Wheels
Seeing television’s most famous car guy sitting on a BMW R60 in period gear must seem a little confusing to some of our readers. But after years of bringing the best of the classic four-wheeled world to the small screen, it is time to let the secret out: Dennis Gage is a motorcycle nut with a small collection of interesting European motorcycles: A collection that has just seen the addition of a Moto Guzzi Breva that he purchased on eBay from my hometown of Charlotte, NC.
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Rob’s Monthly Musings- Year End Reflections
It has been quite the holiday season already here in the United States. Although everyone celebrated Thanksgiving, it seems like Christmas decoration, sales, and the general spirit of the season began right after Halloween. So much of it is commerce-driven, of course, but I still love this season, when you peel back all of the extraneous layers
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Tombstone’s Helldorado Days
The way to Tombstone, AZ can feel like a wagon trail that happens to be paved. Passing through small, dusty towns that aren’t much more than stage coach stops, a place to get some grub, put up your boots, feed your steel horse and get back on the trail. For those of us who watched too many westerns, this is the way of the west. Whether you’re pushing cattle, prospecting for precious metals, running from the law, endlessly searching for a homestead or riding to the next cold beer, we are always trying to get somewhere else. Just passing through, gone before the dust settles. The West is less a place and more a state of mind. It embodies wanderlust, adventure, independence. Not much more needed than our ride, big black boots, and shoulders covered in well-worn leather. It is freedom. And for three days and nights in the third weekend of October for the last 96 years, it is Helldorado Days.
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Barber Vintage Festival 2025: Gasoline and Adrenaline
This wasn’t my first rodeo. Just my second. The last time I attended Barber Vintage Festival was a few years ago. I can hear some of you gasp in reaction, the sound of eyes rolling as you say, “Well I’ve been to all 20 of them.” Attending this year was a good reminder to not miss it next year. It really is one of the most exciting motorcycle events at one of the best motorcycle facilities in the world. And being only two hours away in Atlanta, I really had no excuses.
The Barber Vintage Festival is an event of epic proportions. The options of activities are seemingly endless; from the museum, to racing, the swaps, camping, and everything in between.
Drew Perlmutter- An Old Moto Soul
Drew Perlmutter is a fascinating anachronism.
A younger Millennial born into the digital age of the internet and social media, Drew is nonetheless an outlier, a young man who doesn’t follow the crowd, doesn’t live or die by post clicks. He’d rather tinker on an old Honda Dream 305, his 1982 Gold Wing, or ride across the country on a motorcycle, tent camping along the way.
The first time I met Drew, after an hour of conversation I told him, “You have an old soul, and I mean that as a high compliment.” Though in his early 30s, Drew reminds me of the free spirit and heart for adventure that existed among my generation that came of age in the 1960s-70s. We grew up riding beater motorcycles, could tinker enough to keep them running or fix them, and we loved to see the world without windows and ceilings, riding and camping out in the elements.
Drew is cut from our cloth.
Chasing Curves and Carolina Sky: Part 1
There’s something about rolling north for me, on a crisp fall morning that feels like a promise — that blend of fuel, freedom, and just enough chill in the air to remind you the mountains are calling. Weeks earlier Nate had called to set up a three day ride which included his son Adam and cousin Greg – the four of us were ready. The sun was just burning off the early morning fog when the bikes fired up, that familiar rumble echoing off the quiet Main Street. We had all been itching to carve some high country asphalt, and the route ahead would deliver in spades: Heads down takes us up Hwy. 441 at speed up to Clayton, Georgia. Quick fuel check and we are off: Warwoman Road, Highway 28, Sapphire Valley, Lake Toxaway, Waynesville, Lake Junaluska, and the legendary NC 209 — better known as The Rattler – Day one.
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Gems Among Junk: Motorcycle Swap Meets
Roaming the seemingly endless aisles at the swap meet during this year’s 20th annual Barber Vintage Fest, I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. Some decorative old part or tool for my garage, maybe a pair of plastic turn signal covers to replace a couple of old glazing ones on my 1978 KZ650, or some vintage sign to hang in my basement man cave. Each booth was either a feast or a famine- dusty, discarded old parts, or beautiful classic motorcycles in need of a new home. Stacks of old motorcycle magazines no longer in print, dog-eared owner’s manuals for antique bikes, even some black & white signed photos of once famous racers and riders, the swap meet is the place to slow down, take your time, and browse until you find something that strikes your fancy.
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Through The Lens: The Fong Factor
September 26th-28th in New Jersey, one of these three talented riders will wear the number 1 plate next season. As the points currently stand, after 27 races, Bobby is in the lead with 314, Cameron second with 306, and Josh third with 292. It’s anyone’s guess who will claim the 2025 championship, with only three 20-lap races to go and 75 points up for grabs. Currently, Bobby has five 1st place finishes, Cameron has five, and Josh six. If somehow there is a tie in points, these stats become very important in determining who will clinch the Superbike title. Will the “Fong Factor” come into play in New Jersey?
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