Our excitement is undeniable - accelerating pulses, shallow breathing - as we climb on the plane jetting us to a most beautiful part of California: Highway 1, between San Francisco and Eureka, where the scenic seductions of Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt counties thrill us in the coming days.

Telling me that County Road 116 is as nasty as Deal's Gap, a local rider also says I shouldn't stop along the way, either. 'If you ain't from there, you ain't one of them,' he says. 'And don't hit the shoulder, 'cause it's 150 feet down to a moonshine still if you do.'

With only three days to spare for exploration, the choice of Santa Fe and its exhilarating surroundings is a wise one. The weather is fine and the way unwinds as smoothly as silk beneath our Road Kings.

Sitting on the terrace of the Grand Hotel in Niamey, I order five gorgeous, grilled meat skewers in broken French, "Cinq brochettes, s 'il vous plait!" To get on in West Africa, French is essential since neither English nor German are commonly spoken. Everyone who wants to chat with the locals should learn some French in advance. I turn up a cool Niger beer, the perfect complement to this local specialty, and enjoy the sunset over the Niger River.

A journey through the countryside on low mountain-range roads, past massive bales of hay, picturesque little villages, and along beautiful expanses of water - this is the tour through Sauerland, in the heart of Germany.

Exiting Garden State Parkway's #114, south of the reeds and grasses of the tranquil Cheesequake estuary, a trip on Harley's Road King to New Jersey's north shore can be more rewarding than just another day at the beach. Panoramic vistas, educational exhibits, hiking trails, occasional wildlife sightings, musical rock groups, and good food may be enjoyed along the way.

After a long snowy winter and six busy months of restoration it's time to face the truth. Did I do a good job and will the Italian primadonna finally sing?

With the revival of the "mythic" Le Mans, Moto Guzzi has added an appealing sport-tourer to the line. And continuing a long-held tradition, the new Le Mans incorporates many elements commonly featured in the brand's other models.

There are a lot of enduro bikes out there but nothing compares to KTM's 640 LC4 Adventure R. Finally, there's a bike capable of carrying you to the ends of the world. And the quality of the road, whether smooth or cratered, makes little difference.

For the model year 2002, Honda's successful Interceptor was totally revised. As well as sporting a brand-new look, the engine underwent a good deal of transformation. VTEC technology, well known from the brand's automobiles, is now also used in a Honda motorcycle.