This route squeezes in some of the best roads that Chattanooga has to offer. It covers a variety of incredible scenery: countless overlooks, the sharpest hairpins turns, remote riverfront roads, and even open valley farmland.  Length Approximately 157 miles round-trip  Meet-up Spot Dunkin’, 627 Signal Mountain Rd, Chattanooga, TN Lunch Stop  River Drifters is not officially a biker bar, but the owner loves to ride, so bikes are welcome.

This loop northwest of Oregon’s state capital is a nice mix of curvy roads and great scenery. It features the conifer-rich forests that the Beaver State is known for, but also adds a coastline stretch and several interesting natural and man-made attractions along the way.

Misconceptions and skepticism are not the way to start anything, especially a 2,000-mile round trip to a place you’ve never been, on a bike you’ve never ridden. But that’s how this adventure for the “Lost Squadron”—consisting of John on his 2013 Harley-Davidson FXDC, and me on a 2018 Can-Am Spyder RT Limited—began. I had heard stories about Branson, MO, a town often depicted as “Hillbilly Heaven,” with folks sitting on hay bales and listening to banjo music. Man, was I wrong! And as for the Can-Am Spyder? Well, I thought they looked cool, like a Star Wars Landspeeder or X-wing starfighter, but I never considered the three-wheeled motorcycle to be a serious touring machine. Wrong again.

Northwest New Mexico is home to several of the state’s 23 Native American tribes: the Navajo, Jicarilla Apache, Acoma, and Zuni are among those who reside in the region. Despite westward expansion in the late 1800s and the federal government’s efforts to “Americanize” the native people, Indian culture remains strong. The rugged and vast terrain that served as a backdrop for many Western films is a mecca for those seeking to explore some lesser-known natural wonders of the still-wild Wild West.

The teacher in The Truman Show, who stated “Oh, you’re too late. There’s really nothing left to explore,” was incorrect. There is always something new to be discovered. Exploration can be as simple as visiting a place you’ve never been—perhaps venturing across the US-Canada border, as I did, and discovering a city you never knew existed. In my case, that was Penticton, BC, a city surrounded by lakes and mountains, with beaches, shimmering water, and a cool vibe. It’s a place that makes you want to return.

New York City is the original melting pot. Generation after generation of immigrants from all over the world have come here to settle in neighborhoods in one of the five distinctive boroughs and make this place their own. A motorcycle is one of the best ways to unlock The City’s many delights, especially a bike like the Honda CRF250L Rally, with its commanding seating position, narrow “park anywhere” profile, and supple long travel suspension. On one fine fall day, I set out to rediscover the Big Apple.

The legendary Sellaronda loop in Italy’s Dolomites mountain range is a mere 34 miles long, but in that distance, you travel around the mighty, plateau-shaped Sella rock massif, climb four passes, ascend more than 5,800 feet, and steer your motorcycle through a countless number of turns in breathtakingly beautiful scenery. If you travel to the Italian Alps, you don’t want to miss riding the Sellaronda. But don’t wait too long: the future of this classic route is uncertain.

No other motorcycle manufacturer has invested itself in the retro market quite like Ducati. When the Italian company reintroduced its iconic Scrambler in 2015, it crafted an effective campaign selling the lifestyle as much as the machine. The campaign blossomed by capturing the sentimentality of older riders, while appealing to newer riders with its theme of free-spiritedness.

It’s been said that the “best bike” is one that makes you want to turn the key each day. The Beta 500 RR-S definitely fits that category. A just-right exhaust note roars to life from a package that’s the stuff of off-road riders’ dreams. Given that this test bike arrived with a complete “BYOB” (Build Your Own Beta) makeover, fresh from the manufacturer, very little was left to be desired.