Category: Road Stories
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Showing Up: Finding the Motorcycle Community in Savannah
I’ve been riding long enough to know that assumptions fill in when actual information doesn’t. For example, which state has the most registered Republicans? California. Which state is home to one of the country’s leading… Read more
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Traveling to the end US 80: Tybee Island 
Right outside the pickup area at the Savannah airport, there was a row of rocking chairs. Outside, not inside — in the thick Georgia air, mostly empty, lit softly from above. I dropped my bags… Read more
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The Warring of Seasons
It’s no secret that I love Mount Diablo. I’ve ridden up and down that mountain more times than I can count, on the V-Strom, on the GS, in the Volt and the Rivian, and the… Read more
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Pea Soup – Tule Fog Returns
The alarm goes off at 6:40. It’s still dark outside, and the warmth of the bed is almost convincing enough to skip it. Almost. But my neighbor is already up, his dog waiting, and I’ve… Read more
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Toronto Motorcycle Film Festival Movie Night
New Year’s resolutions become a key topic of conversation in that week between Christmas and New Year’s. By the time late January rolls around, we’re lucky if we even remember them—much less make demonstrable change… Read more
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Reality Check: The XR650L That Wasn’t
I squeezed the front brake lever and it went straight to the bar. I was maybe a quarter mile from the seller’s driveway. The temperature was 40 degrees and damp. My fingers were already getting… Read more
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Celebrating Thanks
The last few weeks have been a blur of airports, Ubers and rental cars, and reconnecting with people across the continent. It started with a cold and wet HackDiabetes25 in Vancouver—a weekend that reminded me how… Read more
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Finding Fall in Vancouver
I’d been meaning to get out and catch some fall color all week. We came down from Squamish over the weekend and I could see that color was there, but fading fast. November’s here, which… Read more
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Give Blood this Holiday Season
Rain City Bike Crew was organizing a blood drive over the December holidays. I wanted to participate with them, but I knew I’d be back in the States by the time December rolled around. So… Read more
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Where the Wild Things Are
I grew up on the East Coast. Summer days were spent on the lake, jet skis cutting through still, warm water, humidity that settled on everything the moment you stepped outside. Those were good days… Read more
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One GS Apart: Why So So Cycles & Cycle Gear Rock
This blog is about 5 years in the making, but after a great experience at So So Cycles and Cycle Gear, I wanted ensure I told this story. I rolled into So So Cycles in… Read more
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The Moto Social SF: Baby Blues BBQ
R introduced me to The Moto Social about five years ago. At first, I was a casual attendee, but over the years I’ve tried to make it a priority, as it gets me out of… Read more
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I like your bike!
If you’re curious to see my tastes before this bike, check out Chapter 3: Gelände Straße I don’t know exactly how to phrase it—so I’ll be direct: aesthetics usually haven’t been high on the criterion… Read more
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The Moto Social SF August 2025: Excelsior Coffee
I just need to say it: I’m so far behind on my blog. I was supposed bright about the Super in August and now here it is in September. Plus, I don’t think I’ve finished… Read more
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Pride and Poutine
Oftentimes on my epic motorcycle trips, I like to have some sort of theme to carry me through the journey. After arriving in Trail—exhausted and far too hot after descending a mountain in full gear… Read more
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Bikes n Coffee – Vancouver
I’m starting to learn the moto scene here in Vancouver – we’ve long known about The Moto Social, where we found about Bikes n Coffee, a WhatsApp group here in the area. Bikes n Coffee… Read more
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The Moto Social – A Canadian Original
In the past few years, I’ve come to know and enjoy The Moto Social. The San Francisco chapter of The Moto Social enjoys a solid following from it’s season opener in April to our season… Read more
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Nova Scotia Fireworks: Please, light up the sky!
R and I have been watching the series Long Way Home with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman (it’s fantastic, by the way) about riding motorcycles all over Europe. Ewan is from Scotland, and Charilie is… Read more
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Québec brings Fireworks to Vancouver
July brings the Honda Festival of Lights to Vancouver. It is a three-night festival hosted over a week: Saturday, Wednesday, and the following Saturday. In typical years, the organizers invite pyrotechnic artists from other countries.… Read more
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Communicate with intention: And & But
Long motorcycle trips are great times in life for deep thinking. I have been focused on the operations of my phone and how I keep asking it to do more and more things, and I… Read more
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The Night Patrol
I remember meeting John early in my motorcycling career. We met through the San Francisco Bay Area Kawasaki Vulcan Riders Owners Club. While a handful to type and say, we just called it VROC. I’m… Read more
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The Moto Social SF May 2025: Jane
Sometimes I do a post from the Wayback Machine…. I never got around to posting this one after the April edition… to that effect, May will be black and white to highlight the vintage nature… Read more
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The Aerostich Doesn’t Lie
This blog highlights three Aerostich Roadcrafter one-piece suits: Suit 1, purchased in 2008; Suit 2, made in 2011, but I got it secondhand in 2021; and Suit 3, purchased in 2025. These are referred to… Read more
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The Moto Social at 15-35mm
The Moto Social is a monthly gathering of motorcycle riders. Started in Toronto back in 2013, The Moto Social has spread across the globe gathering motorcycle riders of all persuasions to hang out for one… Read more
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Born a Streetfighter
I first rode the Speed Triple out on California’s Highway 1, squiggling the coast on a picture-perfect, blue-bird sky kind of day. I’m sure on that kind of day, I might have fallen in love… Read more
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Rivian Tech Day
After publishing Join a Motorcycle Tech Day: Build Skills, Friends, Confidence, and Savings, my dad sent me a similar article from the Wall Street Journal, which was published the next day. The article details how… Read more
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Holidays in the Bay
This year has been a year of doubling down on experiencies that make the bay, the bay. I’ve enjoyed some old and new motorcycle epics like: Much like motorcycle epics in the Bay, I wanted… Read more
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Join a Motorcycle Tech Day: Build Skills, Friends, Confidence, and Savings
I’ve been a part of car and motorcycle clubs my entire adult life. I remember growing up as a kid riding jet skis out on the lake. Whenever anything came up, I gave it the… Read more
