Adventure Rider Radio – Motorcycle Podcast

Chris Birch thinks that sand really gets a bad rap and that riding in sand is fun, not just for him but for all riders. And if you disagree, it could be that you either need to tweak your skills or perhaps you’ve missed one of the fundamentals of riding in sand. Time after time, Chris teaches riders to have fun in the sand, not just survive, but have fun . So, if you fear sand or you struggle in i...

When Patrick Cheever was about seven years old his dad brought home a moped, and Patrick thought it was a dream machine. He racked up mile after mile riding the moped back and forth in his driveway and around the yard. And that sealed it for him, he fell in love with riding motorcycles. And so it continued, riding, fixing, buying and selling, until something happened, not to Patrick but to people...

Why would anyone ride a motorcycle to an exotic location in a faraway place and then just leave the bike behind? To date, there are about 175 riders who have done just that. They’ve ridden these motorcycles on epic motorcycle adventures in which they traverse sand, mud, tough ground, through streams and even over mountains to deliver the motorcycles to park rangers working in underfunded areas. Th...

It was something he dreamed of doing, something on his bucket list. Brett Anderson was going to ride his motorcycle to Ushuaia one day, perhaps in retirement when he had more time. Brett had a busy life filled with outdoor pursuits such as hiking, running, motorcycling, and he also worked as an international commercial airline pilot. He was active, physically fit and busy. Then suddenly he got sic...

Rolling along a trail or down the road on a motorcycle emanates a sense of grace and precision, but when the rolling slows to a stop that same motorcycle suddenly feels like a pig. And trying to move it around while standing beside it quickly become a wrestling match, or more over,  a mismatch as you try to shove and pull the hefty two wheeled behemoth while it seems to do it’s best to oppose your...

Every motorcycle has some suspension settings that can and should be adjusted for you and your load - so ask yourself, when was the last time, or maybe when was the first time you adjusted or readjusted your suspension to match your load? Or maybe you are wondering why we need to adjust our motorcycle suspension when we don’t ever have to adjust the suspension in our cars? And what is dampening, h...

Wayne Kouf is heading to Ushuaia, Argentina. His plan is to stay off the beaten track and find some challenges like the Trampoline of Death - fabled to be one of the most dangerous roads in South America. But, Wayne and the two other riders he had met up with found the gruelling road blocked by landslides, so they changed routes and rode up high up into the mountains of Colombia. At this point, th...

Deadhorse, Alaska is an unincorporated community that supports oil operations in nearby Prudhoe Bay and is a temporary home for two to three thousand nonpermanent workers. To get to Deadhorse you have to ride the Dalton Highway, commonly referred to as The Haul Road, and it’s not for the faint of heart. Road conditions vary greatly with gravel, mud, dust, snow and ice. Why has it become a destinat...

Crossing a river, pond or puddle can be great fun, exhilarating in fact, that is assuming you make it through. Because if you don’t, the result can run from mild to very serious, even leaving you stranded or walking out. And it only takes one of many possible mistakes to ruin your day. But there is a procedure, and if you follow it through you will have the best chance of getting to the other side...

We’ve heard much talk and debate about the modern motorcycle, with its computer systems and how it affects one’s ability to ride in remote or far off places. Some riders insist on riding bikes that have older technology, while others say the new systems are reliable and are worth the risk of the remote chance of having a problem. The choices for new motorcycles without computer technology is dwind...

On last month’s episode of RAW, the panel discussed some of the most iconic places in the world to ride a motorcycle and what they came up with was The 7 Wonders of the Motorcycle Travel World. And when debating the destinations that would make the cut, there were two routes that run somewhat parallel in South America that Michelle Lamphere felt must be included. So she suggested that although the...

Several years ago, Steve Mason and some good friends spent five months on the road, an exceptional trip riding through foreign lands and crossing borders. When it was over, they headed home and got back to normal life. But as you can imagine, this didn’t scratch an itch so much as kindle a flame. And for Steve, returning home was bit rough. He had quit his job before he left, spent a good junk of...

We all know that a motorcycle is less stable at slow speeds, which is when so many falls happen. For street riders, it’s usually parking lots or roadside stops where slow tip overs happens, but adventure riders have an even higher tip over rate, just because of the nature of riding an adventure bike. We tend to ride on dirt, gravel, rocks, mud, over uneven and slippery surfaces and that’s part of...

Riding the Trans America Trail across the United States can be a challenge in itself. But add to that challenge a motorcycle that is so unsuited to the task it would almost be considered insane to tackle. At this point, Brendan O’Leary walks in to the picture, he’s an engineer by trade with a tremendous passion for working on small Honda motorcycles. Brendan decides that he’s going to buy a new Ho...

Declan McEvoy arrived at work one day to discover that one of his co-workers wasn’t there, that he had actually died while getting ready for work that very morning. It hit Declan hard - not only was this a close coworker but he was only 50 years old and Declan himself was 45, just five years off. Suddenly it was clear to him that he had no idea how much time was left and he had the urge to do the...

Back in March 2021, the Stahlratte sailing ship, which had up until then been ferrying passengers and motorcycles around the Darien Gap, made its final voyage. Except this voyage wasn’t around the Darien, it was to Cuba. And one rider, embarking on a round the world trip, loaded himself and his motorcycle onto the Stahlratte to make a side trip to ride Cuba. After all, the pandemic was in full swi...

Both on and off-road, choosing the correct line is an important riding skill and it can make the difference of whether or not you get through a challenging situation. But how do you build the skill of choosing a line? What should you watch for and what are key factors in your choices? On this episode, we have instructor Clinton Smout from SMART Adventures teach us these important skills. Photos an...

Matt Shields and his fiancé, Lucie, wanted to do an adventure and they decided the mode of transportation would be a motorcycle. And although they had no bike, no license and no gear they decided to take the leap and put their idea in to motion. They left the UK in May and have recently arrived in Kenya, and after six months and 20,000 km they are now halfway through their adventure. They’ve learn...

A few years ago, David Prigel had a motorcycle get-off on his way to work, one that resulted in injuries and a short stint at the hospital. David’s wife wasn’t keen on the idea of him getting back on the bike again, in fact she was adamant that she didn’t want him to ride anymore. When we had them on the show back in 2017 they talked about their dilemma of whether or not David should ride his moto...

For most of his adult life, Mathew Sturtevant found himself so paralyzed with anxiety and fear that it limited him in almost everything he did. In search of a cure, he decided to face the dragon head on using ways that he knew would challenge him the most, a cross country motorcycle ride following the Trans America Trail where he would face remoteness, extreme weather, high altitudes and difficult...

Motorcycle tire pressure settings are critical and for adventure motorcycles heading into the dirt it could make the difference between a fun ride or steady frustration, but does the perfect setting exist? Can we look at the chart, match our terrain and riding style to our payload and suspension, and then adjust our pressure to the recommended setting? Well not quite, but it may be a little easier...

Jon Evans was at a low point in the adventure of life, having recently gone through a divorce, when a YouTube video caught his eye. By the time it was over Jon knew what he needed to do - go to India and ride the Himalayas. The question was how. He didn’t have a budget, so he searched for the cheapest way for him to have an adventure on a motorcycle in the Himalayas - a tour company. Not just any...

What if you could go on a motorcycle camping trip and not take any gear? Sean Burch did just that when he recently rode the South Carolina Adventure Route, and met up with his wife at the end of each day. And what if you could take your motorcycle to work with you and use it every chance you had? Scott DeMello is the Captain of a 50 meter super yacht and he gets to take his motorcycles with him to...

Ali Peberdy, retired motorcycle cop, has just returned from an eight week trip to Europe. Before she left, we spoke with Ali and she told us about some concerns she had, things like dropping her bike, going solo, age and breakdowns. Ali is back in the UK now and she has some stories to tell about the things she experienced on her trip, from the rude hotel receptionist to the mishap in the cornfiel...

Riding a motorcycle downhill isn’t particularly difficult, but what does make it difficult and unnerving for many riders are the obstacles encountered on the hill. If it were just a steep slope with plenty of traction, the type you may have ridden in a parking garage or some other paved steep decent, it would be no problem. But in the dirt, surfaces are not flat, they don’t necessarily have good t...