The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes

FILLING IN THE BLANK: What do you say to someone who just doesn't get motorcycles? Mark explores the blank stares, the curious questions and the challenge of translating a personal passion into relatable terms. Learn why riding is more than transportation and how sharing the spark might just light someone else's fire. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with...

BREAKING THE ICE:   What happens when a long winter off the bike dulls your passion instead of sharpening it? Mark explores the psychology of re-entry, emotional inertia and why sometimes the thrill of riding returns only after we act on faith, not feeling. Get moving first! Joy often follows in its wake. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes...

THESE ARE THE DAYS:   What if you could feel nostalgic for today—while it's happening? Mark explores how reframing the present can bring joy, clarity and calm amidst uncertainty. From gas station epiphanies to motorcycling metaphors, it's a ride through time, perception and the power of noticing what's good right now.   Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside wi...

THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB: From trail-side heroics to the quiet joy of finding the perfect wrench, Mark explores the power, pride and occasional absurdity of tools in the life of a motorcyclist. Hear how a clutch cover fix in the wilderness became a triumph of ingenuity and what it means to be truly prepared. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with Mark Ba...

Kandi Spangler, a passionate motorcyclist and trainer, shares her journey from a novice rider to a two-time GS Trophy finalist with Mark Barnes, touching on overcoming physical limitations, her recovery from shoulder surgery and the importance of physical fitness in riding. She emphasizes the significance of training, skill development, and community support in the motorcycling world. Kandi also h...

FEELINGS ARE NOT FACTS: If you've ever wondered why this motorcycle somehow feels faster than that motorcycle, this is the podcast episode for you. Mark examines the differences between our perceptions of a thing and the reality of that thing and how our perception affects us. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes  is brought to you by the BMW...

CHORE NO MORE: Do you consider riding on the weekends all the training you need? Or are you more dedicated to building your riding skills? Mark looks at ways to improve your riding that are fun and beneficial, and why they're important. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes  is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at  BMW...

ESCAPE! You can run (denial) but you can't hide (reality). We all know this, of course, but Mark is here to remind us of some ways to deal with the frustrations inherent in even feeling the need to escape from anything. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes  is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at  BMWOwnersNews.com .

NAVIGATING THE DOLDRUMS: Just like sailors of yore, motorcyclists can get stranded in the doldrums, especially during the winter. Mark gives you some ways to navigate the tough times when you can't ride. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org .   The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes  is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at  BMWOwnersNews.com .

NO SUCH THING: Obscuring responsibility doesn't do us much good, but we do it anyway. The throttle cable or brake pads on our motorcycles don't go bad by magic, bu we don't always notice they need attention until it's too late. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes  is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at  BMWOwnersNew...

MOTO MUSIC: whether it's a piano etude or a perfectly banked decreasing radius curve, we can make art in the ways presented to us on an everyday basis. Playing a classic Fender Stratocaster or riding a BMW M 1000 RR, your tools create your music. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes  is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the w...

ANOTHER KIND OF FEAR: Tying in with the Jan/Feb '25 issue of  BMW Owners News and its focus on the MOA Foundation's mission of training and safety, Mark addresses learning, crashing, humility, ignorance, embarrassment and more. Send your questions to us via email:  podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes  is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at  BMWOwnersNe...

B.J. Hessler is the founder and lead instructor at DC Dirt Camp, an off-road riding school in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.  Here she tells us how motorcycling in general, and setting up this operation in particular, have been central to her personal journey, and how her school has much to offer motorcyclists at all levels – including those who ride exclusively on pavement. Send your questions to...

FRISKY BUSINESS: Mark takes on the classic nature vs. nurture conundrum, explaining it by developing an understanding of your cat getting the zoomies and connecting it to what we all experience as motorcycle riders. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org .   The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes  is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at  BMWOwnersNews.com .  

THE SOUND OF THUNDER: Losing a motorcycle buddy is difficult, but it's something many of us will face sooner or later. Mark explores what he's gone through since his friend Jeff died in a single-rider crash not long ago, and how his experience can help all of us manage risk, expectations and emotions. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes  is...

RIDING WITH ADHD: This commonly misunderstood (or misapplied) condition has a variety of effects, but can it actually make you a better rider? Mark dispels some myths and discusses (briefly) what ADHD is and isn't as it's applied to motorcyclists. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes  is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the...

PEARLS: Maybe yours are cleverly brief instructions passed along to you in formal coaching, or maybe they represent insights you arrived at on your own. No matter how you get them, they're critical to building your skills as a motorcyclist. Send your questions to us via email: podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with Mark Barnes  is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at ...

DAVE SEARLE: Retired Editor-in-Chief of Motorcycle Consumer News Dave Searle reminisces about the odyssey that eventually led to his role as a highly regarded journalist for the motorcycle enthusiast press back in the glory days of print publications. His history as a self-taught mechanic, educator, writer, photographer, relentless researcher—and, of course, passionate motorcyclist—made him unique...

OUR STORIED LIVES: Storytelling. Refined sugar. Umbrellas. Motorcycles. Reality. Darwinism. Information. Tying it all together is the really tricky part, but that's exactly what we do on a daily basis! Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com .

JAMES CARLISLE: Building on Mark's recent "Stealership" essay, this discussion digs into what it's really like for somebody at a motorcycle dealership to work with the public, especially disgruntled people who show up angry at a real or perceived slight, with a broken motorcycle or just itching for a confrontation. Send your questions to us via email -  podcast@bmwmoa.org . The   Ride Inside with...

SHAWN THOMAS & LOUISE POWERS: There is perhaps no two people more fitting the moniker of "dynamic duo" than Shawn and Louise. When they're not traveling around the world as ambassadors and product experts for BMW Motorrad, they're buried in motorcycle training - both for learners and as learners. Mark drills down into what makes them constantly want to learn more and then share that knowledge with...

BREAKING DOWN—OR NOT: Your bike isn't the only thing that might struggle on the ride. Neglecting your body and its needs (and realities) can also cause problems on trips of any duration. "Plan your ride, ride your plan" can—and should—incorporate more than just the motorcycle. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW M...

WHAT WE DON'T KNOW: Old adages aside, ignorance can and often is quite painful—but there are ways to mitigate the damage caused by simply not knowing something you really should know. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com .

REFLEXES: Remember "bullet time" in The Matrix ? There's a similar experience when it comes to motorcycling, and all you need to do to experience it is drop your motorcycle—preferably in front of a live studio audience. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com .

THE INCREDIBLE DISAPPEARING MOTORCYCLE: It's not about being invisible, it's about your riding experience being as distraction-free as possible. Send your questions to us via email - podcast@bmwmoa.org . The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes is brought to you by the BMW MOA Foundation and is on the web at BMWOwnersNews.com .