Sitting here on my last flight before arriving in northern Patagonia, I’m reminded once again what it might be like for any first-time motorcycle rider about to embark on their first journey through southern Chile & Argentina. Despite having been riding and living part time down here in South America each year since 2009, I can still can get that warm rush of excitement that comes with knowing the road ahead for the next few weeks. Or perhaps it’s the unknown outcomes and new discoveries that come with each guided tour that really gets me going.

My question is simple: "Why isn't Honda Motorcycles putting their race-winning, widely respected, all-around excellent XR650R back into production?"

First, kudos to Honda for bringing back the Africa Twin, the bike that we're all excited to start riding more and integrating into our list of motorcycle rental options after some testing. But really, why wouldn't they start production on the XR650R again, too?

The XR has already been designed, built, proven, and adored by riders with tremendous success. The blueprints are already there, it's not like they'd have to entirely design or redesign a motorcycle, and a slightly-improved XR650R would take a HUGE chunk out of KTM's 690 Enduro dominance in this mid-cc's dual sport category (more on that below.)

So I ask: "Honda Motorcycles.....where have you been, and isn't it about time to start building this possible KTM-Killer again?"

Giant Loop Great Basin Saddlebag and Fandango Tank bag review

As a tour guide and avid motorcycle traveler, I’m always looking for the perfect motorcycle luggage setup. My demands for a luggage system are that it has to be versatile and be able to work on a variety of motorcycles and payloads, and of course it has to be durable and weatherproof. Like most serious riders, I’m willing to invest into gear that won’t let me down in the field since that can turn a good ride into bad one, or possibly even a dangerous situation.

As heartbreaking as it is, even after 5+ years of providing excellent, reliable motorcycle renting and touring packages to hundreds of riders around the world, we still get the occasional inquiry like you see below. (This is a screenshot of the Contact Form from our website, so of course we've obscured the name and email for the rider's privacy.)

We’ve been receiving lots of questions following our eNewsletter that went out recently about our Patagonia tours, so perhaps an explanation of our 3 most popular tours is in order.

As we explained in Part 1 of this article series, our need was to have electricity available from the RIDE Adventures Sprinter Van so that we can keep showing you all the great photos & videos, powering air compressors, and charging smartphones at the motorcycle rallies and different events we’ve been meeting you at. Haven’t seen the van in person yet? Ask which event we’re going to next, and we’ll see you there!

Versatile, secure, durable, and affordable…what more could we have asked for in a motorcycle transport and wheel chocking system?

I first saw the Beast Rack system at a motorcycle rally earlier this year, and immediately noticed the advantages it has over traditional floor-mounted wheel chocks. We went ahead and purchased a Beast Rack system right away, and have since spent the last few months traveling from one motorcycle rally to another, meeting our fellow riders out there in the world. After this extensive testing period, we have nothing but good things to say about this product.

As the Mercedes Sprinter van gains popularity in the motorcycle world and now Ford, Ram, and others are making similar headway into this “toy hauler” market, weekend warriors around the world are stuck wondering “what’s the best way to make electrical power available from my van?”

While it’s a bit outside our normal blog topics, which are entirely about motorcycles, motorcycle trips, etc., we thought it important enough to share with you just how easy, affordable, efficient, useful and powerful the sun can be in this article. (That said, we'd still love to teach you more about packing for your motorcycle trip.)