Track Days

October 19, 2026

Sport Touring CornerBy Norm Kern Motorcycle track days are organized events where riders take their bikes to a closed racetrack to ride in a controlled, traffic-free environment, typically divided into skill-level groups (novice, intermediate, advanced) with sessions lasting 15-20 minutes each throughout the day. They’re popular among those who want more than just street riding.…

About Quickshifters

October 14, 2026

Sport Touring Corner By Norm Kern What is a Quickshifter? Quickshifters use a strain gauge sensor in the gearshift lever linkage that detects force on the gearshift lever when shifting. The signal is used to momentarily reduce engine power and unload the drive train to enable shifting to the next higher gear without having to use…

How to Store Your Motorcycle Over the Winter

October 9, 2026

A Simple Step-by-Step Guide to Protecting Your Bike During the Off-Season Storing your motorcycle properly during the winter months is essential to keep it in good condition and ensure a smooth ride when spring arrives. Cold temperatures, moisture, and long periods of inactivity can cause damage to your motorcycle if not addressed beforehand. This guide…

The Most Popular Concealed Carry Firearms

October 6, 2026

A Comprehensive Guide to Top Choices for Personal Defense In a world where personal safety and preparedness are rising concerns, the decision to carry a concealed firearm is an important one for many individuals. The choice of which firearm to carry is influenced by a range of factors including reliability, size, caliber, capacity, ergonomics, and…

Rider Hand Signals: Speak Up Without Saying a Word

October 5, 2026

Rider Hand Signals: Speak Up Without Saying a Word Long before Bluetooth headsets, phone mounts, and handlebar gadgets, riders had a simple way of keeping the pack together: hand signals. No batteries. No pairing. No dropped connection. Just a rider’s arm cutting through the wind, letting everyone behind them know what’s coming next. And truth…

CHASING THE LAST GOOD MILES

September 16, 2026

Fall can deliver the best riding of the year: crisp air, spectacular color and less traffic. It also quietly removes your margin for error. Shorter daylight, cold pavement, wet leaves, low sun, fogged shields and deer can turn a familiar road into a different ride. TREAT FALL AS ITS OWN RIDING SEASON The smart move…

Reasons to Ride Ride Stop Poker Cards!

September 15, 2026

Something to go with those custom poker chips you’ve been collecting! Yet another crazy idea from your friends at Reasons To Ride – Ride Stop Poker Cards! Every year, we hand out thousands of promotional cards featuring upcoming rides, motorcycle events, and recommended Ride Stops. This year, we decided to do something a little different—and…

Layering Your Motorcycle Gear

September 14, 2026

A few suggestions for Staying Safe and Comfortable on the Road This time of year – riding a motorcycle can expose you to changing weather conditions – including wind, temperatures, and rain (maybe even ice and snow!)  It’s important that you dress appropriately – and we usually recommend layering your riding gear.  Layering not only…

Downsizing My Dual Sport Bike

September 9, 2026

Sport Touring Corner By Norm Kern As my regular readers know, I have been downsizing my bikes to postpone aging out. The process began in 2020 when I added a 650 Suzuki V Strom XT to my stable and learned I could live with a much lighter chain drive bike.  Last September I purchased a…

What is Moravec’s Paradox and What it has to do With Motorcycling?

September 3, 2026

Sport Touring Corner By Norm Kern Moravec’s paradox is an observation by artificial intelligence and robotics researchers that reasoning requires very little computation while sensorimotor and perception skills require enormous computational resources. What does that have to do with riding motorcycles? For me, everything! When I read about Moravec’s paradox the other day, it took…

Reasons To Ride Blogs ///

Reasons to Ride is your one stop for all reasons to ride, from flat track racing to articles from industry leaders. Enjoy blogs from Reasons To Ride Contributors!

REBEL ROAD!  NEW SHOW!

Downtown Muskegon – Saturday, July 22nd Reasons To Ride: Michigan is proud to bring the 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP BIKE SHOW SERIES to MICHIGAN’S BIGGEST BIKER BASH – REBEL ROAD 2023! This awesome rally in Downtown Muskegon, Michigan is sponsored in part by our friends at MICHIGAN BIKER LAW and MILLER LITE and benefits the Child Abuse Council of Muskegon County. Click…

STARS, STRIPES AND BIKES!  NEW SHOW!

Town & Country Sports Center, Cement City, Michigan – Saturday, June 24th A NEW STOP on the Series Schedule – we are joining our friends from Foundation 14 for their annual MOTORCYCLE PRESENTATION and kicking things up with a BIKE SHOW at Town & Country.  T&C already has a great collection of motorcycles to view everyday at their dealership museum,…

RAY C’S RODEO DAY  NEW SHOW!

Ray C’s Harley-Davidson, Lapeer Michigan – Saturday, June 17th For the 17th Edition of Ray C’s RODEO DAY, Reasons To Ride will be coming to town and adding the CHAMPIONSHIP BIKE SHOW SERIES to the day’s excitement.  Joined by Michigan Biker Law, we will be showcasing the best bikes in the region including extra OFF-ROAD CLASSES!  We will also have…

OHIO BIKE WEEK BIKE SHOW

Reasons To Ride is pleased to announce that we will once again be hosting the OFFICIAL OHIO BIKE WEEK BIKE SHOW in downtown Sandusky on Saturday, June 3rd – right on the WATER!  This will be an informal, Ride-In, Bike Show following the RTR Championship Bike Show Series Rules and Procedures.  Ohio Bike Week is the Midwest’s LARGEST MOTORCYCLE EVENT…

WILD TURKEY BIKE SHOW

Wild Turkey Festival, McArthur Ohio May 4-7, 2023 Reasons To Ride will once again be kicking off the BIKE SHOW SERIES in the rolling hills of Southern Ohio – with the 38th Annual Vinton County Wild Turkey Festival.   This is some of the best riding in the Midwest – essentially an asphalt roller coaster – and in the midst of…

The Wild Turkey Festival & Bike Show

The Bikers Return to Vinton County, May 4th-7th! Once again, Reasons To Ride will be kicking off our Championship Bike Show Series and really the riding season with the Wild Turkey Festival in Vinton County.  For over 35 years, the Festival has been held at the intersection of US Route 50 and State Route 93 in downtown McCarthur.  We came…

RtR: FIREARMS REPORT

2 Basic Steps, 2 Many 2A Folks Forget – STEP 1: STORING YOUR FIREARM By B. Gil Horman, NRA Contributor So you want to embrace your 2A rights and prepare yourself for what might be a hostile world at times – and you’ve decided to purchase a gun.  For many that might be the next step – and for some…

RIDING TIPS

As we head into the riding season, I just wanted to share some suggestions from your friendly local motorcycle safety instructor:  Most of all you need to remember to have fun and enjoy the ride. This is the reason you bought the bike in the first place right? Marybeth Sullivan Reasons to Ride Contributing Writer Motorcycle Ohio Rider Coach

Resurrection Power…

April is the month when we begin to see everything start rising out of the ground. The grass begins to get greener; the flowers start to pop through the crusty layers of wintry soil and the trees begin to spring forth with new buds. It’s a beautiful site to see. It also means a little bit more to some of…

My Early Riding Days With Dayton Motorcycle Club

By Norm Kern I began riding in 1965 around Dayton, Ohio. That summer, I went to my first professional half-mile dirt track race at Lebanon, Ohio. I was mesmerized by the crowd, riders, and excitement. Afterward, when I looked through a discarded program, I wanted to know who had put on this fantastic event, and was surprised to find that…