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!

Garage Brewed Motorcycle Show February 4, 2023

Sport Touring CornerBy Norm Kern Things can get boring during winter so the Garage Brewed Motorcycle Show, held annually at the beginning of February at the Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the perfect way to spend a cold Saturday. Photo Credit Bill DeVore Cincinnati Cafe’ Racers. The show is organized by a dedicated crew from Cincinnati Cafe Racers (CCR),…

How clear is your heart?

What would you be able to say about your life if someone said you only had four hours to live? Geez Louise, MG…way to start an article!!! Just get right down to the core and BOOM! Well…ya’ll know I don’t beat around. So, what would you be able to say? Was it effective? Were you able to leave some kind…

How to Host a Poker Run: Part 3 Sponsorships

When folks approach us for help with their Poker Runs or motorcycle events, the number one area of concern is almost always “Sponsorships”.  Easily 7 out of 10 requests center around folks needing help with arranging sponsors and raising funds for their ride.  And 90% of the time, folks are always making the same mistake. And that is understanding the…

Reasons To Ride – Volume 13 Issue 3

The March 2023 edition of Reasons to Ride is here, and it’s all about preparing for the upcoming riding season. With the promise of warmer weather and longer days just around the corner, this issue is packed with tips, events, and inspiration to get your motorcycle adventures off to a great start. What’s Inside This Month’s Issue? Why Read the…

POKER RUN 101: PART 2 RUN STOPS and HOST SPONSORS

Obviously one of the most critical aspects of hosting a Poker Run is determining the route and stops of the actual run. Unfortunately, though, the critical considerations are not always so obvious. The overall success of the event though, is impacted dramatically by your choice of stops and the experiences of your riders at them. If you are organizing this…

Use Your Phone with GPS Route Files

Sport Touring CornerBy Norm Kern Routes are one of the top attractions of Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (MSTA) rallies.  Someone who knows every local road has strung the best of them together so you can ride one fun road after another, all day, every day of the rally. GPS technology makes it easy for route masters to distribute event routes…

LET’S JUST KICK THINGS UP A NOTCH!

RtR adds EVEN MORE “Tabasco” to the MIX! Reasons To Ride is proud to recognize Sean “Tabasco” Hall as a NEW Senior Editor and Publisher of RtR.  For over 10 years, Tabasco has been a contributor and supporter of the crew – but he will now be assuming a stronger, leadership role within the team. For over 40 years, Tabasco…

Hearts On Fire!

And here we go…. Hearts on fire! We are rolling into our second month of the New Year and last month I talked about stepping into the Jesus challenge. Maybe you did, maybe you didn’t. What if you did. What happens next? Where do you go from here? Is there a certain thing that you need to do? You know…

Drop a Gear and Disappear on the Backroads of Appalachia!

We are thankful and grateful for an incredible year of growth, expansion, and motorsports adventure here at Backroads of Appalachia as riders and drivers begin to take the to discover what Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, Southwest Virginia, and Eastern Tennessee has to offer. This year Backroads of Appalachia and the Whitley County Motorcycle Group hosted 35 charity motorcycle events and…

 POKER RUN 101

PART 1: How to Get Started EDITOR’S NOTE: A few years back we ran a series of articles focusing on how to effectively plan, organize, promote, and execute various motorcycle events – starting with the Poker Run. After countless requests for reprints and updates we decided to revisit the topic this spring and update the series. For immediate assistance with…