Archive for the 'Reviews' Category

RoadRunner offers motorcycle travel DVD

Published
by
Sojourn Chronicles
on June 10, 2008
in Destinations, Reviews and Trip Planning
. 1 Comment

re you a subscriber to RoadRunner Motorcycle Touring & Travel magazine? It is perhaps the best motorcycle travel magazine available. It’s not about what you do to your motorcycle. It’s about what you do with your motorcycle no matter what brand or size. The magazine even offers touring stories on scooters and vintage motorcycles.

The magazine, published bi-monthly, features one special tour in each issue. Called the Shamrock Tour, it bases in one location and circles out like a four-leaf clover on four, one-day rides. The November/December 2007 issue featured the Great Smokey Mountains and Helen, Georgia for the Shamrock. The article like all others features good writing and fantastic photography. In fact, it is the photography that makes RoadRunner stand out–big photos and plenty of them.

With the Helen Shamrock Tour, RoadRunner started something new: producing a travel DVD of the tour. The DVD offers plenty of additional visual information, especially the riding, with commentary from the riders about the roads and those unique road-side places to stop. Publisher Christa Neuhauser, Senior Editor Chris Myers, and contributing Editor Neale Bayly take you on the Shamrock tour around Helen. But, there is much more here than a ride in Georgia, and North and South Carolina.

DVDcover2007

RoadRunner Travel DVD
“Smokey Mountains Shamrock Tour”

$14.95
Approx. running time: 1 hour

Starring:
Publisher Christa Neuhauser
riding a Honda ST1300
Senior Editor Chris Myers
riding a HD VRSC Night Rod
Contributing Editor Neale Bayly
riding a BMW K1200R

The DVD offers riding and travel tips that help you find an adventurous travel whether it is a duplication of this ride, or a tour of your own at your favorite destination. Subscribers know, and new readers are amazed at the magazine’s efforts to produce route maps for all of the tour stories published. There is also tear-out tank bag maps for each featured Shamrock Tour. And, just like the magazine, the DVD offers a video version of the route maps for planning your Shamrock Tour in the Great Smokey Mountains.

The magazine is a great source for your motorcycle travel reading, and the DVD offers a new perspective on a tour. Hopefully, there will be more DVDs coming.–DBrent

(Note: D. Brent Miller has been a contributing editor to RoadRunner. His last tour story was published in the May/June 2008 issue: Northern Indiana, Blast to the Past.)

Review: Dreaming of Jupiter by Ted Simon

Published
by
Sojourn Chronicles
on May 21, 2008
in Conversations and Reviews
. 1 Comment

A Conversation with Ted Simon

Robert Fulton Jr. may have been a “One Man Caravan,” but Ted Simon is THE one man spokesman for adventure motorcycling and pursuit of life-altering dreams. His first book, Jupiter’s Travels has inspired many to pursue adventure motorcycling and round-the-world rides. His latest book release, Dreaming of Jupiter, is a testament to that.

Simon recreates his 1970s ride around the world on a Triumph nearly 30 years later at the age of 69. On a 1997 BMW R80 GS, he sets out to see how the world has changed and the people he met along the way on that first visit. Through the course of his recent travels he comes to realize how much impact, even the briefest encounters on that first trip, changed lives.

The book is a mix of past and present–comparing the previous ride with the current one–and examines a changed world, especially a post 9/11 one. It is a good read with nuggets of inspiration laced throughout the book.

Ted-Simon
Ted Simon		 Links:Ted Simon’s web site
www.Jupitalia.com

Another interview with Ted Simon by Carla King
www.MissAdventuring.com
Dreaming of Jupiter
by Ted Simon

ISBN 978-1-84744-181-2
436 Pages
Published by Sphere, 2007
an imprint of
Little, Brown Book Group
London

ISBN-13: 9780965478540
464 Pages
Published by Jupitalia Productions, 2008
USA

 bookcover

And now, a Conversation with Ted Simon.

 
 Ted Simon: Book Review, Dreaming of Jupiter [27:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (44)

V-Strom DL650: The First 1,000 Miles

Published
by
Sojourn Chronicles
on May 3, 2008
in Notes to Readers, Reviews and Scribblings
. 9 Comments

V-Strom at Ceasar Creek It’s a little rainy, today. So I thought I would put together a report–my observations and experience with the V-Strom DL650–my new motorcycle.

You can download and read the full report here. I have taken the time to create a PDF document that you can read online or print and take with you.–DBrent

A biker church in Texas draws a devoted flock

Published
by
Sojourn Chronicles
on January 23, 2008
in Reviews
. 0 Comments

I have been a fan of the Christian Science Monitor for a long time. It is one of the best world newspapers published, and it continually wins awards every year. It is not a member of “pack journalism.”

A couple of years ago, they had a format change, and started publishing feature stories on the back page, called Backstory. Some of the stories are very entertaining. Some are informative. And some are a pretty good look at ourselves, like the one published today.–DBrent

PS–Don’t forget to listen to the reporter’s audio commentary.

A biker church in Texas draws a devoted flock | csmonitor.com

A Conversation with Film Producer Dru Martin

Published
by
Sojourn Chronicles
on January 17, 2008
in Conversations and Reviews
. 5 Comments

Back in December, I wrote a review of an independent film, Get Lost: Oregon, about a group of adventure motorcyclists in Oregon back country. At the time, I was not able to talk with either of the producers, Brian van Buskirk or Dru Martin. But the promise was there to catch up later.

Just back from Baja, Mexico, where another film project is underway, co-producer Dru Martin takes time to talk about Get Lost: Oregon and has a few words about film project #2.

Dru talks about:

  • Response of viewers to the film
  • Building a team of riders and camera people
  • Preparing for the ride and the film making
  • The next film project (hint: it’s south of the border)
  • Info about the film at MotoventureFilms.com
DVD Cover: Get Lost: Oregon

Get Lost: Oregon

A MotoVenture Film

Producers
Brian Van Buskirk
& Dru Martin

Running time: 2:00 hours

$29.95

MotoVenture Films

And now, here is a conversation with Dru Martin.

(Note: To listen while continuing to surf, click on ”Play in Popup” below.)

 
 Dru Martin: MotoVenture Films [22:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (60)