A new long distance motorcycle riding certification organization launched yesterday, named appropriately enough, "Long Distance Riders"...

http://www.longdistanceriders.net

It was created by a Jack Powis of Tallahassee, FL, a long distance rider himself.

He came up with the idea of launching a new long distance riding certification organization after he and friends expressed frustration with having to wait so long to get a certificate back from the Iron Butt Association. From there, the idea grew into becoming a more fun alternative to the IBA, offering something for a wider group of riders.

I spoke with him over the phone, "We want to create something more fun, with nicer looking pins and patches, and offer certified rides that more people can do", says Powis. Powis refers to the fact that he'll be certifying 500 mile rides in 12 hours. "A lot of people are riding 500 mile rides and would like for that to count for something".

Long Distance Riders will offer the following certified rides...

• Easy Rider: 500 miles in 12 hours


• Full Throttle 1000 miles in 24 hours


• King of the Road 1500 miles in 36 hours


• Born to be Wild a Coast to Coast ride in 48 hours.

Labels: Long Distance Riding

The Fergus Falls Daily Journal reports that 11 people from The Netherlands stopped in their town for coffee as part of a 100-day motorcycle ride around the world.

The ride started on September 8 with the process of getting their bikes shipped across the Atlantic to New York. from their rode through parts of the USA and Canada, before a stopping Fergus Falls, MN, where newspaper reporter caught up with them.

They're apparently riding BMWs.

What do bikers from The Netherlands want most out of their sightseeing trip in the USA? Here what the newspaper says...

"We stopped at your museum hoping to find some cowboys and Indians," said Breukers, who was disappointed he couldn't find a postcard featuring the American icons to send back home.

It will then be off to Australia for a month before reaching their destination of Katmandu, the capital and the largest city of Nepal. They will travel along the edge of the Himalayan Mountains, which can't be crossed by motorcycle, before traveling across India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria and then back to Europe for the final leg of the journey back home.

Labels: Long Distance Riding

Earlier this month, on August 6, Pastor John Rusk from Grace North Church in Phoenix, AZ, set out on a cross-country motorcycle tour to visit all 48 state capitols in the continential USA.

He's doing it on a Kawasaki KLR650 and expects to cover 15,000 miles when it's all said and done.

His goal is to raise money, raise awareness, and raise the Holy Spirit, to fund a future mission into Africa, South Asia and South America, to do the Lord's work.

You can follow his journey on his blog, "Maniac for Missions"...
http://maniac4missions.blogspot.com/2007/08/today-ride-begins.html

You can also check out his progress on a Google map...
http://maniac4missions.blogspot.com/2007/08/heres-latest-map.html

As of this writing, it appears he's already visited all the state capitols in the western half, and is now heading into the eastern half.

Of course, I am certainly envious of his cross-country ride. I'd like to just spend a couple of months riding all over the country and narrowing my life down to just my motorcycle and the road.

Here's wishing him a safe return.

Labels: Long Distance Riding, Religion

Is gobbling up 600 miles on the slab the same as doing 300 miles on back roads?

That's the question riders are pondering on the Motorcycle Tourer's Forum today...
http://forums.delphiforums.com/....?msg=26016.1

So... do you ride long distances for the sake of the long distance and live for the open highway with no stop signs in front of you? Or do you just love to get out there and ride for 8 hours on town roads and check out the diners along the way that are hiding in the woods?

Labels: Long Distance Riding, Love of Riding

A retired math teached named Darryl Petrak is going to spend 37 days riding his 250cc Honda Rebel through 19 states, including Alaska, and parts of Canada.

According to the Clovis News Journal...

His research led him to the Rebel Bike Trek, which Petrak will start June 19 from his home in House to Gainesville, Fla., to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and back to House by July 24.

All told, Petrak will cover 19 states, five Canadian provinces, 13 capitals and 25 national parks (21 in the United States, four in Canada).

Labels: Long Distance Riding

Actors Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman are planning a second long motorcycle trek, this time through Africa, according to the Irish Examiner this morning. The two had made news before with their motorcycle ride around the world, raising money for charity. The two documented their journey in a book entitled, "Long Way Round"

Labels: Charlie Boorman, Ewan MacGregor, Long Distance Riding

A new book entitled, "Long Way Round : Chasing Shadows Across the World" is about a couple of movie actors, Ewan McGregor (The Phantom Menace, Moulin Rouge), and Charley Boorman (Deliverance, Hope and Glory), who ride their motorcycles around the world.

Leaving London in April of 2004, they headed east, going across Europe and Asia. Then they flew over the Pacific and continue on across North America, until they reached New York. The whole trip took four months.

The book is a journal of their travels documenting their adventures. According to the book:

It started as a daydream. Pouring over a map of the world at home one quiet Saturday afternoon, Ewan McGregor - actor and self-confessed bike nut - noticed that it was possible to ride all the way round the world, with just one short hop across the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska. It was a revelation he couldn't get out of his head. So he picked up the phone and called Charley Boorman, his best friend, fellow actor and bike enthusiast. 'Charley,' he said. 'I think you ought to come over for dinner...'

From London to New York, Ewan and Charley chased their shadows through Europe, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia, across the Pacific to Alaska, then down through Canada and America. But as the miles slipped beneath the tyres of their big BMWs, their troubles started. Exhaustion, injury and accidents tested their strength. Treacherous roads, unpredictable weather and turbulent politics challenged their stamina. They were chased by paparazzi in Kazakhstan, courted by men with very large guns in the Ukraine, hassled by the police, and given bulls' testicles for supper by Mongolian nomads.

And yet despite all these obstacles they managed to ride over 20,000 miles in four months, changing their lives forever in the process. As they travelled they documented their trip, taking photographs, and writing diaries by the campfire. Long Way Round is the result of their adventures - a fascinating, frank and highly entertaining travel book about two friends riding round the world together and, against all the odds, realising their dream.

Labels: Biker Books, Charlie Boorman, Ewan MacGregor, Long Distance Riding