Welcome to OVERLAND magazine “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness… Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” OVERLAND magazine is a wholly independent, quality quarterly publication dedicated to travel by motorcycle. Our planet is a stunningly beautiful place and there’s no better way to explore it than from the saddle of a bike. From a weekend spent riding in a neighbouring county to a year in a neighbouring continent, the versatility and immediacy of motorcycle travel brings a host of benefits, not least vivid exposure to the mass of humanity. OVERLAND magazine aims to demonstrate that any bike and any budget can provide that enriching experience. Find OVERLAND in your local newsagent (and Barnes & Noble stores throughout the USA) or subscribe for free delivery to your door. The warden in the mountain hut at Nyidalur, a refuge at the very centre of this island’s vast interior, told me that “Iceland is actually…

The time between realizing that you will crash your motorcycle, and the actual crashing part, is a real bitch. It may only be a few… The ‘Adventure 2’ Gore boot is new for 2017 and, far from merely replacing its long running and highly acclaimed predecessor, Sidi have managed to… First, the conclusion… after 5,000 miles of testing in a variety of environments and conditions, by any subjective or objective measurement, this is probably the…From box of bits to the Brooklyn Invitational: 1951 BSA C11Everyone loves a good barn find. But the story behind this adorable BSA has a different twist: It’s a charity find. When Hurricane Sandy tore through the Eastern seaboard of the United States in 2012, New York was hit hard. In an effort to help displaced residents in Far Rockaway, Brooklyn, the local motorcycle community… Custom Bikes Of The Week: 12 February, 2017This week it’s all about Italy—with a stunning Benelli replica, a killer BMW R nineT by LuisMoto and a monstrous custom Ducati from XTR Pepo.

Californian bravado, German cool: Untitled’s BMW R100Unless you’re immersed in every corner of the custom world, you probably associate Untitled Motorcycles with one bike: the amazing Hyper Scrambler Ducati, built in… All About The Patina: Nico Mueller’s BMW R75/5We love seeing custom builders’ personal rides. Most of these guys spend their days wrestling with the restrictions of commissioned work, so it’s intriguing to… Thor’s Hammer: Harley-Davidson Street 750 flat trackerThe Harley faithful really got their knickers in a twist after the launch of the Street. Built for the US market in Kansas City, Missouri,… Wheelie Machine: Smoked Garage’s KTM 950 SMIf you want good, clean hooliganism: get a supermoto. If you want to crank the crazy up to eleven, get a 942cc supermoto that snacks… Low Tracker: Ad Hoc’s Yamaha Virago bucks the trendThink of a custom Yamaha Virago, and you’ll probably picture a sleek, waspish build from Greg Hageman or Moto Adonis. The seats are stubby and…

Battle of the Kings: The Sportster EditionIt’s become commonplace for manufacturers to regularly commission custom work from top builders. But Harley-Davidson Europe have taken a different approach. For three years they’ve… Rhapsody in Blue: Revival Cycles’ Honda FT500 AscotThink of Revival Cycles and you probably picture big budget, genre-smashing customs like the BMW Landspeeder. But Alan Stulberg and his crew are quite happy…motorcycle jackets hamilton ontarioGilda Texter on a Honda Scrambler in the epic film “Vanishing Point”, 1971.motorcycles for sale in richland wa That’s a woman on that gnarly chopper!part worn motorcycle tyres derbyshire

1982, Sturgis, South Dakota — Hells Angels at Sturgis — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis June 17th, 1977, Cleveland, Ohio — Plumber Sam Green drives his customized Harley-Davidson motorcycle on a tree lined street in Cleveland.  Green added hundreds of lights, horns, and chrome balls, as well as a television, canopy, CB radio, and tape deck. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis April 17th, 1974, Daytona Beach — They’ve got all kinds of names for members of the younger generation. husqvarna motorcycle dealer houstonAt Daytona Beach, at least, it might be termed the relaxed generation. motorcycle for sale in mcallenSome youngsters from Ohio rest on their motorcycles after arriving in the area recently. suzuki motorcycle parts okc

Daytona Beach is one of the few resorts in Florida where vehicles can be used on the beach. March 9th, 1968 — Cyclists are Sought in Murder Case.  Cleveland, Ohio:  Their bikes are their most prized possessions, say the Animals.  Shown working on their motorcycles are (from left):  V.C.; and Tom (only nicknames given).  In foreground is an unusual three-wheeler.  Local authorities are looking for the motorcycle riders who killed two men in a cafe on February 28th.  motorcycle parts boca ratonThree suspects in the case are former members of the Animals. Dec 3rd, 1966, Las Vegas — Hordes of teenagers cruise the Las Vegas Strip on motorcycles and in cars at night. Traffic along the strip is bumper-to-bumper every weekend as youngsters arrive to observe and be observed. In 1934, two incredible women, Theresa Wallach and Florence Blenkiron, set out on a 600cc single-cylinder Panther equipped with sidecar and trailer and rode from London to Cape Town, South Africa.

No modern roads, no back up plan, just a giant set of balls that any man would envy. Both women were already accomplished competitive racers, who were savvy enough to raise corporate sponsorship– which just goes to show how seriously they were taken as motorcyclists. The pair shot straight across the Sahara through equatorial Africa, and South to the Cape, on the long and brutal trek without so much as a compass.  A feat that no man had dared to even attempt. Here’s the AMA’s account of their story, and the incredible account of Theresa Wallach’s lifetime on two wheels.  No wonder she was inducted into their Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Warning: If you’re anything like me, reading this may make you feel like an epic under-achiever. Motorcycling pioneer ~ Theresa Wallach Theresa Wallach was a pioneering motorcyclist whose lifelong involvement in the sport included being a racer, motorcycle adventurer, military dispatch rider, engineer, author, motorcycle dealer, mechanic and riding school instructor.

Wallach overcame numerous obstacles that confronted women motorcyclists of her era to become an enduring advocate of the sport. Wallach’s willingness to turn from traditional roles led to a lifestyle full of exploration, adventure and a never-ending dedication to motorcycling. Wallach was in the vanguard of redefining the role of women in motorcycling. The Panther Redwing Model 100 motorcyle that Wallach & Blenkiron used was fitted with extra heavy-duty Webb forks, heavier gauge wheel spokes, wider mudguards to accommodate Fort Dunlop 3.5 inch car tires, and a Moseley block pillion saddle. The sidecar was a standard Watsonian touring model with long, heavy-duty flat leaf springs at the rear and coil springs at the front. Go read “The Rugged Road”, by Theresa Wallach. A cool piece on Steve McQueen rating six bikes for Popular Science magazine back in November, 1966– “First of all, I don’t set myself up as an expert on either setting up machinery for racing, or in the actual sport of racing itself.  

But after 25 years of desert riding in Southern California, TT scrambles, Hare and Hound, and a bit of racing in the wet Six Days Trials in East Germany n 1964– I sure hope I picked up a little bit about motorcycles and riding along the way.” –Steve McQueen At the end of the day, McQueen heavily favors his own hybrid desert-rippin’ beast that he put together with the help of the Ekins brothers– “I used a Rickman-Metisse frame– a revolutionary piece of equipment that does away with the oil tank. The oil circulates through the tubes of the frame, which keeps it cool…I used a 650cc Triumph engine as the powerplant for this bike.  The drivetrain and gearbox are also Triumph.  It has Ceriani forks with 7 1/2 inches of travel for a real smooth ride, and a BSA crown.  The fiberglass fenders and tank hold the weight down to a notch under 300 pounds.  The rig is the best handling bike I’ve ever owned.  And the power– it’s like supersonic.” –Steve McQueen

“If you can’t cut it, you gotta back out.”   Circa 1929, Wall of Death, Revere Beach, MA With the quickly improving build quality, speed, and more oil-tight engines, motorcycle racing was able to move from dirt tracks onto the motordromes of the 1910s– large wooden board tracks used for streamlined competition with banked turns of 70-80 degrees.  Riders soon learned a neat trick– that with a little speed, centripetal force made it possible for them to stick their bike sideways in turns on a completely vertical wall. Motordrome racer on an Excelsior motorcycle, circa 1914 Motorcycle companies here and abroad (Indian and BSA, to name a couple) found that the public loved the thrill of peering down just a few feet away from the gunning biker beneath them, and thus it quickly became a highly promoted spectacle as manufacturers used it as a vehicle to advertise their brands, and daredevil riders upped the ante at breakneck speed to make a name for themselves and  solidify their reputations on the infamous Wall of Death.