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Jeff Allen has been taking beautiful photographs of motorcycles for Cycle World magazine and its digital sister, cycleworld.com, for more than 30 years. Jeff got his start in the early 1990s as a studio assistant. His current position as staff photographer has taken Jeff all over the world in a unique role that enables him to capture the essence of the sport while also experiencing two wheels firsthand.
Jeff has often documented his experiences for publication in both print and on the web. âRoyal Nepal Adventure: Entering the Forbidden Kingdom of Lo Manthangâ left him gasping for oxygen at 15,000 feet on a Tibetan plateau. With son Evan, he set out on adventure bikes to experience the âwinter wonders of the Baja California Peninsulaâ and to answer one of lifeâs great questions: âCorn or flour tortillas?â
Jeff Allen is not only an expert lensman; he is an expert rider. More often than not, on any job he is assigned, Jeff will be the rider with a large pack crammed with camera bodies, lenses, and related gear strapped to his back. But donât for one moment think the size or the weight of that pack slows him down, forcing others to wait for him to catch up. Jeff is always close behind, looking for the perfect photo opportunity.
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We're taking you to the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas for the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. We're not just going to the race - we're talking with Clerk of the Course Beth Miller; Sean Bice, the prolific MotoAmerica content creator who co-hosts the seriesâ weekly âOff Trackâ podcast; Brian Case, Executive Director of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum; and 1993 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Kevin Schwantz, who played a crucial role in the design of the 20-turn, 3.41-mile racetrack. You've never heard a MotoGP race like this.
Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas MotoGP Race Highlights
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If there was a dictionary entry for âMoto California,â the definition might be âa nightclub on two wheels.â Or at least that is the concept West Coast transplant George Beavers had in his mind when he cooked up the idea of creating an exclusive and unique intercontinental vacation experience centered around riding fun motorcycles on spectacular roads in fairy-tale locations.
Beaverâs two-wheel-oriented business aspirations stem from a lifelong enthusiasm for all things motorcycle, which he relates to host Mark Long in this episode of the âDriven to Rideâ podcast. âI looked at what everybody was doing,â said Beavers, âand I wanted to be different.â Hey, what else would you expect from someone who earned his motorcycle endorsement on a turbocharged Honda CBX?
If Beavers, a schoolboy motocrosser and one-time champion club road racer, is enamored with the serpentine roads that populate Californiaâs Central Coast, the Tuscan countryside blows his mind. âItalians must spend all their money on pavement,â he says, âbecause the roads there are like glass.â Better yet, he adds, when it comes to the one-stop luxury accommodations, âYou only unpack once.â
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Are you afraid to ride a motorcycle at night? Does your heart skip a beat when drops of rain appear on your faceshield? Youâre not alone. Carolyn Figueriaâbetter known as âDoodle on a Motorcycleâ to the legion of fans who subscribe to her YouTube channelâuses her ever-expanding platform to address these and other challenges that could have prevented her from enjoying motorcycling to its fullest.
Known for her personal approach to creating unique content, Figueria has taken on many two-wheel topics relevant to both newer and more experienced riders, including picking up a fallen motorcycle. Showcasing her never-give-up approach to life, Carolyn went to the extreme, laying her 500-plus-pound, three-cylinder Triumph Tiger 900 on its side and then picking it up 100 times every day for a month.
Figueria has spent the past eight years on a mission to become a better motorcycle rider. Along the way, she has showcased those adventuresâboth the highs and the lowsâto educate, engage, and empower others. For all those reasons and more, Carolyn is an inspiration to motorcyclists everywhere, and we are pleased she is the guest on this episode of the âDriven to Rideâ podcast.
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Some people seem destined for a certain line of workâa family business, for exampleâwhile others set out on a unique and unexpected career path with a specific goal in mind. Sarah Schilke identifies with the latter, the Oregon native having established early on that a life spent on two wheels in the motorcycle industry was the one and only direction for her.
Schilke has been employed at nearly every level of the industry. She began her journey as a motorcycle-safety instructor, worked the parts counter at a dealership, conducted market research, managed advertising and marketing programs, negotiated strategic business alliances, and ultimately has become one of the most recognized and valued members of the powersports community.
Through her varied professional path, Sarah has never stopped riding motorcycles. She is an accomplished on- and off-road rider who never lets foul weather stand in her way of logging more miles. True to her family heritage, Sarah is fluent in German, which comes in handy with her current role as vice president for SW-Motech USA, the Beaverton-based distributor of SW-Motech products.
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When Hank Snow took âIâve Been Everywhereâ to number one on the country-music charts, Dennis Noyes was writing for a daily newspaper in Venezuela. South America is a long way from central Illinois, where Noyes was born and raised. His father wrote for the âStars And Stripesâ and his mother was a linguistics professor at Purdue University, so words have always been and remain integral to Dennisâ existence.
Noyes ultimately landed in Spain, where he became a motorcycle road tester for Solo Moto and Motociclismo magazines, as well as a national championship-winning racer. For years, Dennis traveled the world reporting on the biggest names in Grand Prix road racing. Noyesâ youngest son, Kenny, followed in his fatherâs wheel tracks, making his world championship debut in 2010 and winning the Spanish national title in 2014.
Today, Noyes is retired and living with his wife, Heidi, in Californiaâs Anza-Borrego Desert. He still kicks up dust on two wheels, namely a John Bloor-era Triumph Thruxton with a pair of Mikuni round-slide carburetors replacing the modern electronic fuel injection styled to look like traditional mixers. Noyes recently published his first novel, âYonders, Illinois.â
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When Bridget McCutchen set off from her rural midwestern home on a world tour, she had no idea what the next 16 months would bring. Some 451 days later, after covering nearly 50,000 miles and visiting 45 countries, the 22-year-old Wisconsin native had successfully checked off all the requirements to become the youngest person, man or woman, to travel around the world by motorcycle.
McCutchen was new to motorcycling, with relatively few miles under her belt, when she began to map out her journey. No surprise, her trip wasnât as simple as connecting the dots. In Chile, McCutchen and a friend were robbed. Later, she was hit by a car, resulting in a concussion and other injuries. And then there was the war in Ukraine, which scratched plans to travel through Russia.
âPart of the reason I'm traveling around the world is to show that the motorcycle demographic is changing,â McCutchen wrote partway through the trip on her website, two-wheels-round.com. âI represent the new generation of riders. Young women who enjoy motorcycling are a growing force; they are people who want to be more present, enveloped in the world, not encapsulated in the bubble of a car.â
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Would you let a complete stranger ride your prized motorcycle? Austin Rothbard is betting that you willâfor a fee, of course. In fact, Rothbard started a business in 2017 based on that very concept. Rothbard is a motorcyclist himself and the founder and CEO of âTwisted Road,â a peer-to-peer, community-based rental service that he fondly refers to as the âAirbnb of motorcycles.â
Twisted Road builds relationships with motorcycle owners who care about their machines. They keep their bikes clean and shiny. Proper maintenance is a priority. They can spout tire pressuresâcold or hot?âquicker than their spousesâ birthdates. And they expect the same from customers. One of the rental stipulations, for example, is that every motorcycle is returned with a full tank of gas.
Find a motorcycle, book your days, and enjoy the ride of your life. According to Rothbard, the Twisted Road experience is that easy. Aiming to âunlock the motorcycles of the world so more people can experience life on two wheels,â the New Jersey native who now calls Chicago home truly embodies the entrepreneurial spirit. We are pleased to have Austin as a guest on this episode of the âDriven to Rideâ podcast.
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Howâs this for a company motto? âHand built. Made to last.â Those arenât just words, either: Top Fuel Motorcycle drag racer and former world record holder Kory Hogan survived a 246-mph crash in a leather suit designed and manufactured under the unyielding direction of the guest on this episode, the founder and CEO of Vanson Leathers, Mike van der Sleesen.
Founded in 1974 and operating since 1988 from a century-old textiles mill in Fall River, Massachusetts, Vanson has produced competition leather suits for many racing greats, including Giacomo Agostini, Freddie Spencer, and Jay Springsteen. Vanson products also have appeared in countless films and television productions and been worn by some of Hollywoodâs biggest stars.
Despite these successes, Van Der Sleesen is as grounded as they come. He has a deep understanding of international business and a wealth of manufacturing experience, yet he is one of the great characters in the motorcycle industry. On this episode, show host Mark Long discusses the Norton Commando 850 ownership experience with van der Sleesen.
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Michael Lichter rode a motorcycle to the Black Hills Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, for the first time in 1979â44 years ago. He documented that trip with a camera from the seat of his Harley-Davidson Shovelhead. Little did Lichter know that inaugural visit to the wildly popular biker party would lead to attending dozens more rallies and hundreds of other similar events and gatherings around the world.
Lichter fell in love with photography when he was a kid. By age 13, he had a working darkroom set up in the basement of his parentsâ home. Even on school nights, he would work until the early hours of the morning, when his parents came knocking. Later, he began to focus his lens on the biker culture and the quickly expanding custom side of motorcycling.
In 2000, Lichter produced his first âMotorcycles As Artâ exhibition, which morphed into a themed annual event staged initially at the Journey Museum in Rapid City. When the show outgrew that venue, Lichter moved it to Sturgis. From 2009 through 2022, the world-renowned artist curated the exhibit in a 7,000-square-foot gallery built specifically to house the show at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip.
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âAuthenticity is earned through epic workâ is one of Robert Pandyaâs favorite sayings, and indeed, Robert has done some epic work during his long and wild and varied career in the powersports industry. In fact, Pandya is a bit of a jack of all trades with experience in many aspects of marketing, from media relations to hosting and producing world-class events to creating content for digital and print publication.
For the past two years, Robert has helped shape the future of the Sturgis Buffalo Chip, known as âthe best party anywhere.â But Robertâs fascinating work experience is only one reason we asked him to be a guest on âDriven to Ride.â Robert is a motorcyclist to his core, and one of his passions is demonstrating ways for new riders to experience the joys of two wheels, whether it be on or off the road.
In 2017, Pandya founded the âGive A Shiftâ initiative, a volunteer group effort intended to bring together creative and experienced people to pen a report and transcript of their conversations with the focus on improving the powersports business and encouraging a positive long-term future for motorcycling. Spend any time with Robert and you will definitely agree that he âgives a shift.â
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Once in a great while, an individual connects with an audience. News anchor Walter Cronkite was often called âthe most trusted man in America.â Vin Scully was the âvoice of baseball.â For legions of motorsports fanatics, our next guestâs encyclopedic knowledge and booming baritone cemented their connection with all manner of two- and four-wheel competition.
In his youth, Dave Despain aspired to race motorcycles but admits he lacked the necessary courage and talent, never mind he stood head and shoulders above his two-wheel heroes. Despain called flat-track and road-racing events before accepting broader-reaching auto-racing assignments and later hosting his own TV shows, among them âWindTunnel with Dave Despain.â
Despain is a motorcyclist to his core. Studio work in the can, he would often ride one of his bikes countless miles to a distant destination to fulfill his public-address duties. Even off the clock, Despain found himself on the seat of a motorcycle, frequently his trusted Kawasaki KLR650, which he ultimately rode to Alaska, a trip that he discusses in detail on this episode of âDriven To Ride.â
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For those who watched our next guestâs ascent to motocross and supercross greatness, the acronym by which this hall of famer is often and deservingly referred is apropos. Credited with 15 national titlesâ10 in motocross, including two perfect seasons, and five in supercrossâRicky Carmichael is indeed the GOAT, or the Greatest Of All Time.
Following a fourâyear NASCAR career, the 43-year-old Floridian now splits his energy and time between his family and television broadcasting duties, as well as working with amateur riders in various self-branded camps and events. In addition, Carmichael has partnered with Triumph Motorcycles to help develop an all-new line of off-road competition machines.
As part of his relationship with the British marque, Carmichael has discovered a new two-wheel outlet: adventure riding. Unofficially christened the âRC Summer Adventure Ride,â the annual outing has become defined by a small group of close friends traveling off the beaten path and exploring some of the best roads imaginableâpaved or otherwiseâin the conterminous U.S.
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For a generation of motorcycle enthusiasts, Peter Egan represented something of a revelation. Here was someone who spoke their language, who found ways to escape the chill of winter to bring them with him across the country, eloquently describing through the pages of Cycle World the flat expanses, curving mountain roads, and scenic coastlines he traveled, often with his wife, Barbara.
Eganâs writing first appeared in Cycle World in 1977, and he was a regular fixture in the publication for decades. For the foreword of âLeanings 2,â the second compilation of Eganâs feature stories and slice-of-life columns, longtime Editor-in-Chief David Edwards described his friend and riding buddy as âthe perfect writerâ for CW, adding, âPeterâs love of motorcycling is deep and non-denominational.â
Peter has documented many of his road trips, including detailed accounts of the failings of the vehicles, interactions with the people with whom he traveled, and the characters and weather he encountered along the way. Peter and Barb still live in Wisconsin, near Madison, and we are grateful that he has agreed to join us on this episode of âDriven To Rideâ to share some of his lifetime of experiences.
Peter Eganâs Cycle World Articles
Peter Eganâs Books
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The National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa hosted over 500 motorcycles from every decade and almost every manufacturer, all handpicked by John Parham and his family of J&P Cycles fame. Unfortunately, the museum had to shut down back in September. Let's take a look inside before they close the doors for good, and find out the story of how one guy got all these amazing bikes got into one place.
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Six-foot-four-inch Alonzo Bodden strikes an imposing figure, both on the stage as an internationally recognized comedian and off it. A native of Queens, New York, Bodden moved in the 1990s to Long Beach, California, where he worked in the aviation industry as a mechanic. Since his comedy career took off, Bodden has appeared in numerous films and TV shows. He is a regular on NPRâs âWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!â
The easy-going linebacker lookalike is deeply rooted in Los Angelesâ motorcycle culture. It should come as no surprise that his taste in two wheels leans toward larger, more powerful machines. For example, Bodden currently owns a 2019 BMW K 1600 Grand America and a 2023 Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak, as well as 2008 BMW R 1200 HP2 Megamoto.
In 2010, Bodden crashed his Ducati 1098 during a track day at Buttonwillow Raceway Park near Bakersfield, California. The crash shattered the scaphoid bone in his wrist, requiring multiple surgeries and a bone graft to fix. These days, Bodden sticks mostly to the street. So, we ask: What is it like to ride a motorcycle in a city with one of the densest traffic populations in the country?
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Curious about what you'll find on the Driven to Ride podcast? Start here!
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