Adventure Rider Radio RAW – Motorcycle Roundtable

The little habits that you develop on a motorcycle trip can sometimes be the things that keep your experience from going sideways. This month on RAW, we’re talking about the routines and systems we’ve picked up over years of travelling by motorcycle — what we do at the end of the day, what we check before heading out in the morning, and the habits we rely on along the way when it comes to fuel, maintenance, packing, documents, electronics, food, water and security. Some of these habits came from experience. Others came from learning the hard way when something went wrong. There’s no single checklist that works for every rider or every trip. Instead, we’re sharing the things we actually do, why we do them, and the small routines that might just save you some trouble on your next ride.
ARR RAW round-table discussions with motorcycle adventure travellers - featuring Grant Johnson, Sam Manicom, Shirley Hardy-Rix, Brian Rix, Michelle Lamphere and Jim Martin.
RAW LISTENER QUESTIONS: Have a question for the RAW panel? Send it to us here.
🔗 Show Notes & Links:
Find photos, links, and resources related to this episode on our website at Adventure Rider Radio.
🎧 Subscribe & Never Miss an Episode:
We release new episodes of ARR every week on Thursday and of RAW on the 21st of every month—full of inspiring stories, expert advice, and insight from the world of adventure motorcycling. Hit subscribe so you never miss out!
💡 Got an Idea?
Have a guest suggestion or topic you’d love us to cover? We’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email through our website.
⭐️ Leave a Review:
Enjoying the show? A 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app goes a long way in helping others discover the show.
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🙌 Support the Show:
Love what we do? Help keep the adventure alive by supporting us. Your contribution allows us to keep bringing you great content week after week.
📤 Share the Show:
Know someone who would enjoy this episode? Share it with them! Word of mouth helps us grow and reach more riders around the world.
📬 Join Our Newsletter:
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🙏 Thanks for Listening!
We truly appreciate you being part of our adventure community. Until next time—ride safe and keep exploring!

What would you tell your younger motorcycle riding or travelling self if you had the chance? The RAW panel looks back at what they wish they had known, understood, or done differently—and considers how that knowledge might have changed their motorcycle travels ahead. They also share some of the most important lessons motorcycle travel has taught them about people, risk, fear, confidence, decision-making, and themselves.
🔗 Show Notes & Links:
Find photos, links, and resources related to this episode on our website at Adventure Rider Radio.
🎧 Subscribe & Never Miss an Episode:
We release new episodes of ARR every week on Thursday and of RAW on the 21st of every month—full of inspiring stories, expert advice, and insight from the world of adventure motorcycling. Hit subscribe so you never miss out!
💡 Got an Idea?
Have a guest suggestion or topic you’d love us to cover? We’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email through our website.
⭐️ Leave a Review:
Enjoying the show? A 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app goes a long way in helping others discover the show.
📱 Follow Us:
Join our growing community on Facebook and Instagram. Let’s stay connected!
🙌 Support the Show:
Love what we do? Help keep the adventure alive by supporting us. Your contribution allows us to keep bringing you great content week after week.
📤 Share the Show:
Know someone who would enjoy this episode? Share it with them! Word of mouth helps us grow and reach more riders around the world.
📬 Join Our Newsletter:
Be the first to hear about new episodes, bonus content, and more! Sign up for our newsletter at Adventure Rider Radio.
🙏 Thanks for Listening!
We truly appreciate you being part of our adventure community. Until next time—ride safe and keep exploring!

This month on RAW, we're answering a listener question about international motorcycle travel and the realities of riding a home-plated motorcycle around the world. Does a foreign number plate help create connections with locals, or do adventure motorcyclists stand out no matter what they ride? Does traveling with a foreign-registered motorcycle make you a target, or can it actually open doors along the way? What are the pitfalls and advantages of renting a motorcycle locally? We discuss the trade-offs of each approach and what riders should consider when planning a long-distance motorcycle adventure, and things you probably haven’t even thought about.
🔗 Show Notes & Links:
Find photos, links, and resources related to this episode on our website at Adventure Rider Radio.
🎧 Subscribe & Never Miss an Episode:
We release new episodes of ARR every week on Thursday and of RAW on the 21st of every month—full of inspiring stories, expert advice, and insight from the world of adventure motorcycling. Hit subscribe so you never miss out!
💡 Got an Idea?
Have a guest suggestion or topic you’d love us to cover? We’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email through our website.
⭐️ Leave a Review:
Enjoying the show? A 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app goes a long way in helping others discover the show.
📱 Follow Us:
Join our growing community on Facebook and Instagram. Let’s stay connected!
🙌 Support the Show:
Love what we do? Help keep the adventure alive by supporting us. Your contribution allows us to keep bringing you great content week after week.
📤 Share the Show:
Know someone who would enjoy this episode? Share it with them! Word of mouth helps us grow and reach more riders around the world.
📬 Join Our Newsletter:
Be the first to hear about new episodes, bonus content, and more! Sign up for our newsletter at Adventure Rider Radio.
🙏 Thanks for Listening!
We truly appreciate you being part of our adventure community. Until next time—ride safe and keep exploring!

Every adventure rider develops a set of personal rules — the lessons, habits, and hard-earned principles that shape how they ride, travel, and make decisions on the road. In this episode, the panel shares practical adventure motorcycle tips and real-world riding strategies covering motorcycle safety, route planning, border crossings, motorcycle camping, meeting strangers while travelling, and managing expectations during long-distance motorcycle travel. These aren’t rigid rules or expert instruction manuals — they’re the experience-based lessons we’ve learned through years of adventure riding and motorcycle travel, often by learning things the hard way.
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About the Podcast

Since 2014, Adventure Rider Radio has shared adventure motorcycle travel stories, Rider Skills, Deep Trouble episodes, tech and gear features, and conversations with riders from around the world. New episodes of ARR are released every Thursday, with new episodes of RAW released monthly on the 21st.

On this episode of RAW, the hosts are diving into adventure motorcycle rides across North America that push you just enough to make them unforgettable — the kind that test your skill, endurance, and mindset, but reward you with incredible scenery, real solitude, and that hard-earned feeling of “I did that.” These aren’t extreme-for-the-sake-of-it routes — they’re rides the average motorcycle rider can take on with the right mindset, where the challenge actually gives something back. If you’ve ever wondered which motorbike rides are worth the effort, this one’s for you.
🔗 Show Notes & Links:
Find photos, links, and resources related to this episode on our website at Adventure Rider Radio.
🎧 Subscribe & Never Miss an Episode:
We release new episodes of ARR every week on Thursday and of RAW on the 21st of every month—full of inspiring stories, expert advice, and insight from the world of adventure motorcycling. Hit subscribe so you never miss out!
💡 Got an Idea?
Have a guest suggestion or topic you’d love us to cover? We’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email through our website.
⭐️ Leave a Review:
Enjoying the show? A 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app goes a long way in helping others discover the show.
📱 Follow Us:
Join our growing community on Facebook and Instagram. Let’s stay connected!
🙌 Support the Show:
Love what we do? Help keep the adventure alive by supporting us. Your contribution allows us to keep bringing you great content week after week.
📤 Share the Show:
Know someone who would enjoy this episode? Share it with them! Word of mouth helps us grow and reach more riders around the world.
📬 Join Our Newsletter:
Be the first to hear about new episodes, bonus content, and more! Sign up for our newsletter at Adventure Rider Radio.
🙏 Thanks for Listening!
We truly appreciate you being part of our adventure community. Until next time—ride safe and keep exploring!