Welcome to Road and Trail. My name is Randy, and I created this website to share my experiences with, knowledge of, and perspectives on, motorcycles and motorcycling. The name "Road and Trail" was chosen to reflect that the website focuses on both road and trail riding from a recreational aspect. I created this website because of my long running passion for motorcycling. There is content here related to street, dual sport and offroad motorcycles. I don't make any money off this website or YouTube - it's a hobby, not a business. I also have no sponsorship.

There are three main types of content on this website consisting of BC motorcycle rides, motorcycle reviews and motorcycle servicing, but there's some additional content too.

The BC motorcycle rides that are documented here include paved (mostly) roads and dual sport / adventure (varied surfaces). There is some overlap in these ride types. For example, the dual sport / adventure rides may contain sections suitable for street bikes as well as sections that are suitable for dirt bikes. The paved road rides are predominately pavement, but some may contain short sections of good gravel road. Consider all the information when deciding if the ride is suitable for you and your bike. Often you can choose to ride just a portion of the route. I don't consider all off-pavement riding the same as off-road riding.

Although the rides that are documented on this site are all in the southern interior of British Columbia, I have ridden in other parts of BC as well as in Alberta and in a few of the north-western US states.

The bike reviews are mostly of bikes that I, or family members, own or have owned, but a few are of bikes that I have only test ridden. I make the distinction in the review.

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Now, a little bit about me...

I started riding over 40 years ago. I'm a recreational rider. I ride solo quite a bit, exploring backroads, forest service roads and trails. I also enjoy riding the twisty, scenic secondary highways. I try to avoid the busy, main highways. I've done a number of multi-day motorcycle trips. I also frequently ride with my wife and kid, both on and offroad. In the past, I would often commute by motorcycle, but these days I don't ride in the city much except to get out of it. I believe in always wearing protective riding gear, on and offroad, even if it is quite warm.

I have owned several motorcycles over the years including dirt bikes (2022 CRF250F, 1986 XR200R, 1980 XR200, 1977 MR175), dual sport (2023 CRF300L, 2010 DR650SE, 2009 KLX250S, 1992 DR350S ...) and street (2024 NX500, 2005 V-Strom 650, 1995 VFR750, 1989 NT650, 1981 550 Seca ...). I have owned others, and I have ridden many more. Family members have owned a number of other motorcycles over the years too.

I perform most of the maintenance and repairs on my (and my family's) motorcycles, and I have done so for many years. There's a certain satisfaction in doing the work yourself, and you can save yourself quite a bit of money. A lot of the maintenance tasks are not difficult. My advice is to get the factory service manual for your motorcycle and get some decent tools, including accurate torque wrenches if you don't already have some. Other than taking shop classes in high school, I have no formal training in servicing vehicles. My knowledge comes mostly from experience and reading service manuals, although I've searched for and found some good information online (you have to be critical of what you see on the Internet, though). I've had several poor experiences with having dealerships perform work (including PDI and warranty work) on our motorcycles in the past (work not done correctly or damage done), so that's another reason to maintain your motorcycles yourself. One more reason to learn about servicing your motorcycle is that it makes you more self sufficient if you do have a mechanical problem while out riding, maybe far from help.

Career-wise, I worked in healthcare for almost a decade before going back to university and making a career switch. I then worked in software development for many years.

I hope you find the website informative.

Have fun and ride safe,
Road and Trail

Green Mountain Road near Penticton, BC