iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Just how seriously does my wife take #Halloween? Even the wine bottle gets a costume.

Bottle of Velvet Devil wine with a purple velvet Dracula style coat on it.

Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 04/10/2026

Weekend #motorcycle reading. If you haven't seen it yet, check out my review of the new Suzuki SV-7GX. The popular Suzuki 645 cc V-twin engine (more than 500,000 have been built) carries on in a new, versatile platform. #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/09/suzu...

close view of the "face" of the blue and white Suzuki SV-7GX, headlight and LED DRLs

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 29/09/2026

The small-sport-bike segment in the U.S. #motorcycle market has been dominated for years by the Kawasaki Ninja 500 and its predecessors. But now that Honda has cut the price on its CBR500R, it's time for a fresh side-by-side comparison. Details in my review. #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/08/kawa...

Red Honda CBR500R with blue and white accents parked alongside a green Kawasaki Ninja 500 with white and yellow accents in front of a split rail fence and trees

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 26/09/2026

I've now written a couple of reviews of the new Suzuki SV-7GX, based on my few days of test riding the new middleweight sport-touring #motorcycle in Southern California. Click the link for details. #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/09/suzu...

riding the blue and white SV-7GX through a curve in Balboa Park in San Diego

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 19/09/2026

I'm currently testing a 2027 Suzuki SV-7GX, a new model that's interesting for its versatility, affordability, and for carrying on Suzuki's popular 650 cc V-twin. If you have questions you want to see addressed in my review, let me know below. #motorcycle news and reviews; #motosky

Blue and white Suzuki SV-7GX motorcycle parked at an overlook above Lake Henshaw in southern California with a curving mountain road in the background.

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 31/08/2026

MIC surveys show many young riders still prefer a sport bike but they need one that's affordable to buy, operate, and insure. The Kawasaki Ninja 500 and Honda CBR500R are both good options -- but with slightly different personalities. See my comparison. #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/08/kawa...

Rider going through a curve on the red Honda CBR500R with blue and white accents

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 30/08/2026

Less surprising was the fact that the #motorcycle display was smaller and more mixed. I'm all for everyone having pride in whatever they ride, but have we already reached the point where a Yamaha V-Star 250 is show material?

People looking at a small variety of old and newer motorcycles parked on a side street at the Motorama show in North Adams, Mass.

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 30/08/2026

After three years in the Berkshires, I'm still hitting some of the local events for the first time. Today: North Adams Motorama. Bigger than I expected. This photo shows just a part of the cars on display at the show, which fills downtown.

crowds walking past antique cars parked on Main Street in North Adams, Mass., with a cinema marquee reading "Motorama"

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 27/08/2026

The Kawasaki Ninja 500 has ruled the small-sport-bike segment in the U.S. #motorcycle market. Honda has now cut the price of its well equipped CBR500R by $1,000 to take on the Ninja. Which one should you buy? See my comparison test. #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/08/kawa...

Red Honda CBR500R with blue and white accents parked beside a green Kawasaki Ninja 500 with white and yellow accents in front of a split-rail fence and greenery

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 25/08/2026

The City of Brotherly Love strikes again. This scrap was all that was left after someone literally ripped off my #motorcycle plate in Philadelphia last night. Probably already on a stolen bike being used to flee a convenience store robbery.

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 16/08/2026

Weekend #motorcycle reading from the archives: The average age of motorcyclists in the United States keeps creeping higher, as young people are less interested. It makes for a stagnant industry. #motosky theridesofar.com/2023/12/moto...

A smiling gray-haired couple riding a large Harley-Davidson motorcycle in a parade of motorcycles at an event marking the company's anniversary

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 25/07/2026

Weekend #motorcycle reading from the archives. Comparing the Honda Transalp and the Aprilia Tuareg 660 reveals why the middleweight adventure-touring category is so popular now and which features to consider when deciding which one is right for your riding. #motosky theridesofar.com/2025/08/tuar...

Riding passing by on a red, white, and blue Aprilia Tuareg 660 adventure-touring motorcycling on a shady dirt road lined with large trees

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 19/07/2026

Scenes from today's meandering (3/3): This youngster sneaked onto the empty Little League field. When I got too close, he ran away with crazy-fast speed. He'd make a great pinch runner. #motosky

Very young fawn standing near home base on an empty baseball field and looking at the camera

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 19/07/2026

Scenes from today's meandering (2/3): We're a hundred miles from Manhattan (and it feels further) but this water is destined to come out of New York City taps. The Ashokan Reservoir provides 40% of the city's water. Eleven hamlets were flooded to create it in the early 1900s. #motosky

large lake showing trees hanging over the shoreline on a sunny day with blue skies above the blue water

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 19/07/2026

Scenes from today's meandering (1/3): The old Speed Triple still runs surprisingly well, despite nearing 30 years old. Here it is in front of the Brown's Station Fountain, tucked out of the way near the Ashokan Reservoir in upstate New York. #motosky

Black, 29-year-old Triumph Speed Triple motorcycle parked in front of an elaborate fountain shooting up seven streams of water.

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 19/07/2026

It's a question new riders often ask after scraping together money for a first #motorcycle: "Do I really have to buy all this gear?" It's also a topic debated by experienced riders. In this article, I try to take a common-sense approach to prioritizing gear. #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/07/what...

Rider in helmet, motorcycle jacket, pants and boots, full gear, riding a gray Honda Transalp across a rusty old highway bridge

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 05/07/2026

Our current home is right under the flight path for planes landing at the tiny airstrip in the town next door. Luckily, it only amounts to a few small planes per day, so more picturesque than annoying. This morning, these ultralights came slowly buzzing in for a landing. Life in the Berkshires.

two photos, one showing an ultralight in the distance above the treeline and rooftop, and another zoomed in view of two ultralights approaching for a landing

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 28/06/2026

Many people say bigger is better, but when the road doubles back on itself like this, I say smaller is better. Even more than I usually do. #motosky

Small Kawasaki motorcycle parked alongside a hairpin turn, the road in the foreground and in the background

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 21/06/2026

Taking advantage of the most generous helping of sunlight I will see all year. #motosky

Black Triumph Speed Triple motorcycle parked at a mountain overlook

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 12/06/2026

Hot and hazy down below. Calm and cool at the summit of Mount Greylock.

View from the highest point in the state of Massachusetts looking down toward a distant village below

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 07/06/2026

I went to a The Moto Social event today for the first time. This is the kind of community and the vibe that motorcycling needs, especially here in the U.S. #motorcycle; #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/06/the-...

Onlookers outside a coffee shop smile and laugh as two small children giggle while test-sitting a motorcycle

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 06/06/2026

Weekend #motorcycle reading from the archives. Riding a 2025 Honda Gold Wing back to back with the original, a 1975 Honda Gold Wing. So much has changed in 50 years, but it's still riding a motorcycle. #motosky theridesofar.com/2025/03/a-ri...

A blue 1975 Honda Gold Wing parked beside the much larger, full-fairing 2025 Gold Wing in gold and brown

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 22/05/2026

Spring arrives later here than anywhere I've lived but it feels like when it happens, it explodes at once. As if we go from bare trees to full leafy green in a week.

Footbridge across a small stream in a forest

Field of dandelions in the evening sun with a mountain in the distance

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 17/05/2026

After a ride today, I'm again amazed that this 29-year-old #motorcycle, which has been under my "care" and "maintenance" for 28 years, still runs so well. The bike will officially be antique next year, the jacket is old enough to vote and drink, and the owner... well, no need to go there. #motosky

Rider standing by a black 1997 Triumph Speed Triple with mountains in the background

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 17/05/2026

Lots riders out today on Massachusetts' Mohawk Trail, including this group at the infamous hairpin just outside North Adams. So many motorcycles I couldn't get even half of them in one photo. #motorcycle #motosky

row of dozens of motorcycles parked along a hairpin turn at a mountain overlook

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 17/05/2026

The phrase "opening day" has a different meaning for me. Nothing to do with baseball. Yesterday was the day the road to the top of Mount Greylock opened for the season, making my favorite little summer escape available again. I took a short #motorcycle ride. #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/05/open...

small black and green Kawasaki KLX300SM parked along a curvy forest park road

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 16/05/2026

Weekend #motorcycle reading from the archives. Do you miss your first motorcycle? Do you wish you'd kept it instead of replacing it as you moved on to better rides? Many riders do. I'm not among them. #motosky theridesofar.com/2024/10/do-y...

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 15/05/2026

Yeah, the day before this cub and its sibling wandered through, their mother, or father, or some relative lumbered right up on our deck! But the biggest shock I had was a couple of years ago when I looked up from my laptop in my home office and saw this big guy looking at me.

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 15/05/2026

This little guy ran through our driveway and across the street and climbed a tree, calling for his mother, before he finally ran off into the woods, hopefully to be reunited. Life in the Berkshires.

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 10/05/2026

Finally made it to Bish Bash Falls, the tallest waterfall in Massachusetts and one of the many beautiful natural features near my new home of the past three years. Still a few more to cross off the list.

two-stream waterfall spilling into a pool on a forested hillside with spring leaves just starting to come out

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 09/05/2026

ICYMI, see my full review of the new Triumph Tiger Sport 800 Tour after I spent a week and 1,165 miles living with it in all kinds of riding conditions. The sport-touring class #motorcycle class is alive and well. #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/04/2026...

view of the front fairing on the blue Triumph Tiger Sport 800 Tour motorcycle

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 09/05/2026

Weekend #motorcycle reading from the archives. Whether you're a new rider or it's just time to replace old gear, here's my advice for choosing a motorcycle jacket, based on 40 years of riding and 10 years at the top online gear retailer in the U.S. #motosky theridesofar.com/2024/09/how-...

traditionally style brown textile Shenstone motorcycle jacket showing interior liner

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 02/05/2026

Weekend #motorcycle reading from deep in the archives: So a guy rides his customized Kawasaki KZ1000 to a bike show, just expecting to be a spectator, but gets conscripted and his bike wins second prize. #motosky theridesofar.com/2017/11/les-...

Vintage Kawasaki KZ1000 with multi-colored paint job, stretched swingarm and modern brakes parked in front of banners at a bike show

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 01/05/2026

And when he was done with it, I put another thousand miles on it myself, so you can read my take, as well. theridesofar.com/2026/04/2026...

Blue Triumph Tiger Sport 800 Tour parked in front of a blue sign for Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta at the track garages.

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 26/04/2026

I spent a week and more than a thousand miles with the new 2026 Triumph Tiger Sport 800 Tour, doing all kinds of riding. Does it hit the sweet spot for a sport-touring #motorcycle? See my review today at The Ride So Far. #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/04/2026...

Blue Triumph Tiger Sport 800 Tour parked at an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway with mountains in the background

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 21/04/2026

One fan got a little too enthusiastic at the autograph session with Kayla Yaakov, Josh Herrin, P.J. Jacobsen, and Alessandro Di Mario during the MotoAmerica weekend at Road Atlanta.

furry dog with its front paws on the table where the four racers are signing autographs for fans

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 18/04/2026

There's a lot of experience and racing knowledge in this photo behind Kayla Yaakov. Maybe that's why the 18-year-old qualified on pole for the MotoAmerica Supersport race today at Road Atlanta, besting a two-time AMA Superbike champ and a former MotoGP rider, among others. #motorcycle #motosky

Racer Kayla Yaakov confers with her team during qualifying while team manager Ben Spies and Superbike rider P.J. Jacobsen talk in the background

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 17/04/2026

I love the smell of warm rubber in the morning. MotoAmerica Quad Lock Superbike racing starts this weekend and I'm at Road Atlanta. It's been a wild off-season with nearly all top Superbike riders changing teams, so get up to speed with my preview article. #motosky www.revzilla.com/common-tread...

two rows of dozens of used motorcycle racing tires beside a Dunlop truck

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 03/04/2026

In the event anyone following me is ever in my part of western Massachusetts, U.S.A., stop at this cafe, The Store at Five Corners. It has a great history, older than the U.S., owned by a community group. Just reopened. Say hi to Sean, who runs the place with his sister Taylor. He rides a KLR650.

Photo of my green and black Kawasaki KLX300SM parked in front of The Store at Five Corners, a historic two-story building dating to the 1700s.

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 28/03/2026

Weekend #motorcycle reading from the archives. This one's partly about a good motorcycle museum, but (warning) it's also personal, about riding a motorcycle I've had 27 years to a place I lived 40 years ago, and gaining new insights into my own history. #motosky theridesofar.com/2025/06/fres...

Old black Speed Triple parked at a roadside pull off with a sheer cliff mountainside in the background with a narrow road carved into the stone cliff.

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 26/03/2026

This photo from yesterday's ride makes it look like I'm pushing the season more than I really am. Wasn't as bad as it looks and today we may hit 60 degrees F and get rid of the ice. #motosky

Black and green Kawasaki KLX300SM stopped by an ice-covered lake in the country on a sunny day

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 21/03/2026

Close calls. If you've ridden a #motorcycle for long, you've had them. The worst ones are the self-inflicted stupid mistakes. Here are three close calls from my more than 40 years of riding. #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/03/near...

close view of shards of wood sticking into a Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+'s radiator, which is dripping fluid

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 19/02/2026

When Liberty Media took majority ownership of MotoGP, some fans were hopeful it would raise the series to new levels of popularity, as it did with F1. I say, be careful what you wish for. See "Is this the first of future bad decisions by the owners of MotoGP?" theridesofar.com/2026/02/is-t...

racing motorcycle headed toward the ocean on the track at Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 08/02/2026

I wish I had a good owl photo for #SuperbOwlSunday but I'm not that good a photographer. How about a seasonally appropriate photo of this Cooper's hawk riding out a snowstorm? No, not a sea hawk. #Birds 🦉

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 31/01/2026

Weekend #motorcycle reading from the archives: That time I tested a $43,000, 838-pound Harley-Davidson on the track. Fortunately, it was less of a handful than it sounds like. #motosky theridesofar.com/2024/03/2024... 📷 = Brian J. Nelson

Riding the white Harley-Davidson Road Glide ST with large fairing and saddlebags through a curve of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway road course

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 27/01/2026

I dug a tunnel so we'd at least have the option of going out the back door. If for some reason I'd want to go outside and freeze my face off. Like if the house was on fire. Maybe. #@WinterStormFern

view through a glass door at a narrow walkway shoveled through two feet of snow

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 24/01/2026

It's an old question with many right answers: What's the perfect number of motorcycles to have? How many do you really need? I chew over the topic in my latest post at The Ride So Far. #motorcycle stories; #motosky theridesofar.com/2026/01/how-...

Three motorcycles -- a blue Kawasaki Versys, a red Triumph Daytona 675, and a black Triumph Speed Triple -- parked in a garage underneath racing posters

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 17/01/2026

Weekend #motorcycle reading from the archives: If you live in the north, like me, and you want to avoid a long winter layoff from riding (also like me), here are my 10 tips for riding in the winter. #motosky theridesofar.com/2020/12/tips...

Blue Kawasaki Versys motorcycle parked at a highway rest area on wet asphalt with a snow-covered slope in the background

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 03/01/2026

I'm back in my old Caribbean neighborhood, arriving hours before air space was shut down by the military. Half the flights at Puerto Rico's main airport were cancelled today, including the one I took yesterday. I would have been stuck if I'd come a day later. (Continued, including bird info.)

grainy photo of a blue and gold macaw perched atop a tall light pole

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Lance Oliver @theridesofar.com · 31/12/2025

A look back at my 2025 in riding. The summer was bookended by two trips on $30,000 luxury motorcycles that are, to me, too big and too complicated. And it was the first year I rode other people's motorcycles more than my own. #motosky; RSF #motorcycle blog theridesofar.com/2025/12/year...

the author riding a large, black, BMW R 1300 RT touring motorcycle on a curving road in a forest past a large mushroom-shaped rock

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