Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Who knew a conversation about sport touring motorcycle travel could offer such an eclectic range of topics? Everything from shiny chrome to the tactile pleasures derived from a liberal application of 1000 tiny elves on your giblets. Nope, we're not some obscure Icelandic choir group. It's just poor Brian's metaphor for personal care products. Sit tight (or pretty) folks. You're in for quite the wild ride with Uncle Fester, err ... Brian.

Things heat up as geography takes center stage. Virginia? Love it. Topographic views? Gimme more! We zoom over mountains and ridges faster than you can say "vertigo-inducing motorcycle rides" (remember to pack your tiny elf-infused saddle oil). As Robin chimes in about east and west being fair game, we're left wondering whether they've forgotten there is indeed a north and south.

Deep dive into this motorcycling extravaganza en route to serious discussions around human toolkits, safety measures (Instagram isn't ideal for learning advanced biking tips), group dynamics during rides, rules of passing, and intriguing accounts featuring "that guy". Apparently, everyone has ridden with him and he often strangely finds keys and/or rocks in tires. Surely, these survival skills were passed down by ancient moto-warriors. Get ready to nod along through one road-traffic-anarchy of an episode.

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e09/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Robin goes on an epic ride between Mackay, Idaho and Boise. The focus of this ride is our standard, curvaceous norm but unexpected events do take place. As a result, we look to Tim Clarke to better inform our listeners.

Piper and Mags are talkin' shop, meaning moto shopping. With formidable resistance, Piper sold her Aprilia RSV4 (https://www.google.com/search?q=aprilia+rsv4&tbm=isch) and finds herself in brand limbo. Kick back and find equal frustration via their indecisive banter.

For you church types, Travatron makes the ultimate sacrifice. He takes possession of, and transfers the title to, a 49cc Honda scooter between Michigan and Wisconsin. The process is exactly as nonsense as you might expect.

Tim answers the call to explain safe, effective and efficient methods to pack your gear for that super clover rally. What's a super clover, you ask? It's a clover leaf route in which, instead of returning to base every night, riders camp in between.

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e07/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Brian and Robin dive into the thrilling world of route planning. Picture two guys in a virtual garage, huddled over a digital map like it's some sort of sacred treasure map. That's us. We're dissecting every twist and turn on these roads with the precision of surgeons and enthusiasm of kids in a candy store. The goal? To create an epic route for those motorcyclists who think 250 miles is just a warm-up.

We also discuss "that guy" moments, humbly from our own experiences. You know, those unforgettable incidents that are so ridiculous they earn you your own tag on a website. Brian recalls his infamous bike breakdown saga, spending hours trying to fix what turned out to be a flipped cutoff switch. Robin follows suit with a story involving not duct tape but worn-out tires, his first exposure to "that guy" ridicule.

Our conversation veers onto the topic at hand: creating loop routes for riders who can't get enough twists and turns even after covering hundreds of miles in a day. We’re talking about giving them more mileage than their knees can handle (or sanity allows) while ensuring there are plenty of scenic spots along the way to keep things interesting. Kick back and enjoy, folks. We've got some serious cartography going on!

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e08/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Maggie's your narrator, this round. She knows there's plenty to be excited about this riding season, as many are transitioning to that next bike. About that, Erik Buell has some electrifying ideas on the matter that might Fuell your decision!

Tim, Travis and Robin get to debate vicariously through the sudden, dramatic stage-left exit of Armene's Aprilia RSV4 (https://www.google.com/search?q=aprilia+rsv4&tbm=isch). In short, she's on the hunt for that next great purchase. Everyone chimes in with an infinite list of solutions, some of 'em even worth considering!

But ... Armene had to walk that bike to the end of the road so as not to wake the neighbors. That was just for a morning commute! What if there were a silent electric bike with a beautiful sport profile and fifty liters of onboard storage to get her where she's goin'? Enter Erik Buell. That is to say ... Fuell.

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e06/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Our interview this time around is with the "two and only" Murrae Haynes and Mabel Chin. They're the kind of couple that race sidecars together, among other great adventures on two wheels. Both discuss in detail the many ways motorcycling can bring people together.

Robin managed to scout the only leg of TRO's NM3 tour that hadn't yet been put to the test ... an experience that certainly didn't disappoint. Meanwhile, Piper says goodbye to her Aprilia SV4, a discussion that's being bumped to next month's episode instead. Tim managed to get his Honda Monkey up to 65 mph and Travis has a stack of bike options he feels Piper might like.

In listener question land, Sean Paul has a Kawasaki Concours 1400. Its seat angle keeps landing him up against the gas tank and his windscreen is likely causing "dirty" air. Our solutions are many!

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e05/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Piper went to her first MotoGP event. She was kind enough bring Robin and Tim along via Zoom for the Moto3 race. Travis was late, so he missed out.

Then, Piper went her own way to interview three (3) different interesting individuals at said event. Arai's (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=arai+motorcycle+helmet Brian Weston graced us with his presence plus thirty years of experience at what is currently the finest helmet manufacturer in the game, followed by the equally kind and informative Brent Jazwinski of Alpinestars (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=alpinestars+airbag+vest. Brent "blew up" an airbag vest with his cohorts just in time for Piper to bump into Denise Luu of RideSmart, a Texas based track and race training school.

While Armene Piper was galavanting the MotoGP scene, the boys kicked back and forcibly extracted conversation from Travatron who missed the last episode. He too had plenty to say on the matter of helmets, discussing at length his newly purchased AGV carbon (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=agv+carbon+helmet. Apparently he has to keep it tied to a brick or it will float away.

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e04/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Welcome, Armene Piper! Nobody's sure how it happened, really but Piper's exactly what TRO's podcast was missing. Just ask her!

Maggie's casual, kickback banter with the one and only Johanna Noble is a refreshing look at the excitement motorcycle travel inspires in all of us. In no time flat, Johanna learned to ride, knocked out 300 miles to go fishing and returned with dinner in her panniers. It should be no surprise that she's already become an instructor (in rugged Alaska of all places).

Finally, there sits Tim and Robin, semi-silent as they're outnumbered this round. It's women's history month! What better way to celebrate than hand the baton to thoughtful, skilled and charismatic motorcyclists!

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e03/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Travis, Robin and Tim have been advocates for riding the Wisconsin Driftless Area since, well ... it depends on who you ask. It's where Robin learned to ride, Travis eventually moved next door to and Tim? Not even he knows.

But when a Wisconsin native like Dale Hoke steps up to the plate to make his understanding known, even the TRO three take a knee before passing the mic to Mrs. Maggie Dean. Her interview with Dale discusses a lot of interesting, obscure and inspiring information about the roads paved (or not) on top of what glaciers couldn't reach.

So, grab your cheese curd flavored beer jerky and kick back. We're in Wisconsin, among other places. Travis's new car, Tim's pet monkey and Robin's paint huff are no match for the sweepers and switchback Mister Dale has to offer!

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e02/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Robin won't shut up, Travis is playing bass and Tim keeps telling us where to look at stuff on an audio-only platform. It's the first episode of the year and we're lookin' to ride in Colorado! Luckily, we're in significantly better company than usual as we're joined by Denver native Armene Piper.

You may remember Armene from a previous episode in which Robin interviews various training providers about MSF RiderCoach recruitment. This time, all topical trajectories are out the window in hopes that she'll help us get our small town pronunciations right. It's pretty bad, folks.

All in all, this is a great start to our 2023 podcast season. We've decided to leave the comfort zone for twelve episodes, abandoning the preformatted outline and its safe boundaries for open discussion ... probably at the eventual loss of your listenership. Let's do this!

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2023e01/
Music by Otis McDonald

Radio TRO is brought to you in part by:
Twisted Road - Motorcycle Rental in the USA
Visit Twisted.TRO.bike to get a FREE riding day!

Robin's feelin' fine in "tropical" Kerrville, Texas. Travis, on the other hand is on the decongestant train with an ibuprofen connecting flight. Tim has it even worse, coughing enough all night to get zero sleep.

All of this makes for an entertaining podcast, especially when Honda has a new sub-1000cc street fighter on the way. We also look at portable center stands for bikes without one. Eventually, we discuss our latest article from Brian Wringer.

Tom Burns asks a fine question about how to dodge allergies while on the bike. Our thinking is a dual sport helmet over a Covid mask. Mix in travel-safe (non-drowsy) allergy meds and maybe there's hope!

Episode Page: https://tro.bike/podcast/2022e06/
Music by Otis McDonald