A Motorcycle Icon: Elspeth Beard at Flock to the Rock 2018
BY ELISA WIRKALA On a fortuitous night at a Seattle motorcycle event in 2012, my perception of riding took a sudden, life-altering shift.
All posts by Elisa Wirkala
The Psychology of Travel: Overcoming the Obstacles Podcast II
In the second part of this two-part Travel Psychology podcast series, author of Ubuntu and world traveler Heather Ellis talks with Jacqui Kennedy of Postie Notes and Women ADV Riders Contributing Editor Elisa Wirkala as they discuss travel psychology and life on the road: When things take a
The Psychology of Travel: Overcoming the Obstacles Podcast I
In this two-part podcast series, author and seasoned traveler Linda Bootherstone Bick, Jacqui Kennedy of Postie Notes (Australia on a Postie Bike) and Women ADV Riders Contributing Editor Elisa Wirkala discuss travel psychology and life on the road: When things take a turn for
8 Great Last-Minute Motorcycle Christmas Gift Ideas
BY WOMEN ADV RIDERS Time’s flying by, and the Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, and general holiday season is upon us! So, Jingle bells, Batman smells, robin laid an egg… (Does that qualify as a non-secular holiday carol?) Either way, it’s that time of year again
Short Legs and a Big Ugly Bike: A Woman’s Kawasaki KLR650 Review
BY ELISA WIRKALA The first Kawasaki KLR650 to be brought to my attention belonged to a college boyfriend in 2006. I had no idea what it was, and considered it just a big ugly bike – a sort of deformed grasshopper. But what did I
RTW Adventures of a Frugal Motorcycling Gal: Australia!
BY ELISA WIRKALA The road ahead spanned more miles than I was ready to count. Very few looked a RTW adventure ride like this in the eye without at least a little bit of anxiety tucked away somewhere, and though I’d already covered half the
The Truth About Africa: Adventures of a young woman’s first forays into the world of riding
BY KILEY SHIELDS At the beginning of this year I didn’t know how to ride a motorcycle. Now, I’m back home after embarking on an 8,000 mile Africa adventure that had me and a friend traveling by motorcycle from northern Ghana to northern Europe—Bristol, to
Julie Jasper and Her 1942 Indian Scout Circumnavigate Australia
BY: ELISA WIRKALA Air came hissing out from under the pressure gauge held against the back tire. The sandy red road in the northern part of Western Australia stretched 10 km due north, heading to Eighty-Mile Beach where Julie Jasper was camped for the week. She
Motorcycle Accidents: A near death experience, and lessons learned
BY ELISA WIRKALA On a cold winter’s night in 2011, Shalmarie Wilson zipped up her jacket over the layers keeping her warm. She was tired after a long day of work, and looked forward to getting home. She slipped on her helmet and became distracted,
Life After Debt: Round the world moto trips and Travel Bug Blues
BY MARY CREIGHTON The first bit of light starts to dry the dew off of the tent. It’s 7am and it’s already warm. The fuzzy outline of a thought emerges: Coffee.