BugMoto

Hello friends,
A number of you asked for some stickers, and I've finally gotten my act together and I'll be sending them out tomorrow. Just wanted y'all to know I didn't forget about you!

Hope you're getting out there enjoying the world, whether your riding season is coming to and end, just starting, or goes year-round like mine.

Here's some upcoming videos. If you have thoughts, or anything you'd like me to talk about, let me know!

- Full review and experience of owning a brand new Aerostich Roadcrafter RC-3
- How I ride in jeans and a sweatshirt while maintaining CE AAA protection
- Building out the ultimate long-distance tourer with my Himalayan 450
- I need a new touring helmet... Help me decide... It HAS to be quiet
- Planning for 2026's long-distance adventure... Alaska?

As always, I'd love to hear your ideas for new videos.

In my next video we'll travel to Lincoln City, Oregon on a mission... Alice joins me on her Triumph Scrambler 1200X for some general silliness.

Cheers all!

-bug

2 months ago | [YT] | 87

BugMoto

Moto Morini kindly loaned me their new 2026 X-Cape 700 for a few weeks, to test and review. I've only put a handful of miles on it so far, and I'll post my initial impressions video in the next day or two. Then I'll do a more thorough review where I'll take this bike on an overnight adventure and test it Bug-style.
What do you wanna know about this machine? Could this be the perfect touring bike, or are you put off by its Chinese origins? Is 700cc too much, too little? Is it a sweet-spot?
This is a press bike, but I'll be 100% honest when I talk about it in my videos. So let me know what I should be looking for!

#motomorini #xcape700

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 49

BugMoto

I had the chance to take a Triumph Trident 660 out for a test ride this morning. I've been wanting to do some more 'technical' riding lately, and have ridden a bunch of sorta go-fasty bikes, including the Street Triple 765, the Speed Twin 1200 RS and a few others. So far, the Trident seems to hit a sweet spot for me as it balances performance, weight, looks (not this particular color scheme) and value.
What do y'all think of the Trident? Have you ridden one? Do you own one? If you were looking for a sportier bike as you enter your 53rd year on the planet, would this be a contender?

5 months ago | [YT] | 55

BugMoto

I've got a saddle sore, and questions!
That's right! Sadly, that's the reality of long-distance motorcycle travel, and after riding 560 miles today (other than the saddle sore, it was an absolute breeze) I find myself searching for solutions... Anyone have any thoughts on a quick fix? I've still got 1,300 miles to go to get home, but ... and here's my second question...
I'm in Rapid City, South Dakota! SD is absolutely stunning, and I am planning to spend a few days here to check out things like the Badlands (rode through on the way here and it's a beautiful ride), the Black Hills, Sturgis - just for a tshirt - and/or maybe Mount Rushmore.
Who's got suggestions on where I should ride and what I should see while I'm here?
To summarize... I've got a pain in the butt and I'm in an amazingly beautiful place. HELP!
I should note, last I checked I was somewhere around 6,000 miles into this trip and the saddle sore is the only issue I've had. Not bad, eh?

6 months ago | [YT] | 148

BugMoto

Just a quick update on how things are going with the ride across America (and back)...

I don't want to give too much away, but suffice it to say, I made it to Cape Cod in one piece. The Guzzi V85TT developed a small oil leak along the way, but I had the bike serviced today at AJ Cycles in GIll, Massachusetts (pure legends, those guys) and it turned out to be minor. A couple of bolts needed snugging. Apparently they were not snugged tightly enough at the factory, and perhaps missed at my 900-mile first service. Anyway, it's fixed and caused no harm. Aside from that bit of drama, the bike has been absolutely perfect. It's taken everything I've thrown at it and handled it with grace. The Moto Guzzi V85TT is one fine machine! Five stars.

The weather across the eastern half of the US is looking pretty wet the next few days, so my plans remain a bit up in the air. I'm still planning to get to Goshen, to meet the fine folks at Janus Motorcycles. But my arrival there depends on how much rain I can deal with each day. On my way out to Gill today I didn't know it was going to rain. I found out real quick. I showed up at AJ Cycles looking like a drowned rat and really wishing I had worn my Aerostich suit. Lesson learned.

After I hang out in Goshen, I have zero plans. Nothing. I'm just gonna go. I've structured things a bit too much to this point, needing to get from point A to point B each day, and I'm needing to leave that behind and just ride.
So that's the plan. Just ride. Loosely but not at all strictly along US Route 20.

I'd love to make a Q&A video in the next few days about this journey. Do y'all have questions? There are a bunch of questions in the video comments that I'll tackle, but do you have any others? The odder the better.

Thanks for following along. This has been quite an adventure and I really appreciate your support!

6 months ago | [YT] | 211

BugMoto

What's it like to ride a $33,000, 824-pound American-made motorcycle through city streets? Let's find out! I'm at the One Moto Show here in Portland, Oregon, and tomorrow I'll be taking this beast out for a demo ride. It's an Indian Challenger Dark Horse, and it's got every possible option installed.
What do you want to know?
I'll start...
"Why not just buy a car?"
"Just how scared are you to drop it?"
"How does it compare to your Scrambler 900?" (lol)

8 months ago | [YT] | 86

BugMoto

This community – both the riding community in general and the folks who are part of the BugMoto community specifically – continue to amaze and inspire me.
The rider behind the @Czeching_Out_America moto channel made a full video just for me (well, and everyone else on YouTube of course...) about packing for moto adventures. How cool is that?
A few years ago she sold her house and most of her stuff, and started traveling on her Tiger 900. It's inspiring.
And there's one tip in this video that, while maybe obvious to some, was one of those "Duh why didn't I think of that" moments. She's got her sidestand puck on a string! Brilliant!

8 months ago | [YT] | 15

BugMoto

Do you have a story, good or bad, about dealing with your local motorcycle shop? Either the buying/selling/trading process, or dealing with the service department?
I'm working on a video about some recent experiences I've had dealing with both big shops and small mom-and-pop type places. Ever experience the old bait-and-switch? Ever have someone go the extra mile for you because you spend a ton of money in their shop? Ever have the service guys roll their eyes when they see you coming?
I'd love to hear your stories. I may read a few of them in the video. Let me know if that's not ok.

9 months ago | [YT] | 51

BugMoto

Howdy, beautiful people!

The good folks over at Triumph Columbia River in Portland, Oregon are letting me spend a few hours with the new 2025 Triumph Speed Twin 1200 RS. If there's one bike I can't stop thinking about (aside from my own Scrambler 900) this is the one. It's absolutely beautiful, and I'll bet it rides like a dream. We shall see!

What do you want to know about this bike???

Add your questions to the comments and I'll do my best to answer them all when I finally get this amazing machine out onto the road. Hopefully next week.

I'm not sure I've ever looked forward to testing a bike more than I am this Speed Twin.

10 months ago | [YT] | 96

BugMoto

In an effort to declutter my digital life, I've ditched the CarPlay device thingie I had mounted to my Triumph Scrambler 900 (for now) and decided to give the Beeline Moto II a shot. My first impressions of this device are pretty positive. It seems well made, and it's dead simple. It's elegantly designed, and well, it feels better than looking at a big rectangular screen... Is it overpriced? Is the app necessary to run it terrible? Is it actually waterproof???

I'm either going to absolutely love it, or return it by Friday...

Anyone out there interested in seeing a review of it? I know it's been done a million times, but most of the videos I've seen have been sponsored and, well, seemingly compromised. I paid for this and so I don't have any strings attached to what I say... If it's terrible, I'll certainly enjoy letting you know. :) I have a feeling y'all might be interested in it as a good compromise between no navigation, and a $700 Garmin.

If you're interested in seeing a review, let me know. And if so, also let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like me to cover.

Also. Let me know if anyone actually sees these posts. I'm thinking of using these to talk about my cross-country trip when I'm on the road. But I don't want to be shouting into the abyss...

10 months ago | [YT] | 217