It’s every motorcyclist’s dream: two months with nothing to do but ride. This summer, not only did illustrator & tattoo artist Amanda Zito ride from her home in Portland to Motos in Moab, she kept going and took a 3,700-mile trip around her beautiful home state of Montana.
For the trip from Portland to Moab to Montana, she rode her 2005 Honda Shadow (named Haphaestus), but on her actual Montana trip she rode her first bike, a 1980 Suzuki 850gl she calls Lazarus. She definitely knows how to name a bike!
In our interview, Amanda and I talk about why this trip was important to her, how she planned for it, what gear she used (and what she wished she hadn’t left behind!), and how she dealt with the natural (and mechanical) events she encountered along the way. She also gives us some great advice about gear, budgeting, and general preparations for making a long motorcycle trip.
My personal favorite part of Amanda’s trip, though, was that she had four rules for herself: 1) No GPS, paper maps only. 2) No hotels. 3) No chain restaurants. 4) No highways. Such great rules, right?
Was she able to stick to all those rules, in the face of inclement weather and (occasional) breakdowns? I guess there’s only one way to find out… 😉
Amanda Zito’s 6,000-Mile Summer
Hear Amanda tell me all about her 3,700-mile motorcycle road trip through Montana, including “hellacious” winds, the best french fries on earth (at a bar with the BEST name ever!), and several Good Samaritans who helped her out when she broke down (which wasn’t too often… 😉 ).
To listen in, click play on the player above, or download here.
Want to hear more from Amanda? Check out her motorcycle blog and her trip diary, or catch up with her on Instagram @blindthistle or @rockymtnroll. You can also take a look at her illustration and tattoo work here.
Have you taken any incredible long-distance motorcycle road trips? Or maybe you haven’t yet, but you have a couple in mind? Drop me a line in the comments, I’d love to hear about them!
P.S. In case you haven’t noticed, I now have an email list! If you’re enjoying my posts, you might want to consider joining (via the form in the sidebar or below the post) so you can stay up to date with the latest on RIDEWELL.
Hi my name is Dionysis I have a small printing company in Athens and also I am the one of two owners of caferacercult.gr we love bikes and especially the cafe racer scene .Please give us your contact address to sent you some of our line products , the construction and the design is done here in Greece by cafe racer cult we will be glad to see you wearing it.
Hey Dionisys, thanks for getting in touch, I’d love to rep some of your gear! Shoot me an email and I’m sure we can get something worked out 🙂