The Lowdown Show - By ADVrider

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The Best Motorcycle Ride in America Oct 31, 2025

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Scott Calhoun has the most bizarre motorcycling history of any man I’ve met. Up until age 55 he hadn’t ridden a motorcycle. And then, for the next decade, he rode every paved road in America that held any promise for enthusiasts. Every single road. Then the co-founder of Butler Motorcycle Maps—that’s why he rode those roads—sold his BMW and moved on to disc golf. What you and I would call tossing a frisbee. Scott gives us the skinny on those years of travel and gives us the best single location in America to ride. And believe me, you’ll never guess where it is.

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Bike Rental Done Right Oct 24, 2025

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Have you ever been away, for vacation or for work, and had to rent a car? But what if you could rent a motorcycle instead of a car? Of course you can rent motorcycles now. But it’s often a cumbersome process involving a dealership—which can complicate pickup and drop-off if they’re far from you and that often limits you to whatever units they dedicate as rentals. But what if you could rent a wide range of bikes from fellow enthusiasts? This week we talk to Austin Rothbard, owner of Twisted Road, a peer-to-peer motorcycle rental business that’s just now building up steam.

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Is This Man The Most Versatile Rider on the Planet? Oct 17, 2025

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If you’ve ever watched police riders whip a Harley or a big BMW in and around pylons that appear impossibly close together, then you’ll appreciate this week’s guest, Quinn Redeker. Redeker is a maverick in the world of pilon-slaloming in that he adopts techniques from most all motorcycling disciplines, including, but not limited to, motocross, trials and roadracing. Even if you’re not interested in turning your 1250 GS around within the footprint of a porta-potty, Redeker has something to say about technique that will make you a better rider.

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A Moto-Guru In ADV History Oct 10, 2025

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Gregory Frazier skips to his own beat. Dr. G, as he prefers to be called, is an author and globe-trotting bon-vivant and a man often mistaken for Ozzy Osbourne—when Ozzy was still living, presumably. Dr. G riffs to Neil Graham about pioneer motorcycle traveller Carl Stearns Clancy, references a book he considers the best ever written about an RTW trip, and disses on meeting Robert Pirsig—yes, the Zen author himself—while Pirsig was on his seminal trip. Part showman, part shaman, Dr. G is untethered to the mundanities of life.

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From Superbike Racer To Exhaust Guru Oct 03, 2025

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When Lang Hindle’s career as a superbike racer ended he turned to the art of pipe bending, using experience gained in racing to build an empire of exhaust. Lang and Neil discuss the art of tuning, the mindset of a racer, the progression of an industry, and—naturally—noise.

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A Lifetime Of Weird Motorcycles Sep 26, 2025

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Daryl Tearne—fresh out of design school—landed the oddest dream gig of all: redesigning the Crocker motorcycle for the modern age. Crocker, with less than 50 ever made, make brands like Vincent seem mainstream. But Tearne did the near impossible and made a prototype that was at once futuristic and traditional. When that project hit a wall, he moved on to Buell, for yet another project that hit an ever bigger wall. Working with Erik Buell in the dying days of the company was a lesson in keeping his head above water. And moving on. Now Tearne heads the design department of a major toy company. Dishing on the inner workings of Buell, Tearne has a few opinions and a bundle of life lessons as a young man making his way through two legendary—if doomed—American motorcycle institutions.

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Honda Goes Electric Sep 19, 2025

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For more than a decade, small, independent manufacturers have tantalized us with promises of mass electric motorcycle production. We are constantly told of new technologies that will revolutionize the battery bike scene, and yet this corner of the motorcycle world has been filled with bankruptcies, not success stories. Now Honda is about to launch their first full-sized electric motorcycle, early in 2026. ADVrider managing editor Zac Kurylyk says the specs aren't exactly in line with what consumers want, but that doesn't matter, since consumer demand isn't what's driving this market in the first place—it's government regulations.

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Why Philosophy Matters To Motorcyclists Sep 12, 2025

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Is Stoicism the secret to speed? From timid to 200 miles per hour—how Louisa Swaden used stoicism’s principles to unleash the woman within. And how her new book—The Stoic Rider—can help you to do the same. This week on the Lowdown podcast Louisa talks to Neil Graham about how motorcycles changed her life, long before she had any idea on how to change a tire.

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A Place Where Motorcycling Is For Everyone Sep 05, 2025

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Most every type of motorcycle originated in Europe. Paris—of all places—begat the supermoto and our beloved ADV. But that’s not all. Michael Uhlarik reports in from Italy on a motorcycling culture more inclusive and less dismissive than our ways in the west. We also talk Roman roads, Roman chariots, and expertly ridden motorcycles owned by people who don’t really consider themselves enthusiasts. Don’t miss this one.

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Forest Fires, New Bikes, Dealership Tales Aug 29, 2025

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Summer's almost over, so what did we get out of it? Rumors and confirmations of new motorcycles, a lot of wildfires and some surprising stories about the situation that average riders face at their local dealerships. The Lowdown Show wraps up August with a talk with ADVrider's managing editor Zac Kurylyk. Zac and host Neil Graham discuss the topics that have made headlines this summer, like issues at dealerships. Neil and Zac both advise to pick your motorcycle based on the dealership that sells it as much as the bike itself. Or Harley-Davidson's new Sprint motorcycle, coming this fall—can they get it right? And then there's the wildfires that have closed down woods riding and wilderness travel in the northeast: how should adventure riders plan around such events?

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