The Best Road Riding in Maryland

Ever wanted a website that listed the best road rides in each state, with easy to read maps and rides that were rated by people who have actually ridden them? Well, Motorcycleroads.com does just that.

With the warmer Spring weather seemingly here to stay, this website lists a few great rides through Maryland’s scenic coasts and rolling hills. As any Marylander knows well, it only takes a few minutes to get out into some beautiful country. Which means that you have no excuse to go out riding this weekend.

Here are two highly rated rides that the website lists. First is Lighthouse Run. This modest 17 mile ride will take you through the winding roads of Elk Neck Woods, and you will be given great views of the bay, especially since the leaves are not on the trees yes.

Here are the directions: “From Elkton, MD: go south on landing lane, turn right at the stop sign on old field point road. In about a mile, turn right on Johns Chapel Rd to transfer to Old Elk Neck Road. Take left (south) on Old Elk Neck Rd for a few miles. Look for an intersection with McKinney Town Rd, turn right on McKinney Town. The road will dead end at Turkey Point Rd. Turn left on Turkey Point which takes you all the way to the light house.” The website has more specifics on the route.

The second ride is Sterling - Front Royal - Charles Town Loop, a 133 mile loop that offers just about everything, flat country roads, mountains, and nice curves.

Here are the directions: “Starting at the Sterling Park Shopping Center, head south on Sterling Blvd. Cross over Rt. 28 and turn left on Pacific Blvd. Turn right on 606 and take that all the way to Rt. 50. Head west (turn right) on 50 until you get to Rt. 15. Turn south on 15. In Haymarket, head west on 55 to Front Royal. Take 340 north to Charles Town where you pick up Rt. 9. Head east on 9 to Rt. 7. Go east on 7, turn right on Sycolin Rd. Sycolin changes names several times (Sycolin, Ashburn Farm Pkwy, Farmwell Rd, Waxpool Rd and Church Rd). Turn right off of Church onto Holly to get back to Sterling Blvd.”

View their Maryland page here.

Also be sure to see their nicely designed Google maps of the rides.

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The Race for the World's Most Expensive Motorcycle is Underway

I figured since so many people are making handcrafted, custom bikes that sell for a lot of money, it would be fun to try and find the world's most expensive motorcycle. What I found was this--the official title of the world's most expensive motorcycle will vary according to who you are talking to. 

And also, there is a difference between custom cycles and ones you can buy in a showroom. But this does not mean that there are not agreed upon contenders for either category. So, as promised, here are the front runners for World's Most Expensive Motorcycle. 

First up is the special edition, gold-plated Harley Davidson custom made by Lauge Jensen, a Danish motorcycle manufacturer. Hailed by many to be the world's most expensive bike, this cycle has a price tag of around $880,000. This bike was just recently shown in Hamburg at a 2014 Motorcycle expo, and details for this bike are hard to come by. But stay posted.

Next up is another custom bike, but this time with a solid-gold frame muted so as to not have that gaudy shine. This bike was commissioned by Turkish motorcycle enthusiast Tarhan Telli, and comes equipped with a 1801cc RevTech V-Twin. It also boasts 125 horsepower, six gears and weighs close to 700 pounds. Though the exact price of this bike is a secret, the frame itself is rumored to be worth 1 million. See a short article and video here.

In terms of stock cycles, you cannot pass over the Ecosse Titanium Series FE Ti XX, with a price tag of a cool $300,000. The FE Ti XX has a 2,409cc billet engine and comes stock with 225 horses, the highest number of horses Ecosse has put into an engine. The leather saddle is crafted by Berluti, an Italian leather maker. Even more, only 13 of these bikes will be produced.

Last but not least comes from the vintage category, the ultra-rare 1954 AJS E95 Porcupine. Costing at least $750,000 (which was a previous sale price) this collectors item is one of four bikes of its kind. The 1954 Porcupine was made by the British during WWII, and now remains in the National Motorcycle Museum in Coventry.

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