If curves are your thing, few places are better for driving than the French and Spanish Pyrenees. While there’s many ways to cross the Pyrenees, the East-to-West Perpignan (France) to San Sebastian route is famous for its stunning views, twisties, good wine and tasty cheese.

Road conditions on the 921km long road are near-optimal, with just some rougher patches towards the end of the route. The guys at motorcycle diaries offer a GPX download, and our Scenic App also provides 100+ different routes through the Pyrenees.

Intermot is always good for some new motorcycle unveilings. This year quite some brands renewed their model range with entirely new models or updates to existing ones. Kawasaki, Indian, Suzuki, KTM, Ducati, Triumph, Yamaha, Moto Guzi and Apprillia all showed us something new. Here’s a list of all the unveiled bikes. Some of them already leaked to the press before, but plenty of surprises left.

For those riders on the southern hemisphere who are getting their bikes ready for the upcoming summer I picked this video from RyanF9 who claims he sucks at mechanics. Even still, he eventually mastered these essential tasks that every motorcyclist should learn; he clearly explains how to balance a wheel, how to gab a spark plug, break and rivet a chain and how to check wheel alignment. Check out this 10 minute video.

Life is a gift, and there are those that live life to the full measure. Everyone has a story, be it of courage, fortitude or compassion. Jay and Stella want to hear yours and be the platform to give voice to those stories. Their own story is quite amazing too. Just to name a few things: walking the Camino de Santiago twice, 25 years of marriage, living in Bejing, selling their house and now travelling through the US in a motorcycle and side car. Check out their amazing journey here.

Although I am located in Mexico, for most of us here on the northern hemisphere winter is approaching rapidly and there are a couple things you can do to keep riding with a smile. It all starts with getting your bike ready for winter and the core essential to stay warm: outer layer, insulation, and base layer, winter riding pants as well as protecting the extremities: gloves, boots, and helmets. With the proper gear winter riding can be loads of fun! Check out Motomappers’ article.

Winter is coming, and as we’re about to put the clock one hour back, the ones of us that continue to ride have to defy cold and rainy weather. A good gore-tex outfit is helpful, but in order to keep your body temperature regulated, you might want to invest in a good set of thermal underwear.

Brands such as Klim, Rev’It and Dainese offer decent underwear, but my personal favorite is the Rukka Outlast shirt and pants. The shirt keeps you warm in winter and cool in the summer. I have used it for skiing trips in Whistler and as single layer on hot riding days in Mexico. The combination doesn’t come cheap ($69.00 for the shirt and $69 for the pants), but believe me… it’s worth it.

This picture was taken by Brent, who arrived early for a ferry and went off to snap some travel pictures. The bike was not damaged. You’re a lucky guy Brent!