The CBR250R might have been designed to be the perfect starter sportbike for the first-time motorcycle owner, but with gas prices the way they are these days and predicted to get much higher in the next few months, the $3,999 and 77-mpg CBR250R has suddenly caught the attention of even the experienced motorcyclist, too.

What better place to enjoy the performance and long-distance luxury and technology of the 2012 Gold Wing than the Blue Ridge Parkway? Watch this great ride and plan your own trip.

Ordinarily, the motorcycle industry is in a head-spinning technological arms race. A mad dash to feed technophiles their traction control and XM Radio; serve up ego-maniacs their astronomical engine-displacement figures; and deliver to mobile couch potatoes their heated seats. But there must be a few people like me left out there-people who just plain like to jump on something and ride it.

Honda Shadow Phantom Who knew what evil lurked in the heart of Honda? The Phantom takes the 27-year-old Shadow line in a new direction. With a couple of key changes, Honda has successfully altered the identity of the docile Spirit into something sinister. A fat front tire, bobbed fenders, beefy fork shrouds and an all-inclusive matte-black paint scheme hearken back to a simpler time, when bikes were basic—and undeniably cool.

A classic American riddle asks, “Why is the state of Ohio different?” The traditional answer is, “Because it’s HI in the middle and round on both ends (o-HI-o).” But there is another, equally valid response: “Because it’s a Midwestern state with roads that curve like crazy.” At least that’s the case in southeastern Ohio.