motorcycle road trip youtube

Motorcycle Destinations

The ultimate guide to planning your first motorcycle road trip.

Table Of Contents

The allure of the open road, the hum of the engine beneath you, and the thrill of discovery around every bend—there’s nothing quite like embarking on a motorcycle road trip. The freedom and exhilaration of long-distance riding are unparalleled. However, a successful road trip requires careful planning and preparation. From pre-ride inspections and route planning to packing essentials and practicing safe riding, there’s much to consider. This comprehensive guide provides essential “motorcycle road trip tips” to ensure your first long-distance ride is not only memorable but also safe and enjoyable.

1. Pre-Ride Motorcycle Inspection and Maintenance 

Ensuring your motorcycle is in top-notch condition is the first step in planning a successful road trip. You don’t want mechanical issues spoiling your adventure or, worse, causing safety concerns. Here are some key areas to inspect:

• Oil and Fluid Levels: These are the lifeblood of your bike. Check your oil, brake fluid, and coolant levels. Top off or change as necessary.
• Tires: Inspect for adequate tread depth and signs of wear or damage. Check the tire pressure and adjust according to your bike’s specifications and the load you’ll be carrying.
• Lights, Brakes, and Signals: Test all lights—headlight, taillight, brake light, and turn signals—to ensure they’re working correctly. Check the brake pads for wear and replace them if needed.
• Chain and Sprockets: Clean, lubricate, and adjust the chain tension as per your bike’s manual. Inspect the sprockets for wear.
• Batteries: Ensure your battery is fully charged and the terminals are clean. A failing battery can leave you stranded.

2. Route Planning and Break Management 

While part of the thrill of a road trip is the sense of freedom and adventure, it’s wise to have a basic plan.

• Route Selecti0n: Research the roads you’ll be traveling. Use online mapping tools to get a sense of the route. Check for road conditions, weather forecasts, and local attractions you might want to visit.
• Accommodation: If you’re planning a multi-day trip, consider pre-booking your accommodations. After a long day of riding, knowing where you’re going to rest can be a relief.
• Rest Stops: Plan to take regular breaks. Riding a motorcycle can be physically demanding. Regular rest stops will help you stay alert and reduce the risk of fatigue-related accidents.

3. Packing Essentials 

Packing for a motorcycle trip requires careful thought. Space is limited, and carrying too much can affect your bike’s handling. Here are some essentials to consider:

• Tools and Spares: Pack a basic tool kit, spare fuses, spare keys, and a tire repair kit. If your bike uses tubes, consider carrying a spare one.
• Clothing: Pack according to the weather and remember, layers are your friends. Don’t forget your rain gear, even if the forecast is clear.
• Hydration and Nutrition: Carry a hydration pack or water bottles and remember to stop regularly to refill. Pack high-energy snacks like nuts or energy bars.
• First Aid Kit: A basic first aid kit can be a lifesaver. Include band-aids, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, painkillers, and any personal medication.

4. Dress Appropriately 

Dressing appropriately for a motorcycle road trip is about more than just comfort—it’s about safety. Wearing the right motorcycle gear can protect you from the elements and potential road accidents. Here are some clothing essentials:

• Helmet: Choose a helmet that fits well and meets safety standards. Full-face helmets provide the best protection.
• Jacket and Pants: Look for gear that’s made of durable materials like leather or abrasion-resistant textiles. Consider gear with built-in armor for additional protection.
• Gloves: Your hands are often the first thing to touch down in a crash, so protective gloves are a must.
• Boots: Durable, over-the-ankle boots can protect your feet and ankles in case of an accident and provide support and comfort during long rides.

5. Stay Hydrated and Energized 

Hydration and nutrition are key factors in staying alert and energized on the road. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, reduced reaction time, and impaired judgement. Carry a hydration pack or water bottles, and plan regular water breaks. Pack high-energy, easy-to-eat snacks like trail mix, energy bars, and fruit.

6. Practice Safe Riding 

When you’re on the road, safety should always be your number one priority.

• Ride within your limits: It’s easy to get carried away in the excitement, but it’s important to ride within your skill level.
• Follow traffic rules: Adhere to speed limits, signal your intentions, and always maintain a safe distance from other vehicles.
• Stay vigilant: Keep an eye out for road hazards like potholes, gravel, or animals. Be aware of the vehicles around you and always have an escape route in mind.

Conclusion 

Planning your first motorcycle road trip can seem daunting, but with careful preparation, you’ll be ready to hit the open road with confidence. Remember, the journey is as important as the destination. Take your time, soak in the sights, and enjoy the unique sense of freedom and adventure that only a motorcycle road trip can offer. So gear up, ride safe, and embark on the journey of a lifetime.

A Beginner’s Guide to Motorcycle Types

Safety Guide for New Motorcycle Riders

As the CEO of The Hard Tail, Jacob Stoner leverages years of immersion in the world of motorcycling. He not only embodies the spirit of the open road as a devoted rider, but also has experience in custom motorcycle design. Though he has dipped his toes into the realm of customization, his main focus remains on riding and the motorcycle community at large. The Hard Tail, for him, is more than just a professional endeavor – it's a reflection of his enduring passion for motorcycling.

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Top 10 Motorcycle YouTube Channels To Watch

Finding quality motorcycle videos can be tricky, so we've saved you some time by listing the best bike content creators on YouTube

For those with a passion for motorcycles that runs more than skin-deep, the ride doesn't truly ever end. They wake up thinking about their bike, ride to work, think about it during lunch, ride home and go to sleep dreaming of open roads, full tanks and open throttles. Their daily lives revolve around motorcycle content, be it shopping for parts or gear, planning routes and rides or watching videos online.

Since its invention, YouTube has rapidly become one, if not the most recognized and popular video content provider on the planet. But because it is so ubiquitous, it has become harder and harder to find quality content to watch. The same is true when looking for videos about, for and from motorcyclists. And while the dreaded, mercurial YouTube algorithm does its best to find the very cream of the crop for its viewers, it can sometimes be hard to differentiate massive view counts from actual worthwhile content.

In other words, just because a dashcam video of a bad motorcycle accident has millions of views, doesn't mean it's something worth watching. But it's not all glum news, as there are plenty of motorcycle content makers, bike vloggers and camera-friendly mechanics that have made themselves a nice home at YouTube. And whether you're looking for adventure trip videos akin to The Long Way Round , restoration videos of old forgotten Harley-Davidson bikes or in-depth motorcycle reviews, chances are you'll find something on this list that suits your watching needs.

RELATED: This Custom Harley-Davidson Sportster Will Enchant You With Serious Chopper Vibes

10 Motorcyclist Magazine

Motorcyclist magazine has been around for a hot minute. Over one hundred years, to be exact, having been started back in 1912. When publications via printed methods had become unsustainable due to the proliferations of the internet, the magazine pivoted into a digital format, as so many others had done. They also have a great YouTube presence, having spawned many a motorcycle personality along the way, such as Ari Henning and Zack Courts (more on them later) as well as Adam Waheed, their current and most prevalent video host.

The channel showcases many styles of videos, which can be found in helpful playlists. There's a heavy focus on reviews, be it track, dirt, touring, street or general first impressions. Adam has an easy, laid-back style that compliments his generous motorcycle knowledge.

9 Spite's Corner

You may recognize Jake, or Spite as he's been known in the motorcycling community, as a co-host of a different YouTube channel. Having successfully branched out on his own, Jake now produces videos that lean into his easy-going, humorous yet informative style. There's no definitive template for what the channel does, though viewers will find motorcycle reviews that range from every bike in the new Harley-Davidson lineup to vintage oddities like the Moto Guzzi California. He also does travel vlogs, collaborations with other bike YouTubers, off-road segments and motorcycle build and maintenance series.

RELATED: Moto Guzzi Wants To Challenge BMW And Triumph With Its New ADV

MotoGeo is the brain child of former racer Jamie Robinson and his wife, Ely. Together, the pair had built their YouTube channel into a shrine to adventure riding. With over 180 thousand subscribers tuning in to each, extremely well-produced video, Jamie explores deserts, forest, mountains and other terrains (and burgers) all over the world while riding the latest and greatest adventure and sport bikes, as well as his own custom machines. But it's not just trip videos, as his popularity on YouTube, and in his former life as a racer, has given him opportunities to review motorcycles such as the popular Royal Enfield Meteor 350. Come for the movie-level cinematography, stay for the delicious burgers.

7 The Bearded Mechanic

Truth be told, there are lots of bearded mechanics out there. But none may be more charming and knowledgeable than Craig. Originally of the Bikes and Beards fame, Craig struck out on his own, when that channel literally moved to a different state. And though it's tough starting from scratch, Craig's plowing full speed ahead with a more focused approach. Leaning into his strength, that being mechanical know-how, this bearded mechanic is pulling old, rusty Harleys and Hondas out of forgotten barns and attempting to not only get them running in one day, but ride them back to his shop. And even though he may not always succeed in getting a bike running, he'll at least make the process entertaining, clever and fun.

6 J & P Cycles

J&P Cycles is an aftermarket motorcycle commerce site, and is a sister shop to RevZilla and CycleGear. And though you may find the same parts and gear as you would at those other websites, J&P Cycles tends to focus more on cruisers, especially American-made ones like Indian and Harley-Davidson. But at the center of their YouTube presence sits only one man, and that is the very capable Patrick Garvin.

The videos on the J&P YouTube channel are well-produced segments on custom cruiser culture, third party parts reviews, motorcycle builds and maintenance tips. And if your tastes align with American V-twin muscle, choppers and baggers, then this channel will have just about everything you'll ever need.

RELATED: Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 Customized By Roland Sands Is A Menacing Chopper

5 Motorcycle News

Motorcycle News is another magazine that had its start in the previous century. Based out of the United Kingdom, MCN began in 1955, and, unlike Motorcyclist, it continues to be available in print as well as digitally.

Their YouTube division maintains over 300 thousand subscribers and over 2 thousand videos. Most of the videos are of the news variety, though they'll periodically release reviews, long term tests, as well as comparison videos of various motorcycle models. The production level of the videos are top-notch, as to be expected from a publication this large.

If what you're looking for is information on vintage motorcycles, then Bart is the perfect place to land. Essentially a history channel, Bart creates lecture videos that dive deep into backstories of specific vintage models, weird motorcycle oddities and manufacturer timelines. These are compact, twenty-minute lessons, told via archival footage and easy-going, entertaining narration from the main creator. Imagine your favorite professor from college, who made every lesson into a fun story. So whether you're doing research on motorcycle prototypes, want something educational to listen to on a rainy day, or simply curious about that one crazy blue and pink sport bike, you'll find that Bart can bring the knowledge like no other.

3 Itchy Boots

If you'd seen all three of the Long Way motorcycle adventure series, and are thirsty for more, there's no better channel to stumble onto than Itchy Boots. Noraly has been just about everywhere and filmed it all, along the way. She's currently on season 7 of her series on YouTube, riding her way through Africa. Previous seasons had taken her from Indian to Europe, Patagonia to Alaska, Nordic Europe, Southern Africa and back to Alaska.

Along the way, she'd broken down multiple times, suffered injuries, seen amazing sights, and met some interesting people. And not only do you get weekly videos from her, she often ends up compiling them into feature length documentaries and releasing them on her channel as well.

RELATED: A Closer Look At The Honda CRF300L Rally

An online commerce juggernaut, Revzilla has become everything to every motorcycle rider in America. But it is that commercial success that allows their creative division to come up with some fantastic video and audio content. The channel has multiple series running concurrently, ranging from gear reviews, to essays on helmet laws and an occasional in-depth motorcycle review.

But it was the inclusion of the aforementioned Ari Henning and Zack Courts, the successful, best friend duo of Motorcyclist and Mototrend fame, that kicked Revzilla's YouTube channel up a notch. Whether it's Ari's maintenance-centric The Shop Manual series, or Zack's Daily Rider motorcycle review segment, the duo's contribution to the channel is the ultimate key to its growing success. Some of the best content, of course, pairs the two together for the Common Tread Experience (CTXP) and with Spurgeon Dunbar for their bi-weekly podcast Highside/Lowside.

If you have even a passing interesting in motorcycling, you may have already heard of Ryan F9, otherwise known as FortNine. A similar commerce website as Revzilla, albeit in Canada, their videos, nonetheless, are one of a kind. And though they tend to range in subjects, from motorcycle and gear reviews to scientific exploration of how different cylinder engines work, the end result is almost always educational, entertaining and subversively funny.

In a world of cookie-cutter youtubers and influencers that will do anything for a buck, Ryan is a singular presence. He presents videos that are not only smart and educational, but are original in, not only the subject matter, but also in the style they're filmed and edited. No video on the channel is alike. Armed with a razor sharp wit, dirty innuendos and edgy dad jokes, FortNine produces content that, regardless of the topic, is considered by many to be a must-see event, each and every single time. Whether it's his brutally honest take down of Harley-Davidson, or a refreshingly raw take on Kawasaki's ZX-4RR, no subject is ever given anything but the best effort. And though recent months have seen the channel branch out by doing a wider variety of videos and including a secondary, though no less entertaining presenter, the videos continue to be produced with quality. Which in turns explains the 1.75 million, and growing, subscribers to the channel.

15 Motorcycle Youtubers & Vloggers You Should Follow

Mar 12, 2024

Are you as mad about bikes as we are? If we could, we’d rent all types of bikes from Riders Share and ride 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since we can’t, we find other ways to fill in the hours between rides with motorcycle content.

YouTube is packed with all sorts of motorcycle videos, so it’s a great place to start, but the sheer volume can be overwhelming, especially when a lot of it turns out to be garbage. Luckily for you, we’ve chosen 15 of the best motorcycle YouTubers, or moto vloggers, around to help save you the trouble. 

1. Fortnine

YouTube (1.9 million subscribers)

FORTNINE has quickly become a favorite among motorcycle enthusiasts, known for its high-quality and enjoyable videos. This Canadian YouTuber has attracted a large following by blending entertainment with informative content. His success even led to the launching of an e-commerce store, positioning him as a competitor to giants like Revzilla. Fortnine is a great channel for anyone looking for engaging motorcycle content and the latest gear reviews. 

2. WALTERRIFIC

YouTube (2.33 million subscribers)

The current king, and of the best motorcycle vloggers on YouTube, WALTERIFFIC’s videos are not so much about the bikes he rides, but the fun things he gets up to on them. From pranks to racing, WALTERIFFIC’s videos are always something different. He’s now moved from Kansas to Maryland, so watch out, Baltimore!

3. RoyalJordanian

YouTube (1.5 million subscribers)

It’s always a joy to join RoyalJordanian on his jaunts around downtown London. He’s a much quieter moto vlogger than most, preferring to let his videos do most of the talking. His edited clips of interesting things that have happened to him on his daily commutes and the people involved have made his channel an internet sensation.

4. Do It With Dan

YouTube (1.25 million subscribers)

Do It With Dan is a motovlogger who uses his bike as a means to find adventure, get into trouble, and have fun. His channel isn’t solely about riding — he discusses everything from tattoos to mattresses — but much of the channel is dedicated to motorcycling, from superbikes and safety tips to test rides and modifications. You never know what’s coming next with Do It With Dan.

5. Chaseontwowheels

YouTube (1.16 million subscribers)

A full-time motorcycle video blogger, Chase is constantly putting out new content every few days on his channel. Thanks to the high quality of his work, he’s become one of the most influential figures in motorcycling. He’s active on social media and is always interacting with fans. He posts long, in-depth videos on bike wreck rebuilds and reviews motorcycles and motorcycling gear.

6. Bikes and Beards

YouTube (2.03 million subscribers)

Sean Kerr finds incredible motorcycle deals and shows you how to do it too. Full disclosure: Bikes and Bears is also an investor in Riders Share. Recently, he's bought and tested bikes that he purchased ON AMAZON of all places. Check out what a 200cc Chinese sportbike in a box can do for you - great beginner bikes!

7. Jake TheGardenSnake

YouTube (783k subscribers)

Jake TheGardenSnake works hard to make his channel exciting. Stacked with mods and mechanics, Jake TheGardenShake’s channel is a great choice if you’re into modifying bikes or seeing what you can get out of a bike with aftermarket products. An opinionated rider, Jake TheGardenSnake is never afraid to let you know what he really thinks, but it’s backed up with in-depth motorcycle knowledge.

8. MaxWrist

YouTube (1.06 million subscribers)

MaxWrist’s ethos is to take everything to the max – “full aggression, full throttle, full power.” His extreme YouTube channel is complemented by a line of MaxWrist apparel and merchandise.

9. CycleCruza

YouTube (369k subscribers)

CycleCruza covers a wide gamut of motorcycle topics in his videos, from safety tips to motivational ideas, motorcycle maintenance, and reviews. While much of the content is educational, there’s also a lot of funny content posted on CycleCruza almost daily.

10. Yammie Noob

YouTube (1.34 million subscribers)

Yammie Noob has been motovlogging since he was 17 years old and prides himself on offering videos that are a little off the wall. The topics of his videos are always well thought out so the channel is not just another set of videos of a guy riding his bike around. From reviews and tips for new riders to history lessons, Yammie Noob is an awesome vlogger to follow.

11. Baron Von Grumble

YouTube (276k subscribers)

Baron Von Grumble offers slick videos of rides around London, track days, and adventures on some of the most beautiful bikes you can get. The professional editing adds to the appeal of his cross-European trips, and a lot of people just watch Baron Von Grumble for his musings about the latest news while driving around London on some truly great bikes.

12. RidingWithTom

YouTube (259k subscribers)

Melbourne, Australia’s Tom has been uploading videos to YouTube of himself “riding motorcycles terribly” since 2012, and they’ve been viewed over 44 million times. Following the videos of RidingWithTom is like getting out into the outback yourself, as he primarily blogs about his rides in the Australian desert. If you’re into off-road, his channel is a must-subscribe. He also rides a BMW bike around the city when he’s not tearing up the dunes.

13. DirtBike Lunatic

YouTube (2.81 million subscribers)

DirtBike Lunatic is a go-to channel for motorcycle fans. They share videos on everything about motorcycles and dirt bikes, adding their own commentary to give viewers more insight. This channel also runs an apparel shop, showing their deep involvement in the moto world. For anyone interested in bike action and community stories, DirtBike Lunatic is worth checking out.

14. Braydon Price

Youtube (1.98 million subscribers)

Braydon Price is known for engaging, adventurous content that revolves around outdoor and motorsport activities. With 1.98 million subscribers, he’s captured a large audience by sharing his thrilling experiences, which often include dirt biking and other high-energy adventures. His channel appeals to those who enjoy a mix of adrenaline-pumping action and personal vlogging style.

15. Tyler Monagan

Youtube (892k subscribers)

Tyler Monagan is known for his engaging dirt bike content, including thrilling rides, builds, and reviews, catering to a passionate audience of 892k subscribers. His videos often capture the excitement of motocross and outdoor adventure, making his channel a favorite among dirt bike enthusiasts!

Done Watching & Ready to Hit the Road? Choose Riders Share for Your Next Motorcycle Rental

If you've been inspired by the motorcycle YouTubers we've featured and are itching to experience the thrill of the ride yourself, Riders Share has got you covered. With a wide selection of motorcycle rentals to suit any preference or experience level, we make it easy and convenient to get on the road. Don't just dream about your next adventure—make it happen with Riders Share.

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A Beginner’s Guide to Filming Motorcycle Trips

• Accessories
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Sharing your motorcycle adventure has never been easier. With Facebook, Instagram Stories, and YouTube, there are now tons of ways you can share a great motorcycle ride with friends, family, and like-minded individuals around the world.

In this guide, we’ll teach you how you can make the best videos with a  motorcycle phone mount . 

Your Starting Guide to Filming Your Motorcycle Trips

Gear you need.

In order to film your motorcycle adventure, you’ll want to get the required gear. Luckily, you’ll only need two items:  

Your smartphone is the first piece of equipment you need . Yes, most cell phones nowadays deliver professional camera quality, which means you don’t need an expensive camera to get the job done.

A GoPro may also be a great tool if you want to attach your camera to your head or motorcycle for amazing road shots, but it isn’t necessary. While you won’t get great audio on your phone as you ride around, worry not! Many people prefer to add music to their videos later through editing. 

Phone Mount

Your phone mount will ensure that your phone stays in position while you film your ride.

Phone mounts are designed to ensure your phone's safety so that you can use navigation apps or change the song through Bluetooth quickly without having to pull over. However, people don’t realize that it also makes a great tool for filming rides.

You don’t need expensive camera equipment as long as you have a quality, durable phone mount that can adjust the viewing angle and allows you to film the experience without worry. 

Choosing the Best Mount for Filming

Not all motorcycle phone mounts are created equal. There are a lot of options for motorcycle and bike mounts available on the market — but don’t let this overwhelm you. Instead, look for the following essential criteria when deciding which motorcycle mount is right for filming your next motorcycle adventure.

With this list of important features, you can find the best motorcycle mount that suits your needs:

Flexibility

Most people attach their motorcycle phone mounts in a place where it’s the easiest to see, especially if they use it for navigation or to see who is calling. Depending on its intended purpose, you’ll have to experiment to find the right angle where you can see what you’re recording and have the ability to use GPS in case of an emergency. 

If you’re going to use your mount to film your ride, the angle needs to be perfect . In order to get the perfect angle, you may want to consider a mount that has flexibility to enable you to move it to any angle.

Depending on your scenery and whether it's day or night, you may also want to film more of the sky or more of the road. That said, the ability to move the mount after it’s already been attached to your bike would be beneficial for your videos.

Ease of Use

Your motorcycle mount should be easy to adjust. In cases where you’ve accidentally picked a bad angle, you’ll want something that offers adjustability and versatility.

There are a variety of mounts available, all of which can be installed onto your motorcycle in different ways. To ensure the sturdiness of the mount and your phone, some mounts may be more complex to install than others.

This might not be a problem if you’re putting your mount on your bike to be a more permanent fixture. However, in the case of filming, you’ll want to get a mount that you can easily adjust so that you can record in the best positions possible. 

Camera Accessibility

Camera accessibility is especially important and needs to be tested before you record. If you don’t get the right mount for your phone make and model, you might accidentally cover your ports or camera lens.

Your mount should hold your phone without covering up any of these crucial areas , especially if you’re using it for filming. You could ruin an entire shot and get unusable videos with one shadow of a mount covering up the camera lens.

This is also true for the charging port. A rider looking to film a video while on the road should typically have their phone plugged in and charging during the entirety of the ride to ensure that the adventure is recorded properly. There is nothing more frustrating for a rider than making a great video only to find that their phone has died in the middle of a trip.

You’ll always need to ensure that the correct ports are accessible. In this way, you'll get to charge your phone throughout your entire motorcycle trip easily and never miss a shot.

No matter where you are, you’ll want a motorcycle phone mount that can ensure the safety of your phone and  film every moment of your ride. For rugged terrain, you’ll want a motorcycle mount that’s heavy-duty and secure.

Motorcycle Fit

Your motorcycle mount should be able to be installed on a variety of bikes. If you’re a motorcycle enthusiast, you're going to want a mount that fits on all of your bikes .

Your mount should have the ability to attach to a number of motorcycles so that you don’t have to purchase a different mount for each bike. Not only that, you should ensure that the mount fits tightly enough so that it stays in position no matter which motorcycle you’re riding. 

Creative Ideas

When it comes to filming your motorcycle rides, many people would be happy to film the entire thing. However, if you’re filming for a purpose, like trying to get the best shots or show off your camera skills, you should consider a few things:

Using Different Angles

The best way to make an enthralling motorcycle video is to switch up your phone camera angles so that your audience can see your surroundings.  You can try to record the sky or the rocky road as you ride. You may also want to get some longshots using a tripod or another stand so that people can see you on your bike.

A selfie angle may also work in your favor if you’re going to tell a story from another perspective. 

If you’re going to capture every moment of your motorcycle travel, consider shortening some of the videos so that you can share it with people around the world. If you caught a beautiful sunrise or a beach scene, make sure to include it so that people see more than just pavement. 

During the editing process, you can also mute the video and replace the audio with music to further enhance the audience's experience. Choose a great background song that fits the mood of your ride so that your friends and family can feel like they were going on your trip with you. 

Check out Rokform's selection of motorcycle phone mounts by visiting our website!

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Riding cross-country on a motorcycle is miserable—and the most amazing thing ever

Four friends battle breakdowns and thunderstorms while riding some of the most beautiful roads in North America

By Roadtrippers

There’s a scene right at the beginning of the 1969 movie “Easy Rider” where Peter Fonda glances at his watch, then tosses it to the ground. A moment later, he and Dennis Hopper kick their chopper motorcycles into gear and ride off into the desert, as Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” starts playing over the intro credits.

It’s a cliché, of course, but for bikers everywhere it also speaks to a deeper desire; the refusal to abide by society’s concept of time, and the quest for the kind of freedom you only find in the saddle of a Harley-Davidson. All while riding cross-country with a gas tank full of drug money and not a care in the world.

Remove the drug money, and you have a pretty good idea of my ideal vacation.

As a kid growing up in Sweden—far from deserts, red rocks, and quirky roadside attractions—I spent most of my life romanticizing the great American road trip. I’ve lived in the U.S. for over a decade now. Still, the idea that many of the world’s most spectacular landscapes lay so easily within reach—just a few days of driving away—taunted me.

Life got in the way, though, as it often does. And it wasn’t until earlier this year that I was able to finally take the cross-country motorcycle road trip I’d been dreaming of , in the saddle of my trusty, all-black 2015 Harley-Davidson Dyna.

In late June, after months of careful planning, we finally headed out. The caravan consisted of my boyfriend Paul, my best friend Katie, Katie’s husband Jordan, and me. The plan was to start in San Diego, California and work our way northeast, up to Banff National Park in Canada, while avoiding most major cities and highways. Admittedly, Banff was a somewhat arbitrary destination. In fact, we decided on it after I saw it on TV and instantly fell in love.

It was an atypical American motorcycle road trip in some aspects. We didn’t go coast to coast. We barely touched Route 66 . And despite going from Southern California to Canada, we’d be staying far away from the coast and Highway 1.  

Riding motorcycles can be miserable

On our first day, we made our way from San Diego to Las Vegas, Nevada on Interstate 15. That stretch of freeway is arguably one of the worst in the west: Nothing but heavy traffic, bleak desert towns, and massive, fast-fading billboards framed by a cloudless sky. Somehow, these images underscore the relentless heat of the place.

Rolling into Nevada in late June feels almost biblical: The closer you get to Sin City, the more hellishly hot it gets, as if you’re riding into the Book of Revelation. Forget uncomfortable. On a motorcycle, wearing a full-face helmet and protective gear, 108 degrees of dry, unrelenting desert heat can be seriously dangerous. Accordingly, we decided to blaze through the hottest parts of the trip—Nevada, Arizona, and southern Utah—as quickly as possible.

Riding cross-country on a motorcycle sounds romantic—the wind in your hair, the open road, that very specific American brand of freedom captured so perfectly in “Easy Rider.” But in reality, it can be a pretty miserable experience.

You feel every change in temperature, every bump in the road, every wind gust, every straying bug swarm, every mile seated in the same position—and you feel it across your entire body.  After a few hundred miles in the saddle, your body discovers new ways of being sore that you didn’t know were possible. On a cross-country trip, you’ll inevitably wish for warmer gear in the cold, and cooler gear in the heat.

You might run out of gas or get a flat tire—no big deal in a car. On a motorcycle, though, either one can easily turn into a life-or-death situation. And yet, at any given moment, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than picking a destination, turning up the music in my helmet speakers, and hitting the road.  

And I wasn’t alone. We all had our reasons for going on this trip.

Paul was the chopper guy in our group. If it were up to him, he’d be making this journey “Easy Rider”-style: On a 1950s chopper he’d built with his own two hands. It wasn’t up to him, though. The rest of us were on newer bikes and had no desire to accommodate the type of riding you inevitably end up doing on a 70-year-old motorcycle: Slow, unpredictable, and with way too many gas stops.

Instead, Paul ended up riding his newest bike, a 1998 Harley-Davidson Dyna that we had dubbed “The Gentleman.” I bought him The Gentleman a few years ago just so he would be able to go on longer trips with me. I’d be damned if he didn’t ride it on this one.

Katie was my constant road trip companion. When we weren’t actively riding places, we were plotting our next trip. She’s a fast rider, and despite being on a 2017 Triumph Bonneville, the smallest bike in our group, the rest of us constantly had trouble keeping up.

Jordan, Katie’s husband, had survived brain cancer and a serious motorcycle accident—caused by having a seizure while riding, which is how the brain tumor was discovered—in the past few years. This would be his first longer trip since being declared cancer-free, and the first one on his brand new 2017 Dyna.

When things don’t go as planned

We made it all the way to Beaver, Utah before our careful planning fell by the wayside. Earlier in the day, we had stopped at a roadside diner serving American “specialties,” like a “bacon cheeseburger salad” that sounded less than appealing. Shortly after getting back on the freeway, Paul’s bike started blowing dark smoke through the exhaust pipe and making very suspect noises. Finally, it just gave up completely.

In hindsight it shouldn’t have come as a shock to us. After all, despite being the newest vehicle he owned, Paul’s Harley was 20 years older than the rest of the bikes in the pack. It had only five gears compared to the six the rest of us were packing. And to top it all off, we’d spent the last 600 miles—perhaps unwisely—breaking every posted speed limit in order to get through the heat. Truly, we couldn’t fault the old bike for not being able to keep up. Now, though, we needed to turn to Plan B … and we didn’t have a Plan B.

Towing the bike to a mechanic shop was out of the question—there was none around. We could borrow a bike, but we had no friends or friends-of-friends in the area. Plus, who’s going to lend their bike for a last-minute 3,000-mile journey? We also momentarily pondered buying a new bike, but deemed that prohibitively expensive.

Ultimately, after a day and a half of trying to fix the bike in a hotel parking lot, the four of us ended up splitting the cost of a rental bike for Paul in Salt Lake City, Utah. It put a serious dent in our travel budget, but none of us wanted to see Paul go home early.

The beauty of Wyoming

At this point, we were running a day-and-a-half behind schedule, and we knew we had some catching up to do. We had a non-refundable hotel room reservation in Canada, and only a few days to get there.

Shortly after crossing into Wyoming, we pulled into a gas station to wipe dead bugs off our helmets and add an additional layer of clothing. It was a strange feeling being cold again after four days of fighting heat exhaustion in the desert.

“Be very careful; these roads are full of deer,” an older gentleman on a BMW motorcycle warned us.

Normally, I avoid riding through wildlife areas in the dark. Hitting a deer on a motorcycle could easily be a death sentence—for you and the deer. But as the old biker saying goes, “Loud pipes save lives.” I suspect the combined noise and vibration from our four motorcycles spooked  wildlife back into the wilderness miles before we got close to them.

IT NEVER CEASES TO SURPRISE ME HOW THIS COUNTRY CAN BE SO HUGE AND SO TINY AT THE SAME TIME.

And that’s a good thing, since we found ourselves getting increasingly distracted by the Snake River, which runs through a deep canyon alongside Wyoming Highway 89 just south of Jackson. As the sun was setting behind us and the sky gradually turned vermilion in our rearview mirrors, the river roaring below the cliffside to our right was reflecting the sky back to us for miles and miles.

Surrounded by mountain and forest on one side, and the sunset-tinted river on the other, the four of us rode in collective awe until the sun finally disappeared completely—and with it, any real or imagined sense of warmth.

A few freezing miles later, we rolled into Jackson and stopped at a grocery store. Randomly,  Paul ran into an old friend—at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday, 1,000 miles from home. It never ceases to surprise me how this country can be so huge and so tiny at the same time.  

An overwhelming sense of presence

One of my favorite parts of any ride with friends is stopping for the night and finally getting a chance to compare notes from the day.

Roadtripping on a motorcycle is by default a pretty solitary activity. In some ways it’s easier than the car equivalent; there are no awkward moments of silence, no fights over music selection, and each person is allowed the privacy of their own helmet for hours at a time. But you also miss out on experiencing things together, commenting on sights and events as they pass by in real time.

The hotel we ended up at on the evening of the Fourth of July was perched on the edge of the Yellowstone River in Gardiner, Montana, with a big porch that gave us front row seats to a Montana-style fireworks show. We were right outside of Yellowstone National Park, as evidenced by the town’s backdrop of green rolling hills.

That night, as we’d done every night, we ran through our stand-out memories from the day. We joked about the giant antlerless deer we saw on the side of the road that turned out to not be a deer at all, but a female moose. We remembered in horror the sign at the edge of Yellowstone that read “Motorcycles, use extreme caution.” A moment later, the pavement disappeared beneath us, and was replaced by gravel, dirt, and potholes.

We also reminisced about the many lakes, mountains, hot springs, waterfalls, and wild animals we rode past that day, including a pack of bison out for a stroll down the middle of the road, a mere few feet from our bikes.

Robert M. Pirsig wrote in  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : “In a car you’re always in a compartment, and because you’re used to it you don’t realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You’re a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. On a cycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.”

Being so close to a group of 1,400-pound wild animals that we could have reached our hands out and touched them was definitely proof in support of Pirsig’s point.

Making it to Canada

When we finally crossed into Canada, the Canadian border officer pointed to an embroidered patch on my vest that read, “More Trees, Less Assholes.”

“I have a t-shirt that says the same thing,” she exclaimed cheerfully. I instantly knew I was going to like Canada.

Even though we were only halfway through, making it to Canada felt like an accomplishment in itself. We had made our way across the entire continental U.S. We snaked through deserts and red rocks in Nevada and Utah, mountains and national parks in Wyoming, and farmlands and small towns in Montana. Finally, we had crossed international borders to arrive in Canmore, Alberta, only a few miles outside of Banff National Park.  

During our very first gas stop on the first day of the trip, still in Southern California, we had crossed paths with a fellow motorcyclist who was on his way back to Los Angeles after completing almost exactly the same trip we were on. Back then, a week and a lifetime ago, making it to Canada without any major issues had felt mildly unrealistic.

Now, we were here, surrounded by snow-tipped mountains and bright turquoise lakes. Our bodies ached—four hundred miles per day on a loud, vibrating, non-ergonomic go-fast machine will do that to you. However, we were already getting sad about having to head back home.

Bonneville is an otherworldly experience

On the second-to-last day of our trip, we woke up on the Nevada side of Wendover, a sleepy resort town that straddles a northern part of the Utah-Nevada border. We had originally booked a room on the Utah side of town, but as soon as we arrived, we realized our mistake. The Nevada side resembled a miniature Las Vegas, with neon signs advertising casinos and liquor stores.

The Utah side, however, seemed largely abandoned. We saw virtually no people, and the whole place had an eerie, almost post-apocalyptic vibe about it. We quickly canceled our reservation and headed across the state line, straight to the nearest casino.  

The reason we had ended up in Wendover—a 120-mile detour from our homebound route—was its proximity to the Bonneville Salt Flats. As the venue of numerous land speed records, the Bonneville Speedway had been on all our bucket lists for years.

In just the past few days, we had ridden through some of North America’s most beautiful national parks. We had oohed and ahhed our way past some views so spectacular that it would take a lifetime to truly process. But nothing had quite prepared us for Bonneville; it’s a unique landscape so flat, barren, and bright white that it appeared otherworldly.      

With no other people or vehicles in sight, Jordan was the first of us to open up his throttle and disappear into the vast whiteness of the salt. Katie and I quickly followed, with Paul on the back. His rental agreement specifically prohibited him from riding his bike on any salt flats.

Katie was excited to ride her Triumph Bonneville on the land for which it was named. I was mostly trying to not get lost—the salt stretched so far in every direction that we almost lost track of which way we had entered it.

Plunging headfirst into danger

We were only a few days from home, and Bonneville was the last major stop on the tour. The forecast promised sunshine, and the roads lay empty ahead. The rest of the way should be smooth sailing.

As we made our way south through the desolate wasteland that is the state of Nevada, we realized it had been naive to think we’d make it all the way home without hitting some bad weather. From one minute to the next, the sky was suddenly scattered with thunderstorms—when one disappeared behind us, another would take its place. For many miles, though, we somehow managed to not get hit by any rain. The tiny desert road we were on seemed to have been built specifically to avoid these hyper-localized storms.

Then, out of nowhere, a menacing wall of darkness appeared ahead of us, swallowing the road like it was a train going into a tunnel. It looked like something out of a movie. It was impossible to tell whether we were about to steer into the eye of a storm or a portal to another dimension. I was telepathically trying to urge Katie, who was leading the group, to stop and turn around. But there was nowhere to stop or turn, not even to put on rain gear. We had no choice but to keep moving forward, into the darkness.

Riding straight into this storm was one of the most terrifying and exhilarating things I’ve ever done. The temperature dropped noticeably. And between the golf ball-sized raindrops and the sudden absence of daylight, I couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead of me. Within seconds my clothes were completely soaked. I realized then that the open air filter on my bike was going to start sucking water into the motor. Forced to pull over on a narrow stretch of shoulder, I was silently praying that no cars would hydroplane into me while I put a cover over the air cleaner.

NOTHING MAKES YOU FEEL AS ALIVE AS PLUNGING HEADFIRST INTO DANGER AND ESCAPING UNSCATHED.

The storm only lasted for a couple of miles, but it felt like a lifetime. When I finally got out on the other side, I was overwhelmed by equal parts relief and adrenaline. I jumped off the bike laughing, fueled by a false sense of invincibility. Nothing makes you feel as alive as plunging headfirst into danger and escaping unscathed.

It was the first truly dangerous situation we’d encountered on this trip. So, it was only fitting that it would happen on the last day of riding before heading back to San Diego—when we’d let our guards down and allowed ourselves to think we’d already made it.

A few hours later, we were back in Las Vegas, stuck in rush hour traffic and surrounded by tall buildings and bright lights. It was a striking contrast to the last two weeks of being far from civilization and other people.

In just 14 days, we had ridden 4,300 miles through seven states and two countries. And rather than feeling relieved that we were almost home, we all agreed we’d rather turn around and head back through that storm than return to normal life again.

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7 Things you can do to enjoy a budget-friendly road trip

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I personally love a road trip – just heading off into the sunset with a map and a sense of adventure sounds idyllic to me. But what if you want all of this without the car? Usually, in the summer months, you’ll see motorcycles out and about doing road trips. While road trips are pretty popular and, to a degree, they can be fairly budget-friendly, the same can usually be said about motorcycle trips. 

Sure, to a degree, any trip can become less thrifty if you don’t make the right decisions, but it’s definitely possible to create a budget and stick to it during a trip . But does being careful with your money mean that the trip itself will be not so good? Well, absolutely not! It’s all about balance and not going too extreme, so with that said, here’s what you can do to have a budget-friendly road trip!

1. Plan Your Route Wisely

Start with the route. Will there be toll roads? How expensive are the hotels? What about the petrol when it’s time to fuel up? The beauty of a road trip lies in the freedom to roam, but a bit of planning can help you avoid unnecessary detours that gobble up fuel and time. Use free route planners online to map out a path that offers not just efficiency but excitement.

Also, it’s a good idea to look for scenic byways or lesser-known backroads, which are not just beautiful but often less crowded and cheaper when it comes to local accommodations and food. All of these little decisions can add up to help make your car trip or motorcycle jaunt more thrifty.

2. Try and Travel Off-Peak

All right, so this advice is pretty overused, but it still deserves some attention because of how true this is! It’s all about the timing, and it’s everything! You can make the same trip at two different times of the year, and one time will be drastically cheaper than the other. So, with that all said, you just need to keep in mind that travelling during the off-peak season can significantly cut your travel costs. 

Accommodation is cheaper, attractions are less crowded, and some places might even offer lower prices to attract more visitors during the downtime. Plus, cooler weather can make for a more comfortable ride compared to the scorching mid-summer heat. Again, just about all the views are the same, and being on a motorcycle during off-peak travel will also mean that the roads are less busy and, therefore, safer. 

3. Pack Smart

Overpacking is a common mistake – now, if you’re in a car, it’s fine. But in a motorcycle, you can’t really afford to overpack – it’s not really possible. Remember, all that weight can affect your motorcycle’s fuel efficiency. Even if you think you need everything – you don’t. You’ll need to pack light to save on fuel and make sure to bring essentials like a basic repair kit, a first-aid kit, and enough weather-appropriate gear to keep you safe and comfortable.

4. Consider Your Accommodation

Are you fine with roadside motels ? You could also go for Airbnb, but the pricing for those per night can greatly vary, and they’re usually not in a convenient space like a motel or a hotel is located. In general, it’s usually the accommodation that costs the most during a trip, but you have to find somewhere to stay so do your research in advance and compare prices. It’s often possible to get the same room at the same destination but at a discounted rate when you reserve online or pay in advance.  

5. Eat Like a Local

Eating out can quickly eat up your budget. Instead of dining at tourist traps, look for where the locals eat. Not only is it cheaper, but it’s also a great way to experience the local culture and cuisine. But of course, this isn’t always possible; if you’re only going to be on the main roads, then you’ll most likely only see petrol stations and roadside restaurants, which are usually going to be pricey. So, plan a detour off the motorway and find a local pub or cafe – it’s much more enjoyable to discover a local location, too.

6. Where Do You Plan to Travel To?

So, it’s not just about the season (off-peak versus on-peak) but where you’ll be going. For example, a road trip through Ireland isn’t going to be the same price as a motorcycle trip through Florida. There are a lot of pricing differences such as accommodation, taxes, fuel and goods, and what about if the worst-case scenario happens where you need roadside assistance for your car, a motorcycle accident lawyer or specific travel or vehicle insurance?

This isn’t to say you need to pick the cheapest place; it’s more about being mindful of the extra costs associated with the location. And also how you plan to get there, such as going to another country with your bike. Basically, all of these little decisions can add up and either eat up your savings for this trip or, if you plan cleverly, they won’t impact your budget too much.

7. Keep your vehicle in tip-top shape

So, there are a lot of reasons for this, fuel efficiency just being one of them. Honestly, the last thing you need is to have your bike or car break down in the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere – it’s just a giant nightmare! Because then, multiple extra costs will come up, such as needing it to be towed, fixed, paying for the parts, being stranded in an area for a few days and having to pay for a hotel for multiple days. The list could keep going on and on. So, you’re better off making sure it’s in 100% pristine condition before you start your trip.

I hope these seven tips will help you to plan your next road trip to make sure it’s thrifty, safe and thoroughly enjoyable. Let me know your advice for enjoying a road trip in the comments below and I’d love to know where you’ve travelled to that you’d recommend, especially any scenic or exciting destinations. Please do share. 🙂

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Cassie is a freelance writer with a Masters degree in Lifestyle Promotion Studies and is trained in Personal Money Management. She loves to ‘get the look for less’ so regularly shares thrifty-living advice, DIY interior design ideas and low-cost recipes on her blog.

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Police identify Taunton man killed in motorcycle crash in Lakeville

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LAKEVILLE, Mass. — Police on Monday identified a Taunton man who died following a motorcycle crash on Friday.

Christopher Walker, 32, died on Saturday from injuries he suffered in the two-vehicle crash, Lakeville Police Chief Matthew Perkins said.

At approximately 7 p.m. Friday, police responded to the intersection of Bedford Street, or Route 18, and Rhode Island Road, or Route 79, for a report of a motor vehicle crash.

When officers arrived, they found a 2015 Honda CBR1000 motorcycle and a 2014 Honda Ridgeline pickup truck that had collided, Perkins said.

Walker, who was riding the motorcycle, was taken by ambulance to St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, where he later died.

No other injuries were reported.

The crash is under investigation by Lakeville Police and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Roger Corman’s Best Movies: A Streaming Guide

The producer and director ran what was essentially a trade school for future stars and filmmakers like Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola and Pam Grier.

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By Scott Tobias

It’s almost impossible to measure the impact Roger Corman , who died Thursday at 98, had on independent genre filmmaking and the careers of emerging young directors, performers and crew members who cut their teeth under his tutelage. As a producer, Corman mastered the economics of drive-in movies and B-pictures, turning out consistently profitable work that gave the audience what it wanted while allowing for a little creative flexibility. Directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Joe Dante and John Sayles didn’t exactly do their best work under Corman, nor did future stars like Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern, Jack Nicholson, Pam Grier and Diane Ladd. But his productions were like a trade school for New Hollywood.

The 13 films below only scratch the surface of Corman’s huge filmography, but they do provide a glimpse into his ambition and his sensibility as both a director and a micro studio boss. From the macabre comedy of early films like “A Bucket of Blood” and “The Little Shop of Horrors” to heady forays into science fiction and the work of Edgar Allan Poe, Corman’s work as a director signaled the dime-stretching ingenuity that would define his tenure at New World Pictures, where he developed a formula for making money while revealing a keen eye for recognizing talent. Beatniks, bikers, gear heads, voyeurs, outcasts and rebels — all had a place in Corman’s world, on both sides of the screen.

‘A Bucket of Blood’

Stream it on AMC+ and Shudder . Rent it on Amazon and Apple TV .

From early in his career, Corman took a keen interest in the emerging counterculture, even as he personally understood himself as an outsider. That dynamic animates his fiendishly clever, ultra-low-budget comedy about a square who schemes his way into the cool crowd through macabre means. “A Bucket of Blood” would turn out to be a rare lead role for legendary character actor Dick Miller. He stars as the busboy at a beatnik bar who uses his incredibly lifelike sculptures to impress the hip clientele. His secret? Best not to break through the plaster and find out.

‘The Little Shop of Horrors’

Stream it on AMC+ . Rent it on Amazon , Apple TV , Fandango at Home , Google Play and YouTube .

The standout scene in Corman’s black comedy is an early one-off by Jack Nicholson, who flashes a wicked, toothless grin as a sadomasochist who loves going to the dentist and gets the appointment of his dreams when an impostor yanks away without anesthetics. Much like “A Bucket of Blood,” with which it shares a writer (Charles B. Griffith) and sets, “The Little Shop of Horrors” is a dark and whimsical curio about a social outcast, Seymour (Jonathan Haze), who winds up killing people against his gentle nature. Here it’s to satisfy Audrey Jr., a beautiful, carnivorous plant with an insatiable appetite for human blood.

‘X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes’

Rent it on Amazon , Apple TV , Google Play and YouTube .

Given Corman’s later forays into exploitation cinema, it’s remarkable that Ray Milland’s mad scientist in “X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes” doesn’t have any prurient intentions for his miraculous new ability to see beyond the surface of things. It turns out to be ambition, not perversion, that corrupts Milland in the end, as the special droplets in his eyes first give him medical insight that no imaging machine could, then expand his vision to frightening and less altruistic ends, like winning blackjack at a casino. And finally, as a precursor to Corman’s psychedelic journey in “The Trip,” he catches a glimpse of the ineffable.

‘The Masque of the Red Death’

Rent it on Amazon , Apple TV , Fandango at Home , Google Play and YouTube .

The seventh and best of the eight films in Corman’s “Poe Cycle,” all produced between 1960 and 1964, “The Masque of the Red Death” catches Vincent Price at his most deliciously sinister as a European aristocrat who tries to hole up in a castle while a plague ravages the common folk outside its walls. Before leaving the local village to burn, Prince Prospero (Price) abducts a pretty maiden, along with her husband and father, with the intention of defiling her, but his plans are upended when an ominous guest turns up at a party intended for fellow elites. Shot with Technicolor pop by Nicolas Roeg, who would later have his own brilliant career as a director, the film is Corman’s most polished behind the camera, at once lurid and sophisticated.

‘The Shooting’

Stream it on Criterion Channel , Max and Peacock . Rent it on Amazon and Apple TV .

As a producer attuned to the subculture, Corman seized every opportunity to appeal to audiences outside the mainstream, where commercial demands hedged toward the conventional. And so a few years before “The Wild Bunch” popularized the revisionist western, Corman bankrolled Monte Hellman’s “The Shooting,” which conceived the Old West as a sprawling psychic space, rather than territory for shootouts. Hellman’s favorite actor, Warren Oates, stars alongside Will Hutchins as hard-luck buddies who agree to escort a mystery woman across the desert for reasons unknown. This peculiar, dread-soaked assignment takes a grim turn when a third man — played by Nicholson again, in a wild card of a performance — complicates what could be a dead-end mission.

‘The Wild Angels’

Rent it on Fandango at Home .

Once again ahead of the curve, Corman put Peter Fonda behind a Harley-Davidson chopper three years before “Easy Rider” and set him and his outlaw buddies on the arid desert stretches of Southern California, where they find all the trouble they’re out there to seek. As an assemblage of talent alone, “The Wild Angels” is staggering, with Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd among Fonda’s cohorts and future auteurs Hellman and Peter Bogdanovich as part of the creative team. There’s not much to the story of the gang looking for Dern’s missing motorcycle and running afoul of Mexican bikers and the police, but the film is more about the generalized rebellion of a subculture that lives to provoke the squares, even with Nazi iconography.

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For this full-on psychedelic odyssey, Corman prepared himself through what could be called Method directing: He had never dropped acid before, so he and select crew members headed to Big Sur for a weekend and guided each other through trips. So while “The Trip,” based on a Nicholson script reportedly rife with specific visual ideas, has an antidrug disclaimer at the beginning and a cracked mirror at the end, there’s a wink-wink, nudge-nudge quality to the film that doesn’t discourage casual LSD use. As Dern leads Fonda through his first acid trip, Corman uncorks an adventure of the mind, which ebbs and flows between the sensually radiant and the nightmarish.

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Corman agreed to finance Bogdanovich’s stunning debut feature under the condition that the young director stay under budget and devise a role for Boris Karloff, who still owed him a couple days of work. So Bogdanovich used the opportunity to contrast Karloff’s aging horror-movie star with the more contemporary horror of a deranged gunman shooting down ordinary people. With its can’t-miss allusions to Charles Whitman , the former Marine who killed 14 people from atop the University of Texas tower in 1966 after killing his mother and wife, “Targets” accesses the deranged mind of a Vietnam veteran (Bobby Thompson) who kills his family, then casually takes his lunch and his rifle to the top of an oil storage tank by the freeway. America would never be the same.

‘Big Doll House’

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As part of a scheme to shoot quick-and-dirty movies in the Philippines in the early ’70s, Corman modified the women-in-prison exploitation subgenre to “women in cages,” with compulsory showers and mud fights, and play-torture that evoked American prisoners during the war. The films were unsavory, but the best of them, like “Big Doll House,” ran hot with jungle sweat and guerrilla action sequences. Directed by Jack Hill, who excelled at this type of fare, the film is notable for an early look at Pam Grier, commanding the screen as one of six rough-hewn beauties who band together to resist their sadistic warden and break out of a foreign prison compound.

‘Caged Heat’

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One of the star pupils at the Corman school of filmmaking, Jonathan Demme would make great films like “Melvin and Howard” and “The Silence of the Lambs” after his matriculation, but “Caged Heat,” his directorial debut, is an example of an artist doing his best to elevate a disreputable subgenre. In broad outlines, the film ticks the usual women-in-prison boxes, with sexy convicts fighting (and showering) among themselves before turning their attention to an abusive warden (Barbara Steele). But Demme and his cinematographer, Tak Fujimoto, keep the camera active, and the tone is rambunctious and fun, with a genuine warmth and esprit de corps that develops among the cast. These little differences matter.

‘Death Race 2000’

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Timed to capitalize on the futuristic mayhem of “ Rollerball ,” “Death Race 2000” anticipates a totalitarian dystopia that offers a cross-country race as a bread-and-circuses distraction from tyranny. Yet Corman insisted on a darkly comic tone for the film and director Paul Bartel obliged with an action-packed, deliriously cartoonish science fiction that picked up an instant cult appreciation. David Carradine stars as Frankenstein, a driver who participates against other colorful rivals in the Transcontinental Road Race, an event that rewards points to contestants for mowing down innocent pedestrians. But in this particularly turbulent year, the race itself may be in jeopardy.

‘Hollywood Boulevard’

Before “Airplane” ushered in the age of gag-a-second spoofs, directors Joe Dante and Allan Arkush cut loose on the world of drive-in movies and B-pictures with “Hollywood Boulevard,” a ragged parody that flashed the energy and referential comedy that would define Dante’s career. Billed as the cheapest movie ever made by Corman’s New World Pictures, this $60,000 production is loaded with footage from his films and delightful inside jokes about them. (The fake movies here are from Miracle Pictures: “If it’s a good picture, it’s a Miracle.”) The story, such as it is, follows a would-be actress (Candice Rialson) from Indiana who inadvertently participates in an actual armed robbery (“Where are the cameras?”) and eventually gets hired as a stuntwoman for low-budget movies, including more real-life danger in the Philippines.

‘Rock ’n’ Roll High School’

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Always eager to capitalize on youthful rebellion, Corman and his director, Arkush, hitched their wagon to two shooting stars for “Rock ’n’ Roll High School”: The Ramones, a punk quartet on the rise, and P.J. Soles, an infectious party blonde who had stolen scenes as a teenage troublemaker in “Carrie” and “Halloween.” At Vince Lombardi High School, an institution that flaunts the rigors of its football-coach namesake, Riff Randell (Soles) is losing her mind over her favorite band, the Ramones, coming to town for a concert. Her enthusiasm puts her into conflict with the school’s buzzkill of a principal (Mary Woronov), setting up an explosive showdown on campus.

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