What we're thankful for in 2022

We asked everyone on the Common Tread team to take a moment and share what they're thankful for in 2022, in motorcycle terms. Here are their responses.

Spurgeon Dunbar: A friend who pushed me to try something new

Carrying over on a bit of my theme from last year, I'm thankful for my close network of friends in the motorcycling community and the encouragement they provide. This year, I'd specifically like to call out fellow Zillan Jeff Kiniery, who was a driving force in getting me to sign up for my first couple of off-road, time-keeping enduro races. I ended up doing better than I expected, had a ton of fun, and realized that the hardest part was showing up. If you haven't stepped out of your comfort zone in a while, get off your couch and ride your motorcycle in a new and challenging way. Preferably with a good buddy like Jeff.

Jen Dunstan: Bringing a passion project to life to share with the motorcycle community

This year I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to research and present a story that filled me with intrigue, the news story of how and why Pismo Beach is being closed to off-road riders. It all started as a personal vacation to finally dune ride and visit the iconic motoring beach my own parents partied on in the 1970s, but when I began to scratch the surface of the impending off-road closure it raised a lot of questions. I am thankful the management team here at RevZilla shared in my vision to bring this complex story to life in video and in writing, and with the support of this amazing team we were able to share this investigative piece so all riders can be better informed about what is happening to riding areas across the nation. Above all, I am grateful to you, the reader, for watching and engaging with this story and all of our content so that we can continue to explore, ride, and share the stories that you care about, too.

Andy Greaser: Riding time with family

This year, I was able to spend more time with family on two wheels, and I couldn't be more thankful for it. My brother bought a Vespa project in early 2022, and working together over many nights and weekends, we tore it down to the last nut and bolt for a complete rebuild. Neither of us had ever worked on one before, so we learned a lot along the way. It's been a while since we teamed up on a long-term bike project. I also logged more miles riding with my dad this year than ever before. It's always a good time exploring new roads and swapping bikes with each other. I'm glad he's getting into larger, more powerful motorcycles so we can do longer trips together.

Zack Courts: A great season of MotoGP racing

Call me a broken record, but the last few years of MotoGP have been stellar and 2022 was no exception. The mob of lightning-fast Ducatis prevailed, and cynics will say they saw it all coming, but it was an undeniably tense chase for the title. By my count, seven different riders won races on five different brands of motorcycle, and the margins in MotoGP are incredibly thin these days. It's hard to know, as a fan, which bike or which rider will find the magic on any given weekend. You'd have to have a heart of stone not to be excited for 2023, where the perennial powerhouses of Honda and Yamaha will try to keep pace with Ducati and the grid of riders will be hungrier than ever.

Ari Henning: Falling in love with off-road riding

Like a lot of motorcyclists, I bopped around on a dirt bike as a kid, but I haven't owned a knobby-tired motorcycle since my dad gave me a Suzuki DR100 back in the early 1990s. That changed this year, when I bought a well used KTM 300XC-W (at the recommendation of Spurgeon, Brandon, and a bunch of other dirt-savvy Zillans). It has opened the door to a whole new world of riding that, for reasons I still don't fully understand, I had neglected to embrace, even though I love the outdoors and have put untold miles on my mountain bike. From trail rides in the San Bernardino National Forest to attending RevZilla's own Get On! Adventure Festivals in the Mojave Desert of California and the Black Hills of South Dakota, I’ve been loving getting dirty and dusty off road. I’m exploring new places, challenging myself to learn new riding skills, making new friends, and generally just enjoying this new realm of riding. I feel like a seafood junkie who just discovered sushi!

Spenser Robert: Making movies

This year Zack has gone on 17 (and counting) Daily Rides, Ari taught 12 chapters of The Shop Manual, Jen peeled the complex onion of riding closures at Pismo Beach, and I had the chance to produce films about police rodeos, a ride through the Darién Gap, and a vintage sidecar adventure that was 30 years in the making. At the risk of sounding like some self-centered corporate shill, I have to say I'm incredibly thankful to work for this company and with all these talented people. The future is, of course, uncertain. But if you love motorcycles, movies, and storytelling the way I do, there's never been a better time to be alive.

Patrick Garvin: Grateful for access to public land

2022 has been a solid year for me personally and frankly I have a lot to be thankful for. But as I pondered what I had done in 2022 and some of the motorcycle-specific things I am thankful for, it all kind of hinged on one thing: My standout riding experiences all happened because of the ability to use our nation's public lands. I took trips and rode trails in California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and of course my beloved Black Hills, right here in South Dakota. I am extremely grateful for public land access and I'm not sure I could go back to living in a part of the country where it wasn't available. If that's the case where you live, I highly recommend heading west and experiencing what it's like to explore your public land by motorcycle. A great way to start is to come out to one of RevZilla's Get On! Adventure Festivals, either in the Black Hills of South Dakota or the Mojave Desert of California. While this may seem like a shameless plug, these rallies really are a great way to experience public land trail riding with all the hassles worked out. Camping and meals provided, trail maps from REVER, and a great group of people to ride with are all provided. All you have to do is show up and be ready to ride. Hopefully I'll see you on a trail in 2023.

Lance Oliver: Revisiting old roads, reuniting with an old friend

I'm not prone to nostalgia. By intent and by nature, I've spent my life looking ahead, not back. Events made 2022 a little different, however. Loss meant my family got a little smaller this year, and with that came essential family business that drew me back to my home state of West Virginia. I haven't lived there since I was a teenager and likely never will again, but damned if it isn't a fantastic place to ride a motorcycle and I turned my chores into opportunities to ride. The first time, in May, Spurgeon came down and met me at a remote cabin owned by relatives, armed with a REVER map of the "greatest hits" roads for us to ride dawn to dusk back to Philly. Later, in early November, I returned one more time and pulled my 1997 Triumph Speed Triple that I've owned since 1998 out of storage and finally rode it to my new home in New England. For a 25-year-old motorcycle that had been in storage for more than a year and rolled over 119,000 miles on the trip, it ran great and I rewarded it with some pampering by a local mechanic, which it definitely needed. I was thankful to be reunited with an old friend, thankful for another ride on those old Mountain State roads, and thankful for the joy motorcycling still reliably brings me in an unsteady and uncertain world.

What were you thankful for in 2022?