Thousands of photos get taken by RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland over the course of a year. Some are “run and gun” snapshots, while others are more artistically composed. Most are taken merely to illustrate a story or capture an event. But every year there are a few standouts, whether due to the lighting, the framing or simply because of the subject matter. Here are what can loosely be called the Top 10 Photos from 2017, or least some that caught our attention:
It was an ad on Craigslist for a 1980 Yamaha XS650 bobber that resulted in a story on motorcycle customizer Eric Pleil of Winsted, CT. The bike’s root beer paint scheme really popped.
TV reality show star and custom bike builder Paul Teutul Jr. greeted fans young and old at the Springfield Motorcycle Show. Late in the year it was announced that his long-running program “American Chopper” will return to television in 2018.
It was the paint on the gas tank of a 1974 Harley-Davidson FLH bobber, built by Ron Deaso Jr. of Monroe, CT and his father, that got attention at Doc’s Motorcycle Parts Custom and Vintage Bike Show in Waterbury, CT.
An “Italian Sporting Bikes of the 70’s” exhibition curated by Moto Borgotaro’s Peter Boggia at the Union Garage in Brooklyn, NY showcased some bikes owned by prominent collectors.
Indian used the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in New York to show its dirt track-inspired, one-off FTR1200 Custom. Still no word on whether it will ever go into production.
A 1915 Indian owned by James Maloney had trouble staying upright at the annual Indian Day celebration staged by the Springfield Museums in Springfield, MA.
Some BMWs lined up in a row were noticeable at the annual European Motorcycle Day at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA.
There wasn’t a motorcycle in the shot, but a picture of grass clippings that had been blown on to Cream Hill Road in Cornwall, CT showed just how thoughtless and rude some folks can be. Grass clippings, especially wet ones, can be dangerous for anyone on two wheels.
It was to the Vanilla Bean in Pomfret, CT that Charlie Gallo of Mansfield, CT rode his spectacular 1929 Harley-Davidson JD.
Some rusting gas tanks and other old parts were among the treasures for sale at the motorcycle show and swap meet staged by the British Iron Association of Massachusetts in Oxford, MA.
Photos by Bud Wilkinson and Bob Rosen