Memorable Pictures Provide 2013 Review

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

The process of writing is work for anyone who does it for a living. That doesn’t mean that stringing words together, rearranging them or pinpointing the most precise word can’t be enjoyable. It often is. It’s just that whenever you sit down at a keyboard, the mind says “work” because of the setting. It’s the same for anyone who flips burgers, mows lawns or patches roofs. What can make writing more enjoyable, though, is the added element of pictures – the taking of an adequate photo to illustrate the story so that so many words won’t be necessary. We’ve all heard the line that “a picture is worth a thousands words,” right?

Over the course of this year, thousands of pictures were snapped. Most of them weren’t finely-composed works of art, rather hastily-grabbed snapshots of a moment. That they were frequently shots of rare, unusual or eye-catching motorcycles certainly upped the fun factor. This morning, I went through the “media library” and scanned all the posts to find a dozen or so that stood out for one reason or another.

Here are a some pics that stood out in 2013, presented in random order:

Seeing some old British cafe bikes like a Norton and a BSA at the fifth annual Mods V Rockers rally in June got the blood pumping. It was the leather-wearing Rockers and the scooter-riding Mods who joined forces for a ride from Scooter Centrale/Hartford Vespa in Plainville, CT to Clinton, CT.

Seeing the dozens of riders recreating a colorful era in British motorcycle history almost made one want to buy a cafe bike or a scooter. Almost.

A nod to New England’s rural and agrarian past was found at the sixth annual Rice-O-Rama meet in Oxford, MA in September. It’s doubtful that this John Deere model could pull a manure spreader.

This bike seat, also spotted at Rice-O-Rama, certainly stated the bike owner’s attitude.

For sheer restored beauty, there was this 1969 BMW R69US.

BMW came out with the 594cc, shaft-driven R69 in 1955. The first version had 35 horsepower and was produced through 1960. It was replaced by a 42 horsepower R69S. The R69US was only made in 1968 and 1969. Overall, only 11,137 R69s were produced and sold worldwide and only 20 R69US models were imported from Germany to the U.S., making this a rare find when spotted being ridden by Jeff Parker at Toymaker’s Cafe in Falls Village, CT in late March.

Middletown Motorcycle Mania in Middletown, CT in mid-August attracted its usual huge crowd, including custom bike builder Eddie Trotta, who posed for pictures with fans.

Trotta wasn’t the only celebrity spotted during the year. Earlier this month, NHL legend Mark Messier could be seen promoting a Can-Am Spyder at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in New York.

Meanwhile, back in January, pro racer Kenny Coolbeth Jr. invited RIDE-CT.com to along when he did some ice riding in Warren, CT.

Sometimes it’s the background in a picture that draws the eye more than the foreground subject and two murals had that effect.

One was found in a November review of Yamaha/Star Bolt; the picture taken up the street from Libby’s Motoworld in New Haven.

The other picture, taken in July at Gengras Harley-Davidson in East Hartford, CT, showed the co-hosts of “Those Diner and Motorcycle Guys” internet radio show, Ralph DeLuco (left) and Garrison Leykam.

Another rare bike that popped out of the pack this year was a 1958 Gilera 175 Extra owned by David Chase Parks of Falls Village, who displayed it at the annual falls Village Car and Motorcycle Show in July.

Parks’ Italian-made Gilera was brought over to the U.S. in 1958.

The 35th annual British Motorcycle Meet in Auburn, MA in June, sponsored by the BSA Owners Club of New England, also had a lot of old iron, including a sweet Ariel Square Four.

RIDE-CT.com found one interesting ride within two miles of home in August when on hand to witness it Nick Lingenheld as he rolled a rust and red Cushman that he’d rescued from a chicken coop from the bed of his pickup truck.

 Despite its dismal shape, the Cushman appeared to be pretty much intact. I really should follow up and see if he ever got it running.

Perhaps the most fun picture of the year, however, was an October shot of an Oakville, CT priest, Rev. James T. Gregory, who bought a Honda Metropolitan scooter to ride between the rectory and the church. He then added some custom paint flourishes in the form of fleurs-de-lis on the sides, a white rectangle on the front to simulate his clerical collar and the words “Sky Pilot” on the license plate holder in the rear.

There were thousands more pictures that were taken in 2013, but for one reason or another these stood out. RIDE-CT.com recently bought a new camera to ensure the pics will continue in 2014, and some video, too.