It’s a long overdue fresh edition of Oil Drippings. It’s the catch-all column of recent news items from near and far that maybe don’t warrant a full post or somehow fell through the cracks. Here goes: Lower “S” Version of Kawasaki’s KLR650 The model has been around for 35 years …

It’s a motorcycle book with a somewhat long title; one sufficiently lengthy that a high-horsepower example of its showcased brand could be a mile away by the time the reader finishes saying it aloud – “The Complete Book of Ducati Motorcycles: Every Model Since 1946.” Written by Ian Falloon, “The …

HARWINTON, CT – His grandfather raced motorcycles. His father raced motorcycles, too, so it was likely preordained that Kenny Coolbeth Jr. would follow in their tracks. He started riding and racing as a youngster growing up in Warren, CT and can still be found on the racetrack testing new Honda …

WATERBURY, CT – After an absence of two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Doc’s Motorcycle Parts revived its annual customer appreciation day and bike show on Sunday, drawing hundred of riders who came to enjoy a variety of noteworthy models and to stroll in the sunshine and scarf free …

EAST HAMPTON, CT – Only at Brit Jam is it possible to see a rare, pricey and legendary Vincent Black Shadow from the mid-20th century at one end of the show ground and a strikingly clean Suzuki GT750 two-stroke “Water Buffalo” from the 1970s at the other end. The title …

GREENFIELD, MA – It’s looks more like a go-cart than a car and a hundred years ago it was driven by the wealthy and their kids. It was called the Auto-Red-Bug and it had a one-cylinder engine that powered a single rear wheel, so it might be called a stylistic …

CHESHIRE, MA – Jim Hoellerich got his wish Saturday with the auctioning off of the contents of his private Museum of Vintage Trail Bikes. The auction by J. Wood & Co. was staged under a large canopy in the field beside the barn on the family farm. More than 500 …

GREENFIELD, MA – Moving to a new venue always brings uncertainty and presents kinks that need to be worked out, but load-in day on Friday at the Yankee Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America’s National Meet appeared to go smoothly. The new location at the Franklin County Fairgrounds …

THOMASTON, CT – A grant from the Yamaha Motor Co. to the Newtown, CT-based Pathfinders Motorcycle Club for equipment needed to maintain the riding trails behind Thomaston Dam that have been enjoyed by dirt bikers for decades gave the club members the chance to show off their volunteerism on Saturday. …

MONSON, MA – Motorcycles and other motorized vehicles will once again be struggling up the “Monson Monster” after the Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday night overturned two town-issued cease and desist orders forbidding hill climbs staged by the Quaboag Riders Motorcycle Club. The prohibition on hill climbs, which have …

HARWINTON, CT – The exhaust notes produced by a motorcycle as it passes by can often reveal the identity of its manufacturer, or at least provide clues. It was while weeding the flower beds in my side yard this morning that I heard what sounded to be something old and …

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Great Cape Baking Company is no longer open as of early November 2023.) AMENIA, NY – Show me a motorcycle rider who isn’t always on lookout for a good place to eat and I’ll show you a rider whose bike is parked more than it’s ridden. Frequent …

MONSON, MA – A Zoning Board of Appeals hearing scheduled to potentially determine the future of hillclimb events staged on land owned by the Quaboag Riders Motorcycle Club was short-lived Thursday night when the inadequate size of the meeting room forced a postponement until July 14. State law requires that …

HARWINTON, CT – It wasn’t a surprise really that the battery on my 1987 BMW R 80 RT was dead when spring arrived. I’d neglected to keep it on a Battery Tender throughout the winter, only plugging it in occasionally and for short periods of time. It was 33 months …

BARKHAMSTED, CT – It’s a place that’s easy to overlook; a nondescript gray, one-story building alongside a busy state highway, highlighted only by a bright yellow sign saying “The Brass Horse Cafe.” It’s on Route 44 just northwest of New Hartford if you’re headed toward Winsted. It’s a roadhouse and …