Columns

Father Jim Gregory on his Honda scooter For many motorcyclists, taking up riding was the result of a mid-life crisis. They never rode in their younger years, but felt the need as they got older to experience the wind their faces. Jim Gregory, who certainly qualifies as middle-aged at age …

By Steve Smith of RIDE-CT.com Have you met someone who seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to riding in traffic? These folks just seem to know when there will be trouble ahead. These riders have strong “situation awareness.” Situation awareness is the perception of

By Steve Smith of RIDE-CT.com This is the time of the year when roads are being resurfaced with chip seal, which causes problems for riders. And that’s not the only road surface hazard out there.  As motorcyclists we need to be diligent to

How popular is motorcycling in the U.S. and, specifically, New England? It depends on where you live. It also depends on how the figuring is done, according to Bill Belei, founder and webmaster of MotorcycleRoads.com. Belei’s gathered some stats that show that

By Steve Smith of RIDE-CT.com Okay, I admit it. I am guilty of making a woman cry during a recent beginner motorcycle course. It was at the end of the day after taking the riding evaluation. I had just called her over for the one-on-one consultation to

Steve Maughmer Talks About His Bultaco Sometimes a ride can provide a history lesson. It was shortly after going through an unlocked gate on to private property and proceeding cautiously down the heavily-rutted, puddle-filled dirt road in Morris that I learned of the road’s past. The sloppy half-mile track, which caused …

***CLASSIC RIDE-CT*** By Bud Wilkinson Motorcycle daredevil Chris “Teach” McNeil talks much like he rides – in enthusiastic bursts of energy. When he’s riding, no stunt is too difficult to attempt. When he’s talking, no subject is off limits. His passion for risky free-styling on two wheels is evident in …

 It’s a bike brand that most riders probably don’t recognize – Brough Superior. Only 3,000 or so were ever built, fewer than 1,100 exist today worldwide and there may only be 175 in the entire United States.

***CLASSIC RIDE-CT*** By Bud Wilkinson Tim Van Deusen was mystified when a postcard arrived at his Torrington, CT home from Forza Motorsports inquiring whether he might be interested in selling his 1984 Yamaha RZ350. Forza Motorsports is a dealer of high-end exotic cars and motorcycles in Gaylordsville, and Van Deusen …

***CLASSIC RIDE-CT*** The 1973 Triumph X-75 Hurricane is unforgettable. It’s an attention-grabbing, three-cylinder motorcycle with a fan-like exhaust that is worthy of display in a museum of fine art. To hide one of these rare bikes, to have it covered and stored away in a basement spits in the face of …

Safe Riding columnist Steve Smith’s contribution last week titled “Getting Ready for the Riding Season,” in which he suggested that it’s a wise idea to give your bike(s) and your gear a going over now that the weather’s changing and the riding season approaches, got me off my butt and moving. …

By Steve Smith of RIDE-CT.com The ugly truth is that residing in New England areas means that most riders experience PMS, or parked motorcycle syndrome. Now it’s the time when many  motorcyclists are coming off their winter hiatus and the excitement of getting the bike out for a ride on …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Seated in a Starbucks in Seymour not far from his home, Dan Van Epps was explaining over coffee how Norton motorcycles are made, drawing upon the company’s iconic name and emphasizing how they’re “hand-built British motorcycles built by British hands.” He flipped over a stapled …

By Steve Smith A few years ago, my son was struck in the leg and foot by a vehicle that nearly rear-ended him while he was stopped at a traffic light. He was 19 years old at the time and a fairly new rider. The driver swerved

Besides being a 1909 graduate of Cornell University and an astute mechanical engineer, Norbert Schickel was also a pack rat. Even after his Connecticut-based business went out of business, the self-described “born mechanic” retained financial statements, contracts, photos, correspondence, schematics, promotional literature and even parts from his creations. “Grandpa never …