Columns

By Steve Smith of RIDE-CT.com Most motorcycle safety professionals extol the value of visibility when riding a motorcycle. Our vision is probably the most important of our primary senses to help reduce the chance of a crash. The common phrase used is “See and be seen,” which reminds riders to …

By Steve Smith of RIDE-CT.com The Connecticut Rider Education Program recently released 2011 training statistics. The number of riders trained was more than 6000, but the number of students taking courses for experienced riders was down significantly. I find this odd that riders are not seeking out ways to improve …

By Steve Smith of RIDE-CT.com One recent Saturday, the service manager at Libby’s Motoworld in New Haven just by chance happened to notice that the tire pressure appeared low on a visitor’s ’74 Honda CB750 Four. The incident provides the rest of us a reminder that under-inflated tires are the …

By Steve Smith of RIDE-CT.com Learning is a life-long process. We are never too old or have been riding too long to work on improving our riding skills. While waiting out the winter PMS (parked motorcycle syndrome) until being able to participate in an on-cycle skills improvement course consider doing …

By Bud Wilkinson Place a Mustang motorcycle next to almost any other motorcycle and it would look a bit like a Tonka toy. All the pieces are there – the wheels, motor, gas tank, seat, etc. – but they’ve been slightly downsized. Is a Mustang is a miniature motorcycle or …

By Bud Wilkinson At what age or state of physical decay is it appropriate to draw up a “bucket list” of things to do or accomplish before one dies? Having prematurely written a “year-ender” column back in November after the pre-Halloween nor’easter and ensuing extended power outage left me unable …

By Steve Smith of RIDE-CT.com While rolling the Kawasaki Concours 14 backwards out of the garage and down the steep incline of the driveway on New Year’s Day, I felt an odd unsteadiness as my feet began to slide slightly on the asphalt. In a heartbeat, I recognized “black ice.” …

By Bud Wilkinson Mention the name “Husqvarna” to anyone who lives in the country and images of chain saws and lawn tractors inevitably come to mind. There’s one of each sharing space with the bikes in my garage. They’re orange-colored time thieves that curtail riding and cause a sore back …

By Bud Wilkinson By the time the Sunday motorcycle adventure ended, and riding cohort Gary Randall’s 1968 BMW R50/2 was securely strapped on a trailer, the sun was setting in the Berkshires and a bovine chorus was serenading us from beyond a barbed wire fence. Something that I feared happening …

By Bud Wilkinson Jim Batterton has a sensible goal for his business. “I don’t have any aspirations of becoming huge, but I would like to be able to support myself doing something I enjoy,” said the 60-year-old Batterton, who gets enjoyment from converting heavyweight motorcycles into trikes. He owns Kent …

By Bud Wilkinson In past years, RIDE-CT has pushed the riding season to the limit before packing it in. The routine has been to bundle up and stay on the road for as long as possible – often until mid-December. A ride on New Year’s Day has been an occasional …

By Bud Wilkinson Just like with movies and TV shows, some new motorcycle models become hits with consumers while others flop and disappear quickly. Occasionally, a long-forgotten relic that was a slow seller and only had brief life on the showroom floor will develop a cult following or be sufficiently …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Mike Wallace went to Rice-O-Rama earlier this month searching for parts. He had a lengthy shopping list, too. A seat and side cover for a Honda CB750 Four, bar ends for a Suzuki GS1100ES and a gas tank for a Yamaha R5 were just a …

By Bud Wilkinson Two weeks ago, riding wasn’t on our minds. No way. Hurricane Irene was heading up the coastline and preparing for the storm took priority. After making sure the home generator was filled with fresh petrol and running properly, my challenge was to rearrange the contents of the …

By Bud Wilkinson Tucked in a line of heavyweight cruisers and customs outside the entrance to the Warner Theatre, Charles Olsen’s little black and silver 1966 Bultaco Metralla attracted a disproportionate amount of attention as it glistened in the heat at Torrington Thunder last month.  “It gives you a good …