Columns

WOODBURY, CT – It’s most likely the cutest car that U.S. motorists have never heard of or ever seen. Writing for Hagerty back in 2018, Larry Printz declared the limited-production 1991 Nissan Figaro to be “Cuter than a basket of puppies.” It’s not that much bigger, either. Built only for …

ROCKINGHAM, VT – To my newcomer eyes, mud season in Vermont is nearly over, although If you ask a native Vermonter when mud season truly ends it’s likely the reply will be “mid-May.” My road, for example, appears to already be dry, but it has two areas where you can …

Back in early January after getting the initial dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, my blasé reaction was, “Well, that wasn’t bad.” Some soreness at the injection site, perhaps a little swelling of the upper arm, and a bit of muscular discomfort when I raised my arm above shoulder level. That …

Time for another installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You,” the column that updates recent stories and contains fresh ones (items that maybe aren’t sufficient to justify a full post), along with a smattering of opinion. Before getting to the news, though, a question: Why …

It’s another installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…,” a column that updates recent stories as well as contains fresh items that didn’t warrant a full post or slipped through the cracks. Here goes: “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…” That …

(Editor’s Note: “Messenger” is an occasional column by RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England editor and publisher Bud Wilkinson on subjects and issues that don’t involve motorcycles.) HARWINTON, CT – After 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and four years of extreme political polarization, I’m convinced that most of us are on …

Lots has been happening lately, so let’s get right to the news items with a fresh installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…” It’s a column that passes along stories that didn’t warrant a full post or somehow slipped through the cracks. It also occasionally …

Nearly two months have passed since the last installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…” The column serves to pass along stories that didn’t receive a full post, update previous stories, leak stuff not publicly announced, and provide some opinion. Here goes: If You Had …

NAUGATUCK, CT – Getting a motorcycle endorsement in Connecticut (or anywhere) is always a challenging endeavor, but never more so than in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out Connecticut Rider Education Program (CONREP) classes in the spring and forced safety-related changes for the remainder of the year at teaching sites that …

Has it really been nearly two years since the last installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…” appeared? It had been a somewhat regular feature of light-hearted comment, predictions, and more serious opinion. Somehow, though, it got set aside in the day-to-day crush to cover …

HARWINTON, CT – Are you a good rider? A motorcycle mishap may prove you’re not as good as you think… Motorcycle instructor and “Riding in the Zone” author Ken Condon shared an old magazine column of his on social media yesterday in which he opined that most riders delude themselves …

ROCKINGHAM, VT – Since relocating to Vermont I have been in awe. Some of the best riding I’ve ever done now begins at the bottom of my driveway.  With every ride  a new road takes me somewhere beautiful, which leads to someplace incredible. The riding here is nothing short of …

FALLS VILLAGE, CT – The colorful, eccentric and British-themed breakfast and lunch spot started by Annie and Greg Bidou in 2002 has been a gathering spot for motorcyclists, especially on Sunday mornings. It has also catered to thru-hikers on the nearby Appalachian Trail. The Bidous labors will appropriately come to …

It’s all my mother’s fault. So what if she’s been dead for 38 years. She passed along her sports car-loving genes, and that’s undoubtably the reason why a used, two-seater Mazda in eye-catching burgundy ended up in my garage late last week, forcing the shifting of my motorcycles into tight …

I grew up loving baseball. Played catch with my dad nearly every summer evening. Played Little League. First base. Worshipped the New York Yankees. Hated the Boston Red Sox.  Vividly remember my first trip to Yankee Stadium, a visit that got locked into family lore. My dad had regaled me …