NAUGATUCK, CT – The subject of emergency braking came up recently in posts on motorcycle social media groups, at a club rally and while on a group ride, so perhaps a review of proper techniques is overdue. Learning, practicing and always using the correct emergency braking practices will not only …
Read More »Hill Country: Arlo Trades Two Wheels For Three With Ryker
Decisions, decisions. I had a choice to make over the weekend and I knew a wise decision was needed. I could have gone out to my garage, fired up my Triumph Bonneville and taken a ride in some glorious weather. Or, I could have taken a seven-mile trip to my …
Read More »The Cutest Car You’ve Probably Never Heard Of – Nissan’s Figaro
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 …
Read More »Always Riding: It’s Mud Season In Vermont
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 …
Read More »COVID-19 Vaccine Is Worth The Second Shot Suffering
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 …
Read More »“If You Had Asked Me…” Details Ridership Dip In CT
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 …
Read More »“If You Had Asked Me…” Has More On Bemer And OCC
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 …
Read More »Messenger: Pandemic, Politics Have Us On Edge
(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 …
Read More »“If You Had Asked Me…” Has Items on H-D, Triumph, Ducati
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 …
Read More »“If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…”
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 …
Read More »Safe Riding: CONREP Stressed Safety During 2020
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 …
Read More »If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…
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 …
Read More »RIDE-New England: Motorcycle Mishap Provides Painful Reminder
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 …
Read More »Always Riding: Eisenhaur Provides Emergency Fix
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 …
Read More »Annie And Greg Say Goodbye At Toymakers Cafe
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 …
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