Columns

By Steve Smith NAUGATUCK, CT – You’ve been riding for a while. You’re no longer a fresh-from-class “newbie,” rather a novice street rider with some actual seat time. In progressing from novice status to being an experienced rider, though, it’s easy to become complacent and to forget to apply the …

By Bud Wilkinson THOMASTON, CT – Nothing’s settled. No decision has been made on the route that the Naugatuck Valley Greenway will take from the Torrington line southward to the Thomaston Dam, but recent discussions involving planners and concerned parties have apparently come up with a possible solution that may …

By Victoria Zandonella BRIDGEWATER, CT – There’s a disturbing phenomenon that has become increasingly common on social media – a disappointingly negative and antagonistic undercurrent between fellow motorcyclists.   This trend is concerning because these days it’s important to encourage new riders and to bring new people into the sport. …

It is one of my fondest baseball memories, and now Aaron Judge is going to walk in my footsteps and stand in a batter’s box where I once took some cuts. As Mel Allen would have said, “How about that!” It was 20 years ago that I visited friend Tom …

CHESTER, VT – I haven’t ridden any of my motorcycles much in the past couple of years. Maybe two or three thousand miles. The downside is that being a competent motorcyclist requires that you keep your skills sharp. The only way you can do that is by riding a motorcycle. …

It’s an ambitious plan. Build an uninterrupted 44-mile “greenway” alongside the Naugatuck River from Torrington to Derby for use by walkers, joggers, bicyclists and their pets. A few segments have been completed, while work and planning continues on the remainder, according to a status report on the project’s website. Of …

NAUGATUCK, CT – Riding a motorcycle isn’t for everyone. While an estimated 85 percent of students taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation-designed Basic Rider Course are successful, passing the course doesn’t make one a skilled rider or even road-ready. That only comes with seat time and a willingness to constantly work …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – It was when approaching a left-hand turn this past weekend that I noticed two motorcycles coming at me. I put on my turn signal well in advance and not only scanned the road in front of me but, using my mirrors, scanned the road behind me. …

“Dealer Perspective” by Bob Rosen LITTLE NECK, NY – Up until this point, the arrest, trial, conviction and, as of earlier this week, sentencing to 10 years in prison of Bruce J. Bemer on multiple felonies for patronization and trafficking young boys for sex has played out as a titillating …

BRISTOL, CT – Parked just inside the front door of Yankee Harley-Davidson on Route 6 here and cordoned off by red velvet ropes is a stunning red, white and blue 2019 Road Glide model. A sign on its seat warns “DO NOT SIT ON BIKE!” and an invoice attached to …

The ranks of female riders are steadily growing, and it’s high time that this demographic is recognized by the increasingly profit-challenged motorcycle industry. Later this year, ladies will come out in force for the Women Riders World Relay (WRWR). What better way to unite women on two wheels and gain …

HARWINTON, CT – Bills often get paid with nary a glance. Go online, log in, look at the amount due, and click “submit payment.” I did that last week when the registration renewal arrived for my pickup truck. The process was quick and easy. Thanks DMV. Included in the tab was …

CHESTER, VT – There have been plenty of years when my riding season began back in March. Sound silly? Well, when I was a young married man with one car and a child on the way, having a motorcycle was often a Godsend. If I dressed properly, I could make …

HARWINTON, CT – Life is full of negativity, annoyances and sometimes outrage. There are keyboard terrorists on social media posting insults (from both ends of the political spectrum), neighbors who leave their outside lights on all night and allow them to rudely shine in nearby windows, and, in summertime, the incessant …

LITTLE NECK, NY – It’s a local story that hasn’t received national attention, but it’s worth noting and commenting on. The owner of two Harley-Davidson dealerships in Wisconsin is being sued by Harley-Davidson for $6.3 million.  What happened was – possibly because they were caught in a cash crunch – the …