Columns

NANUET, NY – It’s 9:30 p.m. with a clear sky and 26 degrees when my sidecar monkey Paul Weinberg and I pull into a commuter lot. The plan is to ready my trailered 1989 Honda Gold Wing for the 101st running of the Crotona Midnight Run before we reach the …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – The Facebook notification from the Ramapo Motorcycle Club arrived Thursday while I was sitting at my computer working my checklist for my second Crotona Midnight Run. It had the word  “Postponed” stamped across the event flyer. Due to the weather forecast of snow, rain and anything else …

LITTLE NECK, NY – We’ve read nearly endless articles and commentaries on the decline of Harley-Davidson motorcycle unit sales. They’re not the only company experiencing sales stress in North America, only the most visible. BMW just announced another growth year for worldwide motorcycle sales with 165,566 units sold in 2018. Indeed, …

LITTLE NECK, NY – Quite a few comments attributed to Harley-Davidson dealers have accompanied the recent introduction of the LiveWire electric bike. Among other things, they have lamented the costs they will have to absorb just to bring this model on board; things like a dedicated charging station, special tools, electronic …

BRIDGEWATER, CT – Are you interested in exploring new and interesting routes and places within the areas you like to ride?  If so, a moto-tag game may be for you. For those not yet familiar with the concept, moto-tag is a game played by riders to find and photograph objects/locations …

Where did the year go? The months passed too quickly and here we are at year’s end. The bikes have yet to be put away for winter, and may not be if the weather continues as it has recently. Here’s hoping. Here are a few New Year’s resolutions for 2019 …

HARWINTON, CT – Not being precisely on the mark when writing or speaking is easy, and excusable, if you’ve never been introduced to the vernacular… However, knowing the culture of motorcycling a bit, I cringed a lot earlier this week when I came upon a story in the local “Republican-American” …

One of the more limiting phrases in our language is “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” It snuffs out any possibility of change, much less innovation or improvement. While the motorcycle industry isn’t exactly circling the drain (yet), it is faced with the challenge of finding customers as baby …

NEW YORK – Despite the ever-shrinking size of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show, there were still some great exhibits to enjoy this past weekend. The adventure riding segment was highlighted by gathering all ADV-related vendors in the newly-formed Adventure Out! area. It was where a number of presenters shared stories of …

HARWINTON, CT – Depending on one’s perspective, they’re either odd or exotic. To many motorcyclists, three-wheelers such as Can-Am’s Spyder and Polaris’ Slingshot that don’t conform to the traditional trike layout of one wheel in front and two in the rear can’t be mentioned in the same breath as a motorcycle. …

NAUGATUCK, CT – The temperature change during October has some riders putting their bikes into hibernation. Then there are the motorcyclists who can’t get enough and get more riding time by extending their riding season several months or by riding all year long. For them chilly temperature is no reason to …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – If you were to ask me what I would give to go back in time to my teens, I’d never have imagined it would be $25. But that’s what it took this week. Since spending that cash less than 48 hours ago, I’ve made a new friend, …

NEW YORK – A lovely fall day, a tidy collection of Norton Commandos and some scrumptious traditional English eats – all deep in the heart of Brooklyn. That makes for an all together delightful experience, which I had at Union Garage on Saturday as the shop hosted a Norton Commando Bike Show …

HARWINTON, CT – The newspaper business is damn near foundering. Ad revenue is declining. So is circulation. Some newspapers are even shutting down. More will do so in the years to come as print readers die off. So why do newspapers still foot-drag in aggressively cultivating online readership and revenue? (“The …

CHESTER, VT – Might as well come out and say it: It was a lousy riding season for me. Either my criteria for a good riding day has changed or it was truly a crappy riding season because of the weather.  I am ashamed of how little I rode my motorcycle …