Ride New England

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

WATERBURY, CT – What’s winter without a project? Winter’s the season when motorcycle owners and shops engage in deferred repairs, overdue maintenance and long-desired restorations to occupy idle time and to prepare for the coming riding season. In my case, a hinky instrument cluster on the 1987 BMW R 80 RT …

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 …

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. …

TORRINGTON, CT – There eventually comes a time when every motorcyclist gives up riding. At 91, Jack Potter has finally decided to sell his motorcycles. He actually stopped riding eight years ago. It wasn’t because he’d lost his nerve, rather his decision was mostly triggered by an abrupt decline in enthusiasm, …

THOMPSON, CT – The invitation came unexpectedly. The winner of a contest held by the New England Riders motorcycle group was unable to attend an upcoming non-sportbike track day and organizer Ed Conde wondered if I’d like to fill the slot. Set for May 7 at Thompson Speedway, the street rider …

Dear Progressive, I have a beef.  Earlier this week, I participated in an informative and carefully-executed instructional non-sportbike “track day” staged by Tony’s Track Days at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Thompson, CT. I rode my new-to-me 2014 Triumph Bonneville and did so without insurance coverage after being informed by …

KENT, CT – It’s probably natural to yearn for the “good ol’ days” when life was seemingly simpler, less hectic and far more congenial. When motorcyclists look back, they do so with fond memories of small and cluttered motorcycle “shops” with oily rags and limited choices of new models, not at …

HARWINTON, CT – The endless winter can be a time for mischief because the only alternative to riding is window shopping in preparation for riding. Short days, long nights, cold and snow force a person to go online to visit dealer websites and to check out Craigslist for the used …

As a newbie, I knew little about riding. I’d long driven stick shift cars so learning how to operate a clutch and shifter lever on a motorcycle wasn’t a problem when I took the Basic Rider Course in Connecticut back in 2004. Everything else was foreign. Over the years, I’ve …