Ride New England

Pardon me while I belatedly celebrate a milestone. It was in late October that I marked 10 years of riding a motorcycle. Over that time, tens of thousands of miles have been ridden and nearly a dozen used bikes have filtered through the garage. The two-wheeled journey has been filled …

It has been more than a week since it was revealed that UConn Torrington won’t allow Connecticut Rider Education Program (CONREP) classes on its campus next year. Nothing’s changed and that’s not surprising. The loss of a training site isn’t hot news impacting loads of people and destined to prompt …

ROCKVILLE, CT – Tour what was once the Hockanum Mill in Rockville with Ken Kaplan, as RIDE-CT did recently, and his attention to detail on his $10 million dream project is constantly evident. It was evident during

California is the only state in the nation that allows lane-splitting – riding a motorcycle between two lanes of stopped or slow-moving traffic on a freeway – but the results of a new year-long study released this week just might spur

Edgar Howard Johnson Jr. fervently believes in securing his recently-acquired vintage Harley-Davidson, and is adamant that history not repeat itself. The motorcycle is locked in the garage at his home near Charlotte, N.C. “There’s no way they’d be able to

Ever buy a motorcycle that you didn’t need or necessarily want? Sometimes the urge to add some fresh iron to the garage is just too irresistible. That’s why there’s a 1983 Yamaha XT250 is parked next to my 2008 Suzuki V-Strom. It’s the bike I didn’t need, eventually didn’t want, …

(Update: Big W’s closed its doors on May 16, 2021.) WINGDALE, NY – One of the pleasures of motorcycling is spotting a previously-unexplored road and, on a whim, taking it. Sometimes the result is a dead end. A more common outcome is discovering a route that becomes part of a …

Mention the word “grill” and I’m apt to smile. For me, the word doesn’t only conjure up an image of a backyard barbecue or a heavily-chromed front end of a car produced by Detroit automakers in the 1950s, but also a line from an audio recording that I heard many …

EAST HAMPTON, CT – Maybe it’s because some friends rebuild vintage Indians. Or maybe it’s because a late riding buddy owned an old Indian Chief. Or maybe it’s because the revived Indian models have gotten so much attention, but my head always turns when an Indian appears. And two antique Chiefs that …

Imagine just for a moment a gorgeous and peaceful botanical garden where, once a week, a swarm of invaders descends. Most of these visitors are honey bees and butterflies. They’re colorful, generally non-threatening, and beneficial because they pollinate the flowers and blooming shrubs. They’re welcomed, or at least accepted without complaint. However, in addition …

Can a three-wheeled vehicle that has side-by-side bucket seats in an open cockpit, a steering wheel and a stick shift located in a console between those seats – but also has a swing-arm and is belt-driven – be considered a

KENT, CT – Friends Neil Tolhurst, Dean Mojon and I were seated on a wood bench across the street from Kent Coffee & Chocolate in downtown Kent on a recent Sunday around midday when a bright yellow Honda Gold Wing pulled to a stop in front of us. As we …

Maybe I’m just a doofus when it comes to modern motorcycles. Or simply inept. But I inevitably scare myself nearly every time that I test ride a modern bike with “throttle-by-wire.” The instant on/instant off nature of the system makes “unintended acceleration” a common occurrence, and I’m lucky that I …

RHINEBECK, NY – Motorcycle lovers who attend the Rhinebeck Grand National Meet at the Duchess County Fairgrounds in New York always have hundreds of vintage bikes to admire and thousands of parts and accessories to consider buying. The recent annual gathering had many alluring bikes, including a 1914 Excelsior, but …

Not all motorcyclists embrace the rolling sofas that cruisers represent or stick to the relatively smooth surfaces of state highways. There is an adventuresome breed of riders who prefer the challenge of a dual sport; testing their skills on