New England News

WATERBURY, CT – Waterbury firefighter Bill D’Occhio has been training for weeks. “The gym five days a week; a lot of spinning,” he said. He’s also been schlepping to Bethlehem where farmer and Bethlehem V.F.D. chief Jon O’Neill has allowed him to ride his off-road bikes “twice a week” on …

GARDNER, MA – Rob’s Dyno Service here has become the first dealer of Motus motorcycles in Massachusetts, and one of only two in New England. Owner Rob Swartz and technician Dan Cantor went to the Motus factory in Birmingham, AL in late July for training on the American-made sport bikes. …

HEBRON, CT – It’s a show that keeps growing; attracting more and more vendors as well as vintage motorcycles of modest and exquisite caliber. The annual National Meet of the Yankee Chapter of Antique Motorcycle Club of America kicked off here Friday under a sunny sky that brought out riders …

HEBRON, CT – The 1935 Nimbus Model C parked at the entrance to the National Meet being staged here this weekend by the Yankee Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America was the first vintage bike that many of those arriving on Friday morning got to see. It wouldn’t …

COLEBROOK, CT – Route 8 in Connecticut runs north-south from Bridgeport on Long Island Sound to Colebrook at the Massachusetts border. Before the flood of 1955, it was a narrow, winding road with numerous cities along the way. After the flood, dams were built on the Naugatuck River to prevent …

AGAWAM, MA – The shiny black 1981 Harley-Davidson FXB Sturgis that Paul Murphy still rides was purchased new from what was then Easthampton Harley-Davidson for approximately $5,200. Some 36 years and maybe 150,000 miles later, it’s still on the road, although its motor has been rebuilt four times and many …

SPRINGFIELD, MA – Some motor in proudly. Others are rolled in, while a few arrive with “some assembly required.” The annual Indian Day staged at the Springfield Museums brings together dozens of old Indian motorcycles, along with their mostly old owners. The colorful show was held again Sunday not from …

SPRINGFIELD, MA – His father, Fritzie Baer, ran the factory dealership at the original Indian Motorcycle plant and Butch Baer got his first ride as a newborn on a 1923 Indian with sidecar. He’s been riding ever since, but after a couple of driveway drops last year, it looked like …

SUFFIELD, CT – Year two of a revived motorcycle show at Hilltop Farm, once owned by original Indian co-founder George M. Hendee, proved satisfactory on Saturday with a bluegrass band livening the proceedings. “The big change is the music. There’s nothing like live music,” said Kacy Colston, president of The …

NEWINGTON, CT – Are your riding skills sufficient to teach others? If you think so, have some free time and would like to earn a few bucks in the process, CONREP needs you. The Connecticut Rider Education Program has lost roughly one-third of its instructor corps over the past few …

A stunt rider from Ohio who went down last week while showing off on a Connecticut roadway is getting ridiculed on Facebook as an “asshat,” a “dumb ass” and a “jackass” – and, after watching the video, it’s easy to see why. Jeff “C-Bear” Flaherty, whose Facebook page says that …

THOMPSON, CT – If this were a fish tale, it might be considered a whopper. However, unlike anglers who sometimes exaggerate the struggles involved in landing a prize catch, motorcyclists don’t need to embellish when storytelling because the truth alone is usually sufficient. Maine “Ted” Smith of Cheshire had such …

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Motorcyclists who ride the back roads of New England know just how bad they can be. Potholes, cracks and uneven pavement can make maneuvering a challenge. A new report released this week by the non-profit national transportation research group TRIP confirms it, revealing that the New England …

POMFRET, CT – As usual, the parking lot at the Vanilla Bean Cafe was filled with motorcycles on Sunday morning, but some heads turned when Charlie Gallo of Mansfield, CT rode in on his 1929 Harley-Davidson JD and parked next to a 1924 Ace owned by Dan Emerson of Woodstock, …

THOMPSON, CT – Some bikes can grab your attention instantly. The 1960 Velocette MSS owned by Rick Price of Chester, CT did just that as it was being unloaded from the back of a pickup at the Thompson Vintage Motorcycle Classic. So did the 1971 BSA Rocket 3 owned by …