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By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com One ride from this year will never be duplicated. It happened in August when I joined Will Paley when he took his French-made, 493cc Griffon out for a spin on Route 43 near his Cornwall home. Paley’s purpose in riding it was to make sure …
Read More »The Year in Pictures: June-July
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com June means the annual Rhinebeck Grand National Super Meet at the Duchess County Fairgrounds in New York. Persistent raindrops intruded this year but didn’t dampen the fun of seeing hundreds of vintage machines. There were gorgeous Harleys… And some rarities, too, including an old Emblem …
Read More »Vintage Honda Commercial Features “Wild Hog”
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Long before he starred in the movies (including “Wild Hogs”) or on television (“Welcome Back, Kotter”), John Travolta did a motorcycle commercial for Honda. It’s appropriate to pull it out this messy day because the jingle begins “Through rain or sleet or snow, you’ve got …
Read More »The Year in Pictures: April-May
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com An April party marking the move of Keith Bruno’s motorcycle repair business in Winsted, known as The Shop, gave RIDE-CT.com the opportunity to meet Mike White of Canaan, who showed up on his 1965 Harley-Davidson Panhead. In May, RIDE-CT.com attended the vintage automobile and motorcycle …
Read More »Submerged for 56 Years, Bike Now Back on Land
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Fisherman Jeff Riedemann hooked a whopper on Nov. 29 when he pulled a 1938 German motorcycle from the bottom of Big Swan Lake in Dassel, MN. It had been submerged since December 1956 when 15-year-old Dean Allie went through the ice while joyriding. Allie’s now …
Read More »The Year in Pictures: February-March
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Chatting with some friends one recent evening, one of them remarked that someday Vincents will be forgotten; that new riders lack an interest in the history of motorcycling and have no interest in the vintage machines that once flashed across the landscape. I hope he’s …
Read More »The Year in Pictures: January
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com With 2012 winding down, it’s time to look back on some of the images and events that RIDE-CT.com captured during the year. (OK, I admit it, the week between Christmas and New Year’s produces very little news and a “look back” is better than no …
Read More »N.J. Moves to Ban Motorcycle-Only Checkpoints
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The Senate Transportation Committee in New Jersey approved on Tuesday legislation that would prohibit motorcycle-only checkpoints. “Stopping a driver strictly because of the type of vehicle they are operating is unfair to motorists, plain and simple,” said Sen. Jeff Van Drew, who is co-sponsoring the …
Read More »New Spoof Calendar Has Men Striking Poses
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Portland, OR-based MotoCorsa is out with a 2013 wall calendar designed to make riders laugh. Selling for $16, the “SeDUCATIve vs. MAN” calendar has staffers recreating the poses of model Kylie Shea Lewallen – right down to the fashions. Shipping is free in the U.S. …
Read More »Reasons to Avoid Motorcycles and Tattoos … Or Not
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com If you’re an iPhone user, you might want to ditch your motorcycle and avoid getting a tattoo. Research released today by the protection plan company SquareTrade shows that smartphone users with certain lifestyles and habits damage their devices more frequently than others. Motorcycle owners were …
Read More »Oil Drippings: News and Opinion
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The owners of the four millionth Harley-Davidson made at the company’s plant in York, PA got a factory tour on Monday. Robert and Susan Singler of Summerville, SC were flown in by Harley to meet the workers who made their 2013 Road Glide Ultra. The …
Read More »Is Buell About Ready to Really Bounce Back?
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com What’s Erik Buell been doing since the Buell brand, owned by Harley-Davidson, was closed in 2009? Well, he built the expensive and limited edition 1190RS superbike under the EBR (Erik Buell Racing) marquee. It only cost $40,000 for the 175-horsepower machine. He also forged a …
Read More »Oil Drippings: News and Opinion
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A midday ride on Route 63 yesterday from Falls Village to Litchfield, and back home to Harwinton on Route 118, probably had drivers wondering what was up. Gary Randall and I had ridden to Toymaker’s Cafe for lunch and were chowing down when a person …
Read More »What Does Abe Lincoln Ride?
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com You know that someone’s dedicated rider not only by what they ride, but when they venture out on dreary December day like today. Showing up at the Bantam Cinema late this afternoon for a post-screening Q&A with movie-goers who paid to see “Lincoln” was star …
Read More »A New Sound for Indian…
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Indian used this weekend’s Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, CA to unveil the sound of the new Indian model that’s expected to be released later this year. It’ll be the first new bike from the American-made brand since it was acquired by Polaris. …
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