Up To Speed

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Hurricane Sandy (and the celebration of my hometown of Harwinton’s 275th anniversary) diverted attention, but now it’s time to catch up… The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee has unveiled a display that showcases the “Tsunami Harley,” the 2004 Softail Night Train owned by Ikuo Yokoyama that …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The new James Bond movie “Skyfall” features some rooftop riding and Honda is out with a video on how it was done:  

 By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The appellation “bitsa bike” – as in a motorcycle made from “bits of this, bits of that” – might suggest to some an amalgam of parts that are crammed together, with the result being an ill-conceived finished product. To call Steve Luba’s custom motorcycle a …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A news nugget last week from Visordown.com, a motorcycle website in the U.K., got me thinking. It told of a protest by bikers in Wales over a 35 pence  toll to cross the Cleddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire, and noted that most toll roads in the …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Route 154 is a winding state road that runs along the west side of the Connecticut River from Old Saybrook through Esssex and Deep River and north to Haddam and Higganum. “This is a nice cruising road,” said Janet Gessner, whose husband, Tim, rides a …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com What would you do if your bike suddenly caught fire as you sat the gas pump after filling up? Would you panic, drop it and run? Maybe drive away from the pumps from quickly? Run inside the gas station for a fire extinguisher? The KZ750 …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The owner of a sportbike in Roanoke Rapids, NC got a surprise recently when his motorcycle, which was parked by the curb and covered, got picked up by city garbage collectors, crushed and hauled away as trash. WTVD-TV in Raleigh-Durham has the story:  

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com (Editor’s note: The Motorcycle Cannonball ended a month ago in San Francisco. This is the second of two column about the endurance run that appeared in “The Republican-American.”) Amazingly, “The Beast” made it. It went coast to coast, Newburgh, N.Y. to San Francisco and all …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A 1969 BSA Rocket III is back with its rightful owner after having been stolen and eventually shipped to England. Mike Lullo of Batavia, NY bought the bike in 1975 and rode it regularly until it broke down. He then put the Beezer in the …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Are you superstitious? Do you have a gremlin/guardian bell on your bike? And, if so, why? Those are the new poll questions just posted. Because I’m a little late in getting a question up this month, this poll will run through November. I admit to …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Most riders know the saying that goes “There are those who have gone down, and those who will go down.” That includes pretty much all riders. Motojournalist Wes Siler recently crashed and he makes a good case for wearing something more substantial than jeans when …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A few months ago, RIDE-CT.com heard that a multi-brand suitor was pursuing Midtown Kawasaki, located at 1864 Silas Deane Highway in Rocky Hill. Nothing transpired, though, and the rumors eventually quieted – until today when an attempted check of the dealership’s website showed it to …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The view is simply spectacular. From the deck of the Point Lookout Mountain Inn on Route 23 in East Windham, NY, it’s possible to see five states. RIDE-CT.com spent Columbus Day on Monday riding back roads throughout the Catskills and stopped at the inn for …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It’s not easy getting old. That’s a phrase than anyone above “a certain age” can relate to. Right? After spending more than six hours hosting “The Republican-American”/RIDE-CT.com display on Friday night, a half-day on yard work Saturday and having to direct traffic for more than …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Pope Benedict XVI’s security detail may ride Italian-made police version Ducati Multistradas, fitting since the Vatican is in Rome, but His Holiness took time on Wednesday to greet two visitors from Milwaukee – Willie G. Davidson and his son, Bill Davidson. They brought with them …