Up To Speed

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A sparkling green, white and gold 1930 Indian 4 motorcycle, restored and customized by William “Wild Bill” Eggers of Goshen, is expected to fetch between $80,000 and $100,000 at an auction by Bonhams this week in Carmel, Calif. The bike has been in a private …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Go to the same places often enough and you’re bound to bump into familiar faces. The past two Sundays, RIDE-CT.com has run into Matt Hazen of Colebrook at the usual haunt, Toymaker’s Cafe in Falls Village. Today, Hazen was riding a silver 1987 Honda Hurricane …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A flash mob broke out Thursday night at the Main Street Marketplace in Torrington with 75 bikers, who had rehearsed for more than four months, putting on an enthusiastic show for the crowd. The purpose was to promote the Torrington Thunder bike night on Sept. …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com They came from all over Connecticut and beyond, packing downtown and the side streets, parks and parking lots as well. Thousands of riders brought their bikes to the 7th annual Middletown Motorcycle Mania this evening. (The above picture was taken before the crowd became elbow-to-elbow.) …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Dressed in shorts, a golf shirt and tennis shoes, Gary Halby looked like a typical Sunday tourist as he walked the sidewalks of downtown Kent at midday snapping photographs, except for the fact he held a high-end Canon 5D Mark camera with a 70-300mm telephoto …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Buying a new (used) bike has diverted attention for a few days (more on the acquisition in a future post), but results have finally been tabulated for July’s poll question and a new poll question for August has been posted. July’s question revolved around a …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com When I finally got the counter at the Department of Motor Vehicles on Thursday afternoon and handed over my paperwork to register a motorcycle and transfer a license plate, the customer service rep asked if she could throw away my numbered ticket for me. No, …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Readership of RIDE-CT.com rose again in July with the website registering 4,407 page views, a significant increase from the 3,396 page views recorded in July 2011.  For the first seven months of the 2012, more than 14,209 different people visited RIDE-CT.com and contributed to 36,647 …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Victory tonight unveiled its newest model for 2013, a classic cruiser called the Boardwalk. Powered by the brand’s 106 cubic inch V-Twin and having a six-speed transmission, the Boardwalk features long fenders, 60-spoke wheels and a 4.7-gallon gas tank. It will be available in two …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It’s a case of paralysis by analysis. For two weeks now, ever since selling the 1994 BMW R100RT “as-is” after it suffered complete transmission failure, I’ve been shopping for a replacement bike, looking for a modern, used motorcycle that will be reliable, affordable, stable during …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The 7th annual Middletown Motorcycle Mania, which is set for 5 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 8 in downtown Middletown, is looking for volunteers to help the event run smoothly. “We have most of the volunteers for the registration booths, the parking down the middle …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com MotoGP racing comes to Laguna Seca in California this weekend. To promote the event, Honda rider Stefan Bradl took his track bike up and down San Francisco’s famed Lombard Street yesterday. Given the road’s width and slickness, I suspect the descent wasn’t as easy as …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It not often that newspapers pay attention go motorcyclists, much less write about them in an inspiring manner. “The Republican-American,” of course, has the RIDE-CT column but most papers’ acknowledgement of riders consists of stories about us getting killed or injured in accidents. However, Karina …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The late afternoon email from Cornwall collector Will Paley stated, “I’m heading to Mohawk State Park to fire up the Griffon.” Unfortunately, it didn’t get noticed until it was too late to get there to witness his excursion, so I can only imagine what the …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Part of the fun of riding is when the motorcycle you’re piloting gets positive feedback from other riders. I was getting ready to pull out of a side street in Thomaston this afternoon, headed to a gas station, when a couple on a heavyweight cruiser …