Up To Speed

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 …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The 3rd annual Torrington Thunder motorcycle show in downtown Torrington isn’t until Sept. 28, but we’re is already hard at work lining up bikes for The Republican-American/RIDE-CT.com display. Yesterday, Sal Masotta of Waterbury committed to bring his 1920 Indian Powerplus. The bike formerly belonged to …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com In this case, it’s just one bike “along the road” – a custom parked along the main drag in Kent yesterday. Despite trying, I never managed to locate the owner. The bike’s green paint with flames and skull and spider attracted glances. Whoever did the …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com What’s it like to go down at nearly 80 miles per hour? This video snagged from “The Daily Mirror” in the U.K. shows us:

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Results of RIDE-CT.com’s June poll have been tabulated and nearly half of those voting – 49 percent – believe that loud exhaust pipes are obnoxious. Readers were given six choices to complete the line “Do you think loud exhaust pipes are…” and were allowed to …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com When the “down low” noise began, I cannot recall. Maybe sometime last year. It became more persistent, although not consistent, this spring. Something definitely seemed wrong with my 1994 BMW R100RT, but I couldn’t pinpoint the problem. Friends rode it and didn’t hear a thing. …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Victory marks 14 years of making motorcycles in Spirit Lake, Iowa on the 4th of July and plans on unveiling some 2013 models next Monday. Today, the company rolled out a new badge design/logo with a teaser video.

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It was a bit too hot yesterday afternoon to enjoy riding much, but a morning spin to Toymake’s Cafe in Falls Village turned up (as usual) some noteworthy vintage models, including two Ducatis. Mark Young of Guilford rode in a black 1975 Ducati 860 GT …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com John Purdy Jr., who oversees the motorcycle safety courses at Naugatuck Valley Community College and is a Connecticut Rider Education Program instructor, preaches the importance of riders being visible to drivers. He always wears a bright, reflective vest when riding and, a couple of years …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A high-speed ride took a scary turn for a rider with a video camera when a snake slithered out from between the handlebars… What would you have done?  Calmly slowed down or completely lost control? — Motorcycle noise in our National Parks is creating a …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It was June 17th, the day after many of us in the riding community in northwest Connecticut were shocked to learn of the death of T.J. Zappulla of Torrington. Riding compatriot Gary Randall and I were headed north on Route 179, approaching North Canton with …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Triumph has finally announced what RIDE-CT.com readers learned a month ago – that the company will re-enter the touring segment with a 2013 model called the Trophy SE. U.S. dealers will begin receiving the bike in January. A more downscale version, lacking the SE designation, …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A video produced in the U.K. to promote this year’s Ride to Work Day this past Monday showcases two uses for leather, and it’s very funny…

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com If you wear an SA-08 model motorcycle helmet, sold under the brand name 5X5, you might want to chuck it in the dumpster. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has flagged it for failing to meet head protection requirements  of the federal safety standard for …