THOMASTON, CT – Tom Ordway of Thomaston wasn’t expecting to buy a Norton when he went shopping for a motorcycle in 1975. “I went to a Harley dealer to buy a Sportster – all my buddies had Sportsters – and this was parked over on the side,” he recalled, referring …
Read More »If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…
After a layoff of a couple of months, it’s time for another riveting (or not) installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have told You…” It’s a catch-all column for small newsworthy items not hefty enough for a full post, updates on previous stories, stale press releases, opinion …
Read More »Harley-Davidson Patch On Bucks’ Uniforms
MILWAUKEE – It’s getting to the point that there’s barely a space where an ad cannot be placed. Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson has announced a new multi-year deal whereby its iconic bar and shield logo will appear in the form of a patch on the uniforms of Milwaukee Bucks’ players, beginning with …
Read More »Video: Middletown Motorcycle Mania
MIDDLETOWN, CT – Thousands of riders descended on Wednesday night for the annual “Middletown Motorcycle Mania” in downtown. Dealers, accessory vendors, food purveyors, bands and the riders themselves contributed to the atmopshere:
Read More »Panhead Held Up Well In Crash
TORRINGTON, CT – The fate of the motorcycle is inconsequential when a rider goes down. A bike can be replaced, but a person cannot. Fortunately, Glenn Royals survived after recently finding himself confronted by a driver in a pickup who pulled across his path. He suffered some extensive injuries when …
Read More »New “The Lot” Vintage Show Set In Brooklyn
BROOKLYN – After three years of staging the Split’n Lanes & Dodgin’ Gutters show at the Brooklyn Bowl bowling alley, Basket Case Productions plans to “step it up a notch,” according to promoter Girard Fox, and move outdoors this year with a new vintage motorcycle show called “The Lot.” Set …
Read More »Firefighter Rides To Help Children’s Burn Victims
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 …
Read More »Rob’s Dyno Service First Motus Dealer In MA
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. …
Read More »Hebron National Meet Keeps Growing
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 …
Read More »1935 Nimbus Stands Out At Hebron Show
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 …
Read More »Riding Abandoned Route 8 In Colebrook River Lake
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 …
Read More »Harley-Davidson FXB Sturgis Keeps Rolling
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 …
Read More »Always Riding: “Bullying” New Normal On Road
I debated with myself quite a bit about writing this column. A part of me does not want to bring attention to a driving behavior that I wish were not real. On the other hand, I do not want to “not discuss” this behavior because talking about it might save …
Read More »The Old And The Old At Indian Day
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 …
Read More »Indian Day Brings Scout Sixty Trike For Butch Baer
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 …
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