Bud Wilkinson
September 24, 2019 New England News, Up To Speed
GOSHEN, CT – Tony Gasper calls the favored proposal “the most palatable of the worst-case scenario”; the worst case scenario being dirt bike riders being forced to share long-treasured land behind the Thomaston Dam in Thomaston, CT with pedestrians and bicyclists. Gasper, president of the New England Trail Rider Association, …
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Bud Wilkinson
September 23, 2019 Ride New England, Up To Speed
By Bud Wilkinson WATERBURY, CT – From a sales standpoint, Harley-Davidson’s 1971 FX Super Glide model was an unmitigated flop. It was such an ugly duckling that only 4,700 of the ‘boat-tail” model were sold. “It was so untraditional for Harley that people just wouldn’t accept it,” recalled Cosimo “Doc” …
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Bud Wilkinson
September 20, 2019 Ride New England, Up To Speed
By Bud Wilkinson KENT, CT – Finally, relief from the roar. A solution to a nagging problem that should make riding more satisfying and cause fewer headaches. It was 18 months ago that I acquired a peppy used 2014 Triumph Bonneville from Mark’s Motorsports in Enfield, CT. The original owner …
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Bud Wilkinson
September 19, 2019 New England News, Up To Speed
DES PLAINES, IL – In a report that can be viewed as reassuring to riders in the region, the New England states were among the lowest in motorcycle thefts in 2018, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Nationally, 41,674 motorcycles (and scooters) were stolen in 2018, a six percent …
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Bud Wilkinson
September 16, 2019 New England News, Up To Speed
STURBRIDGE, MA – John Harris, the president of the Italian Motorcycle Owners Club, recalls the first motorcycle show that his organization staged decades ago. “We held it in somebody’s pasture in Killingly (CT). There were five or six people altogether,” said Harris, who has witnessed the show grow into what …
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Bud Wilkinson
September 15, 2019 New England News, Up To Speed
WATERBURY, CT – Doc’s Motorcycle Parts hosts a customer appreciation day and bike show every September, but this year’s was special as it marked the store’s 50th anniversary. A sizable crowd came to 1625 Thomaston Ave. today to admire the entries, chow down on hot dogs, and to do some …
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Bud Wilkinson
September 14, 2019 New England News, Up To Speed
VERNON, CT – The colorful owner of the New England Motorcycle Museum, who frequently has railed against law-breaking bike thieves in the past, has been charged by police for allegedly breaking some laws himself, according to local news reports. The “Journal Inquirer” newspaper in Manchester and the Vernon “Patch” website …
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Steve Smith
September 11, 2019 Safe Riding, Up To Speed
By Steve Smith NAUGATUCK, CT – You’ve been riding for a while. You’re no longer a fresh-from-class “newbie,” rather a novice street rider with some actual seat time. In progressing from novice status to being an experienced rider, though, it’s easy to become complacent and to forget to apply the …
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Bud Wilkinson
September 10, 2019 Ride New England, Up To Speed
By Bud Wilkinson THOMASTON, CT – Nothing’s settled. No decision has been made on the route that the Naugatuck Valley Greenway will take from the Torrington line southward to the Thomaston Dam, but recent discussions involving planners and concerned parties have apparently come up with a possible solution that may …
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Bud Wilkinson
September 9, 2019 New England News, Up To Speed
WASHINGTON, CT – It was known as the “Christmas Special” because it was sent to dealers in December. Only about 3,000 of the limited edition 1986 Honda Z50RD minibike were ever built, and they only went to select dealers. So rare are these chrome models today that used ones can …
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