Hot Rod Riot 5 - Overdrive

Next Friday Night

Rides of March complete.

Our silly little challenge is over. 5 did successfully. It was fun, cold and soggy.





Starting May 1 we will be doing the Murdercycles 1000. 100 miles a day for 10 consecutive days. Sounds easy enough....

Free White Meat

Stafford Swap Meet

Dooman's Pictures

Kyle Dooman is a dude I run into at parties. His dad was my Jr. High gym teacher. He has always had a camera with him at parties. He posted up some cool pictures on his facebook page today.










Kyle's Page

First Day of Spring

The strange warm spell continued into Saturday morning. 65 degrees on the last Winter morning of the year was a gift well appreciated. Butchie, Scuzzo and I filled up on eggs and coffee at the local diner. Outside the windows our bikes were stationed, waiting for the first good adventure of the year.

"North", Butch grunted. "North is where we need to go." So we quickly sketched a route out that would put us in Danbury, CT by 5 pm. We had to stop in Danbury for a visit. The rest of the day was just us and the road.

Stafford became Bondsville, but Milltown Ink was closed. 10:30 AM is too early for inkers. North more and we came into the tail end of a bike run rolling towards the Quabbin Reservior. I counted 30 bikes in the group. They were well managed and keeping an even pace, avoiding the "Slinky of Death". Well done or not, a group ride isn't on our menu today.

We split off in Shutesbury and in Athol came across the Patriot Guard holding a row of American flags in font of a funeral parlor. Thoughts of our soldiers for a few miles. Crossing Route 2a we went straight across into uncharted lands of farms.

The road turned to dirt after 10 miles, but we continued. The surface was in better shape than the notorious Route 32 goat path that crosses into New Hampshire. At the crest of the hill the surface material changed and we figured we were in "Live Free or Die" country.

We almost followed the New Hampshire Motto as the shadowed, downhill run of Whipple Hill was frozen mud that was thawing. A jello like substance that Dunlop rubber can not even stick to. Visions of three muddy Harley-Davidsons piled on top of each other and the sound of snapping leg bones locked me into a fear paralysis. No front brakes, dammit! Get it slowed down without sliding. Smooth, man, smooth. Somehow we all survived the dirt portion of our ride, it was slippery.

Through Winchester, NH and the next stop was Dunkin Donuts across the Connecticut River in Brattleboro, Vermont. Cup of joe, 4 gallons of Shell and Molly Stark's raceway awaited.

Vermont 9 is wide, smooth and fast. It crosses the mountains East-West across the bottom of Vermont. Long sweepers at 90mph and a couple scenic towns to give you a breather here and there. Snow banks still lined the road up here and it was a bit colder. Bennington was at the bottom of the valley.


We checked out Hemmings Motor News' Sunoco station/coffee bar/gift shop. I remembered many hours with the the thin paged, brown covered bible of car parts.


We also stopped to see the Bennington Monument on the West side of town. A large, stone spike dedicated to the original patriots.



Vermont turned into New York and we aimed South on NY22. Another fast, scenic ride in a valley just West of the Berkshires. We stopped in Millerton to eat again at the chrome diner in town, but went hungry. It was closed for renovations. The owner came outside and invited us back in three weeks for the opening.




More NY22 and then we cut over diagonally past Candlewood Lake into Danbury. We made our appointment and hit the highway towards home before the sun set. Scuzzo had a party at the Quartette Club in New Britain, so we had a beer there and said goodbye.


Now it was Hi-Speed Traffic Chess out to Mansfield for Kellie's 40th birthday at the Stonewall Tavern.
Close friends, surf music and cake.



Put the kickstand down at home at 11:30 PM. As I was drifting off the sleep, I heard the distinctive engine sound the Lifestar helicopter fly through the night sky. I wondered if it was someone I know in stretcher. 370 miles and 5 states made for a perfect start to Spring.

Turns out the patient in the helicopter was a close friend.

Pete was released the next day and should be fine. Thank God.

Last Day of Winter

65 degrees and sunny. A great way to finish off Winter. Although I knew we had guests arriving at the club, I had to go for a ride. Slowly chugging through the nursery and tobacco fields, exploring the dirt roads, it cleared my head from a hectic week of dealership madness.
Got to the club and Amy was there, so she got on the fender and I took another slowpoke ride.
Should be even warmer today, then back to regular temperatures.

13 years ago

Jeff found some old pics. My bike on it's first set of tires.

New Haven, CT Cafe 9

Had to travel the 60 miles to new haven last night. The mayor of New Haven, EBomb, had a silkscreen done for us.
Brisk ride down I91 peppered with squadrons of sportbikes zipping by at 140. The FLs felt like tugboats.
We meet up at a cool joint called Cafe 9. This night they had Vinyl Happy Hour. It wasn't a PVC bondage hour, rather a dude spinning LP RECORDS. Cool to hear songs from the early part of our musical knowledge.
Met Jamie, a bartender/photographer/entrapeneur who knows as much about bikes as almost anyone I know. Was really digging the vibe and didn't want to go home.
Had some cheep PBRs and a cold ride home.





Day 16 was a good one on two wheels.

eat it

BMW Crew

picture from The Irving and Betty Haggett Collection

Patsy Cline

fucking hilarious

V8 car & Tattoos

AMA Gypsy Tour 1956

Check out riding the 56 AMA tour on BMWs with the Haggets.

http://murdercycles.com/v-web/gallery/album260

Cool ricebox of the day

My brother towed this in today.
I have NEVER seen one of these. East Coast doesn't get to see too many grey market Jap cars.