Saddle Bums

Motorcycling the Lower Hudson Valley and Beyond

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It's Spring! (Where are All the Riders?) This April here in the Garden State, riding and trout fishing season opened on the same day (the former by my decree and the latter by the authority of New Jersey Fish & Wildlife). While the anglers were busy angling, for the most part the riders were not "ridling." "It's too cold!" Hot Dog Donna yelped through my Sena headset. When is 60F too cold when slamming sausage is waiting to be angled (?) at the Lumberville General Store in Pennsylvania? 100 miles in the saddle for breakfast under a harsh, low April sun — well worth it. Music: The V-Factor by The Vara-Tones

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1916 Henderson Model Reveal

Bikes & Breakfast, Closter, New Jersey

Don't try this at home. You don't find these Hendersons in barns any more (HAH!). With some luck you find an engine that was hacked to perform farm-generator duties then cast your own bell housing from ingot. Many other parts you manufacture (or have manufactured) on your own. Polish or nickel-finish (no chrome back then!) the other parts that need it and you've made a good start. Frames? Haven't got time for that here. Chris Matthews of Road Oiler Restorations has been doing this for years. This Henderson will be at the Kissimmee Mecum auction in January if you're interested. Six figures if it's a dollar. Music (requested by Chris): Transfusion by Nervous Norvus

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Fall Car Show and a Four Fork Restaurant Riding to and through Lambertville, New Jersey Fall has arrived here in the northeast and that means only one thing; pumpkin spice everywhere! And car shows. Lots of car shows. Me (2019 Kawasaki W800 Cafe) and my buddy Dale (2021 BMW R nineT) ventured southwest from Bergen County to the greater Lambertville, NJ, area for the Flemington Speedway Historical Society 13th Annual Car Show (whew!) Dale was on a mission to see if a 1951 Ford F1 pickup he had sold to an area local earlier in the year could possibly (hopefully) be on display at the show (seller's remorse, perhaps?) I just needed a good ride in familiar territory and some good food. I was rewarded with both.

Music: Duke of Clyde Gets a Ride by the Glasgow Tiki Shakers

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Wings and Wheels and Wide Open Roads The Fall Installment of the Van Sant Airfield Biannual Event When there's a show of planes, motorcycles and cars at an historic airfield within a hundred miles of home, well, you just have to be there. (Maybe someday they'll lay track and bring in vintage trains). So it was I found myself cold (wrong choice of riding jacket) and then wet (ditto) on this chilly fall day in the Delaware River Valley. I've ridden this area dozens of times, but on this day I "discovered" an all-too short, sweet section of CR 629 in New Jersey that provided a wee bit of fun. Music: El Sereno by The Vara-Tones

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The Joy of Sussex A county with old quaint towns and general stores, like this one I'm a sucker for old general stores in small towns. There's nothing like the pleasure of riding old farm country roads and then by fortune happening upon a general store right about the time your butt and stomach announce their demands. The George D. Garris General Store on Main St. (of course) in Stillwater Township, New Jersey, is full-blown quaint, though you'll have to look elsewhere for something to eat. It still serves as a post office complete with friendly post master, so you're free to enter its doors and browse. When in town check out the Old Stillwater Garage and the historic Casper and Abraham Shafer Grist Mill. Music: "Fine and Dandy," and "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" performed by Art Tatum.

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Motorcycling to places that time forgot In my motorcycle travels over the last nine or so years, I've documented my rides with an extensive collection of photographs and videos. Reflecting on those images it's obvious I'm drawn to places that are lost in time. If you replaced the colors with monochrome they can be passed off as vintage, plucked from a crumbling photo album or lifted from decaying 16mm film. So that's what I did here. Most of my riding is solo, either by choice, default, or — as seen here — through Photoshop. This short video reflects that solitude while covering four states: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. But mostly New Jersey. The Lower Delaware River Valley has evolved into a favorite destination. My mind and spirit change while rolling through the valley's gentle hills and dusty farm country roads. My skin feels different. (And traveling solo allows me a guilty pleasure; singing in my helmet. Bluetooth communicators can add to the enjoyment on small group outings, but crooning a James Taylor tune ensconced in my Bell has its cherished place in my psyche). Thankfully I don't record myself singing, so enjoy "Beyond The Blue" by The Vara-Tones.

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Storm King Highway

One of the most popular and spectacular motorcycle routes in the Lower Hudson Valley. Stunning views of the river and light traffic (on week

Storm King Highway, Orange County, New York A Motorcyclist "Must Ride" Hard to believe this is the first time I've shared this amazing motorcycling route on social media. It's very popular here in the New York Metro area -- perhaps too popular on weekends. So our small group of riders was able to enjoy it on a lazy Thursday in August. Taking great photos here is easy and it's nearly impossible not to, so snap away. We continued on to Perrine's Covered Bridge in New Paltz but "they" must have gotten wind of it, blocking our feeble attempt to ride through the historic bridge.

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Fortress of Solitude in West Central New Jersey

When you arrive here on a motorcycle you can't help but feel better. That's why I call it my "Fortress of Solitude." Don't ride here in a large group -- please. Trust me, it won't work. In fact, it won't even look or feel the same. Two or three riders -- tops! But alone is best. I've included info here on using an Insta360 X3 camera, and more info on why I ride what I ride.

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Ringing Rocks and Riding Route 32 Getting stoned in Bucks County If you live in the Northeast US I don't have to tell you it's been wet --- really wet. It started raining sometime in March and warm, sunny days have been few and far. So when yet another weekend looked to be yet another washout we (my buddy Dale and I) squeezed in a cloudy but dry Friday ride to Ringing Rocks State Park in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania. The name tells you everything you need to know. Bring a hammer. From there it was a scenic ride down PA-32, taking in the ancient stone structures and chasing an elusive sun to The Ace Café in New Hope, where I delivered a gift to Jimmy Lam, the owner of the motorcycle-themed café.

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Welcome Home for a Rare Indian Traffic Car Sometimes videos just make themselves. When my friend Louis from Oz pointed out that this 1936 Indian Traffic Car (that I have mistakenly referred to as a “Travel” Car in this video) reminded him of a similar vehicle featured in the 1954 movie "La Strada," (The Road") it just all came together. Even the music; "E'Arrivato Zampano!" ("The Arrival of Zampano!" -- how perfect is that!) fell right into place. So: lights, camera, action! "Zampano II." Music: E'Arrivato Zampano! from La Strada by Nino Rota

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The Annual Gathering Of The Nortons 2025

A hearty bunch these Norton people. Neither cold temps or gale force winds kept owners and admirers from meeting up in Baptistown, New Jersey, on this blustery Sunday morning. Quite commendable for a British marque that hasn't put two wheels together (rotary engine bikes aside) since the Ford administration. Currently the whole mishmash is under the umbrella of the TVS Company of India. Good luck to them. Music: Night Train by The Oscar Peterson Trio

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Celebrating the Small at The Ace Café It was billed as a VW/Micro Car/Small Bike Day. And it delivered. But the small turnout was unexpected. Still, "a good time was had by small" — I mean "all" — as they say ad nauseam, on one of the first truly weather wise wonderful riding days here in what masquerades as spring in the northeast. Besides, where else could you have seen not one but TWO Nissan Figaros cheek-to-cheek on this side of the Pacific? Music: Have You Met Miss Jones by Art Tatum & Ben Webster

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We kicked off the 2025 riding season (finally!) on a beautiful early-spring morning with an incredible ride to The Martin Moto Bike Show in Boyertown, Pennsylvania. My buddy Brad was there showing his enviable collection of '80s-era turbocharged bikes. On the second floor of the dealership were some of Dennis Martin's (of Martin Moto) own classic motorcycles. Lunch took us to Amanda's Riverside Café on the banks of the PA side of the Delaware River (Saddle Bums recommended). music: Stoked on Surf Medley by Davie Allen & The Arrows

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Yep, they use to race cars at Hinchliffe (please do NOT say Hinch CLIFF) Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey. From 1934 -- two years after the venue's opening -- until 1950 as a matter of fact. It had the usual ending of all, small, local racetracks; noise complaints. But the twist here is that the homes were built before the stadium (unlike people who get a great deal on a three-bedroom near an airport and wonder where all that noise is coming from?) The old timers with their old cars gathered at the old-but-newly-renovated former Negro League Baseball stadium to swap old stories (some of them even true!) on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in November. The machines were strikingly gorgeous, too, and did we mention we're steps away from the Great Falls of Passaic?

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Plane Strafes Motorcyclists in PA! They escape with their lives to the Ace Café Well... ...the ride was also sensational. An unseasonably warm fall day was taken advantage of by we three intrepid riders: Turbosteve (Kawasaki W800 Cafe); Hot Dog Donna (CanAm Spyder); and Prince Albert on a Pan (Honda ST1100). By now it's no secret that the counties of Morris and Hunterdon in NJ and Bucks in PA hold an unusual spell over me when it comes to places to ride through (and places to stop and smell the horse manure and aviation fuel). A full day with empty tanks at the end of it. Music: A Song For Jennie (We're Almost There) by Robin Spielberg

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Taking It To The Beach Competing with the youngest rider on the oldest bike at TROG It was all there. Shoulder-to-shoulder ratted-out and pristine cars and motorcycles; lots of interesting hats and tatts; perfectly coiffed guys in greasy overalls; organized chaos. Only Wildwood -- the Doo-Whop capital of the U.S. of A. goddamnit! -- could host something like this. Waves of iron up against the waves; packed grandstands with thousands cheering (mostly) on the riders and drivers as they motor down the (approximately) eighth-mile stretch of sand; the Wall-Of Death! (only the barkers weren't allowed call it that -- insurance restrictions or truth in advertising?)

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Discovering What a "Modern Classic" is The Annual Martin Moto Modern Classics Ride In OK, now I get it; a Modern Classic motorcycle is simply a modern bike that looks and sounds like a "classic" bike. Anyway, with that squirreled away in my brain and knowing I have the perfect bike for this event I was finally able to rest easily and get a good night's sleep. The "Show" is actually just the riders who bothered to get up early enough to ride and fill the parking area around Martin Moto in Boyertown, PA. That's about a 135-mile, one-way trip for this reluctant early riser on his 2019 Kawasaki W800 Cafe (a modern classic!), which translates to about three hours of saddle time haunting mostly back roads. With perfect weather for the last two weeks here in this part of the Northeast USA it wasn't a big ask. With my 360º camera you can watch the video to experience what it's like to ride 10 feet behind me. No passing allowed.