True East M/C

rolled the I95 corridor this past good friday to meet up with Smilin' Jack and enjoy a little Springtime in the City. first stop, Sixth Street Specials to pick up the freshly tuned '67 650. next stop, the clubby, old style charm of the Velvet Cigar Lounge - smoking not prohibited. wrapped the afternoon with the pizza in the City, Arturo's Coal Oven Pizza. good times.

Sixth Street Specials, 6th Street at Avenue C

Velvet Cigar Lounge, 7th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue

Arturo's Pizza, West Houston Street at Thompson Street

it's time to check out the local ride-in spots around Southwestern CT. Located in the center of this sleepy bedroom town and across from the train station, the Horseshoe Cafe in Southport has been serving thirsty NYC commuters for decades. a cozy bar with a gaggle of tvs showing sports, a couple of dart boards and a pool table, the 'Shoe also boasts a decent menu of pub food. On Tuesday nights, the 'Shoe hosts a relatively mild ride-in. on a typical Tuesday night, you'll see between 10-25 bikes or more - mostly late-model, shiny, Japanese, Italian, German and British marques with an occasional vintage or antique group in attendance. an 'older' demographic as well. For this past Spring-like Tuesday night, I was the only two-wheeler. good, more room at the bar.

and no, i didn't stick around for the Karaoke competition.

the Horseshoe Cafe is located at 355 Pequot Avenue in Southport, CT

Matt and his '67 650. off to Hugh at 6th Street Cycles for a 'rebirth'. see you soon, Pal. lotsa rides 'on tap' for this month.

classy tee, indeed

listen up riders in the 4-season regions who are diggin' out your rides from the back of the shed / garage / kitchen. Spring's about to be sprung and you'll need to get your ride(s) in shape. here's a friendly reminder to wrench BEFORE you ride. yeah, this means you. jot down this simple checklist and avoid around 90% of problems that'll put you on the side of the road faster than ..... [insert smarmy line here]

now, get to wrenchin':

change oil / filter

check / replace sparkplugs

add fresh gas and check / clean / replace fuel / air filter element

check chain alignment / tension

check motor and trans mount nuts / bolts

check exhaust bolts / flanges

lubricate zerk grease fittings

check tires / tire pressure - a sitting bike in cold temps can bleed air pressure

check wheels / spokes

check electric / ignition connections / battery - wipe down battery between posts to avoid current leaching and slowly draining the charge

grease / lubricate cables

check brakes / brake hoses / fluid levels

check bulbs, especially brake lights

and, finally - fix that pesky, loose, broken whatever that you've been putting off since last season!

see you on the road

well, not in CT - there's no helmet law here!

no traction to speak of today. gave it the ol' college try though.

Sullivan Street near Houston, NYC / August 2008

can't recall the name of the restaurant, but the Dos Equis' were mighty cold!

Stamford CT's own Colony Grill has been serving 'pizza and drinks' since 1935 and is considered the oldest continually run restaurant in the city of Stamford. Colony's specialty is ultra-thin crust pizza with variety of toppings. The most famous is their hot pepper oil pie and the 'stinger' pie, with a hot pepper atop each slice. At lunchtime, it's commonplace to see a line of take out with stacks of 4-10 pies per order. There is a dining area and a bar area. The best seats are at the bar, 'natch. There is off-street restaurant parking and bike parking in front on the sidewalk is permitted.

F I M approved.

Colony Grill is located at 172 Myrtle Avenue in Stamford, CT.

in the City last night to catch the NYC 'unveiling' of the latest in the Dark Custom series - the Forty-Eight. a good time with good friends and the open bar was a plus. too bad the hipsters had no idea who the man is. oh well. thanks to Willie G and H-D for the party...

Meriden is located in the middle of CT. it was a thriving manufacturing town in the 40s and 50s, supplying the war machine in WWII and later GM's New Venture plant. as manufacturing moved off shore, the town has sadly declined and remains a hard luck town. passing through the other week, I finally got to stop in to Ted's, home of the world famous steamed cheeseburger. established in 1959 (also my est. year), this tiny (tiny!) joint has been a tasty draw from near and far. the process is simple. heat an enclosed ss shelved cabinet with water over a gas stove, fill tiny trays with hamburger meat (and a slab of mozzarella cheese and onions if you like), slide the tray into the cabinet until cooked and serve on a soft vienna roll. pretty ingenious and the burgers never vary - always juicy and tender. I am a big fan of the White Castle steamed 'sliders', but Ted's has nothing in common.

The place is always packed but the tables and counter turns over fairly quickly. F I M approved.

Ted's is located at 1046 Broad Street in Meriden, CT