A Visit to Motorcyclepedia, March, 2025

March 23, 2025 RichardReina Events, museums Motorcycle Museum, Motorcyclepedia

Last week, I made my second visit to what might be one of the few motorcycle museums on the East Coast, “Motorcyclepedia” in Newburgh, NY. Unlike my first visit in 2021, which was more of a quick walk-through, this time I had the pleasure of an informal tour guide in the form of my good friend Terry, who has done some volunteer work at this museum and is more familiar with its content.

First, the building is huge, with displays which are well-lit, well-maintained, and well-organized. Perhaps the museum’s biggest claim to fame is its collection of Indian motorcycles. Arranged in chronological order, there is one Indian bike of each model year from 1901, the first year of production, through 1953, the final year. Whether you are a bike buff or not, the history as represented here is also a history of the U.S. and its growth as a nation which was putting its citizens into motorized transport.

The Indians are on the main floor, along with a somewhat bizarre collection of motorcycles built for television, movies, and shows. A name familiar to me was Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. If you are at all aware of some of his four-wheeled creations, you can imagine what he might have been able to do with motorcycles. Another interesting element of the collection is the number of original, unrestored bikes.

On the lower level were Harley-Davidsons, and an eclectic collection of import bikes. A surprise to me was the Velorex, a cloth-covered vehicle from Czechoslovakia, which I last saw in the year 2000 at a microcar event. Other treats included bikes by Vespa, Husqvarna, and Opel. There is memorabilia as well, such as posters and vinyl albums with bikes on the covers.

This entire collection was amassed over many years by a father and son team, and the level of preservation is beyond reproach. If you are into motorcycles, this museum is a must-see. Even if you are not, it is an impressive display which thoroughly captures a significant slice of the history of 20^th century America.

INDIAN DISPLAY

Not only was there one bike from each model year arranged in order, each bike included a descriptive placard. It was fascinating to read how the bikes changed and sales grew year over year.

UNRESTORED BIKES

A number of bikes were displayed in “as found” condition, including one where a tree grew into and around the motorcycle.

OTHER BIKES

MEMORABILIA

AACA NJ Region Judging Seminar, Mar. 15, 2025

March 17, 2025March 17, 2025 RichardReina Events Lotus Elan, NJ Region AACA, Olds F-85

The Ides of March seemed to be an ideal date for the Reinas to host an AACA judging seminar at our home. As we did last year, we opened the invitations to all members of the NJ Region, and eighteen replied in the affirmative. Instead of breakfast (my wife is still trying to clean the frying pan of scrambled eggs), we offered lunch, and relied on our local Wawa, all of two miles up the street, to provide an assortment of hoagies (heroes, grinders, subs).

Craig Kunz reprised his role as Chief Judge and motored to the event in his 1966 Oldsmobile F-85, although he expressed disappointment that the morning dampness and fog nixed his original choice of wheels, his 1929 LaSalle. But the Olds looked great in my garage! Dick and Bobbi Bettle arrived in their Lotus Elan, and along with my Alfa Romeo, this gave Craig three different cars to use for training purposes.

Instead of hanging out in the garage, yours truly headed up the all-female Administrative Team (lucky me) in our living room. Our challenges will be to help oversee the 40-point judging sheets for 150+ cars and help the judges tally scores to award first, second, and third place awards in all sixteen judged classes. As opposed to AACA judging at the National level, our Region adds its own classes such as Class 16, “Modified vehicles to (the year) 2000,” and Class 17, “Modern Classics, 2001 to current.” Another challenge is correctly identifying “modified,” so that was discussed with the team.

Looks stock, but in fact is heavily modified

By one o’clock, everyone’s stomach announced that training should cease and dining should commence, so into the kitchen we went, for the aforementioned hoagies, plus chips, macaroni salad, coleslaw, and hot and cold drinks. But we can’t forget dessert! Since the previous day was Pi Day, Bobbi Bettle brought not one, not two, but three pies in honor of Pi. Needless to say, the pies (along with two 12-cup carafes of coffee) were scarfed up in minutes. We had a great turnout, which we hope gives us a sufficient number of judges for our Annual Spring Meet car show to be held on Sunday, May 4, at Nielsen Ford, 170 Ridgedale Ave., Morristown, NJ. Put it on your calendar!

NJ AROC Breakfast Meet, March 8, 2025

March 9, 2025 RichardReina Events AROC NJ Chapter, Jimmy's American Grill

The New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club held its March monthly breakfast at Jimmy’s American Grill on Saturday, March 8, 2025. Nine Alfisti joined together to enjoy the unique brunch menu at Jimmy’s. It was not quite spring-like enough for those with classic Alfas to show up with them, but we did have four modern Giulias, including two Quadrifoglios, in the parking lot. It’s always great to be able to chat about our favorite Italian marque, and with spring’s official arrival just two weeks away, we are looking forward to cruising in our marvelous Milanese machines very soon. A special thanks to Paul for getting several friends from the Giulia forum to join us at breakfast. We hope you guys consider joining AROC!

The Cars and Trucks of Texas, Feb. 2025

March 3, 2025 RichardReina Cars on the street Texas

Just got back from a quick four-day trip to San Antonio, TX, to hang out with my brother-in-law. While I was there, I enjoyed the eighty-degree temps and the Texas BBQ, and kept my eyes open for interesting automobiles. The temperate climate led me to incorrectly presume that I would find a large number of ten-to-twenty-year-old daily drivers, when in fact most Texans were motoring about in the latest and greatest. Each day of my visit I spotted multiple C8 Corvettes, Cybertrucks, and German SUVs. Of course, 65% of the vehicles on the road were pickup trucks. Another surprise: many of those pickups were Nissans and Toyotas (and yes, I know that Toyota has a factory in the state).

Still, I managed to snap a few interesting shots of interesting cars as you can see below.

The Brasserie Mon Chou Chou (“my darling”) had this darling Citroen Duex Cheveaux parked outside. No word on when it may have last moved under its own power.

Around the corner from the Mon Chou Chou was a chichi hotel, with this quartet positioned in reserved parking. In the foreground, a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Next to it, a Range Rover, then the unmistakable CT. Almost out of sight at the far end was a plebeian Cadillac Escalade.

The Cullinan starts at $489,000 and goes up from there. But you know what they say: If you have to ask, ….

On the way to an event in Fredricksburg, we drove through Luckenbach, made famous by that country song. A decommissioned Chevy pickup was being used to attract visitors.

This International Scout pickup was spotted on the street in Fredricksburg.

Back in San Antonio, in the crowded parking lot of a seafood restaurant, some CT owner let his truck’s self-parking feature do its thing. Accurate, ain’t it?

The National Alfa Romeo Club Magazine Publishes My Bologna, Italy Article

February 24, 2025 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Car shows, Events AROC, Auto e Moto d'Epoca

The Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) has been in existence since the 1950s and has a storied history in the U.S. You can read more about the club’s history and mission at this link, where the passion for the marque is obvious. It has been said, without the slightest exaggeration, that it was AROC that kept the Alfa Romeo spirit alive during that long gap of time (1994 – 2016) when new Alfas were not offered for sale in this market.

The club’s monthly magazine, Alfa Owner, is a highlight of club membership. It is a full color publication, printed on high quality glossy paper, and carries stories about recent and upcoming events throughout the country. After my trip to the Auto e Moto d’Epoca in Bologna, Italy last October, I submitted an article to the club. I am proud to let you know that it was accepted for publication, and was selected to be the cover story as well. Twelve of my photos were included, and I was honored by the editors’ decision. I have included scanned pages from the magazine in this post. (Please excuse the fact that several photos were positioned across two pages and appear disjointed in my scans.)

NJ AROC breakfast meet, Feb. 16, 2025

February 16, 2025 RichardReina Events Americana Diner, AROC-NJ

The NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club held its monthly breakfast on Sunday, February 16, 2025, with six Chapter members gathering at the Americana Diner in Shrewsbury, NJ. The lighter than usual turnout was not a surprise given the weather, which overnight had started as snow, then changed to sleet, freezing rain, and finally rain. Temperatures above freezing helped make the hour’s drive for your scribe palatable.

Also palatable was the food, which was excellent as we’ve come to expect from this diner. Conversation ranged from winter projects on stored Alfas to the upcoming Amelia Island show and the annual National AROC Convention in Chicago.

Four of the six of us motored in Alfas, and we decorated the Americana parking lot with a Giulia, two Stelvios, and the oldest Alfa out today, a 164 sedan. Here’s hoping for an early spring so that our March breakfast might include a larger number of Milan’s finest.

L to R: Lee, Richard, Vic, Paul, Alfred, Frank

NJ AACA Judging Seminar, Jan. 25, 2025

January 27, 2025 RichardReina Events AACA judging, NJ Region AACA

As they did last year, the Bettles of Florham Park hosted around two dozen members of the NJ Region of the AACA at their home for a seminar on the finer points of show car judging. There were several twists compared to 2024. First, the family 2000 Saturn station wagon is now, at twenty-five years of age, AACA-eligible, so it was moved into the garage and used as the target vehicle. And in addition to the vehicular judging, a separate seminar was conducted upstairs on the administrative side of the judging juggernaut.

Our Regional V.P. Craig, as he did last year, assumed Chief Judge duties while we wait for a dear Regional member to recover from an extended illness. Craig had this to say at the end of the technical session: “… repetition of the discussion of what and how to judge is always beneficial for judges. My eyes were opened a bit because judging the engine compartment of a car only 25 years old car is not the same as judging a 60- or 90-year-old engine compartment…. There’s a lot of technology stuffed under the hood, and … recognizing authentic is a lot more complicated now.”

Is it all original? How is a judge to know?

Meanwhile, yours truly helped oversee the administrative brainstorming, which focused on doing a better job of keeping the registration line moving, accurately identifying which cars belong in which class, and ensuring that those cars are correctly parked in those classes. The biggest issue will be the tallying of the scores. The Region has 17 AACA classes, plus classes for modifieds and moderns. Each class potentially has a 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winner. Within the space of three hours or less, the entire judging team must correctly identify up to sixty trophy winners, based on numerical scores assigned by the team.

Craig and I agreed that the biggest takeaway of the day was the greater number of Regional members who expressed a willingness to volunteer on show day. At the conclusion of the separate meetings, we all headed toward the kitchen for a delicious self-serve lunch of ham, lasagna, meatballs, sausage and peppers, and dessert. As our President Paul has pointed out more than once, we get a better turnout at these things when food is involved!

Craig (facing camera on right in light blue shirt and cap) is about to start the meeting

John P, using Saturn door as armrest, ably assisted Craig with his deep knowledge of AACA judging

“The ‘judged’ stickers go on the placard, NOT ON THE CAR’S HEADLIGHTS!”

Although it wasn’t used for judging, our host owns this very nice Lotus

The lady of the house generously provided more than enough food for all

Dining Room #1 held these hungry campers

The folks at Dining Room #2 were smart enough to sit close to the food

AROC-NJ Monthly Breakfast Meet, Jan. 18, 2025

January 19, 2025 RichardReina Events AROC NJ Chapter, Bernards Cafe

The New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club (AROC) got the 2025 season off to a roaring start with our first monthly breakfast meet, held at the Bernard’s Café in lovely downtown Bernardsville, NJ, on Saturday, January 18, 2025. Ten hardy Chapter members made the trek, enjoying the fine food and comforting coffee as served up by the capable wait staff of the Café.

What did we talk about? Where do I start? Much of the discussion focused on our plans for the year. I’ve long maintained that living in the Northeast as we do, and enduring the winter seasons as we must, only makes us look forward to the coming spring with increased excitement. The group anxiously awaits that first drive of ’25. Meanwhile, all of us with older, classic Alfas have their cars in hibernation. Only Steve and J.P. with their modern Giulia, and John and Fran with their Tonale, drove Alfas to the breakfast.

For many of us, our Alfas are our toy cars, and we have “non Alfa” daily drivers. There was much talk around the table about our ups and downs with our Fords, Saabs, Volvos, Hondas, BMWs, Mazdas, and Kias, among others. This led to an interesting discussion about the prevalence in our daily drivers of modern safety aids such as rear-view and 360-degree cameras, and automatic braking for front collision avoidance. Our hobby-level Alfas have none of this electronic wizardry. Does that make them unsafe to drive? Not by a long shot would undoubtedly be our consensus. Our classic cars are fun to drive, and stick shift transmissions, manual steering, and non-ABS brakes require 100% driver focus at all times. We could make the argument that some so-called modern features, such as touch screens, add to driver distraction. At Volvo, I was taught that “active safety” is another term for accident avoidance, and our older classics have lots of active safety features. Precise steering, excellent handling, abundant outward visibility, and well-placed controls enable the driver to take appropriate evasive action when necessary.

Another hot topic: Stellantis, as in, the parent company of Alfa Romeo, which is having some major business issues at present. Alfa Romeo’s new vehicle sales in the U.S. last year were not great, and while these things don’t necessarily directly affect us right now, all of us want to see the brand thrive. The company is under new management and we’re hoping that there are big changes for the better coming soon.

Once we had finished solving the problems of the world, the group headed back into the winter air. The first day of spring is two months from Monday, and the days are getting longer, so there is plenty to look forward to and to be thankful for, including the continued camaraderie of this group.

From L to R: Bob, Richard, Jay, Steve, J.P., Tony (standing), John, Fran, Gene, and Cathy.

Cars on the Street: Washington, D.C., late 2024

January 12, 2025 RichardReina Cars on the street D.C., JDM cars, Rover, Washington

My wife and I recently spent a long weekend in the Washington, D.C., area, and it was not a surprise to find some interesting automobiles scattered about. One day we toured the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, where I spotted a few JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) cars. I presume that navy men and women, while sailing around the world, return with cars that they can’t otherwise source here in the States.

Sightseeing in several neighborhoods also uncovered cars on the street that I haven’t seen in the metro NY/NJ area in a while. The most fabulous find was the Rover TC2000, because I would have presumed that one hundred percent of them stopped running ages ago.

It only proves that cars of interest are everywhere, you only need to look for them.

FROM THE ANNAPOLIS NAVAL ACADEMY:

This Mitsubishi is a “kei” truck, limited in size by Japanese statute

We know it as a Lexus SC, but in its home country, it’s a Toyota Soarer. Note the rear wiper!

A very clean Toyota 86, formerly Scion FR-S

A painter was using this Vantage as his work truck. Off-road use only?

ON THE STREETS OF D.C.

A pair of Volvo C30s. The design has aged well, I think, and they are starting to become collectible among Volvo fans.

Is it me or is this spoiler mounted backwards? Great downforce in reverse…

A Plymouth and a Lexus, several generations apart??

January 9, 2025 RichardReina Uncategorized

Happy New Year! I’m back after taking an extended break over the holidays, although my head is still in the clouds after that outstanding visit to the Auto e Moto d’Epoca in Italy in October.

I almost never post items found on other websites, but in this case, I couldn’t resist. This morning, while performing my daily scroll through the offerings on Bring A Trailer, I was struck by the juxtaposition of these two cars. By complete coincidence, they were placed side-by-side. Gaze if you will at all the similarities between this 1961 Plymouth Fury and this 2021 Lexus LS500: the headlight location, the front fender sweeps, the pinched grille, the horizontal brightwork along the bottom edge. The black paint only adds to the resemblance.

Sixty years separate these two automobiles, and while it’s fair to conjecture that the designers of the Lexus were not born when the ’61 Plymouth debuted, they might have stumbled across reviews of that Plymouth which referred to its front-end styling as “the grille that ate Tokyo”, or some variation thereof. Maybe something got lost in the translation….

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Author: RichardReina