New England Riders
Sport Touring Corner
By Norm Kern
Regular readers of Sport Touring Corner have heard me mention New England Riders- on several occasions. This month I’d like to shine the spotlight on them and tell you about all the great things they are doing. 2102-00.jpg
I first became aware of the New England Riders website several years ago while looking for Garmin BaseCamp GPS learning resources. Their downloadable tutorials, developed by Ed Conde, have become known as the best BaseCamp training materials on the web. The online PDF tutorials take you step by step from downloading the software, installation, setup, creating routes and tracks, transfer to and from your GPS etc.
Beginnings
New England Riders started out in the 1990s when several members of the online Honda Shadow Riders forum got to know each other and decided to meet and go for a ride together. One rode down from New Hampshire toward Connecticut, meeting up with the3 other two. One of them had a fun, bike friendly route laid out that they rode that day. 2102-01.jpg
When the ride was over and they were back home discussing it online, they agreed that New England Riding is some of the best in the country, and that they should get together and form rides. This was the birth of New England Riders- to get out and ride and enjoy the good company of other like minded bikers.
Origins of New England Riders Website and Forum
Around the year 2000, several other members of the Honda Shadow forum, including Ed Conde, noticed about half the posts from the Shadow forum were about plans for the New England group, so they started talking about starting a group of their own.
They bought the domain name newenglandriders.org and built a small website. It caught on quickly, but the guys were still looking for a way to stay in close contact. This led to them setting up a New England Riders Forum as well. In 2010, they started the New England Riders Facebook group, which has grown to over 12,000 members.
The website has grown over the years into one of the best resources in the motorcycle community. Let’s take a quick tour of newenglandriders.org.
Ride
The Ride section of the site has categories for “Best of the Northeast,” “Best of Appalachia” and “Beyond the East.” Each category allows you to select a riding locale that leads to a Ride Planning panel. In each panel is a map plus listings and GPX Downloads for Roads, Scenic Views, Hotels, Dirt Routes, Restaurants, Attractions, Campgrounds and Complete Day Rides. 2102-02.jpg
In addition to the “Best of” categories, there are NER Trips. They are multi-day trips, complete with hotel booking information, suggested day routes, etc. 2102-03.jpg
There is a POI (Points of Interest) category that offers downloadable files for Restaurants, Covered Bridges, Lighthouses, etc. Easy Ed’s Bests offers a collection of Ed Conde’s favorite rides, roads and scenic views.
Learn
The Learn section is another valuable section of newenglandriders.org. This is where you will find all the GPS learning materials, as well as Riding Technique and Safety, Training/Instruction, Group Riding, Gear and numerous other categories. There are also learning activities- for example in 2021 they have 2 Non-Sportbike Training Days scheduled.
To Sum Up
From the New England Riders Facebook group description:
“New England Riders is a community of motorcyclists that self-organize to ride and have fun with other riders. It is not a club – no dues, membership, rules or officers. We are an inclusive group and all motorcycle brands are welcome. We believe in safe group riding and being respectful towards others. Everyone is welcome to participate in the forum, at social gatherings or on rides.”
Additional optional photos:
cap1.jpg Full Ride Webpage example
cap8.jpg New England scenery w bikes & riders
cap9.jpg New England Riders group photo
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Connect with local Ohio Motorcycle Sport Touring Association riders at these monthly breakfasts:
Southwest Ohio Breakfast, 9AM, February 20
Village Family Restaurant
144 S. Main St.
Waynesville, OH 45068
Central Ohio Breakfast, 8AM, March 7
Portside Cafe
6515 S High St
Lockbourne, OH 43137
