SMOG WEEKEND

The Motorcyclepedia Museum

July 17-18, 2025

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Fellow Rogues, Scoundrels, and Highwaymen:

 

Each year in Vermont many individuals lament that they may not see many of the members of our "Vermont Group" again until the following spring.  That is certainly an undesirable circumstance.

 

Summer Motorcycle Overnight Getaway (SMOG) Weekends are the solution!  Each trip has a unique destination and a related theme.  We depart Gaby’s Café (gabyscafe941nj.com) in Frenchtown, NJ on Saturday mornings, travel great roads during the day on Saturdays, enjoy exceptional company at dinner on Saturday evenings, and then retrace the route and return home late Sunday afternoons.

 

Our SMOG Weekend for July 17-18 will take us to the Motorcyclepedia Museum in Newburgh, NY.  There you will find over 650 motorcycles and related memorabilia assembled by a father-son team through a combined effort of more than eighty years.  "A great place for the history of motorcycles", "This place is amazing", "Incredible", and "Holy shit!" are just some of the glowing reviews you will find that visitors have posted in Google reviews. 

 

The Museum's collection spans numerous marques, time, and technology...  For example, it includes a replica of an 1867 Roper Steam Powered Velocipede (yes, you read that correctly, STEAM) as well as a 2009 Harley-Davidson XR1200, the sportiest Sportster that Harley ever produced.  You will find BSA,  Honda, Indian, Moto Guzzi, Royal Enfield, Zundapp and many other marques represented in the exhibits.  I sincerely recommend exploring their website in advance of your visit at motorcyclepediamuseum.org...  And suggest doing so on your computer as their website is not very friendly towards smart phone browsers. 

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It will be "kickstands up" promptly at 9:00AM on Saturday morning at Gaby’s Café (gabyscafe941nj.com) in Frenchtown, NJ that Saturday morning and we should arrive the Museum in the early afternoon which will provide plenty of time for wandering around the exhibition halls. This will be a leisurely and comfortable ride of approximately 175 miles on backroads of New Jersey and New York.  Route details to be provided as the date draws nearer. 

 

We will be staying at the Ramada by Wyndham in Newburgh on Saturday night.  The hotel has a bar, a restaurant, and even a pool.  (That last item is always welcome amenity after a day on the road.)  Additionally, there are numerous restaurant options available just a short three mile Uber ride to downtown Newburgh.  We will figure out those details when the time comes.  A room at this hostelry with two double beds or one king will set you back about $200.  Click Here to make your reservation now.

 

If you are flying solo and want to share a room with someone Saturday night, let me know and I will put you in touch with other solo riders.

 

"How do I participate in this experience?" you ask.  Here are the three simple steps:

 

• Advise me that you will be joining us (just send me an email at the address appearing below);

• Make your hotel reservation (selecting the refundable option in the event the weather gods frown upon us); and

• Arrive at Gaby’s Café (gabyscafe941nj.com) in Frenchtown, NJ with a full tank of gas and be prepared for a "kickstands up" departure at 9:00AM.

 

Rain date? Think positively.

 

If you have any questions or plan to join us, email me at WanderlustRidersNJ@gmail.com.  (Be sure to include the "NJ".)

 

Fred Larcombe