If the weather is nice I'm in
Posts by Tony Z
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I hope you feel better you will be in our thoughts.
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We started in Danbury went down to Norwalk the swung over to Milford for some pizza
Then followed the coast up to rt146 then took rt80 to rt79 then blasted down rt148 in to Haddam then up rt9 and home lol -
Yes it was a great ride!
Connecticut needs to ban minivans lol
They ruin perfectly good biker roads. -
Ok I will be there!
on a side note I don't know if anyone wants to try this but I downloaded
an app to my phone it is called Zello it's a virtual walkie talkie I also created
a channel for us to talk while we ride the channel is Slingshot owners.
it looks very easy to use.
got the app on the play store it was free -
Sounds like you both need a hug lol
Phil said something about a Sunday ride whos in?
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Friday I'm working till 4pm what time is the ride.
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No problem Jay family first buddy
We got the fall foliage yet to come best time of year to ride. -
I just unplugged my backup camera I can't see it anyways in the daylight.
All you do is lift up on the housing and it pops right out unplug the camera
and boom your reception improves 60 percent not perfect but a lot better.
still no am stations but fm is a lot better. -
It's a father love that's why.
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yes the very dark side
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Going to have a little fun on the other Forum got some guy named "outlaw" trying to troll me
lol I don't think he very good at it. -
Mine is a 2016
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Ouch that's got to hurt but with 17 pounds of boost it had to pull like a team mules before it let go.
I hope you get it fixed good luck -
Mine yells at me too 12,000 miles on it I will jack it up to see if there is any play in the bushing.
kind of sounds like your cutting something on a lathe with out cutting fluid. -
Web site is fair got both sides of the story here is the link in case you cant see it here!
Furor Erupts At CT United Ride -
Furor Erupts At CT United Ride Link to web page
Ride CT & Ride New England
Serving New England, NYC and The Hudson Valley!
- September 12, 2016
You are here: Home / Up To Speed / Furor Erupts At CT United Ride
Furor Erupts At CT United Ride
September 12, 2016 by Admin 1 Comment
NEW HAVEN – The CT United Ride, which bills itself as “CT’s largest annual 9/11 tribute,” is being lambasted today by a local motorcycle dealer and by Slingshot owners who charge discrimination in the treatment of a group that wanted to participate in the 15th annual charity ride on Sunday that attracted 2,500 riders from 12 states.
“We drove in and we got belittled,” said an unhappy George Libby, president of Libby’s Motoworld, the Honda, Triumph, Yamaha, Victory and Slingshot dealer in New Haven. “It left a bad taste in my mouth.”
“It was very upsetting,” said Slingshot owner Tony Zullo of New Haven, saying a group of 20 Slingshot owners were “treated like shit” by the event’s organizers. “They threw away over $2,000 in donations. It’s unbelievable – the narrow-mindedness, and being rude on top of it.”
The event’s organizer, Frederick Garrity Jr., this afternoon countered that the furor was solely caused by the Slingshot contingent, which was “unbelievably belligerent.” He described Zullo as “the perpetrator of the ugliness” and maintained that he tried to work a compromise, with the Slingshots assigned to the rear of the ride.
“I tried to resolve it amicably,” said Garrity, adding that he was blindsided just as the pre-ride program was about to start. “Yes, I was upset because they made the day about them, instead of the event,” which honors those who lost their lives on 9/11 and police and firefighters who still place their lives on the line.
Both sides agree that the situation got heated.
Libby reported that when the Slingshot owners arrived at the Norwalk gathering spot on Sunday morning, they were told, “We don’t want those ‘Bat-cars’ in the place ” – despite Slingshots being allowed to participate in the past. “This was in front of thousands of people. This is supposed to be a tribute to 9/11 – not who can ride and who can’t. I was embarrassed,” Libby said.
Zullo, who bought a Slingshot after suffering injuries in motorcycle and car accidents, said he has participated in in the CT United Ride every year since the inaugural event in 2001 and brought his Slingshot to the CT United Ride in 2015 without an incident. “There was no problem. Nobody said a word,” he recalled. The CT United Ride’s website even displays pictures of Zullo and another Slingshot owner participating a year ago.
Tony Zullo in 2015 CT United Ride
However, on Sunday, Zullo reported, “This guy comes running over and say, ‘You’re not allowed here.'” Zullo said he explained that a Slingshot is classified by the state as an “autocycle” and has a motorcycle license plate. “He said, ‘I’m not going to argue the point with you.'”
Zullo said he eventually worked his way up the chain of command to Garrity, who reiterated the event’s position. Zullo said he again tried to explain why Slingshots should be allowed; that many owners are motorcycle riders who are no longer able to stay up on two wheels, and that a prohibition would be discriminatory.
“He got mad at me because I was arguing with him (and said) he’s going to call the state police and have me removed,” said Zullo, adding that Garrity also told him that some towns asked him not to allow Slingshots to participate. He added that Garrity wouldn’t reveal the names of those towns. The ride went through Norwalk, Westport, Wilton, Georgetown, Redding, Bethel, Newtown, Monroe, Trumbull and Fairfield before ending in Bridgeport.
Slingshot participant in 2015
Garrity confirmed that he did threaten to have Zullo removed by state police because the Slingshot owner was “screaming at me.”
Garrity explained that the CT United Ride requires permits from the towns involved. “We are permitted and insured as a motorcycle event,” he said, and Slingshots are “clearly not motorcycles.” Slingshots have a motorcycle license plate but operators do not need an “M” endorsement on the driver’s licenses to drive them.
Like a car, Slingshots have side-by-side bucket seats, a shifter inside a middle console, a steering wheel, and a foot clutch. They have two wheels in front and one in the rear. “What some people consider a motorcycle is blurred. They are not classified as a motorcycle,” Garrity said.
Having Slingshots becomes problematic, he continued, because their size prohibits them riding from side by side as motorcycles do. “They are dangerous in these kinds of situations,” Garrity said.
Recalling the 2015 ride, he said two Slingshots did manage to get in line and it was “too late” to remove them. Police cadets direct incoming participants. Once the brouhaha developed, Garrity said he told the Slingshot operators “I will meet you halfway” by letting them ring up the rear. “That’s not enough, Zully said,” according to Garrity.
Libby and Zullo agreed that Slingshot owners were finally told they could participate after the departure of all motorcycles. Two Slingshot owners who had already registered went along, but 18 others simply left. Some dispirited Slingshot owners are commenting negatively on the SlingshotInfo online forum.
“To bar Slingshots is just ridiculous,” said Zullo. “It’s a narrow-minded society again. If you have something different, you’re an outcast.”
Libby and Zullo also noted that scooters and other three-wheelers, including V8-powered trikes with what Libby called “huge engines twice the size of the Slingshot,” were welcomed.
Libby’s Motoworld promoted the CT United Ride on its website for weeks in advance of the event, inviting Slingshot owners to join and help raise money for firefighters and law enforcement personnel in the state as well as for two local United Ways. “Libby’s is not a sponsor or promoter of the event,” said Garrity, who promised that the Slingshot situation will be reviewed before the CT United Ride is staged in 2017 and that a disclaimer will be posted.
“Sometimes you can’t think of things until they happen. I try to please everyone; try to make it a success,” he said.
Photos taken from CT United Ride website
Comments
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Filed Under: Up To SpeedTagged With: CT United Ride, Libby's Motoworld, Slingshot
Comments
[*]nate.ravid@gmail.com says September 12, 2016 at 5:37 pmIts too bad that this dispute had to be raised, and especially on this date. Both sides brought vaild arguments to the debate, but both sides brought anger and angst. I attended a memorial ride here in Florida, and there were at least 2 dozen Slingshots. Yes, they brought up the rear, but mostly because it was not possible to intersperse them with the rest of the motorcycles, not as a means of belittling or demaining them.A valid compromise could have been reached very easily, and hopefully this issue can be addressed before line up next year.
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seriously now Im curious...Can Ams/ trikes allowed?
Yes they were
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Just found out on the other forum that he is running for office in Trumbull
as a Democrat do you think maybe he was mad when he seen my
get on the Trump Train Choo Choo Bitches shirt?
Don't think it helped any do you ? LOL -
That was what I said to them there was nothing on the web site that said no Slingshots
not in the email or on the registration form, It was total bullshit outright discrimination
against one type of motorcycle.
I would like it if every Polaris Slingshot owner would post a negative comment on there facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/The-CT-United-Ride-167435296508/