Annual ROSSI Tiddler Tour, Eastern, CT: Sunday, July 26, 2026

[SLDMRossi]

Sunday, 7/26:      
"Not-As-Many-Turns" … Tiddler Tour
10:00 AM - ?

Generally speaking, for pre-’69, 305cc and below bikes…or something like that. Italian preferred. But, all welcome! Starts/ends at Steven & Lynn Rossi’s, 41 Orchard Rd., East Haddam, CT 06423. About 45 miles out, 45 miles back. AM coffee, Lunch stop along the way. Route Holder instructions provided…or, just follow somebody else. All paved roads, except for one very short section. Trailer parking available.

E-mail for Route Holder instructions in advance: SLDMRossi@aol.com. Being finalized now...

Steven Rossi
(248) 470-5788

[steven c]

 The mighty Honda XL125 with it's road ripping 8hp is ready! Maybe.

[SLDMRossi]

Route Holder instructions are done. e-Mail SLDMRossi@aol.com directly for copies...

SR

[TOMB]

I plan on attending, a good  show of friends and old bikes

TOMB

[SLDMRossi]

Weather's lookin' great!

SR

[SLDMRossi]

“Not-As-Many-Turns”…Tiddler Tour
Steven Rossi

   Back in July-August 2009, Motociclista…the Italian Motorcycle Owners Club (IMOC) newsletter…reported that “On Sunday, May 31 the cognoscenti convened at the home of Steven and Lynn Rossi in East Haddam, Connecticut for what was billed as a ‘Tiddler Tour.’ As a Moto Giro-inspired, one-day event, that catered to small-bore bikes but with no scoring or timing.”
   Fast forward to 2026…some 17 years later…and we’re still at it. Though we did miss a year or two along the way due to dreaded - disconnection.
   So on Sunday, July 26, 2026, 20-something Tiddlers from Italy, Germany, Japan and England (well, sort of)…including a fair amount of two-stroke smoke and a sidecar Hack, too…set sail along the twisty two lanes of Eastern Connecticut. After obligatory coffee and cake, of course. Toward points further East.
With a route that ran through a re-creation Village, past a historic Covered Bridge, along the trout-laden Salmon River, up and around a gnarly switchback, on by a magnificent hillside Christmas Tree Farm and beside/below a grass airplane landing strip. And that was just in the first 12 miles.
   This year’s event was billed as a “Not-As-Many-Turns” event because it was a bit more relaxing with longer straightaways included than usual. They do, at least, help provide momentum…which comes in handy when you’re on a 125. Like I was.
Past things like designated Open Space expanses and an old, exquisitely manicured Villa (“Louisa”) that used to be a Speakeasy. And also served as a Connecticut Enduro starting point back in the day. It now functions as a wedding venue. The country estate was followed by lovely vistas and the storybook Town Green crossroads of Bolton, Connecticut.
   We then made our way into Coventry, CT…the birthplace of Nathan Hale. Little did we know that his historic Homestead would be pressed into service for a gargantuan Farmer’s Market as we thumped on through. Or tried to, at least.
   Heading even further East we crossed a couple of idyllic streams, rode across a one-lane bridge, encountered a little bit of dirt road and went by an ice cream Dairy Barn mecca. Before landing for lunch at Blondies Country Diner in Chaplin, Connecticut. Where the portions were big, the prices not so much and a staff that couldn’t have been more hospitable and accommodating. And…the food was good, too!
   Having gotten through the morning unscathed, we saddled up for what we thought would be an uneventful return engagement. Until…a Gilera Saturno clutch cable failed in Blondies’ parking lot.
   In a new twist of Tiddler touring, the solution proved to be a sign of the times. As we motored off along the return route, the Gilera owner hailed an UBER back to our starting point in East Haddam. As we tiddled along.
   By now the Nathan Hale Farmer’s Market was totally shut down and looked like a Ghost Town when we came back through. Amazing. Meanwhile, UBER made its way to my place before we did…with the Gilera owner heading out to retrieve his forlorn Saturno in his pickup truck as we were just rolling in! 
   Plenty of cold ones awaited and everyone decompressed for a fine time of reflection and raconteur.
   As Motociclista concluded in its July-August 2009 issue; “If you haven’t toured on a diminutive mount, you don’t know what you’re missing. Just finishing is an accomplishment to be proud of. Tiddler Tours may be for small bikes, but they’re BIG fun!”
   

[SLDMRossi]

[SLDMRossi]

[SLDMRossi]

trim duplicates in text

[SLDMRossi]

[SLDMRossi]

[steven c]

Great day, fantastic ride, good people, what more could you ask for?

[steven c]

 https://youtu.be/Fo2_GqNqkd4

[Bob Wegman]

That sure looks like a great event.  Got to put my Ducati Monza together.