Up To Speed

WETHERSFIELD, CT – Department of Motor Vehicles offices across Connecticut will be closed except for license services Aug. 11-15 to facilitate a computer upgrade. DMV offices will fully reopen on Aug. 18. Because of the partial shutdown,

Thomas Magnavice was out riding his just-acquired Kawasaki Z1000 last Friday evening when he “went down.” His spectacular crash on Route 72 in Harwinton, CT was captured on video by a driver who was following behind him. State police were immediately called to the scene as were

Harley-Davidson is recalling 185,272 motorcycles from the 2014 and 2015 model years to replace saddlebag mounting receptacles that “may not adequately secure the saddlebags to the motorcycle” – meaning the bags could fall off while riding.

On sale at Sears.com, and definitely for those who just can’t be bothered with putting in the time and miles to actually earn the editorial comments or the location identifiers, is a “genuine leather biker vest” with 42 patches, snaps and laced sides. The motorcycle vest is currently offered as a …

MILWAUKEE – Is this odd? Ducati recently reported sales growth of 22 percent for the first six months of 2015 over 2014. BMW reported a sales increase of 10.5 percent during the same time period. However, Harley-Davidson, which saw its sales dip 0.7 percent in the first quarter of 2015 …

WATERBURY, CT – Could it have been much hotter? Sweating spectators at Doc’s Vintage & Classic Bike Show found themselves searching for shade today as sunshine and a 90-degree temperature baked the annual event at Doc’s Motorcycle Parts, 1625 Thomaston Ave. That didn’t stop motorcycle owners from bringing

There isn’t a rider alive who hasn’t complained about unobservant drivers or about the actions of our riding brethren. We universally get outraged when we see a driver texting or talking on a phone, while many of us also get ticked off when we see another rider engaging in conduct that …

FALLS VILLAGE, CT – It’s the same story every year. Hundreds of vintage car and truck owners bring their rides to the Falls Village Car & Motorcycle Show, but only a few motorcycle owners ever bother to show up. That was the case again on Sunday, although the bike turnout …

MERRIAM, KS – The slogan for the city of Merriam is “Just Right.” Mapquest shows it to be about 10 miles southwest of Kansas City, and it was there on June 27 that a ride went terribly wrong for a rider on a Yamaha FZ1. A rider behind the accident …

BOLOGNA, Italy – It’s no surprise, but the Scrambler is a hit for Ducati. In the first six months of 2015, Ducati sold more than 9,000 of its Scrambler models worldwide. The company reported an overall sales increase of 22 percent over the first half of 2014 with a total …

NASHUA, NH – Whether planned or merely a coincidence, it was nonetheless fitting that the three demo motorcycles that Lee Conn brought to Nashua recently were colored red, white and blue. After all, the bikes were American-made, but not built by a company based in Milwaukee rather one that’s

HARWINTON, CT – It was during a breakfast conversation yesterday with friend and rider Neil Tolhurst of New Hartford that I became aware of a law that I subsequently discovered has apparently been in effect in Connecticut for seven years. It states that “passenger vehicles, combination vehicles and motorcycles, 20 …

  In a move that will result in new signage at all dealerships by this fall, Kawasaki today introduced “an all-new visual identity to the brand.” In other words, it unwrapped a new logo.

Polaris is jacking up the MSRP for two of its Slingshot models for 2016. If you’ve been dawdling about buying one, well, it will now cost you more.

The Ducati MH900e is one of those bikes that looks like it’s moving even when parked, and Doug Barker of Watertown, CT desired one from the get-go back in 2000. “When it came out, I wanted one,” he reported, recalling that his wife wanted to ride two-up, though, so he …