Bud Wilkinson

Bud Wilkinson is editor and publisher of RIDE-CT. He writes the "My Ride" classic car column for Hearst Connecticut Media Group's newspapers in CT and for the company's CT Insider website and YouTube channel. The weekly feature began in 2016 in the "Republican-American" newspaper in Waterbury, CT. He also wrote the "RIDE-CT" motorcycle column in that newspaper from 2005 until 2025 when motorcycles were folded into My Ride. A graduate of Vermont Academy prep school, he holds a B.A. degree journalism from Ohio Wesleyan University. He is the recipient of a Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Award in 1992 and a 1991-92 regional Emmy Award for commentary. He currently rides a 1987 BMW R80RT and a 1996 BMW R850R.

Harley-Davidson Sales Dip Again In Third Quarter

MILWAUKEE – Sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles continued to decline in the third quarter of 2019, dropping 3.6 percent in the United States and 1.2 percent worldwide, as reported in a company earnings statement issued Monday. Harley-Davidson sold 34,903 motorcycles in the U.S. in the months of June, July and August, …

Read More »

Bemer Arrested For Domestic Incident, Stores Losing Brands

GLASTONBURY, CT – The owner of New England Cycle Center in Hartford and two other motorcycle dealerships in southern New England, who was convicted in April on multiple felony charges in a trial involving a sex trafficking ring, has now been charged with disorderly conduct following an incident last week. …

Read More »

Zhukovskyy Indicted On 23 Counts For Deadly NH Crash

LANCASTER, NH – Additional charges have been filed against Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, the 23-year-old truck driver accused of causing the deaths of seven motorcyclists in June in Randolph, NH. Originally charged with seven counts of negligent homicide, Zhukovskyy now faces a total of 23 counts. If convicted of all charges, he …

Read More »

Production of LiveWire Resumes At Harley-Davidson

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson has resumed production of its new LiveWire electric motorcycle model, less than week after shutting down the assembly line for a “non-standard condition” involving the charging system. The company announced Friday that a problem involving one motorcycle caused the assembly stoppage, but that the manufacturing and delivery …

Read More »

LiveWire Production Halted By Harley-Davidson

MILWAUKEE – Production of Harley-Davidson new’s electric LiveWire model has been short-circuited. A “non-standard condition” discovered as the first bikes were being shipped to dealers has caused a temporary shutdown of the assembly line.  After noting a glitch in the final quality checks, the company determined that additional testing and …

Read More »

Rare FX Super Glide Gets Restored By “Doc”

By Bud Wilkinson WATERBURY, CT – From a sales standpoint, Harley-Davidson’s 1971 FX Super Glide model was an unmitigated flop. It was such an ugly duckling that only 4,700 of the ‘boat-tail” model were sold. “It was so untraditional for Harley that people just wouldn’t accept it,” recalled Cosimo “Doc” …

Read More »