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 …

A lot can happen in 4½ years. Or not very much. In the case of Triumph, the difference is 16 pages. That’s how many additional pages can be found in the newly-released, updated version of Ian Falloon’s “The Complete Book of Classic and Modern Triumph Motorcycles 1937 – Today.” The …

BOXBOROUGH, MA – Royal Enfield is dramatically upping its presence in the Northeast. To a lesser degree, the same may be said for Ural. Longtime premium used car dealer Alpha Cars, which has sold Russian-made Ural sidecar rigs since 2007, added Royal Enfield to its store here (pictured above) in …

The transition is nearly complete. Fie on college football! Fie on the NFL! Fie on MLB! Huzzah for Crystal Palace! Huzzah for Hartford Athletic! Yes, tastes and likes can change over the years, and that’s certainly true with sports. The teams and sports that I rooted for in my 20s …

CORNWALL BRIDGE, CT – Come Tuesday, riders in Connecticut who trade in a motorcycle on another model at dealerships will be forced to pay a $100 trade-in fee, an increase of $65 over the amount currently charged by the state. Dealers who have in the past absorbed the fee are …

GOSHEN, CT – Tony Gasper calls the favored proposal “the most palatable of the worst-case scenario”; the worst case scenario being dirt bike riders being forced to share long-treasured land behind the Thomaston Dam in Thomaston, CT with pedestrians and bicyclists. Gasper, president of the New England Trail Rider Association, …

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” …

By Bud Wilkinson KENT, CT – Finally, relief from the roar. A solution to a nagging problem that should make riding more satisfying and cause fewer headaches. It was 18 months ago that I acquired a peppy used 2014 Triumph Bonneville from Mark’s Motorsports in Enfield, CT. The original owner …

DES PLAINES, IL – In a report that can be viewed as reassuring to riders in the region, the New England states were among the lowest in motorcycle thefts in 2018, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Nationally, 41,674 motorcycles (and scooters) were stolen in 2018, a six percent …

STURBRIDGE, MA – John Harris, the president of the Italian Motorcycle Owners Club, recalls the first motorcycle show that his organization staged decades ago. “We held it in somebody’s pasture in Killingly (CT). There were five or six people altogether,” said Harris, who has witnessed the show grow into what …

WATERBURY, CT – Doc’s Motorcycle Parts hosts a customer appreciation day and bike show every September, but this year’s was special as it marked the store’s 50th anniversary. A sizable crowd came to 1625 Thomaston Ave. today to admire the entries, chow down on hot dogs, and to do some …

VERNON, CT – The colorful owner of the New England Motorcycle Museum, who frequently has railed against law-breaking bike thieves in the past, has been charged by police for allegedly breaking some laws himself, according to local news reports. The “Journal Inquirer” newspaper in Manchester and the Vernon “Patch” website …

By Bud Wilkinson THOMASTON, CT – Nothing’s settled. No decision has been made on the route that the Naugatuck Valley Greenway will take from the Torrington line southward to the Thomaston Dam, but recent discussions involving planners and concerned parties have apparently come up with a possible solution that may …

WASHINGTON, CT – It was known as the “Christmas Special” because it was sent to dealers in December. Only about 3,000 of the limited edition 1986 Honda Z50RD minibike were ever built, and they only went to select dealers. So rare are these chrome models today that used ones can …

MILWAUKEE –  How much longer will Harley-Davidson dealers remain patient and quiet when faced with the reality of the company’s continually collapsing sales? Maybe they have no choice. What are their options? Sell out? Close up shop? If I were a dealer, I’d be starting to get very itchy; unless …