HARWINTON, CT – In a social media post last month, I mentioned how RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland had just held its first-ever staff lunch, bringing together most of our far-flung writing staff to kick around ideas for improving the website. There were dozens of suggestions, which have resulted in a few …
Read More »Indian Plans Apparel Store At MGM Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, MA – Indian Motorcycle is returning to its city of origin. No, it doesn’t plan to build a new factory in the city where the original company produced motorcycles between 1901 and 1953, but it was announced this afternoon that the Polaris-owned brand will open its first-ever Indian Motorcycle …
Read More »Lifelong Ride For Gloria Tramontin Struck
CLIFTON, NJ – It was the near the end of a 20-minute phone conversation last week about her new autobiography that Gloria Tramontin Struck paused for a moment to reflect on her life. “If my brother had taken ‘No’ for an answer, my life would have been so different. So sad, …
Read More »Indian Gets Designer Stenegärd From BMW
MINNEAPOLIS – Indian has just made a big statement about what the future holds for the growing brand. It has hired Ola Stenegärd as its Director of Product Design. A native of Sweden, Stenegärd has spent the past 15 years working for BMW Motorrad where he has played a crucial role …
Read More »Quaboag Riders To Host AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship
PICKERINGTON, OH – The dates and location for the 2018 AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship have been circulating for months, but the American Motorcyclist Association has now confirmed via a press release that the Quaboag Riders Motorcycle Club will host the event in Monson, MA from July 27-29. This will be …
Read More »Harley-Davidson Invests In Alta Motors
MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson is following through on its recent promise to “invest more aggressively” in electric motorcycles. This morning, the company announced that it has made an equity investment in Alta Motors, the Brisbane, CA-based builder of lightweight electric bikes for both off-road and street use. The two companies plan …
Read More »Twisted Road Offers New Twist On Bike Rentals
Would you let a stranger ride your motorcycle? Maybe, but maybe not. If it were a friend of a friend and you had a “good feeling” about the person, possibly. If you wondered about the person’s ability, certainly not. One Monday morning last September when meeting Phil Cheney of MAX …
Read More »North East Motor Sports Museum Adds Exhibits
LOUDON, NH – Some 20 new exhibits will be on display this year at the North East Motor Sports Museum here, including a BLT OSSA motocross bike built by AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee Joe Bolger back in the 1970s. Also new is the #20 car that NASCAR driver …
Read More »Indian Demo Truck Goes Up In Flames
MADISON COUNTY, FL – An Indian demo truck carrying 15 motorcycles that was on its way to a dealership in Tallahassee, FL went up n flames late Thursday morning when a tire blew out and sparks started a fire. News reports placed the estimated damage at $100,000 or more as …
Read More »Hamlin Cycles Gets Aprilia From MotoFIT
BETHEL, CT – Hamlin Cycles is now selling Aprilia motorcycles as well as those made by Moto Guzzi after purchasing the franchise from the existing dealer, MotoFIT in Danbury. Hamlin Cycles owner Jim Hamlin handed over a check Wednesday afternoon and came back to his shop with Aprilia parts, tools …
Read More »Two New Sportsters From Harley-Davidson
MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson is out with two new Sportsters for 2018 as the company shoots for the introduction of 100 new models by the year 2027. Unwrapped today were the Iron 1200 and the Forty-Eight Special. Both have high handlebars and throwback styling. “Since its inception, the Sportster has offered …
Read More »Glen Heggstad Recounts Adventures At MAX BMW
Between fall of 2001 and 2006, Glen Heggstad rode a motorcycle through 57 countries around the globe. He rode from Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt. He rode six thousand miles across Russia. He visited Pakistan and Thailand, Mongolia, and the islands of Java, Sumatra and Borneo. He went …
Read More »Massive Recall By Harley-Davidson Over Brakes
MILWAUKEE – A massive recall of nearly 251,000 motorcycles built between 2008 and 2011 by Harley-Davidson is being implemented overs fears that the brakes might fail. More than 30 ABS-equipped models are affected, including Road King, Road Glide, Electra Glide, Street Glide, V-Rod and Night Rod models. Nearly 175,000 …
Read More »Super Bowl Prediction – Football Gets Sacked
HARWINTON, CT – Here’s my Super Bowl prediction: This will be the last Super Bowl of any significance. From Monday forward, the popularity of the Super Bowl, of the National Football League, of college football and, indeed, of the sport itself will decrease. My crystal ball is too murky to say whether …
Read More »Harley-Davidson Closing K.C. Plant As Sales Tumble
MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson this morning announced that its Kansas City assembly plant will close. The announcement came in conjunction with a press release stating that the company’s retail motorcycle sales tumbled in 2017. U.S. sales dropped 8.5 percent from 2016, while worldwide sales dropped 6.7 percent. Harley-Davidson shipped 241,498 bikes …
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