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By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The arrival of spring means the resumption of Connecticut Rider Education Program courses across the state. For example, Basic Rider Course classes offered at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury begin Friday, but are already filled through mid-May. BRC classes at the UConn campus in …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. is now the sole U.S. distributor of Suzuki motorcycles, ATVs, marine outboard engines and auto parts and service. The new company arrives following the restructuring of American Suzuki Motor Corp., which resulted in the discontinuance of Suzuki car sales in …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com By a lopsided margin, RIDE-CT.com readers have said “no way” to a proposed law in Connecticut that would require the registration of all ATVs. That means quads, dirt bikes and snowmobiles – even if they’re used solely on your own property.  Results of the website’s …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Seeing a rare motorcycle is always a treat, and Easter unexpectedly brought such a treat in the form of a very uncommon BMW. Friend Gary Randall and I had taken an early afternoon ride to Toymaker’s Cafe in Falls Village on Sunday where we ran …

MotoFIT, the Aprilia-Ducati-KTM dealer in Danbury, finalized a deal today to become a dealer of Kawasaki motorcycles. Western Connecticut has been without a Kawi dealer since New Milford Cycles closed a year ago.

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A subscriber squealed. “Consumer Reports” yesterday came out with its first-ever motorcycle reliability survey, with an online tease only saying that “Japanese bikes have fewer problems than BMW or Harley models.” Only subscribers were allowed to read the full story. Well, a subscriber sent it …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com If the forecast is to be believed, the temperature is about to climb (at least modestly) to the point where more of us will be getting out bikes out of winter hibernation. Some riders never quit, though. Snow doesn’t deter them. A video posted on …

Safe Riding columnist Steve Smith’s contribution last week titled “Getting Ready for the Riding Season,” in which he suggested that it’s a wise idea to give your bike(s) and your gear a going over now that the weather’s changing and the riding season approaches, got me off my butt and moving. …

***CLASSIC RIDE-CT*** (Editor’s note: Because they’ve never appeared on online, RIDE-CT.com today begins reprinting in edited form some early RIDE-CT columns that appeared in “The Republican-American” newspaper.) By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The outlaw image of motorcyclists, personified by Marlon Brando in the 1953 biker movie “The Wild One,” got …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com New spy shots of the all-new BMW R1200RT have surfaced on MCN’s website in the U.K. (here) and they show that the new 2014 model will have the same water-cooled, 125-horsepower engine that’s being used in the recently launched R1200GS adventure bike. MCN spotted the …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Suzuki dealers in Connecticut and the rest of New England are breathing easier following the revelation earlier this week that bike maker planned on trimming about 10 percent of its U.S. dealer network. Apparently no dealers in the state, and reportedly only six in New …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The medium doesn’t matter for artist Craig Smith. He shapes metal, carves wood and even sculpts pumpkins. His largest creation, the 22-foot-long and 10-foot-high “Metal Monster,” is on display at the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, CT. Less massive but becoming well known among riders is …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com In a new study that shows the relationship between “Likes” on Facebook and intelligence, researchers at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. conclude in their findings that Harley-Davidson owners have low IQs. The study is headlined “Private traits and attributes are predictable from digital …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It’s been said that there’s a motorcycle for every butt. While two-wheeled beauty is in the eye of the bike owner, some bikes are just plain butt ugly.  That’s rude to say, I know, because of the hours and the dollars that go into designing …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Before he became a huge movie star with films ranging from “Ed Wood” to numerous “Pirates of the Caribbean” excursions, Johnny Depp starred on a TV series on the then-fledgling Fox television network. The show was “21 Jump Street.” It ran from 1987 to 1991 …