British Meet in Massachusetts Gets New Home

It’s the longest-running British Motorcycle Meet in the country, and this years’s 36th annual event staged by the BSA Owners Club of New England will move to a new location at the Bolton Fairgrounds on Route 117 in Lancaster, MA.

The meet includes a bike show and motorcycle flea market (restricted to British-only parts and services) and will be staged on Sunday, June 1.

The reasons for the move from the Elks Club in Auburn, MA, where the event has been held since 1983 (and which is pictured at left and below), were “increasing fees and limited services,” according to information posted on the club’s website.

The fairgrounds offers “many amenities including covered pavilions, better food options enhanced parking and display space.”

The meet will continue to be “a celebration of the average street rider trying to maintain his or her machine and getting the best riding experience, and partaking in the camaraderie that British motorcycling can offer,” the club said.

RIDE-CT.com/Ride-NewEngland.com attended last year’s meet and many pictures of the vintage machines are posted here.

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Meanwhile, what’s arguably the biggest motorcycle event in CT (aside from a couple of charity rides), Middletown Motorcycle Mania, has set a date for 2014.

The downtown gathering in Middletown, CT that packs in motorcycles by the thousands, will be held Wednesday, Aug. 13, with a rain date of Aug. 20.

This will be the ninth annual Middletown Motorcycle Mania. More info may be found here.

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Much sooner, on Sunday, April 13, American Legion Riders Post 2 in Bristol, CT is staging its third annual Spring Breakout Bike Blessing and Poker Run benefitting the Legacy Fund. Registration is from 8 to 11 a.m. with the blessing at 10 a.m. Cost is $20 for rider and $10 for passenger with breakfast and lunch included. For more info, visit here.

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More consolidation in the powersports industry as Tucker Rocky/Biker’s Choice, which is solely owned by LDI Ltd., agrees to merge with Motorsports Aftermarket Group. MAG already owns such major brands as Vance & Hines, Kuryakyn, Progressive Suspension and Mustang Seats. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2014.

Coincidentally, the NHTSA announces a recall of 564 Cyber U-72 motorcycle helmets from Tucker Rocky that were made in June 2012 for failure to conform to federal standards. Users of the non-compliant helmets “may not be adequately protected in the event of a crash.” More details may be found here.