HARWINTON, CT – Bills often get paid with nary a glance. Go online, log in, look at the amount due, and click “submit payment.” I did that last week when the registration renewal arrived for my pickup truck. The process was quick and easy. Thanks DMV. Included in the tab was …
Read More »Hill Country: Spring Riding In Vermont
CHESTER, VT – There have been plenty of years when my riding season began back in March. Sound silly? Well, when I was a young married man with one car and a child on the way, having a motorcycle was often a Godsend. If I dressed properly, I could make …
Read More »It’s The Small Things That Need To Be Appreciated
HARWINTON, CT – Life is full of negativity, annoyances and sometimes outrage. There are keyboard terrorists on social media posting insults (from both ends of the political spectrum), neighbors who leave their outside lights on all night and allow them to rudely shine in nearby windows, and, in summertime, the incessant …
Read More »Dealer Perspective: Off-Season Woes
LITTLE NECK, NY – It’s a local story that hasn’t received national attention, but it’s worth noting and commenting on. The owner of two Harley-Davidson dealerships in Wisconsin is being sued by Harley-Davidson for $6.3 million. What happened was – possibly because they were caught in a cash crunch – the …
Read More »Doc’s Brings 1962 Lambretta Back To Life For NYC Owner
WATERBURY, CT – What’s winter without a project? Winter’s the season when motorcycle owners and shops engage in deferred repairs, overdue maintenance and long-desired restorations to occupy idle time and to prepare for the coming riding season. In my case, a hinky instrument cluster on the 1987 BMW R 80 RT …
Read More »CONREP Now Requires eCourse To Take BRC
Not only will CONREP students get a grip on the throttle this spring, most will also be required to fire up a computer for some pre-course preparation in the form of an eCourse. “Connecticut is adopting the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) eCourse to further enhance the students learning time in …
Read More »Hill Country: Freedom In Future Will Be Electric
CHESTER, VT – It’s always been about freedom. The new generation of motorcyclists are the ones that will see the greatest transition in motorcycling history. For so many good reasons, motorcycles are changing, and 2019 marks some milestones for those changes. One of the more significant milestones is Harley-Davidson’s introduction of …
Read More »Always Riding: Second Place Finish In Crotona Midnight Run
NANUET, NY – It’s 9:30 p.m. with a clear sky and 26 degrees when my sidecar monkey Paul Weinberg and I pull into a commuter lot. The plan is to ready my trailered 1989 Honda Gold Wing for the 101st running of the Crotona Midnight Run before we reach the …
Read More »Always Riding: Crotona Midnight Run Now For Wimps
NORTH GRANBY, CT – The Facebook notification from the Ramapo Motorcycle Club arrived Thursday while I was sitting at my computer working my checklist for my second Crotona Midnight Run. It had the word “Postponed” stamped across the event flyer. Due to the weather forecast of snow, rain and anything else …
Read More »Dealer Perspective: BMW Treads Water In U.S.
LITTLE NECK, NY – We’ve read nearly endless articles and commentaries on the decline of Harley-Davidson motorcycle unit sales. They’re not the only company experiencing sales stress in North America, only the most visible. BMW just announced another growth year for worldwide motorcycle sales with 165,566 units sold in 2018. Indeed, …
Read More »Dealer Perspective: The Hidden Costs
LITTLE NECK, NY – Quite a few comments attributed to Harley-Davidson dealers have accompanied the recent introduction of the LiveWire electric bike. Among other things, they have lamented the costs they will have to absorb just to bring this model on board; things like a dedicated charging station, special tools, electronic …
Read More »Off The Beaten Path: Moto-Tag Games
BRIDGEWATER, CT – Are you interested in exploring new and interesting routes and places within the areas you like to ride? If so, a moto-tag game may be for you. For those not yet familiar with the concept, moto-tag is a game played by riders to find and photograph objects/locations …
Read More »Saying Goodbye To 2018 With New Year’s Resolutions
Where did the year go? The months passed too quickly and here we are at year’s end. The bikes have yet to be put away for winter, and may not be if the weather continues as it has recently. Here’s hoping. Here are a few New Year’s resolutions for 2019 …
Read More »Motorcycles Are Ridden, Not Driven, Right?
HARWINTON, CT – Not being precisely on the mark when writing or speaking is easy, and excusable, if you’ve never been introduced to the vernacular… However, knowing the culture of motorcycling a bit, I cringed a lot earlier this week when I came upon a story in the local “Republican-American” …
Read More »Motorcycle Execs Fiddle While Industry Burns
One of the more limiting phrases in our language is “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” It snuffs out any possibility of change, much less innovation or improvement. While the motorcycle industry isn’t exactly circling the drain (yet), it is faced with the challenge of finding customers as baby …
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