National News

MUNICH – BMW Motorrad experienced rising sales of motorcycles and scooters worldwide in 2019, but may have lagged in the U.S. as the company’s press release steered clear of revealing how well or poorly it did in the United States. BMW reported that worldwide deliveries climbed to 175,162 units last …

BOLOGNA, ITALY – Sales of premium Ducati motorcycles showed a minuscule uptick worldwide in 2019 over 2018. The company reported today that it delivered 53,183 bikes to customers in 90 countries, a total of 179 more than a year ago. While its home country of Italy remained the brand’s strongest …

It’s the second edition of The Week in Review for 2020, a compilation of news nuggets, info from press releases and other items culled from near and far over the previous week. Here goes with The Week in Review: Ducati Tour Barely Touches Northeast Ducati skipped the Progressive International Motorcycle …

When it come to motorcycle news, some weeks are slow and some weeks are loaded. It’s always the case, though, where press releases are issued and stories are published elsewhere that don’t (for whatever reason) warrant a full post on RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England. Nonetheless, the items are worthy of …

No one knows what the future holds, but it’s always fun to prognosticate. On this last day of 2019, the staff of RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England guesses what will happen in the motorcycle world over the coming 12 months. Many of the predictions safe, others are thoroughly speculative, and a …

MINNEAPOLIS – Indian Motorcycles has a new president as a result of an executive shuffle by parent company Polaris Inc. Steve Menneto, who has guided Indian for nearly 11 years, has shifted to the position of president of Polaris’s Off Road division. Michael Dougherty has succeeded him. Dougherty has been …

HINCKLEY, ENGLAND – Triumph‘s middleweight adventure model gets a makeover for 2020, with a larger motor and less weight. The rebranded Tiger 900 line announced today will come in five versions. The models will boast “10% more torque than the Tiger 800” which has been around since 2010. The Tiger …

MATTIGHOFEN, AUSTRIA – Husqvarna today confirmed that it will upsize its street line of motorcycles and enter the adventure touring market with the Norden 901 model. A concept version of the Norden 901 was displayed at the EICMA show in Milan, Italy in early November, making today’s announcement no surprise. …

MV Agusta builds pieces of art as much as its builds high-power, high-priced motorcycles. Consequently, it’s no surprise that a video released last week for its Brutale 1000 Serie Oro model would lean more toward catching the eye than selling the product. Racer Davide Stirpe is shown piloting the model …

Over the decades, there have been numerous songs about either motorcycles or riding motorcycles. There have been upbeat songs like “Little Honda,” the 1964 hit by The Hondells that was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love of The Beach Boys. There have been raucous songs like “Born to Be …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson has a nasty habit of releasing new model info in dribs and drabs, and that’s the case again with its two upcoming non-traditional models – a streetfighter and an adventure tourer. The company used the ongoing EICMA show in Milan, Italy this week to announce that its …

MINNEAPOLIS – Indian Motorcycle today introduced a new Challenger line of bagger models for 2020. The new muscle-bound line joins the Scout, FTR 1200, Chief, Chieftain, Springfield and Roadmaster models. In addition to the basic Challenger model, starting at $21,999, there will also be a pricier Challenger Dark Horse and …

WASHINGTON – Motorcycle deaths in the United States declined in 2018, dropping 4.7 percent from 2017, according to data released this week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A total of 4,985 motorcycle fatalities were reported in 2018, compared to 5,229 in 2017. However, motorcycle deaths rose slightly in …

Kawasaki this morning announced two new models for 2020 – the retro W800 and the naked Z H2. The W800 is a throwback to the 1960s and joins the existing W800 CAFE. It’s powered by an air-cooled, 773cc vertical twin engine and features an upright riding position and pea-shooter exhausts. …

MILWAUKEE – Sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles continued to decline in the third quarter of 2019, dropping 3.6 percent in the United States and 1.2 percent worldwide, as reported in a company earnings statement issued Monday. Harley-Davidson sold 34,903 motorcycles in the U.S. in the months of June, July and August, …