National News

The motorcycles may be state of the art but television coverage of the American Flat Track racing series, which has streamed on FansChoice.tv, has so far this season looked more like it has been produced by a high school audio-video department than by experienced, professional broadcasters. Sloppy camera selection, rubish …

MILWAUKEE – Last year was a very, very good year for Harley-Davidson’s top executives, most notably President and C.E.O. Matt Levatich. His total compensation in 2016 was $9,350,303 – or nearly $180,000 per week ($179,813 to be exact). That takes in salary, bonuses, stock awards and more. This also means that …

HARWINTON, CT – There’s a saying in the news biz that “There’s no rooting in the press box.” It means that reporters – more specifically, sportswriters – should judge and report on events objectively and without favor. But I couldn’t help it last night when watching the Daytona TT on …

MEDINA, MN – Government filings often provide a glimpse into corporations and a notice of an annual meeting of stockholders filed Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by Polaris Industries revealed dramatically shrinking compensation for Scott W. Wine, the company’s chairman and C.E.O. In 2016, Wine only earned slightly …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson’s small Street models haven’t been robust sellers for dealers since their unveiling in November 2013, but the company’s belief in the need for a broad lineup that includes entry-level machines hasn’t wavered, and now comes another model dubbed the Street Rod that is a bit more sporty …

CARMEL, IN – Five months after coming out with a clever, fast-paced and sometimes slapstick video on how to operate a sidecar rig, which RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland told you about here, Good Spark Garage and twin brothers Corey and Casey Wilkinson are out with a sequel primer on sidecar safety for kids. …

It’s not being released as a street model – at least not yet and here’s hoping that it will – but Indian is making its Scout FTR750 flat track model available for purchase; at least by other racing teams. It won’t come cheap – $50,000. The FTR750 “features a unique, …

ITASCA, IL – As many as 40,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents last year, according to the National Safety Council, whose estimate is based on preliminary data from 2016. That’s a six percent increase over 2015 and a 14 percent increase over 2014; the most dramatic two-year rise since …

WOODCLIFF, N.J. – BMW Motorrad USA is out with MSRPs for some 2017 models, with the price of two popular GS models getting boosted $200 apiece. The R 1200 GS will now cost $16,695 and the R 1200 GS Adventure going to $18,895.  The cost of some GS options is …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson today unveiled a new Road King derivation that lessens the chrome level in favor of black. “The Road King Special pounds down the boulevard like a gleaming locomotive rolling through a train yard at midnight,” said Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson Vice-President of Styling and Design. “The Road King …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson saw its U.S. sales drop 3.9 percent in 2016, compared to 2015, with worldwide sales dipping 1.6 percent, the company announced today. A total of 161,658 motorcycles were sold in the U.S. last year, down from 168,240 in 2015. Worldwide, the company sold 260,289 motorcycles, down from …

BOLOGNA – Sales of Ducati motorcycles worldwide climbed to 55,451 in 2016, a 1.2 percent increase from 2015. The U.S. continued to be Ducati’s biggest market with customers buying 8,787 new motorcycles, but that was roughly a nine percent drop from 2015. The Multistrada line experienced growth of 16 percent, …

MUNICH – BMW Motorrad reports that worldwide sales of motorcycles and maxi-scooters rose 5.9 percent in 2016 with a total of 145,032 units delivered to customers. That compares to 136,963 bikes sold in 2015. However, sales in the U.S. in 2016 plummeted 16 percent, with sales of only 13,730 units. BMW …

TORRANCE, CA – Honda is out with two new small Rebel cruisers for 2017. The company describes the Rebel 300 and Rebel 500 as “youth-focused customs.” “The Rebel 500 and Rebel 300 are simple and raw, offering cutting-edge style and a radical image while minimizing the barriers to riding. There’s …

Triumph launches a 50-city “Brutal Beauty Tour” across North American in Minneapolis/St. Paul today to show off its new Bobber model as well as the new Street Scrambler, Street Cup, T100 and T100 Black models for 2017. Two stops are planned in the northeast region – from 6 to 9 …