New England News

Update: Motorcycles are now being allowed at Harry’s Place again. Roughly two hours after announcing its reopening with a strict new policy that banned motorcycles, Harry’s Place is once again welcoming riders. “Harry’s Place contacted the town for clarification and realized there was a misunderstanding regarding motorcycle customers,” the burger …

TERRYVILLE, CT – With uncertainty prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Yankee Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America has made the prudent decision to postpone its annual national motorcycle show and swap meet here for six weeks until mid-September. It was announced this morning that the event at …

ESSEX JUNCTION, VT – The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has claimed another Harley-Davidson dealership in the Northeast. Wilkins North Harley-Davidson here has closed, its exit from the Burlington area announced on Saturday evening. This leaves Vermont’s largest market without a Harley-Davidson store of its own. In a lengthy statement posted on …

(Update: Americade now says its will announced its plans for 2020 on Wednesday, April 22.) With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, the status of Americade and Laconia Motorcycle Week remains unsettled, but decisions on postponement should come soon.  The two large motorcycle rallies are still scheduled for June – Americade running …

COLCHESTER, CT – The popular burger and hot dog stand Harry’s Place, a favorite among riders in eastern Connecticut and beyond, has been closed by the town for failing to follow social distancing guidelines. First selectman Mary Bylone said there were 50-plus vehicles in the drive-in’s parking lot on Tuesday …

(Editor’s note: As of this morning (April 8), the letter announcing the dealership’s closing has been posted on Hudson Valley Harley-Davidson’s website and Facebook page.) NANUET, NY – After five years in business, Hudson Valley Harley-Davidson is closing permanently, a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its last day will be …

HARWINTON, CT – Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began intruding on our lives, I’ve been grateful that my preferred form of recreation and stress-reducing escape is riding a motorcycling. It’s an activity that can be done solo or in groups with six feet of separation. It wasn’t long after the …

KENT, CT – It was an idea born out of frustration. Rick Dolson, whose Iron Horse Customs/Royal Enfield of Kent motorcycle shop sells new Royal Enfield models, was restocking bikes late last year when he got some nettlesome news from the manufacturer.  “I was trying to order some colored bikes …

RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England readers took advantage of the relatively warm, snow-less winter to ride more than usual, results from the latest reader poll show. A total of 46 percent of those voting said they rode “Every day possible” over the winter. An additional 30 percent said they rode “a …

Motorcycle dealers in the Northeast are temporarily closing or curtailing operations in reaction to the ever-changing COVID-19 situation as some states have ordered non-essential businesses to close. Some dealerships in New York and Connecticut are closed, while others are shutting showrooms while keeping service and parts departments open. Empire Harley-Davidson …

The COVID-19 pandemic is prompting government edicts and voluntary cancelations, closures and postponements of events. RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England wants to help keep riders aware and is launching this page to do so: Cancelations Cabin Fever Custom Car & Motorcycle Show – The two-day event at Naugatuck Entertainment Facility in …

The growing global coronavirus crisis is impacting events in the Northeast. The plug has been pulled on the Mark’s Northeast Motorsports Expo scheduled for this weekend at the Big E in West Springfield, MA. The show mixes classic cars with a few motorcycles. It was set to run from 4 …

The Triumph X-75 Hurricane is a rare and unforgettable model, remembered for its wrap-around bodywork, triple exhaust and bright orange and yellow paint scheme. Designed in the United States by Craig Vetter for BSA, but ultimately sold as a Triumph after BSA went out of business, only 1,200 examples of …

For satire to be effective, it must be imaginative yet plausible. A shocking story last week on the new website “2 Stroke Chronicle,” which boldly promises “The Latest Motorcycle News” but doesn’t actually offer any real news, has generated laughs. It has also possibly fooled some less-than-attentive riders who’ve stumbled …

Reaction by RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England readers to the recommendation that off-road riders and the Naugatuck Valley Greenway share the land above the Thomaston Dam in Thomaston, CT wasn’t surprising. Fewer than 10 percent of voters favored shared usage, according to a two-week, unscientific poll staged by this website. An …