New England News

(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 …

HUNTINGTON, NY – It’s a clever, playfully misleading tale that Peter Nettesheim invariably tells when taking visitors on a tour of his private BMW motorcycle museum on Long Island. Standing next to a 1923 BMW R32 model, the oldest known BMW in existence, he’ll recount that the German company wasn’t …

LAKEVILLE, CT – Some changes in the works for the second annual Ride 1 Rally at Lime Rock Park. The motorcycle show, designed to kick off the riding season in southern New England, is set for Saturday, April 18, with the racetrack taking over the organization of the event. Hours …

GORHAM, NH – After approximately 15 years of setting aside days during Laconia Motorcycle Week solely for motorcycles, the Mount Washington Auto Road won’t be continuing the tradition this June. Dramatically declining participation by riders has prompted a decision to end the practice. “We’ve been talking about it the last …

Motorcycles are excessively expensive and many riders are unwilling to fork over big bucks to buy one, whether new or used, according to a week-long, unscientific poll of RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England readers. Given seven options from which to choose over the past week, 28 percent of respondents agreed that …

WATERBURY, CT – As expected, the recommended route for the Naugatuck Valley Greenway above the Thomaston Dam appropriates the roadbed of an abandoned portion of old Route 8 on the west side of Naugatuck River. It’s a route that will force off-road motorcycle riders – who have used the area …