New England News

NAUGATUCK, CT – A mix of new and old motorcycles with custom and vintage cars attracted thousands to town this weekend for the first-ever Cabin Fever Custom Car and Motorcycle Show at the former General DataComm building, which has been turned into an event center. Show promoter Don Clady, publisher …

CENTER CONWAY, NH – After 28 years in business, Judy and Dan Kennedy are retiring “with mixed feelings” and closing Whitehorse Gear, the warehouse store and online seller of motorcycle gear and apparel. The business began as Whitehorse Press in 1989 as a publisher of motocycle books, including DIY manuals …

CRARYVILLE, NY – The annual open house planned for Saturday by Bultaco Motorcycles here has been abruptly canceled “with deepest regrets.” Tuesday’s blizzard is the reason. In a Facebook post today, Bultaco Motorcycles reported, “We have been brought to our knees by mother nature this late in the winter with …

OSSINING, NY – European Cycle Services (ECS) is merging with Hudson Valley Motorcycles with ECS President Stephen Saucier becoming service manager for HVMC. ECS’s technicians are joining the Ducati-Kawasaki-Suzuki dealership as well. ECS was started in 2007 in Middletown, NY and has specialized in performance upgrades and restorations for Ducatis, …

LANCASTER, NH – The MOMS chain of New England powersports dealerships is adding a fourth store. MOMS has signed a letter of intent to buy F.B. Spaulding Co., a Polaris and John Deere dealer that has operated in Lancaster since 1902. MOMS says the expansion will allow the store to …

Some news from dealers around New England (and beyond): – Cumberland County Scooters & Cycles in Portland, ME is now shooting for a mid-April re-opening after being severely damaged by a fire last June 22. No one was injured in that nighttime blaze at 341 Warren St. The business had …

Over the years, RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland has written about many forgotten brands and obscure models. Not many folks today recall the Neracar or the Schickel from the U.S., the James or the Sunbeam from the U.K., or the Griffon from France. For every brand, though, there is an enthusiast. Dipping …

QUINCY, MA – An ultimately misleading post on the website Quincy.com suggesting that the city was enacting an ordinance prohibiting the riding of motorcycles between midnight and 5 a.m. has been spreading on social media in recent days. Today, the city offered an explanation of  how the misunderstanding occurred, and …

After a two-month absence that can be chalked up to the website’s recent redesign, it’s time for another installment of the catch-all column titled “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…” The purpose is to get a bunch a news items that maybe didn’t warrant a full …

With the Connecticut General Assembly once again considering a universal helmet law, members of the writing staff here at RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland were asked if they had any strong feelings on it, and whether or not they favor the proposed legislation. By a 5-0 margin, the scribes, who have decades …

PEMBROKE, N.H. – Ever traded in a motorcycle at a New England dealership and wondered what became of it? In some cases, the dealer may have simply tied a price tag to the handlebar and put it on the showroom floor for resale, not even bothering to inspect or clean …

SANTA MONICA, CA – Nick Beaulieu, owner of Forever Two Wheels in Windham, ME, has taken the top prize as “King of the Builders” at the eighth annual J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show. “Pretty crazy. Definitely didn’t expect it,” he said today. The competition, which is a show …

HARTFORD – The Connecticut General Assembly’s Transportation Committee will hear testimony on a proposed universal helmet law on Wednesday. A hearing to consider bill No. 6048 as well as 23 other bills is set for 1 p.m. in Room 1E of the Legislative Office Building. Bill No. 6048 was introduced …

HARTFORD – It’s usually an extremely one-sided argument whenever a member of the Connecticut General Assembly proposes that the state implement a universal helmet law. The vocal “pro-choice” crowd repeatedly succeeds in snuffing helmet legislation. This time, though, there are some groups actually backing Bill No. 6048 that was introduced …

HARTFORD – On the heels of the introduction earlier this month of a bill in the General Assembly that would require all motorcycle operators and their passengers to wear helmets comes a second proposal that would likewise mandate that scooter riders wear protective headgear. Introduced by Rep. Rick Lopes (D-24th …