New England News

TERRYVILLE, CT – Maine “Ted” Smith wasn’t making any predictions today as to crowd size at this weekend’s National Meet at the Terryville Fairgrounds being staged by the Yankee Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. However, the organization’s president did drop some clues as to why the turnout …

NEW MILFORD, CT – It’s not often that a 20-year-old motorcycle looks like it just rolled off of a showroom floor. It’s even rarer for one to look even better than new. Mike Metcalfe’s 2001 Kawasaki ZRX1200R Eddie Lawson Replica does, though, as the Waterbury, CT resident is fastidious with …

SUFFIELD, CT – No way will Indian Motorcycle of Springfield owner Dennis Bolduc ever restore the recently-acquired 1916 Indian Powerplus that he brought to “Hendee Day” at Hilltop Farm today. To those who innocently inquire if a paint job is in its future, Bolduc has a succinct, pleasantly curt response: …

ASBURY, NJ – The plan to shift the popular Split’n Lanes Dodgin’ Gutters classic motorcycle show in Brooklyn, NY to an outdoor site in New Jersey this year under the name “Split’n Lanes … Hits the Road” has been scrapped. Having booked the event for Aug. 20-22 at Long Tall …

GILL, MA – It’s amazing what a motorcycle dealership can accumulate over the years in terms of models, signage, tools and more. The recent closure here of Green River Powersports and retirement of owner Steve Luzi provides an example with an “Everything Must Go!” auction set for July 10 at …

SHOW CANCELED… SANTA MONICA, CA – Given an earlier date on the calendar, a new location and a rebranded name and approach this year, the Progressive IMS Outdoors tour stop in New York (Brooklyn, actually) will be able to offer an attraction that has been impossible to do in the …

FORT MONTGOMERY, NY – Rockwell Cycles has set aside Saturday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to remember and celebrate the life of its co-owner and president, Nick Rockwell. Rockwell, 71, passed away on June 12. A post the next day on his Facebook page by Ron Troiano …

AMESBURY, MA – A long-running motorcycle news and information website aimed at riders in Boston and across New England, and which had a memorable logo that showed a Minute Man riding a chopper, is no more. Operator Paul W. Cote recently shut down Boston Biker/New England Biker (bostonbiker.com). What now …

Harley-Davidson’s new Pan America 1250 adventure model has a solid future, results of RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England’s latest poll show. Nearly 70 percent of readers believe the model will be a success, and nearly one-third suggest that it can singlehandedly change the trajectory of the company, which has had declining …

NEWINGTON, CT – The designation “Newington Motorcycle Madness” is a bit misleading. It’s anything but a rowdy event, despite attracting hundreds of riders, having a beer tent, and a live rock band in Shovelhead. Held at Mill Pond Park this afternoon and evening, the well-organized gathering put on by the …

HARWINTON, CT – Any critter on a roadway is a concern for riders, but it used to be that deer were the primary concern. They could dart into the path of a rider at any moment, with nighttime being especially scary. Now, a second large member of the wildlife kingdom …

WINDHAM, NH – Nault’s Powersports here is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for stealing five Kawasaki dirt bikes worth more than $30,000 from the dealership over the weekend. Surveillance video of the break in, which happened overnight Saturday, shows …

TORRINGTON, CT – A 30-year-old Harley-Davidson police motorcycle that once patrolled the streets of this Northwestern Connecticut city is back in use. Sort of. After sitting ignored for years in the Torrington Police Department’s sally port, the 1991 Harley-Davidson FXRP is now on prominent display having been loaned to the …

FALLS VILLAGE, CT – Toymakers Cafe, the colorful eatery that catered to motorcyclists for nearly two decades before closing in early September, is planning a comeback. It will no longer be a full-scale restaurant open for breakfast and lunch, rather a spot to enjoy a cup of coffee and shop …

MANCHESTER, NH – Having been “disappointed to be disappointed” upon taking a first test ride of a new Harley Davidson Pan America 1250 on Friday at a dealership that I dubbed “Dealer A,” I nonetheless kept my appointment for the second ride on Saturday at a different dealership. Everyone else …