Up To Speed

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The start of Laconia Motorcycle Week is only 10 days away. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the event, prompting Laconia Harley-Davidson and New Hampshire Motor Speedway to join forces in a fund-raising effort designed to bring in more than $76,000 for the Boys …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com (Editor’s note: Update at bottom) Sometimes a rider pulls in, parks his motorcycle and you just go, “Wow!” Chris Rasile’s bike offers an example. It’s a 2002 Harley-Davidson Road King, pumped up from 88 cubic inches to 110 and fitted with a front fender from …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com As a dentist, Dr. Mike Maroon deals with apprehensive patients all day, and that’s part of reason why three months ago he bought Scooter Centrale/Vespa Hartford in Plainville. At the scooter store, he gets to see smiles on the faces of potential and returning customers. …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com More B.O.S.S. models will be produced by Suzuki. The initials stand for Blacked Our Special Suzuki and the bike maker announced Friday that it plans three new versions for 2014 – a Boulevard C90, a Boulevard M109R (pictured below) and a Boulevard C50. They will …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com There’s a well-known phrase that you’ve probably heard: “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” It was coined in 1967 by graphic designer and copywriter Charles Rosner for an advertising campaign that promoted VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), the …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Have a little money to invest? As little as $1? A start-up company in California called Vectolabs LLC  is trying to raise $50,000 by June 12 so that it can begin producing a product called Vololights. It’s a license plate frame with LEDs incorporated that …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It was a soggy morning for a ride that got wetter as the day progressed. After having our requisite breakfast at Toymaker’s Cafe in Falls Village, I suggested to riding compatriot Gary Randall that we take the scenic route to Norfolk on some roads that …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Rotec Aerosport in Victoria, Australia was started in 2000 and its products are made “to recapture the yesteryear romanticism of radial engines,” but with modern-day quality. While the company’s engines are primarily designed for airplanes, the seven-cylinder, 110-horsepower, 2800cc Rotec R2800 radial engine and the …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Some American Legion Riders in SoCal had a hard time swallowing a restaurant’s request that they remove their vests when inside the establishment over the weekend. Davina’s Cabo Grill and Cantina in Oceanside, CA has a blanket policy requiring

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It looks like a toy, but a fun one. It’s the new 125cc Honda model dubbed the Grom, a fuel-injected, single-cylinder machine with a four-speed transmission that’s designed for both newbies to learn on and experienced riders to play on. Honda unveiled the new bike …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com An Indian Chief is going to cost a whole lot less. When the iconic brand was revived with a factory in North Carolina a few years ago, it was done so as a premium entity. That didn’t instantly change when Polaris bought the company in …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com What happens when you “go down” and aren’t wearing the proper protective gear? The Colorado Department of Transportation has developed a graphic new public service announcement showing the consequences. It’s filled with blood and gore, but it’s all done with makeup. The PSA makes its …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Would you do it? Ride most everywhere between Alaska and Argentina, spend 500 days doing it and shoot more than 600 hours of video? Alex Chacon of El Paso, TX has done it on a 2007 Kawasaki KLR 650 and chronicled his adventures in words …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com With its first new model due out later this year (following the company’s purchase by Polaris Industries two years ago), Indian is working to expand its dealer network. Over the weekend, RIDE-CT.com had an unexpected conversation with a seemingly unlikely candidate who has been approached about …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com An unexpected effort in the General Assembly to crack down on noisy motorcycles is being met by immediate opposition by the motorcycle industry. Under language added last week to a bill involving off-road ATVs, the sale, registration or operation of a street motorcycle having most …