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By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com More new 2013 releases from the world’s bike manufacturers and more to come: Over the weekend in Las Vegas, Suzuki introduced to dealers the all-new, entry-level GW250. It’s a standard aimed to compete against Honda’s CBR250R and Kawasaki’s new Ninja 300. Powered by a 248cc, …
Read More »Ducati Releases New 2013 Models
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com What do you get when you mix a Multistrada with a Hypermotard? Ducati’s answer is the Hyperstrada (above), which was unveiled yesterday at the EICMA international show in Milan. The bike’s purpose is long-distance adventure touring and features a 110-horsepower, 821cc motor, as do two …
Read More »Honda Unveils Six Models, Including CB1100
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com For three years, ever since its release in Japan and Australia, motorcycle purists who fondly recalls the ground-breaking CB750 Four having been screaming for the importation of the retro CB1100. Guess what? Honda announced this morning that the CB1100 will be among six new models …
Read More »Product Review: Weise “Urban” Boots
Update: The light bulb finally went on and I learned to properly tuck the laces down inside the boot. Having worn them now for nearly 18 months, I’ve found them to be comfortable and durable, so the rating gets revised upwards by one star. —– Ever put your feet down …
Read More »Hartford Dealer Adds Kawasaki, Midtown Exits
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com New England Cycle Center in Hartford revealed this morning that it’s adding the Kawasaki line, while simultaneously confirming an item posted here nearly a month ago that Midtown Kawasaki in Rocky Hill was apparently getting out of the business. “We expect bikes on the floor …
Read More »American Suzuki Files for Bankruptcy Protection
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Brea, CA-based American Suzuki Motor Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today and announced it will stop selling automobiles in the United States. The company, which makes small cars and sport utility vehicles, including the Grand Vitara (pictured), estimated that its debts and liabilities …
Read More »Date Set for Brit Jam in 2013
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The British Iron Association of Connecticut this afternoon announced the date for next year’s Brit Jam meet. It will be held Aug. 18, 2013. Brit Jam’s always a fun event that attracts riders of all makes and models, not just lovers of Triumphs, Nortons and …
Read More »Trip to “The Bean” Offers An Eyeful
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It has become a fall tradition to ride to The Vanilla Bean Cafe when Yankee Beemers, a club of BMW enthusiasts, holds its end of season ride-in at the Pomfret eatery. Yesterday was the day, so five of us made the chilly, 90-minute trek for …
Read More »Oil Drippings: News and Opinion
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Hurricane Sandy (and the celebration of my hometown of Harwinton’s 275th anniversary) diverted attention, but now it’s time to catch up… The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee has unveiled a display that showcases the “Tsunami Harley,” the 2004 Softail Night Train owned by Ikuo Yokoyama that …
Read More »Yes, There Are Stunt Riders in “Skyfall”
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The new James Bond movie “Skyfall” features some rooftop riding and Honda is out with a video on how it was done:
Read More »Bitsa Bike Gets Deserved Attention
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The appellation “bitsa bike” – as in a motorcycle made from “bits of this, bits of that” – might suggest to some an amalgam of parts that are crammed together, with the result being an ill-conceived finished product. To call Steve Luba’s custom motorcycle a …
Read More »Are Tolls Necessary? Should Motorcyclists Get A Break?
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A news nugget last week from Visordown.com, a motorcycle website in the U.K., got me thinking. It told of a protest by bikers in Wales over a 35 pence toll to cross the Cleddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire, and noted that most toll roads in the …
Read More »Recalling A Summer Riding Adventure
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Route 154 is a winding state road that runs along the west side of the Connecticut River from Old Saybrook through Esssex and Deep River and north to Haddam and Higganum. “This is a nice cruising road,” said Janet Gessner, whose husband, Tim, rides a …
Read More »A Fill-Up That Ends With A Fire
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com What would you do if your bike suddenly caught fire as you sat the gas pump after filling up? Would you panic, drop it and run? Maybe drive away from the pumps from quickly? Run inside the gas station for a fire extinguisher? The KZ750 …
Read More »Sportbike Hauled Away, Crushed As Trash
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The owner of a sportbike in Roanoke Rapids, NC got a surprise recently when his motorcycle, which was parked by the curb and covered, got picked up by city garbage collectors, crushed and hauled away as trash. WTVD-TV in Raleigh-Durham has the story:
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