Up To Speed

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Between us, friend Gary Randall and I now have but two running motorcycles, one each. We’re in crisis mode – determined to ride this Easter Sunday but wary of what might happen next. Most of the bikes in Gary’s vintage collection are on the disabled …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The state legislature in New Hampshire is once again trying to crack down on excessive motorcycle noise. A bill under consideration would reduce the allowable noise level from 106 decibels to 92 decibels. And that’s when idling. Law enforcement agencies turned out to support the …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Today – April 5 – is the most dangerous day to ride, at least in the U.K. Data from the bike insurance company Bennetts reveals that April 5 has the highest number of claims, with Thursdays generally being the worst day of the week for …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The changing makeup of Harley-Davidson’s customer base and its incredible brand loyalty is the subject of story not in the United States but in “The National” in the United Arab Emirates. While some of the content is obvious and rehash, the article does point out …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com “Wild Bill” Eggers of Goshen, CT has done it again. After replicating an 1886 Daimler motorcycle – and building five of them, one of which sits in the Motorcyclepedia museum in Newburgh, NY – he’s now recreating what might have been the first motorcycle. It’s …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Last year was a good year for Harley-Davidson, and for those in the corporate offices. H-D’s top five executives received discretionary and performance-based bonuses of almost $5.7 million, with CEO Keith Wandell getting more than $2.8 million. Wandell’s total compensation for 2011, which includes stock …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com In an effort to tout its riding apparel, Harley-Davidson has created a series of three videos titled “Made of a lot More Than Just Leather,” the first of which is posted below. When Harley tipped me to the videos yesterday afternoon, I chuckled upon seeing …

Read an article over the weekend by Ted Reed of The Street on the “10 Worst Cars of All Time.” Having owned a couple of them – a 1973 Chevrolet Vega GT and a 1976 Ford Mustang II, but not a

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It’s great to be getting all the regular April yard work – the raking, the mulching of flower beds, the fertilizing of the lawn – done in March. It means that when the weather does warm up for good, most every task of consequence will …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A British minister riding a Suzuki Hayabusa with a sidecar hearse has broken a land speed record by going 117.6 miles per hours. The Rev. Paul Sinclair, 46, of Heather in northwest Leicestershire accomplished the feat last week at Elvington Airfield near York. The “Leicester …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Unable to find an investor to buy the company, Lehman Trikes has suspended operations and let go an unspecified number of workers. The “Rapid City Journal” reports that the Spearfish, S.D.-based company is still looking for an infusion of cash but quotes President and CEO …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The showroom floor looked suspiciously empty of new motorcycles when RIDE-CT stopped in New Milford Cycles a few weeks ago, but owner Carl Kaffeman was too busy to talk. Now comes confirmation this morning from Kaffeman that the Honda-Kawasaki dealership at 571 Danbury Road (Route …

Willie G. Davidson, the grandson of one of the founders of Harley-Davidson, announced his retirement today as the company’s senior vice president and chief styling officer. The 78-year-old Davidson, known to countless Harley riders as simply “Willie G.,” will leave his position after

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A downward trend in rider deaths in North Yorkshire, England has prompted those involved in road safety to work even harder to reduce the death and injury rates. A series of videos shot along the most popular motorcycle routes highlights the dangers to riders. “The …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The sign for The Shop in Winsted only went up by the roadside about two weeks ago, but Keith Bruno has been working since August to transform the building at 920 Main Street into a suitable facility for his three-year-old motorcycle service and repair business. …