Up To Speed

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Is Audi on the way to becoming the owner of Ducati? “Car” magazine reported Monday that the German carmaker has an exclusive deal to buy the Italian superbike builder. The story is posted here. There are certainly two ways of looking at this arrangement: Skeptics …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It has long been said that there are those that have “gone down” and those who will “go down.” It includes most of us. A patch of sand on the roadway, a smudge of oil and black ice can lead to a mishap. So can …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com If you’re a rider who always wears a helmet, have you ever stopped for gas and gone inside to give the cashier money without removing it? A 26-year-old rider in Scotland has been banned from a Tesco gas station for doing just that. All Leanne …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It was the brand name that attracted my attention – Garelli. I’d never heard of it before today. It was while riding into the pizza joint where I meet the guys for lunch every day that I noticed a smallish bike parked outside a house …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It has often been said that you only have one chance to make a good impression. These days, for dealerships, that first impression is often via the Internet. An inadequate or hard-to-maneuver  website can make a bad first impression. So can outdated information and hyperbole. …

Maybe I’m showing my age – that’s why I have two vintage bikes in the garage as well as one that’s borderline vintage – but in a world of website comments, Facebook posts and Tweets, it’s nice to receive something as old-fashioned as an email (or two): Bud, I read …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Of all the motorcycles that I’ve owned, the worst was probably a blue 2004 Triumph Sprint ST. I bought it based on looks alone – without even taking a test ride. It looked incredibly sporty on the showroom floor at Canton Cycles and I returned …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The polls closed at midnight Wednesday – OK, more like 9 p.m. – on February’s poll question: “Who’s the coolest rider ever?” Getting the most votes was actor Steve McQueen, who famously rode a motorcycle in the movie “The Great Escape,” although stunt rider Bud …

By Bud Wilkinson of  RIDE-CT.com There is no other motorcycle on the planet that possesses the mystique of the Vincent Black Shadow. Fewer than 1,700 were built between 1948 and 1955, which is when the British manufacturer went out of business. It was a Black Lightning race version of the …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Catching up after taking a few days off… Stamford-based publisher and motorcycle enthusiast/collector Buzz Kanter, the guy behind such magazines as “American Iron,” “RoadBike” and “Motorcycle Bagger,” will be among 2012 inductees into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame, it was announced Monday. (Buzz …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Redline Powersports, the new motorcycle accessories and service store in Winsted, will holds its grand opening on Saturday. The store is located in the building that formerly housed Canton Cycles at 70 S. Main St. (when Route 8 runs into Route 44). Owner Shannon Fry …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com So, when did you put your motorcycle away for the winter? You say you haven’t yet, and probably won’t now that the first day of spring is only a month away? RIDE-CT.com hasn’t been out since Saturday when 80 miles was logged on both the …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The Connecticut motorcycle club that’s devoted to all rides British – hence the name British Iron Association – has unveiled a new website. Club chairman Shaun Kelly reports that it’s still a work in progress. Some pages are activated and some aren’t. “(The) paint is …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Steve Smith and I were walking back to Grand Central Station last month after attending the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in New York City when we noticed a Harley stopped at a light on 9th Avenue. Dangling from the clutch lever was a long, braided …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Polaris is looking to expand its market share and take a bite out of Harley-Davidson’s when it begins full-scale production of Indian motorcycles in 2013, in addition to its Victory line. The company views Indian as being a heritage marque with classic styling that has a …