Up To Speed

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Where’s the oldest Harley-Davidson dealership? You might think it’s in Milwaukee where Harley makes its headquarters, but writing in “The Columbus Dispatch” columnist Joe Blundo singles out the A.D. Farrow dealership in the Ohio capitol, and he recalls that it owes its longevity to a …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Rice-O-Rama has become a victim of its success. Consequently, the annual all-Japanese meet will leave cramped quarters at the North Brookfield Sportsmen’s Club in North Brookfield, Mass. and move to a new location in September – the Singletary Rod and Gun in Oxford, MA. This …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Triumph and Barber Motorsports Park have teamed up  for both AMA races and the track’s vintage festival. A new video not only turns Nick Apex and Ernie Vigil into grunting granddads, but has them stunting through the priceless motorcycle collection at Barber’s museum with Jason …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Some things never go out of style, and that certainly includes the black leather jackets that so many riders wear both for protection and as a fashion statement. The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee will celebrate this zippered piece of motorcycle culture with an exhibit from …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Investindustrial, the Italian private-equity owner of Ducati, is looking to sell the motorcycle brand for as much as one billion euros, or $1.32 billion. The “Financial Times” broke the story today and reported that potential suitors include India-based Mahindra as well as Volkswagen and BMW …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It was only a little more than a week ago that Harley-Davidson unveiled two mid-year 2012 models – the Sportster “Seventy-Two” and the Softail “Slim” – and the good news is that they’re already in stores. RIDE-CT.com visited Harley-Davidson of Danbury on Friday and got …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A Sunday morning ride this past weekend resulted in the arrest of a Florida motorcyclist on a charge of felony child neglect. Jose Nelson Diana of Tampa was spotted going between 20 and 30 miles per hour with his three-year-old son on his lap. Diana was …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The bikes that we ride these days are so refined. We hit the starter button, click the shifter into first gear and go. It wasn’t always this way. Neil Tolhurst tipped us to a video from the Netherlands of a flame-throwing 1915 Indiana board-track racer:

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Harley-Davidson has unveiled two new bikes for 2012. There’s a Sportster called the “Seventy-Two” and a Softail dubbed “Slim.” The Seventy-Two is a throwback bike recalling the early ’70s when choppers were the rage and metal flake paint schemes a necessity. Consequently, the bike has …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Two people were hospitalized with unknown injuries in Bridgeport on Tuesday morning following the collision of a motorcycle and a car on Fairfield Avenue. The accident left the motorcycle standing perpendicular against the driver’s side of the car, and the “Connecticut Post” has pictures and …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The Isle of Man TT was the overwhelming favorite answer to the January poll question of “If you could attend only one event event in 2012, it would be?” A total of 37 voters or 46 percent picked the Isle of Man TT. Sturgis captured …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The flier for the 94th annual Crotona Midnight Run proclaims “Girlie Men Need Not Apply,” and for good reason. This dead-of-winter, dead-of-night event is for serious riders as well as for those foolhardy souls with a spirit of adventure. The number of participants each year …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Sure, it was in the low 40s today, but it was still a great day to ride. How often do New England riders get to log miles in late January? Not often. No matter that a missed turn resulted in the unexpected challenges of a …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Some major details, such as price and availability of parts, are still being worked out, but bike builder Dave Perewitz of Perewitz Cycle Fabrication in Bridgewater, MA and Royal Enfield have teamed up on an accessories project that will enable owners of the 500cc C5 …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com There’s only one week to go to cast your vote in RIDE-CT’s monthly poll question, which asks: “If you could attend only one event in 2012, it would be?” The Isle of Man TT is ahead in the voting and the following video clearly shows …