Up To Speed

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com NEW YORK – There’s a show within the show at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show this weekend and at every stop on the IMS circuit. Bike builders from across the nation are competing for a $90,000 cash prize as part of the Ultimate Builder Custom …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com NEW YORK – The unveiling of a new model from Victory, and the stateside debut of flashy new motorcycles from Honda, Triumph, Ducati and Husqvarna, provided the visual highlights on opening day of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show today. Thousands of bike lovers turned out …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Ural wants to expand its dealer network in the U.S. in 2012. The Russian maker of sidecar rigs saw sales in increase 39 percent in 2011 as it added 22 new dealers. The company wants to add 25 to 30 more this year, according to …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Politics isn’t a subject that comes up often when riding with friends or meeting other riders out on the road.  My experience is that most of us prefer to talk about the common bond of riding than something divisive like politics. Regardless of our party …

Does your old Harley-Davidson have the hiccups? Or maybe it simply lacks the get-up-and-go that it once had. In case you weren’t aware of it, Harley has an engine re-manufacturing program which restores old motors to

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Part of Harley-Davidson’s allure here in the U.S. may come from the fact that the company’s motorcycles are “American-made,” but the brand’s attitude translates anywhere. The Moma Propaganda advertising agency in Sao Paulo, Brazil has created some print ads that drive that point home. Here …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com People are stupid… Who said rider training isn’t helpful or that helmets can’t help save lives? Must have been the 57-year-old man in North Fort Meyers, FL who died Wednesday while taking a test ride on a the bike that he’d just purchased and had …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The former home of Canton Cycles in Winsted may soon house another motorcycle business. Shannon Fry, who used to work for Canton Cycles, is moving forward with plans to open Redline Powersports in what was the dealer’s showroom at 70 S. Main Street. Canton Cycles …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com How many times have drivers cut you off or simply failed to see you approaching on a motorcycle? It happens to every rider, but there’s no way to retaliate as much as you’d like to because four wheels trump two. Until now. BMW has come …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com With the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in New York a little more than a week away, Victory is out with a new teaser video for a new custom model that stars R. Lee Ermey, aka “The Gunny,” and Zach Ness:

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The city council in Laconia, NH is still mulling a proposed crackdown on activities at Laconia Motorcycle Week, but on Monday tabled any action on most of the proposed changes until after this year’s event, which runs June 9-17. Still in play are an examination …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The Springfield Museums’ annual Indian Day, which honors the brand that was built from 1901 to 1953 in the Massachusetts city, will be held this year on Sunday, July 15. The rally draws dozens of Indian owners and their machines. Besides providing the opportunity to …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com If short weekend rides aren’t sufficient to satisfy your thirst for riding, but an Iron Butt event seems too daunting, well, participating in a Motomarathon event might be the answer. The Colorado-based Motomarathon Association has set dates for five events this year, including a new …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A 26-year-old Brooklyn mother received a wrist-slap sentence of just 60 days in jail yesterday for the 2010 death of a Ducati rider on a street in lower Manhattan. Naisha Sutton was driving on a learner’s permit when she made an illegal left turn off …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A new print ad from across the pond for Honda’s CBR 1000 RR motorcycle done by McCann Erickson in Israeli really makes the point of how fast the bike is. The attached slogan is “Arrive home before yourself” and it shows one hazard of doing …