Up To Speed

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 …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Despite the rain on the roof tonight, it’s safe to say that there are a lot of happy riders in southern New England and New York after what was a perfect day to start 2012. Sure, it was cold this morning – it was 36 …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Happy New Year! Thanks to everyone – readers, sponsors and the curious worldwide – for all the support in 2011. As the clock ticks down to midnight, RIDE-CT.com ends the year on an upbeat note having watched readership climb steadily over the past 12 months. …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Our resident motorcycle safety expert Steve Smith keeps coming up with videos that are worth watching. He must either spend an awful lot of time at the computer or is just skillful in locating them. This next video comes from the U.K. It’s a lengthy …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com David Radford chucked his job in 2008, bought a motorcycle and went for an extended ride. The 40-year-old Canadian has visited 83 countries – so far. He has witnessed the kindness of strangers and been jailed once. “The Marlborough Express” in New Zealand has his …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Our resident safe riding expert and CONREP instructor Steve Smith has a habit of finding neat video, and he’s passed along another one that brings a new definition to “rolling down the highway.” The animation is so good that I almost thought it was real. …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The piggy bank may seem empty at this time of year, but J.D. Power and Associates reports that motorcycle owners seemed more willing to spend in 2011, compared with 2010. In its annual motorcycle satisfaction study, which was released Friday, the company reported that buyers …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Massachusetts residents who live in the Berkshires or the Pioneer Valley in the western and central portions of the state are more apt to own a motorcycle than those living in more heavily populated areas, such as Boston. Using census figures, the state Department of …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A few years ago, with the help of a few friends and acquaintances, I wrote a RIDE-CT column in “The Republican-American” on the telltale signs of “Dunkin’ Angels,” a peculiar specie of motorcyclist that is more poser than rider. As I noted at the time, …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A motorcycle business in Gastonia, N.C. buys gently used Harley-Davidsons, adds some bling and then sells them to customers around the world. In four years, the three-man shop has sold nearly 800 Harleys via eBay. – It wasn’t mentioned in this morning’s column in “The …

Victory designers reached into the parts bin and regurgitated a new model Friday evening in Long Beach, CA with the unveiling of the 2012 Hard-Ball at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show. The Hard-Ball mixes the ape-hangers and beefy rubber of the High-Ball with the hard bags from the Cross Roads …