Up To Speed

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Five-time Moto GP World Champion Mick Doohan makes a point about safe riding in this safety video that Steve Smith sent me. Admittedly, I had to watch it a couple of times to “get it,” but only because of Aussie Doohan’s accent when he explained …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A motorcycle stunt rider in Brazil misjudged the paths of some oncoming cars while doing a wheelie and got catapulted roughly 80 feet through the air during a performance. The mishap involving the rider who is wearing black comes at the end of the video:

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Some riders were standing on the sidewalk in Kent yesterday afternoon when one of them observed, “You don’t see many Harleys at this time of year.” Even though there were a couple of Harley-Davidsons parked nearby, the comment still drew chuckles because it reinforced a …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Honda’s recalling Gold Wing/GL1800s for the model years 2001-2010 and 2012 for a possible braking system problem. The company reports that “the compensating port hole inside the secondary master cylinder can become blocked… If this occurs, the rear brake temperature and pressure progressively increase.” The …

By Bud Wilkinson By the time the Sunday motorcycle adventure ended, and riding cohort Gary Randall’s 1968 BMW R50/2 was securely strapped on a trailer, the sun was setting in the Berkshires and a bovine chorus was serenading us from beyond a barbed wire fence. Something that I feared happening …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The revived Norton brand is having some growing pains across the pond. BBC News reports that the British biker-maker is behind on delivering models to anxious customers. One customer who paid up front even sued to get his money back. The company is hoping to …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Received an email yesterday evening from Cliff LaMotta, former of owner of Cliff’s Cycle Revolution (now MAX BMW) in Brookfield, on behalf of the Motomarathon Association. He extended an early invitation to RIDE-CT to participate in next year’s Motomarathon. It’s a four-day endurance tour that …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Today’s glorious weather had the roads loaded with bikes. RIDE-CT thought it wise late this afternoon to “exercise” all three bikes in the garage – get the oil circulating and the gas tanks topped. The 1969 Triumph T100R Daytona proved to be balky, though, requiring …

By Bud Wilkinson Members of Torrington’s Reservoir Dogs Motorcycle Club hit the intersection of Route 4 (East Elm St.) and Main Street between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. today to solicit donations for Christmas Village, the Friendly Hands Food Bank and St. Jude’s, marking the ninth year the club has …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Just in time for Thanksgiving, some riders in Walnut Creek, Calif. have been targeted in the days leading up to the holiday by a pair of wild turkeys, who want to knock the stuffing out of motorcyclists:

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Winter is the time when motorcycle shows draw our attention away from snow and ice and get us thinking of the spring ahead. We check out new models and load up on gear and accessories that we might need or desire for the coming riding …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The power’s back on after eight days following the pre-Halloween snowstorm here in Connecticut, so it’s back to posting news and other interesting motorcycle info… It came out four years ago, but an overseas TV commercial for Royal Enfield certainly makes the point that the …

By Bud Wilkinson Triumph has announced that it will offer a new adventure-touring model for 2011 as well as a couple of different editions of current models, namely the Bonneville T100 and the Speed Triple. New to the lineup will be the Tiger Explorer. The Tiger Explorer is an upsized …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Not many motorcycles have songs written about them. “Little Honda” comes to mind. It was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love of The Beach Boys, and turned into a Top 10 hit in 1964 by a grab-bag group of studio musicians that included Glen …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Harley-Davidson CEO Keith Wandell says his company is rebounding from the economic recession, but needs new product aimed an entry-level riders and product that makes riders go “Wow!” and that gets t0 market quicker. He spoke at a business symposium at Ohio State University on …