Up To Speed

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com All bikers are mean, ornery, tattooed tough guys, right? The Carlsberg beer company has done an ad in Belgian that pokes fun at the stereotype by filling a movie theater with bikers and leaving only two empty seats in the middle of the auditorium. What …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com For the second time in less than a year, “Cycle World” magazine has been sold. Hearst Corp. yesterday announced the sale of the magazine to Bonnier Corp., which publishes “Popular Science,” “Field & Stream” and “Parenting” magazine. The two companies reported that “Cycle World’s” staff …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A little more than five years after acquiring them, Gengras motorcycles in East Hartford is dropping the BMW and Triumph motorcycle lines and will sell only the Harley-Davidson brand. RIDE-CT.com has learned that Gengras, which previously jettisoned Ducati, will eliminate its two remaining Euro brands …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com You’d think that Harley-Davidson would be the brand preferred by thieves, if only because of the popularity and market share. But, no, Honda was the most-stolen brand of motorcycle in 2010 with 12,260 bikes taken, followed by Yamaha (9,853), Suzuki (7,869), Kawasaki (5,470) and Harley …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Are motorcycles cleaner and “greener” than cars? The gang at “Mythbusters” try and answer this question on the season premiere of the Discovery Channel series at 9 p.m. Wednesday.  Adam and Jamie will drive and ride vehicles from various decades. The guess here is that …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Honda’s out today with some more new and/or revised models for 2012. While there’s nothing totally new for the U.S. market – like a CB1100, for instance, that’s available in other parts of the world – there is stuff worth talking about. Let’s start with …

By Bud Wilkinson at RIDE-CT.com Polaris and its Indian brand are going after the small maker of Crazy Horse motorcycles for trademark infringement. They want Crazy Horse, which is based in Kent, Wash., to stop using a headdress logo and design as a corporate identifier as well as on tank …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Ducati, which has relied on numbers only for its past superbikes, has added a name to a new model planned for 2012. The company announced today that it’ll be the “Ducati 1199 Panigale.” The bike will be unveiled at the EIICMA International Motorcycle Show in …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com RIDE-CT.com would never try to compete with Craigslist, but occasionally an “available” bike comes along that warrants mention. Larry Maye of Southbury emailed me back in early August about a 1973 Harley-Davidson Z90 that he owns. “Garaged for 36 years,” he proclaimed. “All original, looks …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Harley-Davidson sells more bikes in the city of Milwaukee, its home base, than it does in all of China because of long-standing road restrictions. Bloomberg News has the story here.

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com This weekend’s Fairfield County Concours d’Elegance in Westport may emphasize cars with 200 extraordinary examples, but motorcycles are getting some exposure, too. More than 20 bikes will be exhibited, including a “barn find” 1938 Indian Scout, a 1990 BMW K1, a 1937 Brough Superior and …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Motorcycling is a passion that once discovered is hard to give up. Given the ongoing condition of the economy and the fact that some baby boomers are reaching the age where quitting riding makes sense, it might be logical to speculate that motorcycle registrations would …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Well, I finally understand first-hand how and why the Japanese put the British bike industry out of business in the 1970s. All it took was a 180-mile road trip on the 1974 Honda CB750 Four that I acquired on Friday. It was smooth running from …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Japanese bike lovers from New England and beyond flocked to the 5th annual Rice-O-Rama vintage meet in North Brookfield, Mass. on Sunday. The show ground was filled with some sparkling examples of motorcycling’s past from the Land of the Rising Sun, including these two Honda …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It’s a TV commercial that both Harley-Davidson riders and dog lovers will enjoy, and it’s for the 2012 Harley Wide Glide, part of the “No Cages” ad campaign. The ad debuted during the season premiere of “Sons of Anarchy.” Not only does it promote Harley, …