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By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The Harley-Davidson Foundation announced this week that it has donated $250,000 – a paltry sum considering that Harley CEO Keith E. Wandell was compensated $6.4 million last year – to support relief efforts in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami. The foundation’s contribution was made to the …
Read More »Will Ducati Return to Danbury?
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com One of the first things that Max Stratton did upon buying Cliff’s Cycle Revolution in Brookfield back in December was to jettison the Ducati line. Max made his mark selling BMWs at stores in New Hampshire and New York and wanted his new Connecticut store to be …
Read More »Rant: The “Joys” of Old Bike Ownership
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Owning an old bike (or, in the case of RIDE-CT, bikes) is a blessing and a curse. An old motorcycle is inevitably rough around the edges, tempermental and prone to breakdowns. But there’s a romance to riding an old bike. Every old bike has its …
Read More »“Motorcyclepedia” Coming to Newburgh, N .Y.
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Newburgh, N.Y. gets a motorcycle museum when Motorcyclepedia opens on April 16. More than 300 motorcycles will be displayed on two floors in the 85,000 square-foot museum. The “Times Herald-Record” has the story here. RIDE-CT is already planning a visit to get pictures and details. — With …
Read More »Vintage Morgan Model Being Revived
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Not all motorcycles have V-twin motors. There are single-cylinder “thumpers,” triples and inline fours. And not all V-twin motors are found in motorcycles. From spring to fall, I spend two to three hours each weekday morning atop a vibrating V-twin lawnmower cutting greens for fun …
Read More »Harley Museum Not Open to Shareholders
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com For the past two years, Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson has held its annual shareholders meeting at its museum, which opened in 2008 and celebrates the history of the iconic brand. Not this year. Seems the facility was already booked on April 30 when Harley inquired about the …
Read More »Moto Guzzi Turns 90, Enrollment Opens at N.V.C.C.
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Moto Guzzi turned 90 today – having been launched on March 21, 1921 – and celebrated the milestone by unveiling a new blog at MotoGuzziHeritage.com. No need to gather in the piazza anymore. Just go online. — Registration for motorcycle courses at Naugatuck Valley Community College …
Read More »H-D’s CEO Made $6.4 Million in 2010
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Harley-Davidson CEO Keith E. Wandell was compensated approximately $6.4 million in 2010, according to financial data released by the company in advance of a stockholder’s meeting next month. “The Journal Sentinel” in Milwaukee has more details here.
Read More »Keira Knightley Teases with a Ducati
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It was last September that photos came out of Keira Knightley wearing a catsuit and sitting on a Ducati. The commercial shoot was for Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle perfume and while the ad isn’t out yet a teaser video has been released with the actress talking about the …
Read More »Think Spring, Riding Season Is Here…
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com OK, maybe it’s still a little nippy and the snow crust hasn’t melted entirely, but this weekend has RIDE-CT believing that the riding season is here. The ice mound at the end of the driveway is gone and the clocks have been pushed ahead. Petcocks …
Read More »Lack of Helmet Law Has Costly Consequences
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The lack of a mandatory helmet law in Connecticut has “led to high fatalities and injuries from motorcycle crashes that likely cost billions of dollars in hospital and rehabilitation bills,” according to a new study released today by researchers at Yale School of Medicine, UConn and the Connecticut …
Read More »Kevlar-lined Motorcycles Jeans Made in U.S.A.
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com There probably isn’t a motorcyclist who doesn’t ride in blue jeans – if not most of the time, at least occasionally. Some riders wear leather chaps over their jeans while others wear non-denim riding pants packed with armor, but plain ol’ jeans are always the …
Read More »When Is A Dealer Not A Dealer?
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com When is a motorcycle dealer not a dealer? That’s an interesting question, and it applies to Harley-Davidson of Danbury, which used to also sell Buell motorcycles before Harley scrapped the brand. Now, Buell founder Erik Buell is back with a new company, EBR, and a …
Read More »End Near for Bridgeport H.O.G.
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The bankruptcy and closure of Fritz’s Bridgeport Harley-Davidson in Stratford will mean the end of the H.O.G. chapter tied to the dealership. In an email sent yesterday, which was forwarded to RIDE-CT, Karen Ligammari reported that she had just heard from H.O.G. regional manager Dan …
Read More »Another Hearing At Legislature
By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It’s on quiet days like this when RIDE-CT yearns for some really startling news, such as “Harley Announces Plans for 250cc Bike” or “Laconia Bows to Vegans, Bans Leather.” You get the idea. We’re in that “Never Land” between seasons where little is happening, except at the General …
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