Up To Speed

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The roads were wet and there were spots of thin fog. There was rain, too, and only a few moments of sunshine. Inside my helmet, there was a wide smile. The first ride of 2011 put it there. Friend Gary Randall and I had talked about riding …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The new year begins with Max BMW in Brookfield and Gengras in East Hartford having apparently dropped the Italian brand Ducati. RIDE-CT’s seeking to confirm reports elsewhere of the departure of Ducati from the two dealerships, which would leave the state without a Ducati dealer. The new edition …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The 2010 riding season seemed to last forever. Unlike 2009, which was marked by seemingly constant rain, this year was much sunnier and many great memories were stored. The best part of writing the RIDE-CT column in “The Republican-American” is meeting riders and seeing interesting bikes. Looking …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com An inadequate dipstick on some 2010 Sprint ST and GT models has prompted Triumph to issue a recall order, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration. The NHTSA reports that due to “an incorrect length” of some dipsticks, “the accuracy of the dipstick for …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Between Christmas activities and the great blizzard of ’10, RIDE-CT.com has been shoved into the background recently. The goal for 2011 is more frequent postings of the latest motorcycle news, but that’s not a concern until next week. Today, let me provide a link to a video …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Once upon a time, way back on ’06, J.D. Power and Associates released the results of its annual Motorcycle Competitive Information study, declaring Victory to be the best brand on the road in terms of product, build quality, cost of ownership, quality, sales and service. Also doing …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Not snowing. The forecast has changed from earlier in the week and the storm that could have brought snow tonight has moved out to sea. (Why do we say “moved out to sea” to describe such a near miss? The Atlantic is an ocean; not …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Gathering information and writing the RIDE-CT column for “The Republican-American” every Saturday is often the best part of the week. It usually involves meeting new people and checking out cool bikes before sitting down at the laptop and leisurely tapping out something that will appeal to …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The registration is in remarkably good condition. There is some fraying along the top edge, but the information about the bike – 61 cubic inches and two cylinders – is clear. The fact that motorcycle is repeatedly spelled as “Motor Cycle” provides the first clue …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com When Norton Motorcycles Ltd. recently announced the appointment of Dan Van Epps to lead its operation in the U.S. and roll out its first models in May 2011, the press release noted a Beacon Falls mailing address. Now, in an interview with the website throttlehand.com, …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Random oil drips on the garage floor… Cliff’s Cycle Revolution owner Cliff LaMotta is, understandably, keeping mum on the reported sale of his BMW-Ducati-Indian dealership to Max BMW, which currently has stores in New York and New Hampshire (see previous post). In  reply last night …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Max BMW, which has motorcycle dealerships in New York and New Hampshire, is reportedly expanding into Connecticut next week by acquiring Cliff’s Cycle Revolution, the BMW-Ducati-Indian store in Brookfield.  A sale by Cliff’s owner Cliff LaMotta to Max BMW owner Max Stratton is scheduled to close on Dec. 17, …

A Florida woman and her two daughters won an $8.4 million verdict Thursday for a 2008 crash that killed their motorcycle rider husband and father. The jury deliberated for 50 minutes before finding the driver of a Hummer guilty of negligence. “The Palm Beach Post” has the story.

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com One of the reasons that riders visit motorcycle dealerships, even if they aren’t really shopping for a bike, is to sit on new models to discover whether the feet touch the ground and if the riding position is comfortable. It’s now possible to do that without …

By Bud Wilkinson  Christmas is less than three weeks away. Have you put your bike(s) into winter storage yet? Or are you foot-dragging because you don’t want to quit peg-dragging? The bikes can wait. Holiday shopping cannot and RIDE-CT always offers some gift ideas for motorcycle lovers. While some new …