Up To Speed

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com An old Norton always turns heads when out of the road and gathers crowd when parked. It’s a sure bet that a new Norton will do the same. Norton Motorcycles Ltd. has announced that the famous British brand will return to the U.S.A. in May 2011 with …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com At some point, the time comes to quit riding for good. Diminished strength and diminished skills eventually force every smart rider to give up the recreation. After all, no one stays young forever. Body parts begin to break down, the mind isn’t as sharp and …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Sig Hansen remembers being called upon as a school kid to speak in front of the class and feigning sickness to get out of it. Now, as an adult, he’s not only a star of the long-running reality TV hit “Deadliest Catch” but part of …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Every married guy should be blessed with a spouse like Scott Kegelman’s wife, Debreh Gilbert. When he learned that a 1993 Moto Guzzi 1000S was about to be sold by its owner in Danbury to someone in Texas, she told him, “If you don’t leave …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Yes, the Great Recession caused motorcycle manufacturers to cut back on bringing out new models for 2010, but next year looks to be better for riders looking for some entirely new rides. Ducati’s Diavel sport cruiser is one bike that loads of motorcyclists are certainly looking forward …

Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Unions at many large manufacturers, including Harkey-Davidson, have been yielding on two-tier wage scales demanded by companies. One union leader calls it “a surrender for labor.” “The New York Times” has the story here.

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-Ct.com Connecticut is in the crosshairs, along with 30 other states, as the National Transportation Safety Board mounts another effort to make wearing a helmet when riding mandatory across the United States. Currently, only 20 states and the District of Columbia have universal helmet laws. At a press conference …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com BMW riders from southern New England gathered at the Vanilla Bean in Pomfret on Sunday to symbolically mark the end of the riding season. As many as 80 motorcycles, including some Harleys and Ducatis as well as British and Japanese brands, filled the parking lot at one point, …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Honda this week announced plans to bring out an entry-level sport bike – the CBR250R. Pricing won’t be announced for another couple of weeks, but the bike will be available in metallic black and red/silver in spring 2011. “The CBR250R is specifically aimed at new …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com A designer for Harley-Davidson reveals to his alma mater how the Sportster Forty-Eight model came to be. Rich Christoph’s interview on the throw-back bike that is posted on the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s web site can be found here. “We convey ideas ffrom thin air through artwork,” …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Longtime Chicago firefighter Jim McMahon was left paralyzed from the chest down and in need of 24-hour care following a 2004 motorcycle crash in Arizona, and he’s now suing Harley-Davidson for allegedly building a faulty, problematic bike that, in the words of attorney Scott Hooper, “weaved …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com It looks much older than it actually is. From the vantage point of “a man of a certain age,” a vintage motorcycle is one from the 1930s, 1940s or maybe 1950s – not 1983. Somehow, though, the purple Harley-Davidson FXDG recently restored by Doc’s Motorcycle …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com If you’re a regular reader of the RIDE-CT motorcycle column in “The Republican-American,”  you’ll likely recall the continuing soap opera back in 2008 when a wreck of a 1969 Triumph T100R Daytona was dragged from Greg Bidou’s barn in Falls Village and put back on …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com Happened to drive by Canton Cycles in Winsted yesterday, or should I say the former of home of Canton Cycles. Real estate signs were displayed in the showroom window and out front, and the bikes were gone. It’s sad when a dealership closes. It’s even sadder …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com The motorcycle industry is in tough shape. Sales have flat-lined, dealerships are closing, baby bo0mers are either not buying or giving up riding altogether.  A few sparkling new models not withstanding, there’s not a lot in the way of new product, either. It’s a new reality that …