Up To Speed

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 …

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com With the temperature finally dipping below freezing at night, Saturday seemed like a good day to start winterizing the three bikes in the garage. Sure, there have been some years when I’ve ridden on Christmas or New Year’s Day, but it’s not looking like this year …

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 …