IRVINE, CA – Motorcycle sales in the U.S.rose dramatically in every category in the first quarter of this year compared to the same time frame in 2020, data contained in the Motorcycle Industry Council Retail Sales Report issued today revealed. On-highway, off-road, dual purpose and scooter sales all grew significantly …
Read More »Is A Dedicated Drive-Thru Lane For Motorcycles At Dunkin’ The Next Big Thing?
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES – It opened in January, and Dunkin’ even put out a regional press release in early March, but the story went largely unnoticed outside of the Philippines where riders of bikes, mopeds and motorcycles now have the option of riding through a dedicated drive-thru lane to buy …
Read More »Harley-Davidson Spins Off LiveWire Into A Separate Brand
MILWAUKEE – As of today, the LiveWire will no longer be an electric model branded as a Harley-Davidson, rather an independent brand sold by “participating” Harley-Davidson dealers. The company’s goal is make it “the most desirable electric motorcycle brand in the world,” according to Harley-Davidson chairman, president and CEO Jochen …
Read More »Brothers’ Harley-Davidson Getting New Owner And New Name
(UPDATE: Friday, May 14 at 4:50 p.m. – New story with new owner’s perspective.) (UPDATE: Friday, May 14 at 9:50 a.m. – The sale of Brothers’ Harley-Davidson to FRG, LLC was completed Wednesday and the dealership began operating on Thursday as Freedom Road Harley-Davidson. RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England has so …
Read More »Harley-Davidson Tops In Responding To Website Inquiries
MONTEREY, CA – Ever asked a motorcycle dealership a question via its website? If you got a response, you most likely inquired of a Harley-Davidson, Indian or BMW store. If you didn’t get an answer, you probably were reaching out to a Honda, Kawasaki, Triumph or Yamaha dealer. That’s the …
Read More »Manchester H-D’s Bikini Contest Prompts Social Media Backlash
MANCHESTER, NH – In a move that’s already alienating and aggravating a portion of its potential customers, Manchester Harley-Davidson has revealed plans to hold a “Miss Manchester H-D Bikini Contest” over the next three months. Skimpy cash prizes will be awarded for preliminary rounds on June 3 and July 1 …
Read More »Laverda 1200 Was Expensive, But Has Served Owner For 33 Years
Spotted While Out Riding: 1978 Laverda 1200 All it took was a ride on a friend’s Laverda RGA1000 and the availability of a used 1978 Laverda 1200 for Louis Frazier of Stratford, CT to change his allegiance from one Italian brand to another. “It would take me faster than I’d …
Read More »Video: Drag Races At Reading Motorcycle Club
OLEY, PA – It was a “come one, come all” sideshow to the springtime National Meet of the Perkiomen Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. The 110-year-old Reading Motorcycle Club up the road opened its drag strip on April 23 to both old and new bikes, allowing friends …
Read More »Harley-Davidson’s Icon Collection Invokes Brand’s Past With Modern Technology
MILWAUKEE – It looks decades old, but it’s new. It’s Harley-Davidson’s new, limited-edition Electra Glide Revival model, the initial offering in what the company is calling its Icon Collection. Going forward, the company plans to bring out one or two limited run models each year that will invoke the past …
Read More »Destinations: Memorable Motorcycle Escape To Frush Farm B&B
REINHOLDS, PA – The first step once the decision was made a few weeks ago to attend this past weekend’s antique motorcycle show in Oley, PA was to book lodging. While a friend suggested a chain motel near the show grounds, I instead went online and found a much more …
Read More »Defunct German Brands NSU And Horex Get Displayed At Oley Meet
OLEY, PA – They are defunct German motorcycle companies that ended up being owned by major carmakers. NSU began building motorcycles in 1901, ended in 1963, and was eventually swallowed by what’s now Audi. Horex began in 1923 and survived until 1960 when it was acquired by Daimler-Benz and dissolved. …
Read More »A Fast Rescue For A Panhead With A Problem At Oley
OLEY, PA – Girard Fox had 40 miles remaining on a 140-mile ride Thursday from his home in Brooklyn, NY when his 1949 Harley-Davidson “Panhead” Hydra-Glide started losing power going up a hill. He was headed here to attend the Perkiomen Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America’s National …
Read More »Big Turnout For Oley Meet With Long-Forgotten Brands On Display
OLEY, PA – Thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts came to gaze at vintage models and to shop from tables and bins filled with tens of thousands of old parts at this weekend’s National Meet put on by the Perkiomen Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. After a year of …
Read More »Poll: Riders Ready To Go To Shows, New Poll On Spanish Glove Law
Motorcycle riders are ready to go to shows again. Nearly 75 percent of voters in the latest RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England poll indicated that they’d likely make their way to a show ground this year to gawk at bikes and socialize with other riders. Upwards of half – 44 percent …
Read More »Harley-Davidson Has Positive Q1, European Tariff Threatens Progress
MILWAUKEE – Less is proving to be more for Harley-Davidson. Having trimmed both its model lineup and its dealer network, Harley-Davidson saw significant bottom line improvement in the first quarter of 2021. Quarterly income rose to $259 million, up from $70 million in 2020. Earnings per share increased to $1.68, …
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