Up To Speed

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 …

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, …

ROCKY HILL, CT – “It worked out pretty good. It was fun but stressful,” real estate agent Mike Samulenas of Berlin, CT said Sunday afternoon, one day after finding a buyer for the 1981 Honda CM400 Custom that had been sitting for years in the garage of a condo that …

FALLS VILLAGE, CT – It’s now easier to buy “Recipes for a Good Ride – The Toymakers Cafe Cookery Book.” The motorcycle-themed cookbook is now available for purchase at a limited number of motorcycle shops and dealerships in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Brookfield Indian Motorcycle in Brookfield, CT; Doc’s Motorcycle Parts …

BROOKFIELD, CT – More brand movement in the Danbury, CT market. Danbury Powersports has taken on Kawasaki and Brookfield Indian Motorcycle is adding the Vespa and Piaggio scooter lines. The addition of Kawasaki gives Danbury Powersports all four of the major Japanese brands as it already sells Honda, Suzuki and …

ROCKY HILL, CT – Give real estate agent Mike Samulenas points for persistence. He’s been doing what he can to quickly get rid of a rather nice 1981 Honda CM400 Custom motorcycle that sits in the garage of a condo that he’s selling. The closing is set for Monday and …

ROCKINGHAM, VT – To my newcomer eyes, mud season in Vermont is nearly over, although If you ask a native Vermonter when mud season truly ends it’s likely the reply will be “mid-May.” My road, for example, appears to already be dry, but it has two areas where you can …

What was introduced as a first-time invitational event last October at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, CA returns in 2021 with more races, more corporate backing and certainly increased chatter as street riders become aware that professional motorcycle racers are now going at it on behemoth baggers. Yes, the cruiser …

ROCKY HILL, CT – Real estate agent Mike Samulenas of Berlin, CT has a motorcycle problem, and he contacted RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England on Friday seeking assistance. He’s selling a condo in Rocky Hill. The hitch is there’s a long dormant 1981 Honda CM400 Custom motorcycle parked in the garage. …

HARWINTON, CT – Even now, 41 years after trading it, it’s still the best car that I’ve ever owned. Were it not for the fact it lacked one important option, the 1979 Honda Accord hatchback would have stuck around much, much longer. The reason why it got unloaded will come …

MILWAUKEE – Royal Enfield’s strategy is to be an “accessible, affordable and authentic brand,” according to Krishnan Ramaswamy, president of Royal Enfield Americas. The India-based company brought the Himalayan adventure model to the U.S. in 2018 and followed up with the INT 650 and Continental GT twin models a year …

WARWICK, MA – An Easter crash involving a member of small group of riders just south of the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border provides of a reminder for motorcyclists to always be on the lookout for road hazards. More importantly, it rams home the need for everyone else to be vigilant in …

SANTA MONICA, CA – The location for this year’s New York stop on the more festival-like Progressive IMS Outdoors tour has finally been announced. The Brooklyn Army Terminal on the waterfront in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn will be the site from Sept. 3 through 5. The IMS Outdoors …

LACONIA, NH – It won’t be business as usual, but Laconia Motorcycle Week will be a bit closer to normal in 2021. City Council voted Monday night to allow the event to proceed with restrictions that include a limit on commercial vendors. Beer tents and outside entertainment not associated with …

Of all the books ever written about or involving motorcycles, Beverly Cleary’s “The Mouse and the Motorcycle” could well be the top seller of all time. After all, in a writing career that lasted decades, Cleary sold more than 85 million books. And who knows how many riders can trace …