Up To Speed

MALIBU, CA – Perhaps the biggest deterrent to buying an electric motorcycle is price. A Harley-Davidson LiveWire costs upwards of $30,000. An Energica Eva EsseEsse9 has a price tag of $21,250, while the Zero SR/S lists at $19,995. Sure, Zero’s entry FX on-road/off-road model can be had for only $9,295, …

NEW YORK – Scooter models made by Piaggio/Vespa were hot sellers across the United States during the pandemic last year as folks sought out fun ways to be socially distant, and that was especially true in the Northeast. Indeed, the region can legitimately be described as a hotbed of scooter …

NEW MILFORD, CT – A week and a half after revealing that a move from its Brookfield, CT store was in the works, Max BMW has announced where its relocated store will be located. The spot is 493 Danbury Road (Route 7) in New Milford, less than five miles north …

GREAT NECK, NY – Another Harley-Davidson dealership is closing its doors. Miracle Mile Harley-Davidson announced Friday that after “careful consideration and with heavy hearts,” the store at 215 Northern Blvd. will close on Jan. 16. Without getting into specifics, a press release issued by the dealership suggested “the many trials …

It’s another installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…,” a column that updates recent stories as well as contains fresh items that didn’t warrant a full post or slipped through the cracks. Here goes: “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…” That …

Can a spokesman as creepy as Motaur really help sell insurance for Progressive? Readers of RIDE-CT & RIDE- New England apparently think not as more than 85 percent of those who voted in the website’s latest poll believe that the Motaur campaign is either an overreach by the ad agency …

NEW YORK – The COVID-19 pandemic helped kick up the rider death rate in the city in 2020 with 50 motorcyclists dying in crashes, double the 25 who died in 2019, according to the “New York Post.” The tabloid newspaper declared 2020 to be “another bloody year on New York …

GLASTONBURY, CT – Bruce J. Bemer, the 66-year-old millionaire owner of two Connecticut motorcycle dealerships who was convicted last year of patronizing young men in a sex trafficking ring, suffered multiple stab wounds during a “violent altercation” at his home Tuesday night. Bemer’s domestic partner, Jason McCormick, has been charged …

NEWBURGH, NY – Orange County Choppers is getting to a new headquarters, leaving its longstanding home in the the Hudson Valley for a sunnier spot in Florida. Calling the shift “the next chapter” in the long-running operation’s history, Paul Teutul Sr. and crew are relocating to what’s being dubbed the …

BROOKFIELD, CT – Customers began wondering weeks ago when a “For Lease” sign went up in front of Max BMW at 465 Federal Road, but no official word on what it meant was forthcoming – until today. As hinted by RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England back on Nov. 30, Max BMW …

Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic caused upheaval in 2020, and resulted in the cancellation of most motorcycle events in the Northeast (and everywhere else), but changing consumer habits also played a role in this year’s most-read stories. Three of the Top 5 stories involved saying goodbye as businesses closed. More than …

LACONIA, NH – An intense Christmas fire of as-yet-undetermined origin gutted the headquarters of Laconia Motorcycle Week, destroying decades-old memorabilia and archives detailing the colorful history of the nearly 100-year-old event. “It’s a nightmare,” said a devastated Charlie St. Clair tonight. “We lost all of our equipment. We lost all …

The year 2020 can easily be divided into two unequal parts; before and after the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. The deeper into the year, the fewer the pictures from motorcycle events in the Northeast. Nonetheless, there were enough snapped to look back on some images that will bring back some memories: …

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Remember years ago how odd it seemed when cigarette packs got labels warning about the health hazards of smoking? Well, all gas pumps here will soon be displaying similar cautionary stickers that warn of the “major consequences on human health” caused by the use of gas, diesel …

(Editor’s Note: “Messenger” is an occasional column by RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England editor and publisher Bud Wilkinson on subjects and issues that don’t involve motorcycles.) HARWINTON, CT – After 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and four years of extreme political polarization, I’m convinced that most of us are on …