Up To Speed

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 …

Lots has been happening lately, so let’s get right to the news items with a fresh installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…” It’s a column that passes along stories that didn’t warrant a full post or somehow slipped through the cracks. It also occasionally …

MANDELLO DEL LARIO, Italy – Moto Guzzi’s classic V7 model gets a power boost for 2021 with an 850cc, 65 horsepower engine replacing the 744cc, 52 horsepower power plant that has been used in the model since its introduction in 2007. Moto Guzzi’s website today declares that “a new V7 …

ORDER NOW: “Recipes for a Good Ride – The Toymakers Cafe Cookery Book” is now on sale for $19.75 and may be ordered by emailing annbidou@yahoo.com. FALLS VILLAGE, CT – The long-planned, motorcycle-themed cookbook from Toymakers Cafe owners Annie and Greg Bidou is now at the printer and should be …

VARESE, ITALY – Most riders can’t afford one. Indeed, most riders will never see one in person. Nonetheless, in a worldwide press unveiling via Zoom this morning, super premium Italian motorcycle brand MV Agusta revealed its newest model – the limited edition Superveloce Alpine. The racey model represents, in the …

PUTNEY, VT – Curtis Tuff first came to this small Vermont town in 1961. He was 23 years old and working as a migrant fruit picker. He never left, operating his Curtis’ AllAmerican BarBQ stand just off of I-91 since 1971. Tuff died this morning. He was in his early …