Up To Speed

BROOKFIELD, CT – Connecticut is losing another motorcycle dealer. What began more than eight years ago as Brookfield Indian Motorcycle and later expanded into Brookfield Powersports with the addition of the Royal Enfield and Can-Am brands has confirmed that it’s closing its doors at 20 Federal Road in Brookfield. “Sad, …

(Update: A social media post on Friday says Feb. 28 will be the store’s last day open.) MILFORD, CT – Colonial Power & Sport, the KTM motorcycle dealer and power equipment store owned by car dealer Robert E. “Bobby” Crabtree, is closing its doors. A notice posted this afternoon on …

NEW HAVEN, CT – Some were running, some were not. Some displayed damage, others didn’t. But more than a dozen old motorcycles and scooters were available for purchase – whether to flip or fix and ride – at an auction Saturday at New Haven Powersports. RIDE-CT was there and has …

NEW MILFORD, CT – Max BMW has closed one of its two stores in Connecticut, shuttering its South Windsor location while retaining its flagship operation in New Milford. In an email today to “South Windsor customers,” owner Max Stratton wrote, “All the friendly faces you know and love from South …

Honda nudged out Harley-Davidson to become the best selling motorcycle brand in the United States in 2024, according to recent data released from Statistica. The Japanese brand held a 20 percent market share, based on unit sales, compared to a 19.9 percent share for American brand Harley-Davidson. Three other Japanese …

HARWINTON, CT – It finally feels like the motorcycle riding season may be over. While I’ve become a rider who “pushes the season” by wearing heated riding gear and riding a motorcycle with a full fairing to break the wind, I’ve always seemed to have some down time in winter …

HARWINTON, CT – Is BSA’s return to the U.S. finally about to happen? Or has it already occurred behind a curtain of secrecy and no one’s spilled the beans? It appears that a return is quietly moving forward and just hasn’t been publicly revealed, but will an official announcement be …

MILAN, ITALY – No specs were divulged. No prices were revealed. And the first model won’t be available until spring 2026. Royal Enfield also didn’t say whether it can be expected in the U.S. from the get-go, but what the company from India did do Monday was announce an electric …

HARWINTON, CT – It still looks showroom new, and its odometer only shows about 1,600 miles after almost five years of ownership. “It’s definitely a fun bike to ride. There’s no doubt at all,” said John Birden recently of his 2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle.  RIDE-CT was at Yankee-Harley-Davidson in …

NEW YORK – It’s a hard place to operate a motorcycle dealership. A few years ago, New York City lost its sole BMW dealership on West 57th Street in Manhattan. Now, New York City Harley-Davidson at 4211 Northern Boulevard in Long Island City on the west edge of Queens is …

NEW MILFORD, CT – It’s hardly been a secret that owner Max Stratton has been working for quite some time on adding a KTM dealership on the property of his MAX BMW store at 493 Danbury Road (Route 7) south of downtown. In fact, he confirmed his plans to RIDE-CT …

Updated – Sept. 10, 2024 – News today from owner Thea Everest that Kaiba has passed away. A necropsy is planned to possibly determine what caused the abscess that claimed him. As of today, a GoFundMe effort started by Everest to help cover doctors’ bills has raised $600 of a …

TORRINGTON, CT –    When avid motorcyclist Thea Everest of Torrington indulges in what’s commonly referred to as “wind therapy” by many riders, she often takes along a passenger who can literally spread his wings in the breeze as they roll down the byways.  Rather than occupy the normal pillion …

VALCOURT, Quebec – Can-Am moved closer to selling electric motorcycles this week by announcing that select dealers in Canada, the United States and 11 other countries are now taking pre-orders for its Pulse and Origin models. Production is expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year with global …

VERNON, CT – Connecticut now has a third Indian dealer with the addition of Indian Motorcycle of Hartford. It’s located a dozen miles northeast of the capitol city in Vernon. The franchise was granted to the owner of Scranton Powersports in mid-June, but new models didn’t begin arriving until two …