Up To Speed

ANN ARBOR, MI – The plug has been pulled on the respected motorcycle magazine “Motorcycle Consumer News,” which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. Author and instructor Ken Condon, who contributed to the Ann Arbor-based monthly magazine from 2001 to 2014, scooped his former employer by passing along the news …

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT – A proposed town ordinance that, if enacted, would punish dirt bike, ATV and snowmobile riders as well as others for operating their rigs on public and private property is causing a stir in the motorcycle community; and well beyond the town’s borders. As requested by Mayor …

It’s The Week in Review for the week ending Feb. 1 – news nuggets, info from press releases, and other oil drippings cultivated from near and far: J&P Cycles Gets A New Owner Aftermarket product retailer J&P Cycles has been been acquired by Comoto Holdings, owner of RevZilla and Cycle …

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – Some of the sights will be familiar to riders in the Northeast, such as the Rip Van Winkle Bridge across the Hudson River in New York and Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Most of them won’t, though. They’re too rural and obscure. “I think even locals may …

WORCESTER, MA – The mayor of Worcester, Joe Petty, has thrown his support behind the Miss Worcester Diner in its showdown with Harley-Davidson, which is claiming trademark infringement and asking that the eatery remove a mural displaying the motorcycle company’s bar and shield logo. Meanwhile, Wagner Motorsports, the local dealer …

MANCHESTER, NH – Manchester Harley-Davidson has a new owner. In an official announcement posted Friday on its website, the dealership said that it has been acquired by Paul Veracka. Veracka owns five other Harley-Davidson stores, including High Octane Harley-Davidson located 35 miles away in Billerica, MA. The announcement declared that …

WORCESTER, MA – The artist who painted the Harley-Davidson mural on the Miss Worcester Diner here – a mural that the motorcycle company now wants removed – said this afternoon that he and diner owner Kim Kniskern are enjoying the publicity and plan to fight Harley-Davidson’s trademark infringement claim. “This …

WORCESTER, MA – A hand-painted mural that adorns an air conditioning duct atop the entrance to the Miss Worcester Diner here and featuring Harley-Davidson’s famous bar and shield logo has come to the attention of the motocycle company in Milwaukee, which has asked that it be removed. Miss Worcester Diner …

British motorcycle manufacturer Norton and two related businesses of CEO Stuart Garner have been placed under administration after struggling to cover £300,000 in unpaid taxes.  The grim situation leaves the jobs of about 100 workers at the company’s Castle Donington factory in Leicestershire and the brand’s future in doubt. The …

There’d be no blaming the Piano Man if he’s pissed following a weekend break-in at his Long Island home on Centre Island. TMZ reports that Billy Joel called the cops on Monday morning after discovering that someone had smashed a glass door leading to his garage and then vandalized 12 …

CONCORD, NH – Less than a year after seven motorcyclists died in a horrific accident in the town of Randolph, New Hampshire’s state legislature is considering the enactment of a universal helmet law. A hearing on House Bill 1621-FN by the House of Representatives’ Transportation Committee is set for 1 …

MILWAUKEE – U.S. sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles declined 5.2 percent in 2019 to 125,960 units, while worldwide sales dropped 4.3 percent to 218,273 units, according to full-year results released this morning by the company. Harley-Davidson sold 6,908 fewer models in the U.S. in 2019 compared to 2018, and 9,778 fewer …

DANBURY, CT – For Al Lucchino, memories of launching a new Harley-Davidson dealership are as vivid as the paint on the glistening models that fill his showroom – even 25 years later. There are memories of the frustrating hunt for a location for the store and the exhilaration of customers …

It’s time for The Week in Review for the week ending Jan. 25. The post is a mix of news nuggets, info from press releases, and other items culled from near and far. Here goes with The Week in Review: Triumph Getting Into Smaller Bikes MCN reports that Triumph and …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson is out with a “new performance option” in the form of a new 131-cubic-inch (2,147cc) engine that has a name that’s a mouthful. It’s dubbed the Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Crate Engine and is designed as “a bolt-in replacement for 2017-later model Harley-Davidson Touring motorcycles originally equipped …