Up To Speed

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson workers at factories in Wisconsin are expected to vote on a new contract Monday. The existing seven-year contract, which was ratified in 2010 and went into effect in 2012, was scheduled to expire today but was extended for one day. Union employees spent time last week outside …

Every riding season the manufacturers load up big rigs with new bikes, visit dealers around the country and allow potential customers to take test rides.  The OEMs are now starting to reveal itineraries for 2019. Here’s what RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland knows so far about demo opportunities in the northeast. This …

There’s no shortage of motorcycle meets, rallies and other events to attend every year. Keeping track of them can be problematic. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why the Event Calendar page on RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland is the most viewed page on the website over the course of a year. …

HARTFORD – For years, the “Hartford Courant” has been pushing for the passage of a universal helmet law in Connecticut, and this year is no different.  Despite the fact a helmet provision was inexplicably removed from H.B. 7140 last week before the bill was voted out of the Transportation Committee, …

(Editor’s note: THIS EATERY HAS CLOSED) SHEFFIELD, MA – Its name comes from the nearby Bash Bish Falls. It has been open for nearly four years, but RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland only heard about Bash Bish Brew & ‘Que recently when a friend discovered it, came away raving about its combo …

HARTFORD – A day after posting incorrect information under a “BAD NEWS!” headline on its website, asking members to protest to state legislators against a bill that it believed called for a universal helmet requirement for riders, the Connecticut Motorcycle Riders Association has now corrected the blunder and called off …

HARTFORD – It doesn’t quite rise to the level of “Dewey Defeats Truman,” the grossly inaccurate front page headline that appeared in the Chicago Daily Tribune” after the presidential election back in 1948, but an inaccurate “Bad News!” notice posted Thursday on the website of the Connecticut Motorcycle Riders Association …

HARTFORD, CT – Members of the motorcycle riding community who advocate for choice when it comes to helmet usage can once again breath easy. The Transportation Committee at the Connecticut General Assembly removed a provision from a bill that would have made universal head protection mandatory before voting the bill …

OSSINING, NY – The entry of Italian electric bike builder Energica into the northeast will be marked by a day-long open house on March 30 at its newest dealer, Hudson Valley Motorsports, with the company’s CEO for North America in attendance. Joining Stefano Bennati at the open house will be …

It’s been a goodly while since the last installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…” In fact, it has been more than a year and a half since what had been a regular catch-all post for small newsworthy items not hefty enough for a full …

LAKEVILLE, CT – The bucolic setting of Lime Rock Park race track will be the site of a new motorcycle rally next month, designed to jump start the riding season in southern New England as motorcyclists get their bikes out of winter storage. Presented by Spectro Performance Oils and Lime …

BOLOGNA, ITALY – Sales of Ducati motorcycles dropped nearly nine percent in the U.S. in 2018, the company announced today, with global sales down five percent in the over 500cc market. Ducati sold a total of 53,004 motorcycles last year, down from 55,871 in 2017. Nonetheless, Ducati topped the 50,000 …

NEW PRESTON, CT – In a pub filled with artifacts, the shiny, red 1920 Indian Scout “motocycle” enclosed in glass behind the bar stands out. “Every part on it is original,” reports John Harris, owner  of the White Horse Country Pub & Restaurant, who obtained it out of a museum …

LITTLE NECK, NY – It’s a local story that hasn’t received national attention, but it’s worth noting and commenting on. The owner of two Harley-Davidson dealerships in Wisconsin is being sued by Harley-Davidson for $6.3 million.  What happened was – possibly because they were caught in a cash crunch – the …

THOMASTON, CT – Upwards of 150 worried dirt bike riders, fearful that a proposed “greenway” may disrupt or bring an end to more than 40 years of riding on trails behind Thomaston Dam, turned out for an occasionally-contentious informational public meeting at Center School on Thursday night. Representatives of the …