Up To Speed

It’s always wise to verify info contained within any press release issued on April 1st, and most motorcycle publications didn’t fall for a clever joke staged by BMW earlier this week. It seems that only the trade website “Powersports Business” was taken in by company’s April Fools’ Day claim of …

BETHEL, CT – Richard Schlansker of Amsterdam, NY has been riding motorcycles for 44 years. On Thursday evening, though, the 71-year-old retired engineer and rider admitted to some apprehension as he secured a new green and silver 2023 Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello to a trailer outside of Hamlin Cycles here. …

By Steve Smith / NAUGATUCK, CT – It happened during a Basic Rider Course that I was teaching maybe 20 years ago and involved a student who was opposed to wearing a helmet when riding.  ‘The class was engaged in a riding exercise when the student approached the stopping area …

BROOKFIELD, CT – What began as a one-brand dealer under the name Brookfield Indian Motorcycle in summer 2016 has grown into a multiline store offering Royal Enfield motorcycles and Vespa and Piaggio scooters as well. It’s now expanding further. The store is adding three- and four-wheeled products built by Can-Am …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson is out with a higher performance, bolt-in engine for its 2021-and-later Touring models that offers the most displacement and most power of any street-compliant engine that the company has ever offered. The Screamin’ Eagle 135ci Stage IV Performance Crate Engine provides “approximately 28 percent more torque and …

MINNEAPOLIS – Indian Motorcycle today announced the expansion of its model lineup with the addition of the Sport Chief, a performance spinoff of its Chief cruiser model. “With the introduction of Sport Chief, the 2023 Indian Chief lineup is more diverse than ever– offering a wide range of performance and …

BROOKFIELD, CT – Spectro Performance Oils has a new owner, effective today. Motorex USA, the U.S.-affiliate of the Switzerland-based Motorex Group, has acquired the 57-year-old company that operated as Intercontinental Lubricants Corporation. The deal includes “all national and international activities as well as the blending and storage facility in Brookfield,” …

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Ducati’s Diavel performance cruiser will get a little competition come 2025. Buell has announced plans to expand its offerings beyond the sport bike category with a “Super Cruiser” model. It will feature Roland Sands Design styling and Buell power. “Building a cruiser was something we always …

By Steve Smith / Changes are coming to the Connecticut Rider Education Program in spring. The powers that be held off as long as possible, but it was bound to happen. Fees for CONREP courses will increase slightly. Please don’t be a hater… The cost of almost everything has gone …

PICKERINGTON, OH – Calling it “an outrage” that “should offend every American,” the American Motorcyclist Association has slammed a bill under consideration in the Connecticut General Assembly that “would automatically assume any motorcyclist killed on the road is an organ donor if they were riding without a helmet “at the …

HARTFORD – Things can move quickly in the General Assembly, and the enactment of a full helmet law for motorcyclists is in the fast lane. A provision in a wide-ranging bill introduced and referred to the Joint Committee on Transportation on Wednesday was given a hearing date on Thursday. That …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson always makes a big deal out of significant anniversaries and this year is no different. Having been founded in 1903, the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary in 2023 with several limited-edition models as well as other returning and revised models. Among the models announced today was …

HARTFORD – It happens on a regular basis. A bill gets introduced in the Connecticut General Assembly that proposes that more motorcyclists in the state be required to a wear a helmet when riding. This legislative session is no different. As was the case at least twice in recent years, …

European motorcycle manufacturers BMW (from Germany) and Ducati (from Italy) have reported record sales/deliveries for 2022. BMW recently reported sales of 202,895 bikes and scooters for the year, a 4.4 percent increase over 2021. The figure marked “the highest sales in the company’s history,” according to a press release. The …

It may take some time, like years or even decades, but the CEO of Harley-Davidson, Jochen Zeitz, now says the motorcycle brand will eventually become all-electric. And the shift away from gas-powered models has already begun. In an interview published Friday by the architecture and design magazine “Dezeen,” Zeitz said, …