Up To Speed

NORTH GRANBY, CT – The Facebook notification from the Ramapo Motorcycle Club arrived Thursday while I was sitting at my computer working my checklist for my second Crotona Midnight Run. It had the word  “Postponed” stamped across the event flyer. Due to the weather forecast of snow, rain and anything else …

LITTLE NECK, NY – We’ve read nearly endless articles and commentaries on the decline of Harley-Davidson motorcycle unit sales. They’re not the only company experiencing sales stress in North America, only the most visible. BMW just announced another growth year for worldwide motorcycle sales with 165,566 units sold in 2018. Indeed, …

BERLIN – Sales of BMW motorcycles were up slightly in 2018, the company announced this morning, with 165,566 models being delivered. That represents a worldwide increase of 0.9 percent. The company sold 164,153 units in 2017. “We achieved a sales record for the eighth time in succession. I would like …

LITTLE NECK, NY – Quite a few comments attributed to Harley-Davidson dealers have accompanied the recent introduction of the LiveWire electric bike. Among other things, they have lamented the costs they will have to absorb just to bring this model on board; things like a dedicated charging station, special tools, electronic …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – The Crotona Midnight Run will be staged for the 101st time next Sunday morning in Nanuet, NY and, for the second consecutive year, “Always Riding” columnist Paul Siciliano will be participating (and raising a little money for charity). This time Siciliano will be fighting the cold …

MIDDLETOWN, CT – It was one-of-a-kind, impossible to duplicate and irreplaceable for those who enjoyed it.  It was also exhilarating, claustrophobic and much anticipated every year. The sudden end to Middletown Motorcycle Mania, which was announced Friday morning, cannot be viewed as a surprise, though, because last year’s 13th annual event …

MIDDLETOWN, CT – Middletown Motorcycle Mania is no more. Last August’s 13th annual event, which drew thousands of riders and created a madhouse in downtown, was the last one. The reason given for the axing of the event was that it “has grown so large that the cost of providing …

LAS VEGAS – BMW calls it a “research prototype for future mobility innovations.” It’s a R 1200 GS model that’s able “to ride off, accelerate, corner, and slow down to a standstill – completely independent of its rider.” Yes, it’s a riderless motorcycle and BMW used the Consumer Electronics Show …

VERNON, CT – The New England Motorcycle Museum over the weekend released a schedule of major events planned for 2019, including a 2nd annual Café Fever show in August and auctions in May and September. While the museum’s booking agent, Keith Gorden, reported in a Facebook post that details will …

LAS VEGAS – Harley-Davidson used the Consumer Electronics Show here to provide more details today on the LiveWire, its first production electric motorcycle. The 2020 model-year LiveWire will go from 0-60 miles per hours in under 3.5 seconds, will have an urban range of 110 miles and will be priced …

OSSINING, NY – Energica, the high-performance electric motorcycle brand from Italy, has signed a new dealer in the northeast and its ninth in the United States, RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland has learned.  Hudson Valley Motorcycles expects to have models in its showroom on Route 9 here soon. “They’re beautiful bikes. It’s …

Wintertime is normally a down time for motorcycle activities in the northeast. Riding opportunities are limited at best and events are few. There’s an exception this year, though, as Saturday, Jan. 19 has loads of activities taking place simultaneously and offering a variety of options both indoors and outside and …

BRIDGEWATER, CT – Are you interested in exploring new and interesting routes and places within the areas you like to ride?  If so, a moto-tag game may be for you. For those not yet familiar with the concept, moto-tag is a game played by riders to find and photograph objects/locations …

ENFIELD, CT – The new year will likely offer a better ending for the former owner of Shark Cycle in Stafford Springs, CT than last year did. Robert Charland has been incarcerated in the medium-security Willard-Cybulski Correctional Institution here since Aug. 15, according to online records from the state Department of …

LITCHFIELD, CT – Jimmy Kelley, owner of Crabby Al’s Seafood Restaurant in Thomaston, went to the Possum Queen Festival & Auction at the Litchfield Inn on Sunday afternoon with the idea of possibly bidding on a 1971 Honda CL 450 that was being offered. He watched, though, as the action …