Up To Speed

Where did the year go? The months passed too quickly and here we are at year’s end. The bikes have yet to be put away for winter, and may not be if the weather continues as it has recently. Here’s hoping. Here are a few New Year’s resolutions for 2019 …

(Updated at 9 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2019 – Buzz Kanter reports tonight that the Indian Four has been sold to a collector and vintage Indian rider from the South and that it will be picked up on Thursday. “I got my price,” he messaged. “Now I have to decide …

HARWINTON, CT – The April ouster of a high-profile chapter president of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America, the November launch of a posse targeting bike thieves by the founder of the New England Motorcycle Museum, and the July announcement of new non-cruiser models by Harley-Davidson were among the stories …

VERNON, CT – Having spent $6.5 million and obtained more than $4 million in state loans to open the New England Motorcycle Museum in the Rockville section of town in late summer, founder Ken Kaplan is now revisiting crowdfunding to help keep the grandiose project moving forward. On Wednesday, Kaplan …

It has been a while. Ten years of living and working in Torrington, CT and,  all of a sudden, I’ve had to spend most of the year in my native England to sort out some stuff. By coincidence, this past summer happened to be the hottest and driest since the …

HARWINTON, CT – Not being precisely on the mark when writing or speaking is easy, and excusable, if you’ve never been introduced to the vernacular… However, knowing the culture of motorcycling a bit, I cringed a lot earlier this week when I came upon a story in the local “Republican-American” …

(Editor’s note posted Dec. 14, 2021 – Bob’s Diner has closed since this story was published.) BREWSTER, NY – It was shortly after stopping at Bob’s Diner here recently that I mentioned the visit to someone, who immediately responded, “That’s a greasy spoon.” Well, yes, and that’s what makes the …

SEATTLE – A motorcyclist in Washington is getting a $65,000 settlement in a case against the King County Sheriff’s Office involving a a plainclothes detective who brandished a gun at him during a traffic stop in August 2017. The department has also agreed to amend its use-of-force policies, according to …

One of the more limiting phrases in our language is “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” It snuffs out any possibility of change, much less innovation or improvement. While the motorcycle industry isn’t exactly circling the drain (yet), it is faced with the challenge of finding customers as baby …

WASHINGTON – The patriotic Rolling Thunder ride on Memorial Day weekend, which annually draws thousands of riders from across the country to the District of Columbia, will be no more after 2019. After 32 years, the plug’s being pulled on the massive event due to costs and communications problems with …

SAN DIEGO – When GP Motorcycles held a grand reopening party last week having added Ural to its brand lineup, they invited Ural to bring demo bikes to create some buzz. In addition to a gas-powered Gear Up sidecar rig, Ural brought its prototype electric model with sidecar – and …

LITCHFIELD, CT – It’s a crazy annual fund-raiser known as the Possum Queen Festival & Auction. Staged here every New Year’s Day, it raises money for families facing medical hardships. Describing the Possum Queen isn’t easy. Adults, many presumably hung over from New Year’s Eve, dress up in outrageous costumes, …

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Almost two years after shutting down, EBR Motorcycles is back in business with limited production. The American-made superbike line created by Erik Buell and built in East Troy, WI is now being hand-built by two of its former assemblers at a facility here. “We are going …

LOUDON, NH – The June 15 date for a new American Flat Track event in New Hampshire in 2019 was already known, but now a venue has been announced. New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be the host on a track that’s currently under construction. According to a press release, work …

NEW YORK – Despite the ever-shrinking size of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show, there were still some great exhibits to enjoy this past weekend. The adventure riding segment was highlighted by gathering all ADV-related vendors in the newly-formed Adventure Out! area. It was where a number of presenters shared stories of …