Up To Speed

August is always a busy month when it comes to motorcycle meets, etc. and this year is no exception. Among some of the events worth attending are the Yankee Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America’s National Meet, which moves to a new location; the always crazy Middletown Motorcycle …

Time for another Staff Inflection, and the question posed to RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland staffers was really rather basic: Where do you see the motorcycle industry in the U.S. in 20 years? Staffers were told they could be optimistic or pessimistic, serious of flippant. They could take the business aspect or …

MILWAUKEE – With a goal of “unlocking new markets and segments” and creating “a more diverse rider base,” Harley-Davidson today announced plans for new models that embrace the sport bike, adventure touring and electric categories of motorcycles. In the pipeline are a Streetfighter model for sport bike enthusiasts, a Pan …

MINNEAPOLIS – Polaris Industries confirmed this week that it will begin building Indian motorcycles at its factory in Opole, Poland that currently makes off-road vehicles. Production of Indians destined for the European market will begin in 2019. The company had hinted at the possibility a month ago after the European …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – How the ride known as the “North East 7” came to be cannot easily be determined. I first heard about it two or three years ago from fellow CONREP instructor Dollie Fonseca during an instructor training class. She shared that her husband, Ralphie, led a ride that …

MILWAUKEE – Sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles continue to sink in the U.S. The company announced this morning that Q2 sales dropped 6.4 percent from 2017, while sales for the first half of the year were off 8.7 percent from a year ago. Harley-Davidson sold 46,490 motorcycles in the U.S. in …

BRIDGEWATER, CT – Cultural immersion is one of the greatest benefits of riding outside of the United States, but there’s also the gorgeous scenery and gastronomic delights to enjoy. Doing an out-of-country tour with a local guide only enhances the experience, as I recently discovered by riding through the Tuscany and …

SUFFIELD, CT – It was a mix of old Indians and new ones on Saturday at the annual motorcycle show at Hilltop Farm, once owned by Indian co-founder George M. Hendee, and two vintage models belonging to Martin Hansen of Manchester, CT were among the most noticeable. Hansen brought a …

Update – July 26: The New England Motorcycle Museum didn’t receive it’s certificate of occupancy on Monday. Instead, it was presented with a list of eight more items that needed attention. They were dealt with quickly and the CO was grant on Wednesday, paving the way for the museum’s setup …

Safety videos can often be dry and preachy, but the Scottish government has recently been producing a series of short scenic videos aimed at motorcyclists that are scenically beautiful while containing numerous reminders of the obstacles and the challenges that riders routinely experience. The campaign is appropriately dubbed “Breathtaking Roads.” …

CHESTER, VT – If you’ve ever wondered how you made it to adulthood without being squashed like a bug, if you ever saw your life flash in front of you, if you ever had a scare so intense that you couldn’t stop your hands from shaking with the adrenaline afterwards, …

FALLS VILLAGE, CT – He’s best known as the forever host of “My Classic Car” on television, but Dennis Gage is a motorcycle enthusiast, too, who currently owns eight BMWs and one Moto Guzzi. “I bought it just because it looked so weird, ” Gage said this morning of his …

WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the sixth time in a little more than a week, President Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to bludgeon Harley-Davidson over its decision to move production of new models destined for Europe to overseas in response to retaliatory European Union tariffs that were imposed recently. In …

BRIDGEWATER, CT – Motorcycle manufacturers are re-thinking their go to market strategy for the United States. The fresh targets? New entrants into the sport, along with cost-conscious commuters. With that said, small is now BIG and BMW has delved into the fray with two exciting new entries – the G …

MINNEAPOLIS – Retaliatory tariffs imposed by the European Union, which had Harley-Davidson feeling the fury of President Donald Trump this week after announcing that it plans to move production of new motorcycles destined for Europe out of the United States, are also having an impact at Indian.  Getting overlooked during …