Up To Speed

MILWAUKEE – It was a rough last week for Harley-Davidson with a union asserting in a news story that the motorcycle manufacturer is engaging in “a corporate ambush on working people” by shipping jobs overseas, with another news report questioning whether the company has something to hide after it banned …

Dear Progressive, I have a beef.  Earlier this week, I participated in an informative and carefully-executed instructional non-sportbike “track day” staged by Tony’s Track Days at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Thompson, CT. I rode my new-to-me 2014 Triumph Bonneville and did so without insurance coverage after being informed by …

Support and well-wishes for custom motorcycle builder and website publisher Cyril Huze have been accumulating since yesterday when he announced plans for retirement on May 15 due to a health issue and the end of fresh content on the “Cyril Huze Post.”  “Due to a health issue discovered in 2017 requiring …

HARWINTON, CT – Motorcycle models have sorts of aggressive, imaginative and even derogatory names. Some suggest action or attitude, such as Triumph’s Explorer, Suzuki’s Gladiator and Honda’s Fury, while others are more mundane like Ducati’s Multistrada (Italian for “many roads”) or playful like Harley-Davidson’s Sportster. Some make no sense at …

BANTAM, CT – Just as Christmas once produced visions of sugar plums, at least according to “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” the arrival of Cinco de Mayo every year generates a strong yearning for tequila and margaritas. Friends from my Arizona days routinely referred to the date as “Cinco de …

BRIDGEWATER, CT – A few weeks ago when perusing ADV Rider, I happened upon a thread in the Northeast Forum: “Ladies-only event: Over And Out, June 22-24 2018, Hancock.” After over 40+ years as a female off-road rider, I had never witnessed an actual women’s off-road event here in the northeast. …

The longtime president of the Hudson Valley Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of the America, who has overseen the annual Rhinebeck Grand National Meet at the Duchess County Fairgrounds in New York, has reportedly been kicked out of the club by the board of directors of the national organization.  …

CHESTER, VT – It may have been around 2004 when I made (for me) a rather predictable purchase a brand new four-wheel-drive ATV with a winch and a plow. I figured that I could justify the purchase just for the snow plow attachment. I used the ATV for a while, learned …

KENT, CT – It’s probably natural to yearn for the “good ol’ days” when life was seemingly simpler, less hectic and far more congenial. When motorcyclists look back, they do so with fond memories of small and cluttered motorcycle “shops” with oily rags and limited choices of new models, not at …

CHESHIRE, CT – Blackie’s Hot Dogs is a by-the-numbers business. Opened 90 years ago in 1928, the quirky family-owned eatery has a limited menu and loads of character. Its building is in the shape of a barbell with a counter in the middle and seating areas on either end.  Where …

It’s time for another edition of Staff Inflection. That’s where the writing staff of RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland answers a motorcycle-related question. Today’s question is  rather basic: “What’s your favorite piece of gear and why?” The question was later amended to seek both riding gear and other accessories… Victoria Zandonella   …

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Which state has the worst drivers in the country? A newly-released study by the online car insurance shopping service Everquote awards that dubious distinction to Connecticut, followed closely by Rhode Island.  Overall, the northeast had the most unsafe driving ratings with operators in the region being most likely …

NEW YORK – It was Opening Night on Sixth Avenue last night as Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali was on hand for the official launch of the now-dedicated Ducati New York dealership. The store at 155 6th Ave. in SoHo previously sold Ducati and Triumph motorcycles, but has been renovated since …

SEATTLE – Punishment has finally been handed down eight months after King County sheriff’s detective Richard Rowe was captured on video pointing a handgun at a motorcycle rider during a traffic confrontation. At a news conference today, Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht said Rowe has been suspended for five days without pay …

KENT, CT – Royal Enfield has gone to rural northwestern Connecticut and a town of fewer than 3,000 residents to line up another dealer in New England.  Iron Horse Customs, a custom builder and motorcycle repair shop at 21 Bridge Street here, is adding the name Royal Enfield of Kent. …