Up To Speed

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. …

FOXBOROUGH, MA – Spring weather in the northeast is ever-changing. It can be warmish and pleasant one day and frigid and snowy the next. It’s not the best time for outdoor events, yet Monster Energy AMA Supercross continues to work to build a fan base in the region and expects …

It was while picking up a used 2014 Triumph Bonneville from Mark’s Motorsports on Wednesday that I got to wondering about the bike’s previous owner. He’d only ridden it 5,688 miles in four years. That’s only 1,422 miles per year. Could he possibly be a “Dunkin’ Angel?” It was back …

Could the time come when gas-powered motorcycles are deemed by the federal government to be dangerous, out-of-date and illegal? Is society headed in a direction where only electric-powered, self-driving vehicles are allowed – where the ownership, operation, sales or purchase of all motorcycles are permanently banned in the U.S.? Is …

HARWINTON, CT – The endless winter can be a time for mischief because the only alternative to riding is window shopping in preparation for riding. Short days, long nights, cold and snow force a person to go online to visit dealer websites and to check out Craigslist for the used …

The start of the rider training season means graduates will be shopping for first bikes. Some will follow the long-recommended advice of “buy small, buy used” for their first road machine, wisely realizing they’ll probably have a drop or other mishap while getting some initial miles under their butts. Others …

The Antique Motorcycle Club of America is taking “quite seriously” a complaint against Hudson Valley Chapter president Dan Henke from motorcycle collector and club member Dr. Dominick Cannavo of New York, who last month wrote the AMCA seeking Henke’s expulsion for violating “Policies & Procedures” that require members to be …

NEW YORK – A formal complaint to the Antique Motorcycle Club of America seeking to get Hudson Valley Chapter president Dan Henke expelled from the organization has been filed with the club’s national board of directors by a motorcycle-collecting New York doctor, and the board reportedly planned a teleconference Monday …