Up To Speed

At least one TV ad in Super Bowl LII this Sunday will feature a motorcycle.  Movie actor Keanu Reeves stars in new spots for website development and hosting company Squarespace. Two ads do double duty as they also promote the custom Arch Motorcycle Company, which Reeves co-founded. One ad and …

It was created to add a little pizazz to the website – a video interview conducted at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in New York with Rod Copes, president of Royal Enfield’s North American division. The purpose was to provide details on Royal Enfield’s three new 2018 models: the 411cc …

CONGERS, NY – It’s Saturday night at 11:40 p.m. There’s a strip of tape on the side of my helmet that says “9 PS.” After weeks spent riding at all hours and in all types of conditions to prepare for the 100th running of the Crotona Midnight Run, followed by …

NEWBURGH, NY – After a couple of hours of scanning vendor tables and eye-balling the displays at the heavily-attended winter swap meet Sunday at the Motorcyclepedia Museum, we were famished. But where to eat? Acting on a tip, three of us headed down nearer the Hudson River to Liberty Street where …

WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA – It has a cigar box filled with stogies to cover its battery and a brightly-colored serape rolled up and strapped up front above the headlight. It also has ape-hangers and a wrapped exhaust that could be used to roast jalapeńos. All “El Mexicano” lacks is a …

WEST SPRINGFIELD, CT – Pleasant weather contributed to a strong opening on Saturday for the two-day Springfield Motorcycle Show at the Eastern States Exposition. Riders from southern New England showed up to ogle custom motorcycles, check out new models and and do some shopping. “They’ve been looking forward to it …

BROOKFIELD, CT – Brookfield Indian Motorcycle is adding another brand to its hillside showroom. Late last week, it officially became a dealer of high-end Motus motorcycles, the high-performance sport touring machines that are made in Birmingham, AL. “We’re doing it because it’s an American product and it’s different from what …

LITLE NECK, NY – With new bike sales declining, more dealers are now paying greater attention to pre-owned bikes and are offering customers more choices. What nudged me into writing about this subject was a post this week on the website’s Facebook page showing two nearly identical Triumph Rocket 3 Roadster …

HARWINTON, CT – The signs are everywhere. The motorcycle industry is wobbling and possibly heading for a crash. Older riders are gradually giving up motorcycling and new, younger riders aren’t replacing them and engaging in what is an exhilarating (if occasionally dangerous) recreation. “It’s a big challenge for the industry right …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – I’m exhausted. From nighttime training. And now the Crotona Midnight Run has been postponed a week until the night of Jan. 20-21. Conditioning for the 100th event has been quite revelatory, and I don’t know yet what I’ll do with what I’ve learned. We’ve had extreme …

It’s a tough time to be in the print business of any kind. Circulation of newspapers and magazines are dropping, and advertisers are going elsewhere to spend their clients’ money. This is especially true in the motorcycle arena where numerous mags have disappeared, while others have been merged or seen …

WEST HARTFORD, CT – After 17 years of showcasing exotic Italian automobiles, Concorso Ferrari & Friends is looking to add Italian-made motorcycles to the mix in 2018. The fund-raising event benefits the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford and brings thousands of car enthusiasts to LaSalle Road in downtown. This …

Three Harley-Davidson dealerships in New England – one each in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont – will welcome author, instructor and motorcycle magazine columnist Ken Condon, who will give three free seminars this month designed to improve riders’ skills. The goal is “to get people to think and look in the …

WEST BOYLSTON, MA – What’s a motorcyclist to do when the temperature is well below freezing and snow covers the ground? For the Facebook group known as New England Riders, the solution was to have a winter party, and roughly 100 sidelined riders gathered last night upstairs at Cheoy Lee’s …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – The benefits of weeks of conditioning – both of myself and my motorcycles – will soon be known. The Crotona Midnight Run is a week away, provided the weather cooperates, and my excitement level is thru the roof. For the uniformed, the Crotona Midnight Run is a …