Up To Speed

NEW YORK – The Ducati exhibit is traditionally one of the largest and most colorful at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center every year. Ducatisti will be disappointed next month, though, because the high-end Italian brand won’t have a display at this year’s show, …

THOMASTON, CT – It’s a case of deja vu for Jason Pinette of Roost Power Sports, the Husqvarna motorcycle dealer in Thomaston. The storyline is simple. Husky gets purchased and the new owner eventually announces plans to expand the brand’s offerings to include street-only models in addition to dirt bikes. Pinette …

CHESTER, VT – When I throw my right leg over the saddle and settle in for a ride on my motorcycle I’m suddenly in a completely different world. It’s a place where the risks are greater, where you need to bring a level of concentration based on situational awareness. Riding focuses …

NAUGATUCK, CT – A rare 1932 Indian Four is the latest model added to the vintage collection at Indian Motorcycle of Springfield in Westfield, Ma. Owner Dennis Bolduc retrieved the the blue beauty from a single-room man cave built into a barn in Coventry, CT roughly three weeks ago. It’s …

PITTSFORD, VT – It’s in times of tragedy that friends step up, and Lloyd “Bud” Provin is finding out this week just how many friends he’s made and riders he’s impacted over the years by fixing motorcycles. “It’s beyond encouraging. It’s gratifying, overwhelming, stunning,” said the owner of The Nickwackett Garage …

PITTSFORD, VT – A YouCaring fundraising effort with a $20,000 goal was launched today in the wake of an early morning fire Saturday that heavily damaged the home and motorcycle collection of Lloyd “Bud” Provin, operator of The Nickwackett Garage, a well-known shop that specializes in servicing BMW and Triumph motorcycles. …

It’s often the case. The bike you really want is the one that isn’t offered. Sure, the manufacturers came out with loads of new models at the EICMA show in Milan, but the two most noticeable head-turners were concept/custom models that aren’t being produced – yet. They are the Indian …

It’s as predictable as leaves falling in autumn – manufacturers introducing new models at or during the EIMCA show in Milan. Over the past week, numerous new 2018 production bikes and concept models (to be covered in a separate story) have been unveiled. Some are eye-popping gorgeous, such as the …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – To say that I was dumbstruck when my friend Frank Tedeschi recently texted “Google Piet Boonstra. He is my friend’s father” isn’t sufficient. I damn near fell out of my chair before replying, “WHAT?!” because I knew the name of this iconic rider and author well. …

Ready for more bickering, bluster and contrived nonsense? The Discovery Channel is rebooting “American Chopper” after a five-year hiatus and the reaction so far has been predictably polarizing. Some riders never want to see the battling Teutul clan again, while rubberneckers wonder about the current status of Orange County Choppers, …

OTIS, MA – There are lots of eateries that you can ride by and never notice. There are also restaurants that get visited simply because they’re handy, you happen to be nearby and it’s the easiest place to stop. The Farmington River Diner fits both of those descriptions. That’s not …

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t so hard to predict that rider and psychologist Mark Barnes would be successful writing about motorcycling. In his first column for “Motorcycle Consumer News” some 21 years ago, he wrote that “motorcyclists can be divided into two types.” There are those who are happy to …

MINNEAPOLIS – Buried in the press release from Polaris Industries on its 2017 third quarter results this week was some striking news about Indian. The brand’s market share surpassed the 10 percent mark in September. Motorcycle industry sales in the 900cc and above category “were down high-single digits” in Q3, …

SANTA BARBARA, CA – Honda is giving its top-of-the-line Gold Wing a new look for 2018 with sleeker styling, less weight and a greater orientation toward performance. Due in showrooms in February, the new Gold Wing and Gold Wing Tour will range in price from $23,500 to $31,500 (with airbag) …

BARKHAMSTED, CT – Down a narrow, unpaved driveway and behind a house in Barkhamsted sits a weathered, nondescript garage that’s filled with relics worth marveling over – an assortment of classic cars and vintage motorcycles. Among the four-wheeled vehicles are two convertibles – a 1942 Ford and a 1954 Chevy. The …