Up To Speed

SUFFIELD, CT – Year two of a revived motorcycle show at Hilltop Farm, once owned by original Indian co-founder George M. Hendee, proved satisfactory on Saturday with a bluegrass band livening the proceedings. “The big change is the music. There’s nothing like live music,” said Kacy Colston, president of The …

FALLS VILLAGE, CT – If a motorcycle could talk, the single-cylinder race bike owned by Ed Bozzi of Naugatuck, CT would probably say that 15 years of retirement have been quite enjoyable. No hard running – just an annual oil change, a twice-a-year startup, an occasional track day, and periodic trips …

NEWINGTON, CT – Are your riding skills sufficient to teach others? If you think so, have some free time and would like to earn a few bucks in the process, CONREP needs you. The Connecticut Rider Education Program has lost roughly one-third of its instructor corps over the past few …

MILWAUKEE – After laying off some 200 production workers last October, Harley-Davidson plans to eliminate another 180 permanent positions this fall in the wake of weakening sales of its motorcycles, the “Journal Sentinel” newspaper reports. The company said Tuesday that U.S. sales in the second quarter of 2017 were down …

OSSINING, NY – Hudson Valley Motorcycles has expanded its lineup of new motorcycles by adding the Alta Motors brand of electric bikes. Alta joins the existing lines of Ducati, Kawasaki and Suzuki. Based in Brisbane, CA, Alta Motors offers two models – the Redshift MX for motocross and the Redshift …

A stunt rider from Ohio who went down last week while showing off on a Connecticut roadway is getting ridiculed on Facebook as an “asshat,” a “dumb ass” and a “jackass” – and, after watching the video, it’s easy to see why. Jeff “C-Bear” Flaherty, whose Facebook page says that …

MINNEAPOLIS – Indian is getting on the bobber bandwagon. The company today announced that a Scout Bobber will be offered for the 2018 model year. It will have chopped front and rear fenders, solo seat, and loads of black – black frame, black exhaust, black handlebar with bar-end mirrors, black …

Mid-summer means a lot of bike shows and events. Here’s a sampling of July events that are worth attending: July 8-9: This weekend it’s the Hard Times Chopper Show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Saturday at Ralph’s Diner in Worcester, MA and the third annual Bennington Bike Night in …

THOMPSON, CT – If this were a fish tale, it might be considered a whopper. However, unlike anglers who sometimes exaggerate the struggles involved in landing a prize catch, motorcyclists don’t need to embellish when storytelling because the truth alone is usually sufficient. Maine “Ted” Smith of Cheshire had such …

RHINEBECK, NY – It was 2016 that the Rhinebeck Grand National Meet shifted from its then-traditional second weekend in June spot on the calendar to close to the Fourth of July. Now, after two years, it’s looking to shift again, despite accomplishing its goal of boosting attendance by getting away …

RHINEBECK, NY – It’s easy to assume that the Rhinebeck Grand National Meet is the same from year to year. Sure, there’s always a timeline of classic motorcycles inside an exhibition hall, seminars, loads of vendors hawking parts and old bikes, and lots of familiar faces. And the layout stays …

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Motorcyclists who ride the back roads of New England know just how bad they can be. Potholes, cracks and uneven pavement can make maneuvering a challenge. A new report released this week by the non-profit national transportation research group TRIP confirms it, revealing that the New England …

POMFRET, CT – As usual, the parking lot at the Vanilla Bean Cafe was filled with motorcycles on Sunday morning, but some heads turned when Charlie Gallo of Mansfield, CT rode in on his 1929 Harley-Davidson JD and parked next to a 1924 Ace owned by Dan Emerson of Woodstock, …

SANTA MONICA, CA – Dates and cities for the 37th annual Progressive International Motorcycle Shows tour were announced today. The IMS visit to New York City is set for Dec. 1-3 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The 2017-2018 tour will stop in seven cities, the same ones as …

THOMPSON, CT – Some bikes can grab your attention instantly. The 1960 Velocette MSS owned by Rick Price of Chester, CT did just that as it was being unloaded from the back of a pickup at the Thompson Vintage Motorcycle Classic. So did the 1971 BSA Rocket 3 owned by …