Up To Speed

WATERBURY, CT – Could it have been much hotter? Sweating spectators at Doc’s Vintage & Classic Bike Show found themselves searching for shade today as sunshine and a 90-degree temperature baked the annual event at Doc’s Motorcycle Parts, 1625 Thomaston Ave. That didn’t stop motorcycle owners from bringing

There isn’t a rider alive who hasn’t complained about unobservant drivers or about the actions of our riding brethren. We universally get outraged when we see a driver texting or talking on a phone, while many of us also get ticked off when we see another rider engaging in conduct that …

FALLS VILLAGE, CT – It’s the same story every year. Hundreds of vintage car and truck owners bring their rides to the Falls Village Car & Motorcycle Show, but only a few motorcycle owners ever bother to show up. That was the case again on Sunday, although the bike turnout …

MERRIAM, KS – The slogan for the city of Merriam is “Just Right.” Mapquest shows it to be about 10 miles southwest of Kansas City, and it was there on June 27 that a ride went terribly wrong for a rider on a Yamaha FZ1. A rider behind the accident …

BOLOGNA, Italy – It’s no surprise, but the Scrambler is a hit for Ducati. In the first six months of 2015, Ducati sold more than 9,000 of its Scrambler models worldwide. The company reported an overall sales increase of 22 percent over the first half of 2014 with a total …

NASHUA, NH – Whether planned or merely a coincidence, it was nonetheless fitting that the three demo motorcycles that Lee Conn brought to Nashua recently were colored red, white and blue. After all, the bikes were American-made, but not built by a company based in Milwaukee rather one that’s

HARWINTON, CT – It was during a breakfast conversation yesterday with friend and rider Neil Tolhurst of New Hartford that I became aware of a law that I subsequently discovered has apparently been in effect in Connecticut for seven years. It states that “passenger vehicles, combination vehicles and motorcycles, 20 …

  In a move that will result in new signage at all dealerships by this fall, Kawasaki today introduced “an all-new visual identity to the brand.” In other words, it unwrapped a new logo.

Polaris is jacking up the MSRP for two of its Slingshot models for 2016. If you’ve been dawdling about buying one, well, it will now cost you more.

The Ducati MH900e is one of those bikes that looks like it’s moving even when parked, and Doug Barker of Watertown, CT desired one from the get-go back in 2000. “When it came out, I wanted one,” he reported, recalling that his wife wanted to ride two-up, though, so he …

NASHUA, NH – Motus just may be the least known motorcycle brand in the U.S., but some astute riders traveled more three hundred miles this past weekend just to ride a few more on examples of the pricey American-made sport touring bike. Rocket Moto Sport, currently the lone Motus dealer …

A trip Friday up the Hudson River to visit the good folks at Hudson Valley Motorcycles in Ossining, NY. Second generation owner Rich Alexander and his team are hosting the

Cops waved. Pedestrians stared. Other drivers did double-takes. Some folks whipped out phones to take pictures. Others gave the thumbs-up sign. All it took to get such intense attention was to drive around parts of New Haven and West Haven for an hour or so Thursday afternoon in a Polaris …

Update: Donald L. Miller died Saturday (June 20, 2015) in New York City at the age of 83 after suffering a stroke. This column appeared last Sept. 16. It was a pleasure knowing him, hearing his stories and eating his scones, if only for a short while… Donald L. Miller …

LACONIA, NH – It’s a yearly ritual. Bill Smith of Harwinton, CT rides (or trailers) his Suzuki Bandit here for Laconia Motorcycle Week. He escapes the grind of working as a computer expert for IBM and serving as a firefighter and secretary of a local volunteer fire department. He meets …