Up To Speed

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 …

NEW HAVEN, CT – There are things we do when riding that we don’t even think about. Pulling in the clutch and downshifting when approaching a stoplight comes to mind. So does upshifting when the engine’s sound indicates that it’s time to do so. The hands-on nature of motorcycling, and …

RHINEBECK, NY – As promised, more from Pat Murphy of Marcellus, NY on his 1919 Henderson. “It looks old but it’s new on the inside,” Murphy said last weekend at the Rhinebeck Grand National Meet, declaring that the vintage bike runs like a watch. He takes it for a ride …

NEW HAVEN, CT –  New Haven Powersports isn’t a Zero dealer, but the California manufacturer of electric motorcycles nonetheless plans to bring three demo models to 143 Whalley Ave. on Saturday to allow curious riders to

SPRINGFIELD, MA – The sixth annual Indian Day at the Springfield Museums, 21 Edwards St., will this year pay tribute to Bob’s Indian of Etters, PA “for its many years of supporting the heritage of classic Indian cycles. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, …

TORRANCE, CA – What’s the most that you’d pay for a motorcycle? Would you ever fork over $184,000? That’s Honda’s asking price for the limited edition RC213V-S, a 2016 model based on the company’s MotoGP machine. It’s being offered

RHINEBECK, NY – Bill Damian remembers the first time he came to the Rhinebeck Grand National Meet. It was five or six years ago and he rode in on a 1939 Harley-Davidson U model, coming all the way from