Up To Speed

MUNICH – It was just a couple of weeks ago that BMW unveiled a bagger labeled “Concept 101.” Now, it’s out with a scrambler concept. Based on the R Nine T, it’s dubbed “Concept Path 22” and features a high exhaust and dual purpose tires. Whereas the Concept 101 name …

EAST HADDAM, CT – It was 5½ years ago that I wrote about David Perillo’s Neracar, and flippantly suggested that the 1922 model-year motorcycle should perhaps be festooned with a sign saying “For Display Purposes Only” as it looked more suited for a museum than the open road. Yes, it …

WATERBURY, CT – An old love such as a motorcycle can be an expensive mistress – especially when a full restoration is required. Brian Normandin of Torrington, CT only paid $300 for his 1966 Honda 305 Scrambler. It was a year old when he bought it used for a price …

HARTFORD – Sales of Polaris’ three-wheeled Slingshot will be legal in Connecticut as of July 1. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed into law today an “autocycle” bill passed by the state legislature last month that creates a new category of motor vehicle and enables the Department of Motor Vehicles to …

SANTA MONICA, CA – Dates for the 35th anniversary Progressive International Motorcycle Shows were announced today with three new cities being added. New stops on what will be an 11-city IMS tour between October 2015 and February 2016 include Portland, OR; Sacramento, CA; and the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, …

Don Wing’s Harley-Davidson Fat Boy looks old. He’s fond of its old-school appearance and frequently has to correct admirers who think that his motorcycle is a vintage machine. “I get that a lot,” he said, noting that

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Final figures aren’t in yet, but motorcycle fatalities are projected to decline nationally in 2014 for the second straight year, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association’s Spotlight on Highway Safety report that was released recently. Rider deaths are also expected to drop in New England based …

SOUTH DEERFIELD, MA – Being hit in the face by a bug is one of the hazards of riding a motorcycle. If it’s a good-sized insect, it can sting quite a bit, but that’s still preferable to having a bee slip inside your helmet when the visor has been cracked …

The line that Matthew Phillips used to describe Ducati’s original scrambler model built back in the 1960s was a tad too colorful to print verbatim in a newspaper, but not here. It was, he recalled, a bike that guys bought to get laid. In fact, Ducati used that suggestive imagery …

EAST HADDAM, CT – Given the ages of the bikes, it’s perhaps surprising there weren’t more breakdowns but only Rich Hosley of Guilford, CT found himself with tools in hand prior to the Tiddler Tour. He was trying to sort out an electrical problem with his Spanish-made 1970 OSSA Wildfire. …

Did anyone see this coming – a bagger from BMW Motorrad? The German motorcycle maker used the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy yesterday to unveil a “Concept 101” cruiser. The name refers to its six-cylinder, 1,649cc engine capacity – which is roughly 101 cubic inches – as well as …

FARMINGTON, CT – Motorcycle Hall of Famer, three-time AMA Motocross national champion and Torrington, CT resident Doug Henry was arrested this afternoon for allegedly exposing his penis to two female workers at a construction site on Route 4 here, Farmington police reported in an arrest log posted on the department’s …

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. The Connecticut State Police today put out a press release offering riders and other motorists some rather obvious and well-known advice on how to stay safe when out on the highways. It is posted here in its entirety: TROOPERS OFFER TIPS DURING MOTORCYCLE SAFETY …

Actor and motorcycle enthusiast Orlando Bloom’s latest starring role isn’t on the big screen, rather in a short video that showcases  his new one-off BMW. It was built by friend Michael “Woolie” Woolaway, who has the Deus Ex Machine custom shop in Venice, CA.

The tale of an unidentified Harley-Davidson dealer who said “I make more money from the costumes than from selling bikes” is probably apocryphal, but it came to mind this week in the wake of the Waco bloodbath that left nine motorcycle gang members dead, 18 injured and more than