Up To Speed

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

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