March, 2020

• 23 March

  Dealers React To Changing COVID-19 Situation

  

  Motorcycle dealers in the Northeast are temporarily closing or curtailing operations in reaction to the ever-changing COVID-19 situation as some states have ordered non-essential businesses to close. Some dealerships in New York and Connecticut are closed, while others are shutting showrooms while keeping service and parts departments open. Empire Harley-Davidson …

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• 23 March

  RIDE-New England: A Stressful Time For All Riders

  

  There’s a somewhat flippant saying that a motorcyclist is “a person willing to take a container of flammable liquid, place it on top of a hot engine, and then put it between their legs.”  The unstated message is that riding is dangerous and takes a modicum of courage. It is …

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• 19 March

  Harley-Davidson Suspends Production

  

  MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson has joined the Big 3 automakers in Detroit in shutting down production, a move that affects about 2,000 union workers at its three plants in the U.S. The company has 5,000 total employees. The shutdown will run from Wednesday night through March 29. Employees have been placed …

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• 18 March

  Updated: It’s Time To Halt The Ritual – Now

  

  WORCESTER, MA – It’s a ritual that needs to be halted. Now. Immediately. No exceptions. The ritual is this: Person buys a motorcycle at a dealership, a picture gets snapped of the smiling buyer with the salesperson, and the pic gets posted to social media. It makes the buyer feel …

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• 17 March

  Ducati Production Lines Closed Until March 25

  

  BOLOGNA, ITALY – Production of Ducati motorcycles has now been suspended until March 25 as the Italian motorcycle maker works to implement safety measures “to limit the probability of the (COVID-19) virus spreading at its plant,” according to a company statement. The announcement Monday said the decision was made “in …

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• 16 March

  Closing Notices And Postponements: Hot Leathers And Ride 1 Rally

  

  The COVID-19 pandemic is prompting government edicts and voluntary cancelations, closures and postponements of events. RIDE-CT & RIDE-New England wants to help keep riders aware and is launching this page to do so: Cancelations Cabin Fever Custom Car & Motorcycle Show – The two-day event at Naugatuck Entertainment Facility in …

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• 16 March

  Indian Hits Back At H-D With New “Choose Wisely” Ad

  

  Indian’s timing in debuting a new advertising campaign might not be propitious – what with the COVID-19 pandemic getting most everyone’s attention – but the company is out today with a new TV ad urging shoppers to “Choose Wisely” when buying a new motorcycle. Not surprisingly, the 30-second spot takes …

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• 13 March

  Mark’s Expo Canceled Because of Coronavirus

  

  The growing global coronavirus crisis is impacting events in the Northeast. The plug has been pulled on the Mark’s Northeast Motorsports Expo scheduled for this weekend at the Big E in West Springfield, MA. The show mixes classic cars with a few motorcycles. It was set to run from 4 …

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• 9 March

  RIDE-New England: Fifty Years On The Road

  

  HARWINTON, CT – It was while going through a plastic storage container stuffed with miscellaneous old papers recently that I discovered a diploma issued nearly 50 years ago when I was 16.  The “Driver Education Certificate” from The Faita A-C School of Driving in Torrington was dated July 1, 1970 …

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• 8 March

  TWIR (March 7) – Indian, BMW And Royal Enfield News

  

  It’s time for “TWIR” – The Week in Review for the week ending March 7. Indian announces a new model, BMW unveils a new logo, and Royal Enfield gets into flat track racing. Here goes with TWIR: New Indian Scout Bobber Sixty Indian has released a lower priced, entry-level bobber …

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