Oil Drippings: News and Opinion

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

The 3rd annual Torrington Thunder motorcycle show in downtown Torrington isn’t until Sept. 28, but we’re is already hard at work lining up bikes for The Republican-American/RIDE-CT.com display.

Yesterday, Sal Masotta of Waterbury committed to bring his 1920 Indian Powerplus.

The bike formerly belonged to his “great-uncle,” Nicholas Ieronimo, and was given to Masotta in 1970. It sat in boxes until 2003 when restoration began.

Masotta has a registration for the bike that dates back to 1932. The cost then was $3.25 and the registration notes that the “motor cycle” has a 61 cubic inch, two-cylinder engine.

Yes, the bike runs. What really makes it stand out are the white Coker tires, foot clutch and suicide shifter. It’s a beauty, and a rare bike that most riders have never seen.

Also committing this week to the Torrington Thunder display were Ken and Peg Acker, who live in Walton, N.Y. but who are often seen riding in Litchfield County on their custom trike that’s powered by two, four-cylinder Honda CB 750 engines that are mounted side by side.  The seat was fashioned from a Ferris wheel seat and the license plate reads “2X4ON3.”

And that’s not all. Bill Eggers of Goshen is bringing his customized 1970 Harley-Davidson FLH to show off. RIDE-CT.com hopes to add a couple more bikes to what is shaping up as a splendid display.

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BMW reports a sales decrease of 2.3 percent for the first half of 2012 when compared to 2011. The company sold 59,189 motorcycles between January and the end of June. BMW expects an upsurge in sales in the coming months with the introduction of the maxi scooters the C 600 Sport and the C 650 GT as well as the small F 700 GS and F 800 GS. Husqvarna, which BMW owns, saw its sales surge 48.3 percent in the first half of 2012 to 5,235 bikes.

Also reporting in the past few days was Ural, which had a year-to-year sales increase of 25 percent that to the addition of several new dealers.

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Mustang Seats is out with a new model for Harley-Davidson Dyna owners with short arms. The new Wide Tripper Forward Solo moves the rider forward 1.5 inches to make it easier to reach the handlebar and foot control. The solo seat sells for $259 with a matching wide rear seat available for $159. Not only does it come in black, but distressed brown is also available.

Check out Mustang’s website here.

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Finally, stunt rider extraordinaire Chris “Teach” McNeil returns to Brookfield on Saturday to show off his riding skills at Max BMW.

Stoppies and wheelies are routine for the daredevil. It’s his other stunts that truly amaze. McNeil mixes fast starts, fast stops, pirouettes and other superbly executed maneuvers.

“It’s all about control over the motorcycle. If you can control the clutch, the gas and the rear braking, you can do anything,” McNeil told RIDE-CT back in 2010.

Teach’s show begins at 10 a.m.