Oil Drippings: News and Opinion

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

With the unveiling of the all-new 2014 Chief by Indian only 10 days away, RIDE-CT.com has been wondering if Indian has added any new dealers in the northeast where an interested party might be able to buy the $18,999 base-price model with its Thunder Stroke 111 engine?

The only dealer in the region listed so far on the company’s website is Indian Motorcycles of New England in Worcester, MA. And it’s one of only six shown nationally.

However, Indian’s External Relations Manager, Robert Pandya, tells RIDE-CT.com today that “our goal is 120-140 by the end of the year and eventually hundreds in North America.” The new Chief will be unwrapped at 8 p.m. Aug. 3 at Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame in Sturgis, SD.

Indian of New England will be offering test rides Aug. 16-18, but a slot must be reserved in advance. The hours are 9:05 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10:05 a.m. to 2:05 p.m. Sunday. For more info, visit the dealer’s website here.

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The past four weeks have been deadly for motorcyclists in Connecticut. Since June 25, eight riders have died. In two cases, the riders rode into guard rails, lost control and crashed. In at least another two cases, the riders died after cars turned across their paths. The death toll provides a reminder to always ride like everyone else is out to kill you.

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Madison, WI will be the site for the 36th annual Wing Ding rally by an estimated 12,000 Honda Gold Wing riders in July 2014. This will be the fifth time the city has hosted the event, which will be staged July 2-5. The official press release can be read here.

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Honda is recalling some 2014 CTX700s to repair a manufacturing error associated with the ABS. A total of 235 units built between March 6 and April 11 are affected.