Oil Drippings: News and Opinion

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

A few snowflakes in the air today above the RIDE-CT.com garage, leading more to thoughts of prepping the snow thrower and generator for the coming winter than to getting the bikes prepared for the same…

And now the news:

– In a preemptive move, the American Motorcyclist Association is warning riders that a federal task force will soon recommend that all states have mandatory helmet laws. The Community Preventive Services Task Force, a 15-member body appointed by the director of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, is reportedly ready to make that recommendation based on a belief that a universal helmet law would reduces motorcyclist deaths and injuries and reduce health care costs. The AMA press release may be found here.

V-Strom 1000 khaki

– Suzuki is out with an MSRP for its redesigned V-Strom 1000 for 2014 (picture above). It will start at $12,600, and that’s with ABS and traction control. That price is thousands less than a BMW 1200 GS. The Adventure model of the big V-Strom with hand guards, engine guards, skid plate and hard bags will start at $13,550.

Thunderbird Commander

– Triumph plans two new Thunderbird models for 2014 the Commander (pictured above) and the LT. A few more details on the New Models page here.

– A former Marine is suing a Harley-Davidson dealership in Orange County, CA for selling him a $17,000 bike even though it knew he suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome and had no business signing on the dotted line. Brett Smith, 25, tried to bring the bike back two days after buying it. ABC News has the story here.

About admin

Since 2010, RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland has been reporting about motorcycling in New England and portions of New York.