Oil Drippings: News and Opinion

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

What’s not exactly a car but not really a motorcycle either? Does the word “autocycle” resonate? There’s a start-up company called Elio Motors, founded in 2008 by Paul Elio, that plans to build a three-wheeled model in Louisiana that’s essentially a motorcycle with auto controls.

Due to go into production in the fourth quarter of 2014, the Elio will cost $6,800 and will get 84 mpg. It warrants mention today (and a more in-depth look in the future) because the Michigan legislature last week passed a bill that removes the motorcycle endorsement requirement for operating it.

Doesn’t this make sense? While an endorsement is certainly needed to operate any motorized two-wheeler above 49cc, why must anyone need to know how to ride to drive a Can-Am Spyder, a trike or a new Elio?

Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, a bill has been introduced in the legislature that will allow disabled riders to get an ID card that will allow them to park in designated handicapped spaces. A good idea as well.

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TV viewing tip: “Cafe Racer” is back for a fourth season on Velocity. The second episode airs at 10 tonight (EST) takes viewers to Seattle for the melding of a vintage Honda and a newer Kawasaki and to Detroit for the resurrection of an old “Harley.”

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Harley-Davidson is hiring. The company is looking for 400 part-time workers to handle a seasonal surge in production between the end of January and the end of May at its plant in Springettsbury Township, PA. The “York Daily Record” has the story here.

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The new documentary film “Why We Ride” is slowly rolling out across the U.S. but it has been booked in only one theater in New England so far –  the AMC Burlington Cinema 10 in Burlington, MA where it will be screened at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 3. More info on “Why We Ride” may be found here.

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A press release has not been put out yet, but Cycle Gear has opened yet another store in New England. No, not the one in Woburn, MA that RIDE-CT.com mentioned recently, rather its first store in Rhode Island. The location is 1400 Bald Hill Road in Warwick. Cycle Gear also has a new store in Hicksville, NY and one coming soon to Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. Currrent locations in CT are in Manchester and Orange.