It’s another edition of The Week in Review; this time for the week ending Jan. 18. The post is a compilation of news nuggets, info from press releases, and other items culled from near and far. Here goes with The Week In Review: Royal Enfield Trimming Model Lineup? RideApart has …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson saw its year-to-year Q1 sales drop 4.2 percent in the United States and 3.8 percent worldwide. The company sold 28,091 motorcycles in the U.S. from January through March (down from 29,309 in 2018) and 49,151 worldwide (down from 51,086). In releasing its first quarter statement this morning, …

It’s been a goodly while since the last installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…” In fact, it has been more than a year and a half since what had been a regular catch-all post for small newsworthy items not hefty enough for a full …

HARWINTON, CT – Depending on one’s perspective, they’re either odd or exotic. To many motorcyclists, three-wheelers such as Can-Am’s Spyder and Polaris’ Slingshot that don’t conform to the traditional trike layout of one wheel in front and two in the rear can’t be mentioned in the same breath as a motorcycle. …

Time for another Staff Inflection, and the question posed to RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland staffers was really rather basic: Where do you see the motorcycle industry in the U.S. in 20 years? Staffers were told they could be optimistic or pessimistic, serious of flippant. They could take the business aspect or …

MAHWAH, NJ – Having lost the Victory line of motorcycles a year ago when Polaris announced it was folding the brand, Locomotion Powersports here is restocking its showroom in 2018 by adding Royal Enfield. Paperwork was signed Thursday, according to Royal Enfield’s regional manager for the northeast, Omar Buker. The …

NEW YORK – What the Progressive International Motorcycle Show this weekend lacked in heft, with such major manufacturers as Ducati and Triumph not having corporate displays, it somewhat made up for with exciting new models and one model that a lot of riders would like to see. Sure, the size …

MINNEAPOLIS – Buried in the press release from Polaris Industries on its 2017 third quarter results this week was some striking news about Indian. The brand’s market share surpassed the 10 percent mark in September. Motorcycle industry sales in the 900cc and above category “were down high-single digits” in Q3, …

CHESTER, VT – I’ve always been fascinated by cyclecars. What are they? Here’s a very loose history: Cyclecars first became popular in 1910. They were lightweight vehicles with small, motorcycle engines and minimal bodies. The most common configuration was a V-twin engine mounted in front between two steerable wheels with …

WESTFIELD, MA – If it seemed at all odd when Polaris Industries, maker of Indian motorcycles, came out with the Slingshot roadster three years ago, it was really a case of history somewhat repeating itself, and with a good deal more success. The three-wheeled, belt-driven Slingshot is really more automobile …

LANCASTER, NH – The MOMS chain of New England powersports dealerships is adding a fourth store. MOMS has signed a letter of intent to buy F.B. Spaulding Co., a Polaris and John Deere dealer that has operated in Lancaster since 1902. MOMS says the expansion will allow the store to …

Polaris Industries blindsided Victory dealers and customers this morning by announcing that it’s pulling the plug on the 18-year-old, American-made brand. Calling the brand’s exit “an incredibly difficult decision,” Polaris Chairman and CEO Scott Wine said in a news release that Victory’s end will allow the company to concentrate its efforts …

STAFFORD SPRINGS – A lengthy investigation by state police and federal agencies has resulted in the owner of Shark Cycle and two employees being charged today with larceny, money-laundering, and 12 counts each of identity theft and forgery for allegedly scamming Polaris Industries.

Sorry ’bout that for having missed the October installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…” Life got busy with an overnight ride to the Catskills, an increased work load, other pressing obligations and a little website tweaking. 

It’s the September installment of “If You Had Asked Me, I Would Have Told You…” Maybe it’s because so many weekends of late had the threat of rain, which severely curtailed my riding, but I’ve got my cranky pants on. Or maybe it’s just because I’m so unenthused by the …