By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

With its first new model due out later this year (following the company’s purchase by Polaris Industries two years ago), Indian is working to expand its dealer network. Over the weekend, RIDE-CT.com had an unexpected conversation with a seemingly unlikely candidate who has been approached about becoming an Indian dealer and who sat through a presentation last week.

Here’s how it happened: Friend Gary Randall and I had ridden to Colchester, CT on Saturday morning and were seated at a picnic table at Harry’s Place about to enjoy lunch when the man approached. Gary owns a 1946 Indian Chief (although he had chosen to ride his 1974 Moto Guzzi Eldorado on Saturday) and was wearing a black Indian sweatshirt. The logo caught the eye of the man, who was nicely dressed and wearing an Augusta National Golf Club sweater. He came over to inquire about Gary’s Indian connection.

We introduced ourselves and, within minutes, the man and his wife had joined us at the table. While I had stated that I was a motojournalist, I didn’t whip open my notebook, so I’ll refrain from identifying the man by name. Suffice to say that he owns a new-car dealership not far from Hartford, doesn’t ride a motorcycle and has no connection motorcycles.

Over the course of 15 or 20 minutes, he revealed that the cost of becoming an Indian dealer won’t be cheap. He’d need a building and signage. I believe he said the necessary display to showcase Indian bikes would run $175,000. With existing Indian models starting at nearly $27,000, he wondered what the potential for profit would be. What also failed to impress him was the company’s presentation, which he said wasn’t as polished as he expected it to be.

My suggestion was that maybe he could create a high-end motorcycle dealership devoted to more than one niche brand, and maybe add the revived Norton marquee. The sense I got was that he viewed the risk – or at least the buy-in – to be too high.

As it did earlier with its Victory brand, Polaris is positioning Indian as a “Made in America” competitor to Harley-Davidson. The company has been proclaiming that “Choice is coming to American motorcycles.” That’s fine, except that Harleys are less expensive and are marketed as iconic. The Indian name may be as well, but the original company that built Indians in Springfield, MA went out of business 60 years ago. Only real motorcycle aficionados recall it.

Following a pleasant conversation, we went out separate ways. I didn’t think of it until later, but why would a motorcycle company pursue a car dealer with no motorcycle experience, and one from a rural setting? Is Indian simply looking for deep pockets? Or could it be that Indian is having a hard time bringing dealers on board? The lone dealer in the region currently is Indian Motorcycle of New England in Worcester, MA.

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On the subject of Indian, the Springfield Museums’ annual Indian Day will be July 21 this year.

Matt Longhi, director of public relations and marketing, reports that Harley-Davidson’s “Worn to be Wild” exhibit that was at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee last year is now out on the road.

The exhibit tells the story of the black leather jacket has become a celebrated part of riding and will be installed at the Springfield Museums from June 22 through Sept. 22.

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Here’s a new(ish) video from Indian that shows what it expects dealerships to look like:

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

An unexpected effort in the General Assembly to crack down on noisy motorcycles is being met by immediate opposition by the motorcycle industry. Under language added last week to a bill involving off-road ATVs, the sale, registration or operation of a street motorcycle having most after-market exhaust pipes would become a fineable offense. The new provisions, if approved, would require federal Environmental Protection Agency noise emission control labels to be displayed on all motorcycles and would institute fines of up to $250 per offense for non-compliance.

Opposition to what the Connecticut Motorcycle Riders Association calls a “very sneaky” and anti-business move by the Finance, Bonding and Revenue Committee comes not only from that group but also from dealers, stores that sell motorcycle accessories and repair shops. “It needs to be eliminated. It was a very sneaky, bad act,” said Sandra Clark, legislative committee chairman of the CMRA. “It should not have been linked up to ATVs. Unfortunately, that might possibly kill a good ATV bill.”

The ATV bill, introduced by Rep. DebraLee Hovey (R-Newtown) and rewritten in the Transportation Committee, would establish an all-terrain vehicle division within the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to create and maintain ATV trails in the state. Under the bill, ATV riders would be required to register their vehicles – $20 for a snowmobile and $40 for a quad or dirt bike. Half of the fee would go an “all-terrain account” the DEEP would use. ATV registrants would also be assessed a $5 “land purchase fee” to establish trails.

The ATV bill was introduced in January, but it wasn’t until Wednesday when it was voted out of the finance committee that the new provisions appeared that would make illegal any motorcycle that “does not have prominently displayed on such motorcycle an its exhaust system” EPA labels. The stock exhaust pipes that come on motorcycles from the factory have EPA stamps, but most after-market exhausts are not EPA-certified to meet noise emission standards.

Keith Bruno, owner of The Shop motorcycle repair business in Winsted, called the provisions “unbelievable. It’s an infringement on our rights, I don’t know how else to say it. It’s just one more restriction they’re putting on us that’s unnecessary. They’re going to make it to the point where nobody will want to ride a bike.”

Bruno estimates that 75 percent or more of motorcycle owners invest in after-market exhaust systems. The reasons why riders buy them vary – from a throatier sound to improved power and performance.

“That’s usually one of the first things people change (when buying a new bike) and it’s not necessarily to make your pipes louder.  It could be for looks, for styling,” said “Mike Doc” D’Occhio of Doc’s Motorcycle Parts in Waterbury. He added that many riders also operate under belief that loud exhausts help make drivers aware of their presence. “There’s a lot of people who truly believe loud pipes save lives,” he said.

D’Occhio said the move to stifle the sale and use of after-market motorcycle exhausts is anti-business. “It’s another way to handcuff businesses, or businesses in the motorcycle industry,” he said.

After-market exhausts provide a substantial revenue stream for dealers and shops. Bob Szymanowski, general manager of Gengras Harley-Davidson in East Hartford, estimates that 85 percent of his customers get rid of their stock exhausts, and pay anywhere from $300 to $3,000 for the often louder replacements.

A display wall in the dealership’s parts department shows off nearly a dozen examples of exhaust pipes made by Vance & Hines and Rinehart. He said with Gengras Harley-Davidson selling anywhere from 50 to 70 new bikes a month, the loss of sales tax revenue to the state if replacement pipes are outlawed could be sizable. “It’s a little disappointing and it’s going to hurt business,” said Szymanowski of potential impact if the new provisions in the ATV bill become law.

Just who inserted the language isn’t known, and messages left for the finance committee’s co-chairs, Sen. John W. Fonfara (D-Hartford) and Rep. Patricia M. Widlitz (D-Guildford), went unreturned. What’s puzzling is why two unrelated concerns – a lack of land set aside for off-road riders and the cacophony of exhausts from street riders – have been coupled. “The amendment and the bill are two different animals. I don’t know why they’re trying to mix them together,” said D’Occhio.

Clark said passage of the exhaust provisions won’t stop riders from customizing their bikes and that even EPA-approved exhaust pipes can be drilled out to make them sound louder. She said the CMRA plans to lobby to have the provision removed as the bill continues to go through the legislative process.

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

Motorcyclists operating with exhaust pipes that don’t have E.P.A. approval – and dealers and shops selling them – would be open to fines under an amendment attached this week to an ATV bill that is moving forward in the General Assembly. While targeted at loud operators, the amendment would make it illegal ride with practically all makes and models of after-market pipes.

RIDE-CT.com is now digging into the story and will have a report soon, but here’s what the amendment says:

Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2013, and applicable to violations committed on or after said date) (a) (1) No person shall sell, register or operate in this state a motorcycle, as defined in section 14-1 of the general statutes, that does not have prominently displayed on such motorcycle and its exhaust system the applicable federal Environmental Protection Agency labels required pursuant to 40 CFR 205, Subparts D and E.

(2) No person shall sell, install or modify an exhaust system after the sale of a motorcycle unless such exhaust system has prominently displayed on it the applicable federal Environmental Protection Agency exhaust system label required pursuant to 40 CFR 205, Subpart E.

(b) Nothing in this section shall relieve any person from such person’s obligation to comply with the provisions of section 14-80 of the general statutes.

(c) Any person who violates the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be fined not less than fifty dollars or more than one hundred dollars for a first offense, and not less than one hundred dollars or more than two hundred fifty dollars for each subsequent offense.

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

Not unlike dandelions in a manicured lawn, they pop up unexpectedly. One moment there’s little-noticed guard rail alongside the highway and the next there’s a floral display that pulls your eyes from the road ahead. Roadside memorials, colorful tributes to people killed when traveling, have seemingly become more common in recent years. Are they really necessary?

What got me thinking about them was a story Friday in the “Swindon Advertiser,” a newspaper in the U.K., that told of the frustration felt by family members because the flowers that they left at a roadside crash spot kept getting swiped.

Andy Cole, 44, worked for Honda and was on his way home from work last July 5. He was riding a Suzuki GSX-R when he collided with a van and died.

Two weeks ago, his widow placed a dozen red roses at the scene, and they disappeared the following day. This past week, his parents tied some chrysanthemums to a lamppost at the scene of the tragedy and they too were gone within 24 hours.

“It is just so upsetting. It is the place where he took his last breath so we want to leave flowers there for him,” his mother, Joy Cole, told the newspaper. “I don’t know who is taking them but we are so upset.”

While their feelings are understandable, aren’t such bouquets little more than glorified litter that quickly turn into eyesores? Aren’t they potentially dangerous because they divert operators’ attention?

Is the immediate reaction if a person dies in his (or her) sleep to put a wreath on the bed? Of course not. Florists may love such displays, but the placing of flowers, photos, messages and whatnot at the scene of a fatal accident is a worthless, irritating gesture.

Before my parents died, they each requested to be cremated and their remains spread in the wood across a brook behind the house that I grew up in and where I still live. Mom had planted daffodil bulbs there and they said they wanted their ashes spread there so they “could bloom every spring.”

The daffodils are now blooming, providing me a remembrance that’s both appropriate and private, unlike roadside memorials which are obnoxious and potentially dangerous.

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

Connecticut has a new, and second, Ducati dealer.

New Haven Powersports, which already carries the Italian-made Aprilia and Moto Guzzi lines, has now added Ducati and is in the process of remodeling. “We’ve had it exactly one month today,” said Chris Green late Friday afternoon.

Some walls within the dealership at 143 Whalley Ave. have already been torn out and an Italian tile floor installed for the Ducati area. Still to come is an “identity wall.”

The response so far has “been very good. The service side of it has really taken off, which is what we expected,” Green said. New Haven Powersports has three factory-trained Ducati technicians.

New Haven Powerports’ decision to pick up Ducati wasn’t made in haste. “When you look at where the market’s going right now, European brands are doing very, very well. It’s been over two years in the making to actually get the bikes here,” Green said.

Given its 43-year history selling motorcycles, New Haven Powersports should give Ducati – and Ducati riders – some stability.

Cliff’s Cycle Revolution in Brookfield used to offer Ducati but the brand was dropped when the dealership was purchased by Max BMW. Gengras in East Hartford also sold Ducati for a while. ”Connecticut has a lot of dealers that have taken the brand and not done it justice. It’s a big opportunity for us,” Green said.

The dealership plans an open house in May to officially welcome Ducati – once the remodeling is done. The state’s other Ducati dealer is MotoFIT in Danbury.

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The arrival of spring means open houses at dealerships.

Yankee Harley-Davidson in Bristol is welcoming riders with music and food from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow, while Harley-Davidson of Danbury plans its 19th annual Biker Bash from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 28. Doc’s Motorcycle Parts in Waterbury will have a pig roast on Sunday, April 28 as well.

Gengras Harley-Davidson in East Hartford holds its spring open house on May 4 as does New England Cycle Center in Hartford.

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Industry news:

- Claudio Domenicali has replaced Gabriele Del Torchip as CEO of Ducati.

- BRP Inc., which makes the Can-Am Spyder, is going public. The IPO seeks to raise $250 million.

- Gerbing’s is recalling some 9,0000 heated jacket liners because a defective write connector presents a burn hazard to owners. Marketed under both the Gerbing’s and Harley-Davidson names, they were sold from April 2011 and through December 2012.

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

The thought that “we are what we ride” popped into my head when coming home from picking up some English muffins while on a 40-mile evening ride. Why go to the Daily
Mart at the end of the road, just one mile away, when an hour spent on a mild evening looping through Litchfield, Bantam, New Preston, Washington Depot, Morris, back to the IGA Supermarket in Bantam and then home was possible?

As I stowed the muffins in a bag attached to my bike’s rear rack, numerous motorcycles rolled by on Route 202. There were cruisers and sport bikes, individual riders and small groups. Everyone was partaking of the pleasant spring weather.  I mounted my yellow 2008 Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom and headed east, enjoying the bike’s pep and handling, while begrudgingly agreeing with the assessment of some friends that a V-Strom has no “soul.”

So why did I buy it used last August? Low mileage and price were allures. The fact that repairing the V-Strom’s predecessor would have been exorbitant factored into the decision. Also, as a motojournalist, I wanted to learn first-hand whether the V-Strom’s reputation as an all-around machine was true. That has been verified. The only downside to the “Wee-Strom” – there’s a larger 1,000cc version as well – has been enduring frequent good-natured ribbing from Tom Caliolo of Waterbury, the beefy, cigar-smoking owner of a 2300cc Triumph Rocket III.

It was while rounding the curve at La Cupola Ristorante & Inn that the “we are what we ride” thought intruded. Why had I really bought the bike? Might it really be because it’s all the things that I’m not but cling to the notion that I still am – thin, colorful and full of energy? (Hey, my 60^th birthday is four months away.)

That instantly got me thinking of why so many of riders worship Harley-Davidsons? Is it primarily because these riders appreciate “old school” and want to show their patriotism by buying American? You can’t argue with that. Or are they lemmings who have bought into a mystique carefully-crafted by the manufacturer over decades?

If any Harley rider stereotype is true, does this automatically make BMW riders snobs or all crotch rocket-riders maniacs? So often stereotypes are not true, and I suspect that most of us make our motorcycle purchases based on a variety of factors: whim, the size of the bank account, peer pressure, image, planned usage. It might even be momentary stupidity, and I plead guilty to that charge in a couple of occasions.

Any rider who is truly honest with himself (or herself) will admit that the mental picture that they have of how they look while seated on a bike plays a big part in their satisfaction with that bike. Some riders look like they belong on their bikes. Caliolo would look out of place on anything but his muscular Rocket III.

On the outbound leg of my ride, I’d been passed by two “kids” on sport bikes. From a quick glance, one of the bikes looked to be a customized Kawasaki ZX-14R. It was bright green with an extended swing-arm. I couldn’t tell the model precisely because they passed me on Route 118 at a speed that was probably much closer to 90 miles per hour than the posted speed limited.

On the way home, having connected to Route 118, I spotted them again. They were stopped at the intersection of Route 254. We acknowledged each other as I rode by. Soon, their headlights appeared in my left side mirror. Once again, they streaked up from behind, this time passing me on a double-yellow line. They rode away in single file, not in a much safer staggered formation. I knew what their bikes said about them:  Young, bulletproof, and dangerous to motorists and other riders alike.

Maybe it’s because it’s the start of the riding season, but I’ve already noticed a lot of excessively risky or downright bad riding. More than two weeks ago, I was in my pickup heading northbound on Route 222 in Harwinton, approaching the stop sign where the road dead ends at Route 118. I was braking to halt at the stop line when three guys on heavy cruisers, who were turning left to head south toward Thomaston, cut the corner and rode directly across my lane. I jammed on the brakes and gave them a dirty look. Had the window not been up, I would have screamed.

While in many cases it may be true that “we are what we ride,” riding in a manner that courts catastrophe gives all riders a bad name. Note to Mr. Caliolo: Tom, I actually do enjoying being a sluggish bear atop a buzzing bumble bee. But, please, don’t hand me a mirror.

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

May 4th is fast approaching. That’s the date for RIDE-CT.com’s first-ever charity event – a tour of the Mustang Seats factory in Three Rivers, Mass. Space is limited and only a few openings remain.

Mustang Seats is opening its entire plant to show the seat-making process from R&D  through shipping.  Proceeds will benefit The Little Guild of St. Francis pet rescue shelter in West Cornwall, CT.

The cost is $25 per rider and $20 per passenger, and every cent will go to Little Guild. After the 10:30 a.m. tour, Mustang will provide lunch and have some door prizes.

“We promise that after touring the Mustang factory – from R&D through foam production to completed product – you will never look at a motorcycle seat the same way again,” said Marilyn Simmons, marketing director for Mustang.

Mustang has been making motorcycle seats in New England since 1980. “Building the most comfortable seats in the world takes research, design, steel, fiberglass, foam, sewing, rivets and lot of hard work to put it all together,” Simmons said.

If you’d like to join the fun – and help some pets who are in need of new homes – email budw@ride-ct.com to reserve your space. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday morning. If you can’t make, donations are welcome, too.