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BACKFIRES
LETTER OF THE MONTH Back To Basics
Just got my American Motorcyclist and read it cover to cover. Congratulations to Mitch Boehm and the new staff, as it’s the best Motorcyclist I have read in years. The feature on Malcolm Smith and the article on Harley-Davidson both read right to my heart. Having turned 74 this past January and having ridden motorcycles since 1958, you might say I have been there and done that. Really looking forward to the next issue. Promise us old dudes you will not switch to a digital-only publication. I know all the reasons, but I have copies of various moto mags, some of which are 50 years old, that I can pick up and reread and smile at the memories.
Promise, John! -Ed.
John J. Black | Huntsville, AR #3332040
Reading that excellent article about Malcolm in the April edition, and his femur problems, reminded me of a day in 1964 when a tree jumped in front of me on my motorcycle and broke my right femur. The doc fixed it with a long rod, and I asked if the rod had to stay in or could be removed. “Do you plan on continuing to ride motorcycles?” he asked. “Yes.” “Well, just think if you had the same accident, breaking the femur and bending the rod, so we’ll take it out in two years.” I’m now 81, still riding, rodless, with a well-healed femur.
Clement Salvadori | Atascadero, CA AMA #77415
Mitch, the Malcolm Smith piece in the April issue is perhaps the best you’ve written. It certainly struck a chord with me. We have similar history, as I was 13 when I discovered motorcycling. TransAMA at Carnegie, must have been ’71, and Laguna Seca in ’72. Thanks, Dad. I wish you were still here. I remember Parkhurst, Neilson, Jennings, Seimen, and Art Friedman is also etched into my brain. Call me old and old-fashioned, but I love the print and the stories. I avoid the computer in my downtime; too much time spent there for work. A dozen bikes in the garage now, some street, some dirt, some new, some old, all ridden with gusto. The passion that was born some 50 years ago still burns. I’ll add that I had the pleasure of crossing paths with Malcolm in Bahía de Los Ángeles maybe seven or eight years ago. It was an epic ride and a meeting in Baja that will never be forgotten. Keep it coming and thank you.
Jeff Banister | Pleasanton, CA
I just got my new issue of American Motorcyclist and thought I’d just scan it and maybe save for later. Well, an hour later I’d say well done! It’s a fresh reminder of how much I looked forward to getting printed magazines each month, as I have let all my subscriptions to gone-digital magazines lapse. Harley recently announced that its HOG magazine is going digital and asked what members thought; I responded by telling them not to bother with a renewal notice. There is just something to the printed word! Enjoyed the article on Malcolm. It really gave a side I had never heard before. Keep up the good work.
Rick Steen | Altus, OK
The April issue was the best I’ve read in a very long time. Not sure if Mitch deserves all the credit [No chance! -Ed.] but I suspect he had a big part in the recent changes. I often gave past issues just a cursory glance, but I read this one cover to cover. Great job! I understand the transition to digital media, but as an old fart I grew up turning pages and much prefer it.
Don Kathke | AMA #632283
A huge Hurrah! to Mitch Boehm for his excellent Malcolm Smith tribute in the April issue. But please give us some background on the big-fin Greeves MX bike — wearing an “XLR900 HarleyDavidson” badge — that’s shown with Malcolm, Mert and that McQueen dude on pages 20-21. I suspect it may have been Mert’s playbike at the time?
Lindsay Brooke | Plymouth, MI
Rumor has it Mert didn’t want to make his bosses in Milwaukee unhappy, though do we think anyone was fooled? We do not! -Ed.
Thank you for your article celebrating Malcolm Smith’s 80th Birthday. I agree, time flies when you are having fun. It seems yesterday that, as a 14-year-old, my mother bought a used Husqvarna for my birthday. I had just completed my first filter cleaning on my new, to me, bike and came up missing a washer. At 14 I didn’t see a problem and decided
to start the bike, sending said washer into the piston skirt. That mistake was perhaps one of the best I ever made, as it led me to a mechanic who worked in a small shop on La Cadena St. called K&N. That mechanic was Malcolm Smith; it’s a gift I appreciate to this day.
Over the years I would purchase all sorts of stuff from Malcolm’s shop, but just as frequently I would show up for some sage advice. I visited Malcolm’s newest store recently and within minutes he was standing in front of me with his endearing smile asking how things were. We chatted about motorcycles, and I shared what a profound contribution he made to my life. Besides, how many of us can say Malcolm Smith was their first mechanic? Thank you, Malcolm!
Patrick Brown | Keizer, OR AMA Life Member #0626528
The new direction for the magazine is a great move. By bringing back Storytelling you have made the magazine much more interesting and increased its value to readers. I hope you can keep the print format. I miss all the bike mags that have surrendered to “progress,” and have stopped reading most since they went to the email format. I miss them but I don’t miss endless pop ups. I know the harsh realities facing the publishing business but I already spend too much time in front of my computer. You couldn’t have picked a better subject for your first issue than Malcolm Smith. He is a friend and hero to anybody who ever rode a motorcycle.
Just one nitpick: Bruce Brown did not say “Nice, Malcolm.” He said “Neat, Malcolm,” because Malcolm’s comment after a tough desert event was “That was really neat!” I know this because in order to finance the Hogback Mountain Enduro in 1975 our club rented the 16mm film of On Any Sunday and showed it a few times to packed houses. We charged a modest admission fee but so many people showed up that we made enough to pay all the expenses for the first year of the event. All of us in the Muddy Boot Gang watched that movie so many times that “Neat, Malcolm” became our standard salute to any spectacular or stupid move on a dirt bike. After all these years, it still is. As far as the content of the magazine goes, all I can say is, “Neat, Mitch.”
Galen Royer | Washingtonville, NY
You are correct, Galen, and thanks for pointing it out. As for magazine content, it was a team effort, for sure. We have a lot of compelling stuff coming. -Ed.
Rob Pflug Alaska, 1987
I wanted to say thanks for the great April issue of American Motorcyclist featuring Malcolm Smith. Curiously, it brought back some vivid memories of my motorcycle trip to Alaska in 1987, and the Malcolm Smith product that helped me get there. It was a bright blue two-piece riding suit that kept me warm and dry during the 18,000-mile, three-month adventure. With reflective striping and an embroidered yellow “MS” emblem on a chest pocket, it was beautifully crafted. Thirty four years and many tours later the suit continues to serve me well. Thank you, Malcolm! I’m still riding with you!
Rob Pflug | Cedar Mountain, NC Charter Life Member
American Motorcyclist slides outta my mailbox and there’s Malcolm. He’s 80, but that smile is eternal. I got a couple of pages into the magazine and there’s another big grin, as I knew who it was even without my glasses. Glad you found a home there, Mitch. As for magazines, something like twenty automotive titles disappeared from the racks in 2020, and that hit me harder than the virus. Circa 1980, I was reading seven monthly motorcycle magazines; today, there aren’t that many total automotive mags anywhere outside of Barnes & Noble, and their selection continues to shrink. And of what there is, there’s nothing that motivates me like Cycle, CW, CG and Motorcyclist once did. The internet offers a lot, but there’s more eyestrain to go with it and, as Abe Lincoln said, you can’t believe everything you read there.
Mark Shifflett | Newton, KS
Well done on the April edition of American Motorcyclist. The new format/ focus is a welcome change and long overdue. Thanks!
Kevin Steely Life Member & certified GOM (Grumpy Old Man)
Thank you for creating the artistic centerfolds in American Motorcyclist. I would hang them in my garage if I had one.
Byrd | Mt. Vernon, NY Life member
A great article by Joy Burgess in the April issue about the advantages and design of the Strider Bikes for children! I have watched neighborhood parents struggling as they try to teach their children to ride bicycles. Not all kids will continue trying to learn if they’re afraid of falling or failure. Strider gets the rider off on the right (and left) foot with less chance of falling and more immediate success, encouraging the child to continue. I’ve tried in vain to share the information about these bikes to parents, but for many it can’t be better because it’s different than what they know. I’ve also found that many adults never learned to ride, so their apprehension may be transferred to their kids.
I hope that sharing more stories like this will help younger people grow up and enjoy all the fun that motorsports have to offer by giving them a solid foundation learning balance and coordination. Keep up the great work on the magazine! Like Boehm said in his opening remarks, I still look forward to each motorcycle magazine that shows up in my mailbox!
