My Life in Bikes

Book excerpt: Dave Richardson bought his first motorcycle at 14. He wasn't much of a racer but wanted motorcycles to be his life. After a few odd jobs, he became a partner in newly-forming Moto International, and in no time, was thrust into running it. "It's a motorcycle shop. How hard can it be?" How hard indeed? Dave thought the hard part would be attracting customers. He never dreamed of the unexpected challenges. In these pages, the author of Guzziology tells the surprising story of dealing with banks, motorcycle manufacturers and distributors, defense contractors, finance companies, the public, and the EPA. He tells of fixing problems ignored by manufacturers, advocating for improvements in bikes, and trying to get distributors to fix customer's bikes. His career in motorcycle shops spanned 34 years, representing at various times Aprilia, Cagiva, Ducati, Husqvarna, Hyosung, KTM, Laverda, MuZ, and Ural. But always, Moto Guzzi.