Bob Kay
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You hear a lot of talk these days about old-school this and old-school that, but the motorcycle industry recently lost one
of its true old-school treasures, John Wyckoff.
The man behind Hein Gericke and founder of Intersports Fashion West died in May.
I pride myself having worked in the motorcycle industry for more than 35 years, but John had plenty more years on me. He was
one of the true pioneers of our beloved industry and had a working knowledge of when and why most things have evolved into
their current state.
Even more valuable than his knowledge was his willingness to share his years of experience and lessons learned over the years
with all who would listen. John was a hard-working, passionate, stubborn, opinionated and direct individual (all qualities
that I deeply admire) who was always there when you needed him. He offered his experiences to more people than most of us
know, and was tireless in his efforts to educate us and entertain us while showing us the way. Man From Dixie
To appreciate what I mean, here's a quick history. John was proud of his time in the motorcycle industry and would often start
his presentations discussing the fact that he quit motorcycle racing in the early '50s. As he wasn't a good racer, he looked
elsewhere for success. His interest in motorcycles led him to quit his regular job and take on a position at the local bike
shop so he could learn about the two-wheeled world.
He soon hit the road, first selling for Dixie International and then for Drag Specialties. Along the way, John met a guy named
Les Fitch and they partnered up to bring us Hein Gericke Leathers. He founded Intersports Fashion West and added Firstgear
to the offerings. IFW supplied apparel for high-profile types and Harley-Davidson.
We've been lucky that John put his energy into Wyckoff Consulting over the past few years. We enjoyed his Dealer Expo presentations
and his great articles in the various trade magazines. Through his work with Harley-Davidson, many dealers received the benefit
of his knowledge.
Everyone who knew John has a great story, and I encourage you to listen to them because you may learn something. In 1995,
I decided to have a Biker's Choice sales meeting in Albany, N.Y., in January. I knew nobody wanted to attend a boring meeting
in that cold, so I had to make it good. I asked my good buddy John Wyckoff to be the keynote speaker.
He had already been booked as a speaker for a high-paying jewelry convention in the Bahamas, but he came to my rescue. During
his talk John told us to focus on the 84 percent of our customers we could satisfy and let the 16 percent we would never make
happy go away. He taught us about creating an understanding with our customers even if we had to write it down in a contract.
We got snowed in during that winter meeting and from John we managed to learn something and have fun while we were doing it.
John put the control of the future in our hands.
His Opinion Was Yours
John was never shy about predicting the future. He was not afraid to be wrong, and he loved to share his opinion. During another
presentation he gave in 2005 called "Out of the Box" he pretty much nailed where we are today. He always said truth was a
function of time. More importantly, that day he talked about the kind of people and the kind of thinking that would lead this
industry into a bright future. He talked about creative people who didn't just live outside of the box, but worked and played
there, too, people of inspiration, passion and imagination — people with an appreciation for history, searching for new ideas
and ways to combine nostalgia with tomorrow.
I feel pretty good about the future of motorcycling after attending The Horse Smoke Out East in June, definitely an out-of-the-box event. I was overwhelmed by the level of creativity used to build bobbers
or an early-style choppers. Brand was secondary to the style, which allowed for gorgeous Triumph, Yamaha 650 and Harley creations.
I even saw a Gold Wing bobber. They were great, old-style bikes built using new-style thinking.
Industry notables and backyard mechanics stood side by side enjoying the magic of motorcycles built by out-of-the-box thinking.
Thank you, John, for all that you have left with us. We promise to dissect it, tear it apart, rebuild it and make it better.
We promise to keep trying even if we don't get it right the first time. Godspeed John Wyckoff.
Bob Kay is the owner of Biker Pros, the co-founder of Hardbikes and an ex-affiliate of American IronHorse.
