Читать книгу American Iron Magazine Presents 1001 Harley-Davidson Facts - Tyler Greenblatt - Страница 7

FOREWORD

by Buzz Kanter, Editor-In-Chief, American Iron Magazine

Buzz Kanter is the publisher and editor-in-chief of American Iron Magazine and American Iron Garage, both based in Stamford, Connecticut. A dedicated enthusiast, Buzz competed in the first three Motorcycle Cannonball coast-to-coast endurance rides on Harley-Davidsons (1915 twin, 1929 JDH, and 1936 VLH) and often rides his classic Harleys to work and for fun.

It would be a tough call to think of any topic that is so studied or argued about than the history of Harley-Davidson. Okay, sports and politics rank up there for friendly bar bets. But, after that, you’d be hard pressed to match the obsession and passion for Harley-Davidson history and trivia.

Most enthusiasts can tell you the company started out in a small shed in 1903. And that a band of dedicated ex-AMF executives rescued The Motor Company from extinction mere hours before it was too late. Others can share years of manufacture by model (such as the Knucklehead from 1936 to 1947) or when specific engine changes were made (the last Ironhead Sportster was 1985, and 1986 gave us the new Evo-powered Sportster). And then there are the H-D badged oddities including the AMF golf cart or Italian-built single-cylinder motorcycles. Along with more than a century of known facts related to Harley-Davidsons, there is also lots of Harley trivia mis-information that is seldom challenged.

For example, do you know what the first production electric-start Harley-Davidson motorcycle was? If you think it was the 1965 Panhead, you’d be wrong, and need to read this book more carefully (it was the 1964 Servi-Car). After reading this book by Tyler Greenblatt, you can go win a few friendly bar bets with your riding buddies.

I have been riding, racing, and rebuilding motorcycles since the 1970s and have been editor-in-chief of American Iron Magazine (AIMag.com) since 1991. In all those years I have read everything I can about Harleys and their amazing history. I have written extensively on the subject, and I’m fortunate to have ridden a large and wide variety of motorcycles. I feel Tyler has done an outstanding job researching and pulling together a wide range of Harley-Davidson–related facts and data for this book.