Читать книгу American Iron Magazine Presents 1001 Harley-Davidson Facts - Tyler Greenblatt - Страница 9

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As this is my first published book, my list of thanks goes back many years to every person who encouraged me to write as a career, those who taught me how to do just that, and those who supported me throughout this journey, of which I hope this is but an early step.

First, thank you to my wife, Danielle, who makes everything I do worth doing. Thank you for your understanding for all the nights and weekends spent working on this book and for when I travel around the country for weeks at a time attending rallies and press launches (I’m writing this on my way to Los Angeles to test the new Low Rider S, as you dig out from another Wisconsin snowstorm).

Thank you to my parents, who have supported my writing for as long as I can remember and who encouraged me to actually consider and pursue it as a career. They came through with motivational text messages and phone calls throughout this writing on those late nights where the amount of work left seemed endless. To my godfather, Uncle Denny, and his wife, Aunt Shirley, for being some of the earliest supporters of my writing and also some of the biggest to this day. Uncle Denny was my first and only paying advertiser when I published a monthly family newspaper when I was about ten, and he even paid up front for a book that I started writing and never finished. I hope a copy of this one will make up for it. Of course, all my family and friends have encouraged or supported me in one way or another over the years. However, a special thank you has to go out to my uncle, Ron, who is partially to blame for getting me hooked on anything with an engine since he put my name on his race car when I was a little kid, then helped me fix my “hot rod” tractor, and then kept my truck running in college (as he still does to this day).

Professionally, I’ve had nothing but the greatest experience working in the motorcycle industry and getting to know the awesome, and occasionally crazy, people who make it up. First and foremost I have to thank Buzz Kanter, who hired me into this wild world straight out of college and whose friendship and mentorship has taught me so much over the years. He’s given me opportunities over the years that were above and beyond what I expected, including recommending me to write this book. You never know how starting up a conversation with a stranger on an old Harley will turn out! I’d also like to thank the other past and current editors at American Iron Magazine who have taught me the ins and outs of the Harley-Davidson world and have only succeeded in making me more enthusiastic about it, including Dain Gingerelli, Joe Knezevic, Chris Maida, and Steve Lita. Thanks to those at The Harley-Davidson Motor Company with whom I work regularly and who also helped on this project; a special shout-out goes to museum curator Jim Fricke.

A huge thank you goes to Dale Walksler, curator of Wheels Through Time museum, and his fiancée, Trish Davis, for getting me hooked on old Harleys and continuing to further that interest every time I visit the museum. Also to Matt Walksler for providing a fresh perspective on vintage motorcycling to the next generation and for the great times we’ve had around old bikes together. I’d also like to thank the following people for influencing not only my writing but my love for Harley-Davidsons new and old: Jim Babchak, Bob Bishop, Pete and Maureen Minardi, Kevin McKay, Cris Sommer Simmons, Pat Simmons, Sam Whitehead, and Roger Williams.

Thank you to the readers who perhaps have been reading my work in American Iron Magazine over the years and enjoyed it enough to pick up this book, or are new readers who are seeing my name for the first time here. I love hearing from you on social media and meeting you and talking Harleys at rallies around the country or local events in the Wisconsin area.

Thank you to the folks at CarTech, especially my editor, Wes Eisenschenk, for this unique Harley-Davidson book concept. There are a lot of the same old Harley-Davidson books out there (I know because I’ve read most of them) and I’m honored to be a part of a fresh new take on the genre. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to not only learn more than I ever thought I could about my favorite motorcycles, but to be able to write about it and share it with others. This is a dream come true, but it will be nice to have my nights and weekends back so I can actually ride the bikes that I’m writing about.