BARE BONES: SOMETHING YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT BY BONES BACON

When I was a kid, my dad was a pilot. My brother followed in his footsteps and soloed, got his private pilot’s license, his instrument rating, all on the very day he was old enough to meet the FAA regulations. As a kid, I thought I was destined to follow in the same footsteps as my dad and big brother. I worked at the local airport pumping gas and moving planes in and out of the hangars. Both my dad and my brother would take me flying with them, letting me take over the controls from time to time. Then one day my dad bought a little 5-horsepower minibike, and shortly after that my brother got a used CT110 Honda trail bike. That changed the course of my life. We moved from New York to Arizona shortly after that, and all of our Arizona neighbors had actual motocross bikes. I was hooked, and from that point on, all I could think about was dirt bikes. My brother gave it one more shot at getting me hooked on airplanes when, on my 16th birthday, he bought me a flying lesson at the local airport in Tucson. I have an actual pilot’s log book with one entry in it to this day.

ONE DAY MY DAD BOUGHT A LITTLE 5-HORSEPOWER MINIBIKE, AND SHORTLY AFTER THAT MY BROTHER GOT A USED CT110 HONDA TRAIL BIKE. THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF MY LIFE.

It didn’t work. I moved to Southern California as soon as I graduated from high school, and I raced every weekend while working as a welder. One day I ran into Mitch Payton at Saddleback and my life changed drastically. I got a job at Pro Circuit, working on Huskys, which is what I raced. I did a little bit of everything at first—rebuilding engines, re-valving suspension and it took off from there.

Sorry, I got carried away and forgot that this is supposed to be a suspension article. Anyway, as in anything I ever did in my life, I gave it my all and poured my heart and soul into it. I was very fortunate that Mitch was the go-to guy for both engine and exhausts on the AMA circuit, which enabled me to work with some of the greatest riders in the country and sometimes even the world. This encompassed both motocross racers as well as the offroad riders that came to Mitch for help. As time went on, with the help of a few key people that gave me solid advice and mentored me, I was able to gain the experience and knowledge necessary to be someone that riders trusted to do their suspension.

Jody helped me immensely over the years, with lots of new bikes that needed suspension help, advice on which direction to go with the settings, straightening me out from time to time when I thought I had all the answers and also just being a good friend. Jody also brought me back to my beginnings as he took me flying in his aerobatic plane and graciously let me take the controls. It was like reliving my childhood.

The moral of this 36th monthly column is that no matter what you choose to do in life, even if it is working on suspension, give it your all, pour your heart into it, take advice and listen to anyone who is willing to give it to you. Retain what you feel is valuable, throw away the rest and you may be writing a column one day about something that you are passionate about.