A Salute to Dave Preston
 Dave
Preston has booked his vacation for April 1st - 8th this year, so we
thought it might be a good time to salute Dave's involvement with
Sound RIDER! and the motorsports community over recent years.
Dave began writing for Sound RIDER! in the summer of 2000. Dave's
columns hit the SR! desk ahead of deadline every month. As for us
being able to keep track of where they went after they arrived is
another story...
His columns have consistently been well thought out, inspiring
many who read them and they are often thought provoking. Dave's
columns follow a voice that Sound RIDER! has consistently aimed to
speak with - one that will evolve the rider and their motorcycling
experience.
A look back through the archive reminds us of some of the most
memorable columns over the years. There was that one he did
that stirred up all the GPS fanatics in
The
Tyranny of GPS. One of our favorites was
The System Works
about motorcycle lobbying in Olympia. And we all remember when
Dave put his name in the hat to become the editor of
Cycle World.
 Beyond
the scope of Dave's editorial for the magazine his Motorcycle 101
was published in 2003. Originally written for his son, who has since
taken up riding, the book has been hailed as a good jumping off
point for both new and returning riders.
Photo: Washing a V-Rod during the photo shoot for
Motorcycle 101.
About the same time Dave began writing for us, his Motorsports
Show began, airing on the AM CNN affiliate out of Bellevue. The weekly
broadcast ran from serious to humorous revealing much about the
interior of the local motorsports community during the one-hour show.
The program aired for several years.
When we conjured up the idea to put on Sportbike Northwest, Dave
was there to be the Saturday night M.C. Anyone who walked away
without their face hurting from the laughter Mr. Preston incited
throughout the evening must have been deaf. No - we take that back -
even the deaf were laughing. Dave's quick wit and comical doings
have always turned an evening of door prizes and awards into an
outright party.
 When
it comes to roads in this state, Dave is one of those people you
want to ride with. He's got more twisties up his sleeve than 95% of
the riders in Washington state and if he hasn't ridden a road yet,
he'll get to it sooner or later.
Photo: Shot near Conway while Dave led 20
plus riders on a Saturday ride.
His chair at Cycle Barn is one few get to sit in at any dealer.
As director of communications, Dave is the bridge between the
customer and fun, always creating and overseeing numerous events
that the dealer puts on.
It's not often that magazines take a moment to applaud their
editors, but in this case it's time. Thanks for everything
over the years, Dave.
SR!/Spring 07 |
