From The Chief
From the Editor
Workin’ It!
So much has been going on in the world of Hot Bike that our heads have been spinning around here.
Sure, the staff has had a bit of a change-up and John and myself have been settling into our new roles at the magazine nicely. We have changed a few things up, but to give you more of what you already wanted and less of the stuff you didn’t.
We also have been pounding the pavement searching for the most killer feature bikes for this issue and beyond. We think they are the perfect mix of past, present, and future bikes for anybody who loves V-twin American motorcycles.
Another item we have been focusing on is interesting tech articles to satisfy our readers monthly. We really wanted to add a bit more to how we do a product install to make it less boring, but informative just the same. I think John hit the nail on the head with the Vance & Hines pipe install in this issue. It shows both company and product info without all the crap you don’t want to read in the installation manual.
The aforementioned items sure have kept us busy with what goes down monthly, but the real work has been on what’s coming for the near future for Hot Bike. A re-vamp of the magazine and website are on the horizon. Hot on the heels of that we will have some cool apps for your phones and pads so you can get your virtual fix anywhere and at anytime. Don’t worry, we will also be pounding the pavement at all the best bike weeks and shows as well as putting on other events and being a part of the “Big Bagger Show” in Sturgis this year.
Also, as I sit in my cramped American Airlines seat high above the Midwestern states typing this, I am coming back from our sister magazine’s Hot Rod Power Tour. This tour is a multi-day event where participants drive their custom cars daily from state to state during the day and party once they get to the tour’s nightly destinations. This year’s Power Tour started in Detroit at the General Motors’ secretive Proving Grounds and ended in Arlington, Texas, at the QuickTrip Park. The Power Tour had thousands of hot rodders out there on the American highways driving their cars and we saw crowds of more than 50,000 people just spectating at some of the stops along the way.
We were invited to attended the four-wheel-dominated event for a few days to see just how it was run and if we wanted to do something similar to what they have going on for motorcycles. To tell you the truth, it only took the Hot Bike staff a few hours to figure out that this is something that would be great for motorcyclists all over the USA.
Just think of this scenario: getting to together with old and new friends and seeing this great country of ours all on two wheels. Yes, being one big group rolling in solidarity and showing the world what the true biker lifestyle is all about. RIDING your bike, and not POSING with it on some street corner at the same bike event you have been to for a decade. Sound cool? Of course it does.
The program and its route are still in its infancy, but look for much more information regarding the event in the coming months. For now, we’re just going to tell you to plan on keeping a week in August 2013 open to attend. We promise you won’t want to miss the inaugural running of the Hot Bike Power Tour!
Jeff G. Holt
Editor In Chief