SHIFTING GEARS by Buzz Kanter
SHIFTING GEARS, by Buzz Kanter, Publisher
I need an epic tour or two, and to do more long weekend rides, something I didn’t manage to do enough last year
I’d like to start the new year by welcoming everyone to 2020, and thanking you for supporting our efforts in print and online. No, print is not dead, but it certainly is evolving quickly and not everyone can keep up with the rapid changes. As a third-generation magazine publisher, I guess ink flows through my family.
My parents published puzzle magazines (Penny Press and Dell Puzzles are still our family business run by my brother Peter) and my grandfather published Classics Illustrated comics from 1941 until 1967. I grew up in the business. When I left the family puzzle publishing business in 1990 to start my own, I knew it was a bold move. Especially in such a crowded field as motorcycle print magazines where we had more than a dozen competitors.
Few people thought a family-friendly “Harley magazine” could survive in the early 1990s. We joked that American Iron Magazine focused on the tin, not the skin. I quit a good paying, stable job to follow my two-wheel dreams. Fast forward three decades and we are one of the very few survivors still in print.
2020 is a new year bursting with opportunities for us and for you. Let’s you and I make the most of it. With that in mind, I encourage you to share your motorcycles, suggestions, adventures, and discoveries. You can reach us at Letters@AmericanIronMag.com. And, if possible, please include photos.
New Year’s Resolutions
There is nothing magic about the start of a new year, but it’s as good a time as any to reflect on our life, passions, and goals for the next 12 months. Since this is my editor’s page in a motorcycle magazine, I will limit my comments to two-wheel matters.
First and foremost, I really want to ride more. I’m not referring to new bike tests or at motorcycle events and rallies, which I do plenty of, but riding for fun, solo and/or with friends. I need an epic tour or two, and to do more long weekend rides, something I didn’t manage to do enough last year. While I enjoy wrenching on my old bikes, I prefer the riding part. I recently started selling a few of the bikes I don’t ride much so I can spend more time riding my favorites. Besides, every bike I sell allows me to get something else to enjoy and share here.
When it comes to magazines, we get lots of great reader response to our tech and DIY articles. So, we will publish four issues this year of the renamed American Iron Garage (formerly Garage Build) magazine this year. These special issues are all about wrenching and homebuilt bikes. No new bike reviews, tours, or event coverage. Just lots of great backyard and home builds, tech, products, and tips. Sold where you can find this magazine, or you can subscribe for $14.97 a year by visiting AIMag.com/garage or calling 877/204-0774. AI Garage has something for both experienced and novice wrenches.
Speaking of wrenching, I really need to clean up and organize my garage this year and sell off the project bikes I’ll never get around to finishing. And, I have to get serious about selling off the spare parts I’m convinced I’ll need “one of these days” but probably won’t.
And yes, I also need to drop 10 more pounds and eat healthier. But who doesn’t?
Ride safe, ride smart, have fun.
Buzz
Follow Buzz on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
To order back issues, visit Greaserag.com.
To subscribe to the PRINT edition, click here.
To receive DIGITAL DELIVERY, click here.