Trail Rider Magazine

Flashback! Preston Petty 1941-2022 February 2022 5 Just days before uploading this issue to print, we learned the sad news about Preston Pe y passing away. Although I've never had the chance to meet Preston personally, I felt a connec on that began many years ago when I was a teenager during the 70s. Those who ran Preston Pe y fenders were held in high regard in my circles. The oval logo was a symbol of excellence, while also telling the world that you were serious about the game of off-road riding. Later in life, with the advent of the internet, I got to know the man behind the flexible plas c fender. Preston was so much more than the guy who designed and sold fenders with his namesake. Preston was a pioneer of motocross here in the United States and was instrumental in bringing European-style motocross to the U.S. Pres- ton was also one of the first to race Honda motorcycles and was Honda's first U.S. factory-backed rider! Now moto wasn't the only discipline Preston was good at; he also excelled at all forms of motorcycling compe on, whether it was flat-track or off-road racing. As a man at the top of his game, Preston rode for Team USA in three ISDT events in 1969, 1970 and 1971. A thinking man's racer, Preston Pe y began looking for an alterna ve to the easily damaged aluminum and fiberglass fenders of the day. Aluminum was prone to cracking and fiberglass — well just as the name implies — glass fenders on dirt bikes wasn't the best idea since many didn't even last the first day of a new bike's life. With a need for a solu on, Preston began looking into plas cs that would be a good fit for the off-road motorcycle industry. Now this was at a me when plas c was considered a cheap product and for good reason. Early plas cs were bri le and broke easily. It was then Preston Pe y decided to go against the grain and design his own formula of plas c that would be unbreakable, and the Preston Pe y Product fender was born. The investment was significant at the me, and Preston's goal was to manufacture and sell 2,000 fenders to cover the costs of produc on. Shortly a er a trip to Europe where Preston le a stack of fenders with famed chassis builder Eric Cheney, Preston Pe y Products exploded, eventually selling 2,000-plus fenders a day! Along with fenders, Preston invented the combina on headlight/number plate, another popular prod- uct of the 70s, soon copied and fi ed to every enduro bike on the market today. Also back in the 70s, skid plates weren't commonly offered like they are today. Most were hand-fabricated; I remember building my own skid plate for my Hodaka from an old coal shovel. The Preston Pe y skid plate was the first full coverage skid plate, another design manufactured from plas c that made sense since it was light, impossible to bend or dent, and would glide over rocks and logs. By the mid-70s, Preston Pe y Products offered a variety of accessories such as the innova ve Hex Grip, and later, the Works GP Grip (recently recreated) and the tool box/number plate. Preston sold his company in 1980 and could have re red a wealthy man had the business deal not gone south when the purchasing company filed for bankruptcy shortly a er. Not one to live in the past or dwell on nega ves, Preston enjoyed his re rement to the best of his ability and did what he pleased. In more recent years and before the explosion of electric power, Preston, then deep in his 70s, could be found ripping laps on his electric-powered flat-track racer and spent his nights assis ng various compa- nies in the motorcycling industry as a freelance computer programmer. Thankfully, and with the resur- gence in vintage off-road, the Preston Pe y legacy lives on at the hands of Paul Stannard and Mike Mur- phy. With Preston's help and guidance, the product is once again alive and well. Farewell Mr. Pe y, you were one brilliantly talented individual with vision of epic propor ons. The world needs more Preston Pe ys! -Kurt

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