Trail Rider Magazine

10 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com Preston built and maintained his own molds and tools; today it's almost impossible to find one person to handle it all. His first fender mold was the Baja front fender; although at this me it did not have the name "Baja" cast into the fender since it was his first. He built the mold out of T6 aluminum even though many people told him the mold wouldn't last because it was made from aluminum. He once told me that he laughed all the way to the bank when the millionth fender came out of the mold. The first few years were tough as people thought of plas cs as cheap junk. Trying to overcome that opin- ion, Preston gave away many fenders to get them out on the tracks for people to see and touch close-up. He was s ll racing at the me and winning with Pres- ton Pe y fenders on his bikes. By 1972 he needed to expand and be er control of the quality of his prod- ucts. He found a 4,500-square-foot stone building in Newburg, Oregon, the perfect spot for his growth plans and new equipment. Preston was adamant about quality always being number one. This was most important to him and by sales numbers, this proved to be true. What Preston did to change the s gma that plas cs had as being junk or breaking easily was very cre- a ve. A photo opportunity at Webco in the 70s had Jeff Heininger li ing Preston on his DKW motorcycle through a cable a ached to the front fender. What a cool photo and cool idea. Several years ago, I was in Milan, Italy for the EICHMA show represen ng Pres- ton Pe y Products. Polisport Plas cs is our worldwide distributor and allowed for space at the event to showcase our product line. Over the weekend there were at least 50 people who told me of Preston being there and hanging a motorcycle by the front Preston Pe y plas c fender for the en re show (one week). What Preston had done to showcase his "unbreak- able" plas cs back in the 1970s s ll made an impres- sion in 2017. In another conversa on he and I had about the "guar- anteed unbreakable" warranty, I asked how many products over the years did he have to replace. Of the millions of fenders that he sold, he said he replaced maybe only 2000 units. Some came back to him with saw marks, where they had been cut in half. Some were destroyed by a torch, and Preston went ahead and replaced them but with a polite note sta ng that this does not qualify for the "guaranteed unbreak- able" warranty. Preston's idea that we s ll follow is to produce "uni- versal" plas cs. Yes, there were some manufacturers like Rokon, Hodaka and a few others that did use Preston Pe y products on their OEM motorcycles. At the me in the 70s, many people replaced their new original steel or aluminum fenders immediately with Preston Pe y fenders. It made sense; they looked cool and they didn't break. Hodaka actually paid for the mold, and had Preston produce the front fenders for the Super Combat, late Super Rat and Road Toad motorcycles under the Hodaka name brand. The peak year for Preston Pe y Products was 1976. With that peak and thriving business came down- sides. Making money and having a thriving business is great and what most people dream of, but the down me to race, ride or fly his planes did not hap- pen as much as he had hoped during the busy years. Preston and wife Mary had great people working for them in Newburg, who today are s ll great friends. When a mold or piece of equipment needed repair, it was Preston. When there was a dealer show in Germany, Milan or the U.S.A., Preston and Mary were there. You just cannot fly in and fly out as there are set-ups and breakdowns for the shows. There are mee ngs with clients and poten al customers, which Preston hanging from his Petty fender Preston hanging from his Petty fender

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