Trail Rider Magazine

24 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com Bob with his son Rick and daughter Roberta at his 96th birthday celebra on Bob with his son Rick and daughter Roberta at his 96th birthday celebra on Some people are fortunate enough to know some- one who profoundly shapes their lives. For me, Bob Hicks was one of those people. He was a dear friend, a mentor in motorcycling, a steady encour- ager, and a gi ed storyteller who opened doors to new opportuni es and introduced me to many important figures in the sport. My interest in motorcycles began in the late 1950s and grew through the '60s, when a slightly older boy next door rented Vespas and took me around town. Before long, I was riding pillion on his new Triumph. But it wasn't un l 1971, a er gradua ng from college, that I bought my first motorcycle: a Kawasaki 175 Bushwacker, soon replaced by a Ya- maha DT-1. I quickly got hooked on off-road riding and began turning the DT-1 into an enduro bike. I didn't fully know what I was doing, but I loved learning, and that Yamaha soon led me to Bob. As fate would have it, Trail Rider Magazine's Don Norris no ced my DT-1, struck up a conversa on, and introduced me to Bob Hicks and the magazine's staff. At the me, all I knew of NETRA and Bob's magazine came from a few issues I had picked up at a small OSSA shop. I had no idea then what lay ahead. Bob lived on his family's homestead in Wenham, Massachuse s, on the northern edge of Beverly Airport. The ground floor of an old barn served as his motorcycle workshop, while a lean-to green- house housed his wife Jane's plant nursery. In the crowded a c above, Bob laid out issues of Cycle Sport and Trail Rider Magazine. Bob welcomed me into his far more experienced motorcycle world. As he liked to say, I was his cub reporter. He sent me to Enduros to gather informa on, take photos, and report back. I was thrilled to see my stories and pictures appear in Trail Rider Magazine, and even more surprised when he paid me $10 for a photo I had submi ed. I was always looking for ways to broaden my riding experience, and Bob became an unwi ng enabler. In those early days, NETRA chapters offered few scheduled cross-country recrea onal trail rides. So I would show up at an enduro with a camera around my neck, approach the organizer, and say Hicks had sent me to cover the event, which wasn't always true. Usually, I got a route sheet, rode for free, and occasionally ended up with a piece in TR magazine. Bob Hicks: A Rememberance Bob Hicks: A Rememberance By John Leone By John Leone

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