Things change. It is a part of life, whether it's the person who reads the news off a teleprompter every night at six o'clock, the faade on the building of the local mini-mart, the style of the motorcycle you ride, the name of your favorite magazine, or even the guy who writes the editorial of that magazine. If change is done right, most people will hardly notice, and other than a slight hiccup, everything will continue the same as it ever was.
Done wrong, the wheels go flying off the train and everybody notices-and that's not such a good thing. Well, I am the new guy here at Hot Rod's Bike-Works and I am hoping to be the guy you hardly notice. I am the guy saddled with the task of carrying on the long tradition of performance that was started way back when Frank Kaisler took over at a magazine that at the time was known as Hot Rod Bikes. A tradition of performance that Frank made contagious and infected everyone around him with. Frank's passion for the subject matter and knowledge of the bikes is second to none, and it is easy to get caught up in the excitement when he is around and we're all going to miss him around the offices. Greg Friend, editor of Street Chopper, stepped in for one issue to help button up the last issue of Hot Rod's Bike-Works until they could find someone to permanently fill the open slot at the top of the masthead-and if you haven't guessed by now, that someone is me.
A lot of you probably remember me as the guy with the turbo-charged FLSTN that was always doing big burn-outs in the pages of our sister publication Hot Bike throughout the 1990s. Others may recognize me from my work with some truck magazines. And to others, I am a brand-new name and face who is going to try and take the helm from one of the most respected names in V-Twin journalism. But don't worry; if I get out of line, I am sure you guys will let me know.
Courtney Halowell
The New-Old Guy