Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127533
E ITOR'S D MEGAPHONE By N ate Rauba nyo ne who has seen the mo tion pi ctu re On An y Sunday will never forge t Ma lco lm Sm i th . How could a nyone forget that earto -ear smi le he always wore, even after he com p leted the most dem anding races? In th at mo vie, the vie wer co ul d easily see Malcol m 's lo ve a nd devotion to mot o rcycl ing. H e carried o n that dedi cation by open in g h is own dealership in R iversid e, Cal iforn ia. That facili ty is st ill going strong, and is st ill one of th e bes t motorcycl e stores I have ever visited. The clo th in g an d ac cessories that bear Smith 's name have set standards in th e ind ustry. Al though he sold his in teres t in th e co mpany several years ag o , and Tucker Rocky th en bought i t from th e fir m th at ran it into bank ru ptcy , Malcolm Sm i th rej o ined MS Racin g as a co n su lta nt to ensure that th e products bearing h is name would ma intain their h igh quality. Motorcycl in g is a b ig part o f Malcolm Smith's life, but I fo und o u t it 's not th e best part. I wa s o n a special deli very m iss ion to Smith 's custom-bui lt home i n the hills overlooking Riverside, not far from h is dealership, and I was a little nervous. Not because it wa s the first time I would meet the .legend, but my wife Pam had been showing signs that our first ch ild would arrive ; shortly. I was prepared for. the birth, but not so sure a bo u t th e responsibilities of fath erhood. My li fe was abo ut to ch a nge d ras tica ll y, and I kn ew I wouldn ' t h av e a s mu ch tim e to i n d u lge i n h o bb ies suc h as mot orcycl i ng. I was i n a h u rry to leav e, a lt hough I wo u ld 've lo ved to have stayed and gotten to kn ow more o f th e ma n behind th e legend. I explai ned my predicament, and Ma lcolm 's face lit u p. "Your first one?" he a sked , then qu ick l y tol d me ab ou t his own children , sta rti n g with his ol des t who is 25 years of age a nd working down to th e youngest, who isn ' t yet old enough to have the sta m ina to sta y up past dinnertime. T hen , with that ear-to-earn grin stretched across his face , he ad ded, " T h ey' re e ven more fun than motorcycles. " Whatl ? This coming fro m the man synonymous with off-road motorcycling, whose smile made riding appear to be the ultimate pleasure? Bu t hi s statement immediately p ut me at ease. If Malcolm Smith thought kids were more fun than motorcycles, maybe it wouldn 't be so bad having to sa crifice some riding time. Our child didn't arrive until severa l days la ter, but that night was still memorable. It was another way that Malcolm Smith will remain unforgettable. A Meghan N icole Rauba entered this wo rld on Frida y, January 27. Nate 's been wearing an ear-to-ear grin ever si n ce . . . Ed itor. 23