Cycle News

J.N. pass us, while weaving between pucker bushes. J.N. went on to win the race and imagine my surprise when we drove over to where his bike was and loaded it into Jim's truck. Jim in- troduced me to J.N., who was like a God to me at the time. He had not told me any of this beforehand and it was like being in a movie or something. I stared at that bike the entire drive back to Riverside. Jim Hansen had instantly become the cool- est grown-up I had ever met. Flash forward a few years; Jim was now working at Cycle World magazine and I was winning some races as a local pro motocross- er. Cycle World catered primarily to streetbike riders, but with dirt bike popularity on the rise, they wanted to increase and improve their dirt bike coverage. They hired technical wizard and long-time desert racer Ron Griewe to be test editor, which was a huge improvement. When I mentioned to Jim that they should use photos of someone besides overweight edi- tors in their bike tests if they wanted motocross racers to buy their rag, he immediately began lobbying his bosses at CBS Publications for approval. It took some time, but in 1977, I did my first photo shoot for Cycle World and it was a tre- mendous boost to my career. I did their entire motocross bike testing for the next seven years and my sponsors loved it. Griewe was so funny and a joy to work with and Jim joined us when- ever he could. Both of those guys were so sharp, funny and sarcastic that if I were off my game even a little bit, they would verbally tear me to shreds. Some of the best times in my life were when we would all meet at Griewe's house in Moreno Valley, along with legendary motorsports photographer, Ron Hussey, do a photo shoot out in Reche Canyon, then go back to Griewe's house for some margaritas and epic bench racing. All three men are gone now, hopefully tipping one back somewhere, VOL. 51 ISSUE 20 MAY 20, 2014 P113 talking about Baja. Jim was a mentor to me in so many ways. He always knew exactly what the right thing to do was when it came to anything having to do with motor- cycles. He was always thinking outside the box… the man had a Winnebago ready to give me to use for the AMA Nationals, until the gas crisis pulled the rug out from under that deal. I had not seen Hans in a couple of years and when I heard that he wasn't doing well I went and visited him, just a few weeks before he died. I didn't know what to expect, having been warned that a side effect of his liver disease was impaired memory. I must have caught him on a good day, because his quick wit was as biting as ever. When I greeted him by saying that he might not recog- nize me because "I'm big as a house," he replied with, "I wouldn't say that… a small condo, maybe." We laughed and I spent a couple of great hours with him, talking about dirt bikes and old friends. Before I left, I told him how much he meant to me and how grateful I was for all that he had done for me. I'm glad that I did. Larry Little, who succeeded Jim as Publisher at Cycle World, had this to say about his good friend: "I first met Jim on a ride in Baja - one of his favorite places - and soon after, I had the genuine good fortune to come to work at Cycle World. It was early in my career and working for Jim taught me a number of key lessons that shaped my ca- reer to this day. I always marveled at his uncanny ability to view challenges from remarkably differ- ent perspectives, leading to solutions that were absolutely out of the box. That same approach and thinking also made him a wonderful compan- ion to have along on a ride. We'd pull up for a stop, his helmet would come off and he'd fire out a true gem about what we'd just seen… and that unique view would make it instantly more memorable. Jim's impact on the business of motorcycling was greater than many realize, as there were many like me who also had the great fortune to work along- side him and expand their thinking and approach. He is greatly missed." CN

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