Change is inevitable, in fact, the only constant, and why I left a dot-com career (Web 1.0) to follow my passion.
A fourth-generation motorcyclist, motorcycling is in my DNA. Raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm, I started riding a minibike at 7 years old, and obtained my street license at age 17. My late teens and early 20s were spent bump starting a well-worn 400cc Yamaha. Batteries were luxuries.
Relocating to sunny California after university initiated year-round riding—frequently exploring the long way home through twisty mountain roads after exhausting days in DevOps. An article on motorcycle training inspired giving back to the sport, leading to coaching motorcyclists every weekend for more than a decade, in everything from freezing-cold rain to blistering desert heat. I am grateful for the opportunity to have formally educated more than 6,000 riders, myself included.
After the dot-com crash, I transitioned to Scorpion Sports, dedicated to improving sales, marketing, customer service, dealer development, product testing—anything and everything necessary to put quality motorcycle apparel products on the bodies of like-minded enthusiasts. Following that, was executing an Aprilia marketing tour, educating dealers and consumers about a new motorcycle. Candid conversations with consumers, owners, managers, and staff were eye-opening, adding insight to industry. I examined the operations of 30 multi-line franchise dealerships, identifying ways to achieve better results.
The culmination was an opportunity to serve as Editor-in-Chief of my favorite motorcycle magazine, Motorcycle Consumer News (MCN). What made MCN exceptional was not only being free of advertising, thus unbeholden to vendors, but that its content was educational in nature. Every single person who picks up any copy of MCN should acquire valuable knowledge between the covers.
MCN offered an amazing amount of quality motorcycle-specific content for over 25 years. The contributors’ knowledge and experience were priceless, often timeless, but the magazine was published for its advocates—champions of MCN. Engaged readers shared MCN and discussed the content on lively forums and social media sites.
Thank you to all the fanatics who supported MCN. You are deeply missed.
Thank you for opportunities to play with computers and ride motorcycles.
Seeking collaborators for the next Evolution.
Photos:
Left – great-grandfather
Top – grandfather and uncle
Bottom – great-grandfather, great-grandmother, grandfather
David Hilgendorf 