Here I am, writing the last print “TDC” column of a series that began by accident 38 years ago in the exasperation of the late Phil Schilling. In 1982, he planned a set of new monthly columns for Cycle magazine, to be written by staff in rotation. No one in the office wanted the tech column, “TDC,” so it just wasn’t getting written. As planned, it was deadly dull: “Maximizing the Life of Your Battery” or “Prepping Your Bike for Winter Storage.” Useful, maybe, but dull as simonizing Dad’s car.
I had begun to write occasionally for Cycle when editor Cook Neilson asked me to write about my 1972 project to go AMA road racing with an English rider on my homebuilt Kawasaki H2R 750 triple. Response to the article was positive, and the relationship stuttered along.
In 1978, Neilson surprised us all by giving two weeks’ notice, but I had carried on as one of Schilling’s stringers. I was therefore delighted when he phoned to offer me the tech column on a monthly basis. Regular income, modest though it was, made a welcome supplement to what I was scratching up from porting two-stroke cylinders and fabricating exhaust pipes.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
KENNY CUMMINGS
The BUILDER
WORKING FOR THE READER
On 58 years and a new start
WRITING BY ACCIDENT
Learning to get solidly behind every word
LITTLE HERO
The Honda Trail 125 faces Captain Overkill and comes out humbly victorious
CREATIVE TOOLS
How four master builders defined the path of the 2021 BMW R 18
THE SUZUKI HAYABUSA
Suzuki said the first Hayabusa invented a new category called Ultimate Sport. We said, “Yeah, right,”…until we rode it.
FORCES OF CREATION
The Harley-Davidson V-Twin has shaped American motorcycling
ASSAULT ON PIKES PEAK EXPEDITION II
Forty-three years ago, we did it with a Honda 50 and a Stella 10-speed bicycle...
ALTERED STATE of ADVENTURE
Smaller ADVs, bigger rewards.
ADDING A DIMENSION
We send our motorcycle-loving car racer to the Yamaha Champions Riding School so he can learn to think outside the, ahem, box.