Stephen Wright

[RichO]

About two weeks ago we lost one of the great scribes of old motorcycling history. I have written a piece or two in my time and I was always inspired to do so because of the influence of three earlier scribes. Dr. Harry Sucher who I was forunate to ride and speak with many times before he left us, Col. Jerry Hatfield who is still touching pen to paper, and Stephen Wright. Steve has left us and we will be sadder for it. Three of the early and great books on early motorcycle racing and history were his books, American Racer 1900-1940, it's follow up American Racer 1940-1980, and Vol.1 The American Motorcycle. His printing of long ago forgotten photos and interviews with great riders like Maldwyn Jones and Jim Davis were just a few of his determined quest to record this fabulous two wheeled history before it was lost. He also restored some really cool early teens racers. His favorite though was his fabulous handcrafted two cam JDH cutdown which he loved to take out and ride hard. A few years ago he organized a ride out of Atascadero, California not far from his home and titled it the Bud Ekins Memorial ride. He will be sorely missed by those of us who knew him and the many who were influenced by his great books.

[wideglide38]

What a shame! I had the fortune of speaking with Stephen by phone when I ordered his books! And great books they are! May he ride safe forever!

[exeric]

That is grim news to say the least. Stephen Wright created the best early motorcycle books that have been written. First class publications with great writing, and iconic pictures. Every time I open one of his books, I'm stuck for hours looking at the pictures and going back in time. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. I feel like I was one of his friends because his books were so well done they drew you into that world that he re-opened the door on. Thank you Stephan, and Godspeed.

[c.o.]

Yes, thank-you Stephen for all you have done for early motorcycling. I too was lucky enough to chat on the phone with the man. He entertained my Cyclone curiosities and was an absolute pleasure to talk to. You will be sorely missed Mr. Wright. Best wishes to his family and his many friends.

[dlm32]

I never met Stephen, face to face, but years ago I sent him a message asking about a group of early black racers in Atlanta, Georgia. Later I received several period articles on this group of riders, that Stephen had pulled from his archive. Those articles became the basis of my story on the Atlanta Black Streaks, which is dedicated to him. Stephen has helped countless other writers, and he will be deeply missed!

[Jerry Hatfield]

What a loss! Steve was always my go-to guy when I was stumped. He was a great historian, a terrific writer, an unsurpassed craftsman, and a generous man. He was a gentleman with a twinkle in his eyes and a hearty chuckle. I was and I still am inspired by his books and the life he lived. Godspeed, Steve!

[fciron]

Sad news. I never met the man, but recently ordered one of his books and am trying to wait patiently.

A friend of Steve's will be handling the sales of the remaining stock of books. There is some plan in the works to have a 'memorial' inscription added to the remaining books, details should be coming out in the next week or so.

[pete @ occhiolungo]

Steve's passing was tragic in many ways. As mentioned above, he was a great guy. And he knew a lot! And he shared it with everybody. He gave a lot to this hobby: his time, his research and his heart. We've been doing the Atascadero Tour for 10 years due solely to his effort to organize it. But the biggest tragedy was that we didn't get a chance to say goodbye. He kept his illness to himself, almost right to the very end.

It was with heavy hearts that about 25-30 of us convened at the hotel in Atascadero this Thursday-Saturday to do the ride that Steve would have wanted us to continue. There were some short speeches, a few drinks raised and many miles ridden. The old bike crowd can be a tough one, but I don't think that anybody has ever said a word against Steve... We were all better for having known Steve Wright, even those that never met him in person.

Plans are already being made to meet again next year in his honor.

Regards,
Pete

[PSchack]

The American Motorcycle 1869-1914 by Stephen Wright

Greetings to all. It has been almost 2 months since Steve passed away on April 10th. He was a great friend and good customer. He is greatly missed. I am working with his daughter Hillary to organize his estate. I have the remaining books entitled "The American Motorcycle". Hillary wrote a memorial to her father which I had printed and will be inserted into each book. There is also an embossed emblem that will be on the bottom center of the outer jacket indicating these remaining books as the memorial edition. You can go to http://www.americanmotorcyclebook.com to order. If you have been to the site before I ask that you clear you internet cache since the site is not automatically updating to every browser and it has been changed. On the home page click on the third book that will take you to the order page. Use the PayPal option only even if you plan to use a CC. If you see an option to use a CC below the PayPal link you are viewing a cached version of the site. I will not see the order if you use this option. Still working on a few bugs.
Stephen.JPG

If you have any questions regarding the books or the web site, my contact info is on the home page of the site.

Best regards,
Phil