Total Motorcycle started in 1971 and celebrating 50 years! Today I bring our readers a very special semicentennial edition of Inspiration Friday: Total Motorcycle Turns 50 this weekend. That’s Mr. Mike “aka Total Motorcycle”, founder of Total Motorcycle and I have spent almost 50% of my life promoting motorcycling, supporting motorcyclists and the helping motorcycle industry with a unique “pay-it-forward” approach (ie. Karma) and it has worked out so far, so good. Everything on Total Motorcycle is free, no cost, no charge, no memberships, no fees, no paid access and I do my best not to ask for a dime in donations. Readership loyalty, word of mouth, reputation, brand recognition and of course, the highest quality content has propelled Total Motorcycle to become the largest and leading motorcycle website in North America (if not the world)… all this and I don’t “monetize your data” or “sell your privacy” like Social Media does!
So yes, I’m turning the BIG 5-0 this weekend, the 5-dot, the fifty, however you say it, wow, its been an incredible journey so far and I’m so humbled by the gift of giving to others to where I am and where my life is today. You wouldn’t know it but I was born into poverty and lived in poverty for a very long time. Like today, I reached out and helped others, put others first and did the best I could with the tools I was given. You could call me a “jack of all trades” guy for sure. I went through elementary, middle and high school studying art and design and graduated from College in Graphic Design being giving the top artist of award of Toronto by the Mayor. In between high school and College that I joined the Canadian Armed Forces (ARMY) in 1991 during the Gulf War as a Private (Communications and Intelligence) when I couldn’t find work and felt a patriotic obligation to give back to a country that was there for me with Employment Insurance when I needed it. I learned to ride a motorcycle during this. After the Military, I went into Graphic Design and then setup my own small computer/internet cafe store. This all led to Total Motorcycle (see the motorcycle, graphic design and IT connection?).
Currently my wife and I just moved to the coldest city in Canada (Winnipeg) and we are looking to settle down here for a bit. Riding season here is much shorter than in the USA and ironically motorcycle insurance is massively expensive ($1200/year for basic coverage). Apparently there are just 5000 motorcycles registered in the Providence of Manitoba so this will be interesting….
Enough about me as bigger than me is everyone else. I can’t thank my readers, supporters, family, friends, staff, volunteers in getting Total Motorcycle (and me) to where it is and where I am today. (Fun Fact: Did you know Total Motorcycle is run by volunteers who are passionate about motorcycling?). So a big heart filled THANK YOU to you all and please join me (virtually sadly) in CELEBRATING this special event!
Happy 50th Birthday to me!
While we are celebrating, check out the 500,000 pages YOU and I have created over the past 22 years! That’s a lot of great content (all free) created by us for our motorcycling community.
50 years and 50% of my life dedicated to you and motorcycling. What a ride! Thank you for being my wing”man” on this journey.
70 Years of Motorcycle Model Guides
Dozens of Riding Guides and Resources
Media for 40 Motorcycle Manufacturers
Daily Motorcycle, Racing and Industry News & Coverage
Friendly 20,000 member forum with 340,000 posts
Mr. “Total Motorcycle” Mike
Founder, Total Motorcycle.com
