DAVE RICHARDSON

For 34 of my working years, I made my living in the motorcycle business, initially as a mechanic. Working mostly on Ducati and then Moto Guzzi motorcycles, I realized that I came across a lot of useful information that wasn't in factory manuals. 

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I never considered myself a writer, but I found encouragement in the concept of the commonplace book. These are written not so much by authors as by people recording their own experiences. I believe that we all have commonplace books in us. All we have to do is write them. This is the age of TV reality shows, so why not reality books as well?

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And so, I wrote Guzziology to gather my experiences in one place and make them available to others. It’s an ology, and so it’s constantly updated. It all seems to work, as Guzziology has been purchased for over 30 years by Guzzi owners in every US state and 40 countries around the world. 

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Later in my career, I worked every other aspect of a motorcycle dealership. And while my life doing that was not exceptional, I believe that many of my experiences were potentially entertaining. So again, a commonplace book, My Life in Bikes, gives readers insights into the bike biz, business in general, and what it's like trying to influence manufacturers on behalf of their dealers and customers.

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All the while, I’ve had an interest in history. In particular, Benedict Arnold is my history hobby. I’ve spent decades studying what others have said about him and visiting the places he had been. This culminates with another commonplace book, Benedict Arnold & Me. I wanted to have my say about what he did, why he did it, the era of the American Revolution, how the Revolution and Arnold are portrayed, and how all this relates to the United States today.  

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All of my books have been labors of love. I hope you enjoy them.