Month: August 2018
Harry Klemm’s “The DG Years, 1975-1976” – An 18-Episode Motocross Series
Harry Klemm was standing at ground zero when the Southern California motocross bomb exploded in the 70’s. In addition to being a highly-respected mechanic, engineer and tuner, Harry is a consummate story teller. Reading his…
Harry Klemm’s “The DG Years, 1975-1976” – Episode 1: Understanding The 70s SoCal Motocross Atmosphere
It is said by many long-time motocross enthusiasts that the 1970s were the golden era of USA motocross…in particular the Southern California scene. I’m not wise enough to say whether or not it was a…
Harry Klemm’s “The DG Years, 1975-1976” – Episode 2: My Road into Motocross
In the early ‘70s, I often raced in SoCal amateur road racing. At that time, local road racing was a sport that moved at exactly the same relentless pace as the amateur motocross world. The…
Harry Klemm’s “The DG Years, 1975-1976” – Episode 3: Getting a Foot in the Door
My Riverside California 125-pro buddy Rick Stout and I took the 40-mile drive to the DG headquarters to meet with Gary. After the initial introduction, Gary was not too impressed with me. Then my friend…
Harry Klemm’s “The DG Years, 1975-1976” – Episode 4: Reality in the Race Shop
The next day at work I witnessed easily the most disorganized and chaotic shop atmosphere I had ever seen in my life. As I was moving in my rollaway toolbox, I realized this place was…
Harry Klemm’s “The DG Years, 1975-1976” – Episode 5: Building a Race Team
As mentioned earlier, 1970s motorcycle racing was a world without cell phones, laptops or even EZ-Ups. None of them had been invented yet. The SoCal motocross world was every bit as unevolved. In 1975, privateer…
Harry Klemm’s “The DG Years, 1975-1976” – Episode 6: Building the Team Bikes
While our pits looked more and more professional as time went on, that professional look meant nothing if the team bikes weren’t fast. At the time (1975-‘76), Yamaha was strongly supporting DG with bikes and…
Harry Klemm’s “The DG Years, 1975-1976” – Episode 7: Understanding The Goals of a Racing Business
During my years at DG, I never lost sight of the reality that DG was a business that sold racing products rather than a shop that raced for glory. My first few weeks at DG…
Harry Klemm’s “The DG Years, 1975-1976” – Episode 8: The DG Front Office
In the 1970s, the concept of selling race components nationwide by mail order was brand new. DG order takers had no internet, no cordless phones (much less cell phones) and not even a fax machine.…