Larry Lawrence | January 16, 2022
Motorcycle Hall of Famer Who Popularized Plastic Fenders was 80
Preston Petty, a properly-recognized off-street and motocross racer of the Nineteen Sixties, who based an organization which popularized plastic fenders for off-street bikes, died in Texas final night time, in accordance with a number of shut pals.
He was 80.
Petty was one of many first riders within the nation to race Honda bikes. He additionally rode for America in three International Six-Day Trials (ISDT – now often known as ISDE) occasions and was one of many early proponents of bringing European type motocross to America. Petty was maybe greatest recognized for his floor-breaking plastic bike element enterprise, Petty Plastics. His revolutionary fenders modified the favored view of the time that plastic was junk when it got here to off-street bikes. Petty fenders grew to become the gold normal throughout the Nineteen Seventies and practically all severe racers scrapped their inventory fenders for Petty items.
Petty was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.
In his later years Petty got here again to racing and competed in Vet flat monitor and trials occasions, usually on electrical bikes carrying his trademark blue coveralls. According to pals, he’d been in failing well being for a few years.