14 April.pdf April 2014 | Page 81

The words Pete spoke basically captured most of what could be said with words regarding Radar’s passing. With that in mind, I’d like to share my memory of Radar with you. Stephanie and I knew Radar for what seemed like much longer than the 13 years we actually did. To us Radar was always……Radar. As a matter of fact, we never knew his given name, never felt a need to ask, until his passing. Through the time we knew him, as many things changed in and around the motorcycle industry, he never changed. He was always friendly, quick with a smile, and had a kind of infectious charm that just naturally caused people to gravitate to him. It didn’t matter if you hadn’t seen him for a week or a month or a year, it always seemed when you spoke to him, that no time had passed since you last spoke. His knowledge of all things motorcycle was vast, to say the least. Kevin Burns of Hard Core Customs describes Radar in these words “Radar was a local icon in the motorcycle community. He had a wealth of knowledge that he was always happy to share.” Yet, as well known and knowledgeable as he was, he never displayed a jaded or cynical demeanor, and he was as much a teacher as he was a salesman. When he was assisting a newbie rider at a parts counter, never once did I see him treat the customer as such. All of us were unknowing and green at some point, Radar knew this, and treated each and every customer with respect, making them fVV