Met Fred Rau Today

[spyderbret]

I live in Vegas and had a meeting this morning at the Paris Hotel. I parked in the garage and as I was walking to the elevator I saw the new Can Am Spyder RT-S touring rig, trailer and everything. I thought that was interesting since they are not available yet.

After my meeting was over I saw a guy standing next to it warming it up. I struck up a conversation and he told me he was testing it for BRP, working the bug out and stuff. Said he was a bike tester for new models for different companies. Continued conversation revealed that he was Fred Rau, founder of Motorcycle Consumer News. How cool is that?!

Super nice guy! We had a great conversation about how he got started and what he thought of the Can Am. He did like it. It still had a few bugs in the ECU programming but that is supposed to be updated in the next couple days. Not a bid deal. Interesting bike for sure.

Anyway, I just thought it was cool to meet him and I wanted to share.

Here is his website, he does MC tours as well... Fred Rau

 

[beemerdons]

Bret, Fred Rau is a great guy! He comes down to Phoenix for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Charity and Benefit Ride!

 

[LDRydr]

That's cool. I love his column on the back page of MCN (first one I read each month).

 

[johnny80s]

He was at the Street Masters clinic when I took the course. Cool guy.

 

[MCRIDER007]

Continued conversation revealed that he was Fred Rau, founder of Motorcycle Consumer News. How cool is that?!

In 1991 Bob Carpenter took a pretty good motorcycle magazine called Road Rider and turned it into a black and white junk mail publication called Road Rider's Motorcycle Consumer News. Bob continued to be the editor and Fred Rau was hired to be the Managing editor. A couple of years later Bob decided to do something else, Fred then got Bob's job and dropped Road Rider from the title...nothing else changed. If that makes Fred the founder of MCN so be it, but I have always blamed Bob Carpenter for creating the MCN fiasco that has never come close to living up to its hype.

 

[FjrVfr]

I gotta go with MCRIDER007 on this about Bob and Patti Carpenter starting Road Rider but that doesn't diminish the fact that Fred Rau has been huge in the development of MCN and is one solid motorcyclin' dude. I've only swapped an email or two with him but he's definitely "one of us." I too savor the last page of MCN reading his musings. Also, anyone who's such a huge supporter of David Hough is always going to score a beer from me when we meet. Good on ya Spyderbret for sayin' hi to one or our best brothers.

 

[MCRIDER007]

I gotta go with MCRIDER007 on this about Bob and Patti Carpenter starting Road Rider but that doesn't diminish the fact that Fred Rau has been huge in the development of MCN and is one solid motorcyclin' dude.

Road Rider was actually started by Roger Hull in 1969. He sold his interest in 1982 and Bob Carpenter became the editor. Carpenter converted the magazine to a black and white format, with no advertising, in the January 1991 issue. Fred Rau became the editor during 1992 and changed the name to MCN in the January 1994 issue.

I still have a lot of the 1991-1993 issues because I had renewed my Road Rider subscription just before the conversion...and was pretty disappointed with what I was reading. Carpenter had promised more comprehensive tests and evaluations but the new format lacked substance and usually only took 15-20 minutes to read cover to cover. I didn't renew my subscription because I wasn't getting anything useful from it and I expected the magazine to fold.

 

[YooperDick]

I dumped MCN because it became too fluffy. Seems the change happened when Lee Parks left.

 

[Lowcountry Joe]

Cool story Spyderbret.

I really like reading Fred's back page each time I get my MCN magazine. I like his style and attitude, and to compliment it all, he know's what in the hell he is talking about!

 

[FjrVfr]

I dumped MCN because it became too fluffy. Seems the change happened when Lee Parks left.

I was wondering if I was the only person to notice. The days with Lee Parks were something special.

 

[spyderbret]

Thanks for the history lesson. It's always interesting to hear different experiences with the same thing, MCN in this case. Regardless, Fred seemed like a great guy, confirmed by others here. Hope to meet him agian someday.

It's also just one of those unexpected things that life throws at you that really reminds you what a great journey we are on and you never know what will be around the next corner....

 

[beemerdons]

It was neat, Bret! I still enjoy Motorcycle Consumer News! 10 motorcycle magazines show up at my house each month, including Motorrad in German shipped from Germany, and MCN is still one of my favorites. This also shows my age (61): I've every issue of Road Rider boxed up and saved at my Mom's house in Orange, CA. Fred Rau does a lot for motorcycling!