RSBFS Retires One of the Greats: Doug is Leaving the Posting Rotation

What can I say, I tried everything I could think of but Doug has decided to say goodbye to the regular posting routine. No doubt as his celebrity has grown while at RSBFS and has made the photo above an every day reality! Seriously, he will be sorely missed around here as his picks were always examples we’d all love to put our hands on, written with a great balance of enthusiastic knowledge, research, and wit. Not only that, but Doug really is a huge part of what the site has become today: a respected place for like minded enthusiasts and collectors to follow the best bikes available in the U.S. market and abroad. He helped me personally realize the potential that we had early on and I will never forget what my friend helped us achieve.

So before we say goodbye, a stroll down memory lane. My first email from Doug was for some of the now very rare RSBFS decals we had cut in 2008. At the time it was just Alex and I working the site together and while we were doing our best to cover great sportbikes we found for sale. But this fanatical superfan of the site would continue to email me almost daily with a bike or two that we had missed. It got to the point in 2009 where I couldn’t keep up with his emails and simply decided to invite him to join us on the site.

We would soon learn that our spotter was actually a perfect fit for the site. He immediately fell into a great rhythm on the site and his enthusiasm really sparked interest.

Without further ado, here are Doug’s first three posts from the archives — and now that we all know him, these are certainly no surprise from the man:

1997 Ducati 916 with only 183 miles from Private Collection

1996 Kawasaki ZX-7RR (yes, the real deal)

1987 Yamaha FZR 750R #169 of 200

As time went on, Doug took on more and more responsibility with the site. He acted as the lead contact for incoming emails and editor as the team grew. This was during a critical time for me personally as my day job was threatening the site but Doug didn’t hesitate to step right in and make sure that the site had the attention and leadership it needed to stay on while I couldn’t serve in this role.

We would become great friends and I finally got to meet the man in person at the 2010 Indy MotoGP. We made the trip again this year and even though we talk mostly through email, it’s like meeting up with a friend I’ve known well for years. Here is the man in action behind the lens.

Doug’s responsibilities at his day job have his hands full, and in addition to the bikes in his own collection and the growing photog addiction/profession, he’s decided to hang up the writing for now. Doug is always going to be a part of our site and will most certainly have some behind the scenes roles moving ahead.

Please join me in thanking Doug for his work on the site and wishing him much success in the future.

Thank you Doug!

-Dan Crouch