I was first introduced to Optibike founder Jim Turner back in 1978. Actually, we’d never even met,
but from his accomplishments as a
professional motocross racer, I knew all
about him from the coverage that our
sister ’zine, Motocross Action Magazine,
devoted to him as it chronicled the
burgeoning sport in North America.
And not at all unlike my desire to
meet Preston Petty—another famous
motorcycle racer who, lo and behold,
also came to e-bikes decades after his
throttle-twisting career—I jumped at the
chance to interview Jim just as I did with
Preston (EBA, January 14).
However, unlike Preston Petty, whom
I had never met at all, Jim and I did have
a few shared moments when we went
mountain bike riding with his younger
brother Paul, himself quite the pioneer in
the world of bicycle technology. In fact, I
even remember being somewhat dismissive of Jim back in the mid-’90s when I
heard stories of his attempts at starting
an electric bike company. Electric bikes,
I mean, really!
Fast-forwarding, as the world is
inclined to do, and it’s now 17 years
later. The e-bike market has come of
age, and I find myself sitting in a big
showroom surrounded by a collection
of fancy e-bikes at the Optibike
headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.
As opposed to those early days when
e-bikes were heavy, ugly and lacking in
any viable reason to exist, the market is
now at a place 180 degrees distant from
where it was in 1997. As a result, Jim
now finds himself overseeing a growing
business, designing and manufacturing
a complete line of e-bikes that rely
on his own patented technology. No
doubt there were a handful of fits and
starts that he endured to get where
he is today, but Jim Turner can now
admirably look back, content in knowing
that his early dedication to the effort has
earned him the status as an American
e-bike pioneer.
FROM TWISTING
THROTTLES TO
TWISTING THROTTLES
EBA: Old-time motocross fans
might remember you from your career
as a racer back in the late ’70s. What
was the extent of your racing background?
Jim: We grew up in Santa Cruz,
California, which was surrounded by a
lot of undeveloped land back then. Like
a lot of kids, we got some mini bikes,
rode all around and then started racing.
My dad would have nothing to do with
it, so my mom did a lot to help out and
get me to the races.
By the time I was 17 years old, I had
gotten good enough to get some factory support from Montesa. In 1975 I
followed the nationals on a Bultaco, and
then in 1976, I got a factory ride from
Suzuki to contest the Canadian National
Championships. I rode up there through
the 1978 season and ended up winning
both the 250cc and 500cc national
titles. In 1979, I went to Europe to follow
the GP circuit for Motocross Fox. Funny
thing, but my mechanic at the time was
Keith Bontrager, who would go on to
help my brother Paul with his bike project before going on to become an international brand under his own name.
TWO-WHEEL
REVOLUTION—
IT’S IN THE
BLOODLINE
Jim Turner is on a mission to spread the
wonder of e-bikes; of course, showing up
his brother would just be an added bonus
By Zap