Tell me more about Dave Arnold

kage173
Profile picture for user kage173
Posts
3095
Joined
11/27/2015
Location
USA
kage173
Edited Date/Time 11/25/2021 7:32pm
Reading American Motorcyclist this month and they had a profile on the new AMA Hall of Fame inductees. It had half a page on Dave Arnold. Ive heard his name thrown about here and there but wondering if anybody can tell me more. Seems like he had a big impact on Honda.
3
1
|
Johnny Ringo
Profile picture for user Johnny Ringo
Posts
8219
Joined
1/11/2016
Location
Tombstone, AZ, USA
Johnny Ringo 11/23/2021 5:41pm
11/23/2021 5:41pm
He deserves most the credit that Roger gets
16
7
Langhammx 11/23/2021 5:42pm
11/23/2021 5:42pm Edited Date/Time 11/23/2021 5:49pm
20
Langhammx 11/23/2021 5:51pm
11/23/2021 5:51pm
Johnny Ringo wrote:
He deserves most the credit that Roger gets
Agreed (X15) 😂

6
1
reded301
Profile picture for user reded301
Posts
310
Joined
8/4/2021
Location
KC, KS, USA
reded301 11/23/2021 6:22pm
11/23/2021 6:22pm
Langhammx wrote:
This should quench OP’s thirst for knowledge.
3

The Shop

See All »
wide open wally 11/23/2021 6:23pm
11/23/2021 6:23pm Edited Date/Time 7/29/2023 10:45am

I got to set at dinner with him during the International Motocross Museum fundraiser and it was rad. Such a normal guy with insaneeeee stories.

Built a secret room during a renovation at Honda that only he had a key to. When they were instructed to destroy a full works bike, he would fudge some paperwork and store the bike in his secret room. When the time came to leave Honda he handed the key over and when they went in he had tons of priceless bikes in mint condition.

Straight up legend

36
UpTiTe 11/23/2021 6:46pm
11/23/2021 6:46pm
kage173 wrote:
Reading American Motorcyclist this month and they had a profile on the new AMA Hall of Fame inductees. It had half a page on Dave Arnold...
Reading American Motorcyclist this month and they had a profile on the new AMA Hall of Fame inductees. It had half a page on Dave Arnold. Ive heard his name thrown about here and there but wondering if anybody can tell me more. Seems like he had a big impact on Honda.
He is everything that everyone thinks Roger Decoster is, even a better machinist.
11
1
MyBobbym
Profile picture for user MyBobbym
Posts
725
Joined
11/23/2020
Location
Apache Junction, AZ, USA
MyBobbym 11/23/2021 8:38pm
11/23/2021 8:38pm
Started as Marty SmithS mechanic and moved up to top of HRC USA from there..
5
PNWRider
Profile picture for user PNWRider
Posts
474
Joined
1/31/2021
Location
Stanwood, WA, USA
PNWRider 11/23/2021 8:50pm
11/23/2021 8:50pm Edited Date/Time 11/23/2021 8:50pm
The bluff he played to get RJ on Honda was epic (covered on the Whiskey Throttle Show linked above).
4
kage173
Profile picture for user kage173
Posts
3095
Joined
11/27/2015
Location
USA
kage173 11/24/2021 4:59am
11/24/2021 4:59am Edited Date/Time 11/24/2021 5:00am
UpTiTe wrote:
He is everything that everyone thinks Roger Decoster is, even a better machinist.
Didn't mean for this to be a DeCoster vs Arnold thread, though I've heard these comparisons before. Is there some kind of feud between them? I listened to the first half of WT last night and Dave talked about how great Roger was.

1
1
PNWRider
Profile picture for user PNWRider
Posts
474
Joined
1/31/2021
Location
Stanwood, WA, USA
PNWRider 11/24/2021 5:19am
11/24/2021 5:19am
UpTiTe wrote:
He is everything that everyone thinks Roger Decoster is, even a better machinist.
kage173 wrote:
Didn't mean for this to be a DeCoster vs Arnold thread, though I've heard these comparisons before. Is there some kind of feud between them? I...
Didn't mean for this to be a DeCoster vs Arnold thread, though I've heard these comparisons before. Is there some kind of feud between them? I listened to the first half of WT last night and Dave talked about how great Roger was.

Dave epitomizes the word “professionalism.” I doubt you’ll ever hear him say anything negative about anyone he worked with. I doubt there’s any issues between he and Roger. But it’s been mentioned by several from the golden era of HRC that Roger has gotten a lot of credit for things Dave and others did, like he did them himself.
5
Ted722
Profile picture for user Ted722
Posts
4577
Joined
9/21/2011
Location
Sacramento, CA, USA
Ted722 11/24/2021 8:23am
11/24/2021 8:23am Edited Date/Time 11/24/2021 8:26am
Roger De Coster presents Dave Arnold with his AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame ring last month.


“I owe American Honda as much as anybody, because everything worked out great with the timing. They hired me right out of trade school, and it was a great opportunity, getting to work with the smartest guys in the world, including De Coster and the top-shelf engineers that Mr. Honda had. I had the opportunity to do so many fun, challenging things. Receiving this honor has been humbling and overwhelming, and I admire the other people in this group.”
honda / arnold hof press release
15
kage173
Profile picture for user kage173
Posts
3095
Joined
11/27/2015
Location
USA
kage173 11/24/2021 9:15am
11/24/2021 9:15am Edited Date/Time 11/24/2021 9:17am
Langhammx wrote:
reded301 wrote:
This should quench OP’s thirst for knowledge.
It did. Made it halfway through last night and will finish the rest today. Having RJ on definitely pulls the stories out of him. It's easy to see what a humble guy he is.

I love the stories about that early moto era. My Dad was not a starstruck type by any means but his eyes would always light up talking about going to watch the Euros race back then. It's cool to hear the same thing from Dave.
4
FreshTopEnd
Profile picture for user FreshTopEnd
Posts
13361
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
Sacramento, CA, USA
FreshTopEnd 11/24/2021 9:35am
11/24/2021 9:35am Edited Date/Time 11/24/2021 9:39am
Matthes' two parter with him is epic, look that podcast up.

Steve Matthes Show 09-29-2010 and 10-11-2010

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-steve-matthes-show-classics-v…



Steve really got on the oral history of the sport through podcasts years ahead of the game.
4
1
inthebadboycorner 11/24/2021 10:02am
11/24/2021 10:02am
UpTiTe wrote:
He is everything that everyone thinks Roger Decoster is, even a better machinist.
kage173 wrote:
Didn't mean for this to be a DeCoster vs Arnold thread, though I've heard these comparisons before. Is there some kind of feud between them? I...
Didn't mean for this to be a DeCoster vs Arnold thread, though I've heard these comparisons before. Is there some kind of feud between them? I listened to the first half of WT last night and Dave talked about how great Roger was.

No, the Fued is clearly Uptite against Roger.
There may be be good reasons behind that.
3
1
wreckitrandy
Profile picture for user wreckitrandy
Posts
4240
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
Granite Falls, NC, USA
wreckitrandy 11/24/2021 11:13am
11/24/2021 11:13am
UpTiTe wrote:
He is everything that everyone thinks Roger Decoster is, even a better machinist.
kage173 wrote:
Didn't mean for this to be a DeCoster vs Arnold thread, though I've heard these comparisons before. Is there some kind of feud between them? I...
Didn't mean for this to be a DeCoster vs Arnold thread, though I've heard these comparisons before. Is there some kind of feud between them? I listened to the first half of WT last night and Dave talked about how great Roger was.

inthebadboycorner wrote:
No, the Fued is clearly Uptite against Roger.
There may be be good reasons behind that.
You don't get to the top of anything without ticking somebody off. DeCoster certainly doesn't need me to defend him but, if he never did a thing beyond what he did as a racer, he would still be a legend. jmo. And yeah, Arnold absolutely deserves to be in the HOF and is a legend himself.
3
rallendude
Profile picture for user rallendude
Posts
2203
Joined
8/17/2006
Location
Adger, AL, USA
rallendude 11/24/2021 1:42pm
11/24/2021 1:42pm Edited Date/Time 11/24/2021 1:43pm
He has always been a rockstar in my eyes. I grew up racing in the mid-late '80s on minibikes. Fast forward almost 15 years, I'm out of college and finally financially able to purchase my first new bike. I ordered a '98 YZ400. About 2 years later I get a random phone call on my home phone. You know, the land line with the twisty cord that sits on the night stand next to the bed? Anyway, the voice on the other side sounded a tiny bit familiar but not someone I knew personally. "Is this Ricky? This is Dave Arnold from American Honda. Can I ask you a few questions about your YZ400?" I nearly flipped out. I told him everything I loved and everything I hated about the YZ four-stroke. A year-and-a-half or so later I ordered a 2002 CRF450. I'll take the credit for how good that bike was. Well, Dave can have part of it.
16
Forty
Profile picture for user Forty
Posts
3091
Joined
7/27/2009
Location
Saint Paul, MN, USA
Forty 11/24/2021 8:50pm
11/24/2021 8:50pm
rallendude wrote:
He has always been a rockstar in my eyes. I grew up racing in the mid-late '80s on minibikes. Fast forward almost 15 years, I'm out...
He has always been a rockstar in my eyes. I grew up racing in the mid-late '80s on minibikes. Fast forward almost 15 years, I'm out of college and finally financially able to purchase my first new bike. I ordered a '98 YZ400. About 2 years later I get a random phone call on my home phone. You know, the land line with the twisty cord that sits on the night stand next to the bed? Anyway, the voice on the other side sounded a tiny bit familiar but not someone I knew personally. "Is this Ricky? This is Dave Arnold from American Honda. Can I ask you a few questions about your YZ400?" I nearly flipped out. I told him everything I loved and everything I hated about the YZ four-stroke. A year-and-a-half or so later I ordered a 2002 CRF450. I'll take the credit for how good that bike was. Well, Dave can have part of it.
That story is cool as can be.
3
UpTiTe 11/25/2021 7:31pm
11/25/2021 7:31pm Edited Date/Time 11/25/2021 7:32pm
UpTiTe wrote:
He is everything that everyone thinks Roger Decoster is, even a better machinist.
kage173 wrote:
Didn't mean for this to be a DeCoster vs Arnold thread, though I've heard these comparisons before. Is there some kind of feud between them? I...
Didn't mean for this to be a DeCoster vs Arnold thread, though I've heard these comparisons before. Is there some kind of feud between them? I listened to the first half of WT last night and Dave talked about how great Roger was.

No, they were pretty tight. Dave wasn’t a glory guy and didn’t mind Decoster being in the limelight.

Dave worked hard behind the scenes and built an empire.
3

Post a reply to: Tell me more about Dave Arnold