December 11, 2023

By Mitch Boehm

Rick “Super Hunky” Sieman has passed away at the age of 83, and for family, friends, colleagues and the entire motorcycle community, it is indeed a sad thing.

Sieman was on the ground floor of the off-road motorcycle boom of the 1960s and ’70s, a sign-painter whose writing skills, perspective and humor landed him a job with Hi-Torque Publishing and Dirt Bike magazine when it appeared on newsstands (and in mailboxes) in 1971.

As the editors of Dirt Bike have written, Sieman was a pioneer in several ways, doing shootouts and hard-hitting products tests and comparisons in the pages of Dirt Bike, all while entertaining readers with his often-hilarious perspectives on life and off-road motorcycling in his From The Saddle columns.

Sieman also worked hard to protect motorcyclists’ rights and riding areas from faceless bureaucrats who knew nothing of (or cared little about) motorcycling, with much of that effort happening in the Mojave Desert.

“Sieman was a gonzo-style writer and wordsmith who simply loved off-road motorcycling,” wrote Racer X chief Davey Coombs over the weekend. “One of the most influential journalists the sport has ever known, Sieman mixed humor with hard-hitting honesty. During the 1970s and early ’80s Sieman used his bully pulpit to help fight land closures, promote unique events and also keep motorcycle product manufacturers honest. He even appeared on the television program “60 Minutes” to advocate against the closure of huge swaths of the Southwest desert to off-highway vehicles.”

In a nutshell, Rick Sieman was an industry legend, and he will be missed. Godspeed, Super Hunky.