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Classic Easyriders Magazine has grabbed the attention of many motorcycle enthusiasts for five decades. They have managed to keep chrome addicts in the loop of the customization industry, publicize the best biker events, and interview the most iconic people, all while making readers feel like they are part of an exclusive club. Dream machines, hot chicks and custom bikes have always been the foundation for the famous biker bible. The publication went through a period where that steady foundation broke — the content did not compare to what it used to be. As a result, the faithful readership was declining. That’s where savior Ray Pelosi comes in to rewrite the New Testament of the magazine to resurrect it to its former glory. 

Ray’s professional background in digital publishing and archiving has served well in preserving and reviving the works of one of the most influential motorcycle magazines. Surprisingly, Ray is not a rider but has always appreciated the culture and passion within the bike community. He promises to bring back the look, charm and feel of the 70s and 80s motorcycle magazines by adding a modern twist with even better interviews, photography and more.

Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Congrats on becoming Classic Easyriders’ new publisher. Tell us a bit about your professional background and how you seized this opportunity at Classic Easyriders Magazine.

Ray Pelosi: My background is from film-making. Not movies, but film and photography. I’ve always had an interest in the field for archiving stuff, stuff that you don’t want to see lost. And one of the biggest things that we’ve done over the years with GIT Corp., my company, is help pioneer the digital market in the digital publishing industry. Back in 2003, we picked up a digital license from Marvel Entertainment to produce all their comic books in digital. 

We got an opportunity and a call from the Sports Illustrator guy, saying, “Hey, look, we have a friend who just bought Easyrider Magazine, and he would like to see if you guys want to do some licensing.” I knew it had a very long history, 50-plus years. So it was 554 issues over 50 years — and we did that as a digital collection. When they started to have trouble with the publication, because they didn’t publish for almost two years, [because] they brought out two new publishers at the time in 2019 and 2021. People weren’t happy with the magazine. It was just a 180-degree difference. So we spoke with the publisher and were able to actually step in and get a license deal to bring it back to where we thought it would work. It’s been tough because it’s starting from scratch.

Caption: Ray Unveiling the December 2021 issue which was his first release with the magazine (Photo: Owned by Ray Pelosi)

Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Since Classic Easyriders is considered the biker’s bible, what can readers expect with your fresh beginnings in the New Testament of the magazine?

Ray Pelosi: The first thing that we did was, we brought back some of the great talents, like Dave Nichols, who was fired when the new publication took over. Dave Nichols is a 25-year iconic piece of furniture which made the magazine actually run. That was their biggest mistake getting rid of him.

We brought it back to the old-style format. What we did do was eliminate nudity. We toned it down and got rid of the nudity. We use one girl, which is the cover girl with a feature, still 5 bike features, still all your events are there, mechanical type stuff.

Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Since you are not a rider, what draws you the most to work in the motorcycle industry?

Ray Pelosi: You know, these are great people. Like bike builders. I’ll tell you, I’ve never seen so much talent and passion for something. That’s something that I’ve seen early on that really made me feel good and I knew that I was in the right direction. Just amazing people.

Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Have you ever considered getting into riding?

Ray Pelosi: I can see the passion. I can respect all that, but probably not. If I did, I like Indian bikes. They’re a nice, small and compact bike.

Caption: Ray visiting Mount Rushmore after attending Sturgis. This photo was taken 2 weeks after signing the publishing deal for Classic Easyriders Magazine (Photo: Owned by Ray Pelosi)

Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Name one person you want to be featured in the magazine and why?

Ray Pelosi: I was watching American Pickers. I love Mike Wolfe. He’s just so passionate about what he does as far as picking but loves motorcycles. He loves the brands, loves the knuckleheads and loves Harleys.

That’s the type of person I would love to do an interview with. That’s somebody you know that has the love and the passion for it.

Caption: Ray attending the High Seas Rally, the famous biker cruise event (Photo: Owned by Ray Pelosi)

Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: What is it about the 70s & 80s biker culture that is so important to keep alive within the magazine?

Ray Pelosi: The biggest reason is to try and branch the old generation with the new generation.

I think that the importance of being able to hold on to the 70s and 80s is to show the younger generation, “Hey look, here’s what you have. Here’s what we see.” There’s got to be a way of joining those two.

Caption: Ray in Haiti with one of Classic Easyriders photographer’s Brad Patton (Photo: Owned by Ray Pelosi)

Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: What is one surprising thing you’ve learned about the motorcycle community since working with the magazine?

Ray Pelosi: I would have to say how talented and how passionate they are about what they do. It’s not about money. A Lot of it is about the family where you see the next generation of bikers’ [kids].

Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: What type of person or story are you looking for to feature in the magazine?

Ray Pelosi: Obviously people with passion. People that like change. People that are looking to help the industry too — help it grow and who have stories. 

If you are interested in a print or digital subscription of Classic Easyriders Magazine, visit their website for more information. Ride safe, and thanks for reading!


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