Rokon: The Racing Years

Working as a factory mechanic for the ROKON ISDT Team changed the course of my life. What began as an opportunity to help a small motorcycle company compete on the world stage grew into a 40-year career in the motorcycle industry and memories that have stayed with me ever since.

I still remember the long drives across the country supporting our riders as they chased their dream of representing the United States at the "Olympics of Motorcycling." I remember traveling to Peru to demonstrate the RT 340 to the Peruvian Army, building race bikes late into the night, and attending the 1975 Isle of Man Six Days Trial. Those experiences were the adventure of a lifetime.

And who would have thought a motorcycle with a pull starter could win gold medals against the best machines in the world? We did-and we proved it.

When author, historian, and motorcycle restoration expert Keith Geisner contacted me about this project, I was delighted to revisit the photographs, documents, and memories I had carefully saved for more than fifty years. His passion for the story matches our passion for the motorcycle, and this book brings that remarkable era back to life.

-Jon Stillman

Jon Stillman enjoyed a distinguished career with ROKON, Husqvarna, and Honda, contributing to some of the most influential brands in motorcycling.

*****

A thorough extensive piece of ROKON history, a New Hampshire USA based manufacturer who also developed and to this day supports and manufactures a 2-wheel drive off road explorer motorcycle originally called the Trail-Breaker.

I contributed material to this book and was happy for the opportunity to look through the photos and documents I had saved from the 1970s.

I found the book in my roadside mailbox, backed my car up right there, and started reading. I didn't stop until I'd read it cover to cover - it was dark out by the time I finished and drove up to the house. I thought I understood Rokon's history before then, but I had no idea how much went on behind the scenes.

The thoroughness of the research and the scope of what's covered here are staggering. This isn't a casual overview - it's a serious, well-documented history of ROKON's racing years, and it shows the depth of work that went into putting it together. For anyone interested in ROKON or off-road motorcycle history generally, this book is worth having.

The "ROKON - The Racing Years" is entrenched directly in the years immediately following ON ANY SUNDAY, a 1970-1971 motorcycle inspirational documentary staring Malcolm Smith, Steve McQueen, and countless off-road racers and riders. Rokon was right there in the midst of it.

Five stars.

-Jim Hollander: Rokon ISDT team member from 1974-76. 1976 ISDT gold medalist on a Rokon.

*****

More findings. More racing. More history. The discovery of two Rokon motorcycles sets Keith Geisner back on the trail-through research, interviews, and the stories that refuse to stay buried. Rokon: The Racing Years picks up where the past left off.

KEITH GEISNER is an avid motorcyclist who has owned hundreds of motorcycles and ridden thousands of miles on backroads, trails, tracks, and highways across the United States. He enjoys sharing his incredible first-hand encounters with some of the industry's most influential and recognizable names.An engineer with more than two decades of experience in the automotive and aerospace industries, Keith uncovers and preserves motorcycle history one book at a time. His first book, Finding #49 and America's Forgotten Motocross Team, was published in 2019. His second book, Discovering Six Days, was published in 2021.