Malcolm Smith was a pioneer in off-road motorcycling. He gained fame for his accomplishments in the Baja 1000 and for his gold-medal winning rides in the International Six Day Enduro competitions, but by far his biggest claim to fame was being a star of the influential 1970s motorcycle movie, "On Any Sunday." The scenes of Smith play-riding with his buddies, which included popular actor Steve McQueen, showed people across the country just how fun motorcycling could be. The movie helped launch an explosion in the popularity of off-road motorcycling in America.Smith said that taking part in Bruce Brown’s 1972 classic movie "On Any Sunday" nearly didn’t happen. Brown was already well known for his surfing movie, "Endless Summer," and was a customer of Smith’s. Smith had just purchased the K&N dealership from Kenny and Norm and was really having a difficult time trying to manage the business. Brown called and told Smith he was about ready to start shooting the movie and Smith reluctantly told him that he wouldn't be able to be in the movie because of the time involved in running the dealership. Brown said that he would begin shooting in about a month and he would call Smith back then. Fortunately when he called back, Smith had gotten things at the dealership under control and felt that he could take some time to do the movie.
"Bruce came and shot footage at the Six Day and some other races. Then later we shot the closing footage of the movie down in Mexico and at Camp Pendleton on the coast and that only took three or four days. I really didn’t think that I was going to be in the movie that much and then when it came out I was really amazed. The recognition I got from that movie was really unbelievable. People still come up to me today and tell me they really didn’t have anything to do with motorcycling until they saw the movie. Husqvarna sales doubled in the year following the movie."
About the time the movie came out Smith began importing nylon-lined throttle and brake cables from Europe. They sold like hotcakes in America and his accessory business, Malcolm Smith Racing Products, was born. Soon afterwards, he began selling jerseys, then boots and finally just about every accessory available for off-road bikes. Smith’s business flourished and he sold the company in 1987. Smith still serves as a consultant to the aftermarket business that bears his name.
When inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998, Smith was still involved in overseeing his motorcycle dealership in Riverside, California. He also conducts special invitation-only off-road rides in Mexico and South America. The television program "National Geographic Explorer" did a feature with Smith and singer Lyle Lovett on a ride in Chile. He frequently gives talks on preserving riding areas and interviews on the early days of off-road riding, and he still enjoys strapping on his helmet and taking a good ride in the mountains.
