Motorcycle Safety Forensics

     Jon started riding dirt bikes at age 5 in the deserts of Southern California. His passion grew stronger as the bikes got bigger until he rode a Honda CB750 and he knew he would spend the rest of his days pursuing his desire for anything motorcycle related.  His motorcycle knowledge and skill got a huge boost when he served in Japan with the U.S. Air Force.  He quickly immersed himself in the Japanese motorcycle culture. Jon was sponsored to ride motocross by Yama Factory Pro Shop and quickly adopted the Yamanaka family as his own. Jon was fortunate enough to attend the Honda Rider School at Suzuka Circuit as a guest instructor two consecutive years as well as attending the Honda Training Courses at the Okegawa Facility Japan multiple times.  He received training in High Performance Riding as well as extensive trials and off road riding techniques.  Jon attended the beginner rider safety course at Yokota A.F.B. Japan 11 times before becoming a certified MSF Instructor in 1992. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to lead instructor for the base. Jon was in charge with scheduling instructors to teach classes, ensure program quality and provide superior customer service for active duty civilian, dependent and Japanese guests.  Over the next 2 ½ years he taught more than 1200 students.        

     Upon returning stateside, Jon taught beginner and advanced classes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas.  While working at Woods Fun Center, in 2000 Jon took the plunge and with a lot hard work, very little sleep and a lot of support from Texas DPS Motorcycle Safety Bureau and Mark Woods, he started Totalrider.com.  At the state instructor conference, Jon was quickly recognized by Cliff Burdette, the State coordinator, as an example of how to train a large number of students efficiently. Jon was a licensed CMRA racer, racing a variety of bikes to include a Yamaha SR500, a 1997 Honda CR250 Supermotard, and a 2004 Yamaha YZF-R1.

     Jon has owned more than 200 motorcycles and ATV’s at last count, and has ridden thousands of others.  This experience makes him invaluable when relating to riders of all kinds of motorcycles.  Jon has been fortunate to have been entrusted to lead demo rides for Aprilia, Ducati, Triumph, Harley Davidson, Victory and others.  Jon was recently involved in testing the new Indian motorcycle prototypes at a private facility.  Jon has worked with Ferrari Scuderia Race Team at the F1 races at Circuit of the Americas for past 2 years.  Jon has been involved in prototype testing of new off road vehicles for major manufacturers.  Jon has been interviewed on local news channels regarding motorcycle issues as well as speaking to the Texas legislature regarding motorcycle issues.  Due to his extensive experience and relationships in the motorcycle world, Jon is the “go to” guy in the Central Texas Motorcycle Scene. 

     Jon has personally trained approximately 20,000 riders, to include street, off road, ATV and high performance students over the past 22 years. He has also led track days for 6 years as Lead Instructor for Elite Trackdays as well assisting in track days for Ducati Austin. 

​     Jon is a recognized Motorcycle Safety Expert for the past 8 years working to educate the public that a motorcycle is a specialized vehicle, being recognized as a motorcycle expert in Travis County Texas and is often sought out for his knowledge and experience. Due to his charisma, experience and knowledge,  Jon is frequently invited to speak at Ft. Hood Texas to hundreds of active duty troops on motorcycle safety, riding strategies and improving skills. These briefings are done at no charge just simply to give back to his fellow Veterans.  

     Jon is an experienced Martial artist training in many different styles including Tae Kwon Do, Kyokushin Kai Karate, Muay Thai,  Jun Fun Gung Fu and Sayoc Kali. Jon currently trains with Warriors Way Training Group based in Wichita Falls Texas.  Jon also teaches self defense classes for kids, ladies and adults at Fort Hood Texas. He is also the contracted provider for Off Road training at Fort Hood Texas.  Jon is a Desert Storm Veteran and a former Austin Police Officer. He received many certifications and commendations from both careers.  Jon enjoys “wrestling” with his 1500 lb. bull- Chance, watching wild life and enjoying his ranch with his wife Liz and their 4 pot belly pigs.