David Mixson is the author of the “Motorcycle Smarts” book series, host of the “Motorcycle Mentor” Podcast, and NASA engineer. He begged his parents for a motorcycle when he was twelve, but they said “no.” So he settled for a bright orange Honda Express moped. Decades later (with his wife’s blessings), he said “yes” to himself and purchased his first real motorcycle. At forty, he approached things with maturity. The last thing he wanted to do was leave his wife and kids alone. David quickly became overwhelmed. Was he selfish for wanting to ride? Why did he have fear when he rode? Surely there were things he could do to reduce his chances of crashing (riding gear doesn’t do that)—or was he just a statistic? Frustrated with how books glossed over these topics, David wrote “Motorcycle Smarts” to help riders gain the head knowledge (and peace of mind) that they’re doing everything they can do NOT to CRASH. Years later, he completed a ride from Alabama to Alaska with his best friend, Mike, and wrote a book about it called “Motorcycle Dream Ride.” David lives in Huntsville, Alabama.