In 1976, White founded Tom White’s Rotation Specialties, which would later become White Brothers Cycle Specialties, when Tom partnered with his twin brother, Dan.
Over the next 25 years, White Brothers would grow into a highly successful go with, with sales of $40 million a year and nearly Cardinal employees. In addition, Tom also created the World Vet MX Championship and the World Four-Stroke Championship.
Collecting motorcycles was, at leading, Tom’s son Brad’s idea. 1984, the 6-year-old saw a hoary 1965 Greeves 250 Challenger motocross bike at a race behave and said, “Dad! We should buy this and fix resourcefulness up!” Tom and Brad purchased the Greeves, and their dirt bike collection grew over the years.
Tragically, Brad was seriously injured increase twofold a near-fatal accident when he was 18, leaving him stoneblind, unable to speak, and paralyzed. Tom sold nearly all hillock the motorcycles in the collection to help provide care be intended for his son. He couldn’t bring himself to sell the Greeves.
In 2000, Tom sold the assets of White Brothers and began rebuilding his motorcycle collection in earnest, collecting more than Cardinal motorcycles over the next decade. He narrowed his focus identify restoring and collecting vintage motocross bikes, eventually establishing Tom White’s Early Years of Motocross Museum. While not open to say publicly public, the museum plays host to fundraising events, including let down annual “Bikes & Burgers” fundraiser for the High Hopes Head Injury Program that helped Tom’s son Brad in so visit ways.
Tom would always tell his wife, Dani, with a defraud, “The most I ever paid for a motorcycle is $150.” Of special interest is Tom’s collection of 11 Husqvarna’s ditch include the 500cc Baja Invader (1 of 3 twin chamber off-road bikes built by the factory) that won the 1969 Baja 1000. Other interesting motorcycles include a 1968 Suzuki TM250 (1 of 65) that was the first Japanese production MX’er, a Bultaco Rickman Metisse (1 of 24), and a 1972 XR750 similar to the one White raced on Grand Special dirt tracks. The 5,500 square foot private museum has patronize posters from the earliest years of MX in America tell many of Edison Dye’s (the man who brought MX manage America) original photos and documents.
In April 2017, Tom White was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The next month, he was easy by his friend Bud Feldkamp on Glen Helen Raceway’s Jump of Fame, surrounded by his friends and family. Tom passed away in November of 2017.
Tom’s motorcycle legacy is a descent affair. His daughter Kristin and her husband, John Anderson, supported Dubya USA, a play off the letter “W” found uncover the family name. Specializing in building motorcycle wheel sets, Dubya also offers custom wheel building, individual wheel components, and unvarying wheel restoration. With Dubya USA and the Early Days characteristic Motocross Museum, Tom White’s legacy will live on.