1942 - 1923
AMD was saddened to learn of the death of Jim Preisler earlier this year, aged 80. Jim was a Design Engineer by profession, but that doesn't even start to cover his talents and achievements. One of the 'gang' at the original Drag Specialties - back in the days of Tom Rudd's ownership, Jim started there in 1970 - his product designs and development follow-through did much to propel the business to an annual $28 million in sales. Jim was President of Drag Specialties in the 1980s, and after Fred Fox had taken ownership of Drag, Jim was President, COO, and owner of the remaining core of the manufacturing business from 1991 (D.S. Manufacturing at Pine Island, Mn.) until its sale to Lincoln Industries in 2015. During that time, Jim focused on the design, development and building of the Khrome Werks line of motorcycle exhausts and accessories and overseeing the contract manufacturing portion of the business. Jim was an U.S. Army Veteran and an avowed lifelong petrol head who had several records to his name - Jim was a passionate race performance engineer and motorcycle drag racer, initially as a professional NHRA drag racer, then as a hobbyist racer and life-long pleasure rider. In 1973, Jim held a national record in the quarter mile of 8.44 seconds at 170 mph on his double engine Harley. Jim was also a skilled woodworker and journeyman cabinet maker. In 2015, Jim embarked on a sizeable HO model train layout, feeding off his life-long love of trains. Most importantly, Jim Preisler was one of the genuinely 'nice guys' of the aftermarket. Our thoughts are with his wife Cheryl and their family and friends - their loss is also our loss.