The Winding Road MOTORCYCLE TIMES (WRMT) is a “regional” motorcycle magazine serving the mid-Atlantic states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, plus Washington, D.C. The MOTORCYCLE TIMES is distributed free through hundreds of motorcycle shops, clubs, rider training sites, race tracks, event venues, and other “motorcycle-friendly” locations around the region. The WRMT is also available nationally by paid subscription.
Our first issue came out in January, 1989. The first two years, we published nine and eight issues per year. Obviously, that schedule proved confusing for both advertisers and readers (and for us!), so we went to an every-other-month schedule beginning with the January/February 1991 issue. New issues now come out just before the 1st of January, March, May, July, September, and November.
From the beginning, the MOTORCYCLE TIMES has been “reader driven” in the sense that we basically publish what our readers send in (and yes, we do pay for contributions). We have various headings that we run stories under, of course. Every rider can relate to our “First Bike” stories, and most have had their “Close Encounters of the Worst Kind.” And hopefully, everyone has bought an accessory worthy of a “Things That Work” product review. We also have regular columnists - enthusiasts like Bill Ford, whose “Classic Column” has been a popular feature since our very first issue 20 years ago. We do run occasional “Real World Road Tests” and such, but overall, our emphasis is more on motorcyclists and motorcycling than motorcycles.
Most motorcycle regionals, at least initially, are the collaborative creations of two people. The MOTORCYCLE TIMES is published by the husband and wife team of Jerry C. Smith (not to be confused with Jerry Smith, the much more well-known and prolific editor and moto-journalist) and Lona Queen. There’s a little story behind how we got started in the motorcycle magazine biz ...
In late 1987, Jerry, the editor-to-be, went riding with an old motorcycle buddy. That day, as he often did, the friend was playing hooky from his job as a motorcycle accessory distributor rep. Rather than spending nice days doing business inside motorcycle shops, he’d hop on his bike and explore the “lost roads” of rural Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. A ride with him was always a ride of delight and discovery. During a rest stop beside the proverbial babbling brook along one particularly pretty little backroad at the foot of the Appalachians, Jerry commented that there should be some medium through which riders could let each other know about such “Beguiling Byways” ... something like a regional motorcycle magazine. 
Jerry had worked in the motorcycle business in the Washington, D.C., area since 1968. Lona, an art school graduate, had recently left a graphics arts job where she was in charge of catalog production. For the rest of that ride, Jerry’s eyes were on the road, but his thoughts were on the possibilities.
You see, in the late ‘80s, the bike biz was in the pits. The manufacturers' warehouses were full of “leftovers” and the dealers were hurting. Even more troubling, a glance through the classified ad section of any major newspaper would show dozens and dozens of low-mileage used motorcycles for sale, cheap. Across the counter, Jerry had spoken with many riders - way too many riders - who were dropping out of motorcycling to buy boats, computers, sound systems, and other new-fangled toys. New riders, the very lifeblood of motorcycling, especially needed things to do and places to go on their bikes. Otherwise, they would drop out before motorcycling had a chance to capture their hearts. Maybe, we thought, the dropouts didn’t know anyone else who rode. Maybe, if they had some friends to explore with, to gain experience with, to have fun with, to ride with, they would be enjoying their motorcycles more every day instead of selling them. Maybe, by “Bringing Riders Together,” a little local magazine could help.
So right from the start, the goal of the MOTORCYCLE TIMES has been to give riders reasons to ride. Today, the WRMT “Events Calendar” just may be the most extensive listing of local motorcycle happenings in the entire nation. Rather than filling our pages with “Event Reviews” that tell riders about all the fun they missed, we favor “Event Previews” about what’s coming up. “Beguiling Byways” articles on nice roads and rides, “Hangouts,” about motorcycle-friendly inns, taverns, and restaurants, “Mid-Atlantic Racing,” on the local competition scene, and other regular features focus on where our readers live and ride.
In time, though, it became obvious that the MOTORCYCLE TIMES’ most important contribution was what we’ve adopted as our current slogan, “Giving Voice to the Motorcycling Community.” Over the years, nearly 400 different motorcycle enthusiasts - regular riders, motorcycle dealer personnel, racers, distributor reps and others - have contributed their thoughts, enthusiasm, stories, photos, poems, and cartoons to the WRMT. Dealers, promoters, and clubs regularly call, fax, and email us with info for our “Wheels in Motion” section of “news, rumors and comment.” Our “Events Calendar” has become a real phenomenon, and attendance at events has ballooned region-wide. Through the Winding Road MOTORCYCLE TIMES, mid-Atlantic motorcyclists are communicating their concerns, contacting their compatriots, commenting about controversies, complaining, complimenting, and cajoling.
And that’s what the MOTORCYCLE TIMES is all about.