Neil Fergus, one of the top riders in AMA District 37 during the 1960s who’d go on to test and develop prototype off-road motorcycles, died on July 31. He was 94 years old.

His son Doug confirmed his passing on Saturday.

“At 94 years and seven months old, he had a fantastic life! So this is not a sad announcement,” Doug stressed. “Plus, he went from taking his last ride- to his last breath in only a two week period! Perfect!”

Born in San Francisco and growing up in Sierra Madre, Fergus became interested in motorcycles as a teenager. His first bike was a Harley-Davidson V-twin that he bought at the age of 16, which he eventually took out to the Mojave for desert racing.

He was drafted into the Army in the early 1950s, where he served as a motorcycle MP. Upon his discharge, he worked as a motorcycle police officer in Pasadena on weekdays and resumed racing in District 37 events on weekends.

In 1960, Fergus and Jack Gray opened Honda of Pasadena. To promote his new dealership, he began racing a Honda 250 Scrambler but found it horribly impractical in the desert. After extensive modifications to the transmission and suspension, the bike’s performance vastyle improved and Fergus became a contender.

He narrowly missed out on the 1963 District 37 desert championship after retiring from the final race, but broke through a year later when he won the title and became the first rider to win the High Point Man of the Year on a 250cc bike. Fergus was also the first American to win a fully-fledged off-road championship on a Honda.

Despite the title, he left Honda in 1965. After a brief stint with Dot, he aligned with Bultaco-Metisse after opening the Fergus & Griffin Motorcycle Service Center in Monrovia alongside Gary Griffin. The center would also sponsor a Bultaco for Larry Bergquist, a future Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Famer and the final person to win the Mexican 1000 overall on two wheels.

Fergus would later be tasked with testing and developing prototype off-road bikes like the Yamaha DT-1 and Ducati 450 R/T. He also gave input for the Bultaco 360 El Bandido based on his own Bultacos. After closing F&G Service Center in the 1970s, he became R&D head for motorcycle parts maker Victor Products, who made items that were deemed Yamaha genuine products.

He retired from the motorcycle industry in 1980 and became a welding and fabrication contractor, which he worked until he was 88 years old. As Doug noted, he continued to ride bikes over the next four decades and well into his nineties.

Featured image credit: Doug Fergus