Tom Seymour

Board

Tom Seymour has a passion for motorcycles, business, and its community of passionate enthusiasts.

When you talk to Tom Seymour about his life and his career in motorcycling, there is one word that stands out: passionate. While some business owners are content to focus solely on themselves and the success of their business, Tom has been a tireless advocate for the entire motorcycling industry and that brought him to become a founding member and continuing Board of Directors member of the Rookies of 79. The Rookies of 79 is the single most important industry charity benefitting injured riders and their families; that is why Tom was on board, personally and through Saddlemen, since its conception. 

Throughout his more than 55 years as a passionate motorcycle enthusiast, Tom has been a rider, a racer, a race spectator, a familiar face at hundreds of motorcycle rallies, a racing sponsor, and an active industry leader. Even now that Tom is “retired,” his continued drive to support motorcycling and the Rookies of 79 suggests otherwise.

While Tom was getting an engineering degree and an MBA, he was getting an education of a very different kind outside of class. He started riding motorcycles during his college years, and that new hobby quickly turned to racing. Tom competed in multiple disciplines, including TT scrambles, short track, trials, enduro, roadracing and motocross; although he achieved moderate success locally he quickly realized his professional future was in business and not pro racing. 

Tom has been continuously involved in racing since he took his first green flag back in 1965. Saddlemen provided Tom with the opportunity not just to remain involved in motorcycle racing, but to give back to the sport that he loved so much. 

Since 1990, Saddlemen has sponsored almost 1000 racers across all disciplines of motorcycle racing. Just as Tom was never confined to one style of competition when he was racing, neither has Saddlemen or Tom limited themselves when it comes to supporting the sport. Flat track, roadracing, speedway, land speed and freestyle riders—among others—have all benefitted from Tom’s dedication. 

In addition to champions, Tom focused on supporting newcomers in the sport. The Saddlemen Rookie of the Year Awards helped shine the spotlight on the most promising up-and-coming talent, highlighting the fact that Tom has always aimed to support riders at every step of their career. Signing promising young riders to their first sponsorship deal helped encourage them to keep going for their goals and dreams, fostering the next generation of champions.

Tom has also been a member and leader in a range of other motorcycle organizations. He is on the Board of Directors for both the Trailblazers and the Rookies of ’79 Charity for Injured Racers, of which he is also a founder. Tom is a Charter Life Member of the AMA, and he has been a V-Twin Committee member of the Motorcycle Industry Council, a member of the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) and past president of Yonkers M/C, the oldest motorcycle club in the USA.