JOHN MATHERSON DIES IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH

The motorcycle sport and industry mourns the loss of John Matherson over the weekend.

According to a report in the Orange County Register, John Matherson, owner of Mission Motorsports in Irvine, CA, was killed in a motorcycle crash on the backroads of South Orange County on Saturday. He was riding solo on Rancho Carrillo Road, south of Ortega Highway, when the incident occurred. There were no known witnesses and Matherson was pronounced dead at the scene.

Parts Magazine Publisher Don Emde reflected on his long friendship with John, saying, “John has been so much a part of the motorcycle sport in Southern California for so many years, it is hard to condense it down into a brief overview. Many years ago he was involved in roadracing, then later racing the amazing dirt track Speedway sidecars. Through the years he rode virtually everything from trailbikes to roadbikes. His motorcycle retail store was right in my area in South Orange County and I enjoyed watching him and his wife Robin build their business up from a struggling little store alongside Interstate 5 in Laguna Niguel to what is now the anchor motorcycle store of the area with Mission Motorsports in Irvine.”

We’d buy all our motorcycles from John as well as the Yamaha Rhino that we turned into a project for Parts Magazine. All of the service and installation work for the project was done at Mission Motorsports. I always enjoyed stopping by his store, as you could count on John’s smiling face to greet you back in the Service Department, where John spent most of his day. It hasn’t really sunk in yet how much we’ll miss him.”

“From all of us at Parts Magazine we offer our sincere condolences to John’s wife Robin, his family, and everyone at Mission Motorsports. At this time we do not have any details regarding services, but will announce them as we learn more. Godspeed old friend.”