Geoff and Bob Fox

Both together and separately, Bob and Geoff Fox have been a positive force in motocross and motorcycle racing for more than 30 years. The Fox brothers were born and raised in the Midwest and later attended Santa Clara University in California. Both moved permanently to the state just as the motocross market was emerging.

The Fox brothers are responsible for two of the most recognized brands in off-road motorcycle racing. Geoff Fox, with Moto-X Fox Inc., gave the world the Fox head logo, and launched one of the most ubiquitous brands in motocross. Bob Fox, with Fox Factory Inc., made his mark producing state-of-the-art suspension components for off-road motorcycles, and is now the world’s leading provider of mountain-bike suspension systems. In 1965, while pursuing a PhD in Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Geoff was introduced to the sport of motocross. In 1969 he moved his young family west to California where he worked as a professor of Physics at Santa Clara University and raced motocross on Sundays. Geoff bought a new Yamaha at Grand Prix Cycles, a local Santa Clara dealership, and got to know the parts department manager. The two became riding partners, went to races together, and six months later, became partners in the dealership. Geoff was constantly keeping an eye on what was going on in the sport, and was hailed as "in-the-know" on the latest parts and bike set-ups.

Geoff passionately followed European motocross and equipment manufacturers. At a time when no English versions of CZ service manuals or replacement part numbers existed, Geoff completely disassembled a CZ in his living room and photographed every individual part. When word quickly spread about the manual, he offered it for sale by mail order to riders and motorcycle dealerships, and eventually sold thousands of copies. Thankful CZ owners were finally able to service their machines and order replacement parts using the descriptions and photographs Geoff created. The mail order and wholesale side of the dealership became very profitable and demonstrated the power of a having a national customer base. His partner in the dealership wanted to focus on selling motorcycles and opening new franchises, so in the winter of 1973 Geoff sold his share of the dealership. He began Moto-X-Fox as a national accessories distributor in February 1974. Geoff's interest in finding and distributing leading-edge parts, accessories and technology made Moto-X-Fox the source for the “latest and greatest” items right from the company’s inception. He photographed all the products and did his own catalog layouts. Geoff and his wife Josie created their original dealer list by spending a weekend in the library phone book section, collecting dealership addresses for every city in the U.S..

When the suspension revolution of the mid 70's hit, Fox was at the forefront. While the Koni shock was dominant in the MX market in 1973 and early 1974, the stress from the long-travel suspension resulted in failures and a high rebuild frequency. Geoff developed the first third-party rebuild kit for Koni shocks. In 1975 he developed his own gas emulsion shock specifically for motocross racing. Fox Racing Shox was an immediate success, and the Fox head logo was created and emblazoned on products to help market the brand.

In 1975 and 1976 Bob Fox designed and developed an air shock absorber specifically for professional motocross racing. The initial design used a single air chamber with internally adjustable damping, but it was quickly refined to a two-chamber configuration with externally adjustable damping. Brad Lackey successfully tested the initial units and soon other Team Husqvarna members used the FOX Air Shox. In 1976 Kent Howerton won the AMA 500cc MX championship on a FOX Air Shox-equipped Husqvarna. In 1977 Fox formed one of the sport's first non-factory race teams. The goal was to compete with the factory teams to promote and race-test Fox suspension technology. Team Moto-X-Fox immediately earned top non-factory team results in the AMA National Motocross Championship. Riders Pat Richter, Steve Wise, and Mark Barnett were featured in national magazines. Each rider was outfitted with custom race team apparel featuring the logo and vibrant orange, yellow, and red. The company continued to bring innovative products to market, including the first air fork kit designed by Steve Simons. Bob and Steve would later become giants in the suspension business, with Bob's Fox Airshox dominating Pro racing in 1977 and Steve's upside-down fork and cartridge rod design changing the suspension landscape forever. The company became a leading distributor of motocross performance parts, clothing and accessories. As the demand for Fox performance riding apparel surpassed that of the suspension and performance parts, Fox focused on designing, developing, and selling the finest protective motocross apparel available. The Fox logo is now arguably the most recognized motocross icon around the world, and the company has offices on three continents. Fox has a history of sponsoring the best Motocross racers, with past and present names such as Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Dungee, James Stewart, Jeremy McGrath, Doug Henry, Damon Bradshaw, and Brad Lackey. The company is also produces the world’s leading brand of mountain bike riding gear. "It is a high honor to know that in December my brother, Bob, and I will be inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame," said Geoff Fox. "Neither of us ever expected we would deserve this recognition. As for myself, I believe that although my wife, Josie, and I established the firm foundation of business success, it has been the second generation, led by our kids, which has constructed the imposing edifice that is so visible around the world today."

Bob Fox added: "The Motorcycle Hall of Fame is truly the Who's Who of Motorcycling past and present, and I am positively thrilled about being nominated to join that very special group. Over the last 35-plus years, I've had the pleasure and privilege of working with, racing with -- and just plain getting to know -- so many really terrific individuals in motorcycling. I look forward to further broadening and deepening those relationships as a member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame." Bob and Geoff Fox were inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2009.