detroit, michigan
Joseph Burtoni
@burtonimotors
How long have you been riding
I started riding when I was 3 years old onboard a little 50cc. My grandfather built training wheels for the motorcycle and would walk behind me with a kill cord. I actually still have the bike, it’s painted in Lamborghini Diablo 30th Anniversary Purple and my name is written in gold-leaf.
Now that I’m 31, there’s only been a short gap in time when I did not have a motorcycle (I moved to NYC where dealing with motorcycle ownership would have been too much). So, 27 or so years onboard a motorcycle.
Why did you start riding?
It’s in my blood. My grandfather built and raced flat track bikes for the San Jose mile when he was a teenager and continued building old British twins for years. My dad could hold his own on any trail. I always wanted to ride when I was young, there was something about the speed and adventure that you could only feel on a motorcycle.
As I’ve grown older I use motorcycles as a cheaper (maybe not that cheap) form of therapy. It allows me to disconnect from my very digitally-focused career and just relax.
HOW’S YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN WITH ROYAL ENFIELD SO FAR?
When I was living in Berlin, Germany I entered one of the motorcycle shops and saw a Continental GT 535 and absolutely fell in love with the proportions and styling. When the GT 650 was announced I immediately knew I needed one and was lucky enough to grab one of the very first ones in Michigan.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND ABOUT WHO YOU ARE & WHY YOU ARE SO AWESOME.
I’m a small-town boy from Colorado that loves to travel. After spending time in NYC and Berlin, I’ve settled down in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan.
I’ve spent the last 10 years working as a Director of Digital Strategy with a focus on Social Media for brands like Mercedes-Benz, smart, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Ram, and so many more. I’m lucky enough that I get to talk about cars all day, and people pay me to do it.
If I’m not working, I’m usually in my garage tinkering on something and filming something for YouTube.
When I was living in Berlin, Germany I entered one of the motorcycle shops and saw a Continental GT 535 and absolutely fell in love with the proportions and styling. When the GT 650 was announced I immediately knew I needed one, so was lucky enough to grab one of the very first ones in Michigan.
