Today, O’Neal is still pushing the envelope as it enters its fiftieth year in motocross and what better way to celebrate that milestone than with a look back at how it all got started. Their sponsored riders include motocross luminaries André Malherbe, Kent Howerton, Erik Kehoe, Jim Holley, Darrell Shultz, Doug Dubach, Mike Craig, Mike LaRocco, Jimmy Button, Tim Ferry, Grant Langston, and Dean Wilson. Along the way, O’Neal has provided style and protection for National and World champions, rising stars, journeyman privateers, and countless weekend warriors. O’Neal Distributing would morph into O’Neal USA in the 1980s, transform to O’Neal Racing in the 1990s, and rebrand itself once again as O’Neal Motocross in the 2000s. If that was a little too pricey, you could also opt for O’Neal’s M.Robert plastic boot at a more reasonable $109 (a bargain at $335).įrom this humble beginning launched one of the most successful motocross gear brands of the last forty years. The pants were paired with a new Ultra-Lite jersey that went for $16.50 ($50.75 today) and an O’Neal AXO boot that cost $139 (a whopping $427 in 2019 dollars). In 1980, O’Neal launched its new Griffs-built pants under the name of “Ultra-Lite” with a price tag of $84.95 ($280 in today’s dollars). They were pioneers in the transition from leather to nylon riding gear and a provider of pants for the Big Four’s OEM-branded gear as well as early pants provider for Moto-X Fox, Answer and eventually, O’Neal.Īn early manufacturer of motocross pants for several companies including O’Neal, Moto-X Fox, and Answer, Griffs helped pioneer the move from heavyweight leather pants to the lightweight nylon ones in the late seventies. Today, Griffs is largely forgotten, but they were a major player in the apparel business in the late seventies and early eighties. They signed up with AXO to help design and distribute a new boot for the American market and partnered with Griffs to produce an O’Neal branded nylon riding pant. In the late seventies, O’Neal made the decision to expand into its own branded apparel. Joffa, Scott USA, Oakley, Carrera, Electro, Gold Belt and AXO were all early O’Neal partners. Eventually, this led to partnerships with several existing apparel makers. This was quite a novel service in 1974 when it was not as easy as ordering some iron-on transfers and doing it yourself. In 1974, O’Neal made its first foray into riding apparel by offering to customize other brand’s jerseys with a name and number. O’Neal Distributing’s first major product success Preston Petty’s innovative plastic fenders and bodywork. As an early partner of Preston Petty, O’Neal was in the perfect position to capitalize on the huge success these revolutionary products provided. With the arrival of Petty’s rugged and resilient plastic fenders, a whole new world of crashworthiness was introduced. Today, of course, we take tough and flexible fenders for granted, but in 1971 the standard was inflexible steel or fragile fiberglass. In the case of O’Neal, their first big break (if you’ll pardon the pun) had been Preston Petty’s “unbreakable” fenders. If you had the cash and a little know-how, just about any machine could be transformed from a sow’s ear into a silk purse by the aftermarket in the 1970s.įor O’Neal’s first ten years they were a distribution business that focused on selling aftermarket motorcycle accessories. Fenders, shocks, wheels, motor parts and even complete frames were all popular upgrades. With so many pressing needs to be filled, companies like O’Neal, DG, Moto-X Fox, Answer, and FMF were more than happy to step in to offer solutions. Fragile bodywork, shoddy electricals, and flimsy switchgear were all common problems facing aspiring racers of the day. The sport was experiencing tremendous growth in popularity and participation and even the best machines of the time needed significant upgrades to make the most of their potential. At the time, selling aftermarket accessories for motocross and off-road motorcycling was a huge business in America. Much like Moto-X Fox and Answer Products, the origins of O’Neal are based on fenders and tires rather than kidney belts and jerseys.įor most of the first decade of its existence, this was the core business of O’Neal Distributing (as it was known at the time).
Started in 1970 by motorcycle enthusiast Jim O’Neal, the brand that bears his name began not as a gear company, but rather as a distributor of hard parts.
The 2020 season will mark the fiftieth anniversary of one of the most historic brands in the sport of motocross – O’Neal USA.
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