AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and co-founder of air filter brand K&N Norm McDonald has passed away at the age of 93. Inducted to the Hall in 2013, McDonald contributed to the industry as a racer, tuner, and businessman.
McDonald started riding at the age of 17, but it wasn’t until he completed service with the U.S. Navy from 1952 to 1955 that he started racing. In 1957, he met Ken Johnson, and soon after, the pair opened K&N Motorcycles (for Ken and Norm) in Loma Linda, California. It was that same shop that later hired a 17-year-old named Malcolm Smith, who also made a Hall of Fame impact to the motorcycle industry.
In 1966, Johnson and McDonald opened K&N Engineering, developing handlebars, fork braces, fenders, and air filters, which became the company’s signature product…