TRIP INTERRUPTION COVERAGE. One thing Charlie St. Clair, Executive Director of Laconia Motorcycle Week, knows is the road can be pretty rough if your bike breaks down. That’s why Progressive offers Roadside Assistance for only $10 a year and Trip Interruption Coverage, which helps pay for places to stay and living expenses due to mishaps, for only $5 more.* This way, anywhere you are in the country, you’re covered. Call 1-800-PROGRESSIVE or call an independent agent. has been riding to rallies since 1972. covers each trip, there and back.
welcome to a brand new powersports experience from the ground, up. From a completely new show design to more entertainment, products, education and free stuff for you as a motorcycle enthusiast.
The progressive International motorcycle Shows will send you home happy.
ULTiMATE BUiLDER CUSTOM BikE SHOW: Elite-level custom bike competition.
MOTOFLix MOviE THEATER: daily screenings from classic motorcycle films.
ALLSTATE DiY GARAGE: roll up your sleeves and join us for some custom installation, modification and repair.
2011 MODELS: It is a motorcycle show, after all. Check out the 2011 models from top manufacturers.
Don’t sit on the sidelines. Engage in the fight for your freedoms. Go online to AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Issues and Legislation. Pick an issue that threatens your motorcycling rights. Take action by writing your representative. The AMA makes it easy to fight for, and protect, your freedoms.
While you’re online—continuing to help us fight for your freedom to ride—please renew your AMA membership. Visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com or call (800) AMA-JOIN to renew your AMA membership today.
MEETS WITH AMA ON ‘LEAD LAW’ Concerns Expressed About De Facto Ban On Kids’ Dirtbikes
AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman and others met Dec. 9 with Inez Tenebaum, chairwoman of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), to discuss the “lead law” that effectively bans kids’ dirtbikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
Dingman was joined by Ed Moreland, AMA senior vice president for government relations; Sean Hilbert, president of minimotorcycle manufacturer Cobra Moto; and Davey Coombs and Carrie Jo CoombsRussell of MX Sports, which runs the longrunning AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships.
Dingman and the others stressed that kids’ dirtbikes and ATVs must be exempted from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, which effectively bans the sale of youthsized motorcycles and ATVs.
Dingman noted the law is devastating for families who enjoy motorized recreation, and poses a risk to children who may be forced to ride bigger, more powerful machines. He also noted that the law hurts dealers in tough economic times.
Passed in 2008, the law bans the making, importing, distributing or selling of any product intended for children 12 and under that contains more than a specified amount of lead in any accessible part.
Take Action
What’s Going On? A law intended to protect kids from lead in small toys has been applied to kids’ dirtbikes and ATVs, effectively banning them.
Key Legislation: A law that would exempt kids’ dirtbikes and ATVs from the CPSIA.
What You Can Do About It: Contact your federal lawmakers to ask them to exempt kids’ dirtbikes and ATVs from the lead-content portion of the CPSIA. The easiest way to contact lawmakers is through the AMA website. Go to AmericanMotorcyclist. com > Rights > Issues and Legislation.
NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEMBER ADDED Brings Experience In Association Management To The Post
The AMA is proud to announce its newest member of the AMA Board of Directors: Dwight Conant.
Conant, an avid motorcyclist, comes to the board following the Nov. 21 board action to fill an open at-large seat, and brings considerable experience in the nonprofit and association-management realms.
A former executive with the American
Automobile Association (AAA), Conant’s experience is expected to help the Association as it focuses on its membercentric mission of preserving and protecting the motorcycle lifestyle.
The at-large positions were created in early 2010 when the number of corporate members was reduced from six to four, with an eye toward adding to the AMA Board of Directors individuals who could bring outside expertise to AMA governance. The at-large positions are filled in accordance with the Association’s bylaws, available in the “About” section of AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
Inez Tenebaum
2010 Off-HigHway Summary
The AMA Government Relations Department monitored approximately 1,373 pieces of state legislation related to both on- and off-highway riding in all 50 states and took action when necessary. Those actions included informational mailings to AMA members, news releases, testimony before state and federal lawmakers and providing information to key legislative committees. Here’s a breakdown of the off-highway legislation followed during the 2009-2010 legislative sessions around the country through Nov. 24, 2010.
Land Use: Regulation of motorized recreation (57 bills)
OHV Road Use: The use of vehicles designed for off-road use on public roads (51 bills)
Snowmobile: Trends in snowmobile program funding and regulation often precede similar trends for other OHVs (45 bills)
Motorized Trail Program: Programs that create and maintain motorized trails (33 bills)
Registration (33 bills)
OHV: Regulation of off-highway vehicles other than dirtbikes and ATVs (28 bills)
Liability and Insurance: Includes legislation affecting liability exposure for private and public motorized recreation property owners and operators, racing facility liability, and individual liability insurance requirements (28 bills)
ATV: Regulations specific to allterrain vehicles (26 bills)
Youth: Regulations involving the use of dirtbikes and ATVs by youngsters (25 bills)
Alcohol/Impaired Operation (12 bills)
Tax: Taxes levied on dirtbikes that don’t directly benefit a motorized trails program (9 bills)
Rider Education (8 bills)
Helmet Usage (7 bills)
Titling (4 bills)
Toledo Trail riderS Clean UP Tornado-devaSTaTed TrailS
Ohio’s Maumee State Park Reopens
More than 20 volunteers turned out for the Toledo (Ohio) Trail Riders clean-up day on Oct. 24 to clear damage caused by a summer tornado at the Maumee State Forest.
A devastating tornado ripped through northwestern Ohio on June 5, causing significant damage at the Forest.
Officials said the tornado made a swath about one-third of a mile wide through the heart of the 3,100-acre state forest.
Mike Bucher of the Toledo Trail Riders said he was pleased with the turnout for the clean-up effort. Riders pitched in on foot to clear trails and prune back branches.
For more information on the club, visit ToledoTrailRiders.com.
Showing Pride
New AMA License Plates Available In New York
New York motorcyclists are able to display their AMA pride on newly redesigned license plates.
The custom plates are available for both motorcycles and cars, and feature the distinctive red, white and blue AMA logo that is known worldwide.
The custom plate costs $35 for a motorcycle and $60 for a car, in addition to regular registration fees. The plates can also be personalized for an additional fee.
For more information on AMA custom plates in New York, go to NYDMV.state.ny.us/cplates.htm.
You Ask: “I’ve been riding for a few years and feel confident on the road with one exception. Freeway lane changes still make me nervous. I always perform a “head check” before I move over, but I hate taking my eyes off the road ahead (and the car in front of me). Any advice for how I can decrease my stress in these situations?”
The MSF Responds: You’re wise to perform a head check before changing lanes, to confirm that another vehicle isn’t trying to move into the same slot you are. It should not be a stressful action, if you take a few simple precautions.
First, you should already have assessed overall traffic flow, by continuous use of the Search, Evaluate, Execute (SEE) strategy. Next, do a brief mirror check to assess conditions in the lane you wish to move into, and look ahead of the vehicles in front of you to be sure they won’t be slowing while you’re make a head check. Adjust your following distance based
on traffic conditions. If you have a clear view of the traffic scene ahead, and traffic is flowing smoothly, a 2-second minimum following distance should give you enough time to make your head check without the risk of everything coming to a screeching halt in front of you at the moment you divert your eyes to the side.
In stop-and-go traffic, open up your following distance to 3 or 4 seconds to provide an extra space cushion while preparing to change lanes because there’s often a greater chance the vehicle in front of you will slow or stop while your head is turned.
Now turn on your turn signal and make your head check. Head checks should be done as quickly as possible—less than 1 second. If all is clear, make the lane change, turn off your signal, and enjoy the rest of your ride.
Find more info about the Motorcycle Safety Foundation at MSF-USA.org.
AMA Racing champions and their families, friends and fans converged on the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nev., on Saturday, Nov. 20, for the AMA Racing Championship Banquet, presented by World of Powersports.
Not only did the banquet celebrate champions in all racing disciplines, but a number of special awards acknowledged the best of the best as well.
The AMA Racing Athlete of the Year award was won by Charlie Mullins, the overall champion of the 2010 AMA Racing Rekluse National Enduro Championship Series, presented by Moose Racing. Mullins won six rounds in the 10-round
series, while also competing in the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series, where he finished second in overall points to Josh Strang.
Chris Borich won the AMA Racing ATV Athlete of the Year Award. Pennsylvania’s Borich won both the GNCC series and the AMA Racing ATV Hare Scrambles National Championship Series.
AMA Racing Amateur National Motocross Championships. Pinhancos also led AMA Team USA to the overall win at the FIM Junior World MX Championship by taking the title in the Junior 65cc class.
Motorcycle Hall of Famer Jeff Fredette was named AMA Racing Vet/ Senior Rider of the Year. Fredette not only competed in his 30th consecutive International Six Days Enduro, where he won a gold medal, but also won two National Championships: the Senior 40+ A class in the AMA Racing Rekluse National Enduro Championship Series and the 86cc-200cc Modern class at the AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships.
The AMA Racing Youth Rider of the Year was Jake Pinhancos. He won the No. 1 plate in the 65 Stock (10-11) class at the
The AMA Racing Female Rider of the Year was Maria Forsberg, from Brier, Wash., who took the Women’s class title in the GNCCs.
The late Randy Texter, a longtime fixture in the dirt-track community, was posthumously named AMA Racing Sportsman of the Year. Texter supported amateur dirt-track racers for decades and raised two children—a son and a daughter—who ascended to the highest level in the sport: AMA Pro Racing Grand National Championship competition.
AMA-chartered organizers also were recognized. Winners were Victory Sports, AMA Racing Motocross Organizer of the Year; Rausch Creek, AMA Racing OffRoad Organizer of the Year; BUB Racing Inc., AMA Racing Track Racing Organizer of the Year; Salinas Ramblers, AMA Racing Club of the Year; Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, AMA Recreational Road Riding Organizer of the Year; and Buckeye Dual Sporters, AMA Off-Road Organizer of the Year.
Racer X Illustrated won the AMA Racing Media Award for its coverage of AMAsanctioned events.
Jeff Fredette: Is he the greatest off-road Vet/Senior racer of all-time?
“I was never as fast as some of the top guys,” he says. “If you looked at the time trials, I was usually about 10th. I wasn’t as fast. I wasn’t as good. I wasn’t as experienced. But I knew, and figured out at an early age, that if I trained really hard, I could be there.”
Endurance made all the difference, he says.
“We rode for 45 minutes per moto in those days,” Hannah says. “Riders today can say whatever they want. They can go fast, and do the jumps. But until you do 45 minutes with some good guys, you don’t know what it’s like. In the summer, it’s absolutely brutal.
“What I figured out was that at 30 minutes, everybody started slowing down,” he says. “Many times, I was way back at 30 minutes, but at 45 minutes, I was in the lead. It’s because I worked at it.”
I’m still like that today. Obviously, I’m getting older and can’t beat these young kids on a bicycle when we’re out for a ride, but I still have the desire. I’m going to give everything I have.”
Back in the day, Hannah was known for his bold talk and his bolder results. But these days, Hannah figures some of that was a necessary ingredient for winning.
“Some of the trash talk in the old days was purely manufactured,” he says. “The riders who weren’t competitive with me, I loved all of them. But if you’re banging bars with me for wins, or the money, or for my contract, I didn’t particularly care for you. I don’t think Muhammad Ali liked Joe Frazier, either.
“It comes down to how you do the training during the week. It made it easier to beat a guy if you hated him on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It was artificial hate that I drummed up.”
“Some of the trash talk in the old days was purely manufactured.”
Once Hannah discovered what worked, he made it a way of life, devising an unforgiving training regimen.
“I’d do a lot of bicycle riding, and a lot of running. Basically from the time I got up, other than eating, I was on that,” Hannah says. “I’d run 10 miles, and then go ride my motorcycle, and then put in an hour and a half on the bicycle. And if you could do that all day, you could eat whatever you want, and sleep like a dead dog. There’s a lot to be said for that.”
He also adapted his mental toughness for the track. He developed a simple and extremely effective philosophy.
“Anybody can be a quitter. Anybody can be a loser—at any time. I didn’t want to be a quitter,” Hannah says. “Many times I’ve been in a race, and I’ll be in the lead and drop back to third. And I start talking to myself, going, ‘Why are you giving up? This is what you do for a living.’ I mean, I’ve trained for months, and it’s not going right. I need to give the effort. And I’ve come back and won the race. I knew I had the ability, but I had to drag it out of my gut.”
The intangible quality? Heart.
“Everybody on the start line has something in his mind that he wants to win. But most guys are beat before they start,” he says. “There are maybe 10 guys who’ve done some training and have the ability. And maybe two of them have the heart. And heart wins races. When it gets tough, your heart wins the race. Your ego drops out. The money drops out. The want drops out, and only your inner soul wins the race.
Case in point: A famous bit of contact on the racetrack with competitor Roger DeCoster, who himself went on to join Hannah in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
“I didn’t hate Roger DeCoster. He was a hero of mine. But once I started racing with him, one day he banged me at Unadilla, I was so pissed I couldn’t see straight. I wanted to break his leg,” he says. “That day there was some emotion in it, and the next weekend I rammed the crap out of him to pay him back. I slowed up and looked at him, eye to eye. He knew why I did it. He knew why, and it was over.”
to the top of the MX world, winning seven national championships. He was poised to launch one of the most dominant streaks in all of motocross history. But he had it all taken away from him. While waterskiing with fellow racer Marty Tripes, he broke his leg in 12 places when he hit a submerged rock and was catapulted onto a riverbank.
He faced a long rehabilitation, and wound up sitting out the 1980 season and then trying a comeback.
The philosophy he developed early was that this was his salvation, his path back.
“Coming back after that was tough,” he says, with unusual understatement. “I was in terrible shape. I was always used to winning, and I was getting it handed to me at races. It was tough.
“Every job, when it gets tough, it’s easy to quit. I didn’t allow myself to quit.”
His confidence became a weapon—an extremely powerful one. Hannah climbed
“But the thing is, anybody can quit. Any idiot can quit. And that’s true with any job. Every job when it gets tough, it’s easy to quit. I didn’t allow myself to quit.”
One reason is because, as one of the most popular and charismatic riders on the
The AMA Legends & Champions Weekend brought motorcyclists from all corners to the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas on Nov. 19-21. Kicking off with the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by JT Racing, and featuring the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Concours d’Elegance bike show and AMA Racing Championship Banquet, presented by World of Powersports, the weekend had something for everyone. Photos by Holly Carlyle and Kenny Hyatt.
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