The new CBR1000RR. Simply put, the 2012 CBR®1000RR is the essential superbike. And our best yet. It all starts with our powerful 999cc liquid-cooled inline-four. We then added a revolutionary Balance Free Rear Shock for smoother damping and enhanced rear wheel tracking. A Big Piston Fork for superior front-end feedback. Attractive 12-spoke aluminum wheels. And new bodywork for improved aerodynamics and a more aggressive appearance. Put all the pieces together, and you’ve got the perfect combination of power, weight, handling and suspension in a package that delivers the ultimate in rider control. Find yours today at your Honda Dealer.
CONCRETE JUNGLE
Tame the challenges of urban riding—or anywhere the ride takes you—with the Tour Master® Centurion one-piece riding suit.
• Serious all-weather one-piece riding suit
• 600-denier Carbolex® shell with tough 1680-denier ballistic polyester panels in the shoulders, forearms and knees
• Phoslite ® dark reflective piping, wide strips across the back and rear triangle increase nighttime visibility
• Waterproof and breathable Rainguard® barrier • Aqua-Barrier under-the-helmet hood eliminates rain seepage in collar area. Hood stows easily in a hidden collar pocket
• Collar anchor tab eliminates flapping while collar is open • Carbolex ® accordion stretch material in back, knees and waist for increased flexibility
• Removable neck gaiter seals the neck area from wind and cold
• Waterproof zippered shoulder, chest, sleeve, thigh and rear-exit vents
• Pipeline Ventilation System provides cooling airflow
• Convenient collar-to-knee-length main zipper closure with dual wind flap
• Adjustable sleeve take-up straps at forearm and bicep
• Articulated triple-density back protector
• Fleece-lined collar and cuffs
• Removable, CE-approved armor at elbows, shoulders and knees
• Zippered sleeve key pocket and flap-closure bellows thigh pockets
• Adjustable waist belts
NAVIGATION
Cover
April is AMA Get Out and Ride! month, and Kevin Parsons is among the AMA members who will be criss-crossing the country on the road to adventure. He offers up some great riding destinations around the United States, beginning on page 36. Photos: Sjodin Photography.
Navigation Photo “In September of 2011 I rode with Alex and Manuel De La Cruz from New York City to Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Utah, Arizona and Colorado.” Photo: Ken Cromer
American Motorcyclist magazine (ISSN 0277-9358) is published monthly by the American Motorcyclist Association, 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington, OH 43147. Copyright by the American Motorcyclist Association/American Motorcyclist 2012. Printed in USA. Subscription rate: Magazine subscription fee of $10 covered in membership dues; $15 a year for non-members.
Postmaster: Mail form 3579 to 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington, OH 43147. Periodical postage paid at Pickerington, Ohio, and at additional mailing offices.
April 2012
Volume 66, Number 4
Published by the American Motorcyclist Association 13515 Yarmouth Dr. Pickerington, OH 43147 (800) AMA-JOIN (262-5646) AmericanMotorcyclist.com
10. LETTERS
You write, we read.
14. WAYNE ALLARD
Protecting your freedom to ride.
16. RIGHTS
AMA earns grassroots innovation award, and bike bans in California.
22. RIDING
Columbus, Ohio, dealer Bob Althoff, and new AMA Board member Ken Ford.
28. RACING
Four questions with Arenacross racer Vicki Golden, and Kurt Caselli wins.
32.
HALL OF FAME
Jim Rice’s 1957 BSA Goldstar dirt-tracker, and Hall of Famer Bill Tuman.
36.
GET OUT AND RIDE THE U.S. OF A.
AMA member and uber-tourer Kevin Parsons offers up 10 highlight rides to make this the best year yet.
42. GROUND ZERO IN SOUND BATTLE
A New Hampshire lawmaker wants motorcycle exhaust systems to display a federal Environmental Protection Agency sound-compliance label, touching off a firestorm.
Jim Williams, VP Industry Relations & Corporate Member Programs
MEMBER LETTERS
LETTER OF THE MONTH CHARTER MEMBER
Thank you for the Charter Life Membership Certificate. It is framed, and I have it hanging on my wall with pride. I first became an AMA member in 1950, and I have been proud to ride and race with an AMA membership card and AMA rulebook over the years. I want to thank the AMA for the wonderful work you have done over the years. Keep up the good work in protecting the motorcyclist and our wonderful sport.
C.H. Wheat Moreno Valley, Calif.
POLICE TRAINING
Send your letters (and a high-resolution photo) to submissions@ama-cycle.org; or mail to 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147.
Each month, a lucky AMA member wins a Bike Bandit gift card worth $100. Didn’t win? No worries. You can still take advantage of your 10% AMA member discount at BikeBandit.com.
I just finished the February article about Midwest Police Motorcycle Training, instructed by Doug Wolf. I read the piece with great interest, as I was fortunate enough to take the course in its infancy through Michigan State University at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit.
I had to laugh to myself while reading the author’s description of target fixation, as I can still see all the cones I ran over and remember all the times I had to pick my bike up after I had fallen over, until I got it right.
As a 27-year rider (self-taught) when I showed up for the class, I considered myself a pretty good rider. I had ridden a couple hundred thousand-plus miles all over the country, and had never had a mishap. I soon learned how limited my knowledge was.
What I learned in that course was that the capability of the bike was far beyond what my comfort zone had been to that point in time. It’s a comfort to know now that I’m capable of far more response in an emergency.
I must fess up and tell you that after mastering all the lessons in practice, on test day Doug pulled me off the course. I was too wired to do anything right. (I never did like tests.) But like I told Doug that day, I know I’m a better rider because of his course. Those lessons saved my bacon of couple of years later when a four-wheeler decided to use the space I was in.
If you get the chance to take this
course, I highly recommend it.
Dale Vollmers
Mayville, Mich.
MORE ON LANE POSITIONING
March’s “Ask the MSF” column topic was on lane position in a left-turn lane. Jim Ouellet is one of the Hurt report authors, and he wrote a paper on the topic of lane position choices for the 1990 MSF International Motorcycle Safety Conference. The last line of the abstract below sums up how important lane positioning can be:
Lane Positioning for Collision Avoidance: An Hypothesis by James V. Ouellet, Proceedings of the 1990 MSF International Motorcycle Safety Conference, pp 9-58-79, 1990:
“Collision avoidance for motorcycles is usually synonymous with braking and swerving. Except for conspicuity, research and training in collision prevention have focused almost exclusively on the two evasive actions. However, in motorcycle/car collisions, the emphasis on braking and swerving—and on antilock braking systems—may be overrated. Braking often can do little to delay the rider’s arrival at point of impact; swerving requires more time than is usually available, and panicky riders often bungle what little chance they have to avoid a collision. This paper presents a mathematical reconstruction of the two most common motorcycle/car collision scenarios: a car turning left across the path of a motorcycle coming from the
opposite direction, and perpendicular intersection collisions. It examines the effect of 1) initial motorcycle lane position and 2) braking effectiveness on collision avoidance. The reconstruction suggests that the motorcycle rider can do more to avoid a collision by moving laterally away from a threatening vehicle, putting at least one lane-width between them, before a vehicle begins to violate his right-of-way, than he can by effective braking after the other vehicle has begun to violate his right-of-way.”
David Thom AMA Life Member Plus Torrance, Calif.
PARTNERS IN THE FIGHT
Your article about the lead law and its potential to kill the sport by attrition was very good. I think it would be good to follow up with why it is important for folks to support their state organizations, too.
Consider the Ohio Motorized Trails Association (OMTA) as an example (and use anyone you wish). The farm bureau and a legislator put in a bill for consideration that would have required anyone who rides a motorized vehicle on public or private property in Ohio to have a driver’s license. It would have effectively blocked anyone under 16 from riding legally. Our legislative affairs liaison, Matthew Mesarchik, changed the course of a damaging bill into a positive outcome.
Your partners in the struggle, the state organizations, are at the forefront to save our riding in the states.
William Kaeppner President OMTA
CELEBRATING 95 YEARS
The family-oriented Manchester Motorcycle Club in New Hampshire has been in existence since 1915.
Originally a bicycle club, born in the days of the bicycle craze during the late 1890s, it was then known as the “Queen City Riders.”
The club was founded in 1896 by Pete Forest, who was a bicycle dealer at the time. He envisioned a new form of twowheel conveyance when the motorcycle made its appearance.
In the1910s, the automobile was considered a toy but the motorcycle was a more affordable alternative to the general population. Realizing this, Forest branched his bicycle dealership to form Manchester’s first Harley-Davidson
dealership in 1914.
In 1915 he formed the “Forest Riders,” which was also chartered with the AMA at that time.
As the club evolved over the years, the name was changed to the “Manchester Motorcycle Club,” which was incorporated in 1943.
Today, the Manchester Motorcycle Club is thriving and actively riding, predominantly on New Hampshire back roads.
Our current president is Peter Pitman, who has been in this office for about three years. He has provided members with exceptional leadership as well as a genuine joy of motorcycling, which easily transfers to all members, being either a novice or experienced rider.
Rides that club members presently enjoy include excursions to the White Mountains, the scenic New Hampshire Lake Regions and the Maine seacoast. Various charity rides are enjoyed as well—a few that come to mind benefit the Salvation Army Christmas Toy Drive, the Lions Clubs and the Litchfield Fire Department.
There also is the Annual Colebrook Blessing of the Bikes at the Oblate Mission Retreat House in Colebrook, N.H.
We welcome new members who enjoy motorcycling. Feel free to visit our website at MMC1915.org for current and more detailed information.
Hubert Letendre Lowell, Mass.
FEBRUARY RIDE
West Michigan, February—images of vast white landscapes, barren trees, frozen lakes and gray skies come to mind. My spirit has been like winter as well, cold and gray.
Saturday, Feb. 4, was different though. This winter is different. We have no snow. When I opened my eyes the room was bright. The sky is a brilliant color of blue. There is a big orange and yellow light in the sky; it’s the sun. There’s fresh coffee in my Harley mug, and the fireplace is glowing and warm. The kids are playing Guitar Hero on the Wii downstairs. My lovely lady is under a blanket on the couch sipping tea and watching Saturday morning TV. I sit at the computer to check emails and sip my Folgers.
Off in the distance I hear something. Its sound is muffled through the walls of our home. It’s calling to me. It says, “let’s go for a ride, let’s go for a ride.” I finish my Folgers and take a hot shower—all the while I hear it calling to me “let’s go for a ride.” I get
dressed and step outside. The voice is much stronger now.
I open my garage, and the source is revealed. It’s “The Black Pearl,” my 2009 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide, black denim in color, garnished with trinkets and bobbles of chrome. I push a button and a large door opens. Then I prepare—first the chaps and the leather jacket, and then the leather vest with the pirate patch on the back. Next go on my helmet and leather gloves. I throw a leg over and climb aboard, settling into the captain’s chair. I flip a switch, hit a button and the Pearl roars to life. I pull in the clutch, drop her into first gear, let out the clutch and off we go.
I get on a main road and give the throttle a good twist, blowing the dust off. I get into heavy traffic and as I look around the people in their cages are pointing and talking. Envy is all around me. I head for the countryside and less traffic. The air is crisp as I breathe it in. The sound of my Harley and the rush of the wind is the only music I hear. As time and the miles go by, I can feel my soul being rejuvenated.
As the sun closes in on the horizon, I head back to safe harbor. I pull in the drive and come to a stop. I kick out the stand and remove my helmet. I let out a yell that the neighborhood can hear, “Woo-hoo! Yeah, Baby! That’s what I’m talking about!” I feel alive! I look to the heavens and I say, “Thank you, God, for my February ride.”
Steve McDonald Comstock Park, Mich.
On Facebook? Us, too! This month, AMA members offer up their suggestions for cool ways to use your motorcycle.
www.facebook.com/AmericanMotorcyclist
Fred Crown: I sing inside my helmet with the face shield down so I don’t scare the wildlife. Better than the shower!
Dan Morton: Best off-road riding on the east coast. Coal Country, central Pennsylvania.
Curt Lewis: A ride to Yosemite is always a winner, or to some of the other fantastic California roads. Highway 229 just east of Atascadero is only 6 miles long, but it’s such a delicious treat. Highway 1 north of Fort Bragg, from the coast to the town of Leggett, is about 25 miles of the most awesome S-turns and the trip up the coast to get there is not only very scenic, but the twisties will put a big grin on your face.
James Sanders: Sleep, eat, ride! Meet my riding buddies at a great breakfast restaurant, ride some fantastic roads to an iconic motorcycle destination in So-Cal, Newcomb’s Ranch, the Rock Store, the Lookout, Hell’s Kitchen, Mother’s. It never gets old.
Brian Dickerson: Take a class to sharpen your riding skills, there is nothing as cool as someone who can really handle a motorcycle!
Larry Langley: We did a couples ride up to Northern California and back. Each couple drew a day to organize. They had to choose where to eat, where to sleep and the day’s route (destination somewhat determined in advance). It worked out great! Each couple tried to outdo each other. One of our best trips ever. And we had an after-ride party where we showed our pics of the ride.
Steve McDonald
VIEWPOINT
PROTECTING YOUR FREEDOM TO RIDE Always On Guard
By Wayne Allard
Access to ride on public roads and trails has become one of the top priorities in the Government Relations Department of the American Motorcyclist Association. That’s because elected and appointed officials from Congress to the courthouse seem intent on restricting our access to roads and trails. While this is sometimes due to budget shortfalls and the need to cut maintenance costs, many times it is simply because these officials do not understand how important it is to give riders who want an outdoor experience the opportunity to use our public lands.
Every day unelected officials are attempting to circumvent the U.S. Congress, and local elected officials are closing down riding opportunities. The AMA government relations staff spends considerable time with bureaucrats who have taken it upon themselves to restrict access to roads and trails across America.
Road closure advocates and their agency friends even try to make the argument that restricting access to motorized vehicle use promotes jobs. Nothing could be further from the truth, and we’ve exposed these claims as covert attempts to take away our freedom to ride. It is because of these enhanced efforts to shut motorcyclists out of public lands that the AMA is making access to off-highway roads and trails a top priority for this year.
We have spent countless hours reminding these agency officials that our national forests and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands were designed for “multiple use.” That means responsible individuals who need or want to use our public lands for various beneficial purposes should not be excluded. These same bureaucrats take liberties with the term “wild” or “wilderness” to include areas where roads, trails, buildings, and even waste dumps already exist.
Federal agencies now are trying to close roads and trails under the guise of “resource management plans,” claiming they have authority to close them without congressional action. This despite the fact that the Wilderness law states that an agency can’t create federal Wilderness—only Congress may do so.
Management of our national public lands is guided by the Multiple Use-Sustained Yield Act of 1960. The act encourages a wide variety of activities, provided that they take place in harmony with natural resource values. Congress has given authority to various agencies to properly manage public lands for people to enjoy such as the U.S. Forest Service, BLM, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. However, these agencies, through their actions, are usurping congressional authority regarding the disposition of public lands.
For the record, the AMA fully supports appropriate Wilderness designations as defined by the Wilderness Act of 1964 and where there is broad local support. More importantly, we advocate for responsible recreational access to public lands for
the use of off-highway vehicles (OHVs), including off-highway motorcycles, dual-sport motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). While the AMA recognizes that no single recreation type is appropriate for every setting, there are certainly many places where OHV use can exist in harmony with other uses while preserving important natural and cultural resources.
Last year we sent out more than 1 million communications to motorcyclists encouraging our grassroots activists to contact their elected representatives and agency officials. Now, we are asking grassroots supporters to take part in land-use advisory committees that work with decision makers,
The AMA and its members have become the envy of many membership organizations with regard to grassroots mobilization. We recently won a prestigious Grassroots Innovation Award from the Public Affairs Council—the leading national association for public affairs professionals. The award was presented in recognition of the “AMA Kids Just Want to Ride!” grassroots campaign that encouraged people nationwide to get involved in an effort to overturn a federal ban on the sale of kids’ dirtbikes and ATVs. Simply put, we joined together to send a resounding message to lawmakers that we will not tolerate unfair laws that threaten the very foundation of motorcycling. And it worked.
The AMA has developed the necessary tools to give motorcyclists an unprecedented opportunity to help educate and influence elected officials. Become familiar with the AMA’s position in support of access to public lands by going to AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Position Statements > Support Of Access To Public Lands. Then, be sure to visit the AMA website, AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights, each week to stay informed about the latest issues facing the riding community and how you can make your voice heard.
So much is happening with your rights as a motorcyclist that I urge you to sign up to receive our email action alerts by going to AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Issues & Legislation.
We’ve demonstrated that when we stand together we can make a difference. Now is the time for each of us to do our part.
Wayne Allard is a former U.S. senator and U.S. representative who is now the AMA vice president for government relations.
MOST BIKERS ARE ALSO SOMETHING ELSE. GOOD THING WE COVER ALL KINDS.
Nobody insures more bikes than Progressive. So nobody knows bikers, or what they need, better. Ready to ride with America’s #1 motorcycle insurer? Visit progressive.com, call 1-800-PROGRESSIVE or a local agent today.
RIGHTS
AMA EARNS GRASSROOTS INNOVATION AWARD
AMA ‘Kids Just Want To Ride!’ Campaign Honored
The AMA and AMA Grassroots Coordinator Jessica Irving have earned a Grassroots Innovation Award for the AMA’s inventive campaign to involve the public in overturning a federal ban on the sale of kids’ dirtbikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
It’s the second prestigious honor bestowed on the AMA for its efforts to overturn the ban. Earlier, in its annual “Best of” awards for 2011, Motorcycle-USA.com, a leading online motorcycle magazine, named the AMA as its “Industry Leader.”
The Grassroots Innovation Award was presented by the Public Affairs Council—a nonpartisan, nonpolitical association for public affairs professionals.
The organization presented the award to Irving in the “social media” category at its National Grassroots Conference in Miami Beach, Fla., in early February.
The award was presented for the AMA Kids Just Want to Ride! grassroots campaign—a national educational and recruitment movement that encouraged people nationwide to get involved in efforts to overturn the ban.
The AMA Kids Just Want to Ride! campaign was instrumental
TWO CALIFORNIA GROUPS NOW BATTLING BIKE BANS
Riders In Gated Communities Want Change
Motorcyclists at the Lake Wildwood, Calif., gated community where motorcycles are banned are considering their next move now that the community’s governing board refuses to enter into binding arbitration over the issue.
Meanwhile, motorcyclists at the 4,500-home Canyon Lake, Calif., gated community that bans motorcycles are organizing to try to get the ban overturned in their community as well. They’re circulating a petition to change the
in bringing hundreds of young motorcyclists, their parents and concerned riders from more than 20 states to Washington, D.C., on May 26 for the AMA Family Capitol Hill Climb to lobby their U.S. representatives. The event was a strong demonstration of public opposition to the ban on the sale of kid-sized motorcycles and ATVs.
“We’re honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award from the well-respected Public Affairs Council,” says Rob Dingman, AMA president and CEO. “We put a tremendous effort into the Kids Just Want to Ride! campaign, but the true heroes are all the AMA members, individuals and organizations who came together as a community for the good of the children.”
On Aug. 12, President Barack Obama signed H.R. 2715 to exempt kids’ off-highway vehicles (OHVs) from the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), called the lead law.
The CPSIA, which went into effect on Feb. 10, 2009, banned the making, importing, distributing or selling of any product intended for children 12 and under, including kids’ dirtbikes and ATVs, that had more than a specificed amount of lead in accessible parts.
community’s bylaws to allow residents to ride their motorcycles to their homes.
Specifically, they want the issue put on the association ballot in May for a vote.
Lake Wildwood is a 3,000-home gated community in Penn Valley, Calif., about an hour north of Sacramento. The community has had a ban on motorcycles since the early 1970s, forcing resident motorcyclists to park their bikes in a lot outside the community entrance gate.
AMA member Bob Bumgarner and the Lake Wildwood Motorcycle Club want the governing board to grant a variance on a case-by-case basis for motorcycles that have federal Environmental
Protection Agency sound-compliant exhaust systems, since residents seem concerned about excessive sound.
On Nov. 3, Bumgarner and the others proposed that the matter go to binding arbitration but the community board rejected the request.
“We’re now pressing a couple of requests for reasonable accommodation
Most drivers say they will answer a telephone call while driving, and many say they will send a text message.
But almost all of them also say they would feel unsafe if they were a passenger in a car and the driver was sending a text message.
That’s one of the surprising findings of the “National Phone Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors” released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in December.
The new survey involved telephone interviews with more than 6,000 drivers across the United States.
Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations, says that distracted or inattentive driving has become a major concern to the motorcycling community.
“Far too many cases have been documented of motorcyclists being injured or killed as the result of other vehicle operators being distracted or inattentive,” he says.
Survey respondents indicated that although they answer calls on most trips and acknowledged few driving situations when they wouldn’t use the phone or text, most support bans on texting and cellphone use.
“The findings from our new attitude survey help us understand why some people continue to make bad decisions about driving distracted—but what’s clear
from all of the information we have is that driver distraction continues to be a major problem,” says NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “We need to maintain our focus on this issue through education, laws, enforcement and vehicle design to help keep drivers’ attention on the road.”
The report also notes: “Overall, only about two-thirds of respondents reported that they could take their eyes off the road for 2 seconds or less before driving becomes significantly more dangerous and young drivers were more likely to indicate that they could take their eyes off the road for 5 to 10 seconds or more.”
The AMA Board of Directors has adopted an official position on distracted driving and inattentive vehicle operation. As part of the official statement, the AMA supports legislation that includes enhanced penalty options for distracted and inattentive vehicle operation to be determined by the courts.
Allard says that the AMA’s official statement recognizes that all road users—car drivers, truck drivers, motorcyclists and even bicyclists—are responsible for the safe operation of their vehicles on public roads and highways.
The complete position statement can be found on the AMA website at AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Resources.
STATEWATCH
CALIFORNIA
State and local law enforcement agencies that get motorcycle safety grant money would be barred from using that money for motorcycle-only checkpoints, under Assembly Bill 1047, sponsored by Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries (R- Lake Elsinore).
In other news, Lt. Colleen McMahon, a veteran of the Santa Cruz Police Department, has become the first female motorcycle officer in the department’s 145year history. McMahon completed a rigorous certification process through the Alameda County Sheriff’s Motor Academy.
GEORGIA
The state Transportation Department would be barred from designating High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes after June 30 unless the General Assembly specifically allows it, under Senate Bill 347, sponsored by Sen. Curt Thompson (D-Tucker).
MINNESOTA
A road guard certificate program would be established under House File 2008, sponsored by Rep. Bud Nornes (R-Fergus Falls), which would allow qualified certificate holders to act as flaggers while escorting a
motorcycle group ride. A flagger would be permitted to direct motorcyclists within a group ride or other vehicle traffic, overriding traffic-control devices including stop signs and traffic-control signals. Anyone operating a vehicle stopped by a flagger could proceed only on instruction by the flagger or a police officer.
MISSOURI
Operating a motor vehicle on roads and highways in a distracted manner would be a class C misdemeanor, under Senate Bill 717, sponsored by Sen. Bill Stouffer (R-Napton). A vehicle crash involving distracted driving would elevate the penalty to a class A misdemeanor. Operating a motor vehicle while distracted would be defined as failure to give full time and attention or failure to maintain a proper lookout, or engaging in any other activity which caused the operator to be distracted from the primary mission of driving the vehicle..
NEW MEXICO
The New Mexico Off-Highway Vehicle Alliance (NMOHVA) has filed a protest with federal land managers over a proposed land trade with a northern New Mexico Pueblo tribe. NMOHVA says trading up to 3,200
acres of the El Palacio OHV Area to the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo would splice up an area that has been used for recreation for more than two decades.
OKLAHOMA
Riders over 18 who choose to ride without a helmet would be required to carry at least $10,000 in medical benefits to cover injuries resulting from a crash while operating or riding a motorcycle, under House Bill 2830, sponsored by Rep. Sean Roberts (R-Hominy).
RHODE ISLAND
Landowners who allow their property to be used for an instructional educational course for a certified motorcycle rider education program would have immunity from liability for property damage, personal injury, or wrongful death, under House Bill 7269, sponsored by Robert Jacquard (D-Cranston).
SOUTH CAROLINA
The state Transportation Department would erect traffic signs that promote motorcycle safety at locations that are deemed high motorcycle traffic areas, under House Bill 4584, sponsored by Rep. Todd Atwater (R-Lexington).
Off-Highway Fights
Your Right To Ride And Race Under Attack
U.S. HOUSE BILL FUNDS TRAILS
Measure Faces Tough Battle In Senate
Renewed funding for motorized trails and a ban on funding for motorcycle-only checkpoints are included in a federal transportation bill approved by a key U.S. House committee.
On Feb. 2, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a transportation funding authorization bill: H.R. 7, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012. The measure now goes to the full House for a vote before moving to the Senate.
Because the Senate has its own version of the bill, the spending plan will eventually end up in a House-Senate conference committee where differences will be worked out before going back to both chambers for final approval.
The Senate version would end the dedicated funding for the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), which provides money to states to develop and maintain trails. RTP is considered to be one of the most beneficial off-highway riding laws ever passed by Congress.
The House measure allocates $85 million a year through 2016 for the RTP.
“Motorcyclists and all-terrain vehicle riders spoke, and federal lawmakers listened,” says Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations.
“We want to thank the members of the House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee for their hard work in putting together this massive transportation bill, and for preserving provisions that benefit our members.”
Funds for the RTP come from the federal Highway Trust Fund and represent a portion of the federal motor fuel excise tax collected from non-highway recreational fuel use. In other words, taxes generated by fuel used for off-highway vehicle recreation—by snowmobiles, allterrain vehicles, off-road motorcycles and off-highway light trucks—fund the RTP.
The RTP provides funds to the states to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both non-motorized and motorized recreational trail uses. It’s a program of the U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Highway Administration. The RTP program benefits hiking, bicycling, in-line skating, equestrian use, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, off-road motorcycling, ATV riding and other off-road vehicles uses.
NO MONEY FOR TRAFFIC CHECKPOINTS
CALIFORNIA COURT REJECTS SIERRA CLUB LAWSUIT
Group Attacked
Oceano Dunes Riding
A California appeals court has rejected a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club that tried to stop off-highway vehicle (OHV) riding at a 584-acre section of Oceano Dunes.
On Jan. 9, the state Court of Appeals ruled that the Sierra Club waited too long to challenge a permit issued in 1982 that allows riding on the land. The appeals court upheld an earlier ruling by a San Luis Obispo Superior Court.
“Despite two pleading attempts, Sierra Club has failed to allege that State Parks has a clear and present ministerial duty to ban activities in the La Grande Tract,” the appeals court said.
“The presumption is that the Coastal Commission, the county and State Parks have weighed the competing interests and are acting in the best interest of everyone, including the Sierra Club,” the court said.
The Sierra Club vowed to continue its fight to ban riding at the tract.
Meanwhile, the Friends of Oceano Dunes filed a lawsuit on Jan. 4 in an attempt to block a new rule that could have a major impact on off-road riding at the popular 3,600-acre Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA).
The Friends of Oceano Dunes filed the suit in San Luis Obispo Superior Court asking the court to invalidate a rule issued late last year by the San Luis Obispo Air Pollution Control District board that requires the state to cut down on the particulates blowing from the sand dunes or face daily fines of up to $1,000.
The Friends of Oceano Dunes allege the board failed to prove that OHVs cause particulate problems.
Besides including RTP funding, H.R. 7 in Congress bars the U.S. transportation secretary from providing grants to states and local governments for motorcycle-only checkpoints, which are opposed by the AMA. The AMA has been tracking the disturbing development of motorcycle-only checkpoints since they first appeared in New York several years ago. “The AMA believes that the primary source of motorcycle safety is in motorcycle crash prevention and not in arbitrarily pulling over riders and randomly subjecting them to roadside inspections,” says Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations. The House bill also provides funding for state motorcycle safety programs.
Photos Off-highway: James Holter; Oceano: Frank Hoppen; Checkpoints: Jeff Kardas
FASTEST JUST GOT FASTER.
MORE THAN 35 KEY IMPROVEMENTS ON THE NEW S 1000 RR.
BMW Motorrad took the world by storm with the introduction of the original S 1000 RR. Now, only two years after its introduction, we’ve made more than 35 significant improvements. The NEW second generation RR is poised to retain its crown as the King of the Superbikes.
Already, the RR has amassed 120 race victories, 10 championship titles, 60 podium finishes, 40 “best in test” awards, 20 design accolades and 30 riders’ choice awards. The 2012 BMW S 1000 RR is more than just the best. It‘s superbike royalty. Long live the King. MSRP $15,050 including Race ABS.
S 1000 RR. UNSTOPPABLE SPORT.
THREE QUESTIONS WITH A.D. FARROW’S BOB ALTHOFF
The First 100 Years…
Columbus, Ohio-based A.D. Farrow’s has been selling Harley-Davidsons for a century, having placed its first order with the Motor Company 100 years ago on Feb. 26.
Over the years, A.D. Farrow has weathered two world wars, the Great Depression, economic downturns and wildly changing customer tastes, and yet has been successful despite the challenges. In recent years, the company has been giving back to the larger motorcycling community through rider education and support.
We tracked down current owner and self-described “steward” Bob Althoff to find out more about the A.D. Farrow story.
when you realize she was a wonderful, gentle woman, raising a family, being a founding member of the Motor Maids and holding hillclimb competitions at what is now the Alum Creek Reservoir.
What I see in our history that has made us successful is that this company has been a pretty good reflection of our customer base. We spend a lot of time on the cultural aspects of our business. We are in the kinship business, not the motorcycle business. And that entails a lot of different things—rider education, charitable funding and even event planning.
AM: Is there anything about your sales process that makes A.D. Farrow unique?
American Motorcyclist: What’s behind A.D. Farrow’s longevity?
Bob Althoff: While we’re the oldest Harley-Davidson dealership in the world, we’re not the first. A lot of them that predated us didn’t last. What is it about this place that has been different? You have to go back to the founders, particularly Lillie Farrow.
When her husband died at a very early age in 1927, she drove the business through the Great Depression and the [second] World War. It’s even more remarkable
Althoff: A customer who walks into your shop has already made a decision. Our job is to solidify in the mind of the customer that this is the right brand and that this is the right dealership. We want to remind the customer that motorcycles are fun. We don’t want to get wrapped up in the transaction and miss the real reason that people come to motorcycles, with many aspirations and dreams. There’s the idea holding many [dealers] back that, “I’m going to do that in the future, but not now.” In our opinion, the best time to do it is now.
AM: As a company, and for you personally, how do those goals
extend to the overall motorcycling community?
Althoff: Sometimes I listen to myself, and I feel like a stump preacher who is trying to evangelize the world because all the noteworthy adventures, experiences and misadventures of my life are defined by motorcycles.
People can live without a motorcycle, I just don’t recommend it. Of the hundreds of people we train [in Rider Edge Programs], the vast majority of them leave here and buy bikes from our competition, but that’s OK because we hope we are treating them the right way and that some day they migrate back and buy a Harley. There are threats to our industry at every turn, and the AMA is our shield against all these arrows. We support the AMA because one day we will need the AMA to save our industry and save motorcycling. The AMA needs to be a million members strong, and when your government relations staff meets with a lawmaker, they need a million members behind them. Motorcycling needs a healthy, strong AMA. Because someday, someone is going to come up with a cockamamie scheme to try and end motorcycling, and we’ll need to be ready.
RIDING
Bob and Valerie Althoff
RANDY ODOM WINS
A NEW DUAL-SPORT BIKE!
St. Louis Rider Scores A 2012 KTM 350 EXC
AMA member Randy Odom of St. Louis will take his dual-sport passion to an entirely new level this summer. That’s because the 29-year-old Odom just got an unexpected bonus for riding in last year’s AMA KTM National Dual Sport Trail Riding Series: a 2012 KTM 350 EXC-F from 2011 series sponsor KTM North America.
The annual AMA drawing, conducted by independent auditing and accounting firm Plante & Moran of Columbus, Ohio, included participants in all of the AMA events on the national dual-sport calendar.
“Man, this is awesome,” said Odom, whose current bike is a 10-year old 125cc two-stroke. “My boss got me into dual sports, and I’ve been having the best time ever. Everybody on these rides is great. They’re friendly. They’re helpful. Everyone is a die-hard rider. The riding is super challenging, but without the full-on pressure of a flat-out race. It’s great. I can’t think of a better time on a motorcycle.”
KTM North America Inc. President Jon-Erik Burleson said he’s excited to see the 350 EXC-F go to someone who appreciates it as much as Odom.
“It’s great that someone like Randy, who has wanted to be a part of the KTM family for so long, can now count himself among the orange-bleeders,” Burleson said.
For news about the 2012 season and a full schedule, see AmericanMotorcyclist. com > Riding > Dirt.
HUSQVARNA CONCEPT CHANNELS PISMO
Would Malcolm Ride It?
Husqvarna is ancient and proud of it. The company traces its roots to a 17th century milling factory that built guns for the Swedish army. The brand may have sprinkled some of that magic history dust on its latest concept, the “Husqvarna Concept Baja.”
The bike captures the era that American motorcyclists associate with Husqvarna: the late 1960s, early 1970s, when Malcolm Smith from “On Any Sunday” was king and everyone wanted to escape on two wheels.
The Baja concept bike is a long way from the musket factories of Jönköping, but not that far removed from the sands of Pismo Beach, Calif. Learn more: Husqvarna-MotorcyclesNA.com.
And so is her Yuasa battery – the original equipment battery on more motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and personal watercraft than all other brands combined. To locate your nearest Yuasa dealer, visit www.yuasabatteries.com.
you, or
AMA MEMBER TESTED
Chatterbox
Model: Chatterbox X1slim
MSRP: $349.95
More info: ChatterboxUSA.com
Communication is everything! Whether you’re riding with a passenger or in a group, it’s essential to be able to communicate your intentions to keep things rolling. The Chatterbox X1slim is a great tool with an in-helmet solution that combines bike-to-bike, rider-topassenger, rider-to-phone, and monitoring of navigation and external audio devices in one package.
The X1slim is small and easily mounted in most types of helmets in roughly 20 minutes. I found the boom and Velcro attachment for the microphone to be too flexible on an open face helmet, but after re-mounting it between the padding and the shell, it became much more usable.
There’s a lot of functionality here, so a thorough reading of the manual is necessary to take full advantage of the X1slim. Once the unit is charged, take the time to set all the functions before donning your helmet and becoming familiar with the “switchology.” For visual learners, Chatterbox has posted some good videos on its website to walk you through everything.
The X1slim has a much clearer tone, higher volume, and is easier to operate than the XB1, of which I’m an owner. The shaped tactile buttons make it easy to feel your way around the unit, even with gloved fingers. Pairing to a smartphone or GPS is straightforward, but to use both simultaneously you must route your phone through your GPS to make and receive calls. Also, using a smartphone as a music player will
require the use of both available Bluetooth channels. There is a convenient list in the manual to guide these decisions and prioritizations.
The X1slim provides several options for communication and will take priority over all other functions when being used. There are 22 available channels and 39 talk groups within each channel, providing a total of 859 frequencies for connections. However, only eight channels give you the maximum 5-mile range, with all other channels having a range of about 2 miles. Variations of terrain, weather and power lines can affect the connection and sound quality.
Ultimately, I was impressed with the Chatterbox X1slim and look forward to the promised functionality of a Bluetooth push-to-talk button. If the add-on also had a mountable screen to help with adjustments on the fly it would stand pretty tall against fully integrated motorcycle-mounted radio sets. The X1slim is a great all-around communications/entertainment system that easily transfers with your helmet to whatever motorcycle you happen to be riding. —
Donald Green
Donald Green
Photos
Chatterbox: Donald Green
KEN FORD JOINS AMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bartow, Fla., Rider Enjoys Sport Touring And Dual Sport
The AMA is pleased to announce that Ken Ford, a 27-year AMA member from Bartow, Fla., has been elected the member representative from the Southeast region on the AMA Board of Directors.
Ford, a senior executive at a Fortune 50 company for 17 years, is an active off-road, dual-sport, adventure and sport-touring rider. He is a 32-year member of the Florida Trail Riders and former president of the AMA-chartered club. He is also a member of Sunrunners Motorcycle Club, Dixie Dual Sport and the Concours Owners Group, where he is the current executive director. An environmental engineer by education, Ford has been riding for more than 50 years.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to help the AMA move forward,” Ford says. “As a longtime motorcyclist and a member of several motorcycling organizations, I hope I have something to give to the organization.”
Ford, whose riding background is rooted in trail riding, dual-sport riding and off-road racing, said that he is particularly concerned with the loss of access to public land.
“Responsible off-road riders have a right to access public land,” Ford says. “The lobbying effort of the AMA is key to protecting our future as motorcyclists, and one that I can help with.”
Ford’s term on the board runs through February 2015.
Ask the MSF
U-TURN ON A NARROW ROAD
Q: I know it’s usually not allowed, but sometimes a U-turn is necessary. What is the proper way to execute a tight U-turn on a two-lane road?
A: U-turn regulations vary state-by-state. Although we cannot address the legality of any particular U-turn, we can provide guidance regarding the proper technique.
If you are making a U-turn at night or in a curve, be extremely careful and closely monitor oncoming traffic. Depending on the width of the roadway, you may have to start on the extreme right edge of the pavement to complete the turn without having to make a three-point turn out of it. Use your turn signal for enhanced side conspicuity and be sure to check for traffic.
For a U-turn on a narrow road, you might benefit from using a counterweight technique. This is when you lean your upper body toward the outside of the turn, putting more pressure on the outside footrest while leaning your bike toward the inside of the turn. Look where you want to go, but periodically scan for emerging issues. Turn the handlebars as much as possible. Some riders find it helpful to keep the bike fairly upright and “paddle walk” by stepping along the surface for needed stability.
It is wise to practice turning at low speeds often, for example, in an open parking lot. And if available in your area, enroll in MSF’s new Ultimate Bike Bonding RiderCourse.
Ken Ford
THREE’S A CHARM
2012 Can-Am Roadster Spyder RS and RT By
Jeff Buchanan
When Can-Am introduced the threewheeled Spyder in 2007, it was met with—and continues to draw—a lot of head scratching from the motorcycle community. However, with five years of retail sales in the books—during a period of significant contraction in nearly all motorcycle categories—it’s clear the Spyder concept has some traction.
To see why, understand that Can-Am is targeting a broader customer base, not just traditional motorcyclists, according to Yves Leduc, vice president and general manager for Bombardier Recreational Products North America division.
“[The Spyder] is different,” he says. “It’s easy to access, and it’s your open door to open road riding. It’s the motorcycle lifestyle you’ve always aspired to.”
The out-of-the-box approach isn’t new to Can-Am’s parent company, Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP). BRP has a history of innovation, starting with snowmobiles in 1958 and sit-down watercraft 10 years later.
“What we’re trying to do with the Spyder is that,” he says. “There’s an opportunity there for something new.”
In simple terms, Can-Am has built
a machine to deliver an open-air, motorcycle-like adventure experience without the need to balance on twowheels. The machine’s planted stance and presence grants a reassuring sense of security, which is what Leduc says attracts the core Spyder buyer.
The 2012 Spyder Roadster RS (sport) and RT (touring) are powered by an electronically fuel-injected 998cc Rotax V-twin mated with a five-speed transmission, available as electronic or manual. The electronic gearbox (which automatically downshifts) is operated by a left hand thumb/forefinger paddle, while the manual is foot-operated with handlebar-mounted clutch. Both versions have reverse, and both are available in “S” trim that is fitted with Fox Shox and double-spoke wheels. Both machines employ Dynamic Power Steering as well as anti-lock brakes, traction control and anti-roll technology.
Riding the Spyder differs from riding a motorcycle. Its planted stance grants the rider ease of mind. This becomes most pronounced when coming to a stop or when stuck in stop-and-go traffic.
However, the three-point, planted
stature of the Spyder means that in corners it responds like an automobile, wanting to sway with centrifugal force. Riding the Spyder can be a workout, especially spirited rides through twisty canyon roads.
There are some obvious applications for the three-wheel platform, such as people with compromised physical capabilities. But going beyond that, there are those who have always been intrigued by a motorcycle, but were too intimidated by two wheels to take up the challenge.
For those riders, Can-Am has created a vehicle that appeals to an adventureseeking nature while providing a sense of security with stability and presence. By doing so, they’ve spread something akin to the motorcycling experience to those who otherwise may have been content to spend life behind a steering wheel.
“We work hard to see how we can bring more people to this industry, and we felt that the Can-Am Roadster was the way to go because a lot of people want that lifestyle,” says Louis Lévesque, Can-Am director of marketing. “It’s aspirational, to be on a motorcycle, but they don’t feel comfortable. Roadster is a great opportunity for them.”
The 2012 Can-Am Spyder Roadster RS starts at $16,499/RS-S $18,099. The RT starts at $21,699/RT-S $25,699.
RACING
FOUR QUESTIONS WITH…
Arenacross Racer And X-Games Winner Vicki Golden By Jim Kimball
Vicki Golden burst onto the women’s motocross scene in 2009. After winning an AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, she joined the Women’s Motocross Association (WMA) and soon saw the podium.
Since making her pro debut, Golden captured a gold medal at the 2011 X-Games Women’s Moto X event, and qualified for the main event in an AMA Arenacross in the men’s class. For 2012, she earned herself a ride on the perennial powerhouse Arenacross team, Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki.
American Motorcyclist: How has the year come together for you so far?
Vicki Golden: Well, it has taken me a while to get back into the swing of things because I had a broken collarbone before the season started. After I got back on the bike, I crashed again. Even though I was not riding much, I tried my best to keep on working at the gym to keep my arms strong. I only got back on the bike about three days before my first race—not really how I wanted to start the season out, but I just tried to do the best that I could. I’ve been racing all my life, so I know how to ride a bike.
AM: Last year you were on a privateer Honda, and now you are on a Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki. How different is this bike?
Golden: My Honda was pretty good
last year. I bought it from the GEICO Honda Team. I just didn’t have all the factory support to go with it. As far as my Kawasaki and this team, it has been great. This team is so well respected in Arenacross racing. To be a part of this team is a huge deal. Having the best bike, and being on the strongest best team really gives me lots of confidence. I’m probably one of the lightest riders, and having the best bike out there will hopefully equal many good starts—along with some good finishes.
AM: You’ve raced a lot of motocross through your career, but is racing AMA Arenacross much different than riding outdoors?
Golden: Typically, racing outdoor motocross is all that a woman racer can do, whether we like it or not. Switching to Arenacross was just so much fun. I instantly fell in love with it! I have ridden on Supercross tracks at home, but there was never anywhere for me to race a Supercross. I would end up practicing with many of the guys, but when they went out to race, I just still rode.
Arenacross is completely different than any other racing that I had done before, and when I went to Denver last year I didn’t know what to expect at all. It was super tense. I was a nervous wreck, and actually expected to be put on the ground every lap. But I pretty quickly learned to
hold my own, and eventually progressed from there.
Some of the guys have been very helpful. I can ask any question and they’ll help me. Sometimes some of the guys will just come up and give me tips on racing an Arenacross track. So things like that have been very cool to experience. No other girls are racing Arenacross, so it is a unique situation to be in.
AM: What are your goals for Arenacross?
Golden: I don’t have a set (win) number in mind, but my best finish last year was a top 10, and I know that I could have done better. We just ran out of races. I just want to pick [up] from where I left off, and keep working on getting better finishes. I want to work on my mental side of racing to get stronger there, and keep improving. My long-term goal probably is to get the points that I need to get my AMA professional license for Supercross. Just to have a men’s [AMA] pro license would be awesome!
AM: What are your plans for after Arenacross ends?
Golden: I haven’t figured out the details yet with regard to the WMA series, but I definitely will do the X-games. Outdoors might be a little up in the air right now with the economy being so tough. We are still trying to figure everything out. But if I cannot do the outdoor series, there are still a lot of other things that I want to do. I love being on my bike, so I am going to do everything that I can do to make a living on it. As long as I am riding my bike I will be happy!
Photos Vicki Action: Anthony Sansotta; Headshot: Feld Motor Sports; Midwest: Mike Gibbs; Western: KTM
N.A.; Villopoto: Jeff Kardas
WOODS RACERS FLOCK TO MIDWEST HARE SCRAMBLES SERIES
AMA Mid-America XC Championship Will Be Featured Series In 2012
The 10-round AMA Mid America XC Championship will be an AMA Featured Series for 2012. The hare scrambles series includes events in Indiana and Illinois from March through October.
The series includes both open cross-country style course sections as well as tighter hare scrambles trail. It is promoted by Mike Gibbs and Mid America XC in Monrovia, Ind. The full schedule is on page 49.
“We’re very happy to have Mike on board with this AMA Featured Series,” says AMA Director of Racing Joe Bromley. “The AMA Mid America XC Championship has a reputation for premier Midwest woods racing, with competitive classes at every level of age, skill and displacement. It provides excellent opportunities for AMA members to compete, and we’re pleased to elevate the series for 2012.”
Gibbs said he has seen steady expansion of the series since it was launched in 2010.
“Improving organization, registration, track quality and definitely payouts and recognition have played a role in our growing rider counts,” Gibbs says. “For example, our pro purse is a set amount each round—it isn’t dependent on rider counts—and every other class down to beginner receives product awards in addition to trophies.”
For more on the Mid America XC Championship, see TheMAXC.com or the interview with Gibbs in this month’s AMA Racer, which is bound into AMA Competition Member’s copies of American Motorcyclist quarterly. If you don’t get the AMA Racer insert but would like to, call (800) 262-5646.
VILLOPOTO TAKES AMA SUPERCROSS LEAD
Kawasaki Rider First To Notch Three Season Wins
The AMA Supercross season is starting to take shape, as defending champion Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., secured a six-point lead in the title race with his third win in a row in San Diego.
It was one of the most thrilling races of the year.
Villopoto, who was hounded by TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed the entire race, momentarily lost the lead to the Honda rider with two laps to go before moving back out front for the win.
“You really had to be smooth every lap,” Villopoto said. “San Diego’s dirt is really slippery and made it tough to be
WESTERN OFF-ROAD RACES MOVED
Land Use Access Forces Rescheduling
Public land use permit problems have forced organizers to reschedule the third rounds of both the AMA Kenda National Hare & Hound Championship Series and the AMA West Hare Scrambles Championship Series.
The hare & hound, originally scheduled for Feb. 26 in Reno, Nev., will be held on June 24 in the same location. With the move, the next race in the series becomes the March 25 event in Murphy, Idaho.
The hare scrambles, originally scheduled for March 3 in Sparks, Nev., had not been rescheduled as of press time. The next regularly scheduled round becomes April 14 in Shasta Lake, Calif.
For the latest schedules of AMAsanctioned national championship events and featured series, see AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Racing > National Championships.
consistent for the full 20-lap main event. I’ve never won San Diego in the Supercross class. It was great to get my first win here and end Chad’s (Reed) win streak at Qualcomm Stadium. Hopefully I can start a streak my own as we head to Cowboys Stadium next week.”
With six of 17 rounds in the books, Villopoto leads with 133 championship points. Reed is second with 127 points and KTM’s Ryan Dungey is five more points back in third.
For the latest results, as well as AMA Live Timing & Scoring from each round, see AMASupercross.com.
Ryan Villopoto
High Adventure. No Hassle.
The best routes, roads and twotrack, mapped by local experts. A great challenge with like-minded riders. A full weekend’s activities, with camping, campfires, food and prizes. For more information visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com/Riding.
THE ADVENTURE is out
there
Get comeit
See the event schedule
OFF-ROAD ROUND UP
AMA Kenda National Hare & Hound Championship
Factory FMF/KTM rider Kurt Caselli kicked off his 2012 season with a win at the opening round of the AMA Kenda National Hare & Hound Championship Series in Ridgecrest, Calif.
Caselli, the reigning AMA Hare & Hound Champion, got the holeshot on a particularly dusty start and headed into the desert with a much-coveted clear line of sight. The event included two different 40-mile loops in the desert of Lucerne Valley.
“Getting a great start was definitely the key to winning this race,” Caselli said. “My bike fired up right away and I was able to get a good jump off the line and was out front early as we set out on the first loop.”
Kawasaki rider David Pearson got second and David Kamo, on a Honda, got third.
AMA Rekluse National Enduro Championship
Steward Baylor broke the ice on the 2012 AMA Rekluse National Enduro Series by taking a surprise win at round one of the series in Sumter, S.C.
In the same manner that Charlie Mullins did two years ago, Baylor came into the race as a privateer, flying well under the radar. However, the 17-year-old rode a spectacular race despite a hard crash in the fourth test and claimed the upset win over a stacked field of factory-backed pros. Baylor won three tests in all and finished the race with a 40-second
advantage over second place.
The runner-up spot went to eight-time National Enduro Champ Michael Lafferty, with a strong ride in the treacherous Sumter sand. At 37, the factory Husaberg rider still has what it takes to excel at this level, taking the win in two tests. Rounding out the podium was Mullins, who finished 60 seconds behind Lafferty.
In all, 475 riders competed in the six-test, 75-mile race, which consisted of the standard Sumter fare: tight, sandy single-track.
AMA East Hare Scrambles Championship
Charlie Mullins took the victory on his factory KTM at the first round of the AMA East Hare Scrambles Championship Series. Held in Wedgefield, S.C., the event was the first chance for many East Coast woods racers to get a feel for their 2012 setups. Mullins showed that he’s hitting the new year fast out of the gate, winning ahead of Yamaha rider Jordan Ashburn and Stewart Baylor Jr. on a KTM.
Left to right: David Camo, David Pearson and Kurt Caselli
Steward Baylor
Photos
1957 BSA GOLDSTAR A Jim
Rice Dirt-Tracker
AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Jim Rice was a leading AMA Grand National racer from 1969 through 1974, and this 1957 BSA Goldstar dirt-tracker was the bike he raced in 1968—one year before he broke into the pro ranks.
The BSA Goldstar was a prized dirttrack racing machine in the late 1950s and ’60s because of its ability to get traction. The bike has no brakes because they were not allowed in dirt-track races at the time. Instead, riders slowed by throwing the bike sideways going into corners.
Engine builder and Hall of Famer Tom Sifton is believed to have worked on the
motor in this machine.
Rice started racing in the mid-1960s, and by 1967 he was the top pointsscoring rider in AMA District 36 (Northern California) racing. Riding this machine, he became one of the leading amateur riders in the country, winning several amateur Nationals in 1968.
Rice won the amateur National at the San Jose (Calif.) Half-Mile after barely avoiding a heat-race disqualification. His steel shoe had fallen off and was dangling by the strap late in the race, which at the time was considered grounds for automatic disqualification. He continued to
ride despite his dangling shoe and being black-flagged. Fortunately, a group of expert riders pleaded Rice’s case to the referee, who decided not to revoke Rice’s win.
During his short six-year professional racing career, Rice scored 12 AMA National wins on mile, half-mile and TT circuits. All but one of his victories came on BSA motorcycles.
His story is just one of many told at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame at AMA headquarters in Pickerington, Ohio. Info: MotorcycleMuseum.org.
BILL TUMAN
Part Of The Famed ‘Indian Wrecking Crew’
Before 1954, the AMA Grand National Championship title was decided at one race: the Springfield (Ill.) Mile. Bill Tuman went into the record books as the last single-day winner of the Grand National Championship when he won in 1953.
But Tuman may be better known as part of Indian Motocycle’s famous racing team. Dubbed the “Indian Wrecking Crew,” the team was comprised of a group of top racers in the late 1940s and early ’50s that included future Hall of Famers Bobby Hill, Ernie Beckman and Tuman.
Tuman won five AMA Grand Nationals during a professional racing career that spanned the years 1947 to 1955.
One of the most surprising victories for Tuman was at an AMA Grand National on the mile dirt oval in San Mateo, Calif., on June 22, 1952. Tuman, from the Midwest, beat all of the top riders from the West Coast on one of their own tracks, something that rarely happened.
That win in California demonstrated Tuman’s ability to master tracks quickly and his capability to earn unexpected victories. But racing outside the Midwest
was rare for Tuman because he had four children to raise, so he tried to race primarily near his home in Rockford, Ill. It proved profitable as well.
“I was making too much money racing the local events to worry about racing in all the Nationals,” Tuman recalls.
Tuman’s best season came in 1953 when he won the legendary Independence Day weekend event at Dodge City, Kan.—a 200-miler over a two-mile dirt oval, on a Norton. The heat was tremendous that day. Many riders dropped out due to the searing heat, but Tuman made it through by drinking all the water he could stand before the race and chewing on lemons during the race.
The next month, Tuman earned the biggest win of his career by taking first at Springfield, Ill., and becoming the newly crowned national champion. It proved to be the final time that an Indian rider would win the prestigious AMA Grand National No. 1 plate.
Bill Tuman was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.
For more: MotorcycleMuseum.org.
Hall of Famer
Support the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, and see one of the greatest motorcycle racersofall time.
Kevin Parsons Offers Up 10 Highlight Rides To Make This The Best Year Yet.
By Kevin Parsons
While many of us are lucky enough to stay active on two wheels year round, some motorcyclists dial back their riding significantly in the winter months. That’s the bad news.
The good news?
Winter’s over. Spring is here.
It’s time to pull off the bike cover, unplug the battery tender, perform a thorough pre-ride check and head out to enjoy freedom on two wheels.
But first, take some time to consider a few rides that just might make this the best motorcycling year of your life. America is a big, open country with an
Death Valley St. Louis
incredible diversity of riding options, from desert sands to snow-capped mountains. In addition to the numerous AMA-sanctioned events you’ll find on the calendar, there are countless rides and destinations you should consider adding to your must-do list.
In the spirit of AMA Get Out And Ride! Month, which is April, here are 10 highlights—in no particular order—based on a lifetime of riding around this great country. Selected with the long-distance touring rider in mind, these are some great two-wheeled adventures that every onhighway motorcyclist should try.
Are these the absolute best rides and destinations in America? Only you, on your bike and with your style of riding, can decide that!
Riding out and upward, you’ll appreciate the meandering roads to Zabriskie Point, overlooking the valley floor (300 feet below sea level) from a 5,000-foot elevation. And that blue sky? Yep. Mr. Sun is a friend indeed.
Ponce de Leon searched Florida for the fountain of youth, and millions of retirees and wannabes now do the same. Although certainly not known for twisty roads or elevation changes, Florida offers some unique backdrops and a laidback atmosphere that touring riders can appreciate.
Both you and your bike will like that fresh Florida air. You’ll both feel a bit younger zipping along the beach roads, searching for that perfect little restaurant by the seashore with tacky artwork and delicious fresh seafood.
Why not trek to Colorado Springs and take a climb up the serpentine road to Pike’s Peak? A sign warns travelers not to bring a trailer, which should be a clue for motorcyclists that there’s something pretty cool ahead.
Take a ride to Death Valley, Calif., the lowest place in America, and blazing hot in the summer. Early spring will reward you with perfect weather. Death Valley (don’t you love the name?) features wide-open vistas, rocks of every color imaginable, and a dry lakebed so white your eyes will ache when you stare at it.
The white sand beaches that crunch underfoot from eons of broken shells, aqua green water so clear you (and the fishing pelicans) can see 60 feet deep, and blue sky truly keep anyone feeling young.
The road climbs in elevation for more than a mile, turning and twisting like a snake trying to bite its own tail. Many turns are first-gear affairs, and your bike will be gasping for oxygen (just like you) as you crest the pass at 14,110 feet.
The view from the top covers thousands of square miles, and you can relax with the satisfaction that you’ve ridden to an elevation higher than many mountain climbers attempt. However, the locals will remind you that Mt. Evans, just west of Denver, is even higher and just as
For a brief diversion off the bike, visit Scotty’s Castle. It hosts tours in the most incongruous place. By the way, it never was Scotty’s, nor did he build it. But his personality, as large as his tales, became big enough to dominate the name of the building.
Sure, the entire world has gone to the Grand Canyon in Ariz., but have you? Even if you have, go back! It’s difficult to say you’ve seen the canyon in one stop when it is 18 miles across, 1 mile deep and 277 miles long. One trip to the Grand Canyon is like going to the sixth inning of game three, watching five pitches and telling your friends you saw the entire World Series.
The landscape boasts huge sandstone
cliffs with cinnamon
Bryce Canyon, Utah
Grand Canyon
Indianapolis
Photo Sjodin Photography
slopes dotted with green trees and shrubs. Sunlight casts shadows across the vistas that appear to change the very face of the cliffs as they sweep across the canyon.
Watch for signs in restaurants and stops along the way that tell stories of Butch Cassidy and others who made the West wild.
destination is the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, just east of Columbus, Ohio, on Interstate 70. However, don’t ride there on I-70. Take a detour through the southern part of the state and the Hocking Hills region, and thank us later.
expectations.
You’ll enjoy the smooth winding roads carving between the evergreen trees with myriad stops to observe another piece of the grandest landscape. It didn’t take a marketing committee to name it the Grand Canyon. All it took was one stop.
Why not tour the Midwest? You love motorsports, so ride over to Indianapolis and tour the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. For a few bucks you can check out over a hundred years of history and drama as you walk among millions of dollars of historic racecars and bikes. Take a spin in a tour van around the track and see what it’s like from the other side of the fence.
Bryce Canyon, Utah, features myriad vistas, viewpoints and trails to observe its beauty. Visit Sunrise Point, and be sure to arrive well before sunrise. Long before the sun crosses the horizon, the canyon will reward you with exquisite colors—rust, henna, fuchsia and cinnamon. As the sun rises from the east, shading erodes and the colors brighten, illuminating a plethora of shapes and beauty.
It’s not all just about the scenery, though. You’ll also enjoy the zigzagging roads, dotted with stops to gasp in awe at the colossal scenic vistas. The photographic opportunities are ample.
The St. Louis Arch is another wonder to experience. At 630 feet tall, it is the largest manmade monument in the United States. Take the elevator to the top. Because of its curve, the elevator side shifts and arcs to the summit—truly an engineering marvel. Enjoy the vast panorama below, including miles of landscape, along with the Mississippi River and Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. Take in a game while you’re there.
Of course, another natural Midwest
You haven’t toured the northern California coast yet? This year it’s time. From the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge to twisting roads carved into the middle of cliffs to the Avenue of the Giants, California exceeds all
The Avenue of the Giants is a 32-mile snake dwarfed by massive Redwood trees towering into the sky, making sections of the roadway dark, even at midday. You and your motorcycle will love this trip, as the road wiggles between trees, laid out with care not to displace any of them. You’ll wind through the woods, burst out through a meadow for a half-mile, then bore once again into the forest. Occasionally you’ll pass a small town before doing it all again.
As for the coast, it’s a never-ending bonanza of sweeping turns into canyons and back out to coastal vistas. While your touring bike will no doubt love the journey, this is one stretch of highway where you’ll be forgiven for wishing you had a late-model sportbike. Now that we think about it, California’s central coast between L.A. and the Bay Area is every bit as spectacular.
The Pacific Northwest provides evergreen trees and landscapes with roads cut into them with a sharp knife. The trip to Mt. St. Helens in southwestern Washington is made up of two-lane roads dwarfed by evergreen trees, then a surprise vista view of a mountain that blew off 3.7 billion yards of itself in 1980. This is a good ride to plan in the late summer if you want the best chance of experiencing plenty of sunshine.
And don’t forget the two-lane highways that crisscross the coastal ranges between the beach cities and the I-5 corridor—just remember to bring a rainsuit.
Florida
St. Louis Arch
Mt. St. Helens
Avenue of the Giants
Bryce Canyon, Utah
AMA Premier Touring Series
Ride The Country’s Best Road Events
AMA-chartered clubs and promoters organize the greatest road-riding events on the planet. Whether you want to join tens of thousands of like-minded motorcyclists at a mega-rally, or take part in a more intimate, local charity ride, AMAsanctioned events have you covered. Events on the AMA Premier Touring Series calendar include AMA Gypsy Tours, AMA Touring Rallies, AMA Signature Events and AMA Grand Tours. Each category offers unique activities to appeal to a range of riders, making these events the best roadriding happenings anywhere.
In addition to these national events, the AMA sanctions numerous District rallies and tours that are smaller and are great places to meet other riders from your area. For local events this month, see the calendar of AMA-sanctioned events that begins on page 47. For events throughout the year, see the searchable database at AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Events > Search All Events.
AMA Gypsy Tours
One of the oldest touring experiences in all of motorcycling, AMA Gypsy Tours began as one-day events held around the country where riders would travel to a specific site and enjoy the company of like-minded riders. Field-meet games like Bite the Weenie and Ride the Plank were popularized at AMA Gypsy Tours, and picnics evolved into big gatherings. Below are national-level events. For information on Regional and Local events, see AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Riding > AMA Premier Touring Series.
Laconia Motorcycle Week, June 9-17, Laconia, N.H.
This year marks the 89th anniversary of one of the country’s premier motorcycling events, and you can expect Laconia Motorcycle Week to offer all of your favorite events as well as some new ones. The week is jam packed with action, motorcycle racing and motorcycling activities. See the website for lodging options as well as the downloadable Laconia Rally News, which covers the event in detail.
Info: LaconiaMCWeek.com
Sturgis, Aug. 6-12, Sturgis, S.D.
For many cruiser and touring riders, the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is the must-do rally of the year. Complete with concerts, parties, poker runs, short-track racing, bike shows and more, Sturgis is non-stop fun. Perhaps best of all, it’s located in the Black Hills Region, which includes hundreds of miles of great riding and some of the best scenery you can find anywhere. To start planning your trek to Sturgis this summer, see the website.
Info: SturgisMotorcycleRally.com
AMA Touring Rallies
AMA Touring Rallies take the Gypsy Tour concept and mix in more options for riding during the event. These represent the top tier of the road rides and rallies sanctioned by the AMA.
Often built around guided local tours and organized riding events, AMA Touring Rallies are open to riders of all stripes but generally attract those who can’t stay off the bike. Below are national-level events. For information on Regional and Local events, see AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Riding > AMA Premier Touring Series.
Americade, AMA National Convention: June 4-9, Lake George, N.Y.
What It Is: One of the largest roadriding rallies on the planet, Americade is held in picturesque Lake George, N.Y., and features legendary roads in the 6-millionacre Adirondack National Park. It’s billed as a great motorcycle vacation, which it
certainly is.
Why It’s Cool: Americade is a laidback, road-riding touring destination with a family friendly atmosphere. Besides the great riding and camaraderie, the event offers a variety of activities including ghost tours, boat cruises, poker runs, fireworks, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, bike judging, a light parade and much more.
What You Wouldn’t Expect: Americade attracts thousands of motorcyclists, but the sound level is low—quiet bikes and responsible riding are the norm.
Bonus: Americade has a long history of focusing on rider advocacy, activism and education, offering classes and seminars that benefit motorcyclists during the entire riding season.
Info: Americade.com
Golden Aspen Motorcycle Rally, AMA National Convention: Sept. 12-16, Ruidoso, N.M.
What It Is: The Golden Aspen Motorcycle Rally is a huge event in the town of Ruidoso, high in the Rocky Mountains of southeastern New Mexico.
Why It’s Cool: The great fall temperatures, roads twisting up into the mountains and shaded pines all combine to make this rally an almost spiritual experience. Plus, there will be a massive trade show, and multiple poker runs.
Unexpected: Any self-respecting alien hunter should make the 70-mile jaunt from Ruidoso to Roswell, N.M., to check out its rich history of extraterrestrials, and maybe catch a glimpse of who-knows-what!
Bonus: White Sands National Monument commemorates the area’s once-secret Manhattan Project history.
Info: MotorcycleRally.com
STAR 2012, AMA National Touring Rally: June 24-28, 2012, Avon, Colo.
What it is: Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association and the fifth time the MSTA invades Avon, Colo. Ride some of the best roads in the United States and enjoy the outstanding scenery, food and fun in the Heart of the
If you haven’t yet made the trek, then this is the season you absolutely must experience U.S. 129, the Tail of the Dragon, which straddles Tennessee and North Carolina.
With 318 curves in 11 miles, the road is considered one of America’s top motorcycling roads. (Keep in mind that cars and trucks share the road, too.)
Don’t miss the Cherohala Skyway nearby either, with 60 miles of lefts and rights. You will love it (just keep your roadracing fantasies in check).
We can’t leave the region without mentioning the incomparable Blue Ridge Parkway, whose southern terminus in Cherokee is just 55 miles east of the Tail of the Dragon.
Haven’t been to Sturgis yet? Every biker should go to the South Dakota event once. Not a Harley-Davidson rider? No sweat. Motorcyclists on all brands
of bikes—including a bajillion HarleyDavidsons—enjoy what many consider the top destination ride of the year. Sturgis attracts an amazing cornucopia of bikers and their steeds.
And the area is spectacular. The Needles Highway takes you through tight curving roads and a ride through a slit in a rock (hence the “needle”). The pigtail bridges in the Black Hills coil around to carry you 50 feet higher in a very small section of real estate. And, of course, Mount Rushmore is a must see.
One rule for this year: No excuses. Don’t keep shoving your next great ride back month after month. Schedule it. Plan it. Do it. Head out on the road and experience the route and landscape like only a motorcyclist can. Smell the soil drying and the blossoms erupting from a winter of hibernation. Feel the wind and absorb the riding season. It will be over before you know it.
Now fire up that motorcycle, and get out and ride!
Kevin Parsons has been riding and racing motorcycles since age 13, and joined the AMA in 1966. This spring, Kevin, his wife, and his motorcycle will begin a 50-states-in-50-weeks adventure. Check his daily blogs at www.kevinbparsons.blogspot.com.
AMA Premier Touring Series, continued from page 39
Valley along the picturesque Eagle River. Why It’s Cool: Mountain roads, pristine landscape, and incredible elevation changes.
Bonus: Not all of the area’s best riding is out of town. Check out Avon’s web site for information about navigating their roundabouts at www.avon.org.
Info: www.sporttouring.us/star2012
Rally In The Gorge, AMA
National Touring Rally: Aug. 1-5, 2012, Stephenson, Wash.
What it is: Back and better than ever, the 2012 Rally In the Gorge celebrates 10 big years with rides, poker runs, seminars, vendors and on-site camping at the Skamania Fair Grounds.
Why It’s Cool: Set in the national scenic area of the Columbia River Gorge. Combine sportbikes, sport-tourers, maxi-scooters, adventure bikes and dual-sports, and you get the biggest little rally in America.
Bonus: It’s four rallies in one! Info: www.soundrider.com/rally
AMA National Grand Tours
AMA National Grand Tours are a comfortable alternative to an organized tour. The idea is to take pictures of yourself at key locations that fit a tour theme set by organizers. The riders who log the most (or best) locations within the time constraints can qualify for prizes.
National Grand Tours
Polar Bear Grand Tour: Jan. 1 - Dec. 31. AMA District 2 of New Jersey; polarbeargrandtour.com; bear1733@ comcast.net; (609) 894-2941.
Hodgepodge Grand Tour: April 1 - Nov. 30. Midnight Riders M/C; midnight-ridersmc.com; Charlie@midnight-riders-mc. com; (765) 566-3807.
Grand Canyon
Tour Of Honor Grand Tour: April 1-Oct. 31. Tour Of Honor; www.tourofhonor.com; regis@tourofhonor.com.
Smoke Chasing Grand Tour: March 1-Nov. 30. Team Strange Airheads; www. smokechasing.com; smokechasing@ hotmail.com.
Extreme National Grand Tours
The Southern California Motorcycling Association has cooked up these highmileage challenges for serious riders. For details on each tour, see the websites.
USA Four Corners Grand Tour: Jan. 1-Dec. 31. Southern California Motorcycle Association (SCMA); www.usa4corners. org; charlieahart@cox.net; (949) 246-4941.
SCMA Best U.S. 15 Roads Challenge Grand Tour: Jan. 1-Dec. 31. SCMA; www. sc-ma.com; blakepanderson@gmail.com.
SCMA Three Flags Classic Grand Tour: Aug. 30 - Sept. 4. SCMA; www.sc-ma. com; huey@ix.netcom.com.
AMA Signature Events
Ride For A Cause
These events showcase motorcycle riders giving back to communities. They include fund-raising charity rides, poker runs and more.
One high-profile example is the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s national Ride For Kids program, which has become one of the most successful fund-raising efforts among motorcyclists in the nation. Held in cities throughout the country, Ride for Kids events feature phenomenal planning, great scenery, wonderful camaraderie and the opportunity to help a good cause—families struggling with the diagnosis and treatment of a child’s brain tumor. Find out more at RideForKids.org.
Another high-profile charity ride is Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider’s annual Bikers for Babies event, which supports the March of Dimes and conveys the seriousness of premature birth defects. You can get more information at BikersForBabies.org. For more information and the latest dates, see AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Riding > AMA Premier Touring Series.
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days
July 20-22, Lexington, Ohio
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, is bursting with vintage coolness. It features North America’s largest motorcycle-related swap meet, vintage racing, new bike demo rides and much, much more.
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days includes anything you would want from a vintage motorcycle event, from old Indian motorcycles to 1980s motocrossers to café racers, national championship racing and heroes of yesteryear.
The event also is the largest annual fund-raising campaign for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, which is located on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio. Because of that, numerous Hall of Fame members are always on location to meet and greet, as well as enjoy all the historic motorcycles, world-class speakers and entertaining displays that are all part of the excitement.
As a special bonus this year, AMA members can save $10 off a weekend pass and $5 off a daily pass by buying their ticket early directly from the AMA. Just call (800) 262-5646. Perhaps
best of all, there are no annoying convenience or processing charges when you buy directly from the AMA.
Oh yeah, and kids under 12 get in free!
Find out more at AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com
AMA Women & Motorcycling Conference
July 26-29, Carson City, Nev.
Nowhere is the passion and dedication of women motorcyclists more apparent than at an AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference. The event focuses on educating, encouraging, inspiring and mentoring women in the lifestyle and sport of motorcycling.
Early registration of $125 is available exclusively for AMA members until April 30 at WomenAndMotorcycling.com. (After that date, registration will increase to $175 for AMA members and be open to non-AMA members for $235.)
Previous AMA International Women & Motorcycling conferences have been held in Keystone, Colo.; Athens, Ga.; Buckhannon, W.Va.; Athens, Ohio; and Westerville, Ohio.
The conference features targeted attractions for women motorcyclists such as seminars, workshops, speeches, product displays, motorcycle demo rides, hands-on product demonstrations, recreational riding and endless networking.
Men are also welcome to attend the AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference.
For more information, see: WomenAndMotorcycling.com.
GROUND ZERO IN SOUND BATTLE
New Hampshire Is
The
Latest Front In Fight Over Sound
By Bill Kresnak
Two years ago, California adopted a law that essentially will require stock exhaust systems on motorcycles built in 2013 and later. Now, a New Hampshire legislator wants to enact the same law, which has created a firestorm of protest in the “Live Free or Die” state.
With the stroke of a pen in 2010, thenCalifornia Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger did the unthinkable. Instead of adopting a reasonable sound measure to address citizen complaints about excessive motorcycle sound, he signed a bill into law requiring motorcycle exhaust systems to display a federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) label.
Specifically, the law requires all California-registered motorcycles and exhaust systems built in 2013 and later to display an EPA label on the exhaust
system, certifying that the system meets federal sound standards. The law effectively mandates the use of a stock exhaust because only a few aftermarket manufacturers offer pipes with the required EPA label, and those pipes are only for a few specific motorcycles.
New Hampshire state Rep. Michele Peckham (R-North Hampton) now wants her state to follow California’s lead. Her bill—H.B. 1442—calls for fines of at least $350 for a first offense and $500 for subsequent offenses for owners of non-compliant New Hampshire-registered motorcycles built in 2013 or later.
“New Hampshire motorcyclists are facing the same issues that many other states are, such as motorcycleonly checkpoints, rider education and
crash prevention, just to name a few,” says Candy Alexander, president of the New Hampshire Motorcyclists’ Rights Organization (NHMRO).
“However, that being said, the biggest issue of late has been motorcycle noise,” says Alexander, who is on the front lines in the sound battle. “There’s been an increase in complaints from residents in parts of our state that have high tourist traffic. These folks are making their discontent for motorcycle noise known, and they are persistent.”
Alexander admits there have always been complaints about excessive motorcycle sound in the state, but nothing like what lawmakers are hearing now.
“It is now at the point where it is more than just one or two neighborhoods,” she says. “Law enforcement and legislators are feeling the pressure to crack down on motorcyclists to quiet us down. All of this has caused excessive motorcycle sound to become an issue that none of us can ignore.”
New Hampshire Rep. Michele Peckham wants all motorcycles registered in her state that are built on Jan. 1, 2013 or later to have an Environmental Protection Agency stamp on the pipe.
New Hampshire Motorcyclists’ Rights Organization members are trying to bring reason to the sound debate.
L-R: Dave Kelly, Steve Tarbox, Candy Alexander, Bob Wyman, Alan Buttrick, Kathy Roberge, Spencer Barrett and Tom Walsh.
Bitter Local Fight
Nowhere is it more evident that excessive motorcycle sound is sharply dividing the residents of New Hampshire than in the town of North Hampton, which Peckham represents.
When town council members passed a strict sound ordinance to crack down on motorcycles, the police chief refused to enforce it, and a local HarleyDavidson dealership owner filed a lawsuit challenging the law in state court. Meanwhile, supporters of the law tried to get federal support with a ruling from a federal judge that the law should stand.
The town law, which passed in 2010, set a limit of 80 decibels for motorcycles, far below the 106 limit on the state law books. Seacoast Motorcycles, a local Harley-Davidson dealership, quickly filed a lawsuit, alleging the law was illegal because it was stricter than the state limit.
North Hampton Police Chief Brian Page agreed and refused to enforce the law.
The federal court declined to get involved, saying it was a state issue.
Ultimately, on Dec. 9, 2011, a state judge agreed with Seacoast Motorcycles and overturned the town law.
“The court agrees with the plaintiff and finds that the subject of motorcycle noise is preempted by the state, and that since the state has not authorized the town to regulate motorcycle noise, the town has no legal authority to adopt or enforce the ordinance,” wrote Superior Court Judge Kenneth McHugh in his ruling.
“If each town in New Hampshire had the authority to enact different noise emission ordinances, the state would be subjected to a checkerboard pattern of laws,” he wrote. “This, in turn, would create multiple problems with the state’s transportation system and burden its citizens.
“For example, a motorcyclist who complies with the state noise emission limit could be precluded from driving through a town because that town enacted a lower noise emission limit than the state,” he wrote. “Legislative intent would be frustrated if each municipality in the state had the authority to enact its own noise emissions laws.”
A Changing World
Motorcyclists need to step up and become part of the solution to the problem of excessive sound, Alexander says.
“Motorcyclists need to understand we are in a different era,” she says. “The days of big, bad rebel bikers are gone.”
Much of that has to do with greater population density in many areas.
“Crowded spaces often mean that there will be times that compromise has to come into play at some point in order
Reducing Excessive Motorcycle Sound
The AMA believes that few issues add more to public misunderstanding of motorcyclists than loud pipes.
By Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations
As a national association with over 225,000 members dedicated to protecting the future of motorcycling and promoting the motorcycle lifestyle, the AMA has for many years proactively encouraged riders to respect others when it comes to excessive motorcycle sound.
More and more, motorcyclists and motorcycling clubs recognize that we must be good neighbors. That means installing quiet exhaust systems on our motorcycles and controlling the sound of our machines while riding.
And more and more motorcyclists are doing just that.
The number of requests received by the AMA from street-riding motorcycle clubs seeking information on sound meters so that they can test their own machines is increasing. In fact, the demand from motorcyclists for quieter exhaust systems for their road bikes has risen and motorcycle exhaust manufacturers are now starting to make quieter pipes to meet that demand.
The AMA believes that few issues contribute more to misunderstanding and prejudice against the motorcycling community than excessively loud motorcycles. Since its inception in 1924, the AMA has maintained a position of strong opposition to excessive motorcycle sound. We have funded educational and public relations campaigns in support of quieter motorcycle use, and were the world’s first motorsports sanctioning body to regulate and reduce the sound level of racing vehicles.
In 2003, the AMA organized the National Summit on Motorcycle Sound to bring together riders and others, including, but not limited to,
representatives of motorcycle manufacturers, companies that make parts for motorcycles, race promoters, government agencies and law enforcement officials.
The purpose was to develop proposals regarding the issue of excessive motorcycle sound. The creation of a new on-highway motorcycle sound measure procedure was a top recommendation that came out of that effort.
In 2009, the highly respected Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)—a non-profit organization that develops technical information on all forms of vehicles—released a practical standard to evaluate motorcycle sound: SAE J2825 “Measurement of Exhaust Sound Pressure Levels of Stationary On-Highway Motorcycles.”
The Motorcycle Industry Council was instrumental in getting that standard developed.
The SAE J2825 standard is based on a comprehensive study of a wide variety of street motorcycles. It provides motorcycle exhaust system sound limits and a simple, yet reliable, method to conduct motorcycle sound testing.
The AMA immediately endorsed the SAE J2825 standard and, shortly thereafter, released model legislation for use by jurisdictions seeking a simple, consistent and economical way to deal with sound complaints related to street motorcycles in the larger context of excessive sound from all sources.
The AMA will continue to work diligently to educate motorcyclists nationwide about the issue of excessive motorcycle sound, and is confident that our efforts are making a difference.
For more information on what the AMA is doing about excessive motorcycle sound, visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com/rights/soundadvice or by keyword search: sound.
for everyone to be able to live together,” Alexander says. “Motorcyclists are part of the bigger community. We need to stop fighting the system and take a seat at the table that gives us a voice into the system. In other words, we need to stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution. If we don’t, we will not like the solutions that are forced on us.”
Even before the state court ruling that overturned the North Hampton ordinance, law enforcement agencies along New Hampshire’s seacoast were targeting motorcyclists with an education campaign to try to get them to pipe down.
The police chiefs of the towns of New Castle, Rye, Portsmouth, Hampton and North Hampton, as well as a state police representative, declared that they would be conducting “free” sound testing for motorcyclists so that riders would know whether they were complying with the state’s 106-decibel sound limit.
And they noted that the agencies would be sharing information about traffic stops. Violators of the state’s sound law face fines of $84. Repeat offenders, or those with extremely loud bikes, could see their motorcycle registrations suspended until the violation is corrected, they said.
To try to find solutions to the motorcycle sound controversy, Alexander notes that state Rep. Sherm Packard (R-Londonderry), who is chairman of the House Transportation Committee and an AMA Life Member, called together representatives of motorcycling organizations including the AMA, the New Hampshire Auto Dealers Association— which includes motorcycle dealers—state and local law enforcement and even the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
“During this ‘sit down,’ we discussed the current challenges with existing legislation, including testing, enforcement and riding behavior, and what we had as an alternative,” Alexander says.
An answer, she says, is the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) soundtesting procedure J2825 “Measurement of Exhaust Sound Pressure Levels of Stationary On-Highway Motorcycles.”
Practical Solution
The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) was instrumental in the creation of the street motorcycle sound measurement procedure, which the SAE released in 2009. The MIC initiated the $250,000 motorcycle sound test project, conducted field tests, analyzed data and provided the initial draft practice.
A representative sample of 25 motorcycles and more than 50 aftermarket exhaust systems were tested. The goal was to develop an easy-to-administer field test to measure exhaust sound.
“If jurisdictions would adopt the SAE
J2825 test procedure as part of their overall sound-control strategies, it could eliminate laws that allow the subjective call of an officer, or a decibel-level reading that can’t be measured repeatedly, to be the basis for enforcement,” says Imre Szauter, AMA government affairs manager.
“The motorcycling community and law enforcement had long sought a practical field test for measuring street motorcycle sound,” he says.
The J2825 practice establishes several procedures to measure motorcycle sound with specific instrumentation, test sites, test conditions, measurements and sound-level limits.
The procedure follows the general SAE procedures established years ago for off-highway motorcycles. The AMA recommends that procedure—J1287— whenever off-highway motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATV) are operated.
The streetbike test procedure requires holding a calibrated sound meter at a 45-degree angle 20 inches from the exhaust pipe of a running engine. The procedure spells out how to do the test with the bike at idle, at a predetermined engine speed (“Set RPM Test”) or by slowly increasing the engine speed of the bike (“Swept RPM Test”).
The SAE J2825 standard recommends a limit of 92 decibels at idle for all machines; a limit of 100 decibels for threeor four-cylinder machines at 5,000 rpm or 75 percent of maximum engine speed, whichever is less; or a limit of 96 decibels for bikes with fewer than three or more than four cylinders at 2,000 rpm or 75 percent of maximum engine speed.
“To be honest, when I first heard of the test, I was concerned with the decibel limits that are outlined in the standard,” Alexander says. “Like everyone, I was reacting to the numbers—there is a huge difference between 92 decibels [in the SAE J2825 procedure] and the 106 decibels for all bikes that we have in New Hampshire.
“But, after seeing the results of a testing session with SAE J2825, I am pretty impressed with it,” she says. “It’s obvious that the test was developed specifically for on-road motorcycles and that most motorcycles, old and new, will comply with the standard. After working with J2825 even briefly, you realize that it really is not a bad thing at all.”
EPA Label Law Not Workable
The AMA, Alexander and others oppose labeling laws like those adopted in California and being considered in New Hampshire for a variety of reasons.
“The problem is that an EPA label doesn’t necessarily mean a motorcycle complies with the sound law,” says AMA Western States Representative Nick Haris. “A modified exhaust can still have a label.
Exhaust Label Requirement Nixed In
Lake Lure, N.C.
Town Adopts Roadside Sound Testing Instead
The town of Lake Lure, a popular motorcycling destination in western North Carolina, removed its requirement that motorcycles operating in the town display federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) labels on their exhaust systems indicating they complied with EPA sound requirements.
The Lake Lure Town Council deleted the labeling requirement from its town noise law after hearing the reasoned arguments of AMA members in the area.
Instead, the Town Council late last year approved a change to the ordinance setting a decibel limit for “any type of motor vehicle” of 92 decibels when measured 20 inches from the exhaust pipe at a 45-degree angle when the engine is idling.
Nor does the lack of a label necessarily mean that a pipe is not quiet enough to meet a sound law.
“In many ways, focusing on the label itself isn’t just arbitrary, it’s counterproductive,” he says.
Also, EPA labels can be difficult to locate on some motorcycles, and it’s unreasonable to expect a law enforcement officer to easily locate a label, Haris says.
Says Alexander: “SAE J2825 is one way that we can be part of the solution.”
Solutions Needed
“NHMRO, with its limited resources, is so busy countering the ‘sound problem’ that we are not able to focus on protecting the real rights of motorcyclists,” she says. “There is more to motorcyclists’ rights and freedoms than being able to make the choice of riding with/without a helmet or riding with an exhaust system that doesn’t have an EPA label on it.
“Because NHMRO is busy fighting the motorcycle noise problem, we are not able to go after things such as ensuring that rider education funds are there and that people who want to learn to ride safely are able to do so without paying extraordinary amounts of money to a private [riding] school,” Alexander says.
“I just wish we were able to focus on the real problems that motorcyclists face every day,” she says.
2
1
The battle for AMA Supercross supremacy continues this month with Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey, James Stewart, Chad Reed and the other stars of the AMA Supercross circuit banging handlebars April 14 in New Orleans, and April 21 in Seattle. For the full schedule, see page 49.
Feeling lucky? The Schuylkill County Motorcycle Club is hosting a poker run April 15 in Schuylkill Haven, Pa. Info: SchuylkillCountyMotorcycleClub. com.
3
World Champion roadracer and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Kevin Schwantz will be the featured speaker at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Breakfast at Daytona, March 16, in Daytona Beach, Fla.. Be sure to attend this prestigious event and support the Hall of Fame. Info: MotorcycleMuseum.org.
4
On April 14-15, the Volunteer Riders of Knoxville, Tenn., will host the kickoff event of the 2012 AMA Yamaha Super Ténéré National Adventure Ride Series out of Bybee, Tenn. Info: JBSaki@ gmail.com or VolunteerRiders.com.
5The fifth round of the AMA Kenda Hare and Hound National Championship Series is set for April 22 in Lucerne Valley, Calif. For the full schedule, see page 49.
6
Fire up your British iron and head off to the spectacular Texas Hill Country for the British Motorcycle Owners Association of Houston road run, based in Concan, Texas, April 13-14. No British iron? No worries! Riders of all brands are invited to attend. Info: (830) 232-6118 or nealslod@hctc/met.
7
The AMA West Hare Scrambles National Championship Series will hold its mid-season round for youth on April 14 and for amateurs on April 15 in Shasta Lake, Calif. For the full schedule, see page 49.
COMING UP
It’s not too early to start planning riding routes to attend AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days this July 20-22 at the MidOhio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Get together with thousands of your newest friends for a rockin’ good time. More information is available at AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com.
It only happens every several years, so you won’t want to miss the AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference that will be held July 26-29 in Carson City, Nev. The extravaganza combines inspirational speakers, great roads, demo rides, product showcases and unmatched camaraderie. Info: WomenAndMotorcycling.com.
APR 28: BLOUNTVILLE: VICTORY SPORTS INC, (423) 323-5497, VICTORY-SPORTS. COM
APR 29: BLOUNTVILLE: VICTORY SPORTS INC, (423) 323-5497, VICTORY-SPORTS. COM
TEXAS
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RUN
APR 13-14: CONCAN: 2-DAY EVENT, BRITISH MOTORCYCLE OWNERS
HALL OF FAME EXHIBITS AND EVENTS
AMA MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME MOTORCYCLEMUSEUM. ORG
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame is on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Closed: Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Main Hall: AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame: Recognizing those who have made significant contributions to all aspects of motorcycling.
Dirt-Track! All-American Motorcycle Racing: Celebrating the storied history of the men and machines who battle on the dirt oval.
30-Year Ride: Honda’s Ohiomade Motorcycles: Gold Wings aren’t the only bikes that Honda produced at its plant in Marysville, Ohio. This exhibit showcases the 30 years of production, from the CR250 to the Rune.
Founder’s Hall: Honoring the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame’s generous contributors.
Breakfast at Daytona, featuring Kevin Schwantz: March 16, Daytona 500 Club, Daytona International Speedway, (614) 856-2222, ext. 1234; MotorcycleMuseum.org
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days: July 20-22, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio; AMA VintageMotorcycleDays.com
AMA PRO RACING
AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES
AMASUPERCROSS.COM
March 10: Daytona Beach, Fla.: Daytona International Speedway
March 17: Indianapolis: Lucas Oil Stadium
March 24: Toronto, Canada: Rogers Center
March 31: Houston: Reliant Stadium
April 14: New Orleans: Louisiana Superdome
April 21: Seattle: Qwest Field
April 28: Salt Lake City: RiceEccles Stadium
May 5: Las Vegas, Nev.: Sam Boyd Stadium
AMA PRO SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP AMAPRORACING.COM
March 15-17: Daytona Beach, Fla.: Daytona 200, Daytona International Speedway
ASSN OF HOUSTON, (830) 232-6118, NEALSLODGES. COM
APR 29: HUMBLE : PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FOUNDATION OF THE U.S., (800) 253-6530, RIDEFORKIDS.ORG
Aug. 18-19: Woverine, Mich.: Ted’s Chandler Hill Challenge, Great Lakes Dual Sporters, Jeremay Valley; (989) 751-6863, GLDSMC.org
Sept. 8-9: Golden Pond, Ky.: Land Between the Lakes 200, K.T. Riders, Jesse Thomas; (270) 522-3703, LBL200.com
Sept. 22-23: Buck Meadows, Calif.: Yosemite Dual Sport Adventure, Family Off Road Adventures, Lawrence Borgens; (209) 649-3633, FamilyOffRoadAdventures.com
Sept. 29-30: Wabeno, Wis.: Big Woods 200, Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders, John Newton; (920) 350-2030, GLDSMC.org
Oct. 6-7: Mt. Solon, Va.: Shenandoah 500 Dual Sport, Washington Area Trail Riders, Andy Giordano; (703) 505-9123, NVTR.org
Oct. 6-7: McArthur, Ohio: Baby Burr National Dual Sport, Enduro Riders Assn., Steve Barber; (614) 582-7821, EnduroRiders.com
Oct. 20-21: Study Butte, Texas: 15th Annual Terlingua National DS, Trail Riders of Houston, Jack Jennings; (713) 248-7222, TRHCycle.org
Oct. 27-28: Chatsworth, N.J.: Meteor Ride in the Pines, Meteor MC, Jeff Fitzpatrick; (609) 6545015, MeteorMC.com
Oct. 27-28: Wickenburg, Ariz.: Howlin’ at the Moon Dual Sport, Arizona Trail Riders, Don Hood; (602) 692-9382, dohood@us.ibm. com
Oct. 27-28: Chatsworth, N.J.: Meteor Ride in the Pines, Meteor MC, Jeff Fitzpatrick; (609) 6545015, MeteorMC.com
Nov. 23-24: Palmdale, Calif.: LA-Barstow to Vegas, AMA D37 Dual Sport, Paul Flanders; (626) 792-7384, District37AMA.org
AMA PREMIER TOURING SERIES
AMERICANMOTORCYCLIST. COMROADRIDE/TOURING
AMA GRAND NATIONAL RALLY
July 26-29: Carson City, Nev.: International Women & Motorcycling Conference, AMA, (614) 856-1900, WomenandMotorcycling.com
AMA NATIONAL RALLY
July 20-22:Lexington, Ohio: AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, AMA, Connie Fleming; (614) 856-1900 ext. 1258, AMAVintageMotorcycleDays. com
AMA NATIONAL CONVENTION
June 4-9: Lake George, N.Y.: Americade, TourExpo.com
Sept. 12-16: Ruidoso, N.M.: Golden Aspen Rally, MotorcycleRally.com
AMA NATIONAL TOURING RALLY
June 24-28: Avon, Colo.: STAR 2012, SportTouring.us/ STAR2012
Aug. 1-5: Stephenson, Wash.: Rally in the Gorge, SoundRider. com/rally
AMA REGIONAL CONVENTION
May 17-20: Ruidoso, N.M.: Aspencash, MotorcycleRally. com
AMA DISTRICT TOURING RALLY
June 18-21: Matamoros, Pa.: MTA 2012 Gathering, Vikingbike@mindspring.com
AMA NATIONAL GYPSY TOUR
June 11-19: Laconia, N.H.: Laconia Bike Week, LaconiaBikeWeek.com
Aug. 9: Sturgis, S.D.: Sturgis Gypsy Tour, Jackpine-Gypsies. com
Oct. 12-14: Redding, Calif.: Big Bike Weekend, BigBikeWeekend.com
AMA NATIONAL GRAND TOURS
AMERICANMOTORCYCLIST. COM/ROADRIDE/TOURING
Jan. 1-Dec. 31: Polar Bear Grand Tour, AMA District 2 of New Jersey, (609) 894-2941, PolarBearGrandTour.com
March 1-Nov. 30: Smoke Chasing Grand Tour, Team Strange Airheads, SmokeChasing.com
April 1-Oct. 31: Tour of Honor Grand Tour, Tour of Honor, TourofHonor.com
April 1-Nov. 30: Hodgepodge Grand Tour, Midnight Riders Motorcycle Club, (765) 566-3807, Midnight-Riders-MC.com
AMA EXTREME NATIONAL GRAND TOURS AMERICANMOTORCYCLIST. COM/ROADRIDE/TOURING
Jan. 1-Dec. 31: USA Four Corners Grand Tour, Southern California Motorcycle Association (SCMA), (949) 2464941, USA4Corners.org
Jan. 1-Dec. 31: Best US 15 Roads Challenge Grand Tour, Southern California Motorcycle Association (SCMA), SC-MA.com
Aug. 30-Sept. 4: Three Flags Classic Grand Tour, Southern California Motorcycle Association (SCMA), SC-MA. com
AMA GYPSY TOUR
April 26-29: Alvarado, Texas: Biker’s Adult Rally, Texas State Gypsy Tour, BikersAdultRally. com
June 16-17: Kingston, Idaho: Gyro Daze, District 24 Gypsy, HiRollers.org
AMA SIGNATURE EVENTS AMERICANMOTORCYCLIST. COM/ROADRIDE/TOURING
Nov. 12-13: Titusville, Fla.: March of Dimes Bikers for Babies, BikersforBabies.org
Oct. 21: Mesa, Ariz.: Desert Ridge High School, road ride
Nov. 4: Lithia, Fla.: Heinrich Training Center, road ride
GUEST COLUMN
TOGETHER IN MOTION
Understanding The Ego Of The Motorcyclist
By Jeffrey Rumminger
My motorcycle idles high as it warms up, and my riding gear is coming on. As the engine speed decreases, I begin to feel anticipation of the ride. My eyes trace the shapes of metallic art that are part of my machine. I feel a slight warming near my leg as the engine heat radiates.
I check zippers and snaps—secure. My helmet is on and cinched. The gloves come on and I once again appreciate that comforting feeling of those perfectly shaped and worn-in gloves. My leg swings over the bike, and I feel a tingle of joy that slowly makes its way through my body.
I throttle up and ease out the clutch. That first moment of motion overtakes me with a soothing rush. That moment—that same moment every time—is both mysterious and familiar. It is in that moment that all non-riding things fall away and I recapture the freedom to focus again. It is in that moment, that very real moment of motion, I am connected.
As most motorcyclists do, I often get the question, “Why do you ride a motorcycle?” For me, first and foremost, riding my motorcycle is about making a connection to motion. Riding is the absence of all non-riding thought and in that absence a connection to motion is formed. No other motorized machine designed to transport a human being provides that same connection. Planes can’t. Trains can’t. Automobiles can’t. Boats can’t.
The essence of my motorcycle ride is not just saddling the machine and transporting myself upon it. Rather, it’s how I command it by becoming part of it. The strife, struggle, and challenge to become “one” in motion with my motorcycle are part of that essence.
When I’m riding my motorcycle, I become part of the environment. The aromas, temperatures, shifts from wet to dry, the earthy grime, and shades of an infinite color palette all slam together in my senses, building not only a recognition of the scene I’m passing through, but a comprehension that allows me to feel connected to it. Riding my motorcycle brings a more focused and involved existence to my psyche and the elements of that awareness seem to overflow in other aspects of my life.
The risk of riding, while controlled, serves to sharpen my senses to a high level. Whether whizzing past a scene at high speed or experiencing it with a slow speed crawl, riding, and the act of my motorcycle in motion, connects me to those scenes unlike
anything else, and my mind becomes tattooed.
Despite the seemingly chaotic activity of machinery in my motorcycle and the confinement of my riding gear, I feel an unmatched, unrivaled, calm and eerie freedom when I ride.
Almost surreal, those feelings are the same each and every ride, yet seemingly forgotten through planting the kick stand at rides’ end as testament to the renewed excitement I feel each time I ride.
I seek to ride my motorcycle again, then again, to repeat and recapture scenery in motion, and go beyond seeing.
While the physics of a motorcycle in motion and the science behind it have always interested me, what truly intrigues me as a motorcycle rider is how those principles keep my ego in check and provide balance in my life. My riding ego is the internal driving force and dialogue that tells me all things seem possible when I am riding my motorcycle. This is far different than what I feel off the bike, and also the mental state that encourages me to push myself when I’m on it.
To push harder along that twisting mountain road, to push harder over and through those jagged rocks on a mountain pass, to push longer, just one more hour, going for a new long-distance personal best, then realizing—as with a hypnotist’s pendulum—the motion of my motorcycle has once again transformed me.
My answer to why I ride? I ride to be connected to motion, to “become” my scenery rather than just see it, to understand the constant necessity to control my ego in all aspects of my life, and to revel in knowing that I am a motorcyclist.
Jeffrey Rumminger is an AMA member from Wichita Falls, Texas.
