Thirty-six months seems like a long time. But the last three years have positively flown by, which means we’re probably having a lot of fun. And, to be honest, we at the AMA very much are, and especially here at American Motorcyclist.
I remember Day One of these past 36 months like it was yesterday. I’d just signed on as the AMA’s Editorial Director in February of 2021, and was already working on our upcoming April issue’s cover story…an in-depth feature on AMA Hall of Famer, industry legend and good friend Malcolm Smith, who’d just turned 80 — and who just turned 83 (Happy Birthday, Malcolm!).
Besides being a genuinely nice man, Malcolm is evergreen subject matter for our sport, a guy who’s been a motorcycle-industry staple since even before the Hall of Famer Bruce Brown’s On Any Sunday catapulted Ol’ Malcolm to worldwide fame back in 1971. If you asked 10 motorcyclists of a certain demographic to name their favorite motorcyclist, I’d wager 8-in-10 would say Malcolm Smith.
Malcolm and I got to know each other pretty well between 2013 and 2015 as we wrote and produced his autobiography (which is being reprinted as I write this, the first edition of 10,000 books having completely sold out), so I knew there was plenty of grist to cover in that feature story as he continued to battle advanced age and the effects of Parkinson’s, which he’s been fighting for nearly 30 years.
Still, that issue of the magazine, and that particular story, was more than simply about Malcolm Smith looking back on his eight decades. It was in many ways a blueprint for a fresh and unique version of a time-honored magazine formula that has, sadly, gone
PERSPECTIVES the next 36
BY MITCH BOEHM
mostly missing over the last couple of decades.
I call it the “traditional motorcycle magazine experience,” and it’s the formula that blessed us with Cycle, Modern Cycle, Popular Cycling, Cycle Guide, Motorcyclist, Cycle World, Dirt Rider and others over the decades,
...that’s my question to you, or maybe it’s a challenge: What would you like to see more or less of in our pages in the next 36 months?
print titles that went bye-bye for a host of financial reasons, but the last few due more specifically to the mad rush to scrollable online text and photos, and corresponding lack of support from the industry in general.
Of course, we loved them all. We waited for them to be dropped into the mailbox, or on the local newsstand; we savored every page; clipped and stick-pinned their pages to our walls in our younger years, much to our moms’ chagrin; and hid them in our math books during class.
We’re working hard to keep that spirit alive here at American Motorcyclist, North America’s largest-circulation print magazine by far. Yes, stalwarts are working to do the same, from Racer X to Rider to Dirt Bike, MXA, Roadracing World, and others, and we cheer for them every month.
But we’re fortunate. Our business model is a bit different than the other players, as American Motorcyclist is funded primarily by you, the committed and enthusiastic members of the AMA. Our goal here is to not only continue building a print magazine each month,
American Motorcyclist April 2021
but one that’s as compelling, informative, popular and entertaining as it’s been these last 36 months.
We’ll do that by doing what we’ve been doing these last three years: focusing on the people of our sport and industry, the American motorcyclist, along with the motorcycles, news, history and commentary that, according to what I’ve been hearing from members and the industry, continue to resonate and entertain strongly.
And that’s my question to you, or maybe it’s a challenge: What would you like to see more or less of in our pages in the next 36 months?
Our typical mix in each edition is a current or historical long-form feature or three (classic bikes and events, touring and adventure tales, technology, people, etc.), AMA-centric and Government Relations news to keep you up to date legislatively, interesting columns, an AMA insider piece, Back in the Day submissions, letters, and some hands-on/how-to practical bits in the AMA Garage section. So what are we missing?
Please let us know by sending an email to submissions@ama-cycle.org, and don’t be shy. I’d like the next 36 months to fly by as the last 36 have. Cuz that’ll mean we’re all having fun.
Mitch Boehm is the Editorial Director of the AMA and a long-time member.
As we rode into our campsite, a greybeard at the site next to us was seated at a picnic table heating dinner over a tiny gas stove. On one side was his shiny Honda Gold Wing, on the other, a fancy mountaineering tent. He looked a bit out of place amongst all the black-beard bikers here to attend the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
After setting up, we gathered around the campfire to drink beer and swap tales. The greybeard installed his earplugs and went to bed.
I was the first of our group to rise the next morning, and found our neighbor already making coffee.
“Sorry if we got a little noisy last night,” I said.
“Nothing to be sorry about,” he said. “I enjoyed listening to you guys having fun. I should have done more of that in my youth.”
After we introduced ourselves, I asked Russ, “So, trying to make up for lost time, are you?”
“Time is never lost,” he said. “It’s misspent. I was so immersed in my business, I forgot what really matters in life: family, friends, adventure. Finally, my body rebelled, and I was given two years to live.” As he pushed a coffee my way, he added, “That was six years ago.”
“Wow,” I replied, “six years…ever go back to the doctor?”
“Saw him last year.” Russ smiled, “He thought he was seeing a ghost!”
“Did he get the diagnosis wrong?”
“Naahhh, he reviewed my file and said he got it right.”
“Did he check you out again?”
“Yep, the cancer cells are still there, but they’re not active.”
I must have looked puzzled.
“He told me patients sometimes
MEGAPHONE mind over matter
BY B. JAN MONTANA
experience spontaneous remissions, and the medical community has no idea why…but I do.”
“What’s your theory?”
“For years, my gut was telling me I wasn’t living right, but my brain was too busy to listen. Then my body complained with inflammation, cramps, fatigue, indigestion and pain. But I gritted my teeth and worked on till it got real bad.”
“My son, a psychologist, told me that I was in a permanent “fight or flight” mode, where bodily functions such as repair and rejuvenation are put on hold in favor of escaping a predator. That’s supposed to be a temporary thing until the threat passes, but a body under such stress is constantly deteriorating, and rapidly. He advised me to retire and do something I would really enjoy.”
“My son made me realize that my future was my choice. So rather than die at work, I decided to spend my remaining days wandering across America…like those guys in Easy Rider. From the moment I started riding, I stopped worrying about deadlines, regulations, equipment failures, supply chain and transportation issues, taxes, and union demands.”
“It felt as if a great burden had lifted from me. The whole world appeared different. Instead of dreading each
Russ at a vintage bike show at Christmas Circle Park in Borrego Springs, Calif., taken several years before he died. “From the moment I started riding,” he told us, “I stopped worrying about deadlines, regulations, equipment failures, etc.”
Russ beat his two-years-tolive cancer diagnosis by 14 years.
day, I woke up eager to experience it. Best of all, once I stopped forcing my body into doing things it didn’t want to do, it ceased to sabotage me.”
“Shouldn’t your physician have told you about that before you developed cancer?” I asked.
“The medical profession is only just now coming ’round to recognizing the power of mind over matter,” he responded. “Recent scientific studies prove that one’s mindset has a great deal to do with one’s health; apparently, a stressed mind produces hormones that promote disease.”
That made sense to me, and I figured I’d look into that when I had time.
“Do you ride in the wintertime, as well?” I asked him.
“I bought a place in Palm Springs so I could ride all year.”
“That’s not far from me,” I said. “Maybe we should keep in touch?”
For many years after that, Russ and I met for lunch several times each winter in Borrego Springs, Calif. He died at age 86 from cardiac arrest, having beaten his cancer prognosis by 14 years.
B. Jan Montana is an AMA Member.
BACKFIRES
EUROPEAN VACATION
Really enjoyed the AMA Alps Challenge tour series! It’s worth repeating that Edelweiss Bike Travel also rents bikes for riders who prefer self-guided adventures. Back in ’95 a buddy and I rented a rowdy pair of Hondas from Edelweiss. Good memories include getting out of speeding tickets on the German autobahn, strafing summits and carving canyons through Austria and Switzerland, racing twin Testarossas along the Italian coast, bungeejumping in Paris, and getting lost for a few days in Amsterdam.
Jim Kirchner Streetsboro, Ohio
HALF-A-’BUSA BURNS
Browsing through the February issue, I’m seeing stuff that really catches my attention, as always. Loved the story of John Burns slipping into the third leg of the Edelweiss Alps tour, but it was his Half-A-’Busa Burgman column that I could really relate to. Having ridden so many motorcycles over the years, including Gold Wings in several countries in Europe, the U.S. and Canada, I find myself wishing I had a Burgman 650 back then. There are no Alpine passes that can stop a Burgman 650, none! I rode a Suzuki
750 on most of them back in 1982, so I know the roads. The “twist and go” element of the Burgman’s 638cc make it an actual sports-tourer, just without the clutch. Once you learn how to ride a big CVT bike, there’s no need to shift or slip the clutch, even in hairpin corners. You just keep a bit of throttle and trail the rear brake. I have ridden close to 1 million miles on two wheels, and am on my fourth Burgman 650, having crashed two of them. On Burgmans alone I have over 180,000 miles.
I am a 13-year AMA member, and retired U.S. Army.
Dave J. Auburn, Wash.
LETTER OF THE MONTH
recently learned of a great information source that may be valuable to share with the AMA community. While searching for gas stations in my area that sold ethanol-free fuel, I found a Pure-Gas database (https:// www.pure-gas.org) of over 16,000 gas stations and marinas across the country. They are user-reported and offer e-free fuel, and I figured the knowledge could be beneficial to readers and members as one interim bridge to a saner U.S. fuels policy. There’s also an app for iPhone and Android. The site indicates it was created in 2009 and is run by fellow rider Sam Hokin.
Many thanks to Sam for his creativity, time and money in making the information available! Please share if you haven’t done so before, as I feel it may be helpful to others. I’m betting Sam wouldn’t mind.
Chris Cullen
Thanks to Sam, and Chris for the tip! – Ed.
E15-free registry!
BACK IN THE DAY
Where the photos are blurry but the memories are clear!
The first photo is of my late Uncle “Buz” Wilbur with a leg over my maternal grandfather’s Harley-Davidson FLH Panhead on the West side of Columbus, Ohio, circa 1968. My grand-
6
That’s me on my first bike — a Kawasaki 175 — that I won in a model-building contest. I was hoping for the grand prize, a Kawasaki 750 triple, but in retrospect, I wasn’t ready for that! Can you imagine anyone giving away a motorcycle as a prize now? The contest was sponsored by Revell (the model company) and Kawasaki. My winning model used the Knucklehead engine, transmission, and a few bits and pieces from the Revell
father passed before I was born, but my mom shares a thrilling, or perhaps terrifying, memory of riding with Wilbur Sr., as he would “dip” the motorcycle from side to side. The Panhead was lost to history, as they say. In the second
one-eighth scale “L.A. Street Chopper” kit. The frame, front end and headers were made of round and square brass tubing and sheet that I soldered together. I turned the acorn nut covers in my high school shop class, the tank and seat were balsa wood, and my sister helped me stitch the Naugahyde seat cover. I still have the model, too, which Cycle World’s Joe Parkhurst wrote about in the magazine’s January 1974 issue. After the contest, Revell paid me to build some promotional models, and I am still enjoying the hobby.
Scott Eyler
Actually, the AMA and specific manufacturers such as Indian, Triumph, Yamaha and others do give away real-deal motorcycles in our monthly AMA Sweepstakes. See pages 6–7 for the scoop. – Ed.
photo, I’m sitting in front of my ’86 Honda V65 Magna at Battelle Park in Galloway, Ohio, in 1994. The boots and hairstyle may be cringeworthy, but the engine’s 116 horsepower certainly was not!
Corey Johnson
5This photo was taken on Oct. 5, 1980, at the 100-mile Black Coal National Enduro in Lynnville, Ind. The Black Coal course was run over Peabody Coal Company land in Southern Indiana once a year. I started on row 62 on my very first Husqvarna 250 OR, and this image was snapped at the main gas stop en route to finishing third in the 250B class. This Husky had to be the tallest motorcycle ever made, with a 38-inch seat height. It also had 12 inches of travel on 35mm forks that would twist and flex in every corner. (I now have a mountain bike with 40mm forks!) Still, I wouldn’t have traded those great times for anything.
Mark Hosbach
BACK IN THE DAY
5This shot was taken in Bloomfield, N.J., circa 1969. That’s me on the right and my brother on the left, with my mother sitting on the back. My father took the photo and insisted she sit on the back…my brother was mortified! My bike was a ’66 Honda 160 twin, which I absolutely loved. I would take it into NYC without a second thought. The bike on the left was my brother’s Yamaha 125 two-stroke. I would soon upgrade to a Kawasaki H1 Mach III.
Greg McLaughlin
And you even lived to tell about it! – Ed.
6The attached photo of me with my 1979 Yamaha SR500 was taken in the summer of 1981. Arriving on a Saturday afternoon in Vancouver, B.C., to visit a friend, I was alarmed to discover beer sales on Sunday were prohibited in Canada. Through quick action, a case of local brew was sourced, and a dry weekend was averted. But between the thumper’s vibration characteristics, the lack of refrigeration, and the bungee-cord method of transport, it took a while for our beer to reach an optimal drinking state. The SR carried me around the West Coast over the years. It wasn’t my first motorcycle — that would be a 1973 Honda CL350 — but it remains in my possession.
Dave Murray
5For me, my life’s obsession for two wheels started in 1979 on my new holdover ’78 YZ80E purchased out of Sam’s Sport and Ski Shop Yamaha showroom in Caribou, Maine, after convincing my Dad that a Sears catalog 12 mph top-speed go-kart was just not going to cut it against the Rupps, Yamaha GT80s and Suzuki DS80s slinging mud around our offroad potato-country neighborhood in Northern Maine. Dad, who had been out of biking since he sold his BSA Gold Star 20 years earlier, and then eventually purchased a Yamaha XS1100, made sure a proper breakin was in order for this “for off-road competition use only” race bike. All of that led to years of motocross in New Brunswick, Quebec and Northern Maine. I’ve never stopped my passion for two-wheeled adventures, and continue to ride and collect both vintage and modern-day motorcycles. It’s been a lifelong love affair, for sure. Thank you, Dad, for not returning the bike that started it all.
Dave Harris
3Here’s me on my 1976 YZ100 and my cousin Jeff on his GT80 doing our best rippin’-it pose for the camera. My brother Greg is thinking we’re both boneheads. These were good times in our mid-teens back around 1980, when we weren’t allowed to ride dirt bikes anymore on the streets of Philly. My dad would drive us over to a cool riding area in Florence, N.J., that our flat-tracking cousin Joe K. told us about. Wish I still had that awesome Yamaha jersey!
Len Wojnarowicz
GYPSY TOUR AMA NATIONAL
...got its start more than 100 years ago at places like Weirs Beach near Laconia, N.H., and Harley-Davidson Motor Co. in Milwaukee, Wis.
AMA Gypsy Tours have always been about riding and sharing the camaraderie of two wheels with like-minded enthusiasts at great destinations.
And that continues with the 2024 Gypsy Tour schedule, where riders can meet, share experiences and even grab their collectible AMA National Gypsy Tour pin dated with the year.
Americade
MAY 29 - June 1
Laconia motorcycle week
June 8 - 16
Buckeye motorcycle and music rally
June 27 - 29
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days
July 26-28
up to speed
News, notes, insight and more from the motorcycling universe
TRIUMPH’S NEW 400s
The UK’s gonna need a bigger boat to import the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X
BY JOHN BURNS
The official line is that this pair of new Triumphs is going to bring a whole new generation of riders to Triumph. Translation? These bikes are affordable for almost anybody: $4,995 for the Speed and $5,595 for the Scrambler X is at least 10 percent less than we expected, and makes them competitive with anything on the market. The fact that these first India-built bikes live up to the usual Triumph standard is icing on the tikka masala We found out the hard way, riding both for a day through some of southern Spain’s twistiest tarmac, and
RIDE FIRST
even a little dirt road section thrown in for the Scrambler. You always know you’re going to have fun on a Triumph ride, because they always find a guy like Ian Cobby, former British Superbike racer, to lead the parade. Tires smoldering after miles of tight mountain curvature behind Cobby (who had the route dialed by the time we Americans showed up in Week Two of the official launch), we all agreed anything bigger than the Speed 400 would be wasted. On these roads, it’s all about light weight and precise handling, both areas in which the new Triumphs excel.
LESS IS MORE
These bikes really drive home the old adage about it being more fun to ride a slow bike fast, not that 40 horsepower is all that slow. But maximum speed-up does require you to stretch the throttle cables and work the bikes’ perfectly good six-speed gearboxes to participate Unexpectedly, even though it’s a bit larger and 20 pounds heavier at 395 pounds, the Scrambler could unravel the really tight stuff a bit quicker than the Speed. Must be down to its wider, taller handlebar and maybe the increased gyro of its bigger tires (Metzeler Karoos)? Something to do with
up to speed
IN THE CITY
Still, you don’t have to be a backroad maniac to appreciate this pair. In fact, light nimbleness is just as appreciated battling morning urban traffic. Both bikes provide excellent, upright ergonomics and comfy seats, with the Speed’s lower seat and narrow-
er bar giving it the slight edge in town. Forty horses are more than enough for getting the holeshot on traffic. The little thumper cruises smoothly along at 35 mph in top gear, from which a downshift or two will get you 80 mph and about 7,000 rpm snappy-like. Given room, the big round speedo climbs to 100 mph. Freeway cruising isn’t quite as smooth as the excellent
dual-counterbalanced KTM 390 thumpers, but it’s still pretty dang vibe-free even though Triumph bolts the engine solidly into the steel frame.
Speaking of KTM, as far as I can tell its (more expensive) Duke and 390 Adventures are the only real competition performance-wise for these new Triumph singles, but Triumph says its customers just aren’t into orange. Husqvarna Svartpilen? It uses the KTM single also, and is priced just about the same as the Scrambler 400X.
Tough call, really: The Scrambler, on its 19- and 17-inch wheels and Metzeler Karoos, fits rangier riders better, while the 375-pound Speed 400 is super-accessible to even shorties.
CACHET, KA-CHING
None of the competition, though, quite has these bikes’ exclusive English pedigree. It’s no mistake that the Speed and Scrambler both are designed to look like, and work like, their distinguished bigger siblings. That resemblance is close enough in terms of paint, fit, and finish that it should be easy for most buyers to dismiss that these two weren’t built in the U.K. India’s Bajaj does nice work, maybe even more so with Triumph peeking over its shoulder these last five years.
Not only is the price super nice, Triumph says you can expect 80 mpg and lower maintenance costs. Hmmm, the low-fuel light had been flashing on my Scrambler for quite some time by the time I got back from 110 miles of chasing Ian Cobby around the Spanish main, but maybe the 3.4-gallon tank wasn’t full when we left?
Anyway, it’s a small price to pay for this much fun, whether you’re a brand-new rider or one who’s been around the block more than a few times. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of these.
100-YEAR MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE
.1 Year AMA membership*
.100-year membership card
.Embroidered anniversary patch
.Anniversary decal
.Limited edition 100-Year Anniversary pin
.Limited edition 100-Year Anniversary t-shirt
100-YEAR LIFE MEMBER PLUS PACKAGE
.1 Year of Life Member Plus Enrollment*
.100-Year Life Member Plus membership card
.Limited edition Life Member 100-Year Anniversary t-shirt
.Embroidered anniversary patch
.Anniversary decal
Induction ceremony tickets
.Discount AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
Limited edition 100-Year Anniversary pin
Discount AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
Induction ceremony tickets
PART THREE up to speed Rights ROUNDUP
100 Years OF Historic AMA Rights Wins
BY JOY BURGESS
s we’ve looked back over the last few months at some of the AMA’s biggest government relations wins over the past 100 years, we’ve been reminded of clashes with some of the heavies in government…the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for one.
AIn the late 1970s the non-elected bureaucracy ended up apologizing to motorcyclists for some of its actions on noise and noise standards, with AMA staff bringing other proposed and unfair EPA regulations to the attention of Congress, where the agency’s efforts died after overwhelming public and motorcyclist support.
Turns out, that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the good work being done by the AMA’s Government Relations Department at the time.
“THE
AMA JUST PAID FOR YOUR MEMBERSHIP!”
That was the headline in an AMA advertisement near the end of 1978, which heralded the AMA’s recent victory over the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Previously, you could deduct sales tax on a car, boat or airplane, but not on your motorcycle.
The AMA was determined to change that.
American Motorcyclist reported that AMA staff was working on an initiative to get an even break for bikers. “Our discussions with the IRS have been very positive,” said AMA Legislative Analyst Gary Winn, “and they seem genuinely interested in providing an even break for the AMA member who shells out thousands of dollars for a motorcycle.”
Ultimately, the AMA succeeded, convincing the IRS to rewrite its regulations, allowing proper sales tax deductions for motorcycles.
The ad got it right, as the AMA’s success allowing the deduction of sales tax on motorcycles put money back in AMA members’ pockets…literally!
EVEN MORE LATE-70S WINS
• The AMA helped halt California’s plan to ban two-strokes.
• The AMA stopped motor racing from being eliminated in Oregon.
• The AMA changed Pennsylvania legislation that would have made enduros and poker runs illegal.
• The AMA told the Department of Energy that a 10 percent gasoline allocation for motorcycles wasn’t enough. They listened and agreed to provide more.
• After meeting with AMA staff and local members, Long Island, N.Y., opened 10,000 acres of land to ORV enthusiasts.
• A proposed bike ban in New York City was defeated after AMA members flooded the city mayor’s and city council’s offices with letters opposing the ban.
• The AMA and local activists fought and won against Oregon’s proposed unrealistic noise regulations.
• St. Louis tried to enforce a motorcycle ban, but the AMA sought an injunction against St. Louis officials to prevent it.
MEMBER SUPPORT MATTERS!
At the end of a list of GRD wins in the July 1979 issue of American Motorcyclist, the Government Relations Department said this: “We couldn’t have done it without the support of our members… Will [next year] be an equally successful year? We can do everything we have sufficient support and money to do, so our success [next year] is largely up to you.”
That may have been written nearly 45 years ago, but it remains true today: We can’t do this without you. The AMA needs your help and support more than ever. Sign up for action alerts from the AMA at https:// americanmotorcyclist.com/action-center/ Donate to the AMA’s Government Relations Efforts!
THE RIGHT TOOLS
up to speed Racing ROUNDUP
AMA Awards: Best of the Best
2023 AMA Racers, Organizers and Volunteers of the Year
BY JACK EMERSON
In 2023, the American Motorcyclist Association sanctioned more than 2,400 events in an effort to continue providing a dynamic riding and racing scene for our members.
With such a high volume of events, the AMA relies on our excellent athletes, organizers and volunteers to keep the standard high at our races and rides. Each year, the AMA recognizes those who went above and beyond to promote and preserve the motorcycling lifestyle with the AMA Racing, Organizer and Volunteer of the Year awards.
“We are grateful to everyone who helped make 2023 another outstanding year of AMA-sanctioned racing and riding,” AMA Director of Racing Mike Pelletier said. “Congratulations to all of the winners who worked tirelessly throughout 2023 to further the
AMA’s reach across the nation.”
The prestigious AMA Athlete of the Year and Racer of the Year awards — which recognize the best of the best in AMA-sanctioned competition in 2023 — were determined through a member-wide vote, while the organizational and volunteer awards were selected by AMA staff.
Starting with the prestigious AMA Athlete of the Year Awards, Pro1 National Enduro champion Grant Baylor was the AMA Athlete of the Year (National Championship Series) while Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award winner Evan Renshaw brought home the AMA Athlete of the Year (Grand Championship). Mason Jackson — who collected Pro-Am and Pro Sport championships in the ATV Motocross National Championship — was named the AMA ATV
Athlete of the Year
Capturing AMA Veteran/Senior Racer of the Year honors was Jeff Emig, who scored victories in the Senior (40+) and Masters (50+) classes at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship. After scoring a trio of titles at the AMA Flat Track Grand Championships, Jack Brucks was named the AMA Youth Racer of the Year, while Mikayla Moore was awarded the AMA Female Racer of the Year following her MotoAmerica Build, Train, Race title.
The AMA Sportsman of the Year, which is awarded to an individual or group that best exemplifies the motorcycling lifestyle, went to the 2023 U.S. ISDE Team, which saw several firstplace finishes at the six-day event in San Juan, Argentina, last year.
On the organizational side, the Lake Sugar Tree Motorsports Park won
Motocross Organizer of the Year, while Briarcliff Motocross LLC earned the ATV Organizer of the Year distinction. National Enduro Promotions Group and the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association took home the Off-Road Racing Organizer and Track Racing Organizer of the Year awards, respectively.
Manchester Motorcycle Club Inc. earned Recreational Road Riding Organizer of the Year, and Durty Dabbers Motorcycle Club claimed Recreational Off-Road Organizer of the Year honors.
AMA Club of the Year went to Middle Atlantic Motocross Association Inc. and Vital MX secured the AMA Media Award.
Rory S. Reiley, John Bauman and Charity Gochenour all earned AMA Volunteer of the Year honors, as well. Congratulations, all!
MARY RINELL
ROCKY MOUNTAIN MILESTONE
Lane filtering and passing bill passed by Colorado Senate, moves on to House of Representatives
BY KEATON MAISANO
he Colorado Senate voted 22-8 (with five excused) in favor of passing Colorado SB24079 — a motorcycle lane filtering and passing bill — marking the furthest such a bill has progressed in the state’s history.
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The bill allows for motorcycles to pass stopped cars while traveling a speed that does not exceed 15 mph.
The bill — which was passed by the Senate on third reading on Feb. 13 — allows for motorcycles to pass stopped cars while traveling a speed that does not exceed 15 mph. Under these terms, Colorado would become the first lane-filtering state to require vehicles be at a complete stop before a motorcyclist can overtake them.
While SB24-079 saw initial pushback from the Colorado State Patrol Association, County Sheriffs of Colorado and the Association of Chiefs of Police, it passed a Feb. 7 hearing of the Colorado Senate Transportation and Energy Committee after three amendments were added. The amendments included a reduction in motorcyclist speed from 20 to 15 mph while passing; the requirement for vehicles in the lane to be com-
pletely stopped before overtaking; and the need for the Colorado Department of Transportation to gather traffic accident data and report to the legislature no later than January 2027 about the efficacy of the proposed law.
Upon the bill’s introduction in the House of Representatives, Representative Ron Weinberg (R – Loveland) joined Representative Javier Mabrey (D – Denver) as a Co-Prime sponsor. The bill needs to pass the House Transportation Committee before facing a full House floor vote. As of publication, the bill has not been assigned to committee.
The AMA, which closely followed and supported the progression of SB24-079, endorses the practice of lane splitting, given its long-term success in California and research showing it enhances motorcycle safety.
TRAVELING ACROSS AMERICA BY
The words conjure a romantic image...a lone rider crossing the plains, battling the elements, experiencing epic adventures along the way.
But, I asked myself a year or more ago as I contemplated life and such a two-wheeled trip, how exciting would it be for an 11-year-old boy to live that adventure, too?
Pretty dang exciting, I had to admit.
So this past July, my son Micah and I did just that. I bought a used Yamaha T7 ADV bike, packed it like a mule, and headed out with Micah on the back on a 6,600-mile, 18-state trek on backroads, dirt roads and trails over the course of nearly four weeks, and no interstates at all. It was a trip of a lifetime that, hopefully, would continue for him (and me) as he grew up.
Before we left, Micah asked me, “Dad, how did you come up with the idea for this trip?”
MICAH and me
SHARING A MONTHLONG CROSS-COUNTRY MOTORCYCLE TREK – AND SO MUCH MORE – WITH MY 11-YEAROLD SON
STORY AND
BY AARON STEVENSON
PHOTOS
My goal was to expose Micah to parts of America that most folks never get to experience. Trails high in the Rockies; High-desert plains and dirt roads; canyons with 1000foot drop-offs; wild horses and antelope running free.
Whew…lots there to unpack there, for sure.
Left to right: Micah dangling his feet over a Canyonlands, Utah, precipice; I watched his confidence grow with each passing mile. A big thumbs-up after a tricky water crossing in Utah. Wild mustangs in Wyoming. Two-up on our school’s GSX-R1000 at VIR. Micah and me, playing in the dirt. Main image: Micah’s first view of Big Sky country, and a South Dakota road stretching to the horizon.
First off, there was my dad, a Depression-era child and Korean War veteran who worked hard and provided for his family…and growing up, I wanted desperately to spend time with him. Sadly, it didn’t happen much. So when I was blessed to help deliver my son, and held him in my arms for the first time, I vowed to be the type of father I never had.
In 2021 I became gravely ill, and my future looked bleak. I thought my 9-year-old would grow up without a father. Fortunately, a good team of doctors returned me to full health,
and during that dark time I made myself a promise: If I could get healthy, I would take my son on the cross-country trip I’d envisioned all those years. As I’d told my son many times, “The true treasure of life is not in money or possessions, but the experiences, memories and time we spend together.”
The last part of the answer was the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which had a profound impact on me when I read it, but which became all the more impactful after I became a father. The story centers around a fatherand-son journey across America by motorcycle, and in the book, the author’s son is 11…old enough to develop solid core memories, but young enough to not be caught up in teenage angst. I made the decision
that 11 was the right age, so I planned for summer 2023.
GOALS AND QUESTIONS
My goal was to expose Micah to parts of America that most folks never get to experience. Trails high in the Rockies; high-desert plains and dirt roads; canyons with 1,000-foot drop-offs; wild horses and antelope running free…all images that would be seared into his mind and never fade. All the while, it would give me time to create a deeper bond with my son, and create in him a greater love for motorcycling. God forbid I leave this earth before filling his heart and mind with great memories of Dad and the sport we all love.
But could he hold up to back-to-back 400-plus-mile days on the back of a motorcycle? And would Mom approve? Luckily, she was pretty comfortable with him riding pillion with me, as during my many years as a riding and racing school owner and instructor (Cornerspeed and Cornerspin are my companies), Micah had done numerous 100-plus-mph racetrack laps with me on my school’s 2-up GSX-R1000, starting at age 5. Plus thousands of 2-up street miles. So really, I wasn’t too worried about him going the distance behind me…but we’d certainly see.
Before we began our journey, a friend suggested we document our trip, so I purchased two small journals to carry with us. In the evenings we’d
F&S ENTERPRISES IRA COX
WE HAD NO REAL TIME FRAME FOR THIS JULY JOURNEY; WE JUST NEEDED TO BE HOME BY AUG. 1. THE GOAL WAS TO CRiSS-CROSS AMERICA FROM NORTH CAROLINA TO MONTANA TO ARIZONA, AND THEN HEAD HOME.
sit and write about our day, what we experienced and how we felt. We’d also use helmet communicators while on the road, which provided not only written dictation directly to my iPhone, but the type of human communication I’d hoped for; day-long conversations with my son. There were long talks, and many a quiet moment, too, some of which were broken up by me breaking into song, followed by his helmet smacking into the back of mine as a sign of displeasure, or a punch to my shoulder. Yeah,
dad humor rules! By the end of the journey I’d compiled over 20 pages of active dictation, and the result of this technology was solid gold.
We had no real time frame for this July journey; we just needed to be home by Aug. 1. The goal was to criss-cross America from North Carolina to Montana to Arizona, and then head home. By doing this we’d
see Americana: farmland, small towns, desolate areas where I would say, “We’re in the middle of nowhere.” Micah was quick to correct me and say, “Dad, it’s somewhere for the folks that live here.” Touché!
Before we left, I told Micah, “The first three days and the last three days will be the hardest. We’ll ride 400-500 miles a day to and from home. We want to maximize our time out West.” And that proved true when we entered South Dakota, with the road unfolding like a ribbon into the distance. Cresting a butte, Micah squeezed
me around the waist and said, “Dad, thank you for taking me on this trip.” Wow. Just wow. After three 450-500mile days including a full day in the rain, it was a big dad moment.
AND SO IT BEGAN…
As the sun dropped low on the horizon we arrived at Badlands National Park, we set up our tent and snapped a picture of our first night of camping. Before we left, I told Micah, “The sights we see are just a small part of our trip. The people we meet and the friends we make on the road
will be every bit as special.”
Pulling into a gas station one afternoon, we parked next to a line of Harleys, walked in to purchase a snack, and walked out to find several of the guys checking out our bike. Looking at our North Carolina license plate and Micah’s small stature, one asked him, “You guys rode all the way out here together?”
“Yes, sir!” Micah replied as he extended his hand. Ever since Micah was old enough to talk, I taught him to extend his hand, make eye contact, introduce himself and always
say “Sir” or “Ma’am” when meeting an adult for the first time. I could see heads nod in approval from the men, and I stood back to watch the conversation unfold. Micah began telling them about our first three days of riding; the endless miles of corn as we traveled through Indiana and Illinois; and the 300 miles of rain through Iowa ending our day in South Sioux City at a very expensive resort hotel. “Dad didn’t even ask about the cost of the room,” he told them. “He laid down his credit card and said we earned it.”
Wyoming’s BDR. Many days like this we’d not see another soul.
Left to right: Yo, Wyoming! Visting with the Kinzlers at Lightshoe HQ, Black Hills, SD. The Yamaha Tenere 700 carried the two of us and all the gear flawlessly for a month. Great scoot. Snowball fight in July, Clay Butte Trail, Mont. Bison herd in Yellowstone National Park.
After our fourth or fifth attempt to right the bike, I could see Micah getting visibly upset. I told him, “This is part of the adventure. There will be times when we are detained, but we are not stuck.”
Conversations like this would happen all over the country during the following weeks, with adults of different ages and from all walks of life offering one piece of advice to Micah. “Cherish this time with your dad,” they’d say. “You will never forget it.” Most times he would just nod as kids sometimes do. But as time went on, and as the experiences and adventures piled up, I could see the phrase beginning to have real meaning. So when he heard it yet again, Micah would look into the eyes of the speaker and respond, not with an annoyed adolescent retort like “yeah, I know,” but with sincerity to say, “Yes sir, I know.” A simple moment that spoke volumes for my son’s character.
Our plan was to camp two to three days and then grab a hotel to clean up and wash clothes, a schedule to which we adhered. Our trip was also broken up by three different families that hosted us for a night over the course of our journey.
RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS
Our first big day of sightseeing came in South Dakota. After hiking the Badlands, taking in the sights of Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial along with a good bit of offroad riding through sand washes and loose dirt, we arrived early evening in Deadwood, S.D., at the home of my friends the Kinzlers, Gary and his wife Kelli. Gary is the owner of Lightshoe (they build the best flat tracker steel shoes), and they treated us
to burgers and a truly unforgettable night on their rooftop patio.
Late that night a storm rolled through, dumping an inch of rain. The following morning we said our goodbyes and hit the road. I set the GPS for backroads and dirt roads. Turning down a dirt road, the warning sign read, “Impassable When Wet.” Micah pointed this out just before the dirt began to soften, then visibly became darker and slicker. Taking a slow turn, the front tire began to slide, and down we went at about 10 mph. Covered in mud, I stood up to the chant of “Impassable When Wet” and “I told you so!”
There was no mud on Micah, as he’d dismounted like a gymnast on the way down. The 500-pound T7 with 100 pounds of gear lay flat as a flounder. I’d brought a portable winch for emergencies such as this, but with no purchase in the mud, it wasn’t helpful. After our fourth or fifth attempt to right the bike, I could see Micah getting visibly upset. I told him, “This is part of the adventure. There will be times when we are detained, but we are not stuck.” A life lesson in patience and tenacity. On the sixth try we had the bike up and were on our way. Another adventure complete. Heading west across Wyoming we stopped at Devil’s Tower. While the monolith was impressive, Micah found walking through the prairie dog town watching little furry heads pop up and down much more entertaining. With the sun in our eyes, the silhouette of Cloud Peak at 13,171
Micah’s Zen moment, exiting a northern section of the Utah BDR. After miles of stream crossings and rock-strewn trails, Micah was ready for some asphalt. Drying his boots in the sun, he takes a moment to relax and find his inner peace before Dad begins canyon carving down to Kamas, Utah, for an amazing breakfast at the Mirror Lake Diner.
ROLLING SOUTH THE FOLLOWING MORNING WE PICKED UP THE WYOMING BDR WE’D FOLLOW INTO UTAH. ON LONG DESOLATE STRETCHES OF ROCKY DIRT ROADS, WE NEVER SAW ANOTHER VEHICLE.
feet rose in the distance, Micah’s first view of the Rockies. It was a Keanu Reeves Bill and Ted moment as he exclaimed, “Whooooaaa!” Yes, Dad and Micah’s Excellent Adventure. Classic!
Taking a tip from the Kinzlers we stopped in Buffalo, Wyo., and stayed at the Occidental Hotel, a period-correct 1880s hotel. That
At a gas stop, a trio of ADV riders from Idaho pulled in. “You have to ride the Bear Tooth Highway,” one said to us. Mental note…ride the Bear Tooth.
YELLOWSTONE, YES!
Rolling westward past Cody, we entered Yellowstone National Park through the East entrance, the least-crowded entry point. Within
ear, “Aren’t you glad we stopped?” A small nod back sealed the deal. He was all in. Ready for adventure. From that point on, whenever I suggested a detour or a stop, Micah was quick to agree.
Exiting Yellowstone we took the advice we were given earlier and rode the Bear Tooth Highway through Cook, Mont., toward Red
evening while having dinner in the saloon, Micah took in stories from locals, including tales of 19th century cowboy gunfights as they pointed out bullet holes in the walls. The following morning we loaded up to hit the road, but not before breakfast at the Busy Bee Cafe. That name sounded familiar, and as it turned out, Buffalo is the backdrop for author Craig Johnson’s Longmire books, and why there were so many Longmire references on the menu! Of course, we had to order “Longmire Special.”
minutes we happened upon a long line of parked cars and a crowd forming on the side of the road. Micah, being tired and hungry, said, “Dad, let’s just keep going to the campground.” I replied, “Something is going on. Let’s stop and check it out.” Kickstand down, we walked up to the activity, and, in a meadow a safe distance away, was a grizzly bear. A tourist offered Micah a look through his tripod-mounted telephoto lens camera. As Micah took a close up look at the bear, I whispered in his
Lodge. But why just pavement? We took a side road high into the mountains. Switchbacks on a dusty yellow clay road led to the top of Clay Butte trail, where we found actual snowbanks. It was there that Micah was able to check off a requirement from his trip list: a snowball fight in July. We did. I lost. Taking the Chief Joseph Highway south, we returned to Cody just in time for the Cody Stampede Rodeo, another first for Micah. Bull riding, calf roping and barrel racing, along
Micah’s diary pages recount the experience of happening upon a saddled horse with no rider on a section of the Utah BDR.
with rodeo clowns being chased, kept us entertained. But when the PA blared out a call for kids to compete in the calf chase, Micah, clad in full riding gear, boots and all, sprinted down the steps into the arena along with 75 other eager chasers. The lure of free candy and prizes kept the energy high as I watched a wave of swirling colors ebb and flow as two calves darted amongst the sea of sprinting kids. Empty-handed and out of breath, Micah returned with a huge grin. Even after a full day of riding through Yellowstone and Montana, the kid had gas left in his tank.
ALONE WITH NATURE
Rolling south the following morning, we picked up the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (BDR) we’d follow into Utah. On long desolate stretches of rocky dirt roads, we never saw another vehicle. Herds of antelope and wild mustangs ran beside us. It was as if we had stepped through a time portal back into the old West. I’d hoped we’d see at least a few images like this on our trip, but the abundance of good fortune and opportunity provided more than I could have ever imagined.
While technology can be a good thing, it’s only as good as the user. With BDR and TransAm Trail (TAT) tracks of the western U.S. loaded onto our GPS device, we grabbed various sections throughout our journey. Late in our journey while riding up the Million Dollar Highway north of Silverton, Colo., the Garmin alerted us to an intersection of the Colorado BDR. “Ready for some dirt?” I asked. “Sure” was Micah’s reply. Turning onto a dirt road, it suddenly turned into a two-track trail, which
quickly became single track, which then became really unimproved. So while I was paying attention to the deteriorating conditions, I wasn’t paying attention to the GPS screen alerts: 25 feet off course. 100 feet off course. Etc. Didn’t I say the tech is only as good as the user? Recognition of my error came a little late as we had begun a descent down a boulder strewn rutted trail with a water crossing at the bottom. I could see lots of movement in the water, which helped me judge its depth, and it wasn’t too terribly wide, so crossing it wouldn’t be a problem. As we descended, fully loaded with all our gear and my son on the back, I said a short prayer, “Lord, please let me ride this without making mistakes. Amen.”
Doing my best impression of trials ace Toni Bou, we bounced down the trail, made the water crossing and ascended again into the mountains. Still riding on really rough terrain near the backside of Richmond Pass, we found a main trail and worked our way down to a camping area. Now that we had our bearings, I asked Micah if he would like to go off-road over the pass to Silverton. “No!” I had my answer. This was the only time in the trip that he said “No” to detours and new challenges.
In Lander, Wyo., sitting at the Gannett Grill, languages from around the world engulfed us. German, French, Swedish and more. We’d happened upon one of the largest gatherings of rock climbers from around the world, the International Climbers’ Festival. Lander, Wyo., is a climbing mecca. Now, we know.
Didn’t I say the tech is only as good as the user? Recognition of my error came a little late as we had begun a descent down a boulder strewn rutted trail with a water crossing at the bottom.
Left to right: Micah taking refuge in the tent from the black flies and mosquitos. Enjoying the sun at Arches National Park in Utah. Sunset in Shononi, Wyo. Stopping for ice cream in Aladdin, Wyo., population 15. Post-tent setup in Badlands National Park. Rainy Day near Onowa, Iowa. Main photo: Shaffer Trail, Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Breathtaking.
Filling ourselves with Huckleberry ice cream on a 100-degree day while conversing with folks that inquired about our North Carolina license plate, we told stories of our adventures.
We were told the best place to camp was City Park. We found a nice tent space there, but at 3 a.m. I woke to a rhythmic sound…which I quickly recognized as rain and, when I rolled over, discovered an inch of water inside our tent! Unbeknownst to us, we had set up next to the timed pop-up sprinklers, 10 feet from our tent. We moved a 55-gallon trash can between us and the sprinkler, and used bicycle shorts as a chamois to get things somewhat dry, but drying out completely would take the following day.
ICE CREAM MEN
Taking tips from an elderly local couple as we dried things out the following morning, we were directed to head south through Sinks Canyon to Farson, Wyo., on our way to pick up the southern section of the WY-BDR. Why Farson, Wyo., population of 211, and which consists of a four-way stop sign, a gas station and a three-story building with a sign that boasts “Home of the Big Scoop?” How about an ice cream shop in the middle of nowhere. “Somewhere,” Micah reminded me. Obviously, it was somewhere, as the parking lot was full and had patrons lining up out the door. The elderly couple looking out for Micah did not steer us wrong! Filling ourselves with Huckleberry ice cream on a 100-degree day while conversing with folks that inquired about our North
Left to right: Campfire at 11,000 feet with new friends near Cinnamon Pass, Colo. Rope swinging to cool off at Kellog Park on old Route 66 in Missouri. “Baby Scoop” yumminess in Fargo, Wyo. Micah doing art with Terri Cates Peña, the result of which hangs in our home.
Carolina license plate, we told stories of our adventures. And our journey was not even half over. We filled our tanks, human and machine, then headed into the wilderness.
After two days in the wilderness of the UT-BDR, fording streams, camping in Aspen groves in bear country, and even coming across a fully saddled horse with no rider (not kidding), we were ready to find civilization again. Descending to Mirror Lake and into Midway, Utah, we had our last family stop with our friends the Peñas. Fresh sheets, a comfortable bed and an amazing dinner was the start. Gracious beyond words, renowned fine art painter Teri Cates Peña spent an afternoon giving Micah art lessons in her studio. Producing his own abstract art oil painting under her tutelage, it now hangs in our home, a constant reminder of adventure, hospitality and friendship.
Just south of Blanding, Utah, with temps exceeding 106 degrees, we stopped at a reservoir to swim. A Central American family with relatives attending their reunion from as far away as Australia had stopped for a picnic and swim. Invited to join them, we exchanged stories in English and Spanish and shared photos while cooling off. As we waved goodbye, in the distance the sky began to darken
until it was an ominous black. Riding into the storm, we took shelter in the little town of Helper at a gas station while the heavens dumped volumes of rain on the small town. After a long day of extreme heat, swimming and riding, the gas station burgers tasted like fivestar cuisine.
STORM OF STORMS
While every road held a story, Colorado 10 had to be the most intense. More so than descending the Canyonlands rim road to the valley floor, Colorado 10 is a straight stretch of road from Walsenburg to La Junta. A wind farm and several ranch homes are the only signs of human existence on this desolate 72-mile blacktop. Dead flat on the Colorado plains, it’s lined with barbed wire and scrub bushes. No trees. No turn offs. Just a blacktop funnel to the town of La Junta.
With the only hotel in Walsenburg sold out and night falling, we had two options: get on the interstate to ride south 40 miles to find a hotel, or take Highway 10 to La Junta, 72 miles away. Of course, we opted for the backroad! “It’s getting dark. Are you up for making the run?” I asked. Always the trooper, Micah responded, “Yes sir.”
So with a full tank and after a call to Mom to say goodnight, we set off into the dying light. To our right the sky was a beautiful cobalt blue. But to our
STANDING IN AN OPEN MEADOW BY OUR TENT WHILE STARING AT BILLIONS OF STARS, MY SON HUGGED ME, AND THE ONLY WORDS HE SAID WERE, “I LOVE YOU, DAD.”
left it turned black, and within that darkness we could see massive and jagged bolts of lightning appearing more and more frequently. I’ve been in western storms; they are no joke. As I watched the approaching storm, I could feel my right hand twisting the throttle harder. “Keep an eye out for wildlife, buddy,” I said as our speed increased in an attempt to outrun the approaching storm. Rolling fast at night is something I never like to do, but circumstances demanded maximum concentration with prudent quickness. I continually looked for any place we could pull off for shelter. Nothing was to be found.
The two or three ranch homes we saw in the distance were all guarded by bull gates, so asking for shelter was not an option. The GPS didn’t yield information, either; no crossroads or pull offs. Surely we’d see the lights of a town soon, I thought, but nothing appeared on the horizon.
Meanwhile, the storm seemed to stalk us, taunting us with high winds but never crossing our path. We reached the end of Highway 10,
an unlit pitch-black T-intersection with no markings. As I sat there befuddled, I noticed a faint glow to my left. Turning left towards the storm, we rode towards the light. And as if the heavens parted, we saw the green and white glow of Holiday Inn Express. Not only did they have available rooms, the desk clerk, a young Navajo woman, smiled at Micah and said, “The pool is supposed to close in 10 minutes, but
I think I can leave it open for another hour.” It’s amazing how jumping into a pool can wash away all the intensity and fear from dodging a lightning storm.
GRAND CANYON
Our longest day was not by design but just happened, as things often do. Leaving Kayenta, Ariz., at sunrise we rode 200 miles to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on scenic Highway 64. Temps rose quickly, but by then we were accustomed to the desert.
At the South Rim on a 104-degree day, a family from Laos adamantly insisted we join them for lunch and cold bottles of water. Fresh fruits and Asian sandwiches rejuvenated us for the 200 miles back to Kayenta.
We arrived late in the day, and pulling into the parking lot of a small weatherbeaten building, we wondered if the food would be good. It was amazing! After a delicious meal at this hole-inthe-wall restaurant, The Three Amigos, I looked at the time. Could we make Four Corners before closing? We decided to make the 72-mile run to Four Corners for the iconic photo that every kid wants, a
Epic views and sheer drop-offs on Utah’s Shafer Trail (above) made things extra exciting. Micah walking the scary razor’s edge in Badlands National Park, S.D. Below, Micah bending backwards on the Four Corners. Father and son, Handlebars Food and Saloon, Silverton, Colo. The elk burgers were awesome…much like our entire trip.
touch point for all four states.
Our arrival time was cut even closer as we descended into Monument Valley on Highway 163, while noting the sign “Forrest Gump Hill.” Arriving at Four Corners only 10 minutes before closing, the Navajo woman at the ticket booth was gracious to stay open long enough for us to take numerous photos. As we left, I found a hill near the Ute Reservation to take one of my favorite sunset shots of my son sitting on the bike looking into the distance on what was soon to be a starry night.
Riding into that night we found our
way to camp just outside of Mesa Verde National Park. We set up in the dark, not realizing that this day with all the sightseeing included over 600 miles in the saddle. And the best was yet to come. The most memorable moment of this trip came to me on that clear night near Mesa Verde, Colo. Standing in an open meadow by our tent while staring at billions of stars as the Milky Way revealed itself, my son hugged me and the only words he said, “I love you, dad.”
By then, this “On the Road” Kerouac-type experience of selfdiscovery had taken on an almost
surreal feel. My son living the first act of his life, while I am in my third. Having lived this long and experienced many of my own adventures, to experience more of it through my son allowed me greater insight to become a better father.
Before we left, a major question was, “Can Micah hold up to 400-plus-mile days on the back of a motorcycle?” Sometimes in burning heat. Sometimes in pouring rain. Not sheltered by a windshield and a metal cage, but in the elements; feeling, smelling, hearing and absorbing everything Mother Nature gave us.
The answer? Yes! Rarely a complaint was uttered from the pillion.
Two things that made the long days possible and tolerable were padded cycling shorts and our helmet communicators. The sights were amazing, but much better were the hours of conversation made possible by helmet comms as we rode mile after mile.
We are home now, but the best part of our journey together has yet to begin. AMA
BY JOHN BURNS, JACK EMERSON AND KEATON MAISANO
PHOTOS: AMA ARCHIVE
ust when the Great Depression was losing its grip and people were beginning to get enough of what it took to make ends meet, somebody in 1939 had the bright idea to invade Poland, setting off an unfortunate series of armed conflicts in Europe. Two years later, some other genius on the other side of the world deduced it would make sense to bomb the U.S. fleet in Pearl Harbor. That move pushed the United States into the nasty conflict known as World War II, which wound up making a significant dent in the world population — 3 percent dead out of 2.3 billion, according to estimates.
JIn addition to all the death and destruction, WWII also assured we wouldn’t be getting any shiny new toys for the foreseeable future, including motorcycles, as all that steel and rubber (and man- and woman-power) would be going into our Arsenal of Democracy, as it spooled up to take on authoritarianism around the planet.
When it was all over, though, the other 97 percent of us were ready to celebrate on new motorcycles that were better than ever. Racing improves the breed. So does fighting, turns out.
The AMA was plenty busy during the decade, at first lending a helping hand to the war effort in several important ways (cooperating with the government by halting racing to conserve precious resources, helping to develop a Civil Defense Organization, and more), and later super-charging its promotion of club and riding activities for members and the industry.
The AMA also began mailing bimonthly newsletters to members and
those fighting overseas to keep them up to speed and engaged during the conflict. Professional and amateur racing got added horsepower, too, with the hiring of full-time Race Director Jules Horky. Government and public relations got help, as well, with the AMA’s very public emphasis on quiet and legal mufflers.
Motorcycling took off in the late ’40s, and was a trend that would continue.
WAR AND PEACE AFFECT THE MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY AND THE AMA IN MAJOR WAYS
1940 Indian Chief Indian’s new Chief was a prestigious ride at the time, renowned for quality and durability.
Powered by a 74ci V-twin (1210cc) that could push it upwards of 85 mph, its new plunger rear suspension left the hardtail competition behind in terms of comfort, and its paint and bodywork defined “Indian” into history.
AMA MILEAGES SOAR
As Americans shifted into post-war life, the AMA saw an immense increase in club mileage. In 1943, with GIs still overseas and rationing requirements in place on the home front, the AMA registered only 12,326,000 miles amongst its member base. In the post-war world, that number jumped to 123,670,000 miles in 1946, and further grew to 238,768,929
THE AMA BEFORE PEARL HARBOR
Despite the unrest and military aggression happening in Europe, AMA Secretary E.C. Smith reported a membership base of 22,612 and 760 chartered clubs in 1940. In addition, Smith reported 1,300 sanctioned events and over 6 million people having attended AMA races — which saw a slight decline in both dirt track and hillclimb activity. With an increased interest in field meets, turkey runs and reliability runs, clubs saw a surge. The AMA also continued its emphasis on safety programs and accident record keeping in the early ’40s. Safety-Program participants covered nearly 110 million miles in 1940, but once the U.S. officially joined the war, the reported miles decreased by more than 60 percent in 1942.
1940 GILERA SATURNO SPORT
Giuseppe Gellera was successful enough as a racer to start his own motorcycle company about 1909, which he later moved north of Milan to Arcore, near Monza, and changed his name to Gilera. Racier. From the beginning, his Singles were simple, beautiful, and fast: By 1940 the first Saturno was ready for prime time. Designed to compete in Italy’s new 500cc production class, the new Single’s pushrods were hidden within its cooling fins in tubes that also carried oil to the overhead valve gear. Its three-speed gearbox is in unit with the engine. Brevetto Gilera parallelogram rear suspension uses horizontal shocks. Pre-war models are rare; production ramped up again in 1946, and kept on until 1958.
AMA & CIVIL DEFENSE ORGANIZATION
AMA Secretary E.C. Smith offered the services of the AMA to serve as a Civil Defense Organization for the United States government during WWII. AMA publications were filled with patriotic messages and stories of how motorcycles and motorcyclists were impacting the war effort. In April 1941, The Motorcyclist showed images of American motorcycles being produced for war and wrote, “Some of the motors pictured here will undoubtedly be for use in our own Army. But others may end up in some far corner of the world.”
ZUNDAPP KS750
The BMW R75 gets all the infamy, but Zundapp’s K series of motorcycles contributed even more to the German war effort — the K referring to their enclosed driveshafts with U-joints at either end. That was one of the things that made the K just right to serve as the basis when the army needed a shedload of rugged two-wheel drive sidecar rigs, and right now. You really can’t watch a WWII documentary without tripping over a KS750 — or bumping into quite a few still on the road in Europe. Wiki tells us series production started in the spring of 1941, and in eight years Zundapp produced 18,695 KS 750s in their Nuremberg factory (in greatly reduced numbers after 1944).
1941
INSURANCE, YES!
The AMA announced liability and property damage insurance for its members in 1941. Prior to this development, insurance for motorcyclists was hard to come by; but years of careful accident-statistic compilation by the AMA helped alleviate the concerns of insurance companies, and created a path for insurance viability and availability.
1942
COMPETITION NUMBERS
Near the end of 1941, permanent numbers were assigned to AMA dirt track riders. AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Woodsie Castonguay — who hailed from Springfield, Mass. — received No. 1.
1940 HARLEY-DAVIDSON WLA
Harley had already made its bones with the U.S. Army in 1919 when it outfitted Gen. “Black Jack” Pershing with a few hundred H-Ds to chase Pancho Villa around Mexico. The old model J did well enough that, when the smell of WWII began drifting in, the army awarded H-D another big contract. The WLA was a militarized version of the existing WL model, which supplied not just the U.S. Army but also those of most of its allies — including 30,000 provided to the Russians via Lend-Lease.
Over 100,000 US troops were trained to ride and repair the side-valve Hogs, which provided a nice customer base when Johnny eventually came marching home. All that patriotism set H-D up to thrive in the postwar period, while mostly leaving its only U.S. competitor, Indian, hanging out to dry. Source:
The Harley-Davidson Story: Tales from the Archives – by Aaron Frank
CANNONBALL BAKER
At age 60, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Erwin “Cannonball” Baker registered his fastest LA-to-NYC motorcycle trip in 1941, completing the journey in six days, six hours and 25 minutes. Despite the incredibly fast time, Baker held that the trip was made without breaking any speed regulations.
Triumph Tiger T100
Right when Edward Turner was really getting rolling with a hopped-up 34-hp, chrome-tank version of the two-year old Speed Twin, the same jerk who’d invaded Poland flattened the Triumph works in Coventry via aerial bombardment, putting a halt on production ’til a new factory could be built in Meriden. Most of the few ’40 Tigers that were built were exported to the U.S., though, where they made a big impression.
Casablanca
The Bogart/Bergman classic about star-crossed refugees fleeing WWII is released Jan. 23, 1943. Luckily for the film’s success, the Allied invasion of Casablanca, along with North Africa, had happened two months earlier as Operation Torch got underway. Also, an historic meeting between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill happened to be going on in the Moroccan city from Jan. 14–24. Great movie, or greatest marketing coup of all time? You make the call.
AMA & THE WAR EFFORT
The United States Office of Defense Transportation (ODT) placed a ban on motor racing, halting AMA racing pursuits across the country. Without hesitation, the AMA and Secretary E.C. Smith agreed to cooperate with the government’s prohibition in order to adequately support the war effort. To maintain interest in motorcycling during this period, Smith frequently checked with the ODT to determine what motorcycle activities were permissible. While they were ultimately canceled, the widely popular Gypsy Tours continued in the early years of the war, given that competitive events were not included.
Women riders/Motor Maids
Born from the mind of Hall of Famer Linda Dugeau, who reasoned that women riders would be interested in getting to know one another, the Motor Maids were formed in 1940 with over 50 charter members and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Dot Robinson serving as the organization’s first president. In 1941, the club was chartered by the AMA and received charter No. 509. Despite the onset of World War II, the organization continued to grow and thrive.
LINDA DUGEAU
American Motorcycle Association News
In an effort to stay engaged with members during the war, AMA Secretary E.C. Smith started the American Motorcyclist Association News publication, which was delivered bi-monthly to both members at home and those fighting the war overseas. The four-page publication was a free benefit of membership and served as a “word from home” for military members.
Although this was an expensive decision for the AMA, it allowed the organization to boom following the war in 1946.
The success of AMA News also led Smith to pursue a post-war, monthly magazine titled American Motorcycling.
1945
1946 PIAGGIO VESPA 98
After the war, Italy needed basic transportation right . First, Enrico Piaggio had to rebuild his destroyed factory. Then he resurrected plans for a scooter that had been abandoned years before, updated them, and began stamping out the Vespa (Wasp). The tiny wheels and step-through design meant anybody could ride it (once they learned to work the three-speed shifter). The front apron provided a little weather protection, and the flat deck meant you could actually carry stuff. Italy, along with the rest of the world, was never the same. (See also: Innocenti Lambretta, whose first scoot showed up in 1947.)
MUSTANG MOTORCYCLES
Howard Forrest built a motorcycle powered by an engine of his own design in 1936, which he used to commute to his defense plant job in Glendale, Calif., at Gladden Products. With the end of the war and thus much of the defense industry, company president John Gladden had Forrest design a bike for sale, and Mustang Motorcycle Corporation was in business, cranking out various smalldisplacement models from 1947–1965.
1946
HARLEY-DAVIDSON 125S and other lightweights
To the victor goes the spoils, and so HarleyDavidson, Indian, BSA, and others began cranking out inexpensive little motorcycles powered by the cute little two-stroke Single whose plans had
once been the property of German manufacturer DKW. These were simple and affordable, and it didn’t take long for them to develop cult followings. Later, more advanced two-stroke tech was smuggled from behind the Iron Curtain to Suzuki by one Ernst Degner, a great spy story: See Stealing Speed, by Mat Oxley.
GYPSY TOUR
While they continued in the early stages of the war, the rapidly growing Gypsy Tours were ultimately canceled as the war effort reached a fever pitch. The ever-popular events returned following the conclusion of WWII.
AMA BUDGETS
The AMA’s 1947 financial report showed a budget of $63,000, and a year-end net profit of $168. Ninety percent of the income was derived from rider membership and sanction fees. The executive secretary received $4,680, while the eight full-time secretaries were paid a total of $12,700.
GO, ROLLIE, GO!
The most famous picture in motorcycling, probably, is of Roland Robert “Rollie” Free breaking the American motorcycle land speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. His very special Vincent HRD produced something like 55 horsepower, and rolled Rollie along at 150.313 mph. More importantly, that photo inspired one of Peter Egan’s greatest Slipstream captions in Cycle World magazine: “I think it’s stuck in second.”
HONDA FINDS HIS WAY
Meanwhile, in Japan, Hall of Famer Soichiro Honda stumbled upon a stash of small generator engines used to power wireless radios that the Japanese Imperial Army wouldn’t be needing anymore. Modifying the 500 or so engines to fit, he produced and sold auxiliary-powered bicycles as fast as he could build them. By 1947, Honda had developed an original engine; the A-Type, emblazoned with Honda’s name for the very first time. At the same time, in Italy, Ducati started building its own little bicycle engines, the Cucciolo, or puppy.
AMA FIGHTS NOISY EXHauSTS
With noise levels at the top of public relations issues for motorcyclists at the time, the AMA created Muffler Mike, a cartoon character that encouraged AMA members to use legal mufflers. On the government relations side of the ledger, the AMA successfully lobbied against a bill in Iowa that would double the license fee for motorcycles.
FLOYD EMDE WINS DAYTONA
AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Floyd Emde wins Daytona on an Indian in 1948 over a field of 152 other riders. Sadly, it would be the last Daytona win for Indian. Happily, Floyd’s son Don won Daytona in 1972, making them the first and last father/son duo to win the 200.
1949
HONDA D-TYPE
Better known as the Dream, the first Honda without bicycle pedals was powered by a new 98cc two-stroke Single pumping three horsepower through a two-speed semiautomatic transmission and chain drive. Honda became Honda with the introduction of the D-type, its first real motorcycle.
AMA HELPS INJURED RACERS
In 1948, the newly formed American Motorcycle Riders Mutual Benevolent Association (AMRMBA) paid out $28,351 in medical benefits to racers injured in AMA professional competitions.
AWALLACE VAN SANDT WENT TO WAR AS A B-17 TAIL GUNNER IN WWII AND DID NOT SURVIVE. HIS MOTORCYCLE AND HIS STORY, NOW PRESERVED IN HARLEY-DAVIDSON’S MUSEUM COLLECTION, CONSTITUTE AN ENDURING LEGACY.
GUNNER’S TALE
BY AARON FRANK PHOTOS: HARLEY-DAVIDSON AND THE VAN SANDT FAMILY
It’s an accepted fact that the outlaw biker archetype — the hell-raising hooligan in black leather and oily denim, riding a “chopped” HarleyDavidson motorcycle — rose from the ashes of World War II. After experiencing the hell of combat, many returning servicemen weren’t ready to just settle down and re-enter regular life.
Outlaw motorcycle clubs — the word “outlaw” a reference to these clubs’ non-AMA-sanctioned status — attracted a certain disaffected portion of the returning
Right: Staff Sergeant Wallace Van Sandt’s official U.S. Army Air Corps portrait. Lower Right: Van Sandt in happier times, astride his prized HarleyDavidson WLD, ready to rip down some North Alabama back roads.
GUNNER’S TALE
and equipped with optional leather saddlebags — complete with jeweled mounting plates — the WLD was one of the sportiest motorcycles you could buy in 1942.
Van Sandt rode that bike everywhere that first year, quickly covering 19,800 miles on the broke-down backroads of the day. And by all accounts, he was something of a notorious figure. “I got a letter from Mama,” Van Sandt wrote to his father in July of 1943, after he shipped off for basic training: “She said Mentone just wasn’t the same without Billy Glover and me. This will probably be a quiet summer without us to get the people awake at night with my motorcycle and his car.”
All those miles. That bright, Flight Red paint. The WLD’s percussive exhaust note. The freedom of the open road. For that one summer in 1942, everything in Wallace Van Sandt’s life was perfect.
Van Sandt was a red-blooded American riding a blood-red American motorcycle. Patriotism — if not outright adventurism — probably inspired his enlistment in the Army Air Corps (predecessor to the U.S. Air Force). Already an accomplished thrill seeker, a military career as a pilot no doubt appealed to him. The speed, the adrenaline, the pure exhilaration of roaring through the sky with a line of German Messerschmitts hot on
military population who were bored and looking for adventure. Racing around on stripped-down military surplus HarleyDavidsons gave them access to the thrills and excitement that were lacking in regular civilian life.
That’s not to say that a certain thrillseeking gene didn’t already define some motorcyclists before the war. This was the case with Wallace “Jiggs” Van Sandt, the young rider who was the original owner of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle featured here. A decorated track-and-field athlete at Phillips High School in Birmingham, Ala., Van Sandt also loved to hunt and fish — but what he really lived for was the freedom found riding his Harley-Davidson around the foothills of Northern Alabama’s Lookout Mountain.
The Harley-Davidson in question was a high school graduation gift from Van Sandt’s father, Homer. It was a 1941 WLD model, an upgrade from the basemodel WL, purchased brand new in early 1942 for just $365 (roughly $7,000 today, adjusted for inflation). More commonly known as the Special Sport Solo, the flathead-powered WLD featured a deluxe solo saddle and a higher compression ratio for a slight power advantage over the base WL. Finished in “Flight Red”
your tail — flying fighters had to make riding his WLD seem like a walk in the park in comparison.
Van Sandt initially applied to the Air Cadet program, but after washing out of that program following some very minor rule infractions (leaving the base without permission), he was summarily reassigned to Aircrew Gunnery Training. Likely due to his smaller stature — Van Sandt was barely 5’8” and weighed less than 150 pounds — he was selected as a tail gunner on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Tail gunner was an adrenaline-producing
position, sure, but for all the wrong reasons. Rolled into a tiny ball and stuffed into a tiny compartment tacked onto the tip of a B-17 tailsection, the tail gunner was frightfully exposed. Tail gunner was often the first line of defense, since the faster and more-agile Luftwaffe fighters almost always attacked the large and lumbering B-17s from behind.
If the Luftwaffe’s 30mm cannon rounds didn’t get you, the cold could. Battling minus-60-degree temperatures at 35,000 feet in the uninsulated tail compartment required an oxygen mask and a bulky, electric-heated flight suit. Pray your flight suit wouldn’t fail — you could freeze to death in minutes, or even risk losing your fingertips if you had to take off your gloves to clear a gun jam. Or you could just as easily be scraped off the back of the plane during a rough landing if the hydraulics were damaged or became jammed. There were so many terrible ways for a tail gunner to die…
The chances of a U.S. bomber crew being lost during a mission in Europe in 1943 were a sobering 1-in-10. With a standard tour of duty numbering 25 missions, a tail gunner’s life expectancy was essentially zero — in fact, the 8th Air Force in Europe alone lost more men than the entire U. S. Marine Corps did in World War II.
Above: The B-17 bomber “High Pointer” crew, with Van Sandt seated at the lower right. Below: Van Sandt’s unrestored, Flight Red 1942 HarleyDavidson WLD, dressed up with a deluxe solo saddle and optional leather saddlebags. The bike is now part of the H-D Museum collection in Milwaukee.
Van Sandt was a red-blooded American riding a blood-red American motorcycle. Patriotism — if not outright adventurism — probably inspired his enlistment in the Army Air Corps.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that Van Sandt was one of these casualties.
On April 3, 1944, his B-17 bomber “High Pointer” set off from Foggia, Italy, where it was stationed, on a mission to bomb the rail yards in Budapest, Hungary. Racing back to Italy after dropping its deadly payload, the High Pointer was shot down over what was then Yugoslavia, just behind German lines and within sight of the safety of the Adriatic Sea. Most of the crew was able to escape except for the pilot, the copilot and the tail gunner
— Staff Sergeant Wallace Van Sandt, who was just 22 years old.
Van Sandt remained listed as missing-in-action for many years. Although his family didn’t know it at the time, his body had been recovered and buried in Yugoslavia by sympathetic partisan guerillas. In fact, it would be five years before Van Sandt’s remains were identified and returned home to Alabama.
In this vacuum of information, Van Sandt’s family did their best to preserve his memory. His distraught mother, Lila, built a small riverrock shrine in her backyard, and into that small stone building she piled everything Wallace
Van Sandt ever owned — his high school track jersey, his hunting rifle, his posthumously awarded Purple Heart medal, all of the letters and uniforms and personal effects returned by the War Department, and of course, his most prized possession: his 1941 Harley-Davidson
WLD Special Sport Solo motorcycle. There the motorcycle remained, untouched in that small stone building, for more than 60 years.
Cleve Porter was just 2 years old when his Uncle Wallace went off to war. Porter grew up knowing little more about his uncle than what he could learn from inspecting the items stashed away in that small stone building, but through those evocative artifacts, he was able to build quite a romantic vision of who Wallace Van Sandt was.
Years rolled by. Porter grew up, attended college at Auburn University, and eventually took a job in Knoxville, Tenn., where he befriended an older man named Ray Zuker, who had also served on a B-17 bomber during World War II. Through his conversations with Zuker, and primary research gathered from other eye-witness reports, Porter was the one who was able to piece together what had really happened to his uncle in the skies above Yugoslavia.
Porter’s grandmother — Van Sandt’s mother —
eventually gave him the motorcycle along with the rest of his uncle’s worldly possessions.
Fast forward more than 40 years, and Porter wanted to do something to honor his uncle’s memory,
and to respect his ultimate sacrifice for his country. This desire, coupled with a fortuitous conversation with Bill Rodencal, Collections Lead at the HarleyDavidson Museum in Milwaukee, ultimately resulted in Porter donating Van Sandt’s HarleyDavidson motorcycle — along with many of his uniforms, medals and other assorted pieces of memorabilia — to the Harley-Davidson Museum where it would be prepared for display.
Left: Staring down the business end of dual, rear-facing Browning .50 caliber machine guns, the armaments Van Sandt managed as a B-17 tail gunner.
Below: The Western Union telegram to Van Sandt’s father, Homer, informing him that his son had been listed as missing in action since April 3, 1944.
“Your uncle’s memory is in that patina,” Rodencal reportedly told Porter.
The chances of a U.S. bomber crew
being lost during a mission in Europe in 1943 were a sobering 1-in-10. With a standard tour of duty numbering 25 missions, a tail gunner’s life expectancy was essentially zero.
Wallace Van Sandt’s WLD was returned home to Milwaukee in 2007. Rodencal prescribed a sympathetic restoration — new tires and a simple mechanical refresh — but the bike wasn’t repainted or otherwise cosmetically corrected in any way. Maintaining the original patina was a priority:
The Van Sandt collection was shown publicly for the first time at the Museum in the summer of 2007, in a stand-alone display titled “One American Hero.” The display included not only the motorcycle, but also Van Sandt’s military uniform, photographs, letters home from the European front, and medals, including his Purple Heart.
The unique and highly personal display isn’t part of the museum’s permanent exhibits, but it is brought out of the archives for semi-regular public display, especially around Veteran’s Day, a perfect way to recognize and remember the ultimate sacrifice of Van Sandt and so many others just like him…fallen heroes who died far too young. AMA
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Lodging Save 15% at participating Choice Hotels Properties. Up to 10% off at Motel 6. Use code: M64AMA 20% discount off available rates, call (800) REDROOF and use the code VP+ 503343. To make reservations online use code: VP+ 503343 in the field labeled “VP+/ID#”
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For Club EagleRider AMA members receive 2 free rental credits. Use code AMACLUBER
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AMA members receive a 15% discount on Gryphon Moto orders at gryphonmoto.com. Use code AMA at checkout.
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Air medical transport and travel security protection – visit Medjet.com/AMACycle or call 1.800.527.7478, referring to American Motorcyclist Association. Annual rates reduced by 20% and start at $235.
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20% off 2-day and 3-day passes at select MotoAmerica events. Use discount code AMA20
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AMA members can save 10% at motool.co. Use code AMASAVE20 at checkout.
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AMA members receive a 20% discount at butlermaps.com. Use code AMAMEMBER Bugslide
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AMA members save 20 on all products at helixracingproducts. com. Use code AMA20 at checkout.
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AMA ALABAMA
SANCTIONED COMING EVENTS
Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.
Dual Sport April 12 - 14. Plantersville. Perry Mountain Tower Run Dual Sport, Perry Mountain M/C Club, 334-327-5086, Perrymountainmotorcycleclub@gmail.com, https://www. perrymountainmotorcycleclub.com/
Adventure Ride April 12 - 14. Plantersville. Perry Mountain Tower Run Adventure Ride, Perry Mountain M/C Club, 334327-5086, Perrymountainmotorcycleclub@gmail.com, https:// www.perrymountainmotorcycleclub.com/
Motocross April 28. Bremen. Dodge City presented the Biggest Allstar Showdown in the South, Dodge City MX Park, 256-759-0072, dodgecitymx@gmail.com, www.dodgecitymxpark.com
Motocross April 28. Bremen. Dodge City presented the Biggest Allstar Showdown in the South, Dodge City MX Park, 256-759-0072, dodgecitymx@gmail.com, www.dodgecitymxpark.com
AMA ARIZONA
Observed Trials April 13. Kingman. NATC / AMA Mototrials Series Round 1, Central Arizona Trials Inc., www.centralarizonatrials.org
Observed Trials April 14. Kingman. NATC / AMA Mototrials Series Round 2, Central Arizona Trials Inc., www.centralarizonatrials.org
AMA CALIFORNIA
Grand Prix April 6 - 7. 29 Palms. NGPC Hilltoppers Grand Prix, Hilltoppers MC, Inc., 714-747-1211, plumrdy@aol.com
Observed Trials April 6 - 7. Wilseyville. Schaad Ranch Trials, I’m in Outdoors, LLC, iminoutdoors@gmail.com, www. ctwtrials.com
Dual Sport April 6. Lancaster. Antelope Valley Wild Flower Dual Sport Ride, Lost Coyotes MC, Inc., 661-803-3179, fastdesertdude@gmail.com, http://lostcoyotes.org
Motocross April 13 - 14. San Bernardino. AMA California Classic, 2X Promotions LLC, 559-500-5360, www.2xpromotions.com
Motocross April 20. Tulare. NW Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, 2X Promotions LLC, 559-500-5360, www.2xpromotions.com
Motocross April 21. Tulare. Road to Mammoth Round 4, 2X Promotions LLC, 559-500-5360, www.2xpromotions.com
AMA COLORADO
Motocross April 6 - 7. Brush. Loretta Lynn South Central Area Qualifier, Cactus Promotions LLC, 970-768-0518, sweneymx@gmail.com, brushmx.com
Observed Trials April 21. Canon City. RMTA Series Event #2, Rocky Mountain Trials Association, rockymountaintrials.org
Motocross April 6 - 7. Jacksonville. SE Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Club 57, 815-342-6593, www.club57mx.com
Dual Sport April 20 - 21. Cocoa. Wild Bear Safari Ride, Apollo Motorcycle Club, 321-537-4770, apollomotorcycleclub@gmail.com, apollomotorcycleclub.com
AMA GEORGIA
Motocross April 20. Union Point. Durhamtown MX Series, Durhamtown Off Road Park, 706-486-0091, robin@durhamtown.com, www.durhamtown.com
AMA ILLINOIS
Motocross April 6 - 7. Washington Park. NC Area Loretta Lynn Qualifier, Archview MX Park, LLC, 618-719-3438, info@ archviewmxpark.com, www.archviewmxpark.com
Motocross April 7. Walnut. District 17 MX, 4P Promotions, Inc., 815-379-9534, jan@sunsetridgemx.com, www.
sunsetridgemx.com
Motocross April 13 - 14. Casey. Thor Showdown Series, Lincoln Trail Motosports, 217-932-2041, info@ridelincolntrail.com, ridelincolntrail.com
Motocross April 13. Mendota. Megacross Shootout Series, Moto Pro Inc., 815-539-9021, wardy@mtco.com, megacross.com
Motocross April 27. Mendota. Megacross Shootout Series, Moto Pro Inc., 815-539-9021, wardy@mtco.com, megacross.com
Motocross April 27 - 28. Byron. NC Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Motosports Enterprises LTD, 815-234-2271, motobyron@mac.com
Motocross April 28. Washington Park. Moto Midwest, Archview MX Park, LLC, 618-719-3438, info@archviewmxpark.com, archviewmxpark.com
Trail Ride April 28. Ottawa. Off Road Poker Run/ Trail Ride, Variety Riders Motorcycle Club Inc., 815-434-3669, varietyriders@yahoo.com, varietyriders.com
AMA INDIANA
Trail Ride April 6 - 7. Ligonier. Open Ride, Riders Motorcycle Club, 260-242-0859, ghulling@live.com, https://www. ridersmc.org
Motocross April 6 - 7. Rossville. ME Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Wildcat Creek MX, 765-579-2482, wildcatcreekmx@hotmail.com, www.wildcatcreekmx.com
Motocross April 13. Akron. Reads Racing Motocross - Night, Reads Racing Unlimited, Inc., 574-893-1649, reads1@myfrontiermail.com, www.readsracing.com
Motocross April 13. Akron. Reads Racing Motocross - Day, Reads Racing Unlimited, Inc., 574-893-1649, reads1@ myfrontiermail.com, www.readsracing.com
Motocross April 14. Akron. Reads Racing Motocross, Reads Racing Unlimited, Inc., 574-893-1649, reads1@ myfrontiermail.com, www.readsracing.com
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country April 27 - 28. Crawfordsville. Hoosier - GNCC Series Rnd 6, Racer Productions, Inc., 304-284-0084, info@gnccracing.com, www.gnccracing.com
AMA IOWA
Motocross April 20 - 21. Garwin. NC Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Oak Ridge MX, 641-844-4849, oakridgemx@ gmail.com
AMA KENTUCKY
Motocross April 14. Leitchfield. South Fork Motoplex - Mini Wars, NXT LVL Sports LLC South Fork Motoplex, 270-2302005, nxtlvlsports@yahoo.com, www.southforkmotoplex. com
AMA LOUISIANA
Enduro April 6 - 7. Forest Hill. Cajun Classic National Enduro, Acadiana Dirt Riders, Inc., 337-706-5100, acadianadirtriders@gmail.com, www.acadianadirtriders.com
AMA MARYLAND
Motocross April 6. Mechanicsville. Masters, Pro Ready Racing LLC, 443-223-9171, ezra@buddscreek.com, buddscreek.com
Motocross April 21. Mechanicsville. Capitol Motocross Cup / District 2, Pro Ready Racing LLC, 443-223-9171, ezra@ buddscreek.com, buddscreek.com
Motocross April 28. Little Falls. District 23 MX, MotoCity Raceway & Recreation, Inc., 218-894-2826, motocityRNR@hotmail.com, motocityraceway.com
AMA MISSOURI
Motocross April 13 - 14. Neosho. NC Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, 4-State Moto Complex, 417-317-2055, 4statemoto@gmail.com, www.4statemotocomplex.com
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country April 28. Park Hills. Leadbelt Hare Scrambles, Missouri Mudders, 636-639-6373, Michael.silger@momudders.com, www.momudders.com
Road Race April 28. Reno. Moto America West Coast Mini Cup Series, Northern Nevada Kart Club Minimoto, (530) 414-3812, nnkcminimoto@gmail.com, nnkcreno.com
AMA NEW JERSEY
Motocross April 7. Millville. Spring Fling / NJ Championship Series, Field of Dreams MX, LLC, 856-765-3799, info@njmpfod.com, NJMPFOD.com
Motocross April 7. Wallkill. Walden MX Spring Fling 0 Rd 1 MSC Championship Series ProAm, Walden MX, 845-8516030, waldenplayboysmx@gmail.com, www.mxwalden.com
AMA NORTH CAROLINA
Motocross April 14. Henderson. Rd 5 - NCMX Series / ProAm, Krusty Riders Association, Inc., 252-767-6671, ncmp@ncmp. net
AMA OHIO
Motocross April 20 - 21. New Vienna. ME Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Race Ohio MX, 513-266-2866, s.plessinger@yahoo. com, https://www.facebook.com/scott.plessinger.5
Observed Trials April 20. Little Hocking. Trials Inc, Trials Inc., trav99ss@gmail.com, www.trialsinc.org
Observed Trials April 21. Little Hocking. Trials Inc, Trials Inc., trav99ss@gmail.com, www.trialsinc.org
AMA OKLAHOMA
Motocross April 6 - 7. Ponca City. Motoplayground Roots Tour Oklahoma MX Series, AMBUCS Dba ABC Race Association, Inc., poncamx.com
AMA OREGON
Road Ride/Run April 7. Tigard. Oregon 250, Rose City Motorcycle Club, 503-860-3658, rskyba@hotmail.com, rosecitymotorcycleclub.org
AMA PENNSYLVANIA
Motocross April 6 - 7. Shippensburg. NE Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Doublin Gap Motocross, Inc., 717-571-5824, doublingap@gmail.com, doublingap.com
Road Ride/Run April 6. Oley. AMA Dice Poker Run, Reading Motorcycle Club, Inc., 484-955-0083
Flat Track - Short Track April 13. Shoemakerville. District 6 ST, Shippensburg MC, (717)503-8030, Candybaer@comcast. net, Baermotorsports.com
Flat Track - Short Track April 14. Shoemakerville. Vintage National, Shippensburg MC, (717)503-8030, Candybaer@ comcast.net, Baermotorsports.com
Motocross April 14. Fredericksburg. Sleepy Hollow MX, Sleepy Hollow Motocross Park, Inc., 717-278-8998, swarr4@ aol.com, www.sleepyhollowmx.com
Observed Trials April 21. Elizabethtown. Candytown Modern Trials, Candytown Motorcycle Club, 717-919-4458, mail@ candytownmc.org, www.candytownmc.org
Flat Track - Short Track April 21. Gettysburg. District 6 ST, Shippensburg MC, (717)503-8030, Candybaer@comcast.net, Baermotorsports.com
AMA SOUTH DAKOTA
Motocross April 21. Sturgis. Gypsie Moto MX/SX Summer Series Round 1 - AMA D30 Motocross Championship, Jackpine Gypsies MC, Inc., 605-347-6022, jpgmc36@gmail.com, jackpinegypsies.com
AMA TENNESSEE
Road Rally April 3 - 7. Tellico Plains. March Moto Madness, Tellico Overlanders Adventure Destination Group, 423-4044164, mick.fouts@gmail.com
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country April 13 - 14. Monterey. The Old Gray - GNCC Series Rnd 5, Racer Productions, Inc., 304284-0084, info@gnccracing.com, www.gnccracing.com
Road Ride/Run April 27. Spencer. SE Spring Rally, Concours Owners Group, 979-320-7516, bugnut@aol.com
AMA TEXAS
Road Ride/Run April 25 - 27. Irving. Heart of Texas Rally, Lone Star Long Riders, 214-250-1340, paultong971@ gmail.com, www.heartoftexasrally.com
Sep. 28-29. Big Woods 200. Wabeno, Wis. Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders. (920) 350-2030. widualsportriders.org
Oct. 5-6. Shenandoah 500. Mount Solon, Va. Washington Area Trail Riders. (619) 244-9630. watr.us
Oct. 26-27. Scenic Dual Sport Ride. Morgan Hill, Calif. P&D Promotions. (408)249-4336.
Nov. 2-3. Howlin at the Moon. Payson, Ariz. Arizona Trail Riders. (602) 692-9382. arizonatrailriders.com
Nov. 29-30. LA- Barstow to Vegas. Palmdale, Calif. AMA District 37 Dual Sport. (626) 684-2336. paulflanders37@ gmail.com. labarstowvegas.com
AMA Trademarks
The following represents active, registered trademarks, trade-marks and service marks of American Motorcyclist Association, Inc. (AMA). Usage of any AMA trademark or registered trade- mark without our permission is prohibited. Please contact jholter@ama-cycle.org for more information or assistance, (800) AMA-JOIN®
• AMA Dragbike® • AMA Endurocross® • AMA Motorhead® • AMA Pro Grand National Championship®
• AMA Pro Racing® • AMA Race Center™ • AMA Racer® • AMA Racing® • AMA Racing Land Speed Grand Championships® • AMA Supermoto® • AMA Supercross® AMA SX Lites® • AMA U.S. ISDE Team™ • AMA U.S. Jr. Motocross Team™ • AMA U.S. Motocross Team™ • Amateur National Motocross Championships® • American Motorcyclist Association® Arenacross® • ATV Hare Scrambles National Championship Series® • ATV Motocross National Championship Series® • Flat Track Grand Championships™ • Grand National Enduro Championship® • Gypsy Tour® • Hare & Hound National Championship Series® • Hare Scrambles Championship Series® • Hare Scrambles National Championship Series® • Kids Just Want To Ride® • Motorcycle Hall of Fame® • Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum® • Motorcyclist of the Year® • Motostars® • National Adventure Riding Series® • National Dual-Sport Series® • National Enduro Championship Series® • Protect Your Right to Ride® • Protecting Your Right to Ride® • Ride Straight® • Rights. Riding. Racing.® • Road Race Grand Championships® • Vintage Grand Championships® • Vintage Motorcycle Days® • Vote Like A Motorcyclist®
Garage
Tips,Tweaks, Fixes and Facts: The two-wheeled ownership experience, explained
AIMEXPO 2024
New-product highlights from this year’s annual OE and aftermarket industry show
Each year in February the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) holds what is for many the kickoff to the industry’s selling season: the annual American International Motorcycle Expo (AIMExpo), which brings together OE and aftermarket companies, distributors, dealers and media for three days of networking, sales and brainstorming.
This pre-spring convention has been happening forever in different guises and in different places over the years (Cincinnati and Indianapolis historically, and more recently Las Vegas), and for anyone in the biz who attends, it’s fun, informative and energizing.
Plenty of cool new products get displayed at AIMExpo, and since we just returned from Sin City, we figured we’d report on some of the more interesting items and trends highlighted there.
ARAI HELMET
For the last 14 years, Arai has produced a limited-edition Isle of Man TTthemed helmet, and for 2024 they’re at it again. The firm’s new RX-7V Evo IOM lid is an aesthetic knockout, maybe the best of the IOM bunch yet from noted designer Aldo Drudi, who’s painted some of the most aesthetically riveting helmets in history.
The RX-7V is already top-tier technically and functionally, but with this paintwork, it’s a gotta-have for
race or IOMTT fans, though they’ll need to hurry, as quantities are very limited. For pricing, availability and other information, see the folks at Arai Americas. Visit AraiAmericas.com
BRIDGESTONE TIRE
Today’s tire technology is pretty awe-inspiring, with specialized and high-quality skins for track days to motocross and everything in between. The latest from Bridgestone is its new Battlax Hypersport S23 street-sport tire, which bridges the gap between its ultra-focused RS11 or BT09 track-day tires and
ARAI HELMET
BRIDGESTONE TIRE
GARAGE
a new screen to get this extra level of hardness and scratch resistance. Get more information at NationalCycle.com
NELSON-RIGG
Nelson-Rigg’s latest couple of offerings in the world of motorcycle luggage is some of their best stuff ever, and that’s saying a lot given the company’s track record in the bike-luggage world.
As part of the much-heralded all-weather Hurricane line, the latest Hurricane-spec Adventure Tail Bags and 60-liter Dry Duffle feature all the Hurricane group’s benefits, including UV-treated PVC tarpaulin construction, heavy-duty webbing and buckles, heat-welded seams for 100% waterproof-ability, a lifetime warranty and more. Also new are Quick-Release Saddlebag Plates that fit Rigg’s own Hurricane and Sierra bags — and other brands’ bags — for instant-on/off security. Whether stopping for the night at
the campground, or loading up in the morning, just click and go. Good stuff.
See NelsonRigg.com for more info.
TRIUMPH
The Hinckley, U.K., folks made us wait, but from the looks of things, the wait was worth it, as Triumph’s new 250-class T250-X motocrosser looks and seems to act the part of a fully competitive racebike. It happened right out of the gate, too, which tells us the design and engineering teams
did things the right way.
Triumph’s new T250-X motocrosser comes with loads of engine tunability, including two maps, launch and traction control, and a quick-shifter that offers clutchless upshifts from second gear on.
Triumph also displayed its all-new Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X models at AIMExpo, and they are every bit as impressive aesthetically as John Burns’ first-ride report in this edition’s Up to Speed section (see page 18) says. At $5,000 and $5,600, respectively, these two are bound to find their way into a lot of garages — newbies and veterans alike. See your Triumph dealer for a look.
–
Mitch Boehm
TRIUMPH
For decades, enthusiasts bemoaned the lack of true 400cc street-supersport offerings Stateside. Europe and Japan got — and enjoyed — them, but we were left out in the cold.
But forget all that, because with the release of Kawasaki’s all-new, limited-edition 16,000-rpm Anniversary Edition ZX-4RR, which celebrates the introduction of the legendary and ground-breaking 900 Ninja of 1984, everything’s changed.
And you can win it via the AMA’s 100th Anniversary Raffle Bike!
Get your tickets — $5 per, or 5 for $20.
behind the scenes
Below right, standing, left to right: Doug Barlow, Matt Dubbin, Tom Umphress, and Steven Mehr. Karen Umphress is crouching in front and the photo was taken by John Brunsgaard
UNCEASING UMPHRESS
AMA Board Member Tom Umphress has worked tirelessly to better motorcycling for over two decades
BY KEATON MAISANO
While it took Tom Umphress nearly 30 years to get into motorcycling, he wasted no time leaving his mark on what has become a decades-long passion.
Before becoming a member of the AMA Board of Directors and a prominent figure in Minnesota’s recreational riding and government relations efforts, Umphress was a newcomer to motorcycling, buying his first bike — a Honda CR250R — in 1998.
The following year Umphress helped formalize and incorporate the Twin Cities Riders, a club that addressed the lack of non-competition-based riding clubs in Minnesota, and provided the fight for trail availability in the future. During the process of chartering the club with the AMA, Umphress became an AMA member, beginning his journey with the association.
“You can cause change when you have numbers,” Umphress said. “It just makes sense to be part of the AMA to help grow those numbers…Being part of
the AMA helps me do my part to allow us to have a national presence and a national voice.”
In the years that followed Umphress’ arrival to the world of motorcycling, he served on the boards of several trail groups, including being Vice Chairman of the Coalition of Recreational Trail Users. He also served as a state partner, secretary and treasurer for the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC). For his contributions to bettering the future of OHV recreation, Umphress is a member of the NOHVCC Hall of Fame.
Since 1999, Umphress and his wife Karen have served as government relations officers for the Amateur Riders Motorcycle Association in Minnesota. The pair also introduce motorcycling to newcomers as coaches for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation DirtBike School.
“They are among the unsung heroes of advocacy that don’t get much recognition by the motorcycling community,
because what activists do isn’t terribly flashy and there’s not a lot of publicity,” AMA Board of Directors Chair Russ Ehnes said. “But without the activism and work that people like Tom and Karen have done, motorcycling would not be where it is today. They are at the top of the heap of people who’ve had the most impact over the long haul.”
Umphress’ common sense and technical knowledge helped him earn a spot on the AMA Board of Directors in 2021. “It’s the deep end of the pool when it comes to advocacy,” Ehnes said. “It’s an intense, demanding position to be an AMA Board member. You just don’t show up to four meetings a year and think that’s going to be it, because there’s a lot of work that goes on in and in-between meetings.”
Umphress has taken the added responsibility in stride, and along with the several committees he participates in, he
currently sits as chair of both the Rights and Advocacy Committee, and the newly formed Recreational Riding Committee.
“I’ve tried to operate on the model of not standing on the sideline and throwing rocks,” Umphress said. “If you want something to change, it’s one thing to talk, but another to get involved and cause change. You can do a lot more if you get involved.”
Umphress stressed that all motorcyclists can help make a difference by getting involved and being positive influences out in the community. “I would ask people to get involved,” he said. “My wife often says… ‘We all are willing to wrench on our bikes, but we all need to wrench on our rights a little bit, too.’ That can be as simple as we need to define ourselves. Don’t let the other side define us.”
Feeling lucky? Looking to win a true two-wheeled legend? This special-edition, 1997-spec KTM 200 Jackpiner raffle bike — built to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first Penton motorcycles sold back in the late 1960s and named after the Penton 175 that used the first full-sized engine KTM built — will absolutely do the trick. Only 133 were built, and to make the package even more special, each is numbered and has a John Penton-signed sticker on the front fender. Get your tickets — $5 per, or 5 for $20.
Helmets, made by the dedicated hands of those who work at Arai, have shown examples of supreme protection for decades.
The numerous improvements by their experienced hands, and personal desire to further the protection of riders’ heads, are among the many unique reasons Arai helmets perform the way they do.
From our very first helmet to those we make today, rider protection remains our first priority, and we at Arai shall never forget the value of what we have been seeking to protect is priceless.
