Editorial Director Mitch Boehm on learning to love big-rig tourers
10 FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO
AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman on the rapidly changing environment around motorcycling
12 MEGAPHONE
AMA Member B. Jan Montana on the story behind his bike named “Cupid”
14 BACKFIRES
Membership feedback on recent issues and happenings
16 BACK IN THE DAY
Where the photos are blurry but the memories are clear!
22 WRITE FOR YOUR RIGHTS
The ultimate guide to writing correspondence to elected officials
28 COVER STORY: DOG ON A HOG
How a 62-year-old woman and her 85-pound dog conquered U.S. Route 20
44 THE JOYFUL WARRIOR
Mikayla Moore, 2023’s AMA Female Racer of the Year, is making waves on and off the track
56 MAN ON A MISSION
AMA Hall of Famer John Ulrich and the genesis of lifesaving soft-barrier airfence technology
72 AMA GARAGE
Tips, tweaks, fixes and facts: The motorcycle ownership experience, explained
74 LAST PAGE
NorCal legend Neil Fergus shows no signs of quit at 95 years old
ON THE COVER:
On the heels of tragedy and in pursuit of raising money to fight cancer, 62-year-old Mary Jo Machnica recounts her long-anticipated journey to conquer U.S. Route 20. Aboard her 2008 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail, Mary — and her trusty companion Ezra, an 85-pound German Shepherd! — traversed the country from coast-tocoast and raised money for a good cause. Cover photo by the author.
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EDITORIAL
Mitch Boehm Editorial Director
Todd Westover Chief Creative Consultant
Keaton Maisano Managing Editor
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Bob Griffith Contributing Editor
John Burns Contributing Editor
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Contact the Editorial Team at: submissions@ama-cycle.org
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Alex Boehm Sales and Events Specialist (614) 729-7949, aboehm@ama-cycle.org
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pologies to fans of Paul McCartney and Wings’ stellar live album of 1976, but Wings Over America seemed to work pretty well here in my attempt to explain how this adrenaline-soaked, then-20-something moto-magazine staffer and lover of all things sportbike learned to appreciate big-rig tourers back in the ’80s…Honda Gold Wings, Kawasaki Voyagers, Suzuki Cavalcades and Yamaha Venture Royales.
APERSPECTIVES WINGS OVER AMERICA
BY MITCH BOEHM
than the GL rider.
If commuting to and from work was a challenge in L.A. traffic due to the GL’s — or Voyager’s, or Cavalcade’s, or Venture’s — width and wide-body mirrors (it was), the errand-running and hauling capability of those things
bike in its lineup there for hot laps.
As a then-20-something road racer back in the 1980s, I never would have thought I’d learn to love bigrig tourers. But I did.
The realization was a strange thing, but it happened fast. Right out of the gate — like, within a week of my hiring — I found myself on a 5,000mile touring-tire test with my buddy and fellow staffer Nick Ienatsch, doing three separate roundtrips from L.A. to Salt Lake City on a pair of identical — except for tires — GL1200 Aspencades.
The trips were the brainchild of our boss Art Friedman, and while I don’t think Art got exactly what he expected in terms of information and photography, the trip certainly proved to a pair of hardcore sportbike guys how phenomenal these big rigs were at gobbling up miles in extreme comfort — all while providing a darn-good cassette-audio listening environment behind those big windscreens for the likes of Wings, the Dead, Jackson Browne and others.
That discovery would become even more obvious a week or two later when Nick and I headed to Laguna Seca for the summer AMA road race national on a then-new (and still rare) Yamaha V-Max and, you guessed it, one of those GL1200s. We traded bikes quite a bit on the way up and back, and you can bet the guy on the not-plush V-Max was looking at his watch more often
made up for it. I did a lot of grocery-store and parts-chasing runs on big rigs back in the day.
One night, when we’d gotten the magazine done too late for the courier to deliver the flats to LAX for the overnight flight to our Midwest printer (flats were three-foot-wide cardboard layouts with pasted-down copy and photos used to make printing plates), we strapped the box holding all 130 pages to the back seat of a Wing and I headed for LAX, splitting lanes on the 405 freeway and arriving just in time at the FedEx office.
One of the bikes — the Venture Royale — even had a bit of road-racer DNA in the form of its powerful V-4 engine (which powered the V-Max) and a hefty amount of cornering clearance, which Nick and I discovered during a Yamaha FZR sportbike introduction in 1987 at Laguna Seca, where Yamaha had just about every
After burning through some tires and knee pucks on the new FZRs, Nick and I jumped on a pair of Ventures and proceeded to do eight or 10 seriously hot laps around Laguna, riding right next to one another on the straights and through the corners (as we often did for two-bike photo shoots), passing some of the slower scribes on sportbikes, and pulling wheelies in the Corkscrew’s left-right transition to the delight of a cameraman there. (Somewhere I have a photo of this, which I’ll have to dig up.)
When we pulled in, a Cycle Canada editor — and pro road racer — named Claude Leroux pulled in next to us on an FZR laughing his butt off, and told us once we all hopped off the bikes that following us and watching the shenanigans was one of the funniest things he’d ever witnessed. Good times, indeed.
The best times, though, were when I’d jump on a big rig the morning after we’d finish the magazine and head to Utah to visit family and friends. Those 12-hour (each way) treks were long, but with all that comfort, all those tunes (I’d bring a couple dozen cassettes) and all that insane geography between L.A. and Salt Lake City, they remain epic and hugely memorable rides for me.
And to think all this big-rig business was launched 50 years ago with the introduction of Honda’s very first GL. There’s an amazing story there, which we’ll get to later this season. Wings over America, indeed.
Mitch Boehm is the Editorial Director of the AMA and a long-time member.
Introduced in 1969, Kawasaki’s 500cc two-stroke H1 Mach III spun the big-streetbike world on its axis. It was a straight shot of raw, unadulterated performance — a light, loud, smoky and fast two-wheeled hot rod, and the undisputed dragstrip and stoplight-to-stoplight king of its day.
The H1 established its legend status almost instantly, and remains one of the most coveted and collectable Japanese motorcycles in history.
And you can own it by participating in the AMA’s 100th Anniversary Raffle!
Get your tickets — $10 per, or 5 for $40.
What a difference a year makes. The motorcycling world is a different place than it was just 12 months ago, with changes taking place that have the potential to reshape the industry as we know it.
The global success of KTM led to the creation of the Pierer Mobility Group, which eventually counted among its brands Husqvarna, GasGas, MV Agusta and KTM, as well as a bicycle and e-bike divisions. Inflation, high interest rates, inventory surpluses and sliding stock prices conspired to slow the momentum and growth of that expansion.
At the end of last year the company entered into a proceeding to restructure its debt and reorganize. Hopefully it will emerge from this and get back on track. But regardless of the outcome, the impact will be felt by the whole industry — especially in the disposition of excess inventory, which could lower pricing and margins industry-wide, and affect suppliers and the aftermarket, as well.
Harley-Davidson, a brand long synonymous with rugged individualism and Americanism, continues to struggle with a rapidly aging customer base and difficulties attracting younger buyers — all while it pursues a more global identity. And who could have foreseen that a company once acquired by its employees in a leveraged buyout — whose primary competitive advantage was its iconic American brand — would be run by a German-born businessman?
While motorcycling seems to be turning on its head, the world is in a different place, as well. There are some significant changes likely to come from the new administration in Washington, D.C., that have the
From the President and CEO THE TIMES, THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’
BY ROB DINGMAN
potential to affect motorcycling in very consequential ways.
I believe we are likely to see a less regulatory environment at the federal departments and agencies that tend to have significant impact on motorcycling. I am optimistic that the Departments of Interior and Agriculture that oversee much of the public lands that provide off-highway vehicle riding opportunities will be more accommodating of our interests, and that the Department of Transportation will be
small industry such as ours.
For the threat of a tariff to be effective without the imposition of one, affected constituencies need to be agitated into taking action. Some may recall a proposal in 2017 for a 100-percent tariff on 51cc to 500cc motorcycles imported to the U.S. from manufacturers in the European Union in retaliation for E.U. countries not accepting an agreed-upon purchase of a certain amount of beef from U.S. sources.
The U.S. Trade Representative
With so many changes happening now and more on the horizon, the next 100 years of the AMA could be even more consequential than our first.
open to our input on programs that are vitally important to the safety of motorcyclists.
Still, there are some areas of concern. One is the apparent outsized influence of Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk. The well-documented crashes caused by Tesla vehicles being operated in autonomous modes continue to instill deep concern that there are far too many autonomous vehicles on the nation’s roadways that do not have the ability to detect the proximity of a motorcycle.
I maintain that this technology has tremendous potential to improve the safety of our roadways and the safety of motorcyclists, but our roadways are not an appropriate testing ground. Autonomous vehicle technology must be proven to be safe and proven to detect all vehicle types before being deployed.
Another area of concern is the imposition of tariffs. While the threat of a tariff can be incredibly effective at leveling a trade imbalance or getting a trading partner to alter their behavior, tariffs can wreak havoc on a relatively
hoped to tap into the effectiveness of the motorcyclists’ grass roots efforts to change Europe’s beef purchasing policies. I wrote about my experience in this regard in the August 2017 edition of this magazine.
Since the nominee for U.S. Trade Representative was the chief of staff for the U.S. Trade Representative in the previous Administration of President Donald Trump, it’s a safe bet we may see a redux of the 2017 proposed tariff on European motorcycle brands. This could be devastating, given what KTM is currently going through.
With so many changes happening now and more on the horizon, the next 100 years of the AMA could be even more consequential than our first. A strong AMA is needed, and that strength comes from memberships.
As always, thank you for being an AMA member, and for your support of our mission!
Rob Dingman is the President and CEO of the AMA, and a Charter Life Member.
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Decal
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Freedom Fighter Hat
Life Member Hat
Lots of riders christen their bikes with a name. I call mine Cupid. That may sound silly, but the bike played a key role in finding the love of my life.
After my second marriage I was determined never to marry again. But after a few years of flying solo, I missed the pitter-patter of feminine feet around the fireplace, so I placed a personal ad in the local “alternative” press — this was before the internet. Rather than have it resemble a purchase order like the other ads, I offered a list of 25 self-describing adjectives. I got 51 responses in two weeks, most of them commenting on how refreshingly different and honest my ad was.
I eliminated two-thirds of the respondents pretty quickly over the phone, which left 17 women whom I agreed to see at the locale and hour of their choosing. Some interesting people responded. One was a math professor; another a psychologist; and a third a dead ringer for actress Lonnie Anderson. I wondered why they needed personal ads to find a date.
One that did not stand out was a dental-office manager named Diane. Over dinner I decided I wasn’t interested in her, but she walked me outside and when she saw that I was on a bike she got very excited. She’d always wanted to ride a motorcycle and immediately asked me to take her on a ride the following Saturday. She relished the day ride up the coast, inspiring me to make it twice as long as I’d planned. After lunch at a place overlooking the ocean, she shared some personal history. Turns out her upbringing was as difficult as mine. I so enjoyed her company that riding together became our weekend
MEGAPHONE love story
BY B. JAN MONTANA
passion. Over time, I dropped the other women because it was more enjoyable being with Di.
Several weeks later we rode to a motorcycle rally in Mariposa, far up into California’s Gold County. During the last night of the event, Di and I were startled at 4 a.m. by the trickle of cold water seeping through our sleeping bags.
As it was the last day of the rally, we packed up our wet gear in the dark and hit the road in a chilly, 42-degree rain. It took forever to get out of the mountains and into the Central Valley, where it was a relatively robust 58 degrees in the sunshine. Most of our clothes had dried except for our helmets, boots and gloves. We stopped at the first truck stop we saw on Highway 99 to subject them to the restroom hand dryers.
“You are alright, Di?” I asked over breakfast. I expected her to express consternation, as most women might.
“That was a beautiful ride out of the mountains,” she said with a smile, “and a spectacular sunrise. I’m looking forward to the next part of the trip.”
How many women would respond like that? As a result, my impression of
her soared. And three months afterward, when she had an altercation with her landlord, I invited her to come live with me.
Di commandeered three of the four bedrooms, turning them into dressing, sewing and storage rooms, which was fine as I wasn’t using them. But when it came to the garage, I made a demand. “This looks like a place to park your car,” I told her, “but it’s not. This is a motorcycle garage, and its function is to accommodate motorcycles, motorcycle parts, motorcycle work and motorcycle people. It will never house your Volvo.”
I added, “Relationship problems often result from a man’s failure to make his boundaries clear. I don’t want that to happen to us.”
She respected my request and has continued to do so ever since. Moreover, she’s really enjoyed my weekly tech days, so much so that she soon became an active participant.
Over 100,000 two-up miles on the motorcycle later, including trips to Canada and Mexico, we decided to get married in Las Vegas on the way home from a rally in Colorado. As we’d both experienced unsuccessful marriages in the past, we should have been gun-shy, but after 28 years of living in sin, we decided it was probably a safe bet. As it turned out, making that commitment legal contributed something special to our relationship.
That was almost seven years ago, and I cherish her more every single day. I make sure she knows it with frequent words of appreciation and hugs — both in private and in the company of friends.
B. Jan Montana is an AMA Member.
My wife Diane happens to be a superb rider, and often leans further over in corners than I do. She’ll occasionally drag her left mitt on the pavement just for effect, which tends to shock followers.
BACKFIRES
DIGGIN’ THE DOLOMITES
My son and I completed our second Edelweiss tour in September, a trip through the mountains of Southern France. We were very pleased to again have Daniel — one of the
guides in the Dramatic Dolomites piece in the January edition — as one of our guides. Both were great rides! Our first trip two years ago covered some of the same passes Editor Boehm described. I’m jealous of the number of tours he’s taken, though, as well as his photos, which are better than mine. Looking forward to more tours and articles like this.
Scott Bleser Dayton, Ohio
Glad you had a good time with your son, Scott. When it comes to photos,
LETTER OF THE MONTH
mini enduro madness
Your recent Yamaha Mini Enduro piece (January 2025) brought a huge smile to my face. I’ve had many JT1s over the years (in addition to SL70s and XR75s), and just recently finished restoring one for a very dear friend. He’d bought it from me when I broke up my fleet, and now his grandkids are riding it! Thought I’d share two things about my experience with
the little ’strokers. 1) When I had three in my collection, the building housing my buddy John’s Yamaha dealership in Daly City, Calif., was to be torn down, but on the last day before that happened, we figured, “Why not stage an indoor short track there for giggles?” A linoleum floor, two huge support posts and big windows. What could go wrong? We
all I can say is, “even a blind squirrel finds a nut on occasion.” – Ed.
ISDE CHAMPS, AGAIN
When I pulled the January issue out of the mailbox I thought something was definitely askew with the cover photo. Someone’s head — Korie Steede’s, it turns out — had been photoshopped in! Then I read Rachel Gutish’s excellent ISDE article, and it all made sense. As Paul Harvey (remember him?) used to say, now you know the rest of the story! As for Rachel, she’s not only a great rider,
raced those little Yammies for at least an hour, sometimes clipping the posts as we went around them. When we stopped, the building had filled with smoke and all the front windows were lined with neighborhood kids cheering us on! Yamaha truly did build an incredible line with its Enduros, which changed the landscape of motorcycling forever! 2) You forgot to mention that the very first motorcycle you see in On Any Sunday is a Yamaha Mini Enduro! That movie also changed motorcycling forever, and I make it a point to watch it at least once a year to remind me why I got hooked on this sport 57 years ago. Keep up the great work! PS: I promise to send pics when I finish that SL70 resurrection!
Eric Bickel
AMA Lifetime Member, and proud of it
If only someone had shot photos of you guys ripping around on that polished concrete floor, Eric! Looking forward to the SL70 photos; better watch out, or I’ll be sending you mine for a quickie restoration. – Ed.
Letters to the editor are the opinions of the AMA members who write them. Inclusion here does not imply they reflect the positions of the AMA, its staff or board. Agree? Disagree? Let us know. Send letters to submissions@ama-cycle.org or mail to American Motorcyclist Association, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147. Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity.
but she’s a very competent writer, too. Great flow, vocabulary and structure, and the ability to keep the reader interested. I’m thinking she may have another career path available to her down the road…maybe on the editorial staff, perhaps?
Toby Moore Ashland, Mo.
We’re always looking for storytelling and editorial talent, Toby, so yeah, Rachel qualifies. You just never know what will happen. – Ed.
Rachel Gutish’s article on the USA Women’s team winning the ISDE 2024 was, like the team itself, incredible, powerful and unstoppable from the first line to the finish line! All I can say is, I’m so proud of you all!
Bryan Henderson Bartlesville, Okla.
I always enjoy receiving and reading American Motorcyclist, and the January issue was no exception, but I do have a question about the cover: From the story I was able to figure out that the leftmost three riders were Ava Silvestri, Rachel Gutish and Brandy Richards. I also learned that the odd-looking head sticking out on the right side of the photo is that of injured teammate Korie Steede. But who is the fifth young lady (far right) in the photo? She is not identified in the cover photo caption or in any other photo I saw.
Lloyd Baldwin Branford, Fla.
Good catch, Lloyd. That’s Meg Argubright, the team’s chase rider, who we mentioned in the story but not in the On The Cover blurb. Sorry, Meg, for the omission! – Ed.
www.edelweissbike.com
IBACK IN THE DAY
Where the photos are blurry but the memories are clear!
t was September 1973, and I was stationed in Charleston, S.C., with the Navy. This photo was from my first solo motorcycle camping trip on a 1972 Yamaha R5C 350cc two-stroke. I traveled from Charleston to the mountains of North Carolina. The photo was taken at an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. At the time I had no idea where I was going to live when I’d be discharged from the Navy the following year, but I now live in North Carolina, just 60 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Ken Carnley
This is a photo of my brother on his Harley-Davidson Sportster chopper. My next older brother Pat had served a year in Vietnam with the U.S. Army, and he came home in June 1970. One of his first purchases was this Sportster with a purple metal-flake paint, 12-inch extended front end with no additional rake, and straight pipes. He has quite a “Ritchie” from La Bamba vibe going on. John P. Flores
This is a (blurry, sorry!) 1981 action photo of Dad and me on the Harley-Davidson 175 he brought home in three boxes. We built the bike together. TJ Lash
The first pic is of my wife and me on a rented import during our honeymoon in July 1966 in Gatlinburg, Tenn. When she discovered the bike would be slower than a bear, we headed back to town. The second picture is of us both in 2016 (50 years later!) in Kentucky on our Harley-Davidson Road King we named “Gaudy.” This bike was definitely faster than a bear! Our kids bought her leather pants, and she braved the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway with me in eastern North Carolina. When the riding skills waned a few years ago, we sold Gaudy. Still, we had some fun.
David Stallard
Submit your Back in the Day photos and stories to submissions@ama-cycle.org. High-rez images are preferred, and please understand we have quite a backlog, which means it may be months before your submission — if acceptable — makes it into the magazine. Thanks!
Eddie Frank’s memory (in the November 2024 issue) of the Kawasaki hillclimb bike at Hollister Hills brings back a flood of memories. The Kawasaki 500 two-stroke triple was undoubtably that of Mr. Greene, a tall and lanky Black man who was a fearless hillclimb competitor at nearby Hall’s Ranch in Gilroy, Calif. I met him at Erv Kanemoto’s 100-year-old family home and workshop barn, which was later demolished to secure the flight path for the expanding San Jose, Calif., airport. Before becoming an industry legend with factory support, Erv worked on anything two-stroke for us regular folks. At 18 years old I had a 1970 Sachs 125MX, which Erv ported and built a custom pipe for. (I still have the bike from the photo.) Mr. Greene had constant tuning and maintenance work done on his Kawasaki H1 hillclimb bikes. I say constant maintenance, because he was famous at the hillclimbs for just stepping away when the bike reached the maximum height on the hill, and the bike would tumble end-over-end down the hill until it stopped, often with significant damage. I can still hear Mr. Greene saying, “They don’t pay me nothing to ride that bike down the hill!”
Views that go on forever.
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The best riding in the world! Ride the Alp Stop dreaming-make it hapr,en. With the Beachs do it your way. Your st Your pace. Your dailY schedule. Your unforgettable vacation!
John McCoy
I finally went through some old family photos after our father’s death in 2020. I think it’s pretty apparent who gets credit for our lifelong motorcycle affliction. The old photo is circa 1974 with my brother Brett (probably 2 years old at the time), me (around 4, I’d guess) and our father, looking every bit the proper motorcyclist in his 1970s office garb. The bike is a Harley-Davidson 350 from around 1969, and if my mother had known of the Italian-Harley connection, she may have let him keep it a few more years (she’s Italian). Dad had me hold onto the gas cap while we rode to the corner store — I still remember those trips. The later photo is Brett and me in 2024 at the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials event. We are riding our garage-restored bikes, a 1978 Honda and a 1975 Suzuki. We ride modern bikes these days, but the vintage stuff from the ’70s through the ’90s remains in our blood. We’ve been riding since before we had licenses and plan to keep on riding long into the future. Thanks AMA!
Dave Leischner
BACK IN THE DAY
In 1970, I’d just turned 18 years old, and I had started working for Caterpillar Tractor Co. I bought this 1970 Honda CB350, and it was my only vehicle for a long time until I bought a 1950 Mercury from a junkyard for $25. The girl in the photo was my high school sweetheart, who I later married (though we soon divorced). I rode this bike until I got my license suspended, and then I bought a 1971 Yamaha Enduro CT-1. I later joined the Marine Corps and bought a 1972 Kawasaki Z1, which I took to Hawaii with me. Upon marriage and raising a family, I didn’t ride until I bought a 1996 Honda Shadow 1200 cruiser. Now I’m riding a 2003 Yamaha Road Star, which has more miles on it than any of the others. Bruce Gebhart
This is a picture of me (no. 48) at the start of a cross-country race in Florence, Colo., in 1971. (This is where the ADX Supermax Prison is now.) I raced on a 125cc Penton. The second picture is from a 1985 AMA NATC Colorado National Trials in Canon City, Colo. Ted Arment
I grew up in a great neighborhood that was full of kids. Most of my best buddies had bikes, and we lived for trips like this one, out to the desert in Southern California. My dad would borrow his friend’s stake-bed truck and haul us all out there. (We traveled in the back with the bikes!) In this picture I’m in the middle in a blue sweatshirt; then from left-
to-right is my brother David (SL-70), Dewey (XR75), Steve (Hodaka), Bob (Bultaco jersey sitting on a Sachs) and Rob (Yamaha). More than 50 years later — after many bikes and too many desert trips to count — I still ride with Steve, and I’m thankful every day for the sport that has brought me and my family so much joy! Matthew Green
GYPSY TOUR
...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 2025 Gypsy Tour schedule, where riders can meet, share experiences and even grab their collectible AMA National Gypsy Tour pin dated with the year.
Daytona Bike week
FEB 28 - MARCH 9
Midwest women riders
May 1-3
Laconia Motorcycle Week
June 14-22
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days
July 25 - 27
four corners motorcycle rally
Aug 28 - 31
Biketoberfest
Oct 16 - 19
Rides 4 fun
• BREAKS, VA: APR 25 - 27
• BUCKHORN, KY: MAY 16 - 18
• PIPESTREAM, WV: AUG 15 - 17
• PINEVILLE, KY: SEPT 12 - 14
• HELEN, GA: OCT 3 - 5
up to speed
News, notes, insight and more from the motorcycling universe
EIGHT IS ENOUGH!
Vowing to race eight disciplines in 2024, 11-year-old Kirra Holland enjoyed a jam-packed year of motorcycle discovery
BY KEATON MAISANO PHOTOS: BRANDON HOLLAND
Kirra Holland knew she didn’t like trees.
But what the 11-yearold motorcyclist didn’t know was what she did like, so she dedicated the 2024 racing season to finding that out. And the best way to do that? Sample each discipline by racing all genres her district had to offer.
With a grandfather who was an Expert-level open-class motocross rider in the 1980s and a father that races in District 23 Amateur Riders Motorcycle Association (ARMCA) offroad competitions, Kirra was destined for the motorcycle lifestyle. But while
she found her way onto two wheels — learning to ride a peewee around 4 years old — she did not follow in her father’s tire tracks.
“I was going to try and get her into off-road racing like I did,” Brandon Holland, Kirra’s father, said, “but she did not like trees. She’s not like me at all. I love being in the woods and racing through the woods, but she did not like it. My dad doesn’t like riding in the woods, either, so we were like, ‘We need to figure out what Kirra likes to do.’”
At the 2022 District 23 enduro banquet, club President Rex Greenwald challenged the crowd to race all eight
disciplines the ARMCA had to offer.
Looking for her niche in the motorcycle world, Kirra took the challenge to heart and embarked on the journey to sample every discipline.
The journey began with back-toback race weekends at the Grantsburg motocross track in Wisconsin. The second discipline up on the schedule was one Kirra had anticipated more than any other: flat track.
Participating in the Jacks of Spade youth program, Kirra rode a fully prepped flat-track racebike loaned to her by Jake Rehberger and his dad Rob, and she checked that experience off her list.
Kirra Holland and her dad Brandon Holland at the Nemadji State Forest in Holyoke, Minn. Opposite page: Kirra competing in hillclimb, flat track, hare scrambles and motocross meetings.
“It was like as small as a peewee bike, and all the other people were on 85s,” Kirra said. “Everyone was going really fast. I probably got lapped a couple times, but otherwise it was pretty fun.”
Three of the next four disciplines would bring Kirra face-to-face with adversity, starting with a fouled spark plug on her TC65 at the RVER Huntersville Enduro. But despite the
unfortunate break, Kirra said her dad kept the mood light.
“He was just laughing the whole time,” Kirra said. “He was trying to make me feel better. He wasn’t that nervous, but I was!”
Following a fun experience at a supercross race at Motokazie in Jordan, Minn., which marked the fourth discipline of the year, Kirra faced a daunt-
ing task when she looked to tackle the hillclimb event. As Kirra stared up at the big hill that would host the event, she considered abandoning her eight-discipline journey.
“I was really, really scared,” Kirra said. “I was thinking about backing out. My dad said, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ I told him I have to. I have to finish all of them.”
Despite the moment of doubt, Kirra competed in the event, and while her bike didn’t make it to the top of the hill that day, she inched closer to summiting the all-discipline mountaintop.
In the hare scrambles leg of her quest Kirra was forced to face her hatred of racing among the trees head on, a task she may have taken
too literally, as she hit a few and tumbled off her bike.
“That was another reason why I don’t really like trees,” Kirra laughed. “I was passing these little kids, and then I hit the trees and hurt my finger.”
While the pursuit of eight disciplines in one year was a heavy focus, Kirra and Brandon made sure to take time to pause and give back to the motorcycling community.
Volunteering at the Akeley Enduro as a Paul Bunyan Forest Rider, Kirra helped clear the 50cc track and pre-rode the 65/85cc course — overcoming being chased by grouse attracted to the sound of a four-stroke and the occasional bear jumping out on the trail.
In the homestretch of completing the discipline octet, Kirra rode as a
passenger with Brandon for the road ride and dual-sport events, both of which required a rider to have a motorcycle permit to compete on their own. And thanks to the rescheduling of the Kato Cycle Club Trail event to a later date, Kirra was able to achieve her goal of eight disciplines in 2024.
“[Riding all the disciplines] was like a challenge to find what I wanted to do most,” Kirra said. “At the start of the summer, I really wanted to do flat track, and then at the end I changed and wanted to do moto.”
With no trees in sight, Kirra will turn her focus to motocross and supercross racing in 2025. For Brandon, Kirra’s journey of discovery contains a lesson for all motorcyclists.
“I think the biggest takeaway, not just looking at her specifically but at our whole family lineage, is that you don’t know what you want to do until you try it,” Brandon said. “Like, my dad was a motocross rider, but I didn’t want to ride motocross. Then I found my niche in enduros and off-road.”
“Then when it was Kirra’s time…
she tried flat track and decided it wasn’t for her. She maybe would have stuck with flat track if that’s all we ever tried or if that’s all she ever knew, but after she got a chance to try them all, now she knows she definitely likes motocross and supercross.”
For Kirra, eight turned out to be definitely enough.
MIKE LINDSTROM
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WRITE FOR YOUR RIGHTS!
The ultimate guide to crafting an effective letter or email to an elected official
BY KEATON MAISANO
he AMA’s Government Relations Department works tirelessly on behalf of motorcyclists across the country, but every motorcyclist is equipped and able to voice their concerns, call for change, and establish a dialogue with elected officials.
TOne way this can be done is by writing a letter or email addressed to an elected official, and while this may seem intimidating, Tom Umphress, AMA Board of Directors member and active contributor to the motorcycling cause in Minnesota, said reaching out is the right of any official’s constituents.
and efficient manner.
As for the process, there are a few things to keep in mind and some must-dos to most effectively deliver your message.
RESEARCH
Like anything in life, it is best to be prepared and do your research ahead of time on the issue you want to address.
RIGHTS 101
Once you have a solid understanding of the issue, it is important to figure out two things: Whom should I address the letter to, and when is the best time to send it? Figuring out the right recipient involves first identifying the
appropriate level of government, and then the group/individual that has the power to make a difference. (Note: It is important to reach out to an official that represents you as opposed to an official you are not a constituent of.)
In many cases, issues can be solved at a lower level than you might expect, so be sure to identify the correct recipient to increase your chances of a response and success.
Once you know whom the letter is going to, consider the timing. If the issue you are writing about deals with language in a bill that is under consideration, you will want to send your correspondence before said bill is set to be voted on. (The earlier
“These representatives are people, too,” Umphress said. “They were elected to represent you There’s that saying that they work for you. That doesn’t mean you tell them what to do, but that means they’re there for you. So it’s your right, your duty, and your obligation to contact them and let them know what you would like them to do.”
In terms of the type of communication, this article will focus on the process of writing a letter (or email) to an elected official. While it may be tempting to call the representative, Umphress said getting your thoughts down in writing allows for a higher chance of your message being conveyed accurately.
When it comes time to craft your correspondence, it is best to keep your message brief (no longer than a page) if possible. Don’t sacrifice important details for length, but try to get your point across in a concise
the better!) If you are reaching out about a general concern, feel free to reach out whenever you are ready, as establishing a line of communication can pay dividends down the road.
It’s also important to note that, while the general public sends thousands of messages to representatives about a handful of hot-button issues, even a few letters on a niche topic can capture the attention of an elected official.
“If they get seven to nine comments or calls on an issue,” Umphress said, “that’s kind of like stop the presses. What’s got the constituency all riled up? That’s how few people actually contact them on general issues, so it makes an impact because you’re not one of thousands…you’re one of five or 10.”
On new and developing issues it is important to note that motorcycle leadership, such as the AMA GRD team, will often direct motorcyclists with an aligned stance and message to convey to government officials, so check with the AMA (send an email to grassroots@ama-cycle.org or sign up for Action Alerts at AmericanMotorcyclist.com) on essential messaging and guidance.
TONE
If you are willing to reach out to a government official, odds are that you are passionate about the issue. That’s great, but it’s important that your passion is productive.
Remembering that the goal is to bring about change and build a relationship with an elected official, it is important to craft your message in a way that is respectful and not belittling.
“Always be courteous, always take the high road,” Umphress said. “Always talk about the impact it has on you and what you would like to be done.”
An early way to establish this respect is to address the letter using the appropriate title for the official (i.e., Senator or Representative). Do not call an official by their first name, as this can come off as disrespectful
and potentially undermine the rest of the message.
While tone is critical, there are three elements that every letter needs to be effective: personalization, an ask, and contact information.
MAKE IT PERSONAL
One of the most important things to do when writing your letter is to humanize the issue by tying it to yourself. This is your opportunity to explain why the issue is so meaningful to you and why you were compelled to reach out.
Start off by introducing yourself and be sure to identify yourself as one of their constituents. According to AMA Eastern States Representative Max Colchin, who served as a legislative correspondent tasked with sifting through letters at the federal level, it is important to not use phrases like “as an American citizen” or
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“as a taxpayer.”
AMA GOVERNMENT RELATIONS REFRESH
Instead, try to find common ground if possible. If you have met the official in the past or donated to or volunteered during their campaign, mention that. Or maybe you share an alma mater with the representative, and can build rapport over that. Whatever your connection, this can go a long way to building a relationship and getting a foot in the door.
Next, you want to be specific about how the issue has impacted your life. (Don’t be afraid to share personal experiences.) By being vulnerable, the hope is to convey to the elected official that this issue matters to one (and hopefully more than one) of their constituents, thus increasing the chance of the official taking action on your behalf.
Also keep in mind that a form letter or pre-written postcard is not as effective as something original, so take the
time to make something your own. You want to showcase that the issue is worth your effort, hopefully inspiring the official to put in effort, too.
ASK FOR CHANGE
Once you feel you have communicated the issue and its impact, you need to include the ask — what do you want to be done about the issue?
This sounds obvious, but it is of the utmost importance that you convey the ask in a clear and specific manner. If your issue is with language in a bill or statute, be specific on the language you would like changed, and what would be an acceptable replacement. This is your chance to paint a picture of what an ideal resolution would look like for you, so don’t leave any room for assumptions or guesswork.
“You need to actually spell out what it is you’re looking for them to
do,” Umphress said.
If you are unclear on what a positive resolution for motorcyclists would be, don’t hesitate to reach out to the AMA GRD staff for assistance.
LEAVE CONTACT INFORMATION
As you wrap up your message it is crucial that you leave your contact in-
about the process ahead of time. Change will not be easy or come immediately, but it is important not to get discouraged. Rather, remain engaged and don’t let your passion die out or turn unproductive.
When a decision or vote does happen on an issue you reached out about, make sure to follow up with your representative to show you
“Always be courteous, always take the high road, Always talk about the impact it has on you and what you would like to be done.”
TOM UMPHRESS, AMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEMBER
formation, making yourself available for future correspondence. This not only can be beneficial in dealing with furthering the conversation around your issue, but it can also position yourself as an “expert” in the mind of the representative, who might reach out when issues on the subject pop up in the future.
Now it is important to be realistic
remain engaged with the issue. (Make sure you tell them that you reached out prior to the vote.) If they voted/ acted in line with your wishes, thank them for doing so.
“You don’t always have to write to oppose something,” Umphress said. “You can also write to thank them. Thank yous go a long way too, because we all get griped at, but a lot of
times we don’t get appreciation. So, that can get you a long way too.”
If they didn’t act in the way you wanted, express your disappointment in a respectful way. (Remember, you don’t want to damage the relationship and potentially hinder your impact in the future.)
By being available and making connections with those in leadership positions, motorcyclists humanize motorcycling and help rewrite any negative perceptions non-motorcyclists may have. At the end of the day, it is up to motorcyclists across the country to not only stand up and speak out when it comes to their rights, but to be positive examples of what motorcycling is all about.
Whether you are uncapping a pen or dusting off the keyboard, make your voice heard and help motorcycling enjoy a bright future. Have any further questions? Utilize the “Rights” tab on AmericanMotorcyclist.com or reach out to the GRD team at grassroots@ ama-cycle.org.
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POSSIBLE IMPACTS OF TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS
AMA Government Relations team stands ready to act on items affecting motorcyclists
BY JOY BURGESS
ith a new administration in the White House as of Jan. 20, a significant number of executive orders have been signed, and the AMA Government Relations staff is working hard to analyze how these new orders may affect motorcyclists in the future.
WWhat exactly are executive orders? They are basically signed statements that lay out how the president wants the federal government to be managed, whether that’s a request for reports, instructions to federal agencies or taking action to rescind orders signed by a previous president. Keep in mind, there are limits to the power of executive orders, and both courts and Congress can potentially block them.
“Any time that there is a change in federal administrations, it’s quite common to see a flurry of executive orders released very quickly,” said the AMA’s Director of Government Relations Nick Haris, “and it is our job to work through all of those orders to find ways they may potentially benefit motorcyclists, or ways they could negatively affect motorcyclists. Regardless of party, we often find that it’s a mixed bag — some good, some bad — and those first executive orders also give us a good look at the general direction an administration may be taking in the future, so we’re prepared to protect the interests of our AMA members.”
Several of the recent executive orders have caught the attention of the AMA Government Relations staff, including the America First Trade Policy executive order, in which President Donald Trump threatened to implement additional tariffs on Mexico, China and Canada as quickly as Feb. 1, a move that could potentially increase the price of goods made in these countries, including motorcycles, motorcycle parts and gear coming into the United States from these countries. While this may provide a boost for products that are made in America, it may also eventually affect small
mom-and-pop repair shops that source their parts outside of the country.
Also of note was the Putting People Over Fish: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern California presidential action. While the action is seemingly unrelated to motorcycling, Haris commented that it may be a sign that there is potential for reform of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the future. The ESA has long been invoked by anti-OHV interest groups and used as a surrogate issue to exclude motorized recreation from public lands. Reforming the ESA may prove useful as the AMA fights against closures related to local endangered species.
Along with plenty of new orders dropping from the White House, there are new agency heads — including Sean Duffy (former five-term Republican congressman) at the Department of Transportation and Doug Burgum (former North Dakota governor) at the Department of the Interior — and the AMA is crafting letters to these members of the new administration, requesting meetings and working to ensure they are aware of how federal issues may impact motorcyclists.
“No doubt, we will continue to see additional executive orders released over the coming weeks and many additional changes in Washington with this new administration,” Haris said. “However, our main goal in the AMA Government Relations Department is to analyze these actions and determine how we can best take action to protect the rights of our members.”
Of course, the AMA’s Government Relations Department doesn’t work alone. You are an important ally in our fight to protect motorcyclists’ rights. Stay informed and sign up to receive AMA Action Alerts that keep you up to date on pontential threats to your motorcycling rights at https://americanmotorcyclist.com/rights/rights-resources/ subscribe-for-rights-updates/.
EXPLORE ACT SIGNED INTO LAW
Rights ROUNDUP MORE
Then-President Joe Biden signed the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act into law on Jan. 4, creating additional opportunities for motorized access on federal lands.
This piece of legislation also aims to improve access to public lands for outdoor recreation, create new long-distance bike trails, and restore campgrounds and modernize infrastructure, among other aspects. The EXPLORE Act also seeks to enhance opportunities for motorized and non-motorized recreation, expanding outdoor activities for enthusiasts on public lands.
“The EXPLORE Act will help grow the off-road riding community by allowing for more land for OHV activities,” AMA Government Relations Director Nick Haris said. “With this law, our members will have more space to ride on the beautiful public lands our country has to offer.”
The law also allows for organized group recreation activity with motorized vehicles.
NEW YORK CITY ENACTS CONGESTION PRICING
In early January, New York City enacted its congestion pricing toll for drivers entering Manhattan, becoming the first city in the United States to do so.
Passenger and small commercial vehicles paying with a valid E-ZPass will owe a daily toll of $9 during the peak period and $2.25 during the overnight period. Motorcycles, however, will pay just $4.50 during the peak period and $1.05 overnight with a valid E-ZPass transponder.
Although the policy across the pond in London excludes motor-
cycles entirely from a congestion pricing toll, the reduced toll for motorcyclists in New York City is a victory nonetheless thanks to years of effort from New York motorcyclists to not have motorcycles priced the same as other vehicles.
“New York City’s decision to offer a discounted toll for motorcyclists is a significant step forward in recognizing the unique role motorcycles play in urban transportation,” AMA Eastern States Representative Max Colchin said. “As a group that often reduces congestion by taking up less space on the road and improving traffic flow, we’ve long advocated for policies that incentivize, rather than penalize, two-wheel commuters. Studies and real-world examples — from California’s lane-splitting benefits to the success of two-wheel commuting in European cities — demonstrate that motorcycles reduce overall traffic and improve mobility for everyone.”
A credit will reduce the toll amount up to $3 for passenger vehicles and $1.50 for motorcycles using a valid E-ZPass and entering during the peak period at one of the following locations: Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, Queens-Midtown Tunnel and Hugh L. Carey Tunnel.
“While we’re encouraged by the half-price toll, it’s important to remember that the fight for equitable treatment doesn’t stop here,” Colchin continued. “Motorcyclists provide a vital service to the city’s mobility and economy, and we will continue to ensure that our voices are heard in future transportation policies.”
For more information, visit portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-03612.
CALIFORNIA OHV STICKER UPDATE
After previously signing Senate Bill 708 — which created a much-needed off-highway competition vehicle permit program after the California Air Resources Board (CARB) ended the previous Red Sticker Program in 2021 — in September, an Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Information Bulletin for Law Enforcement noted that “Red Sticker and Green Sticker registration are equally valid yearround in all public areas designated for OHV recreation.” This notice went into effect Jan. 1.
Furthermore, the bulletin said the model year of a vehicle does not matter as long as the Red Sticker registration matches the vehicle’s VIN number. This is a deviation from the original law which said only Red Sticker registered vehicles from 2022 and older would be allowed to operate with no restrictions.
The new permit program is further significant for motorcyclists as it restores fees that were lost when the Red Sticker Program was sunset in 2021. Those new funds will go to support event-related costs, including trail maintenance and conservation.
For motorcyclists in California looking for details and clarity on the situation, visit ohv.parks.ca.gov.
For more updates on these issues and more government relations resources, go to AmericanMotorcyclist. com and check out the “Rights” tab, which features a State Laws Database, Action Center and more.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARY JO MACHNICA
t didn’t feel real to have ridden my 2008 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail from Boston to Newport, Ore., on the historic highway I’d lived next to my entire life. But it was — and it turned out to be much more than the “typical” bucket list experience I’d envisioned…or expected. Did I mention I had my 85-pound German Shepherd Ezra as my pillion partner the entire way?
IU.S. Route 20 is steeped in history, having seen countless travelers over the years heading west seeking the American Dream. It’s the longest highway in the U.S., stretching 3,365 miles from Boston to Newport, passing through 12 states along the way with landscapes ranging from green farmlands to lava fields to Yellowstone National Park. If anyone ever
wanted a snapshot of the vastness and variety of terrain that is America, they need look — or ride — no further than Route 20.
Despite living alongside this highway for so many years, I hadn’t really thought much about it until one day, decades ago, I met a weathered old guy rolling along in a horse-drawn buggy who’d just crossed the country on “ol’ 20.” The seed of a bucket-list-level adventure was planted: One day I would do Route 20 coast-to-coast. And this was before I even knew how to ride a motorcycle!
I’d always wanted to ride, but life kept getting in the way. Kids, family, etc. In 2002, however, I finally had a bit of a window. My oldest son was moving out, I had a bit more time and energy, and learning to ride made some sense.
My first bike was a Suzuki GZ250, the machine I learned to ride on. A Suzuki VL800 Volusia came next, followed by “The Hog” in 2008…my Softail, which has had me in Hog Heaven ever since.
Dog Hog on a
HOW A 62-YEAROLD WOMAN, HER 85-POUND GERMAN SHEPHERD, AND A 2008 HERITAGE SOFTAIL CONQUERED U.S. ROUTE 20 IN THE NAME OF FIGHTING CANCER
I didn’t know if this carrier thing would work: Either it would, or I’d be the owner of an expensive luggage rack.
THE ADVENTURE TAKES SHAPE
In the spring of 2023, I caught a video of a custom-built motorcycle carrier for large dogs and was fascinated. I could ride with my pooch Ezra! And maybe even do the Route 20 trek with him!
But there was even more of a
never know.
Once I’d mounted the carrier it was time to introduce Ezra to the contraption. He jumped right on, but when the bike wobbled a bit, he immediately jumped down, a little skittish. Not good. I had a set of portable stairs nearby, which helped get Ezra up without jumping. We did
reason to do it. My oldest son Adam had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2021. He’d been getting treatments at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., not far from where we live. One of their fundraisers is the Ride for Roswell, which is a bicycle ride primarily, though they also have an option to “Ride Your Way” — which is where my cross-country Route 20 fundraising brainchild was hatched.
I didn’t know if this carrier thing would work: Either it would, or I’d be the owner of an expensive luggage rack. The upside was, of all the dogs I’ve had through the years, Ezra would be the one to do this. He was a very special rescue pup. The summer of 2023 was very tense. There were lots of naysayers trying to discourage the ride and having my 85-pound dog along with me. It was disheartening, but the dream could not be quashed. My mindset has always been that we only live once, and if I didn’t try this, I’d
me that that is a stuffed animal!” I had to laugh.
GUT PUNCHES
Ezra and I logged more than 2,000 miles before the snow started flying, and I had all winter to figure out the route and ride. I’d leave on July 1 — my late mom’s birthday, the perfect
this slowly, over and over and step by step, and it paid off. Ezra got comfortable in it, and soon it was time for our first ride.
My brother John, in remission from colon cancer, was in town from Los Angeles to see our 94-yearold father at his apartment, and he really wanted to see what we were up to. So I rode my bike to my dad’s apartment three miles away with my friend Jan following in her car, and got there without incident. We took a longer route on the way home, and Ezra did great! Things were coming together!
The next day, my brother texted me these four words: Dog On A Hog. Perfect!
I rode with Ezra as much as I could. He was a great passenger and seemed to enjoy the rides. Even better, people enjoyed seeing him on the bike. One day as I was leaving my local Harley shop, someone saw Ezra on the back and said, “Please tell
Left page: Ezra and me posing for a promotional photo shot by my son Adam in the fall of 2023. This page, L to R: Adam, who’d been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma cancer in 2021, helping me measure and install the dog carrier on my Softail. My signed-by-many Ride For Roswell T-shirt. Inspiring stuff.
day to begin the journey.
My brother called with the news that the DogOnAHog internet domain was available, so I snapped it up. Where is this going to take us, I wondered? We’d soon find out.
I told my brother about the July 1 start date, and that he’d have to meet me in Oregon when we arrived. His voice cracked a little as he agreed to meet us there, and I wondered about that…but didn’t give it much thought. I shared my plan with a few people, and suddenly there was a Dog On A Hog website and a custom logo, both pro bono!
It was November when I got the first gut punch: my brother’s cancer had metastasized. He was in hospice in L.A., and I was beside myself, unable to comprehend that he’d just been home in New York, and now he didn’t have long to live? I went to L.A. to be with him during his last days.
He passed not long after — Dec. 7, 2023. Unbelievably sad. But the punches weren’t done. My father had a fall a few months later, in March, and two months after that, on Memorial
Day 2024, my sweet, patriotic father passed away. I was gutted.
THE HEALING PROCESS
By this point I really needed this trip to heal. And that’s when I received a call from my riding friend Robyn, who lives in New Mexico. Robyn and I met through the Volusia Riders site (https://www.volusiariders.com/) years ago, and she offered to follow Ezra and me across the country in her car. Wow! A blessing, for sure. Her husband had passed away from colon cancer the previous October, and she figured, as did I, that this would be a great way to raise money to fight cancer, not to mention recover from our losses…riding,
seeing the countryside, feeling the heat, the cold, the smells and sounds.
During a bit of a shakedown run from Buffalo to Boston, during which we saw friends old and new at the Volusia Rally (my VR online name is Sister Mooo, btw) in Lincoln, N.H., we found ourselves doing well through
the technical backroads: getting a rhythm down, learning each other’s moves on and off the bike, etc. This showed me I could really handle it, and Ezra, too. Before we left I had shirts made with “Dog On A Hog/Ezra’s Ride For Roswell” on them, and brought markers so folks I met along the way could sign my shirt. The first person to do so was a young man named Zod, who’d lost his best friend at the age of 8 to a brain tumor. We all cried as Zod signed “Danny 23” on my shirt. Finally, we were ready.
DAY 1: BOSTON TO LEE, MASS.
It was hot leaving Boston, and traffic was, well, typical Boston. Not long after jumping on Route 20 I heard a smash and realized my GoPro camera had fallen off
the back of the bike. Arrgghh. I pulled over and ran to pick it up. It still worked, but the case was mangled. Mistake No. 1: I’d secured it the wrong way.
During that first day we stopped periodically to let Ezra stretch his legs. We got to Sturbridge, Mass., where we met my Volusia riding friends Jeff and Maria, who’d been following us via the GPS tracker I had on my bike. Jeff, a cancer survivor, signed my shirt. Jeff and Maria gave us a generous donation, to which I could only offer a heartfelt thank you. The objective was clear: Let’s kick cancer’s ass!
On the way to Lee, we found nice roads and cooler temps, as we’d hit the highest point on Route 20 east of the Mississippi River. It was a bit chilly, and
My brother called with the news that the DogOnAHog internet domain was available, so I snapped it up. Where is this going to take us, I wondered?
Main image: GoPro photo on our way through Indiana.
Top right: July 1, 2024, at Kenmore Square in Boston, Mass., in front of the Route 20 sign. Time to get moving!
Main image: Storm brewing over the Grand Tetons. Clockwise from top: Ezra getting aboard, with Robyn’s car in the background. Ezra and I heading into Chicago’s East side, graffiti everywhere. In Toledo, Ohio, at Jamie Farr Park. Robyn, Ezra and I posing with Grand Teton National Park sign. Ezra mooching treats at the dogfriendly hotel in Herkimer, N.Y.
While we were cruising along I looked up and spotted a big black bird chasing a hawk. Looking more closely, I saw that it was a bald eagle keeping pace with Ezra and me. Amazing! Another one of those special biker moments, which one can only get on a motorcycle.
I was glad I had my leathers on. My cousins, whom I’d never met before (second cousins on my dad’s side), drove a few hours to take us to dinner. It was a great visit, and they were extremely generous, giving us an amazing donation and signing my shirt.
Back at the hotel, Robyn and I were sitting outside when MaryJean, whom I’d met when we checked in, came out with three young girls. They told me they’d made a donation online, and that they’d lost their grandmother to cancer, so one of them wrote grandma’s name on my shirt.
DAY 2: LEE TO SENECA FALLS, N.Y.
We left Lee at 9 a.m. with MaryJean and her husband there to send us off. The ride was quite beautiful, with hilly roads and gorgeous green trees. It was chilly at higher elevations, but turned warmer as we got closer to Albany, N.Y.
We rode to Nelson (New York) and got tacos at MAD Taco, an ironic twist as #MADaboutcancer was our Ride for Roswell team name. This is where Peggy and her husband Pat met up with us; Peggy went to school with my brother, and it was an honor to have them ride with us to Seneca Falls.
DAY 3: SENECA FALLS TO HAMBURG, N.Y.
Seneca Falls was cool. The fictional town of Bedford Falls in the iconic Jimmy Stewart classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, was inspired by Seneca Falls. We then headed to Hamburg. I’d ridden this section of Route 20 many times before and loved it — it runs across the top of the finger lakes in central New York, with beautiful rolling hills and endless greenery.
DAY 4: HAMBURG TO WILLOUGHBY, OHIO
We left Hamburg from Barksn-Meows, a little pet care shop where they had a small send-off
for us. There were vineyards and picturesque views of Lake Erie as we rode through Pennsylvania. Once we crossed into Ohio, we took a break at the first rest stop to let Ezra walk around. I decided to put his ear protection on since we were going to be on Interstate 90 (a Route 20 detour) for a bit. Ezra hated it, and it ended up getting stuck between my butt and the seat, so I had to pull over to save it from falling off. A policeman pulled up behind us and switched on his lights for protection while we regrouped. Thanks!
DAY 5: WILLOUGHBY TO PLYMOUTH, IND.
The ride though Cleveland that morning was awesome, the morning light hitting things just right. [Fun, small-world fact: Mary’s route took her within 200 yards of Editor Boehm’s childhood home in North Ridgeville, Ohio. — Ed.] We wound up stopping a bit south of South Bend, Ind., for the night.
The next day we’d ride through Chicago. It looked like storms might be heading through, so we’d need to be vigilant. I was blessed to have a storm-chasing friend, Colt, volunteer to give me weather updates every day on the trip, which was pretty cool.
DAY 6: PLYMOUTH TO ROCKFORD, ILL.
We left Plymouth and headed toward Chicago, a two-hour ride. Traffic wasn’t bad, and I changed into my mesh jacket so I wouldn’t be so hot. We made it through pretty easily, and Ezra, as always, was a huge hit.
Once out of Chicago we rode a little before stopping at a cool place for lunch. Colt messaged that storms were popping up ahead of us, so Ezra and I donned our rain gear and I was glad we did, as we ran into some really heavy downpours. But the rain gear worked, and Ezra’s get-up — a rain cape and cover that Velcroed to both Ezra and the carrier — kept him really dry.
After arriving at a Motel 6 in
Rockford, Robyn went out with some friends while I stayed in and relaxed with Ezra. I decided to get in touch with Cort and Colleen, friends from the Volusia website. I wanted to see them — we were so darn close — and they offered us their trailer to stay in, which was perfect. We’d stay there Monday night, and then head out Tuesday to an Airbnb for the next two nights.
We’d cross the mighty Mississippi tomorrow. There was a flood warning there.
DAY 7: ROCKFORD TO KEOTA, IOWA
We left Rockford about noon. Ezra was riding with Robyn because he wasn’t feeling well. I think the previous day was just too hot for him,
with Robyn. We were going to the Airbnb for two nights, so it’d be good for him to relax and recover.
DAY 8: KEOTA TO WATERBURY, NEB.
With Ezra in the car, I clocked some serious miles from Iowa to Waterbury, Neb. The run was uneventful; I rode fast and hard because I didn’t have him to worry about. We got to our Airbnb, and it was time for a little R&R.
DAY 9: WATERBURY TO VALENTINE, NEB.
I decided to change the way we were doing things. It was getting hotter as we headed farther west, so it was necessary to leave early and stop early with Ezra in the saddle. I didn’t want to ride in the crazy heat with him, so we started leaving
since we were on a kind of dream quest
ourselves, it was fitting to go there.
and we’d been on the go way too much. Time to slow things down.
We crossed the Mississippi, which was high but not cresting. I was glad Ezra wasn’t with me for this part of the ride because it was bumpy and pretty tough on me. I wouldn’t have wanted him on the back, and especially not at speed.
After that first section the roads were fun, with twisties and sweepers. We were headed down to see Cort and Colleen, so I took Highway 380 and averaged about 70 mph. I wouldn’t do that with Ezra. Much too fast.
Robyn mentioned we were near the Field of Dreams movie location, so we took a small detour to check it out. We figured that since we were on a kind of dream quest ourselves, it was fitting to go there.
Cort and Colleen have four dogs, and they all put Ezra in his place. I decided Ezra would take another day off the next day and ride in the car
at 6 a.m. Robyn could stay behind and head out when she wanted, and if I needed something I could simply call her. Besides, I liked riding with just Ezra behind me. And it was huge that we could stash our stuff in Robyn’s car, which made getting on the road each day that much faster and hassle-free. I just loved how Route 20 — actually, Highway 20 now that we were west of the Mississippi — snaked its way through miles and miles of beautiful hills in Nebraska. Better still was getting to share it with my buddy again.
While we were cruising along I looked up and spotted a big black bird chasing a hawk. Looking more closely, I saw that it was a bald eagle keeping pace with Ezra and me. Amazing! Another one of those special biker moments, which one can only get on a motorcycle.
DAY 10: VALENTINE TO LUSK, WYO.
We left Valentine at 7 a.m., and it was a bit chilly. A gentleman took photos of we were near the Field Of Dreams movie location, so we took a small detour to check it out. We figured that
Clockwise from upper left: Ezra and me with Peggy and Pat, who rode with us for a bit early in the trip. Volusia Riders Yankee Rally in Lincoln, N.Y., the morning we left for Boston. Got a flat near Billings, Mont., on the way home from Oregon! Ezra at the Field of Dreams.
Ezra for his grandson as we loaded up. I was watching the weather and saw that storms were heading down from Rapid City, S.D., so I figured I’d get fuel and then gear Ezra up for the coming rains.
Of course, we didn’t get much rain. It was that old adage: To guarantee no rain, put on your rain gear! It was getting hot, though, so we pulled over, got out of our rain gear, and let Ezra walk around.
Temperatures were getting super-hot as we approached Lusk, so I sped up a bit and stopped at a local coffee shop for a break. The owner noticed Ezra on the bike and came out to chat. He gave us
a nice donation and blessed us on our continued journey. Huge thanks to him!
DAY 11: LUSK TO THERMOPOLIS, WYO.
From Lusk we headed to Thermopolis, and during the day’s ride I had a feeling that this was the purpose of our ride. We cruised through the Wind River Canyon, slicing along beautiful sweepers following the river, and I broke into tears riding with Ezra on this road because it was just so amazing. We were in the groove.
DAY 12: THERMOPOLIS TO CODY, WYO.
As we headed toward our night’s stop in Cody to stay in an Airbnb for a few days, I just had to ride the Wind
River Canyon again with Ezra. It was simply too beautiful not to do it.
The ride to Cody was really nice. I started seeing more bikers, and most did a double take when they saw Ezra. We settled in once we reached Cody, a fun little town with all kinds of bikers from all over. We met some great people and had a relaxing time. Everyone was feeling good and recuperating. We took a few days off from the bike and even hopped in Robyn’s car to see Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons.
DAY 13: CODY TO REXBURG, IDAHO
After a few restful, sightseeing-filled days in Cody we headed down the road through Yellowstone, crossing the Continental Divide twice along the way. It was an incredible ride with Ezra, and we continued to get interesting looks.
I pulled into a historical marker area, and when I went to put my kickstand down, my bike started leaning to the left. I wasn’t strong enough to hold it up, especially with Ezra’s weight, so it gently fell over.
We also stopped by some hot springs to get some photos, only to learn afterward that we were near the geyser — Biscuit Basin — that blew up a few days later! Crazy.
Highway 20 goes right though Yellowstone, past Old Faithful into Montana, and then Idaho. We were only in Montana for 12 miles, but it was super cool riding though Yellowstone with Ezra. It was amazing to think, too, that this highway that runs through this iconic American national park also runs through my hometown back in New York. Looking back from where we’d come, a new level of understanding of the depth of this road hit me.
DAY 14: REXBURG TO MOUNTAIN HOME, IDAHO
I got up early to get going so Ezra could be out of the sun by noon. We
rode past fields that were being watered, and I could feel a chill from the moisture being put into the air by the irrigation. The temperatures got hotter and hotter as we headed west, so I was thankful to the farmers.
I pulled into a historical marker area, and when I went to put my kickstand down, my bike started leaning to the left. I wasn’t strong enough to hold it up, especially with Ezra’s weight, so it gently fell over. Ezra was fine, so I unharnessed him and walked him over to some nearby grass. At that moment, I heard a motorcycle in the distance, so I walked over to the road and flagged the biker down. He pulled in, got off his bike and helped me get my bike upright.
We talked a little, and then this
nice man, Robert, gave me some very good advice: “Mary, slow down. Make sure your bike is totally stopped, have both feet on the ground and the bike steady before reaching for the kickstand. Take it slow, don’t be in a hurry.” I knew he was speaking truth.
We talked a bit and I learned that he had a friend who’d passed from cancer, so I asked him to write his friend’s name on my shirt. He agreed, telling
image: Riding through Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon, where I teared up thinking the entire trip was worth it just to ride this amazing road with Ezra — who enjoyed it just as much as me! Maria and Jeff (a cancer survivor himself), who met us in Sturbridge, Mass., on Day 1. Ezra and me in rain gear.
Main
me after that I’d like what he wrote: “Ride with God.” He was right. We were in Lava Lake, Idaho. What a beautiful place to drop my bike!
I gave Robert two Dog On A Hog helmet stickers and we said our goodbyes. It was time to get moving again, but not before Robert tapped me on the shoulder and handed me the American flag he’d had on his bike. I teared up immediately and gave him a big hug.
I couldn’t help but think that, somehow, my patriotic late father had sent Robert.
It was a good day. Despite the dropped bike, I had the distinct feeling I was right where
I was supposed to be. The only way you can find this is to go out and experience life on the road. In motorcycling and in life, there is magic around every turn and over every hill. You just have to have the eyes to see it.
DAY 15: MOUNTAIN HOME TO BURNS, ORE.
I didn’t want to go all Route 84/20 because it’s 80 mph, so I decided to be mellow… and it ended up being
a super-chill ride that Ezra seemed to really enjoy, which made me all the more happy.
I crossed into Oregon on a backroad, which was quite stunning. We stopped at a roadside pullover, finding ourselves back on Highway 20 again. Ezra jumped in the river alongside the road and cooled himself off before our next 90-minute ride to Burns. We got to town too early to check into the hotel, so I stopped at a little burger joint. Once we checked in, we talked to some bikers rooming next to us who’d just ridden from California to Skagway, Alaska, and
Inset: The first to sign my shirt was young Zod, who lost his best friend at the age of 8 to a brain tumor. RIP, Danny. The lady taking the photo of me and Ezra on the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire was a cancer survivor who gave us a generous donation.
were heading back home. I thought, “California? Super cool!”
We decided to stay in Burns another day, with the heat and the fires making the air quality truly awful. Our hotel was being used by firemen to rest up between shifts, so we talked to a few and learned that one of their granddaughters, Mazey, was in Saint Jude’s Hospital (in Memphis, Tenn.) with a tumor on her kidney. She was only a few months old… so sad. But once again we felt we were in the right place at the right time. We all prayed for little Mazey, who continues to have medical challenges.
to Bend and discovered our hotel was on a river, with a park within walking distance. The air quality was thankfully a bit better there, so we spent a few nights in Bend so we could time the entrance to Newport with our friends’ arrival there from L.A. We wanted them to be able to
Despite the dropped bike, I had the distinct feeling I was right where I was supposed to be. The only way you can find this is to go out and experience life on the road.
watch us pull in, of course.
To find out more about Mazey, you can visit https://www.facebook.com/ profile.php?id=61562754783761.
DAY 16: BURNS TO BEND, ORE.
I left around 10 a.m. and headed west, Ezra riding with Robyn as the bad air quality continued. I put a wet bandanna around my face, which worked for a little bit until it dried out and my nose started tickling to the point where I took it off and surrendered to the smoky air. We got
Robyn surprised me the day before we were to ride the final leg to Newport. Two of our Volusia friends, Kris and Jim, originally from Pennsylvania who now live in Seattle, rode down to Bend to meet Ezra and me and ride the last leg of Highway 20 into Newport. I was totally surprised and incredibly touched. Motorcycle friends are simply the best!
DAY 17: BEND TO NEWPORT, ORE.
As we packed up for our last leg, Ezra did something he’d never done before: He jumped into his carrier without me telling him to mount up. It
was almost like he knew this was going to be his last day riding for a while. So off we went. I was full of nerves. This was it, the final leg of the journey. It was only about 180 miles to Newport, but there were a bunch of twisties through landscape that changed dramatically — from mountains to rainforest to lava fields and, finally, to the Pacific Ocean. We followed Highway 20 to Newport, and it seemed like we arrived before we even knew it. We couldn’t find the Highway/Route 20 sign where friends Karen and Brian were waiting for us, so we pulled into a parking lot that, believe it or not, just happened to be across the street. And there they were, standing under the sign right in front of us! They crossed the street, there were many hugs all around, and off we went to the hotel to check in.
EZRA! WE DID IT!
Brian and Karen, friends of my brother, decided to drive all the way up from L.A. to see Ezra and me ride into town because my brother couldn’t be there. It was finally time to relax and take in our accomplishment.
As we packed up for our last leg, Ezra did something he’d never done before: He jumped into his carrier without me telling him to mount up. It was almost like he knew this was going to be his last day riding for a while.
Finishing this journey was as fulfilling as it was challenging, and what started as my bucket list adventure ended up being a ride in honor of my brother. The trip took on a life of its own, with a website, a theme song, and customdesigned logo we turned into stickers and patches.
The original goal wasn’t to fundraise, but as I said, the ride took on a life of its own, and we wound up raising more than $12,000 for the Ride for Roswell, including $4,000-plus from wonderful people we met along the way. And I couldn’t believe our #MADaboutcancer team raised over $83,000 as well! There were a lot of generous, caring folks out there banding together to help kick cancer’s ass.
One final note to all my very special friends out there: I can’t tell you enough how much you mean to me. My motorcycle friends, my unique friends whom I never would have met if it weren’t for my 2003 Suzuki
Volusia, just everyone. Twenty years later, you honored me by sharing this wonderful experience with me. Even though some of you thought I was crazy (ha!), you took time out to meet with us, donate money and even ride with me.
And to Robyn, a huge thanks for accompanying and supporting me and Ezra from start to finish. Again, just wow! Motorcycle friends. Some of the best one could ever have.
By the way, I rode all the way back to Buffalo from Newport. My husband had driven out to Oregon,
The biker wave heading to Bend, Ore. Ezra’s sleeping pad rolled up for him to rest his paws on. Insets, top to bottom: The coast in Newport, Ore. Ezra at home with his toys and Route 20 map. Ezra and I at the Route 20 sign a couple of days after finishing our trek.
so Ezra went back home in the car with him. I rode a total of 7,580 miles round trip, and you know what? I could have gone on farther. I wasn’t sore, and I wasn’t really tired. I might just be a gypsy.
One thing I know is this: The motorcycling monster that was created so many years ago on that fateful Suzuki GZ250 is definitely alive and well.
Check out DogOnAHog.com to find out what we’re doing for this year’s Ride For Roswell. AMA
On the bike or off, Mikayla Moore — the AMA’s 2023 Female Racer of the Year — is focused on having fun and getting things done
BY AARON FRANK • PHOTOS BY BRIAN J. NELSON, GPAGENCY, MOORE ARCHIVE
Motorcycle racers are warriors. Gladiators. Fighters all the way to the finish line. And Mikayla Moore is as competitive, hardworking and aggressive as any. Need proof? Moore won every race she entered in the 2024 MotoAmerica Build.Train.Race. (BTR) Championship — her second BTR title in a row — earning the attention of the AMA and a coveted invitation to compete internationally at the inaugural FIM Intercontinental Games this past November in Spain, amongst other accolades.
But here’s the thing about Moore: She isn’t like most motorcycle racers. Her gaze isn’t so steely. She’s almost never not smiling. Everything about her at-the-track persona is a bit more playful: the dazzling nails, the colorful braids, the checkered-flag socks, the bright-pink graphics on her bike and racing leathers. “That’s just me,” Moore said. “I love color, I love sparkles, I love anything that stands out or feels fun.”
Moore is uncommonly approachable, too. One of her favorite parts of the race weekend is the fan walk, and she can sometimes be found working the MotoAmerica merch tent, where she can get even closer to her fans. Sure, she can talk about training or technique or racecraft all day long — she’s a popular coach with Evolve GT Track Days on the East Coast — but she’s just as happy talking about the many friendships she’s formed in the BTR paddock, or how much fun that all-female group has away from the bikes, after the checkered flag waves. In a racing world that can sometimes seem unnecessarily cutthroat and hyper-competitive, Moore reminds us that the more important objective should be to have more fun. It was exactly this joyful attitude — in addition to her outright racing prowess — that first caught the attention of AMA Hall of Famer and three-time Grand Prix World Champion Freddie Spencer, who serves as rider coach for the BTR program and who recruited Moore to join the team representing North America in the FIM
Intercontinental Games.
“Mikayla brought such an important dynamic to the [BTR] program,” Spencer said, recalling their first meeting. “She certainly had a lot of racing experience, and she didn’t need any help working on her bike. But what I really responded to was her personality, her confidence and her belief in herself. I recognized instantly that she could be a real leader in the program. That’s what I saw most in her right from the start.”
Moore started riding motorcycles at 6 years old, with the enthusiastic support of her parents, Will and Kamesha. (Will, a road racer himself, owns an independent motorcycle repair shop and coaches with New Jersey MiniGP.) “My parents tried a lot of things to see what my brother [Will Jr.] and I would be interested in,” Moore remembered. “Riding just really stuck for me.”
Her first race came two years later, in 2011, on a Yamaha TT-R50 minimoto at Sandy Hook Speedway. “I got second,” Moore recalled, “and I told my dad if I had better tires I probably would’ve won! Even at that young age, he could tell I had a competitive streak.”
“My brother and I were homeschooled from fourth grade. We had a classroom at my dad’s shop, so we would study tilL late afternoon and then we would go downstairs and he would put us to work.”
MIKAYLA MOORE
Around the same time, Moore also started spending a lot of time at her father’s motorcycle shop, Willpower Motorcycle Service in Clinton, Md. This is where a lot of her soft skills, and her very open and engaging personality, really started to develop.
“My brother and I were homeschooled from fourth grade,” Moore said. “We had a classroom at my dad’s shop, so we would study till late afternoon and then we would go downstairs and he would put us to work. In addition to fixing bikes, he would have us check out customers after their repairs were done. At a very young age we learned to be comfortable speaking to adults.”
Spencer gives all the credit to Moore’s parents for her confidence and overall composure. “Her family is just so great,” Spencer said, “and so supportive, not just of Mikayla, but of the entire program. They’re not overbearing in any way, and so Mikayla is confident in herself without feeling like she’s special or above anyone else. The entire Moore family is such an asset to the BTR program.”
Now 21 years old, Moore earned her first road-racing license in 2017, at age 13, and began racing a Ninja 250 with the MotoGladiator series in the Southeast.
Moore spent much of her childhood riding and training, usually under the watchful eye of her father Will…and with her brother, Will Jr. The upperright photo on the opposite page is Moore riding with fellow MotoAmerica star Kayla Yaakov; the two have been friends (and competitors) for years, coming up together in the East Coast minimoto racing scene.
She steadily worked her way up through the amateur ranks with the Championship Cup Series (CCS) and the American Sportbike Racing Association (ASRA), winning a few races on her way to completing her first full season as an expert in 2020.
By then she was bouncing back and forth between her beloved Ninja 400 and a Ninja ZX-6R, the latter of which she tore down to the bare frame and rebuilt entirely by herself, honing the skills that would serve her so well in the BTR series where participating riders must build and maintain their racing motorcycles all on their own.
Moore first learned about the BTR series — an allfemale initiative created by Royal Enfield to showcase and engage women from different backgrounds in motorcycle racing by teaching them to build and race their own motorcycles — in 2021.
“I had never even heard of BTR when I got an email from Melissa Paris [an accomplished professional racer and BTR mentor] inviting me to join their flat-track
program,” Moore recalled. (Build.Train.Race. began as a flat-track-only program in 2020; road racing was added in 2022.) The stars didn’t align at that time — Moore wasn’t very interested in flat-track racing — but she and Paris kept in touch while Moore completed the 2021 club-racing season and then took a year off from racing in 2022.
Feeling well-rested and ready for a restart in 2023, Moore reconnected with Paris and applied to the BTR program. In addition to written and video presentations, Moore also had to sit down for interviews with Spencer and other mentors before she was selected to be one of 12 riders to participate in the 2023 season.
Each BTR participant receives a brand-new, streetlegal Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 to convert into a road racer. Building a competitive race bike wasn’t much of a lift for Moore, given her considerable experience wrenching at her dad’s shop.
“It was relatively easy for me to build the bike because I had so much experience with every aspect of motorcycle
repair,” Moore said. “Besides, we’re not really allowed to do much to the bike — just upgrade the transmission and clutch with a different shift star and a stronger detent spring, add a quick shifter, and make a few other small changes. It’s mostly just stripping street stuff off, pretty straightforward.”
A bigger concern for her, she said, was all the publicfacing, off-bike responsibilities. Luckily, her big personality — and all that time spent coaching other riders and working the front desk at her dad’s shop — made Moore a quick study.
“I won the first BTR race I entered, at Road America, and it was a whole new world,” Moore recalled. “Now you’ve got to go to the podium, and after the podium you have to go to the press conference and answer questions
“I won the first BTR race I entered, at Road America, and it was a whole new world. Now you’ve got to go to the podium, and after the podium you have to go to the press conference and answer questions from the media...so many steps to learn!”
MIKAYLA MOORE
from the media ... so many steps to learn!”
Fortunately, Moore got a lot of practice. She went on to win seven BTR races that first season, securing the championship, and repeated again in 2024, winning every race she entered. Race wins were nice, of course, but Moore said the best part of participating in BTR was the camaraderie that developed among the women and the opportunities for professional development.
“My favorite part was the fellowship, and all the fun behind the scenes,” Moore said about being part of such a supportive community. “The BTR program has really made me the racer and the
person that I am today, especially with public speaking. I’ve become really good at coming up with stuff off the top of my head. After two years of always having a camera in front of your face, you can’t help but get good at it!”
One of the highlights of Moore’s 2024 season was a high-profile feature on CBS Mornings’ national news program, where she talked at length about the BTR program and her experiences as a young Black woman in the MotoAmerica paddock — something she handled in stride, thanks to her BTR training.
“All the work
Main image: Moore, sporting the No. 1 plate, leads the Build.Train. Race. pack down the hill into Turn 3 at Road America in May of 2024. Below: All Build.Train. Race. athletes are required to prepare their own race bike, not a problem for Moore, who has years of experience working as a mechanic at her father’s shop.
“what I really responded to was her personality, her confidence, and her belief in herself. I recognized instantly that she could be a real leader in the program. that’s what I saw most in her right from the start.”
FREDDIE SPENCER
with BTR on the business side of things really showed me what a difference it makes to share our stories and show what we do in a positive light,” Moore said. “I got an email from a fan a few days later who said, ‘Hey, I saw you on CBS Morning News. BTR sounds like such a great program — how can I get my daughter involved in it?’ It makes such a big difference, and I hope it makes people — especially more young women — excited about our sport.”
The invitation to compete at the FIM Intercontinental Games at Spain’s Jerez circuit was the cherry on top of what was already a life-changing season for Moore.
This new biennial competition, created in 2024 to celebrate the FIM’s 120th anniversary, seeks to identify the best young riders from all six of the FIM’s Continental Unions — Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania.
Each FIM Continental Union fielded a team of eight riders: four competing in the Supersport category riding identically prepared Yamaha R7 motorcycles, and four competing in the Supersport 300 category riding identically prepared Yamaha R3 motorcycles. Each team of four included one female rider, and Moore was the female racer representing North America in the Supersport 300 class.
Moore had never even visited Europe, much less raced at Jerez, but she was excited to test herself against racers from around the globe. Moore was teamed with some of the best young racers in North America, including Team Captain Avery Dreher (2023 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion), Matthew Chapin (2024 MotoAmerica Junior Cup Champion), and Max Toth (who currently competes in the FIM Moto2 Championship with the AGR Team).
The international competition was stiff, too, including numerous other Moto2 riders, as well as the 2024 FIM Supersport 300 World Champion, Aldi Satya Mehendra of Indonesia. Luckily, the U.S. team had some advantages
The entire Moore family are active contributors to the success of the Build.Train. Race. program, and attend every event. Left to right: Kamesha Moore, Will Moore, Will Moore Jr., and Mikayla.
in Toth and Supersport racer Mallory Dobbs — who competes in the FIM Women’s World Championship and who went on to win the “Golden Helmet” award as the top female rider at the Intercontinental Games — as both had significant experience racing at Jerez.
She also had her dad, Will, at her side for moral and mechanical support. “It was so great to have my dad there with me,” Moore said. “He’s a great mechanic, and it was so nice not to have to worry about the bike. In BTR, I’m always having to work on the bike and make all the changes myself, so it took some pressure off to have him to help me figure things out.”
Moore finished Race 1 in 15th place (she qualified 21st), earning valuable team points after Dreher crashed out. Moore was penalized for jumping the start in Race 2 but nonetheless finished one position higher, in
The invitation to compete at the FIM Intercontinental Games at Spain’s Jerez circuit was the cherry on top of what was already a life-changing season for Moore.
14th — despite her double long-lap penalty — and earned even more valuable points after both Toth and Dreher crashed out. (The FIM North American Team finished fourth overall, behind Europe, Asia and Oceania and in front of Latin America and Africa.)
“I was very happy,” Moore said about her finish. “I have to be realistic. So many of these guys race year-round and had raced at that track many times. I felt good, and Matthew and I were able to get a majority of the points for our team. And we had a great time enjoying the Spanish culture, too.”
Moore said she’ll spend most of this offseason turning wrenches with her father at his shop, when she’s not coaching or working consumer demo events for Royal Enfield. She’s also looking forward to training on her supermoto, staying fit at
M MALLORY DOBBS GOES BIG
ikayla Moore wasn’t the only American woman to compete at the 2024 FIM Intercontinental Games: Olympia, Washington-based racer Mallory Dobbs, who competed in the 2024 FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship for Sekhmet Racing, was the female racer representing North America in the Supersport Category. Dobbs had a stellar weekend at Jerez, winning the coveted “Golden Helmet” award as the topfinishing female in the Supersport class, having earned the most points between the two races.
“I’m still in shock,” Dobbs wrote on her Instagram page shortly after the awards ceremony.
“Standing on the podium was something I’ve been dreaming about since this season started. I’m going to be reliving this moment for quite a while!”
Twelve women from six FIM Continental Unions competed at the Intercontinental Games, and American racer Mallory Dobbs scored more points than all of them, enough to earn the “Golden Helmet” as that event’s top female rider.
the gym and taking long nature hikes with her prized pit bull, Tazz.
At the same time, she will be working on a new racing program for next year now that she’s “graduated” from the two-year Build.Train.Race. boot camp. Building off momentum from her excellent 2024 season, Moore has plenty of options to consider — including, potentially, returning overseas.
“Whether it’s the women’s cup, or an R7 series, or even Moto3, many racers from the U.S. have gone overseas and figured it out,” Moore said. “I’d love to be the next one. My dad always told my brother and me that it’s better to be ready for an opportunity that never comes than it is not to be ready when an opportunity appears. My biggest priority right now is to be ready for whatever presents itself next.”
No matter where she ends up next season, Moore expects to build off the groundwork she has laid so far, continuing to do anything and everything she can to make our sport more attractive and accessible to more young women and girls. She wants to be their inspiration to pick up a wrench, or a helmet, or both, and help them discover just how much fun motorcycle racing can be. AMA
Above: Mikayla with FIM President Jorge Viegas. Racing in Europe was a dream come true for Moore. Her father Will joined her for technical and moral support, and the American racers (wearing red in the photo below) were able to enjoy some Spanish cultural experiences in addition to ontrack action.
THE SCIENCE OF THE
THE SOFT BARRIER
AMA HALL OF FAMER JOHN ULRICH AND THE GENESIS OF BRINGING LIFESAVING SOFT-BARRIER
AIRFENCE TECHNOLOGY TO AMERICAN RACING
BY DAVID SWARTS • PHOTOS: DAVID FUNK, MOTOAMERICA, BRIAN J. NELSON, ROADRACING WORLD ACTION FUND
n 2017, Superbike racer Kyle Wyman was traveling at a GPS-measured 147 mph as he approached Turn 1 at Barber Motorsports Park when two of his bike’s brake pads fell out due to a mechanic’s error.
Traveling at roughly 225 feet per second, Wyman had a hard trackside wall directly in front of him and little time to react before reaching it. Wyman jumped off his motorcycle and hoped that tumbling/sliding through the small gravel trap would slow him down. It did…from 150 mph to 104 mph, according to the data logger built into his leather suit. Then he hit the wall.
from here:
But what could have been tragic became one of the best success stories in the history of motorcycle racing safety. Instead of hitting an immoveable barrier, Wyman hit an inflatable soft barrier placed in front of it and, in the space of about four feet, decelerated from 104 mph to zero.
Wyman got up and staggered out of the gravel trap, but had soft barriers not been there, the result would likely have been life-changing…and possibly life-ending. But because they were in place, Wyman went on to get married, earn a Harley-Davidson factory ride and win many races.
vertically before hitting the ground. The problem is that they can still be traveling at 100 mph, or more.
If there’s enough room, a crashed rider will slow down organically due to the friction of their leathers, boots and gloves against the pavement, dirt or gravel. If there’s a hard object too close to the track, however, that crash could have a devastating outcome.
In 1991, a company in Australia called Airfence Safety Systems had an idea. The same technology that allowed a movie stunt person to jump off a building and land safely in a big, inflated air mattress could be adapted to suit the
THE PHYSICS OF IT ALL
Racing motorcycles has always been a dangerous game, and it wasn’t long after the birth of the sport that those involved started looking at ways to mitigate the risk of serious injury. The tiny leather helmets and heavy woolen sweaters worn by board trackers in the early 20th century morphed over time into full-face helmets and fullbody leather suits — but none of that helped much when a rider hit an immoveable object at big speed.
It’s like the old saying: Jumping off a building won’t kill you, but the sudden stop at the bottom will.
When a motorcycle road racer crashes, they are often leaned over in a corner and may only fall a few inches
needs of motorcycle racing. That giant air mattress lying flat and waiting for a stuntman or stuntwoman’s body to impact it could be stood on end and placed in front of a trackside barrier to protect racers.
Airfence scaled these airbags down and improved the design, which the company patented. Outer walls filled with pressurized air created a structure that allowed the unit to stand upright, while internal bulkheads supported ambient air chambers between the inflated outer walls.
When impacted by a rider, the air inside the ambient chambers is forced through blow-off valves at a controlled rate. This slows a crashing rider without a sudden and traumatic stop and keeps the rider from bouncing back
Clockwise
Alpina modules lined up in high-impact areas at Mid-Ohio. Racer Trevor Standish about to impact Alpina modules at Laguna Seca, circa 2017. Each set of generators and pumps can keep multiple, linked 30-foot Alpina soft barriers at optimal pressure to absorb energy. John Ulrich conferring with a MotoAmerica staffer at Mid-Ohio. Safety crew inflating Airfence units at Brainerd.
When impacted by a rider, the air inside the ambient chambers is forced through blow-off valves at a controlled rate. This slows a crashing rider without a sudden and traumatic stop and keeps the rider from bouncing back onto the track.
onto the track. In most cases, the module can be returned to its original shape soon after the rider climbs out of it, thus making it able to protect the next crashing rider without having to be replaced.
Sections can be linked together end-to-end to cover large and even irregularly shaped areas. The lower front edges of modules include a skirt that can be secured to the ground to help prevent a rider from sliding underneath
it. The heavy-duty PVC material the modules are made from is UV- and fire-resistant, and modules are designed to be deflated, folded up, and loaded onto pallets to be hauled to the next event or taken to storage.
Touring racing organizations like MotoAmerica take advantage of the compactness of deflated Airfence modules and transport them from track to track, but there is another solution if safety modules are to stay in one location: There are modules that work on the same basic principles as the original modules, but which are smaller, lighter, less expensive to purchase and maintain, and use blocks of thick polyurethane foam for structure instead of
inflatable outer walls.
Airfence Safety Systems (702-602-4660 or impactbarrier.com) makes these, as does Alpina Safety Systems (43-4243-2480-0 or alpina.at), an Austrian-based company that branched off from Airfence some time ago. These offerings have allowed more tracks to have their own set of soft barriers, which negates the need for costly and time-consuming transport from track to track.
HOW IT HAPPENED
While these safety barriers were first proven effective in Grand Prix competition, it would take some convincing to get everybody on board. Back in 2001, a single 30-foot inflatable module cost about $2,900. (Now, the cost ranges from $6,500 to about $8,000, and closer to $10,000 with shipping.)
Costly, but worth it, right? Well, to properly cover the worst areas of a typical road-race circuit, more than 1,000 linear feet of Airfence was needed, which would cost around $100,000. At the time, no one in control of AMA Pro Road Racing seemed able to find a way to finance the purchase and deployment of enough of the new, lifesaving soft barriers to cover problem areas at every event.
That’s when AMA Hall of Famer and longtime motorcycle journalist John Ulrich stepped up and found a way to get it done.
Ulrich began reporting on races in the early 1970s, eventually transitioning to various monthly magazines, the Cycle News weekly, and finally Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology, which he owns with his wife Trudy. While covering pros like “King Kenny” Roberts back in the day, Ulrich was also rising through the ranks as a racer, later partnering with Bruce Hammer to form Team Hammer in 1980.
Over the next 20 years, Ulrich saw lots of bad things happen at racetracks, including Ulrich’s race-team partner Hammer becoming a wheelchair pilot in 1982, and close friend Russ Paulk dying in 1988. Hammer hit a steel barrier close to the edge of a track, and Paulk hit a dirt embankment right outside a corner. Both outcomes seemed avoidable if the people in charge would have just taken action, but improvements in racetrack and rider safety have always come slowly, if at all.
Ulrich looked around one day and realized that the stakes had increased. It wasn’t just him and his friends racing, but also his son Chris, and his friends’ kids, and the young riders who rode for his team.
That’s when the elder Ulrich decided to do something, first publishing an editorial in his magazine and on its website laying out the current sorry state of safety in
Instead of sliding at over 100 mph into a few hay bales stacked in front of a concrete retaining wall literally 10 feet off the racing surface, Lopez slid into an inflatable Airfence soft barrier — and got up and walked away.
motorcycle road racing and explaining that inflatable safety modules were an available option to help prevent injuries and save lives.
In the editorial, Ulrich pledged to buy a section of Airfence for $2,900 and challenged others to join him and make their own donations. He wrote that he would use the funds to organize the purchase and deployment of soft safety barriers from Airfence and Alpina.
Within nine days, over $100,000 was raised from donors large and small. Within five weeks, the first 30 sections of Airfence soft barriers were purchased, shipped to the U.S., and deployed at the AMA Superbike Championship event
now and don’t ever come back.’ Except it was a lot less polite than that. We accepted (and denied) the risk. But I looked around one day and realized that it wasn’t just me and my friends racing, but me, my kid, my friends, my friends’ kids, and the young guys who rode for my team. Tracks were lined with walls and nobody wanted to spend the money to do anything about it. When Airfence was invented I wrote about it, bought a section myself, and challenged folks to help raise enough money to buy more…which they did. We changed the culture of racing in the U.S. Now, trying to improve rider safety is accepted and expected.”
at Road Atlanta. Another 15 sections from Alpina followed two weeks later at Road America. What some had said couldn’t be done had been done in a matter of weeks.
Early in that event at Road Atlanta, one of Ulrich’s riders, Grant Lopez, crashed in the high-speed Turn 12 — the old Turn 12 that is no longer used by motorcyclists because it’s too dangerous. Instead of sliding at over 100 mph into a few hay bales stacked in front of a concrete retaining wall literally 10 feet off the racing surface, Lopez slid into an inflatable Airfence soft barrier — and got up and walked away.
“When I started racing,” Ulrich told us, “we’d go to tracks and ask, ‘Can we please get some haybales in front of that bridge abutment so we don’t die if we crash there?’ We’d be told, ‘If you don’t like this track the way it is, leave
THE ACTION FUND
Ulrich’s call for improved safety generated momentum that became known as the Roadracing World Action Fund (RWAF). Donations came in from all over the place, from large corporations, from former racers, from auctions of donated memorabilia, from fundraisers organized by racing and track day organizations, and directly from fans. Chris Ulrich helped the effort by raising tens of thousands of dollars over the years by giving rides on specially prepared two-seat Team Hammer race bikes to donors.
Soon, the Action Fund had raised enough money to not only purchase and deploy soft barriers for AMA Pro Road Racing, but also to provide the life-saving units to ASRA/ Formula USA road racing, club racing organizations, and even one-off events like AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.
Clockwise from upper right: Airfence modules lining a bridge abutment at Road Atlanta. Team Hammer after Bruce Hammer’s life-altering crash. Left to right: rider Joey Osowski, rider John Ulrich, ex-rider Bruce Hammer, rider Steve Baron, mechanic Ken Hoogland. MotoAmerica racers Mathew Scholtz, Jake Gagne and J.D. Beach placing Medallia stickers on a new section of Alpina airfence.
Eventually, the Action Fund was able to help run fundraising events to supply the non-inflatable, polyurethane-block safety modules directly to racetracks, where the units would stay permanently and be deployed for motorcycle events. Now, many venues that host motorcycle racing and track riding events work with the RWAF to raise money to deploy soft barriers to protect riders.
A major contributing factor in the success of the Action Fund was the work done by RWAF Director Trudy Ulrich to get the organization recognized as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit safety education charity so that donations were tax-deductible. This also allowed the Action Fund to be connected with donation-matching programs from employers and corporations such as Amazon, which helped attract recurring annual donations.
Since its founding in 2001, the Roadracing World Action Fund has raised over $3 million to help protect motorcycle racers from injuries and/or death. And while incidents like Kyle Wyman’s have been captured on video and seen by many, not all of the lives saved by soft barriers have been recorded. As a result, it’s difficult to know exactly how many lives have been saved and how many injuries prevented by safety modules provided by the Action Fund over the years, but it’s safe to say it’s been a lot.
I remember watching a video of a World Championship Grand Prix from back in the day. The camera followed AMA Hall of Famer Kenny Roberts and Barry Sheene through a corner, and in between the
camera and the fast-moving riders were a scattering of hay bales held in place by wooden stakes driven through them into the ground. That was considered making things safer for motorcycle racers at the time.
Now, technology and attitudes have changed. Not only has soft-barrier technology vastly improved motorcycle racing safety, the Action Fund — along with Ulrich and contributing
members of the motorcycle racing community who have supported the cause over the years — has raised awareness of the technology, and helped create a new baseline for motorcycle racing safety at tracks all across the U.S. Maintaining that level of safety requires vigilance and people who are willing to do what is necessary to get things done.
To make a tax-deductible donation to the Roadracing World Action Fund, visit roadracingworld.com/actionfund/ donate/ or call (909) 654-4779 (Monday–Friday, between 9 a.m.–5 p.m. PST).
David Swarts worked and wrote for Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology for more than two decades and was involved directly with the Roadracing World Action Fund. AMA
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SANCTIONED COMING EVENTS
Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.
Enduro March 8. Collinsville. SERA Round 2, Blueberry Hill, Stump Jumpers Motorcycle Club, (205) 337-2477, stumpjumpersmcclub@gmail.com
Motocross March 22. Birmingham. Supercross Futures Premier Qualifier, Feld Motorsports, https:// www.supercrosslive.com/supercross-futures/
AMA ARIZONA
Motocross March 1. Buckeye. Southwest Area Qualifier, Arizona Cycle Park, 623-853-0750, info@ arizonacyclepark.com
Enduro March 8. San Manuel. San Manuel Copper Classic, AMRA Series, Trail Riders of Southern Arizona, (520) 235-6703, Trailridersofsoaz@gmail. com, TRSAZ.org
Motocross March 22. Littlefield. RMX Championship Series - Rnd 1, Grassroots MX, LLC, (801) 540-8625, grassrootsmx1@gmail.com, GrassrootsMX.com
AMA CALIFORNIA
Motocross March 8. Taft. Midwest Area Qualifier, 2xp LLC dba 2xpromotions, info@2xpromotions. com
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country March 8. Marysville. AMA D36, Garrahan Off Road Training, (408) 857-5884, brian@garrahanoffroad.com, AMAd6.org
Desert Scrambles March 8. Lucerne Valley. HBMC Dual European Scramble, Huntington Beach Motorcycle Club, (661) 510-3245, jjhurby@gmail.com, huntingtonbeachmc.com
Motocross March 9. Taft. Road to Mammoth Round 2, 2xp LLC dba 2xpromotions https:// www.2xpromotions.com/events/category/road-tomammoth/
Observed Trials March 16. Lucerne Valley. Spring Trial Round #08, Plonkers Trials Club, (760) 9497310, marhannon@hotmail.com, www.SoCaltrials. com
Motocross March 22. Turlock. Southwest Area Qualifier, 2xp LLC dba 2xpromotions, ampmx@aol. com
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country March 22. Hollister. 26Th Annual Phantom Scrambles, Ghostriders MC, 408-265-2122, rickwheeler@earthlink.net, ghostridersmc.net
Motocross March 23. Snelling. Road to Mammoth Round 3, 2xp LLC dba 2xpromotions, https:// www.2xpromotions.com/events/category/road-tomammoth/ Hare & Hound March 29. Ridgecrest. Alien Dawg Run, Invaders MC, 951-492-1896, rwilson.ryan@ gmail.com
AMA COLORADO
Motocross March 22. Lakewood. South Central Area Qualifier, Colorado Motorsports Promotions LLC, 303-988-3889, denjump@gmail.com
AMA FLORIDA
Observed Trials March 1. Center Hill. Fun in the Sun Trial, Don Buckner Promise Ranch Trials,
Motocross March 1. Daytona Beach. Supercross Futures Premier Qualifier, Feld Motorsports, https:// www.supercrosslive.com/supercross-futures/ Observed Trials March 2. Center Hill. Fun in the Sun Trial, Don Buckner Promise Ranch Trials, 321-438-5578, cjryan541@gmail.com, https://www. floridatrials.net/
Motocross March 2. Daytona. RCSX, MX Sports, Inc., info@mxsports.com, www.racedaytona.com
Motocross March 4. Daytona. ATVMX National Championship / DVSX Vintage, MX Sports, Inc., 304-284-0101, info@mxsports.com, www.racedaytona.com
Road Race March 15. Palmetto. SFL MiniGP, South Florida MiniGP, 954-552-1355, info@sflminigp.com, www.sflminigp.com
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Road Race March 15. Bloomingdale. WERA Roebling Road Raceway, WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc., http://www.wera.com/
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Motocross March 1. Mendota. Indoor State Championship Traxs Winter Series, Moto Pro Inc., 815-539-9021, wardy@mtco.com, megatraxs.com
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country March 9. Belleville. So.IL Series Round 1, Central Illinois Trail Riders (CITR), 217-710-2973, info@soilracing.com, www.soilracing.com
Motocross March 22. Casey. North Central Area Qualifier, Lincoln Trail Motosports, 217-932-2041, lincolnmotosports@gmail.com
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country March 23. Carlinville. So.IL Series Round 2, Central Illinois Trail Riders (CITR), 217-710-2973, info@soilracing.com, www.soilracing.com
Motocross March29. Washington Park. North Central Area Qualifier, Archview MX Park, LLC, 618719-3438, pdub481@yahoo.com
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Motocross March 23. Leitchfield. 2025 Military Appreciation Race / Bluegrass Vet Cup, NXT LVL Sports LLC South Fork Motoplex, 270-230-2005, nxtlvlsports@yahoo.com, www.southforkmotoplex. com
AMA LOUISIANA
Motocross March 29. Kentwood. South Central Area Qualifier, Riverside Practice Facility at Wildwood MX, 504-339-1197, wildwoodmxtrack@ gmail.com
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Motocross March 2. Mechanicsville. MDRA & Capitol Motocross Cup, Pro Ready Racing LLC, 443-223-9171, ezra@buddscreek.com, www. buddscreek.com
Motocross March 8. Mechanicsville. Northeast Area Qualifier, Pro Ready Racing LLC, 443-2239171, ezra@buddscreek.com
Motocross March 30. Brook Park. Berm Benders Gold Cup Series, Berm Benders Incorporated, 320-279-2238, bermbendersraceway@outlook.com, www.bermbendersraceway.com
AMA MISSISSIPPI
Enduro March 15. Beaumont. Bear Whiz Enduro, Gulf Coast Sandblasters, 601-270-8289, seraracing. com
AMA NEW JERSEY
Motocross March 2. Millville. Season Opener, Field of Dreams MX, LLC, 856-765-3799, info@jmpfod. com, njmpfod.com
Enduro March 9. Port Elizabeth. ECEA Greenbrier Enduro, Tri-County Sportsmen MC Inc., 856-2653911, hammerhead@teamhammer.org, www. teamhammer.org
Enduro March 16. Shamong. Curly Fern Enduro, South Jersey Enduro Riders, Inc., 609-268-9272, whoops101@verizon.net, www.sjer.org
Enduro March 23. Green Bank. Sandy Lane, Meteor MC, 609-254-0918, www.meteormc.com
Motocross March 9. Shippensburg. Doublin GapSeason Opener, Doublin Gap Motocross, Inc., 717571-5824, doublingap@gmail.com, doublingap.com Motocross March 23. Shippensburg. PAMX and DG Series, Doublin Gap Motocross, Inc., 717-5715824, doublingap@gmail.com, www.doublingap. com
AMA TENNESSEE
Motocross March 15. Blountville. Southeast Area Qualifier, Victory Sports Inc, 423-323-5497, jane@ victory-sports.com
2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship supercrosslive.com
Round 8: March 1. Daytona Beach, Fla. Daytona Int’l Speedway
Round 9: March 8. Indianapolis, Ind. Lucas Oil Stadium
Round 10: March 22. Birmingham, Ala. Protective Stadium
Round 11: March 29. Seattle, Wash. Lumen Field
Round 12: April 5. Foxborough, Mass. Gillette Stadium
Round 13: April 12. Philadelphia, Pa. Lincoln Financial Field
Round 14: April 19. E. Rutherford, N.J. MetLife Stadium
Round 15: April 26. Pittsburgh, Pa. Acrisure Stadium
Round 16: May 3. Denver, Colo. Empower Field at Mile High
Round 17: May 10. Salt Lake City, Utah. Rice-Eccles Stadium
SMX NEXT Premier Qualifying Schedule www.supercrosslive.com/smx-next/
Round 2: March 1. Daytona Beach, Fla. Daytona International Speedway.
Round 3: March 22. Birmingham, Ala. Protective Stadium.
Round 4: April 5. Foxborough, Mass. Gillette Stadium. SMX NEXT AMA National Championship www.supercrosslive.com/smx-next/ April 26. Pittsburgh, Pa. Acrisure Stadium. MOTOCROSS
2025 Pro Motocross Championship Promotocross.com
Round 1: May 24. Pala, Calif. Fox Raceway at Pala Round 2: May 31. Sacramento, Calif. Prairie City OHV Park
Round 3: Jun 7. Lakewood, Colo. Thunder Valley Motocross Park
Round 4: Jun 14. Mount Morris, Pa. High Point Raceway
Round 5: Jun 28. Southwick, Mass. The Wick 338
Round 6: Jul 5. Buchanan, Mich. RedBud MX
Round 7: Jul 12. Millville, Minn. Spring Creek MX Park
Round 8: Jul 19. Washougal, Wash. Washougal MX Park
Round 9: Aug 9. Crawfordsville, Ind. Ironman Raceway
Round 10: Aug 16. New Berlin, N.Y. Unadilla MX Round 11: Aug 23. Mechanicsville, Md. Budds Creek Motocross Park PRO-AM EVENTS
MSC Championship MX Series AMA District 34 ProAm: April 13. Orange County Fair MX. Middletown, NY. www.mscmotocross.com mgurda@ yahoo.com
The Abe W/ Motoplayground: April 19-20. Lincoln Trail Motosports. Casey, IL. info@ridelincolntrail.com HLR Motorsports ProAm: April 27. HLR Motorsports Park. Huntsville, MO. hlrmotorsports@ gmail.com
AMA Dylan Slusser Memorial ProAm: May 17-18. Pleasure Valley Raceway. Seward, PA. jeffcernic@ gmail.com
Mid Minnesota Challenge ProAm-70’s Series Round 4: June 22. BCMX Adventure Park. Cambridge, MN.
MSC Championship MX Series AMA District 34 Championship: July 20. Diamondback Motocross. Central Bridge, NY. jslaughter@diamondbackmotocross.com
Yamaha All-Star AMA ProAm Featured Event: Sept. 6-7. Doublin Gap Motocross. Shippensburg, PA. doublingap@gmail.com
October 5-6. Shenandoah 500. Mt Solon, Va. Washington Area Trail Riders, Inc. 619-243-9630. info@watr.us
October 11-12. Wolverine Dual Sport. Boyne Falls, Mich. Tomahawk Trail Riders. 517-242-1142. glennie.hunter@icloud.com
September 27-28. Big Woods 200. Wabeno, Wis. Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders. 920-350-2030. bigwoods200@hotmail.com
November 1-2. Howlin’ at the Moon. Prescott Valley, Ariz. Arizona Trail Riders. 602-692-9382. the1phxman@gmail.com
November 1-2. Hammer Run. Port Elizabeth, N.J. Tri-County Sportsmens Motorcycle Club Inc. 856265-3911. epolhamus@comcast.net
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Garage
Tips,Tweaks, Fixes and Facts: The two-wheeled ownership experience, explained
A PHILLIPS-FREE ZONE
Your Japanese motorcycle contains no Phillips-head screws! Circa 1974 would’ve been the time to learn about JIS, but better late than never…
BY JOHN BURNS
ost AMA members know their way around a toolbox, but you might be surprised how many still haven’t got the word about the JIS — Japanese Industry Standard — screwdriver.
“Honestly,” said Cyle Winkler, proprietor of Limitless Powersports in Ozark, Mo., and Warhorse Ducati AMA Superbike crew member, “it’s amazing how many people have never heard of JIS. The screws are actually made completely differently as far as depth and pitch on the sides of the screw. For most powersports applications, your JIS screws will have a little dot on top indicating it’s JIS. Having a JIS screwdriver set definitely makes working on vintage motorcycles — notorious for stripping out their Phillips-style screws — infinitely easier.”
were Phillips-head screws out of some old Japanese motorcycle with your antique Craftsman screwdriver, now you know why: The Phillips head was actually designed to not transmit torque above a certain threshold.
H.F. PHILLIPS
These days, hex-head fasteners have replaced JIS screws in many applications, though you’ll still find them on vintage bikes and the occasional modern machine.
The issue is that JIS screw heads look just like your basic Phillips head driver…until you look closer, that is, where you need pretty sharp eyes to see it’s a different animal almost entirely, one capable of a much more secure bite. If you’ve ever been frustrated trying to get what you thought
TOOL TECH
Henry F. Phillips patented the recessed-cross screw in 1934, and by 1936 it was being used on GM’s Cadillac assembly line…and by 1940, nearly all of them. Screw-tightening machinery liked the self-centering design, and the Phillips head also had a sort of built-in self-torquing system: The idea was that the screwdriver would turn the screw with increasing force until the tip of the driver popped out, or “cammed-out,” when the proper torque was achieved. Sadly, once those screws had found homes and settled in for a few years, that same cam-out feature worked in reverse, making the fasteners tough to remove. (Most mechanics believe engineers have always had it in for them.) Later, a more refined Phillips-head version became the standard for aircraft construction, which worked great to keep from over-torquing screws in soft aluminum.
MADE IN JAPAN
According to Vesseltools.com,
Osawa Shokai Co., Ltd. was the first company in Japan to obtain a license for “Phillips” screws, in 1950, and Vessel was commissioned to produce Phillips screwdrivers to fit them. Naturally, the Japanese had to go their own way, and this time in a good way. Slightly different from the usual Phillips, their new tip was called JIS B-1012, and it has been used in just about every Japanese product containing screws since.
By the time the Japanese came up with their JIS fasteners after WWII, manufacturing had progressed enough that achieving the correct torque could be dialed into the tightening apparatus (be it man or machine) instead of relying on the fastener to self-regulate. The Japanese Industry Standard bit’s shape, even though it looks nearly identical to a regular Phillips, fits more snugly in JIS fasteners and, critically, doesn’t have the cam-out feature, which means it can transmit much more torque in both tightening and loosening directions.
Float-bowl screws (remember float bowls?) that haven’t been removed since the Summer of Love are still not going to give up without a fight, but you stand a much, much better chance of getting them out cleanly with a JIS driver than with a non-compatible Phillips. Even if the float bowls in question are on a
non-Japanese machine, the JIS bit will still get a better grip even on a non-JIS fastener. I wish I had known this in 1974. In fact, pretty much anything Phillips around the house seems to respond better to my No. 2 Vessel, including loose door hinges.
THE RIGHT TOOL
Vessel is still probably the No. 1 brand JIS screwdriver, in size ranges typically zero to four just like Phillips — but they and other brands are available in all the usual places and price points, including Amazon and Harbor Freight. Cyle Winkler said, “I would advise not to buy a super cheap set, [but] you don’t have to buy the most expensive one, either. Something in the middle will do just fine and last a very long time.”
That sounds reasonable, since the same “8-pc Mega Tang-Thru JIS Screwdriver Set” Snap-On sells on its site consists of all drivers clearly labelled Vessel; what looks like the exact same set can be found elsewhere online for substantially less money. Naturally, there are plenty of JIS bits and impact driver bits, too.
No toolbox is really complete without at least one Vessel Megadora Impacta No. 2 screwdriver, which makes removing stuck crosshead fasteners even easier thanks to its genius internal impact-driver function. If you can’t twist the thing
JIS PHILLIPS
(Japanese Industry Standard)
loose, giving the end of the Megadora a tap with your hammer will generally do the trick. (And if that doesn’t do it, seasoned mechanics say there’s no substitute for a good hand impact driver, such as a Snap-On PIT-120 equipped with the proper bit, and a ball-peen hammer.)
HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?
Why weren’t we alerted to the JIS sooner? A disinformation campaign? It’s a safe bet at least a few of us are hearing about the Japanese miracle driver right here for the first time. Though the other tools in my box mostly date to the Clinton administration, I didn’t get my own Megadora until eight years ago when somebody wrote in to a website asking about JIS. Just think of the fortune the Vessel family might have amassed by now with just a couple of 1-inch ads in the back of a few motorcycle magazines like this one 50 years ago.
It’s probably best not to ponder
the fate of all the mangled screw heads, or to remember all the bloody fingers and anguished cries that went up from the lack of JIS knowledge. Now that most of those fasteners have been replaced by hex and Torx fasteners, at least it’s nice to know that, dangit, it wasn’t my fault, and that from now on, working on vintage Japanese stuff will be a piece of cake.
Megadora is not a villain in a Godzilla movie; it’s what Vessel calls a bunch of the Japanese Industry Standard screwdrivers in its extensive range of tools. Our favorite is the Megadora Impacta series (above), which has a built-in impact wrench mechanism.
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NEIL FERGUS TURNS 95!
NorCal motorcycle legend “No Quit” Neil keeps on keepin’ on
In our June 2023 edition we featured local NorCal legend Neil Fergus — and his amazing life with and on motorcycles — on our cover. At the tender age of 93, Neil rode his trusty Suzuki DR650 nearly every day, and quickly, and didn’t seem to ever want to quit two wheels.
Well, we’re happy to report that “No Quit” Neil is still going strong, still riding pretty much every day, and recently celebrated his 95th birthday with a spirited morning ride and a birthday party with friends at his favorite hangout — The Local Café in Meadow Vista, Calif., halfway between Sacramento, Calif., and Lake Tahoe.
Duke Lambert, who authored the feature story on Neil in the June edition, took part in both the ride and the party, and filled us in on what’s been going on with Neil over the last couple of years.
“Neil’s still riding a lot,” Lambert told us. “He’s covered nearly 50,000 miles since that article and worn out 11 rear tires on his trusty DR650! Neil gets up at 4:30 a.m. five days a week and goes to the gym. He gets home around 7,
then does a bit of work around the house while he waits for the sun to warm up our often-frosty mornings.”
“Between 8 and 10 a.m. he heads out to breakfast on his bike…and it’s usually 70 to 100 miles to breakfast, with most of those miles chock-full of corners and challenging tarmac. The destination is not important to Neil; it’s the ride to get there that he loves. After breakfast he rides a loop and visits several of his favorite spots (including The Local Café) for coffee and conversation…and on his big day a large platter of cupcakes, candles and birthday cards.”
“Neil is still going strong, but his hearing is getting worse and his back is getting stiff. He admits it’s getting harder to ride alone, and he loves it when friends come out to ride with him. If you are in the Auburn, Calif., area and are up for a morning ride to breakfast, swing by The Local Café around 10 or so, Neil would love to ride with you.”
Just be ready to ride fast. Neil Fergus might be 95, but he still rides like he’s 40!
Neil prepares to blow out the birthday candles on his 95thshaped cupcake platter, with Ali from The Local Café standing by so no one gets hurt.
HALL OF FAMER BROC GLOVER ASKS YOU TO SUPPORT THE AMA HALL OF FAME
Being inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in the class of 2000 was an honor and a thrill, but that’s only part of the reason I’m such a big supporter of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
The Hall’s mission — to preserve and promote the heritage of American motorcycling — is alive, well and vitally important.
visionaries were lost to history? What if their very important achievements were forgotten? Would tomorrow’s riders chase their motorcycling dreams if they had no one to inspire them?
That’s not something I’d like to chance, and I’m certain you’d agree, so here’s my question:
But what if our greatest racers, riders, ambassadors and
if
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Will you please make a financial contribution to the AMA Hall of Fame? Thank you! —Broc Glover
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The founder of Arai Helmet was the man who created the first motorcycle helmet in Japan to protect his own head, and as a result, launched the Japanese motorcycle helmet industry.
Arai continues to pursue gains in higher levels of protection, using the harsh reality that the helmets are made for as a source of inspiration.
