American Motorcyclist December 2022

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EDITORIAL AND COMMUNICATIONS

Mitch Boehm Editorial Director

Todd Westover Creative Director

Joy Burgess Managing Editor

Kali Kotoski Editor-at-Large

Keaton Maisano Associate Editor

Eliza Mertz Digital Content Manager

Alice Sexton Graphic Designer

Kerry Hardin Graphic Designer submissions@ama-cycle.org

Michael Kula Business Development Manager (949) 466-7833, mkula@ama-cycle.org

Lynette Cox Marketing Manager (614) 856-1900, ext. 1223, lcox@ama-cycle.org

All trademarks used herein (unless otherwise noted) are owned by the AMA and may only be used with the express, written permission of the AMA.

American Motorcyclist is the monthly publication of the American Motorcyclist Association, which represents motorcyclists nationwide.

For information on AMA membership benefits, call (800) AMA-JOIN or visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com. Manuscripts, photos, drawings and other editorial contributions must be accompanied by return postage. No responsibility is assumed for loss or damage to unsolicited material.

Copyright© American Motorcyclist Association, 2021.

AMA STAFF

EXECUTIVE

Rob Dingman President/Chief Executive Officer

James Holter Chief Operating Officer

Jeff Wolens Chief Financial Officer

Donna Perry Executive Assistant to President/CEO

Danielle Smith Human Resources Manager/Assistant to COO

RACING AND ORGANIZER SERVICES

Mike Pelletier Director of Racing

Bill Cumbow Director of International Competition

Michael Burkeen Deputy Director of Racing

Ken Saillant Track Racing Manager

Alexandria Reasoner Program Manager

Connie Fleming Supercross/FIM Coordinator

Olivia Davis Sanctioned Activity Coordinator

MUSEUM

Paula Schremser Program Specialist

Ricky Shultz Museum Clerk

Kobe Stone Museum Clerk

AMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Contact any member of the AMA Board of Directors at americanmotorcyclist.com/ama-board-of-directors

Russ Ehnes Chair

Great Falls, Mont.

Gary Pontius Vice Chair

Westfield, Ind.

Byron Snider Assistant Treasurer Newbury Park, Calif.

Jerry Abboud Executive Committee Member Thornton, Colo.

Brad Baumert Louisville, Ky.

Hub Brennan E. Greenwich, R.I.

Christopher Cox Florence, S.C.

Mark Hosbach Franklin, Tenn.

Robert Pearce Amherst, Ohio

Tom Umphress Jordan, Minn. Faisel Zaman Dallas, Texas

(800) AMA-JOIN (262-5646) (614) 856-1900

AmericanMotorcyclist.com @AmericanMotorcyclist @ama_riding

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Michael Sayre Director of Government Relations

Nick Haris Western States Representative

Tiffany Cipoletti Government Relations Manager, On-Highway

Peter Stockus Government Relations Manager, Off-Highway

Erin Reda Grassroots Coordinator

MARKETING AND MEMBER SERVICES

Amanda Donchess Director of Membership Marketing and Services

Lauren Kropf Marketing and Advertising Coordinator

Tiffany Pound Member Services Manager

Joe Bromley Program Development Manager

Pam Albright Member Fulfillment Coordinator

Bob Davis Program Volunteer Specialist

Stephanie McCormick Member Services Representative

Vickie Park Member Services Representative

Charles Moore Member Services Representative

Kelly Anders Member Services Representative

Sarah Lockhart Member Services Representative

Taylor Fluck Member Services Representative

John Bricker Mailroom Manager

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Shaun Holloway Director of Information Technology

Joey Brown Application Developer

Ed Madden System Support Specialist

Rob Baughman Operations Specialist

American Motorcyclist magazine (ISSN 0277-9358) is published monthly (12 issues)

by the American Motorcyclist Association, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147.

Copyright by the American Motorcyclist Association/American Motorcyclist 2021. Printed in USA. Subscription rate: Magazine subscription fee of $19.95 covered in membership dues.

Postmaster: Mail form 3579 to 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147.

Periodical postage paid at Pickerington, Ohio, and at additional mailing offices.

Alot of smart and success ful folks over the years — people like C. S. Lewis, Steve Jobs, Henry David Thoreau, Tom Scholz, Walt Disney, George Washington, Abe Lincoln and others — have advised through their writings and commentary to not look back in life, and to focus on the future.

I understand the thinking…I think. All the “dwelling on miscues” and “not moving forward” stuff.

Still, I find a lot of joy and satisfaction looking back, and from what I hear from a lot of AMA members verbally and in email and text messages (and in Back In The Day submissions, which we get a ton of), many of you agree.

So…Are we motorcyclists different than non-riding folks? Have we had so much damn fun on our bikes over the years that looking back and smiling those knowing smiles is actually a positive, forward-looking, motivat ing force in our lives? Have all our wonderful, two-wheeled experiences altered our Deoxyribonucleic Acid in some tiny way?

Given how strongly motorcycles resonate with all of us (and I’m smirking a little sarcastically as I type this), yeah, I believe it could be a thing.

I won’t bore you with stories of first-bike adventures or college-years craziness on my GPz550 and 500 Interceptor, but there’s plenty to review from 2022 — and to look forward to in 2023, as well.

A biggie for all of us is motorcycling’s brisk and shocking resurgence during — and in the wake of — the pandemic debacle. Being shut down was in many cases political and unnecessary (and, it turns out, seriously hurtful to kids in terms of education and mental health), but it did allow many of us to refocus on things that really matter…family

PERSPECTIVES LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

BY MITCH BOEHM

well-being and keeping healthy, for sure, but also motorcycling.

We’ve been riding a ton, buying motorcycles, parts and gear, pulling old bikes out of moth balls, getting new folks involved, trekking all over the place, and enjoying (and re-appreciating) what motorcycling brings — freedom and excite ment, precisely the things lockdowns and mandates restricted. The key, of course, is maintaining the trend, which won’t be easy, but which is im portant if we’re to pass on the love of motorcycling to younger generations who can (hopefully) continue what Boomers and Gen-Xers have fueled since the 1960s.

From there the list gets more spe cific. You had Bike Week in March; the Quail Gathering in May (after a three-year hiatus); the Laconia and Americade rallies in June; our re-invigorated AMA Flat Track Grand Championship in early July; the 30th AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days later in July (maybe the biggest ever); the Sturgis Rally in August; the ISDE and Motocross Of Nations — the Olym pics of motorcycling — in August and September; the Barber Vintage Fest in October; our AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction in late October; and much more.

Lots going on in Government Rela tions, too, including a brisk upturn in new lane-sharing legislation (see UTS this month); plenty of concerns over semi-autonomous auto technology being beta-tested on the public; the continuing rise of EVs (like ’em or not); lively discussions about the continuing ethanol issue; and more talk to come

on your (or your local independent shop’s) right to repair your own bike and ability to access increasingly im portant tech information from OEs.

For 2023 it’ll be more of the same, with a handful of cool, new stuff to look forward to. A couple of ex amples include the addition of an American Flat Track professional dirt track Grand National Mile during our weeklong June 14-20 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship event in Du Quoin, Ill., on Saturday, June 17. Seeing all the AFT stars up close and personal on Du Quoin’s “Magic Mile” is sure to be a can’t-miss event. VMD will be spectacular this coming year as well, as it’s the 50-year anniversary of the debut of Honda’s lightweight El sinore and Kawasaki’s market-chang ing 903cc Z1.

So there it is. More good stuff to help keep you enjoying the sport and pastime we all love…and to keep you looking back fondly, regardless of what some very smart people might think. Hey, if Thoreau, Disney and Lincoln had been motorcyclists, I think they’d agree! See ya in 2023.

Mitch Boehm is the editorial director of the AMA

Lots of cool stuff on deck for 2023.

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BACKFIRES

MORE ON ETHANOL

Just read the ethanol article in the August issue, and while it contained some informative material, I think it missed some very important data. I spent over 35 years doing business with oil refineries and corn-processing plants, the latter of which produce food products as well as ethanol.

Let’s be clear: ethanol has been subsidized by the government since day one. Any savings as mentioned in the article are more than offset by approximately a .50-cent subsidy by the federal government.

Let’s look at what is required to produce that gallon of ethanol. The corn is planted on a farm field that has been prepared by a tractor that runs on diesel. Then the corn is harvested by a combine that also runs on diesel. It’s trucked to a processing plant by a diesel truck and processed using electricity produced in our area by natural gas and coal. It also takes almost four gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol. The amount of energy produced by that gallon of ethanol is almost equal to the amount of energy used to produce it.

An oil refinery, on the other hand, simply refines a barrel of energy taken from the ground in raw form. This requires drilling and transporting, but most of the energy for this is produced from that barrel of oil. Much of the energy used in refinery processing comes from the oil, as well.

Ethanol is nothing more than a waterabsorbing additive that pollutes our fuel and causes millions of dollars of damage to internal-combustion engines.

When riding around the Great Lakes several years ago, my wife asked why her BMW ST seemed to be running so much better. I told her we’d been using non-ethanol fuel for the last two days… available in Minnesota at nearly every gas station. Since we are from Texas, I thought, “how ironic.”

Tex Welch Amarillo, Texas

LETTER OF THE MONTH

THE “FINDING #49” STORY CONTINUES

W

anted to fill everyone in on the latest concerning my #49 ex-Don Kudalski factory Harley-Davidson MX250 motocrosser (which was featured in the February 2022 issue of American Motorcyclist) and the men who rode, built and maintained it during the late 1970s.

Finding, researching and preserving #49 was only half of the journey. The other half I’m still experiencing by reconnecting the team members with the bike and hearing their stories. First we unveiled #49 at the HarleyDavidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wis., in February of 2018. The next reunion was in April 2019, where teammates Marty Tripes, Rex Staten and Steve Storz met at the annual Trailblazer banquet in California, where Rex was inducted into its Hall of Fame. The next reunion took place in August of 2021 when mechanics Tom Volin and Steve Storz met up at the 76th Trailblazer banquet. And 2022 would not disappoint, because in March, Kudalski was reunited with #49 during Daytona Bike Week.

On Sept. 21, 2022, a very special reunion took place at a fundraiser for the International Motocross Museum in Chicago, during which Kudalski reunited for the first time in more than 44 years with his H-D mechanic Tom Volin. I took this opportunity to recreate a photo taken by Jim Gianatsis during the 1978 Winter-AMA series in Florida. That year, Don and Tom traveled from coast to coast competing on #49, giving the team its first-ever overall win, and bringing an end to Harley-Davidson’s four-year endeavor in professional motocross competition. Kudalski was never a champion, but his and Volin’s appearance there with #49 really stood out amongst the many attending championship riders and motorcycles at the event. The #49 story continues…

Geisner

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.

Keith

KEITH GEISNER

GOOD CATCH!

The first instance of “shoe-in” in the September issue’s Marty Moates One Day of Magic story could have been a very clever, yet unacknowledged, dirt track pun. I just knew Boehm had caught it and let it go on purpose. Then it appeared again in the first paragraph of the Honda ATC90 Last Page written by His Editorship. Yep, much like putting bikes through the “ringer” instead of the “wringer,” what should have been two “shoo-ins” became a pair of “shoe-ins!” (Just keeping you on your “tows”…) I absolutely love the magazine’s new format, and the current AMA crew brings the whole thing to a level I never expected to see. Keep up the great work!

Phil Emore

Thanks, Phil, and yes, my error, and a good catch! —Ed.

RE-ENTRY FUN

The August issue hit the nail on the head — well, my nail, anyway — with Boehm’s Fear of Flying column. I started riding dirt bikes in the late ’60s and as soon as I could afford a street

bike I moved to the pavement and never looked back. I rode all through my youth and in the mid-’80s sold my bike, figuring I’d finally outgrown my need for two-wheeled fun. Fastforward to my 50s and a neighbor brought home a ratty old Harley… and I realized I’m really not done with two wheels just yet. A short marathon of want-ad searching resulted in me buying what had to be the weirdesthandling motorcycle I’d ever ridden, a ’93 H-D Softail Springer. But boy was it pretty. Seller delivered it to my house, and later that day it was time for my first ride since 1986. I was as excited as I was nervous.

Well, I departed my driveway and found out almost instantly that the Springer preferred to go straight, and with a bit too much throttle I nearly launched myself into the woods across the street. Suddenly I was doubting my abilities to ride a bike, which was strange because, as kid, I believed there was never a jump too high (although I learned more than once that there were). So this was all quite humiliating. But not one to give

up, I modified my approach and learned to ride that beast, and have been riding ever since, including taking all three levels of Keith Code’s Superbike school, building a track-day bike and filling the garage with more than my fair share of vintage machines.

So to those who left the sport and are returning now that the kids have all grown up, you might be a bit rusty. And you might even scare yourself once or twice. But what you learned in your youth is still in there somewhere, and if you are patient you’ll find it…and with a little time and a few miles, it will be like you never left the saddle.

Rob Sigond Voorheesville, N.Y.

ATC LOVE

Loved the homage to the ATC90 in the September issue! So many of us current motorcyclists were bitten by the bug on ATVs in our youth. It started with an ATC70 under the tree as a “safer” alternative to a dirt bike. My parents couldn’t have imagined how history would write that story!

Mike Wefers Sacramento, Calif.

BACK IN THE DAY

The first photo is of my parents, four years before I came along. They would talk about doing the AMA Gypsy Tours back in the day. That’s Mom on the far right in the second photo. Dad kept riding right up until he passed in 1998. They got me my first motorcycle when I was 12. I am 67 now and still riding!

—Dave May

The first photo is from January of 1970. At the time I was 22 and a junior at VA Tech and was practicing on my Yamaha DT-1 for an upcoming cross-country race being held by the VA Tech Motorcycle Club (VTMC), of which I was a member. The photo was taken by my buddy, Steve Sage, also a member, using a Kodak Instamatic.

About to give my sister her first motorcycle ride on my new 1968 Yamaha YR-1. I rode it for another 10 years and almost 49,000 miles, commuting to school and work and taking long motorcycle tours. I still remember periodically scraping carbon from the cylinder heads to somewhat reduce predictable 2-cycle exhaust smoke. I’m still riding today, 54 years later.

—Joe Darrell

The second photo is from spring 1971 where I’m in a VTMC MX race on my Hodaka Super Rat, held just outside Blacksburg, Va. (Back then it was $1 at the gate and $1 to race). Note the homemade jersey (we all made them). Also, you can’t tell since it’s b&w, but we all painted our helmets matching red, so we looked very organized racing at other tracks. Great times and great friends. I’m 75 now and still ride dirt bikes, newer ones. Several of the members of the VTMC alumni still stay in touch and occasionally we get to ride together.

—Phil Rager

Love the magazine! Here’s my submission for Back In The Day. The blurry photo is me (right) and my brother, Brett, on my 1974 Honda MT125 Elsinore circa 1977. Back in the days before safety was invented, I rode all over town with him on the tank holding the crossbar. The second photo is a recent pic of me (right) on my 1974 Honda MT250 that I got a few years ago and Brett (left) on his 1974 Honda XL250. These days he does his own steering.

—Robert Pizzo

This is a photo, circa 1978, of my first true race bike — a 1977 Yama ha YZ125D. I bought two bikes in baskets (literally) from local central Pennsylvania bike tuner, racer, mentor and legend, Gig Hamilton. Out of all the parts Gig built me a motor and I built the rolling chassis. I did all the work over the winter in my

grandfather’s unheated storage shed because my dad didn’t want me to waste my money on a “race bike,” and I had to swear Gig to secrecy. My father was shocked that following spring because he thought I bought a brand-new bike!

—Jeff Kokoskie

My interest in motorcycling started when I was brought home from the hospital after just being born in 1941, 80 years ago, in a sidecar attached to a 1941 Harley-Davidson WF on that December day. My mother and father did not own an automobile until I was about 7 or 8 years old, so I always thought of motorcycles as a method of transportation rather than recreation and fun.

My first motorcycle was a Honda Trail 90, which I bought to take on a hunting trip to Idaho. From then I went through a series of Hondas, Kawasakis and BMWs. I now ride a Harley-Davidson Sport Glide. My father was an AMA member, and my son and grandson are AMA Life members. I was President of AMA District 17 for five years and have enjoyed many of the AMA sanctioned road events.

The past few years I have been riding to different parts of the country. One of my favorite trips was in 2006, my retirement year. My riding buddy and I went from Illinois to New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, Canada. It was a trip of a lifetime!

—Gary Blakney

In 1967 I was stationed in Bangkok, where I bought my first motorcycle, a used Suzuki 250 Hustler. My roomie had one, too…with ape-hangers! We rented a house in town and brought our bikes inside at night for security (and to use as furniture). We had to ride a boardwalk to get to it, which was barely strong enough to support a bike. On our bikes, we owned the city — the country, even.

—Bruce Schadel

up to speed

News, notes, insight and more from the motorcycling universe

FUTURE TECH

Checking in with Bosch and its advanced Forward Collision Warning System technology

BY MICHAEL SAYRE

It is an unfortu nate fact of our two-wheeled life that many motorcyclists involved in crashes — almost a third of them, in fact — took no evasive action to avoid the crash or did so too late to effectively avoid them. This statistic comes from the

2018 National Transporta tion Safety Board report on the causes of motorcycle crashes, which used data from the Hurt Report and more recent Motorcycle Crash Causation Study.

Rider education and on-road experience stress the need for motorcyclists to pay strict attention to the road ahead and do their best to avoid danger ous situations before they occur. But motorcyclists are human, and distractions and/or a lack of road skills can and do rear their ugly heads on occasion.

So what can be done to draw the riders’ attention back to the road ahead when, for instance, a car turns left right in front of them or when traffic sud denly stops?

In the automotive world, several different features

have hit the road under the umbrella of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which are adver tised as safety features. And while the AMA is extremely skeptical of technologies that have not demonstrated their ability to properly detect and respond to motorcyclists on the road (and most have not), po tential benefits remain. The dreaded “left turning car,” for instance, which kills a lot of riders each year, could become a thing of the past, but only if our motorcycles are seen by these systems. What is newer than the automotive world’s ADAS is Advanced Rider Assistance Systems (ARAS) coming to more and more motorcycle models. In 2019 I was able to try out Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Monitoring systems on a

motorcycle at Bosch’s Proving Grounds in Flat Rock, Mich., and write about the experience in the October 2019 issue of American Motorcyclist.

This September I was fortunate once again to visit Bosch’s facility and get a peek at how those systems are evolving — and get a small glimpse at what else may be coming to a motorcycle near you.

I grew up near Bosch’s Flat Rock Proving Grounds and have kept in touch with the engineers of the company’s Two-Wheeler & Powersports division there, and anytime I’m planning a trip to see friends and family back home, I check in with techs there to get a feel for what they’re working on. This time it was a Forward Collision Warning System (FWCS)

for motorcycles.

The engineers told me that since they have suc cessfully integrated front and rear radar on motorcy cles for Blind Spot Moni toring (BSM) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), they’re working out what else can be done with the information picked up by the radars. They could only share so much with a visitor like me, but it became clear that FCWS is just a taste of what’s to come.

I should also make clear, because I run into this misconception pretty often, that these engineers are hard-core motorcyclists, not desk jockeys who rarely, if ever, actually ride. Having this sort of real-world experience is important to everyone working on these next-generation systems as they create safer motorcy cles that don’t interfere with the ride. That’s the goal.

Now, how do you demonstrate FCWS on a motorcycle? Well, to start with, you have to almost hit something. So engineers attached a rig to the back of a van that held out a small radar target on the van’s right side. The arm holding the target is covered in a radar absorbing foam and holds the target that’s essentially a small, highly reflective mirror. This set up would appear to the radar and “brain” on the bike as a) a van in one lane and b) a bright but very visible object in the lane to the van’s right.

My job was to approach the van and target (which

After years of trying to not hit things while riding, almost doing so during FCWS testing is not the easiest thing to get used to.

were circling the track at 30 mph) and “almost” hit them. (More on this short ly.) The arm the target was mounted on would swing out of the way if struck.

The FCWS works by probability. If there is an object the rider is ap proaching while making

warnings there would be, the idea being that at high er closing speeds the more time was needed for the rider to take evasive action.

I don’t know about you, but forcing myself to almost hit something on a motor cycle is not easy, no matter how many times I remind

target. Still, I was expect ing the warning, and knew exactly what I had to do to avoid the target. Not real world by any stretch, but as close as I was going to get in these conditions.

I was impressed with how well and consistently the system worked. The visual warning on the dash didn’t do much for me, but I can absolutely imagine a situation where a rider is adjusting some setting on the dash when traffic suddenly slows — and that visual warning would get the job done without need ing to trigger the rear brake pulse warning.

these engineers are hard-core motorcyclists, not desk jockeys. Having this sort of real-world experience is important to everyone working on these next-generation systems.

no effort to avoid striking it, the system will warn the rider. That means to test it I could not touch the brakes, swerve out of the way, or roll off the throttle as I ap proached the target. Any of those actions would signal to the bike that I was avoid ing the object and there was no need to warn me.

The warning I was trying to trigger was actually two warnings: first, a visual warning on the bike’s dash would flash a warning for me to brake; second, if I still did not react, the rear brake would pulse three times to get my attention. I was also told that the faster I approached the target, the more time between the

ed myself that the target was meant to be hit and would swing out of the way. It took a few runs, but I eventually got comfortable triggering the warnings and then braking before striking the target.

This raised a question: how could I simulate a more “real world” scenario where I would be distract ed and not anticipate the warnings? The engineers suggested I stop looking at the target but keep my eyes focused down the track to the point where the target wasn’t really in my line of sight. That worked, and the brake pulse warning went off with enough time for me to brake and avoid the

The brake pulse was very effective; jarring enough to get my attention but not enough to upset the bike or cause me to overreact on the controls. That said, I was prepared for what was coming and had practice with the system in a way that the average rider on the street won’t be able to easily replicate. So I’m hopeful that anyone who rides a bike equipped with this warning system down the road has it explained to them before they get into traffic.

Just as when I tried out ACC and BSM in 2019, I have some questions about FCWS in everyday riding, one of which is how the systems would deal with

up to speed

lane splitting or filtering. Still, my real-world experi ence with ACC and BSM on my current motorcycle, a Ducati Multistrada V4S that’s equipped with both, has done a great job of making me comfortable with the new technology.

In Washington, D.C., traffic, BSM is a constant reminder to do head checks before switching lanes, and on trips with long stretches of expressway, the ACC is a nice break to shake out my right wrist without con stantly adjusting the cruise control to match the speed of traffic.

Of course, one would hope everyday riding wouldn’t provide a lot of experience actually using FWCS. Yet that is how it should be. FWCS is

designed to be a safety net, not a regularly used feature — only there to alert an inattentive or surprised rider when a collision is imminent.

Over-reliance on these more advanced auto motive-based systems that integrate Automatic Emergency Braking and lane-centering — along with advertising that fails to make the limitations of these ADAS features clear to drivers — is to blame for the dangerous situa tion we’re seeing on the road today, where tragic crashes resulting from car drivers’ overconfidence in the capability of their car to react to traffic, or increased distraction from cars that do most of the driving task, happen all too often.

Is all this ADAS-enabled

bad driving behavior coming to motorcycling with ARAS? For now, I don’t see it. What I see with FCWS is a chance to get the almost one third of riders who took no evasive action before a crash to wake up and avoid that crash. What the rider does once he or she has been warned is up to them and their skill level, and according to the NTSB report mentioned in the beginning, just under a quarter of riders chose the appropriate evasive action and executed it properly.

But this is clearly a step in the right direction.

As we know, there is no silver bullet for motorcyclist safety, and safer motor cycles are only part of the equation. Safer roads,

improved rider skills, and awareness of motorcyclists on the road are all part of the equation that can prevent some crashes and mitigate the severity of others. The AMA is hard at work on all this: ensuring roads are safer for motorcyclists, helping push advanced vehicle tech nology that actually protects motorcyclists, and making sure motorcyclists have access to affordable and quality rider training.

I am looking forward to my next visit to Bosch to see what comes next, but my ad vice to you is this: be aware at all times and practice emergency braking regularly; you never know when you’ll need those skills.

Michael Sayre is the AMA Director of Government Relations

Looking more like an international airport in some ways than a vehicle test facility, Bosch’s Proving Grounds in Flat Rock, Mich., is an impressive place, and one that’s helping make motorcycling safer for everyone.

A Heroic Trek

t’s not every day a group of he roes walks through the doors of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, but that’s exactly what hap pened on Sept. 30.

Sponsored by the Road Warrior Foundation (RWF) — a non-profit 501(c)(3) organiza tion that utilizes powersports to help wounded veterans — and Can-Am, a group of military veterans went on an “Adventure Therapy” ride that spanned more than 1,000 miles from Orlando, Fla., to the AMA’s campus in Picker ington, Ohio.

The individuals were selected from a pool of candidates by RWF. The vet erans selected were in their 20s and 30s and had various physical and mental injuries.

Following both closed-

course and classroom training for some of the newly licensed riders, the group embarked on their journey aboard a fleet of Can-Am Spyder 3-wheel vehicles.

“We believe that the open road is

open to all,” said Martin Ethier, Global Marketing Director of Can-Am, “and this sponsorship brings that to life with many incredibly deserving individuals.” We couldn’t agree more.

—Keaton Maisano

up to speed

RIGHTS Roundup

What’s trending in government relations and legislative affairs

BY KALI KOTOSKI

Newsom nixes california’s fix to off-road competition registration

alifornia Governor Gavin Newsom recently vetoed bipartisan legislation protecting off-highway vehicle competitions on public lands by setting up a new registration pro gram with the California Department

Lane Filtering Support Revs Up

The 2023 legislative year could see a raft of lane-filtering legis lation introduced around the country, and wherever that happens, rider safety will improve (if filtering/splitting is done correctly) and America will move a step or two closer to adopting riding/ traffic practices that are standard in many parts of the world.

At a recent conference hosted by Mid-South M.I.L.E. (Motorcyclists Improving Legislative Effectiveness) in Topeka, Kan., the AMA’s On-High way Government Relations Manager Tiffany Cipoletti gave a presentation on how to achieve lane-filtering legis lative success. She also presented the benefits of lane filtering, most notably

of Motor Vehicles. Senate Bill 894 would have replaced the two-decadeold “red sticker” program administered by the California Air Resources Board that expired last year.

“Without a proper registration pro gram, competitors, organizers and the entire motorcycle industry are currently operating in a regulatory grey zone, without parameters that explicitly protect legitimate competitors from practicing and racing on public lands,” explained Don Amador from AMA District 36. In addition, many rural California economies rely on regularly hosted competitions.

Senate Bill 894 was the culmination of three years of lobbying work and was co-sponsored by the Coalition for Public Access and the California Motorcycle Dealers Association. In addition, it was sup ported by the American Motorcyclist Association, California Wilderness Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, Motorcycle Industry Council, Off Road Vehicle Legislative Coalition, Sacramento Pacific International Trails Society, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, Tuleyome and Yuba County.

“I recognize the economic bene-

in mitigating the chance of rear-end collisions when a motorcyclist is in stopped or slow traffic.

In recent years, lane filtering has gained steam, with laws adopted in Arizona, Utah and Montana that set requirements for permissible lane filtering. In 2021, supporters in Oregon were only stymied by a veto from the governor, despite having established bipartisan support.

“It is fair to say that lane filtering is gaining momentum,” said Cipoletti, “with more and more states inquiring about a path to introduce legislation or those that already plan to during the 2023 session.”

Mid-South M.I.L.E., an organization representing Arkansas, Kansas, Loui siana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, is just one group showing interest in lane filtering.

“2023 could be a big year for lane filtering,” Cipoletti said. “As of right now, it looks like Texas, Louisiana and Virginia are well-prepared to pursue lane filtering.”

She added that groups from Washington, Oregon, Maryland, Idaho, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Idaho are, or have started, laying the foundation for a legislative push. But Cipoletti reminds prospective states that legislation is not a one size fits all arrangement despite recent success es. Different bills and approaches could work for different states. But she stressed that gathering support from elected representatives and state agencies needs to go hand-in-hand with grassroots advocacy.

“The place we don’t want to be is when a bill lacks enough support to

fits OHV competitions bring to rural communities, but I am concerned about the fiscal impact to implement the bill,” Newsom wrote in his veto.

Senate Bill 894 was introduced by Senator Brian Jones and was easily approved in the California Assembly and Senate.

“Honestly, the cost was in question,” said Amador. “When we started working with California agencies on this registration fix, we were told it would cost this much. Then we had a revised number which was much higher, and eventually, it was just left as an open-ended question.”

The costly and antiquated California DMV registration system, along with a lack of input from California State Parks, is what likely torpedoed the bill, Amador said.

But while competition on public lands is still allowed, a lack of regulatory certainty could jeopardize that.

“We are now on to Plan B,” said Amador. “We will work directly with the Parks to set up a permitting pro gram for competition that they would oversee. We need to fix the unforced chaos and confusion caused by a lack of a registration scheme.”

get out of committee,” she said. “The demographics are starting to change, and more riders appear open to sup porting lane filtering. If all goes well, we could see maybe 12 lane filtering bills introduced across the country, and that possibility is exciting.”

To stay current on the latest devel opments in lane filtering legislation, subscribe to the AMA’s Action Alerts at AmericanMotorcyclist.com/sub scribe-rights.

malcolm’s moments

BACK IN THE SADDLE

winter when I bought a 1956 Mercury, which I immediately began to modify. Of course, I needed money to pay for all the gas that I was burning, so I took a position at an auto parts store right next door to Pappy’s bike shop. Pappy wanted me back, but I knew that working there would definitely be too temping, and motorcycles were still a big no-no. The pain was still too vivid, the cast and shrunken body still too recent.

to know what I was up to because the memories of what we’d all been through earlier were still pretty fresh. So I hid the bike at a buddy’s house so they wouldn’t find out.

BY MALCOLM SMITH

In the last installment of Malcolm’s Moments I’d written about getting badly hurt, almost losing my leg, and dealing with what was basically a body cast for a couple of months. It was pretty ugly in a lot of ways, and the experience had soured me and my family on motorcycles.

When the doctors cut that nasty plaster cast off me, I remember clearly the feeling of extreme lightness, though I looked like a scarecrow, having lost all the motorcycle-riding muscle I’d built up before my accident. I was still very weak, and walking on crutches was difficult, though I quickly developed some skills and was zipping around.

With motorcycles out of the picture it was time to get serious about my future, so in the fall of 1959 I enrolled in San Bernardino’s Valley College to study what was then known as A&E — Aircraft and Engines. The first year was mostly engine-related and I took to it immediately, my work at Pappy Mott’s and my racing and enginebuilding helping my efforts there.

Cars came into focus for me that

I learned a lot from the owner of the auto-parts store, and then quit to work at a small airfield in Riverside, where after school I built fabric wing and fuselage assemblies for old planes.

PART EIGHT

By my second year of college I was feeling much better physically, and little by little the idea of riding motorcycles again began to creep back into my mind. The airplane and engine work was interesting, and I even liked flying, which I did a little of despite the fact that I got airsick just about every time I went up.

But when I really thought about it, none of it compared to the thrills of riding and racing. Bikes had saturated my psyche over the last several years, and I suddenly realized I’d been actively ignoring bikes. I’d tried to keep away, but bikes were a drug, and I was addicted. After borrowing a bike from a buddy named Swede Savage, who’d go on to become quite the car racer, I fell immediately back in love with motorcycles. I then met a guy who’d ridden down to So Cal from Idaho on a 600cc Typhoon. He was not interested in riding home, and I ended up trading him my metallic blue Mercury for his Matchless. I didn’t want my parents

Sneaky or not, I loved being back on a motorcycle! At first I just rode around on the street and trails, happy as a clam. I rode to school, rode to work (I’d begun working for Pappy Mott again by this point), and just messed around on it. It was faster than my 500s had been, but it was pretty heavy, so I began lightening it as I’d done to many of my bikes over the years: drilling nuts and bolts, waisting longer bolts, crafting enginemount plates and such out of aluminum, etc.

Of course, as the bike got lighter and handled better, and as I slowly scraped the rust off my riding skills, the idea of racing came back into view. Truth was, I loved competition. I was very competitive myself, and I missed the whole process of bike preparation, practice, the thrill of lining up against other riders, and of course riding well and

Trying — and failing — to stay away from motorcycles by going to college and working an auto-parts job

having the bike perform well — and not break down. As much as I loved riding, I loved preparing bikes just as much. Together, they were a powerful attraction to me.

And so I began planning my return to racing. The Typhoon was pretty much ready, and I made a plan to start going to races at El Cajon Speedway in San Diego on Saturday nights. El Cajon was like a smaller version of Ascot Park, with an oval, a TT course within it, and grandstands. I did pretty well there, and I also got

some sponsorship help. A woman who owned a Honda dealership in San Diego paid me to wear her shop’s jersey. If I won, I’d get $25 — and I won more than a few times. We’d race all night, then drive home at 11 p.m., which took two-and-ahalf hours — no freeways then. My parents never knew. That fall and into the winter (the weather doesn’t change much in So Cal) we ran the

whole series, from El Cajon to Console Springs to Rusty Nails to Perris to Prado Park. I had very little money, so I only got to race about once a month. But it was great to be racing again. The only downside were my grades; what had once been As were now Cs, my focus on bikes taking my mind almost completely away from the classroom.

I kept my racing secret from my parents for more than a year, and when they finally found out they were not happy. My stepfather Ray King told me later he was unhappy primarily because my mother was so upset.

MALCOLM SMITH

For the complete story of my wonderful and sometimes-crazy life, grab a copy of my 400-page autobiography at themalcolmbook.com.

Racing was a major step back into the motorcycle scene, but very soon I’d become even more involved when I met a couple of guys with the names Kenny and Norm. More on that in a future edition.

“I loved competition. I was very competitive myself, and I missed the whole process of bike preparation, practice, the thrill of lining up against other riders, and of course riding well.”

Celebrating the HOF Class of 2022...men and women who have excelled in competition, engineering, design, motorcycle adventure and more

One definition of the term pinnacle is “the highest point of development or achievement,” and for more than three decades the American Motorcyclist Association has honored pinnacle achievers in our sport with annual inductions into the storied AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, located on the AMA headquarters campus in Pickerington, Ohio.

Pinnacle achievers do more than simply perform, however; they contribute to all sorts of nuanced and overt ways to the culture, fabric, freedom and adventure of our wonderful twowheeled pastime.

For 2022, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame inducted six new members, achievers culled from the areas of Ambassadors/Industry, Design/Engineering, Dirt Track, Leadership/Motorcycle Rights, Motocross/Supercross, Off-Road, Road Racing and Specialty Competition.

They are, in alphabetical order, flat-track champion Kenny Coolbeth, speedway champion Greg Hancock, motorcycle adventurer Effie Hotchkiss, designer and builder Sandy Kosman, championship road racer Ben Spies, and AMA Supercross/

motocross champion James Stewart.

“The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2022 includes men and women who have excelled in a wide range of motorcycle pursuits,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “They have contributed significantly to areas as diverse as motorcycle adventure, several forms of on-track competition, and motorcycle design and engineering, and we are both honored and humbled to add them to the list of greats in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.”

In the following pages you’ll find brief bios of the Class of 2022, and why their induction is both timely and warranted. Also, the Class, and the motorcycles they rode — or built — are now on display in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington, Ohio, and will be for the next 12 months, so plan to visit when you can.

We also honor those Hall of Famers who passed away since our last induction. The list includes AMA Superbike Champion Wes Cooley (June 8, 1956 - Oct. 16, 2021), racer and pioneer Preston Petty (February 19, 1941 – January 16, 2022), racer Bobby Hill (July 8, 1922 – July 12, 2022), racer Ed Fisher (June 1925 – August 4, 2022) and music legend Loretta Lynn (April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022).

May they all rest in peace. —Mitch Boehm

COOLBETH KENNY

Kenny Coolbeth, born March 30, 1977, spent his young life around motorcycles as his father and grandfather were racers. When his father started racing flat track, Coolbeth got the bug.

“My dad asked me if I wanted to race when I was about 4 years old,” Coolbeth said, “and I said, ‘yes!’ That’s where it all started…”

Coolbeth went pro in 1994, winning the AMA Rookie of the Year award. But the transition from amateur to pro racing wasn’t easy.

“The learning curve was huge,” Coolbeth remembered, “especially going from an amateur to a pro at just 16 years old.”

Coolbeth’s first AMA Grand National win came in 2002. Then, in 2006 he won his first AMA Grand National Championship and followed that up with two more championships in 2007 and 2008.

Coolbeth signed on with the Harley-Davidson factory team in 2006 and won all three championships aboard Harley’s XR750. “It was a dream come true,” Coolbeth said. “Harley was the only factory brand involved in flat track at that time, and it was so cool for me to be a part of that.”

Throughout his career, Coolbeth raced to 37 AMA Grand National wins and 108 AMA Grand National podiums.

Coolbeth retired from professional flat track racing at the end of the 2018 season. “It felt like it was the right time to retire from racing,” said Coolbeth. “I’m glad I went out on my own terms while still racing competitively.”

Coolbeth continues to give back to flat track since his retirement. In 2023 he’ll be working as a rider coach and setup guy for the highly competitive Turner Honda Racing team.

—Joy Burgess

greg HANCOCK

Born in Whittier, Calif., in 1970, Greg Hancock grew up in an era when speedway racing dominated Southern California. Through his father, Hancock was introduced to racing stars Bobby Schwartz and AMA Hall of Famer Bruce Penhall, and Schwartz would prove to be an inspiration to him.

“My dad was friends with all these racers, and I grew up watching them compete and hearing about their careers,” Hancock said.

“It was like a drug.”

Hancock took the Junior Speedway National Champion title in 1985. By 1992, he began competing in the Swedish, Polish and Czech leagues. In 1997, Hancock reached the first apex of his young career, winning the FIM World Speedway Championship.

“It was everything to win the first world championship,” Hancock said. “But after that I don’t

know how hungry I was to win another. To really want it.”

By 2009 he was toying with the idea of retiring, but his fortunes turned when he was approached by Prodrive, a British engineering group who offered to build him a custom chassis. After some tweaks they were finally getting somewhere. “They made one adjustment,” Hancock said, “and the first time I rode the bike I knew I could win the championship again.”

Hancock went on to win the World Championship in 2014 and 2016, and in winning in 2016 became the oldest title winner at 46 years, 130 days old.

In all, Hancock earned four FIM Speedway World championships, three FIM World Team Cup titles and eight AMA U.S. National Speedway championships in a career spanning four decades.

Kali Kotoski

EFFIE HOTCHKISS

Born on Jan. 28, 1889, into a white-collar family, Effie Hotchkiss began riding motorcycles when she was 16. When she was working age, she took a position on Wall Street. But the banking industry didn’t suit her ambitions and she rebelled, especially after a doctor concerned about her health recommended that she should stop working, take pharmaceuticals and get bed rest, according to her memoir.

Instead of heeding the doctor’s concerns, she used the inheritance left from her father and purchased a 1915 HarleyDavidson 3-speed twin and a Rogers sidecar for her mother and luggage. And on May 2, 1915, the 26-yearold Effie and her 52-year-old mother, Avis, set off on their journey.

Amid the suffragist movement and five years before the ratification of the 19th Amendment, Effie Hotchkiss broke the glass ceiling and became the first woman who was ever recorded to complete a transcontinental motorcycle ride in 1915, traveling from their home located in Brooklyn, N.Y., to San Francisco and then back home.

News of the 9,000-mile journey traveled quickly, and Effie became a female icon for her endeavor. She was celebrated in the first issue of Harley-Davidson’s The Enthusiast magazine and in countless writeups in newspapers across the country. But her story didn’t end there as she soon left New York and went on to settle out west and became a rancher.

—Kali Kotoski

SANDY KOSMAN

As a self-trained designer of high-performance chassis and wheels for customized road, off-road and drag-racing motorcycles, Sandy Kosman was a builder of champions and a successful entrepreneur — especially considering it’s rumored he rarely, if ever, actually rode a motorcycle, let alone race one. Nevertheless, for 30 years from the 1970s, most dragracing bikes, many flat-track bikes, and a handful of AMA Superbike race teams adopted Kosman products, including American Honda, Vance & Hines, A&A Racing, Performance Machine and others.

Born on June 21, 1941, in Oakland, Calif., Kosman was raised in a family known for its creativity and intellect. During his teen and college years, Kosman developed a strong interest in motorcycles and motorcycle racing. He loved speed

and hoped to become a good racer, but soon realized he wasn’t even a good rider, let alone fearless enough to race.

For Kosman, if he could not or would not race a motorcycle, clearly the next best thing was for him to create parts that would enable the bikes to be lighter and faster.

Kosman Specialties did not build engines, but it did build frames, wheels, and suspensions in a quest to make them ever lighter yet strong enough to hold together at top speeds of 250 mph — all from ideas he formed in his head, translated to paper, and then fabricated at his shop in San Francisco. Despite never receiving formal training or having an engineering degree, Kosman and his company soon became a household name.

Kosman passed away on May 21, 2022.

—Kali Kotoski

BEN SPIES

Ben Spies is considered one of the greatest American road racers in the history of the sport. The Texan, who earned the nickname “Elbowz” due to riding style that features his protruding elbows, won five national titles and raced to 44 AMA National wins during his career.

An undeniably impressive career resulted in Spies’ quick selection into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, an accomplishment Spies has not taken lightly.

“It’s a huge honor and accomplishment,” Spies said, “and what everyone works toward. Being recognized by your peers and the industry… it’s an amazing feeling.”

Spies came of age during the dominance of six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin, and ultimately unseated the champ in his prime in 2006.

Spies’ AMA National Championships include the 2008, 2007 and 2006 AMA Superbike titles, the 2007 AMA Superstock title, and the 2003 AMA Formula Xtreme title.

In 2009, Spies made the full-time jump to worldlevel competition by joining the Yamaha Italia team in World Superbike competition. His rookie-year performance was exceptional, with 11 poles, 17 podium finishes in route to the 2009 World Superbike title.

“We had a lot against us,” Spies said, “and just like the 2007 season, it came down to the last race weekend for the world title. I remember thinking ‘I’m kinda not supposed to be here, but I’ve been in this situation before.’ I just knew what I needed to do.”

He announced his retirement from racing in late 2013.

—Keaton Maisano

JAMES STEWART

Born Dec. 21, 1985, James “Bubba” Stewart showed his potential early, winning seven AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s legendary ranch before he turned 16.

Debuting at the professional level in 2002, Stewart placed second in the AMA Supercross 125 East class and won the AMA 125MX title later that year while riding for Kawasaki. Winning the title made Stewart the first Black man to win a title in the sport.

Teen People magazine listed him as one of 20 teens that would change the world, and in 2004 Sports Illustrated included Stewart on its list of 101 most influential minorities in sports, two spots ahead of legendary basketball player and cultural icon Magic Johnson.

In 2007, Stewart claimed the ultimate prize — the

AMA Supercross Championship – and won a second AMA Supercross title in 2009.

In between his AMA Supercross triumphs, Stewart won all 24 of his motos of the 2008 outdoor series to secure the 450 Class National Championship.

“Even after a perfect season, I wanted more championships, so I never allowed myself to live on the past accomplishments because I was always concentrating on the future. That’s why the old saying, ‘You’re only as good as your last race,’ is probably the most honest and accurate statement in sports.”

Stewart’s professional racing career came to a close in 2016 after tallying 50 AMA Supercross premier class wins and 48 AMA Motocross national wins, cementing himself as one of the greatest motocross racers of all time.

Keaton Maisano

AGONY

BY JOY BURGESS WITH RACHEL GUTISH PHOTOS BY MARY RINELL, WILLY BROWNING, MICHAEL ANTONOVICH

hen racing’s good, it’s good; and when it’s bad, it really sucks!” —

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and flat track champion Kenny Coolbeth

Agony. Ecstasy. Winning. Losing. Joy. Pain. Excitement. Frustration… it’s all there, pressure-packed into the simple phrase racers utter every single weekend of the year — “That’s racing!”

It’s true, and universal, too. Racing is the ultimate gamble; you can train, prepare and even be the best in the world…and yet there’s never a guarantee. Sometimes the cards you’re dealt can be cruel.

A near-perfect example of this yin

and yang of competition happened just weeks ago with two of our national race teams competing on the world stage — the U.S. ISDE and U.S. Motocross of Nations teams.

For the ISDE U.S. Trophy teams competing in France Aug. 29 – Sept. 3, misfortune struck hard and early, with the U.S. Junior World Trophy team — which included Cody Barnes, Mateo Oliveira and Austin Walton — getting knocked out of contention on Day 1 after a mechanical failure. The World Trophy Team — made up of Layne Michael, Dante Oliveira, Kailub Russell and Josh Toth — struggled the entire time, too, finishing in fifth place.

But it was the U.S. Women’s World

Trophy Team — which included returning champs Brandy Richards and Rachel Gutish, along with new ISDE rider Korie Steede — that faced perhaps the greatest agony. They arrived in France as the 2021 victors, holding the trophy high during opening ceremonies in the town of Le Puy en Velay, and everyone there — American and European alike — agreed they were a shoo-in to win again this year. But even an 11-minute lead late in the game wasn’t enough to save them from a day-four disaster that ended their chances.

Cruel cards for the ISDE crowd, indeed.

For the U.S. Motocross of Nations

Team USA’s 2022 ISDE and MXoN efforts underscore the unpredictable and often-cruel reality of racing

AND ECSTASY

Inset, Top Left: U.S. MXoN team Chase Sexton, Eli Tomac and Justin Cooper.

Middle: U.S. ISDE Women’s World Trophy team Rachel Gutish, Brandy Richards and Korie Steede. Bottom: U.S. ISDE Trophy team Kailub Russell, Josh Toth, Layne Michael and Dante Oliveira.

team, it had been 11 years since the U.S. had claimed the coveted Chamberlain Trophy — though two of those years the U.S. did not participate due to COVID.

This year’s Motocross of Nations competition was held on U.S. soil for only the fifth time in history at Red Bud Track ’N’ Trail in Buchanan, Mich., Sept. 24 and 25. Italy came into the event as defending champions, but there was a palpable feeling among the thousands of

American race fans gathered at Red Bud that this just might be the year Team USA brought that Chamberlain Trophy back to American soil… …And they did!

The ecstasy was tangible, in the crowd and on the faces of Team USA members Justin Cooper, Chase Sexton and Eli Tomac as they sprayed champagne on the podium after the final moto.

An agonizing loss and an ecstatic win… Like we said, that’s racing

THE AGONY

“People pay thousands of dollars to hike through the French mountains,” ISDE U.S. Women’s World Trophy team rider Rachel Gutish told American Motorcyclist, “and here we were, doing it for free. Brandy, Korie and I joked about this because we’d already hiked 27 miles in two days — and by the end of ISDE prep week we’d hiked around 60 — so what else do you do but laugh?”

Keeping a positive attitude during

“When he told me to leave my fanny pack on and have a phone to call the team doctor if needed, I knew something serious was up, and found out later she’d crashed hard in Test 1.”

RACHEL GUTISH

ISDE prep week — and race week, too — is critical. Individual racers come together and compete as teammates for the U.S., and that involves piling in the team van, walking miles and miles of tests, discussing lines, and complaining about how much their feet hurt, which actually makes racing the hundreds of miles during the Six Days seem pretty awesome by the time prep week ends.

“While we were walking,” Gutish said, “trophy team mechanics were busy uncrating and reassembling the motorcycles. There was time spent out on the test track making various setup adjustments, then tech inspection, registration and, finally, opening ceremonies.”

Opening ceremonies brought plenty of fanfare and joy for the U.S. Women’s World Trophy team, who’d claimed an exciting victory in 2021. “Brandy and I took turns carrying the trophy through the streets during the

opening ceremony parade,” Gutish said. “The trophy had my name on it, along with Britney Gallegos’ and Brandy Richards’, and we were proud to carry it.”

“Unfortunately,” she added, “that ended up being the only time we laid hands on the trophy this year.”

After the high of opening ceremonies, the real work began on Day 1. Miles of riding tests and transfers on the rough mountain terrain in France took their toll.

For the U.S. Junior World Trophy

team, it was over before the race really even got started, with a mechanical failure for Cody Barnes eliminating their chances on the first day. The World Trophy Team was struggling, too.

“Today was tough,” Team Manager Antti Kallonen said on Day 2, “I’m not going to lie about that. Our guys were a little bit off, and we’ve got to reevaluate what we did and what we need to do going forward.”

Meanwhile, the women had plenty of reason to be upbeat.

“By the end of Day 3, we had an 11-minute lead,” Gutish remembered. “We were on pace to surpass our 15-minute win last year, and once again Brandy had won every test so far. Korie was having an incredible ride, and I was riding well enough to get the job done, if not live up to my own expectations.”

“There’s almost something noble in continuing to ride to the hardest of your ability, riding hundreds more miles through adversity when you know you’ve already been beaten.”

RACHEL GUTISH

“Really,” she continued, “all three of us should have been happier with how things were going. I think none of us felt we were riding our best, even though we were still leading.”

Despite their sizeable lead, plenty of preparation and their best efforts, sometimes in racing things just go sideways…and everything changed in the blink of an eye.

“Day 4, we were already tired,” Gutish said. “Time is different, fatigue

had set in, thoughts were clouded, and staying focused became increasingly difficult. But as I pulled into Checkpoint 3 after bending my clutch lever and trying to put a new one on, Antti came up to me and told me I wasn’t to pass Brandy in the next test, and if she crashed, I needed to stop and help her. When he told me to leave my fanny pack on and have a phone to call the team doctor if needed, I knew something

serious was up, and found out later she’d crashed hard in Test 1.”

Though Rachel never saw Brandy in that test, Brandy did crash again, and had 10 feet of snow fence wrapped up in her rear wheel.

“I was terribly worried about Brandy,” Gutish continued, “and when I got to the end of the test, Brandy was slumped over her bike. Later I found out that for part of the day she was so concussed she wasn’t sure where she was or what

event she was racing.”

The call was made not to let Brandy go back out, and instead she was transported to a local medical facility. And while the dream of taking the trophy back to the U.S. again slipped away, Rachel was relieved.

“It broke my heart, because despite the concussion Brandy finally realized what was going on,” Gutish said. “I could see the pain in her eyes. But I felt a sense of relief, really. It’s cool to win the trophy, but it’s not worth someone’s life.”

“My head wasn’t really there,” Korie Steede said that day in France. “I was just really worried about Brandy. It’s a bummer we lost her, but our biggest concern was just making sure that she is okay.”

The same day, the U.S. World Trophy team suffered another loss, when Dante Oliveria had a mechanical issue that resulted in a four-minute penalty. Still, they were

the only U.S. elite team to finish intact, finishing fifth place behind Great Britain, Italy, Spain and France.

Despite the U.S. Junior World Trophy Team and Women’s Trophy Team being out of contention for the win, the remaining riders still fought on for the red, white and blue.

“There’s almost something noble in continuing to ride to the hardest of your ability, riding hundreds more miles through adversity when you know you’ve already been beaten,” Gutish said. “We know the work and money that’s been put into us being there, so we rode like we were still fighting for the championship for the next two days — we owed that to our country. We weren’t just racing for ourselves…we were racing for the United States, the AMA, our sponsors, the people who gave up their time to help. Win, lose or draw, you’ve gotta give 110 percent to the very last mile.”

THE ECSTASY

Just a few weeks after the U.S. ISDE team came home with disappointing results, the 76th FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) was preparing to kick off, with Team USA riders — Star Yamaha’s Eli Tomac and Justin Cooper, along with Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton — sitting around a table in the Team USA hospitality tent discussing line selection, the weekend’s track conditions and strategy for the motos the following day that would result in the Chamberlain Trophy being awarded to the best motocross team in the world.

The next day, those three riders would become that team.

Red Bud was packed for Friday evening’s opening ceremonies, with American flags flying as far as the eye could see as the fans cheered for Team USA. And the excitement and expectation for the team to pull off a

Gate drop at the 2022 Motocross of Nations at Red Bud. Initial gate picks are chosen by lottery; in it, Team USA ended up with gate pick No. 15.

Motocross of Nations

win on U.S. soil was palpable. But it had been 11 years since Team USA had claimed the Chamberlain Trophy.

“Back in 2019 [the last year the U.S. competed in MXoN —Ed] we put a lot of work into Motocross of Nations,” Justin Cooper told us, “and though that Saturday went well for us, Sunday was a disaster with all the rain we got. I was hurt and couldn’t give it everything I had. So this year, I just felt double the pressure.”

Saturday was a long day of qualifying, and Saturday evening Team USA went to bed with predictions of heavy rain, continuing that night into Sunday morning. The forecast was right, for once, and the conditions added an extra layer of

difficulty in their hunt for the world title.

“Mud is really a true test,” Tomac said. “There is so much that can go wrong.”

“Since it rained again this year,” Cooper added, “I had 2019 in the back of my mind, and the conditions were once again very tough and super tricky.”

At the MXoN, riders compete in three classifications, ones modeled after the class structure of the FIM Motocross World Championship –MXGP (450cc machines) and MX2 (250cc machines), with an Open division giving riders a choice of displacement.

Riders race in combined motos: one moto includes MXGP and MX2 riders, one includes MX2 and Open riders; and another includes MXGP and Open riders. Each team’s rider is scored where they finished in the combined motos, and those scores are tallied to determine the winning team, with lowest score at the top of the list.

In Moto 1, featuring 450cc MXGP bikes and 250cc MX2 motorcycles, many eyes were on Team USA’s MX2 rider Cooper. He was blisteringly fast in qualifying on Saturday, and some wondered whether he could do what Team USA’s Ryan Villopoto did at the 2007 MXoN at Budd’s Creek — winning the overall riding the smaller-

displacement bike.

But conditions were not 250ccfriendly. The soil was deep, slick and sticky, which handicapped the smaller bikes. That was clear on the start, with Belgium’s Jago Geerts, aboard an MXGP bike taking the holeshot over Tomac.

Tomac wasted little time getting to the front, however, grabbing the lead by the second turn. Geerts kept Tomac honest, but the American kept hammering and pulled away late in the race, winning the moto.

Moto 2 featured MX2 and Open classes, and Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton, who grew up just a few hours away from Red Bud in Illinois, was competing on what was basically his home pro track, where tens of thousands of fans, most of them from the Midwest, wanted to see Sexton dominate.

The hope that the track might dry was dashed as a steady rain began falling, resulting in a chaotic start, brutal roost, and plenty of riders going down in the mud. But Sexton

Above, second from left: AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and U.S. MXoN Team Manager Roger DeCoster. Third from left: Eli Tomac, Justin Cooper and Chase Sexton raise the Chamberlain trophy high in an unforgettable moment.

JUSTIN COOPER

“In 2019, Saturday went well for us, Sunday was a disaster with all the rain we got. I was hurt and couldn’t give it everything I had. So this year, I just felt double the pressure.”

Motocross of Nations

and Cooper pulled through, Sexton finishing in second, while Cooper took fourth place.

Sexton moved into third place quickly in Moto 3, but Tomac was outside the top 10, getting held up when Belgium’s Geerts fell at the start. Heavy rain made the last few minutes of the moto chaotic, yet Sexton maintained a third-place finish, while Tomac moved up to sixth, giving the U.S. riders a commanding overall win.

“The rain, it really could have leveled the playing field,” Tomac said after the final moto of the day, “but we came through.”

“I really wanted to go for the win in the third moto,” Sexton added, “but I didn’t know where trying to pass would be safe. I’m just glad I was able to get it to the finish line and end this year on a high note.”

Sexton’s use of “high note” was quite possibly the biggest understatement in a decade of motocross, as it described the scene on Red Bud’s victory podium to a

T, and amplified what was a truly epic win for Team USA — one that rivaled the wins in the early 1980s for pure, adrenaline-crazed excitement.

“When we were on top of that podium, there [was] nothing like it,” said Tomac about the moment the three young men stood together, lifting the Chamberlain Trophy high in front of thousands of flag-waving American fans. “I will never forget that moment. It will stay with me forever!”

And getting to that moment of ecstasy was very much a team effort.

“The cooperation between everyone — riders, manufacturers, team members, sponsors, all of it –

was off the charts,” AMA Director of Racing Mike Pelletier said, “and it’s amazing to look back on now. I want to especially thank [team manager] Roger [DeCoster], who always gives his all to this event. His experience and leadership help in ways that can’t be quantified. Also, we appreciate the support from his employer, KTM North America, which allows Roger to be part of this effort each year.”

As for 5-time world champion DeCoster, he was characteristically gracious. “I have to thank these three guys, Justin, Chase and Eli, for riding their all and for letting me be part of

this,” he said. “To win this after so many years of the team not doing so well, it’s very satisfying. Thank you to everyone who helped us.”

AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman summed it all up pretty well the evening of the race.

“It’s an honor to have the support of so many stakeholders at this event,” said Dingman. “Here, we are one team, Team USA, and I’m very proud to say, today we are definitely the best motocross team in the world.”

Ecstasy. It happens once in a while. Even in racing. AMA

“I really wanted to go for the win in the third moto, but I didn’t know where trying to pass would be safe. I’m just glad I was able to get it to the finish line.”

CHASE SEXTON

PLAN IT …and they will ride

Backcountry

Discovery Routes offer pre-packaged adventure, ridden your way and on your schedule

Water makes things more interesting. It can be the dam in Lauren Creek behind the historic inn that you call home for a night. It’s a roadside waterfall along Chestnut Mountain Road that’s perfect for a photo op. It’s the clay roads you encounter outside Damascus, Va. It’s also the 200 miles of rain

you ride through on I-77 to get there — an uncomfortable reminder that “interesting” is different than “fun.”

But that’s also part of the adventure.

“You just have to be comfortable being a little bit uncomfortable,” Russ advises over our headsets.

Russ’ point is that comfort, good or bad, is fleeting.

And so it is for us on the MidAtlantic Backcountry Discovery Route, a mapped ride from southern Virginia to the Pennsylvania and New York border. Following that early rain, we encounter six days of perfect temperatures, tacky dirt roads, flawless asphalt, no precipitation and engaging conversation and camaraderie with four other

STORY AND PHOTOS BY JAMES HOLTER

likeminded riders.

In Damascus, Russ (Ehnes, AMA board chairman) and I meet up with AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman, as well as Backcountry Discovery Routes board President Tim James, one of BDR’s founders Bryce Stevens and BDR Ambassador Wendy Naessens — no better group to join us on 1,057 miles of adventuring on motorcycles.

The fun part of the adventure begins the next morning. We set off on Section 1, Damascus to Newport, Va. It’s just 138 miles, but the roads are narrow, traction is inconsistent, and the switchbacks are plentiful.

We encounter our first gravel almost immediately out of Damascus. The elevation constantly changes, and the vegetation is thick. It’s early September, and the leaves are

no exception, and I’m thoroughly enjoying all of it. Adventure doesn’t have to mean dirt.”

The point is valid. A good adventure route isn’t defined by the prevalence of gravel and mud. It’s an excursion beyond the familiar, in a direction of sensible progression, toward a reasonable goal and with ample two-wheeled fun in mind. In the case of Section 1 and our first day’s ride, that goal was the Mountain Lake Lodge, the filming location of the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing and home of some stellar wild boar sausage.

The Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route is one of 10 that are planned, mapped and promoted by BDR. The group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Seattle, Wash. Its mission, roughly stated, is to

still green with the slightest hint of color. There’s not much to look at other than the road and the foliage wrapping it, but that’s fine. It lets us focus on the ride.

That enjoyment goes in a different direction as we break tree cover, the space around us opens up and the surface turns to asphalt — but not just any asphalt. The sinuous strips of flawless tarmac offer up perfect traction and relaxed flow, perfectly timed to eradicate any memory of that moment you pushed the front through a soft corner five miles back.

“As cool as the gravel and dirt sections are,” Russ says, “the asphalt has been in excellent condition with

make the world a better place by making it easier to ride adventure motorcycles in incredible locations.

How it does that is elegantly simple. BDR provides free GPS tracks, route information and planning tools online at ridebdr. com, such as hotel and fuel information, packing advice for each route and route-specific FAQs. There also are photos, video and ride reports. It’s all created and vetted by BDR supporters, “ambassadors,” board members and staff.

“We all know that if we’re not actively creating or preserving, the opportunities go away,” Tim says.

“if we’re not actively creating or preserving, the opportunities go away. If routes are being used, they will stay open and that, in turn, helps the sport to continue.”

TIM JAMES

“If roads are being used, they will stay open and that, in turn, helps the sport to continue.”

Key to that preservation piece is having the communities on their side. “We’re passionate about driving an economic boost to small communities along the routes,” Tim says. “One, we’re using their road systems, and it’s just the right thing to do. Two, we want to make sure we’re welcomed in these communities and, in turn, they become our advocates.”

Tim explains that’s important when roads are threatened with closure. If businesses associate the open routes to improved livelihoods, they will fight for those roads to remain open. In local politics, few arguments are more persuasive than economic ones.

Our second day is the shortest, covering just the 80 miles on Section 2. At this point, we begin a stretch that dances between the Virginia and West Virginia state borders. We also reach one of the highlights on the route: Tub Run Road. This technical dirt road commands constant attention, especially if you push the pace a bit. We enjoy every

minute of it, but thankfully, Tub Run is followed by more easygoing, perfect pavement.

We spend the night in Covington, then head toward Moorefield by way of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. We begin almost immediately on gravel. By now, the routes are much less muddy than earlier on the trip. If anything, they are moisture-enhanced — tacky and predictable.

We find more pavement before returning to dirt and gravel. The gravel roads are long, dozens of miles, and contain very few intersections. The flow alternates between series of 90-degree switchbacks and rolling sections that meander through various creek bottoms.

After a gas stop we take a higher route marked by some of the more prominent switchbacks on the entire trip. We go slow but enjoy the views. We find more pavement offering nicely banked downhills that curve into uphill exits before drifting left then right then descending again to

repeat the pattern.

We come to a river bottom with rocky backdrops caused by geological thrust faults. We follow this to Shreve’s Country Store where we take advantage of the free Wi-Fi before continuing on to Moorefield and Loves Away Village for a premium glamping experience.

As motorcyclists know, any ride offers opportunity to do dumb things

“We all think we’re in the middle of nowhere when we’re on a BDR, but that middle of nowhere is also someone’s hometown or home.”

TIM JAMES

on two wheels, but the gnarlier the route, the more opportunities there are and, often, the higher the stakes. That’s one reason BDR — as well as the AMA, of course — stresses responsible riding, always.

With that goal in mind, Tim explains how BDR also promotes safety and awareness as part of its mission.

“The first program we rolled out is ‘Ride Right.’ That one’s pretty

self-explanatory,” he says. “We’re passionate about making sure people are staying to the right all the time, but primarily around blind corners and where there’s a lack of sight.”

Safety comes first, but almost as important, Tim says, is being a good

guest. “Our second program was ‘Ride Respectfully.’ We introduced that with our Northeast route, where we ride through more populated areas,” he says. “We all think we’re in the middle of nowhere when we’re on a BDR, but that middle of nowhere is also someone’s hometown or home. We make sure we reduce our speed, wave and be friendly, keep dust down, keep engine noise down.”

The sinuous strips of flawless tarmac offer up perfect traction and relaxed flow, perfectly timed to eradicate any memory of that moment you pushed the front through a soft corner five miles back.

Where the Money Goes

When you give cash to a charity you want to know, right?

Tim James, the elected president of the BDR Board of Directors, knows this well, and is keen on every dollar spent. “People who donate to BDR want to know what we’re doing is going to help continue the sport,” he says.

A big cost for any organization is its people, and BDR runs a lean paid staff. “We have Inna Thorn, executive director. We have Robert Trifiro, our project administrator. We also have a routes manager, Michael Bielecki,” Tim says. “But we also have a lot of people who work for free because they are passionate about our mission.”

Program dollars are spent for fundraising and promotion. The biggest spend, Tim says, is developing a route, producing a film, mapping it and promoting it. “That’s probably our single largest expenditure, but that is

our product,” he says. “That is our deliverable to the community.”

The makeup of the board also helps BDR operate efficiently. “Our board is set up as a steering committee, but our board members also have functional roles,” Tim says. “Our board is not paid. There are no stipends. It’s a labor of love, really. How do you get this job? Well, step one, be good at what you do, and then agree to do it for free.”

— James Holter

With adventure riding’s growing appeal, that also means many new riders might start here, which makes BDR’s messaging about safety and responsibility that much more important, Rob explains.

“Adventure riding has become an entry point to motorcycling, and as a result, these riders aren’t necessarily exposed to the opportunities and challenges facing motorcyclists, whether those are new experiences or threats to our freedom to ride,” he says.

Early on the fourth day, we visit the Horn Camp School House, on property owned by Betty Racey, just off Horn Camp Rd. in Hampshire County, W.Va.

The one-room schoolhouse, which taught students from the 1800s through 1945, according to Betty, is full of artifacts from the era, and Betty is full of knowledge about the school and the students who went there.

She shares what she learned about life then, from older residents who lived it, including a class of 44 kids who fit into the roughly 50- by 20-feet building one year.

“We enjoy visitors and the motorcyclists are always wonderful guests,” she says.

That isn’t just talk. Betty marks the dirt road with several signs welcoming guests, calling out our group by name.

“Horn Camp Welcomes M.A.B.D.R. Bikers,” one sign says.

At the end of Day 4 we visit a more solemn location — the site of the Battle of Antietam, the deadliest battle during the Civil War with roughly 23,000 casualties. We climb

Left to Right: AMA Board Chair Russ Ehnes, AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman, BDR President Tim James, BDR Ambassador Wendy Naessens, AMA COO James Holter and one of the BDR founders, Bryce Stevens. On this ride, AMA and BDR leadership explored new ways to partner to further their complementary missions. The goal? Inspire more people to ride adventure motorcycles.

Mid-Atlantic BDR: Epic Stuff

The word epic is overused when it comes to describing great motorcycle rides, but not in this case. I’d wanted to ride a BDR since learning of them from AMA member and former BDR Board member Rob Watt years ago. AMA COO James Holter and I had been planning to ride the MA BDR in 2020 when COVID hit, but the excursion was well worth the wait!

I was impressed not only by the route but with the BDR organization, which has been able to accomplish a lot over the last 12 years with a minimal staff and a small group of dedicated volunteers. Through its efforts, the organization is making adventure riding — the fastest-growing segment of motorcycling — more accessible to experienced and new riders alike.

As you can tell from James’ story, the MA BDR is truly epic! But don’t take my word for it — ride one for yourself! —AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman

“As cool as the gravel and dirt sections are, the asphalt has been in excellent condition with no exception, and I’m thoroughly enjoying all of it. Adventure doesn’t have to mean dirt.”

RUSS EHNES

the Antietam Battlefield Observation Tower and survey the 3,000-acre site. It’s a powerful moment.

That evening we spend the night in Antietam Overlook Farm, a restored country lodge and bed and breakfast with a gorgeous view of the Potomac-carved valley to our west.

On the fifth day, we combine Sections 5 and 6, starting with the

The last day of our ride is the longest. We tack together Sections 7 through 9, but with the exception of one wrong turn later in the day, we don’t rush through it. Early on we experience some of the more challenging riding, relatively speaking, on the MABDR, starting in the Bald Eagle State Forest, continuing through Poe Paddy State Park and optional “expert” sections,

changed their life,” Bryce says. “Really — these can be life-changing experiences, and I find that to be incredible.”

Backcountry Discovery Routes are not a door to unbridled excursion, as Russ will sometimes take on in the wilds of Montana. (“We’ll look at the map, point to Yak, say, ‘OK, let’s go there,’ and 1,200 miles later we’re there.”)

short ride to Harper’s Ferry, W.Va. Harper’s Ferry is great place to grab breakfast and take in the history of the location — it was a key Union supply base during the war — as well as enjoy the historic architecture, winding paths, local shops and remarkable geography highlighted by the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers.

The routes are what we’ve come to expect — extended sections of uninterrupted backcountry exploration. If there’s any shift, we find slightly more evergreens lining the routes and a bit less gravel making them up. The looser surfaces are replaced by a firmer mix. It’s a smooth dirt surface wellpacked that offers plenty of traction, but does start to kick up some dust as we progress north.

We finish the day in Huntingdon, our first night in Pennsylvania, at the Comfort Inn. The lodging is average, but the meal we find across the Juniata River at the Three Twelve Kitchen and Cocktails is phenomenal. The bacon-wrapped dates and haddock come highly recommended.

including Flat Hollow and what the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources defines as a “Drivable Trail.”

Our ride finishes in Lawrenceville, Pa., on the border with New York State.

Under the state border sign, reflecting on the 1,000-mile journey, Rob comments on the scope and accessibility of the MABDR.

“All skill levels can be challenged by this,” he says, “and anyone with a sense of adventure can enjoy them.

On the one hand, with the planning and information provided, these are imminently accessible.

On the other, from a ride standpoint, it’s epic.”

Many BDR riders feel the same.

“You would be surprised about the number of people who have contacted us and said that a BDR has

They are adventure with a plan — a well-thought-out route, through interesting towns on fun backroads and sometimes two-track trails.

Each route benefits from local knowledge, and they carve paths in ways that an outsider with a map could not. Some require camping. Others, like the MABDR, offer convenient access to lodging, but more rugged options are along the route as well, if you want them. The routes are not short. All will require, from a practical perspective, multiple days to complete. They are escapes, relaxing if you want them to be, but exciting and challenging. They will expose you to new experiences and foster connections. In short, they are a vacation, executed on motorcycles, with friends. They create compelling stories and plant lasting memories — especially if it rains. AMA

SALLY STEVENS WROTE THE LYRICS AND SANG THE SONG THAT STILL GIVES MILLIONS OF MOTORCYCLISTS GOOSEBUMPS

BY JOE ZIMMERMAN WITH MITCH BOEHM PHOTOS COURTESY OF SALLY STEVENS

At the end of motorcycling’s best and favorite film there’s a scene that’s nothing short of breathtaking for nearly every rider who’s seen it. We’re talking about Bruce Brown’s legendary On Any Sunday, of course, and the documentary’s final scene, which depicts racers and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers Mert Lawwill, Malcolm Smith and Steve McQueen riding — and playing — on the beach in front of Camp Pendleton Marine base just north of San Diego, Calif.

The scene’s visuals are simply amazing, the silhouetted, sunset-tinged wheelies, slow-motion powerslides and highsides generating whoop-sized goosebumps and making many want to portkey back to 1970 to just hang and BS with three of our sport’s biggest heroes.

But there’s a secondary element to this epic scene that’s every bit as important as the guys goofing off and sliding around on the sand…the soundtrack and, more specifically, the On Any Sunday theme song, the music of which was composed by Dominic Frontiere, and the words of which were written — and sung — by none other than legendary film/TV/ Hollywood legend Sally Stevens.

You hear the song and Stevens’ silky voice at different times and in different versions throughout the film, but it’s the dreamy, slowed-down recording at the very end that brings grown men and women (and even young boys and girls) to tears…

On Any Sunday, looking back on the crowd

From the far out place I found Screaming inside of me, and laughing out loud

I’m losing contact with the ground, I’m flyin’…

Over my shoulder through the dust I’m calling “Run wild and catch me if you can”

On any Sunday I’m a flyin’ man

Free as the wind, faster than time, reason and rhyme are running behind Tasting the sun, feeling the earth, knowing my worth and freeing my mind...

On Any Sunday, like the tail of a kite Flying and dancing in the wind. I’d like to break the string and drift out of sight I may not pass this way again… I’m Flyin’

Over my shoulder through the dust I’m calling “Run wild and catch me if you can”

On Any Sunday I’m a Flyin’ Man

The music and melody are lovely here, but it’s Stevens’ arresting lyrics and velvety voice that really set the scene and the actual music apart. So enjoy! —MB

It’s hard to argue the point…the abovementioned verses and singing are nothing less than gifts to the soul from one of the most wonderfully talented gems of Hollywood’s musical circle — the enduring and remarkable Sally Stevens.

Whether using her vocal skills to back up Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Sonny & Cher, Neil Diamond or Wayne Newton (to name just a few), Sally Stevens was always there alongside the giants of the musical industry. She sang on shows and movies that entertained millions, such as The Carol Burnett Show, The Smothers Brothers

Comedy Hour, Love Boat, Happy Days, The Simpsons and countless others, and provided vocal talent for movies such as Jaws, Indiana Jones, Planet of the Apes and many others. She worked on major classics such as Dr. Zhivago and The Sound of Music, so it’s a good bet most folks

Frontiere (The Outer Limits, Hang’Em High, Freebie and The Bean, The Stunt Man, etc.) and, later, On Any Sunday creator and producer Bruce Brown to put the perfect vocal and musical touch to a movie that has become legendary in the 51 years since its release.

on the planet have probably heard her extraordinary voice.

Stevens has done choral director work for the likes of the Emmy, Grammy and Oscar Awards, has been on the board of the Screen Actors Guild for two decades, and is also a writer of music and published poetry. When it comes to singing, writing and choral work, Sally Stevens has pretty much done it all. Which mostly explains how she ended up connecting with noted composer and arranger Dominic

Icaught up with Sally Stevens a while back and had a quite interesting conversation.

Joe Zimmerman: Sally, you do realize your song perfectly conveyed to the world what motorcycling was all about, right?

Sally Stevens: You know, people have said the song kinda captured the freedom of riding. But it’s funny because I never rode a motorcycle by myself. My brother Charles had a motorcycle, so I rode on the back of his, and during college I dated a cop

who had a bike, so I had experiences riding in those ways. When the On Any Sunday project came up, I asked my brother to take me on a ride again, because I really wanted to feel the experience and understand the details and have those thoughts about it.

JZ: It’s special for all of us, too! How did you actually meet Dominic Frontiere and land the gig to work on the film?

SS: Since the early ’60s I’d been a session singer, and through some other projects I had met and worked with Dominic, and I’d sent him a

motorcycles, he did fly airplanes, and so those lines probably resonated with the pilot in him. I found that quote on a website devoted to finding out who sang On Any Sunday, and no one knew who you were, or any of the other singers on the soundtrack.

SS: Well, with the music for this film, the Ron Hicklin singers did the backup vocals, and I did the lead. I had done solo cues for movies like Klute and The Fox with Lalo Schifrin, and we just never got screen credit for what we did back then. It was always mysterious who was singing off camera.

JZ: Where were you physically back in 1970 and 1971 when you sat down to write lyrics for On Any Sunday? In a restaurant? At home in your yard?

SS: At the time I was living in a house in Benedict Canyon in the Hollywood area. I remember Dominic coming over, and I have this picture in my mind of us sitting on my couch talking about the project. So I’m pretty sure I wrote the lyrics right there at the house at the piano, with Dom’s music in front of me.

JZ: Was the music already composed and you filled it with lyrics?

We grew up in Tujunga, Calif., and took off from our folks’ house and rode around for about an hour through La Tuna Canyon and around the hills there. So the writing came from what I felt. But I did have to dive a little deeper and find some expansion of those thoughts and be creative about it. The whole process was very special to me. You see, that was the first opportunity I had to write lyrics for a film. So On Any Sunday was and always will be very special.

couple of songs I’d written at the time. He didn’t have a lyricist at the time I don’t believe, and On Any Sunday was a very independent project, so I guess he figured he’d give me a chance to try it — and evidently liked what I wrote. Dominic was such a dear.

JZ: I read a quote from Dominic once where he said something like, “As soon as I read her ‘On Any Sunday, I’m a flyin’ man’ line I knew she was the one!” I also read that while Dominic didn’t ride

SS: It’s hard to remember, but I think it was all coming together sort of at once. I’m pretty sure I sent him the lyrics. I think this song might have started with the lyric. Or maybe Dom wrote the beginning phrase or something, and then it kind of grew from there. I honestly can’t remember.

JZ: How long did it take to write the lyrics? One night? A week?

SS: I think I wrote it in a day or so. I believe the film was all or mostly done by then, and Dominic was writing the score and wanted to have the song, so I believe it all came together pretty quickly.

JZ: The opening of the film — and the song — has an exciting and upbeat pace, while the closing scene is soft, dreamy and

sentimental. Did you realize at the time you were writing it that it would work both ways, fast and slow?

SS: I really didn’t. And I didn’t really know the layout that he worked out until we got to the vocal session. We were in our little vocal booths, and I wouldn’t have seen the vocal music before the session because that’s just how it worked. As session singers we’d walk in and read the sheet music…and that was it. Obviously, I knew the song, but I didn’t know exactly how he was going to treat it within the score.

JZ: Did you see a rough cut of the film to help with the lyrics? How much did you really

SS: Well, as I said, Dom and I talked a great deal about it. He understood the spirit it needed to have and conveyed all that to me. I’ve since written lyrics for several films, and I’ve yet to see the screening in advance. The composer does because he writes to the timings, but I’ve never actually seen one early.

know about what Bruce Brown was doing?

SS: I didn’t, and I knew very little. I knew it was about motorcycling. I knew it involved Steve McQueen. I knew it was about the motorcycling community and their experiences, and it had to have that sentiment. Dom would have seen it early because he had to score the music to the film, but I don’t think I ever saw a screening until it was finished.

JZ: That’s amazing, because the song meshes so well with the film, as if they were always meant to be together. I would have guessed you’d seen the movie over and over to get the exact details, because it just fit so perfectly.

JZ: Did you attend the premiere and meet Steve or Bruce?

SS: I don’t think I ever met Steve, though I did meet Bruce, and we reconnected considerably later at a tribute at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, but Steve had long since passed away by then. I can’t tell you for sure that I never met Steve, but it seems like something I would have remembered! [laughs] Bruce was very sweet, and very cordial. He’s gone now, too, but he was just always so kind and friendly.

JZ: Well [laughs], shame on Steve for not finding and thanking you for helping boost his career, and for taking the movie to a whole

SALLY STEVENS

other level, one not possible by anyone else but you.

SS: Well, that was Dom. He was a genius. He’s written so many different kinds of music. I remember him saying once that his problem was that he could write in any style of music. So there wasn’t an identifiable sound of Dominic Frontiere. He was such a good musician that he could adapt to any visual. It wasn’t like somebody who has a particular style, and that’s what you think of when you hear their name.

JZ: Did you ever save any of your notations or paperwork regarding the work on the film?

SS: At that time, even though I had written the lyrics, I really didn’t think of myself as all that important, so I never took any of thelead sheets home. I wasn’t in charge, so I don’t think I have any copies of the arrangements from that session. It would be nice if I did.

JZ: Yes, it’d be historical in a sense, as that song has become legendary and has affected literally millions of riders over the years. I have listened to it a lot while traveling on my motorcycle, and it’s transported me to places of wonder as I was visually taking in the countryside.

SS: That’s very sweet! I just loved this particular project and will be forever grateful to Dom.

JZ: And we, Sally, will be forever grateful to you! The music and emotions you brought to the motorcycle world through this film have brought everlasting joy to so many. Thank you, and thanks for your time today!

SS: Of course! AMA

“I remember him saying once that his problem was that he could write in any style of music. So there wasn’t an identifiable sound of Dominic Frontiere.

He was such a good musician that he could adapt to any visual.”

Stevens shooting a TV commercial for KBIG radio in LA. Right: Stevens’ new book, which chronicles her career.

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20% off 2-day and 3-day passes at select MotoAmerica events. Use discount code AMA20

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10% discount with valid AMA membership card.

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ALABAMA

Motocross: Dec. 18. Tallassee. Alabama State Championship, Monster Mountain, 334-4150415, ride@monstermx.com, monstermx.com

ARIZONA

Motocross: Dec. 1-4. Buckeye. Arizona Open Motocross Championship, Arizona Cycle Park, 623-853-0750 Ext. 4, info@arizonacyclepark. com, www.azopenmx.com.

CALIFORNIA

Dual Sport: Dec. 3. Maricopa. QCC, California Dual Sport Riders, 805-540-8179, californiadualsportriders@gmail.com, cdsr.us/quarterly-club-cruise.

Dual Sport: Dec 9- 10. Ocotillo. Handstands at 100mph Baja Borrego Dual Sport Ride, SVRA, Harden Offroad, 951-491-1819, scot.harden@ harden-offroad.com, www.harden-offroad.com.

Desert Scrambles: Dec.10. El Centro. Christmas Classic, Roadrunner Off-Road Racing Club, 619-787-5502, fentonrace@aol.com.

MICHIGAN

Ice Race: Dec. 3. Flint. Big Brothers & Big Sisters Indoor Ice Race, Flint Motorcycle Club, 810-744-0580, www.dortfinancialcenter.com.

NEW MEXICO

Observed Trials: Dec. 4. San Ysidro. NMTA #16, New Mexico Trials Association, 505-7802551, newmexicotrials@gmail.com.

VIRGINIA

Motocross: Dec. 3. Sutherlin. Ultra/D13/ USEMS Series, Birch Creek Promotions LLC., 276-650-1158, birchcreekmx@gmail.com, www.birchcreekmxpark.com.

Motocross: Dec. 4. Sutherlin. Ultra/D13/ USEMS Series, Birch Creek Promotions LLC., 276-650-1158, birchcreekmx@gmail.com, www. birchcreekmxpark.com.

SUPERCROSS

2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship supercrosslive.com

Round 1: Jan 7. Anaheim, Calif. Angel Stadium

Round 2: Jan 14. Oakland, Calif. RingCentral Coliseum

Round 3: Jan 21. San Diego, Calif. Snapdragon Stadium

Round 4: Jan 28. Anaheim, Calif. Angel Stadium

Round 5: Feb 4. Houston, Texas. NRG Stadium Round 6: Feb 11. Tampa, Fla. Raymond James Stadium Round 7: Feb 25. Arlington, Texas. AT&T Stadium Round 8: March 4. Daytona Beach, Fla. Daytona Int’l Speedway Round 9: March 11. Indianapolis, Ind. Lucas Oil Stadium

Round 10: March 18. Detroit, Mich. Ford Field Round 11: March 25. Seattle, Wash. Lumen Field

Round 12: April 8. Glendale, Ariz. State Farm Stadium Round 13: April 15. Atlanta, Ga. Atlanta Motor Speedway Round 14: April 22. East Rutherford, N.J. Metlife Stadium Round 15: April 29. Nashville, Tenn. Nissan Stadium Round 16: May 6. Denver, Colo. Empower Field at Mile High Round 17: May 13. Salt Lake City, Utah. Rice-Eccles Stadium

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May 13. Salt Lake City, Utah. Rice-Eccles Stadium

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Jan. 28. Anaheim, Calif. Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

Feb. 25. Arlington, Texas. AT&T Stadium. April 8. Glendale, Ariz. State Farm Stadium. April 22. East Rutherford, N.J. MetLife Stadium.

MOTOCROSS

2023 Pro Motocross Championship promotocross.com

Round 1: May 27. Pala, Calif. Fox Raceway

Round 2: June 3. Sacramento, Calif. Hangtown Motocross

Round 3: June 10. Lakewood, Colo. Thunder Valley Motocross Park

Round 4: June 17. Mount Morris, Pa. High Point Raceway

Round 5: July 1. Buchanan, Mich. RedBud MX

Round 6: July 8. Southwick, Mass.

The Wick 338

Round 7: July 15. Millville, Minn. Spring Creek MX Park

Round 8: July 22. Washougal, Wash. Washougal MX Park

Round 9: Aug 12. New Berlin, N.Y. Unadilla MX

Round 10: Aug 19. Mechanicsville, Md. Budds Creek Motocross Park

Round 11: Aug 26. Crawfordsville, Ind. Ironman Raceway

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

AMA Arenacross National Championship Series arenacrossusa.com

Round 3: Jan. 6-8. Loveland, Colo.

Round 4: Jan. 13-15. Prescott, Ariz.

Round 5: Jan. 20-22. Guthrie, Okla.

Round 6: Jan. 27-29. Guthrie, Okla.

Round 7: Feb. 3-5. Reno, Nev.

Round 8: Feb. 10-12. Denver, Colo.

Round 9: Feb. 24-26. Hobbs, N.M.

Round 10: March 3-5. Amarillo, Texas.

Round 11: March 10-12. Tulsa, Okla.

Round 12: March 17-19. Salem, Va.

Round 13: March 24-26. Little Rock, Ark.

Round 14: March 30-April 2. Lexington, Ky

FEATURED EVENTS OR SERIES

Arizona Open Motocross Championship azopenmx.com

Dec. 1-4. Buckeye, Ariz. Arizona Cycle Park. (653) 853-0750, Ext. 4.

PRO-AM EVENTS

2022 AMA Pro-Am Schedule americanmotorcyclist.com/pro-ammotocross

Arizona Open Motocross Championship, *DOUBLE POINTS: Dec. 1-4. Buckeye, Ariz. Arizona Cycle Park. (653) 853-0750, Ext. 4., azopenmx.com

TRACK RACING

2023 Mission Foods AMA Flat Track Grand Championship americanmotorcyclist.com/flat-track-racing

June 14-20. Du Quoin, Ill. Du Quoin State Fairgrounds

OFF-ROAD

FEATURED EVENTS OR SERIES

AMA Florida Enduro Championship Series floridatrailriders.org

Feb. 26, 2023: Richloam, Fla. Central Florida Trail Riders, (407) 929-2114, president@ centralfloridatrailriders.org.

March 9, 2023: Ormond Beach, Fla. Daytona Dirt Riders (386) 615-0722 , secretary4ddr@ gmail.com.

June 4, 2023: Greensboro, Ga. Cherokee Enduro Riders, (678) 572-7260, hill6164@ bellsouth.net.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

AMA Florida State Hare Scrambles Championship Series floridatrailriders.org

Dec. 10-11: Punta Gorda, Fla., Old School Dirt Riders, (941) 650-1473, ftr90racer@Yahoo. com.

Jan. 7-8, 2023: Brooksville, Fla., Suncoast Trail Blazers, (727) 635-6228, suncoastbiz1@gmail.com.

Jan. 21-22, 2023: Okeechobee, Fla., Palm Beach Track & Trail, (954) 931-5709, motodadfla19@aol.com.

Feb. 4-5, 2023: Indiantown, Fla., Treasure Coast Trail Riders, (772) 801-9777, luisabx@ hotmail.com.

March 18-19, 2023: Dade City, Fla., Nature Coast Trail Blazers, (813) 731-0619, rswann222@gmail.com.

Apr. 1-2, 2023: Okeechobee, Fla., Big “O” Trail Riders, (863) 532-1952.

NATIONAL RECREATIONAL

AMA National Adventure Riding Series americanmotorcyclist.com/nationaladventure-riding

March 4-5. Santa Rosa National Adventure Ride. Milton, Fla. Appalachian Trail Riders. (704) 309-3271, rottenronnie690@yahoo.com, usdualsporters.com

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SAVVY

Rev Matching

Smooth and seamless downshifting isn’t just for racers

BY MITCH BOEHM

Our annual Alps Challenge tours with Edelweiss Bike Travel in August are in many ways life-changing events for many, this author included, and one of the best elements aside from the roads, geography and culture is the bikeangled discussions that inevitably pop up at meal and cappuccino stops each day.

Because a wide range of riders with varying skill sets attend these tours, many of these chats end up being about riding technique, and two of the most common, this year and every year, relate to lines and smoothness.

They’re connected, of course, with funky line selection — especially in an incredibly curvy environment such as the Alps — contributing to all sorts of lurching about and chassis undulation. Lurching not only telegraphs to the world you’re a goof but can upset things enough to allow a break in traction, which is something you do not want on a switchback-infested mountain pass that in many cases has no barrier to stop you from the Big Dive.

One afternoon while talking about smoothness and the specifics of line selection, throttle application, braking, turn-in and body English, one of the

more rookie-level guys commented that while following me earlier in the day he noticed “almost zero” chassis pitch or undue movement from my Triumph Tiger 1200 while entering the bazillion 180-degree switchbacks we’d taken, and asked about that.

Fifty years of riding and racing will do that, of course, but when I dug down a little deeper as I enjoyed my third or fourth espresso of the day, I realized that an important element of road racing was contributing to the smoothness he was seeing — one called rev matching

Just like covering the brake lever or trail braking right to the apex,

Tips,Tweaks, Fixes and Facts: The two-wheeled ownership experience, explained

STREET

matching revs during downshifts is something I do constantly on the street but am not really conscious of. On the racetrack it’s an absolute key to going fast, and being ham-fisted here makes you not only slow but a candidate for an ambulance ride.

But rev matching is a key component to street-riding smoothness, especially in a mountainous or curvy-road environment where you are constantly accelerating and slowing down, and the benefits of smooth, lurch-free riding go way beyond being fast or looking good, with cornering traction being a key example, especially on wet, greasy or loose surfaces.

SO, HOW’S IT WORK?

Doing the Rev Match Rumba isn’t easy and takes plenty of practice to perfect (years in some cases), though it is easier than doing the Heel-’n’-Toe Tango in a sports car.

Typically, the average (or beginner) rider does this when approaching a corner in which both braking and downshifting are required: First, the brakes get applied (hopefully smoothly, and hopefully more front than rear), and then downshifting occurs, sometimes with a single clutch pull and one or more downshifts, and other times with a separate clutch disengagement for each downshift.

This basic process gets the job done, though if the clutch lever is released suddenly and the revs are at idle or not far from it when all this happens, there will be conflict between the speed of the rear wheel (based on the downshifted gear chosen) and the speed of the motorcycle — which results in minor (or worse) skidding of the rear tire when the clutch lever is released… along with what’s often the squeal of rubber on tarmac, sudden engine revving, drivetrain jerkiness and undue chassis undulation. And that’s where you can get into trouble on slick or loose surfaces.

(For those with stick-shift experience in a car, just think of downshifting into second gear at 50 or 60 mph and letting the clutch out suddenly. Can you say whiplash?)

AND HOW DO YOU FIX IT?

The fix for all this, of course, is to get your rear wheel and the ground speed of the motorcycle to agree

downshift individually as you practice instead of only once per corner (where all the downshifts are done during a single clutch-lever pull).

and shake hands, to match speeds, as it were, and to do that you need to supply the engine with enough revs as you approach the corner and downshift the right number of times so that when the clutch lever is released the rear wheel can instantaneously catch up to the speed of the bike and eliminate any (even a small) loss of traction.

Of course, this is easier written than done, as the precise amount of revs and when you introduce them and how many downshifts to execute are key to this whole process being seamless and clunk-free — and why it takes so much practice to get right.

Since repetition is helpful here, I’d recommend trying to rev-match each

The process, then, should go like this: One, close the throttle smoothly as you approach the corner. Two, apply braking, smoothly and with about a two-thirds-front/one-third-rear bias. Three, disengage the clutch by pulling the lever and click a downshift (or two, or three, depending). Four, as you continue to brake with (probably) a couple fingers on your right hand, blip the throttle smoothly to a rev level you feel will match the bike’s current speed. And five, once the revs are where you want them (it won’t take long), release the clutch lever smoothly.

If you’ve gotten the revs right and downshifted into the proper gear for the corner’s speed, the rear wheel will re-engage with the engine and transmission smoothly and without a bit of aural or tire-skidding drama, and you can continue on your smooth and merry cornering way. If the revs jump suddenly when the clutch is released, or if the rear wheel chirps or skids or lurches, you’ve not given the drivetrain quite enough goose, or picked too low a gear — and this is precisely where practice makes perfect.

Once again, some road racing skills really do translate to better and safer street riding.

rev matching is a key component to street-riding smoothness, especially in a mountainous or curvyroad environment where you are constantly accelerating and slowing down.

Releasing the clutch lever smoothly after you click your downshifts is one key to smooth, glitch-free downshifting.

Iwrote about the sight-unseen purchase of my very first Ducati in our October issue, and now that I’ve put a few miles on the 9000-mile 2013 Multistrada 1200S and just recently gotten it back from the guys at Moto Station SLC after its first full service (valves, belts, fluids, filters, new battery, fresh tires…and loads of Il Grano), it’s time for a bit of a report card.

Overall, I love the thing. The way it looks and sounds, all those beautiful alloy castings, the paint job, the ergos, the lovely Marchesini wheels and radial Brembos, its multi-talented character, the way it handles and the fact that it’s like riding a big AMA Superbike-powered dirt bike. Ducati’s Multistradas are the most street-oriented of the so-called ADV bikes, and I like it that way, seeing as how I can get up and down a dirt road on it if I have to, but knowing that asphalt is where it really lives. And the thing just eats asphalt.

I love the idea of the Skyhook semiactive suspension and being able to fine-tune rear preload and front/rear damping via the push of a button, but the in-dash computer and bar switches you use to control setup — and the owners’ manual itself — are amazingly complex and confusing. Fortunately, James at Moto Station — who’s younger than me, go figure — has been at least somewhat successful at making me at least semiproficient at all the button-pushing and scrolling.

I did not appreciate the soft and severely dished stock seat at all, as even 30-minute rides had me squirmin’ and burnin’. I did some research and ended up ordering a Sargent World Sport Modular saddle in all black, and while it leaves a bit of a gap between its bottom edge and the bike’s side panels once fitted, it’s significantly more comfortable than the stocker thanks to its firmer “Super Cell Atomic” foam, wider butt zone and flatter, less-dished shape. It’s expensive ($589.95 total for both pieces)

A beautiful motorcycle among beautiful autumn Utah foliage. Can’t beat it.

A wider and firmer Sargent saddle replaced the too-soft, too-cupped stocker for a substantial improvement in comfort and support. Right: Michelin’s new-ish Road 6 sport-touring skins are super-grippy, offer neutral handling and are reportedly great in the wet. We shall see.

but well worth the money given the added comfort. It looks good, too.

The bike came with fresh Pirelli Angel GT sport-touring tires, but the rear had a plug from an errant nail and I ended up replacing them with a set of Michelin’s Road 6 sporttouring skins after hearing good

their dual-compound construction (softer on the edges and harder in the middle), and have neutral steering feel and better-than-average feedback, so I have a feeling we’re going to like each other.

The bike had a lithium battery that was dying, so I went with a tried and

Aside from the two sets of hard bags (one normal-sized, one huuuuge) and a top trunk the bike came with, also included were Ducatioptional heated grips (which offer three heat levels controlled by the starter button while riding), a nonstandard center-stand, the factory bar risers found on the Touring version of the bike, a manually adjustable throttle lock for longer highway slogging and, of course, the full-titanium Termignoni exhaust, which removes the very heavy cat box and gives the bike a full-throated bark that’s music to my ears and not nearly as bothersome as the piped inline-four bikes — or open-piped big twins — running around town.

Multistrada means “all-terrain” in Italian, but for me over these last couple of months, “all smiles”

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

Jared Mees grabs 2022 GNC title, with Jesse Janisch and Kody Kopp capturing their first each in AFT Production Twins and AFT Singles

It took until the final weekend of the American Flat Track season, but two of its three series champions were crowned on the back half of a Half-Mile double header at Volusia Speedway Park on Oct. 14-15 in Barberville, Fla. — Indi an Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance’s Jared Mees, who captured yet another Grand National Championship title, and Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Jesse Janisch, who won his first.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kody Kopp wrapped up his first AFT Singles title at round 15 at the Cedar Lake Short Track in New Richmond, Wis., on Sept. 24.

After outclassing his title rivals with a second overall in Friday’s Half-Mile event at Volusia (with Jared Vander

kooi winning his first-ever Grand Na tional Main event), Mees had only to qualify for and finish Saturday’s Main to secure his seventh GNC title… though he narrowly escaped disaster after pulling off what many observers called the “save of the year” en route to a Semi victory.

He chose to make it interesting in the Main, as well, mixing it up with the likes of a very speedy Indian FTR-mounted Vanderkooi and teen phenom Dallas Daniels on the Esten son Racing Yamaha to finish third.

“They are all sweet, they are all awesome, and they are all a lot of hard work,” Mees quipped afterward.

Janisch took the opposite route to the AFT Production Twins title, cruising home to eighth in the Main to secure his first-ever AFT championship.

“Shout out to the Vance & Hines team,” Janisch said afterward. “Ev erything about this is from them. They gave me a heck of an opportunity this year. We had a great season – seven wins and 14 podiums. This is good!”

—Mitch Boehm

Team Mees 2022, gathered in victory (and likely coated with champagne) after the AFT double-header finale at Volusia. Below: AFT Production Twins champion Jesse Janisch with AMA Director of Racing Mike Pelletier (middle), and AFT Singles champ Kody Kopp with the AMA’s Joe Bromley.

Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scenes, always wear protective clothing and observe the applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations. The illustrated vehicles may vary in selected details from the production models and some illustrations feature optional equipment available at additional cost.

Possessing the strongest engine in Husqvarna Motorcycles’ dual-sport lineup, the versatile FE 501s is designed to deliver strong, controllable power that assures the most comfort on extended rides.

Photo: M. Campelli, Fotografie Mitterbauer