FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO

From the President and CEO MOTORCYCLING TO THE RESCUE

BY ROB DINGMAN

Strong motorcycle sales are the silver lining to what we have all endured over the last couple of years. Whether it was something to do while other activities were limited, a realignment of life’s priorities, the fulfillment of lifelong ambitions or a combination of all the above, consumers descended on dealerships and opened their checkbooks.

While inflation and a slowing economy threaten to rain on this parade, skyrocketing gas prices are likely to get more people to consider motorcycling as a fuel-efficient and, therefore, more economical way to get around.

Although I have been thoroughly impressed with just about every electric-powered motorcycle I have had the opportunity to throw a leg generation of the electricity necessary to power all the electric vehicles currently in use, let alone the electricity necessary to replace all the gas-powered vehicles on the road today.

So for now we can settle for conserving Aerostich’s natural resources the Andy Goldfine old-fashioned way… by riding a motorcycle! With gas prices reaching $5 and $6 a gallon, riding a vehicle that gets 40 miles per gallon or more is a financially sensible decision.

Not only is riding a motorcycle cost effective, it’s also good for our overall well-being. Several years ago I wrote about this aspect in this column space, attributing this concept to former AMA Board member and founder of Aerostich/RiderWearHouse Andy Goldfine.

Riding motorcycles, according to Andy, is a social good, much like exercising, eating healthy and bettering oneself through the pursuit of higher education. Andy once explained to me that when you begin your day commuting to work on a motorcycle, you are more prepared for the day when you get to work because your mind has already been focused on the task of riding. In the

“The idea that riding a motorcycle is not only good for you, both mentally and physically, but also good for society as a whole sounds like a concept generated by a marketing department. But if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.”

over, I am not yet willing to give up my gas-powered machines in favor of them. Maybe I am a purist, but there’s just something about the internal combustion engine that makes motorcycling what it is.

I am also not convinced that doing away with gas-powered vehicles is going to save the planet. The electricity necessary to run all those new-age electric vehicles must be generated somehow, and you can bet that the sources are not all wind and solar. There is still a massive carbon footprint associated with the time it takes you to get from one place to another on a motorcycle, you have had to make hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions. He says that for this reason, motorcycling helps increase mental acuity and makes us all more clear-headed and stronger. Andy has also been a long-time advocate for motorcycling as a means of congestion mitigation. If even a small percentage of car drivers on our roadways got out of their cars and onto motorcycles, the traffic wouldn’t be so bad, there would be more places to park, and our carbon footprint would be reduced. And after all, isn’t at least the last item the point of all the promotion of electric vehicles over gas-powered ones?

The idea that riding a motorcycle is not only good for you, both mentally and physically, but also good for society as a whole sounds like a concept generated by a marketing department. But if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. We might as well do some good for ourselves and society while we’re combatting higher gas prices by riding motorcycles more!

When you encounter someone new to motorcycling who has taken up riding because of the high cost of gasoline, tell them about the AMA and everything we do to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. Then ask them to join.

Rob Dingman is the President and CEO of the AMA, and a Charter Life Member

DEDICATED TO RIDER PROTECTION

Photo courtesy of Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.

XD4 • COVER WHITE FROST

THE ARAI DIFFERENCE

At Arai, not only the management, but its owner also knows the mission to protect riders and continues learning how a helmet works to protect the wearers against riding impacts. Witnessing how severe and unpredictable some impacts can be, Arai’s focus continues to be

the consistent pursuit of gains in protection

for helmets bearing our family name. When a helmet is impacted, the inner liner is crushed, absorbing impact energy in the process. The liner’s ability to absorb impact energy varies depending on the helmet’s construction and thickness in its upper regions. But Arai helmets, with their proprietary onepiece multi-density EPS liner, can maintain a consistent thickness even in areas where high levels of energy absorption are needed. The helmet remains compact by forming different EPS densities into a single liner of uniform thickness while still satisfying strict helmet standards.

BACKFIRES

SAFETY FIRST

I have fallen down more than once, and every time I was at least partially at fault. I have heard many people say, “Ride as if you cannot be seen,” but my attitude is, “Ride like I can be seen, and every other vehicle on the road is aiming at me!” My take is, I am the only person responsible for my safety, and I do not trust anyone that can possibly hit me. When a car is coming out of a driveway, does it actually come to a stop (so the driver can check traffic), or do you just trust that it will because that’s what the driver is supposed to do? How about the car approaching from the opposite direction…is the left turn signal on, or is it slowing down, or are his front wheels starting to angle toward you? If you missed any of these clues as to the driver’s intent, you have some responsibility for the altercation. I believe this has helped keep me alive.

Daniel (Bo) Sporer AMA# 3310153

While reading the Gear Basics piece in May’s AMA Garage section I recalled a helmet story I’ve been telling over the years that I’ve always called “Just a scratch.” I had helped a friend repair his Gold Wing after a serious get off, and after he’d healed sufficiently to ride and the bike was repaired like new he grabbed his old helmet and made ready to ride off. I asked if that was the same helmet he was wearing when he crashed, and when he replied “yes” I expressed some concern that, while the lid may have saved his life once, it wasn’t designed to do it again. He replied, “it’s only a scratch.” After some discussion on the value of his head and our friendship, I told him we should cut that helmet in half with a band saw, and then I’d show him why he shouldn’t wear it again — and if I couldn’t prove it, I’d replace it with a brand new one. He agreed, and once we cut it open he saw the obvious compression of the EPS liner where the helmet had impacted the ground when he fell — and why he should toss it. Which he did, and was happy to replace it with a new one. So remember…if you’ve got a $5 head, buy (and continue wearing) a $5 helmet. Gear is vitally important.

Don Mikkelson, MSF Instructor AMA Life Member #292513

Concerning All The Gear All The Time (ATGATT), a person wouldn’t think to go out on a racetrack without gear. As an old racer, I recognized right away that the street was much more dangerous than the racetrack, but still, my motto for the street was: helmet, leather gloves, leather jacket and good leather boots, minimum. After being broadsided last year by a full-grown doe at 50 mph and subsequently being unable to even get on a bike for the next nine months, I will now be ATGATT. To Mitch and crew: although I was slow to warm to the new format, I have come to really appreciate the new mag. Keep up the good work.

Lee Hamness AMA Member

Something that I have always added to my motorcycles are spot mirrors, the small rectangular ones mounted on the inner lower corner of the mirror glass. They work great on cars and even better on motorcycles. One thing I don’t understand about some of the new adventure motorcycles is they design the widest part of the mirror at the top outer corner where it isn’t needed. I want to see the car next to me not the sky above it, so I swapped mine side to side for a better view.

Robert Boothe South Carolina

Whatever works for you, Robert. —Ed.

LETTER OF THE MONTH

THE VETTER EFFECT

What a joy it was to read the letter from Craig Vetter in the May 2022 issue reminiscing about all the testing he did with fairings and motorcycles from that era. Then he mentions the time he and his employee Henry Tate rode a combined 190,000 miles in just one year. I was a teenager in the early 1970s when I saw his motorcycle fairings and realized what a big plus he was to the motorcycle world.

Roy Hooper Ojai, Calif.

It’s all very true, Roy, and thanks for the reminder of Hall of Famer Craig Vetter’s substantial contribution to our sport. Check out his latest thoughts in our Quail story on page 60.

—Ed

Letters to the editor are the opinions of the AMA members who write them. Inclusion here does not imply they reflect the positions of the AMA, its staff or board. Agree? Disagree? Let us know. Send letters to submissions@ama-cycle.org or mail to American Motorcyclist Association, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147. Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity.

ALL ABOUT TIME

Just want to tell you how much I enjoy the magazine’s new format, and especially the article It’s About Time in the May issue. One aspect of enduro time-keeping that was not really touched on is the need for an accurate and resettable odometer. The odometer needs to be resettable in both directions in 10ths of a mile, and the reasons are twofold: The first is to adjust for the difference between the odometer used to lay out the course and the odometer on your bike. Say for example the route sheet told you the mileage at turn #26 was 47.2 and when you arrived at that turn, your odometer showed 47.9. You then reset your odometer back to 47.2 and recalculated your time based on the corrected mileage.

The second reason is if you missed a turn or strayed off the course, your odometer kept on accumulating mileage while you were off course. After getting back on course, you had to correct your odometer to what your route sheet shows.

Back in the day, the only motorcycle speedometer I know of that had this resettable feature was from a Harley-Davidson big twin. After mounting it and connecting the drive cable to your bike, you had to get it to read mileage accurately, which was accomplished using a special Stuart Warner ratio correction gear box.

It wasn’t until the mid 1960s that VDO speedometers with resettable odometers became available, and these were used by just about all riders that hoped to do more than just finish the run. With these VDO speedometers, you marked out a certain length on the ground, 52.8 feet if I remember correctly, and counted the number of turns your speedo cable made in that distance. You then sent this cable-turn info along with your speedometer order. I believe John Penton was instrumental in making these available.

This time-keeping game on a motorcycle wasn’t confined to just enduros. There were Reliability Runs and Road Runs that were scored the same way, only the course was less severe and could, in theory, be covered on a street bike or even a car.

Time marches on and things change, but it just might be fun to play these time keeping games again just for old time’s sake.

Dennis Pataki AMA #2847739

Rode with Vern Street for many years. One helluva guy and one helluva rider. I could tell you many stories about him. When I think about his riding skills I think about the time at Wheeler ranch when we were having a national enduro. I was working with a check crew. It was really wet and muddy that day. We made a chicane coming into the checkpoint to slow the riders down, and when Vern came through the chicane he never let off the throttle and threw the bike from side to side. I was very impressed.

Jerry Bohannon

KUDOS TO THE CREW

The AMA has improved its magazine greatly! Major kudos to Rob Dingman and the AMA for bringing Boehm as Editorial Director. The changes in the magazine, all for the positive, have been immense. I now look forward to the arrival of American Motorcyclist and read it thoroughly from front to back. Before Mitch joined the team I’d take a quick look, maybe read a small bit on legislative issues, and toss it aside. American Motorcyclist has become a real motorcyclist magazine and a real benefit of AMA membership! I appreciated and enjoyed reading Dingman’s article in the May issue explaining how COVID affected the AMA and the actions the AMA took to come out of the pandemic as good as, or better, than it was prior to the pandemic. I see a better and stronger AMA and hope that prevails and grows. Thank you.

Mike Crowley

Thank you, Mike, for the kind words! Not everyone agrees, but the vast majority of members are enjoying the new magazine experience we’re offering, and are saying so. —Ed.

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