Posts
12524
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
Sacramento, CA
US
Get involved, a little or a lot, or shut up. Whining here move the needle not one bit. If there's no organization on point for your cause start one. If you know of others, add them.
https://blueribboncoalition.org
https://www.offroadbusiness.org
https://americanmotorcyclist.com/organizers/sanction/risk-management/
https://americanmotorcyclist.com/organizers/charter/chartered-organizations-list/
If you think any of these don't have impact it's almost certain it's because crybabies are sunk in the couch complaining and not getting involved.
Super Hunky just looked down and smiled, FTE!!!
HERE! HERE! Member of three of those organizations. It is my belief every dirt bike rider should be a member of at least one!
Great thinking! Thread of the year!
For the down voter(s)
The Shop
Everybody pops a cork eventually. Don't worry about it. ; )
I wonder about the AMA. After reading https://theridesofar.com/2014/02/the-decline-of-the-ama/?t and doing a fair amount of research into trying to see what they're doing with that ~$12m of annual revenue other than paying salaries and other associated fees and expenses to operate the organization itself, I came up pretty much empty. I don't see much investment in the community - it all seems to be investment in the organization itself.
So - anyone know? What has AMA done to benefit the motorcycling community? Any examples to share? Genuinely curious, not trying to start a war here...
https://www.kurtcaselli.com
Great article albeit 10 years old. Much like an H.O.A. . I am sure this organization was started with the best intentions. When the wrong people get empowered, it all goes downhill quickly. Mx and off-road riders need an organization for our specific needs… I.E. track Insurance and land use issues….not fighting helmet laws so fat guys can ride their harleys around Daytona …the only reason I am a lifetime member was because I was forced to join every year to race Mx in N.Y.
All I know is that they make a decent (albeit small) shitter magazine. I do enjoy the "back in the day" section/photos. But I don't need three of the same magazine every month. I pay for three memberships due to three of us that race (2 only occasionally). The HOF building was nice. That's all I got. lol
Exactly! Well stated. I’ve been involved for years, continue to do so, and hope others do too. Thank you for sharing the resources.
Well, they just hired Albrecht for probably 6 figures a year to monitor shit at Supercross races that will only affect .01% of AMA Members.
Is that helping to benefit the motorcycling community?
https://americanmotorcyclist.com/rights/rights-resources/
https://americanmotorcyclist.com/?s=insurance
To be fair, I bet Sx pays way more than that to be sanctioned and it’s not coming from the general public but maybe I am wrong and we are paying for J Bone.
Yep, rubber meets the road. Sometimes you feel the courts are all one sided for the plaintiff, especially where an injury or death occurs.
Yeah, I saw that. Seems like more marketing than anything else. I haven't been able to find any actual real examples where they actually accomplished any of the stated objectives in their marketing material.
It's a jury of your fellow citizens that renders verdicts, rarely a judge. The judge will instruct on the law. If you want the laws to be better in your state, get involved.
Maybe people see what they want to see to excuse themselves from devoting the time to be an activist for your sport.
A lot of this happens at the district level where the relationships exist, and in collaboration with other groups and the national level support team. For example, https://americanmotorcyclist.com/california-signs-law-regarding-sanctioned-event-permit-for-off-highway-motorcycle-competition/
If you're not involved you're out of the loop. If your local district is ineffective, maybe it's because people are not getting involved. That's a problem with all volunteer organizations, not just ones devoted to motorcycles.
OK thanks for the info. Unfortunately that's not exactly a great example of something which benefits the motorcycling community, in my opinion. Not sure we need need a government-issued permit to ride our off-road motorcycles on public lands. Seems like unnecessary legislation to me, and I don't see how this advocacy helps the motorcycling community. If on the other hand the AMA had advocated for excluding OHRVs from emissions standards (as is the case in the rest of the country outside of CA) I could see the benefit. The 'Red Sticker' program was a failure, and this new legislation the AMA just advocated for is more of the same.
Anyway, I don't want to get into a debate - your point is 'get involved' and I get that. My level of involvement is limited to sending $$, and unfortunately I don't see the AMA being worthy of my $$. I wish it were, but I see no value whatsoever in funding this particular non-profit organization.
Pit Row
I long for a motorcycle only, off road only organization…which fights to keep tracks and riding areas and trails open to dirt bikes……screw the oil/gas companies (so many ohv organizations partner with oil and gas companies for some reason), and screw the jeeps, and 4-wheelers, and SxS’s….to the point that this fictional group would, when necessary, fight to close land to machines with more than two wheels, if it meant keeping dirt bikes legal. And that will fight to keep tracks from closing because of complaints from NIMBY’s…
Yes, I know, it’s a massive pipe dream (unless anyone knows a billionaire who will fund it as a pet project)…but a guy can dream…
Is the Sahara Club still a thing?
Sounds like the Blue Ribbon Coalition. https://blueribboncoalition.org
The BRC is AWESOME, and the next best thing (I've been a member for years)...but they won't exclude the four wheel machines (they fight for their access as well), and don't spend much resources at all on moto tracks. I want a BRC, but that is focused exclusively on dirt bikes...and will fight against 4 wheeled machines to the benefit of keeping dirt bikes legal...AND...who will fight to keep tracks open in court, and with lobbyists in local governments working to make laws to the benefit of tracks and prevent laws to the detriment of them.
Well, the next track they prevent from closing will be their FIRST. Same with land closure issues... They're not good at this.
However, if you want to ride with loud pipes, no helmet, and assless chaps they're your boys!
Long gone, unfortunately. They started out great but never got the support from the off road community needed to really make it big. I was a member from beginning to end, the last couple of years were just painful to watch. We as a group let them down..
You very well could be right. I have no idea.
My comment could be very off base.
Getting involved is obviously a key ingredient that is lacking.
But the reality is it will take each state to pass legislation limiting liability exposure to inherent risk activities, like the equine exemption laws in some states (horses for you morans). (:
But in order to get such a law introduced, and passed as legislation, would require a lobbyist on retainer to draft the proposed legislation and get a state Congress and/or Senate member to introduce the bill for approval.
No one person, or group of people, calling their elected officials is going to get anything but lip service bullshit. They will tell you it matters, but it doesn't mean shit unless you are connected to a lobbyist money train.
Nothing happens legislatively without a well connected (and well paid) lobbyist driving the boat.
I am somewhat surprised insurance companies don't have their lobbyists pushing for this legislative action, but I would guess it is because in their world the MX community is easier to just leave behind than to fight for us via legislative action in 50 different states.
I am sure the AMA has lobbyists on retainer in many states, but looks like they don't want to direct their funds towards this battle.
Edit to add- FTE is correct about the organizations that can advocate for MX tracks to exist, but it will take money (from us) to allow them to hire the lobbyists groups to get liability protection laws enacted to protect or at least minimize MX tracks from lawsuits.
And no I am not an advocate for lobbyists, but because of prior business interests that are tied to Government regulation (City, County, and State- not Federal) we over the years have spent well into the 6 figures (small potatoes in the lobbyist world) to either "help" our business interest, or "protect" our business interests.
You don't get an invite to the party let alone a seat at the table, without a lobbyist introduction. So any organization that has our backs for MX track liability is limited by the amount of money they have to fund lobbyists to introduce legislation- and for 50 states that will take a lot of financial help.
I think that you'd be surprised what a reasonable, rational conversation with your local representatives can do. It may not initially have the impact of a lobbyist coming in with their fancy power points, studies, and of course campaign cash, but if done correctly it can have a much bigger impact than you think at first. Campaign donations help with exposure, but candidates still need votes from their local area and if you can make logical, measured arguments and also communicate that many of their constituents also support your viewpoint, it can be a huge win. You have to take the long game approach, though. Showing up at one Town Hall and expecting them to suddenly see the light and agree with your viewpoint is probably not realistic.
It's better than the alternative. The alternative was going to be no legal riding on public lands with OHV bikes manufactured after 2021.
"The 'Red Sticker' program was a failure, and this new legislation the AMA just advocated for is more of the same. "
This is actually worse than the red sticker program.
Not better than the alternative, IMO. The alternative the AMA should have pursued would have been to exclude dirt bikes from emissions standards, like every other state in the nation. Totally eliminate the requirement for permitting in the first instance.
Re it being worse than the red sticker program - here's a direct quote from the referenced article: "The AMA thanks its California members, especially in District 36, for their advocacy regarding this important issue. Their efforts over the past three years played a key role in the passage of this legislation."
Glad to know my AMA membership fees helped with this. /s
I was a Sahara Club member, was there the day of the Barstow to Vegas Protest ride where Rick Sieman was arrested. I was in the other group.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-25-mn-7470-story.html
You have never experienced fun until you have been chased by a BLM helicopter.
The AMA wanted nothing to do with us, so I have not been an AMA member since. AMA is a waste of money.
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