MRF Alerts

Tuesday morning, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation attended a panel by the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers. The discussion centered on “The Motorcycle Industry’s Vision for Decarbonization.” As in the United States, there is a growing movement to shift away from carbon-based fuel and toward decarbonization and elimination of emissions.

While motorcycle emissions account for less than 1% of all emissions in Europe, the motorcycle industry is taking a proactive approach to the future of fueling their transportation system. Regulators in Europe have already set 2035 as the deadline for the ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines. So far, motorcycles have escaped such a ban, but there is little doubt they will come under the microscope of regulators soon. 

European motorcycle manufacturers see the writing on the wall and are navigating a potentially complex set of rules and regulations. Two camps have formed within Europe on the topic, one camp focused on strict regulations including the banning of combustion engines and picking winners and losers for which technologies will replace what is on the road today. The second camp is focused on market-based solutions, allowing all technologies to compete, that in theory will lead to the most efficient and cost-effective technologies winning out. Some of the new technology being discussed includes electric bikes, swappable batteries, synthetic fuels, hydrogen fuel cells and hybrid powertrains.

There is also a fear in Europe that other regions of the world have already taken the lead in this technology and Europe is playing catch up. Specifically, the electric car industry and the success of brands like Tesla in the United States has Europeans concerned. European motorcycle firms want to be the leaders in the future of motorcycle technology. European advances in fueling and swappable battery projects could help solve the problem of range and lack of charging infrastructure that is the Achilles heel of electric transportation.

Why does this matter to bikers in America? Europe has over 40 manufacturing facilities and 35 research and development sites across the continent. They are taking a forward leaning approach and have stated their goal to be industry leaders. If Europe chooses a market-based approach and allows the development of a wide variety of technologies American manufactures may end of playing catch up.

While Europe and the United States have different views on many topics, it was great to hear the closing message from the panel in Europe. “Motorcycles are not part of the problem, they are part of the solution.” We at the Motorcycle Riders Foundation couldn’t agree more.

There’s more than one way to have your voice heard!

Last Tuesday was election day, but our voices should be heard every day. In less than 50 days the 2022 Motorcycle Profiling Project annual survey closes. Have you filled out the survey?

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) relies on surveys like this to help back up our arguments in Washington D.C. Not only is this information useful in our nation’s capital but bikers have successfully used this data to change laws at the state level.  

It takes less than 2 minutes and can help make the difference in the lives of all bikers.

Do you part, fill out the survey today before it’s too late!

Click here to take the survey

While ballots are still being counted in many races, the results on the 2022 midterm elections will have major ramifications in Washington, D.C. As of Wednesday afternoon, control of both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives remains undecided.

What is clear is that there will be many new faces in the halls of Congress. Nearly 100 new lawmakers will be sworn in on January 3^rd when the 118^th Congress convenes. That means almost 20% of Congress will be new to the job come 2023. Almost every state will be sending at least one new elected official to our nation’s capital!

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) is committed to working with all lawmakers regardless of party to achieve our policy goals. We can’t do that without the relationships that you as bikers have built back home. While we strive to introduce our organization to every lawmaker on Capitol Hill, we need your help!

Do you have a new Representative or Senator? Has that new lawmaker supported biker rights in the past? Have you worked with or met these incoming freshmen?  Maybe they even own a motorcycle?!?!?

Let us know if bikers have any new friends or foes headed to Washington, D.C.

We want to hit the ground running in January and any intel or information you can help provide us is valuable!

At the 2022 Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s (MRF) 38th annual Meeting of the Minds Conference held in Des Moines, Iowa a legislative strategy session was hosted by the MRF’s Legislative Committee. The purpose of the session was to establish and prioritize the MRF’s 2023 Federal Legislative Agenda.

Legislative issues fall into one of three categories, high, medium and monitor. This list remains fluid and can be adapted depending on the issue and political environment.

Below is a brief description of the issues on the MRF’s 2023 agenda. The January 2023 issue of the American Biker Journal will have more detail on each of these legislative priorities. As a reminder, all MRF members receive a copy of the American Biker Journal with their membership.

If you aren’t a MRF member click here to join and support freedom and safety for street motorcyclists in Washington, D.C. 

The 2023 Motorcycle Riders Foundation Legislative Priorities List

HIGH PRIORITY OBJECTIVES:

Profiling - Sustain lobbying efforts for the passage of resolutions or legislation that promotes awareness and prohibition of motorcyclist profiling. 

Renewable Fuels - Advocate for targeted changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) including supporting the universal availability of approved fuel blends, containing no more than 10% ethanol by volume.

Autonomous Vehicles - Advocate and monitor any legislation or regulations related to motorcycles concerning connected and autonomous vehicles (AV):

Emission Regulations - Engage the EPA & Congress on any activity related to motorcycle emission regulations including efforts by California and other states that endangers the future of motorcycling

Definition of a Motorcycle - Seek a more appropriate and up to date federal definition of a motorcycle which reflects the current set of vehicles on the roads today.

Crash Avoidance - Promote the theme of crash avoidance versus safer crashing, urging NHTSA and the DOT to focus on crash prevention and rider education.

Helmet Laws - Oppose any mandatory federal helmet, apparel, or conspicuity standards

Black Box / Data Recording - Pursue legislative language that any collected or available vehicle data is the property of the consumer and in which the consumer has the choice to opt-in to having their personal data communicated to interested parties.

Internal Combustion Engines - Work to ensure the survival of internal combustion engines.

2023 MEDIUM PRIORITY OBJECTIVES:

Surface Transportation Reauthorization (Highway Bill) - Advocate and pursue legislative efforts related to the next highway bill reauthorization (expiring in 2026).

Roadway Design - Pursue safer roadway design strategies in federal infrastructure legislation or discussions.

Discriminatory Legislation - Oppose any motorcycling, motorcycle, or motorcyclist-based discriminatory legislation or rules proposed by the U.S. Congress or by any governmental agency.

Vulnerable Roadway User Terminology - Monitor and ensure that motorcycles and motorcyclists are a specific and unique category or classification.

Gang, Club and Other Language - Monitor and respond to federal legislative or regulatory activity concerning the usage of the terms gang, club, known associate, and associate when referring to motorcyclists.

Taxes - Encourage fair treatment of motorcyclists in any change to federal taxes related to transportation.

2023 MONITOR ITEMS:

Distracted Driving - Work to discourage any/all forms of distracted driving.

Sound Testing - Monitor any SAE Motorcycle Roadside Sound Testing or EPA action. 

International Partnerships - Continue participation in motorcycle-related activity in the European Union, United Nations, and Canada informing the membership of key developments.

National Studies - Continue monitoring any national studies concerning motorcycles

Exhaust Systems - Monitor and vigorously oppose any federal standard proposing stamping and certifying of motorcycle exhaust systems.

Opponents - Monitor private and public organizations that oppose the legislative agenda or mission of the MRF.

Tolling - Monitor fair tolling concepts on federally funded roadways and projects supported by federal bonds and issues related to congestion tolling.

Lane Filtering and/or Lane Splitting - Monitor and support federal efforts to study and review the benefits and concerns of lane splitting and lane filtering.

Emissions - Monitor and report on any litigation related to motorcycle emissions violations.

Tariffs - Monitor any tariffs on imported motorcycles, parts, or apparel.

Incentives - Seek fair tax rebate and or credits for the purchase of electric motorcycles similar to those offered for electric automobiles.

Don’t fall into the trap of believing only high-powered lobbyists or big money donors can make a difference in D.C. The average biker can and has impacted policy in our nation’s capital. A perfect example is the work of two motorcyclists in Nevada, Fred Harrell and Russell Radke. Both are long time biker rights advocates and understand the best way to get things done is to educate and develop relationships with their elected officials. Over the course of several years, they met with and befriended their local lawmaker, Congresswoman Susie Lee of Nevada. Sharing their experiences as motorcyclists and their concern regarding the profiling of bikers they sought solutions to help address the issue. In response to the concerns of her constituents, and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Lee advanced committee report language to a government funding bill that seeks answers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on the issue of profiling. The language states: “The Committee is concerned that NHTSA may be conducting activities that encourage states to adopt legislation, regulation, or other policies that unjustly profile motorcycle riders. The Committee directs NHTSA to report to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations on the extent to which the agency works with states on motorcycle passenger policies within 120 days of enactment of this Act.”

On behalf of the 70,000 riders in the Silver State and the 10 million bikers across this country, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, thanks Congresswoman Lee and her staff for meeting with, listening to and advocating for her constituents and the entire motorcycle community.  Additional thanks to Russell and Fred for their tireless work to build and maintain these important relationships on Capitol Hill.

Wednesday morning, members of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) leadership team attended a virtual seminar titled “Bridging the Gap to Climate Neutrality - The Case of eFuels for Motorcycles.” The event was hosted by the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers and the eFuel Alliance of Europe.

With road fatalities increasing by 10.5% from 2020 to 2021, safety advocates are looking for causes. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has begun a nighttime test of vehicles that use automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems to address the high percentage of pedestrian crashes that occur on dark roads.

“As we expected, most of these pedestrian AEB systems don’t work very well in the dark,” says IIHS President David Harkey. You heard that right, out of the 23 brands of mid-sized cars and trucks, only 4 scored the highest rating of “superior” by the IIHS. When the same testing was done in daylight, 19 of the 23 vehicles received the highest score. 

While pedestrians are the focus of this study, motorcyclists are rightly concerned. All too often, motorists assume the technology in their cars is perfect and rely too heavily on it. This study shows that this new technology is far from flawless!

Motorcyclists are operating at higher rates of speed, with a different profile, and in closer proximity to other vehicles than pedestrians or other roadway users. If a car, with this new technology, can’t see a pedestrian walking across the street at night directly in front of them, can it see a biker in the lane next to them?

This is one of the many topics we will discuss at the MRF’s upcoming Meeting of the Minds in Des Moines, Iowa, September 21-25. To learn more about the MRF and the Meeting of the Minds click here.

To read about the IIHS study and see which vehicles were not up to the IIHS standards, click here. 

At last year’s MRF Meeting of the Minds in Atlanta, Georgia the fate of the internal combustion engine was discussed. In fact, at the urging of ABATE of Illinois, the following language was added to the MRF’s 2022 Legislative Priorities: “Work to ensure the survival of combustion engines. Including elimination of the California air quality waivers which threaten combustion engine production.”

In October of 2021 California Governor Gavin Newson signed a bill into law banning the sale of all off-road, gas-powered engines, including generators, lawn equipment, pressure washers, chainsaws, weed trimmers, and even golf carts.

And less than one year later we learn this, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) that governs motor vehicle emissions for the state adopted new rules that will require 35% of the new cars sold in the state are electric or plug-in hybrids by 2026, with that percentage rising to 68% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.

That’s right gas burning cars will no longer be for sale in the country’s largest state in less than 15 years. Other states, including Massachusetts and Washington have already signaled that they would follow California’s lead.

What does the future of motorcycling look like?

Will the bike you are riding today be legal in a few years?

What will your kids or grandkids be riding… or will they even be allowed to own a motorcycle?

Your Freedom is under assault and without your help we can’t fight back!

Thank you to all the members of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation for defending your Freedoms.

We need all street riders to join this fight, if you are not a member of the MRF click here to join.

Ride Safe and Ride Free!

To read more about the new rules in California click here. 

August in Washington, D.C. is normally a quiet time of year as lawmakers have left town and will not return until after Labor Day. Despite this, a few issues caught our eye that we wanted to make you aware of.

On August 11th Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) sent a joint letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on how the agency is working to address its report showing that Tesla vehicles were implicated in numerous crashes, including crashes involving serious injuries and five known deaths. As we mentioned last week, two fatal crashes between Tesla vehicles and bikers in California and Utah earlier this year have raised concerns at the MRF.

According to the letter, “Federal investigations and recent reporting have uncovered troubling safety issues associated with these systems, including but not limited to the following:

Driver Engagement– The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that Tesla’s Autopilot system does not effectively monitor driver engagement and respond to driver inattentiveness.

Erratic Driving – Reports have found that vehicles in Full Self Driving (FSD) mode have imperiled bicyclists and pedestrians, driven down tram tracks, and crashed into bollards.

Rolling Stops– Last year, Tesla issued a software update enabling FSD to make “rolling stops,” in which the vehicle fails to come to a complete stop at all-way stop intersections.

Passenger Play – Last year, Tesla introduced a new “Passenger Play” feature enabling occupants to play video games on the center console while the car is in motion, which could be used by the driver when the Autopilot feature is engaged.

Phantom Braking – In October 2021, Tesla recalled certain vehicles equipped with FSD software over issues with vehicle braking. 11 Vehicles equipped with this software were reportedly braking sharply in response to falsely detected road hazards.”

To read the full letter to NHTSA click here.

To read about the Utah crash click here.

To read more about the California crash click here.

The other major news this month was the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Included in the legislation was a 10-year tax credit worth up to $7,500 for the purchase of a new electric vehicle and a $4,000 tax credit for a used vehicle. The Department of Energy has released a list of nearly 30 vehicles that meet the requirements for the tax credit, however, clearly missing from the list are electric motorcycles. The tax credit only applies to four wheeled vehicles assembled in the United States.

Now there is no doubt that many of the 10 million bikers in this country have no interest in purchasing an electric motorcycle! If it doesn’t run on an internal combustion engine, they have no interest in riding it. Nevertheless, it’s concerning when the federal government crafts policy regarding our transportation system and omits motorcycles from that policy. While D.C. has ignored bikers, a handful of state governments have rightly included motorcycles in their state-run tax credit programs for electric vehicles.

Even with Congress on vacation until September, the MRF remains committed and vigilant in defending the rights and safety of all bikers.

Ride Safe and Ride Free.

“Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.”  – Iowa State Motto

In 1847, those words became part of the Iowa State Seal. They ring just as powerful today as they did 175 years ago. Certainly, they ring true for the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and the 38^th Annual Meeting of the Minds.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation takes seriously the quest to protect the freedoms that motorcyclists sometimes take for granted. A lobbying team with a never-ending presence on Capitol Hill. A definitive commitment to grassroots activism with the MRF’s annual Bikers Inside the Beltway. And the annual Meeting of the Minds – nearly forty years of bringing bikers’ rights advocates together to enhance their organizational and legislative skills.

The 38th Annual Meeting of the Minds, scheduled for September 22-25 in Des Moines Iowa, will be a 3-day exercise in freedom enhancement. The event will demonstrate just how much the MRF and attendees prize liberty and the commitment to maintain our rights

Meet the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and the freedom fighters who are instrumental in the quest to protect motorcycling and maintain the freedoms we enjoy.

The Meeting of the Minds – renewing old friendships and making new ones. The Meeting of the Minds – three days of nuts-and-bolts workshops to augment the tools needed to promote and protect the rights of all motorcyclists. The Meeting of the Minds – more than a dozen presentations and workshops to build and strengthen individual’s and state motorcyclists’ rights organization’s commitment to protecting the freedoms motorcycling represents.

Workshops and presentations include but not limited to:

• Up-to-the-minute Legislative Updates
• Working with motorcycle clubs for the common goal of defending freedom
• Aging demographics – what it means to motorcycling
• Paying the price of freedom

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation lives and understands that freedom is about maintaining our rights and not just another word for nothing left to lose, understands Eternal Vigilance… and understands The Blessings of Freedom…  and understands the commitments needed to protect rights, liberty, freedom, and our motorcycles from the pending siege from over-regulating and over-zealous bureaucracies. The MRF is committed to promote and defend the freedoms that all motorcyclists’ rights advocates understand.

The Meeting of the Minds – September 22-25, Marriott Downtown Des Moines, 700 Grand Avenue. Use this link to Book your group rate for Motorcycle Riders Foundation Annual Meeting 2022.  Or call (888) 236-2427 and mention Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) when you make reservations. Use this link to register for the conference Meeting of the Minds 2022.  Last Day to Book: Wednesday, September 7, 2022.

Thank you for your support of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and we look forward to seeing you in Des Moines for the 38^th Annual Meeting of the Minds.