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  • Motorcycle Riders Foundation Meeting of the Minds Conference -- Moving Forward to Protect the Future of Motorcycling and Motorcyclists’ Rights!

    08/25/2023 4:30 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    The Meeting of the Minds conference is where it all began and it’s where motorcyclists’ rights activists meet to experience tailormade workshops addressing issues facing motorcyclists today. It’s where motorcyclists’ rights activists can get up-to-date information on issues relating to the attacks against motorcycling and motorcyclists’ rights.

    The Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s annual Meeting of the Minds conference will reflect that the MRF listens to our members, partner state motorcyclists’ rights organizations, and motorcycle clubs. MRF members and the motorcycling world know that the MRF is making a difference and moving forward – on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures--to protect the future of motorcycling and motorcyclists’ rights.

    The success of this year’s Bikers Inside the Beltway was the result of what the MRF shares at the Meeting of the Minds. Keeping our members and partner SMROs informed and on point is what makes the Motorcycle Riders Foundation the foremost motorcyclists’ rights advocacy group in the nation.

    Listening, making a difference, and moving forward to protect the future of motorcycling, this year’s Meeting of the Minds conference features sixteen workshops and ten new presenters, plus a host of new topics added to the mix!

    The MRF’s legislative agenda represents the collective interests of the nation’s owners of 8.6 million registered street motorcycles, and it is a direct result of the input provided by Meeting of the Minds attendees.

    The Meeting of the Minds–presenters who live and breathe motorcyclists’ rights, topical workshops that have real-world applications for protecting the future of motorcycling –The Motorcycle Riders Foundation--Since 1987 the MRF has been the only national motorcyclists’ rights organization dedicated to on-street riders with full-time representation in Washington, D.C.!

    Motorcyclists’ rights and motorcycling safety have been interwoven since the time when motorcyclists’ rights advocates were accused of only caring about the modification of mandatory helmet laws. Dispelling those accusations, Ron Braaksma and Lane Trippet, representing MRF Awareness & Education, will present workshops on motorcycling safety and riding skills.

    The burden of keeping the voice of motorcycling heard before Congress, regulatory agencies, and state legislatures is shouldered by the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. The activists who attend the Meeting of the Minds conference take home a wealth of information to help strengthen the collective voices of all street riding motorcyclists.

    Nearly fifty years ago, the burden of freedom was lifted in the quest to protect the future of motorcycling and motorcyclists’ rights when a biker from New Hampshire and his wife founded one of the nation’s first SMROs–NHMRO–New Hampshire Motorcyclists Rights Organization. Sherman Packard rose from “just another biker fighting for our rights” to become the New Hampshire Speaker of the House of Representative and the MRF is honored to have “Mr. Speaker” Sherman Packard sharing his years of experience as the 2023 Meeting of the Minds keynote speaker.

    Bikers Inside the Beltway, Meeting of the Minds – the Motorcycle Riders Foundation – listening, making a difference, and moving forward to protect the future of motorcycling and motorcyclists’ rights!

    The Meeting of the Minds – September 21-24, Red Lion Hotel, 4751 Lindle Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111. Use the QR codes below to register and make reservations or call 717-939-7841 and mention Motorcycle Riders Foundation 2023 Meeting of the Minds.

    Thank you for your support of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. We look forward to seeing you in Harrisburg at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Minds, September 21-24, 2023.

    Yours in Freedom,

    Fred

    Fredric Harrell

    MRF Director of Conferences & Events

    P.S. Hotel rooms are available and going fast, confirm your plans now, register with the MRF, and use the QR codes to make hotel reservations early for the Meeting of the Minds 2023. Thank you.

  • Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Releases "simple steps"

    08/24/2023 9:23 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Earlier today, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a document highlighting what it sees as “simple steps” to reduce motorcyclist deaths. First and foremost, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) is very concerned about the safety of bikers. 2021 saw 6,000 motorcyclists killed on our nation’s roadways, accounting for nearly 14% of all traffic fatalities.

    While we don’t agree with all the positions of the IIHS, including their push for universal helmet laws, we do appreciate that they take a wider view of the issue. They point out the need for other people on the road to look for motorcycles and ensuring other vehicles properly judge their speed in relationship to motorcycles.

    Additionally, the IIHS position of ensuring crash avoidance systems are designed to detect motorcycles is a good idea. Of course, that’s a good idea! That’s why the MRF is pressing Congress and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on this topic here in Washington, D.C.

    All bikers should be happy to learn about a new technology focused on left turn assist. According to the IIHS, “Left turn assist, has the potential to address crashes in which another vehicle turns left in front of an oncoming motorcycle — the most common type of crash between a motorcycle and another vehicle.”

    Another place where we find common ground, is understanding that crash avoidance is the best way to save lives. A crash that never happens is 100% better than a “safer crash.”

    As the release notes, “Each one of the thousands of motorcyclists who die on U.S. roads every year is someone’s loved one.” The MRF has lost way too many members and friends because of crashes on our roads. Let’s work together and decrease fatalities.

    To read the full release from IIHS click here.

  • The Fight Continues

    08/24/2023 7:02 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    For over a decade the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) has been pushing the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on key priorities for motorcyclists. We’ve focused on the issues of autonomous vehicles, crash avoidance, and design and construction of our nation’s roads.

    On the autonomous vehicle front, the MRF fought for inclusion of language in the 2018 Senate AV bill that required NHTSA to compel manufacturers to report on the self-driving cars ability to “sense motorcyclists in or crossing the path of travel through the automated driving system”

    In 2020 and 2021 the MRF advocated for language in the House version of the Highway bill, which required that when USDOT conducts safety studies on autonomous vehicles, motorcycles must be considered as unique roadway users. Additionally, a planned working group on autonomous vehicles would have required inclusion of a motorcycle safety group as part of its membership.

    Unfortunately, the dysfunction on Capitol Hill entangled these bills and they failed to meet approval by both chambers. But the MRF won’t take no for an answer so they took the fight on these issues to the executive branch. Just last month, MRF leadership met with half a dozen NHTSA officials on the importance including motorcycles in the autonomous vehicle regulations. On two different occasions MRF members have met with motorcycle specialists at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) about crash investigations and policies around fatalities involving motorcyclists. And just before Christmas last year, 27 members of Congress sent a letter at the request of the MRF to NHTSA that asked 5 key questions about its policies, regulations, and plans for incorporating motorcyclists in automated driving guidelines.

    In both 2015 and 2021, the MRF fought for creation of, and then the renewal of, the Motorcyclist Advisory Council (MAC) at USDOT. This body is tasked with developing policies that make roadway design, construction, and maintenance practices that factor in motorcycle riders. The MRF anticipates having a seat when the new MAC is established.

    We raise these issues because the journey is long, the fight is never over but the victories are critical. We thank you for your continued support of the MRF. We do what we do, and we fight for these issues, because you provide the resources, passion and resilience that fuels us.

    If you are a rider and not currently a member of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, follow this link to join us now.

    As Always, Ride Safe and Ride Free

  • Louisiana Town Hall Meeting

    08/22/2023 11:18 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    On July 29, the Louisiana Confederation of Clubs and Independent Riders (COC&I) held a Biker Town Hall in lieu of its normal meeting in Alexandria.  The guest speaker was Clay Higgins (R) U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district. Jacque and I had the honor of being invited to represent and speak about the MRF and ABATE.  MRF President Kirk "Hardtail" Willard was also in attendance. 

    We met up with Congressman Higgins at the Cajun Harley Davidson in Scott, just west of Lafayette and rode with his group of a dozen or so bikes to Alexandria. Jacque gave a briefing to a standing room only crowd about what A.B.A.T.E. is, what we do for the motorcycle community in Louisiana and our proposed legislative agenda for 2024. I told the story of how we came to be involved with the Town Hall by being in Congressman Higgins' D.C. office when Swamp, the COC&I Commander, called to speak with him about it. I then turned the mic over to Hardtail. He spoke to a very attentive group of bikers from across Louisiana about the dire situations for motorcyclists due to the push to get rid of combustion engines, the dangers of autonomous vehicles, the effect of using E15 gas in small engines, etc. Congressman Higgins took the floor and spoke of the precious rights afforded to all of us by the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th amendments of the Constitution and then took many questions from the audience.

    The entire meeting can be viewed on the COC&I Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/LouisianaCOC

    Rick 'Brick' Lindsey

    SSMRO Representative to the  MRF Board


    The Motorcycle Riders Foundation sees this as a very successful path towards engagement and education for the motorcycling community and encourages all States to put an event like this together.

  • Will you ask your Senators to protect the internal combustion engine?

    08/18/2023 9:38 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    Members of Congress are in the middle of a 6-week break away from Washington, D.C. While lawmakers won’t return until after Labor Day, their staff are still working on several policy issues.

    Earlier this year, the Biden Administration rolled out plans to shift this country to a majority electric vehicle market over the next ten years. In June, Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma introduced S.2090, the “Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act.” The bill would amend the Clean Air Act to prevent a ban on the sale of internal combustion engines, effectively trumping any state law that outlaws their sale. S. 2090 is the Senate’s version of H.R. 1435, which recently passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

    While the House version of the bill is moving, the Senate version of the bill still needs more cosponsors. Will you ask your two Senators to protect the internal combustion engine?

    Click here to contact your Senators and ask them to support S. 2090.

  • BIKERS IN THE NORTHEAST -- ANOTHER IMPORTANT LINK IN PROTECTING MOTORCYCLISTS' RIGHTS

    08/05/2023 9:59 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    In the time it takes me to get to the Vegas airport, fly to Baltimore-Washington International, and get to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the Meeting of the Minds, bikers from Maine to Ohio and all points in between will have a good day’s ride to the conference and have time to spare!

    Coordinating with this email, MRF Reps will be contacting you directly with a personal invitation to the 39th Annual Meeting of the Minds conference. We look forward to seeing a large contingent of motorcyclists’ rights advocates from the Northeast.

    Motorcyclists’ rights advocates seldom if ever get to choose the fights that we get thrown into. We do get to choose how we aggressively defend our rights and fight to protect the future of motorcycling. It’s great to have choices. Your choice to attend the Meeting of the Minds is appreciated and it’s an investment in protecting the future of motorcycling and motorcyclists’ rights.

    Plus, it’s a great ride in the fall weather of the Northeast. The Meeting of the Minds conference is a great place to re-acquaint yourself with old friends and make new friends.  And take home the tools necessary to keep the next unforeseen attack against motorcycling and motorcyclists’ rights at bay.

    Within a half-day’s ride – or less – from where you park your motorcycle, the MRF will present something to laugh about, something to inspire you, but most of all, we will present something that will metaphorically arm you to help you be an even more effective motorcyclists’ rights advocate.

    Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was chosen for this year’s Meeting of the Minds because the MRF listens, and the Northeast is a vital component in the fight to protect motorcyclists’ rights. Plus, well over a million of the nation’s motorcycle riders live within an easy day’s ride of Harrisburg. Besides, with the MRF in town, there’s more to do in Harrisburg than visiting the Harley plant in York!

    Why attend the Meeting of the Minds? With the increasing attacks against motorcycling and motorcyclists’ rights – profiling, end of life directives for motorcycles, over-regulating the availability of fuel – the Meeting of the Minds offers sixteen workshops tailored to the motorcyclists’ rights activists. These workshops are presented by some of the nations’ most respected and knowledgeable freedom fighters. Plus, the information will serve you well before your legislators, state regulatory agencies, and members of Congress.

    The successes of the Motorcycle Rides Foundation are hard won. They are won because freedom-loving riders like you help make the victories easier. Thanks for using the links below to register for the Meeting of the Minds and make your hotel reservations. See you in Harrisburg in September and enjoy the ride!

    The Meeting of the Minds – September 21-24, Red Lion Hotel, 4751 Lindle Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111. Use the QR codes below to register and make reservations or call 717-939-7841 and mention Motorcycle Riders Foundation 2023 Meeting of the Minds.

    Thank you for your support of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. We look forward to seeing you in Harrisburg at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Minds, September 21-24, 2023.

    Yours in Freedom,

    Fred

    Fredric Harrell

    MRF Director of Conferences & Events

    P.S. Hotel rooms are available and going fast, confirm your plans now, register with the MRF, and use the QR codes to make hotel reservations early for the Meeting of the Minds 2023. Thank you.

  • Will the Feds Ever Act on Autonomous Vehicles?

    08/02/2023 9:30 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    In 2017 and 2018, the House and Senate both attempted to pass legislation regarding the development and testing of autonomous vehicles (AVS). Those efforts failed to produce legislation, leaving the Department of Transportation and manufacturers to develop their own guidelines.

    For 6 years Congress has failed to act… we hope things are changing! Last week, the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce held a hearing on this new technology. The hearing was titled: “Self-Driving Vehicle Legislative Framework: Enhancing Safety, Improving Lives and Mobility, and Beating China.”

    The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) has long advocated for motorcyclists to be included in any legislation on this topic. We’ve worked with our champions on Capitol Hill to stress how important it is for self-driving cars to have the ability to read, react and respond to motorcyclists on the road. During the hearing, House Motorcycle Caucus Co-Chair, Representative Tim Walberg made a point of mentioning what he has heard from us.

    “Many in the motorcycle community are concerned that the technology is able to detect and protect motorcyclists on the road. We are very different from pedestrians and bicyclists because we are in and amongst traffic. It is a concern and I hope that we continue to address it.”

    As we know, no one is looking out for bikers, except bikers. Representative Walberg is a biker, so he gets it! Let’s keep fighting, educating, and making our priorities known.  If we don’t do it, who will?

    In just two months, members of the MRF will establish our legislative agenda for next year, at the Meeting of the Minds in Harrisburg, PA. If you’re curious what we want in the self-driving car space, here’s what we approved at the 2022 meeting.

    2023 MRF Legislative Agenda - Critical Priority:
    Advocate and monitor any legislation or regulations related to motorcycles concerning connected and autonomous vehicles (AV):

    • Endorse rulemaking to set new standards specific to seeing, detecting, and properly reacting to motorcycles.
    • Ensure motorcycles are part of all testing and development procedures.
    • Promote that any AV public user advisory committees should include a representative from the motorcycle community and a motorcycle manufacturer.
    • Require a public, easily accessible, and searchable database where consumers can look up important safety information such as the limitations and capabilities of different products offered by AV manufacturers or service providers.
    • Require that all AV manufacturers must submit safety evaluation reports to detail and make public how their vehicles identify motorcycles among other road users. Manufacturers must also include human error analysis in safety reports.
    • Require that all AV manufacturers must publicly report crash data share incidents between AVs and motorcycles just as they would incidents between AVs and other road users.
    • Protect the safety of motorcyclists with any rules or standards as it relates to electronic and cybersecurity systems including the clarification of rights of data ownership of any recorded data in the context of connected and autonomous vehicles.
    • Inclusion of motorcyclists’ perspectives in discussions regarding the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).
    • Work to ensure motorcycles are a separate classification of vehicle and road user for purposes of regulation and testing of AVs.
    • Protect the set aside radio spectrums necessary for DSRC vehicle to vehicle communications.
    • Protect additional spectrum as needed for Vehicle to Everything technology (V2X).

    If you want to be involved, come to Harrisburg September 21st to 24th and have your voice heard! Click here to register.

  • MRF 2023 HOF Inductee Announcement

    07/31/2023 8:40 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The Motorcycle Riders Foundation announces the 2023 Freedom Fighter Hall of Fame Inductees.

    The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) is pleased to release the names of the 2023 class of Inductees to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation Freedom Fighters Hall of Fame (MRF HOF). These will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Minds conference September 21-24, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

    This year’s MRF HOF Class of 2023 - Freedom Fighter Inductees are:

    • Jim “Legs” Korte
    • Mary K. Donnay

    Past Motorcycle Riders Foundation Hall of Fame inductees are: Keith “Bandit” Ball, Mark Buckner, Wayne Curtin, Michael “Balls” Farabaugh, “Still” Ray Fitzgerald, Richard Gray, Bob Illingworth, Nathan “Buck” Kittredge, Ed Netterberg, Sherman Packard, Todd Vandermyde, Paul Vestal, Penny Walker, Ed Youngblood, Vince Consiglio, Fredric Harrell, Rodney Roberts, Simon Milward, JoAnne Packard, Karen Bolin, Lee Richardson, Jerry “JT” Thomas, Teresa Hepker, Dick "Slider" Gilmore, Charles Umbenhauer, Wanda Hummel-Shultz, "Biker" Jim Rhoades, Lee Ryan, Marc Falsetti, Gary Klinker, Charlie Williams, Dave Dwyer, "Radio" Bob Letourneau, "Farmer" John Eggers, Michael "Boz" Kerr, Butch Brown, Deb Butitta, Jim Dahling, Carol Downs, Jay Jackson, Gary Sellers and Kirk “Hardtail” Willard.

  • MEETING OF THE MINDS 2023 Listening, Making a Difference, and Moving Forward to Protect the Future of Motorcycling and Motorcyclists’ Rights!

    07/28/2023 2:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s annual Meeting of the Minds conference will reflect that the MRF listens to our members, partner state motorcyclists’ rights organizations, and motorcycle clubs. MRF members and the motorcycling world know that the MRF is making a difference and moving forward – on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures -- to protect the future of motorcycling and motorcyclists’ rights.

    The Meeting of the Minds conference is where it all began and it’s where motorcyclists’ rights advocates come to experience tailormade workshops addressing issues facing motorcyclists today. It’s where motorcyclists’ rights advocates can get up-to-date information on issues relating to the attacks against motorcycling and motorcyclists’ rights.

    The success of this year’s Bikers Inside the Beltway was the result of what the MRF shared at the Meeting of the Minds. Keeping our members and partner SMROs informed and on point is what makes the Motorcycle Riders Foundation the foremost motorcyclists’ rights advocacy group in the nation.

    Listening, making a difference, and moving forward to protect the future of motorcycling, this year’s Meeting of the Minds features sixteen workshops and ten new presenters, plus a host of new topics added to the mix!

    The Motorcycle Riders Foundation – presenters who live and breathe motorcyclists’ rights, topical workshops that have real-world applications for protecting the future of motorcycling – Bikers Inside the Beltway, the Meeting of the Minds – there’s no other place in the world that you can get this much information in such a short span of time!

    The MRF’s legislative agenda represents the collective interests of the nation’s owners of 8.6 million registered street motorcycles, and it is a direct result of the input provided by Meeting of the Minds attendees.

    The burden of keeping the voice of motorcycling heard before Congress, regulatory agencies, and state legislatures is shouldered by the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and the five hundred activists who attend the Meeting of the Minds.

    Direct from Capitol Hill, meet William “Rocky” Fox, he will provide Meeting of the Minds attendees with an up-to-the-minute legislative briefing about what’s going on in Congress. Plus, he’ll share with you the importance of attending the workshops to prepare you for Bikers Inside the Beltway in 2024.

    Wondering about the future of the motorcycle industry and motorcyclists’ rights? Keith Ball of Bikernet.com has spent a lifetime monitoring the industry and bikers’ rights; he’ll moderate a panel of rights advocates and industry principals as they share their insights on The Future of Motorcycling -- The intentional phasing out of internal combustion engines and their fuel source.

    The Motorcycle Riders Foundation -- Bikers Inside the Beltway, Meeting of the Minds --listening, making a difference, and moving forward to protect the future of motorcycling & motorcyclists’ rights!

    The Meeting of the Minds – September 21-24, Red Lion Hotel, 4751 Lindle Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111. Use the QR codes below to register and make reservations or call 717-939-7841 and mention Motorcycle Riders Foundation 2023 Meeting of the Minds.

    Thank you for your support of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. We look forward to seeing you in Harrisburg at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Minds, September 21-24, 2023.

    Yours in Freedom,

    Fred

    Fredric Harrell

    MRF Director of Conferences & Events

    P.S. Hotel rooms are available and going fast, confirm your plans now, register with the MRF, and use the QR codes to make hotel reservations early for the Meeting of the Minds 2023. Thank you.

  • Congressional Committees Focused on MRF Priorities

    07/20/2023 9:19 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    In the last 10 days, two committees in the House of Representatives have turned their attention to separate issues facing bikers. On July 12th, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials held a markup on H.R. 1435, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act. By a vote of 13 to 8, the bill was forwarded onto the full Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration. This is a critical step in the legislative process. If the full committee also advances the bill, we may see the entire House of Representatives vote on the bill by the end of 2023.

    Tuesday, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet held a hearing titled “Is There a Right to Repair?” Subcommittee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) stressed the need for federal guidelines on the right to repair. He pointed to several states that have their own laws on the topic, which has created a patchwork of differing rules. Without a federal standard, consumers, repair shops, and original equipment manufacturers are left to navigate a maze of regulations that vary across the country. The hearing was educational in nature, with law professors and CEOs answering questions from legislators about strategies and avenues to address this issue.

    Holding hearings and conducting markups are ways politicians signal what they are focused on, and what their priorities are for the future. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation is pleased to see action on these two issues that impact motorcyclists. It also makes it the perfect time to tell Congress your thoughts on these issues!

    If you haven’t already, click here to ask your member of the House to cosponsor H.R. 1435, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act.

    If you missed the call-to-action last week, you still have time to show your support for federal standards on the right to repair. Click here to ask your lawmaker to cosponsor H.R. 906 the Repair Act.