Skip to main content
search
Tag

Motorcycle Riders Foundation

Nov 10

Veterans and Freedom

By General Posts No Comments

We at the Motorcycle Riders Foundation wish all Veterans a Happy Veterans Day. Thank you for your service in defense of our freedoms and liberties. We, as motorcyclists, are fortunate that so many of our fellow riders are Veterans. You not only make our country but our motorcycling community stronger.

“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.”
– Abraham Lincoln

http://mrf.org/

Sep 21

MRF “Road Show” is on the road all year long

By General Posts No Comments

Last week was a busy week for the MRF “Road Show”…

Beginning in Ohio, President Kirk “Hardtail” Willard and Vice-President Jay Jackson attended the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the American Motorcyclist Association Museum. MRF State Rep Sherry Hill and folks from ABATE of Ohio set up a membership table at the AMA’s Bike Night on Saturday. AMA hosted a Road Captain training that was attended by ABATE of Arizona, ABATE of Indiana, ABATE of Michigan and ABATE of Ohio on Sunday.

This series of events also allowed facilitation of a meeting between the MRF President and representatives from the Federation Internationale De Motorcylisme (FIM) out of Switzerland and a member of the Board of Directors from the Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations (FEMA) out of Belgium. The topics of concern were End of Life Directives related to motorcycles, European and United Nations activities surrounding internal combustion engines and electric vehicle mandates. We also discussed the issues surrounding motorcycle parts certification and availability of parts. The timing was ideal as it allows this information to be disseminated in real time at the Meeting of the Minds this week in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The State Motorcycle Safety Association (SMSA) held their annual Summit in Columbus, Ohio September 13th through 16th. State motorcycle rights organizations from Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and others were in attendance to learn the latest statistics, trends and issues related to motorcycle safety. MRF Vice President Jay Jackson presented “Promising Practices in Rider Training” as part of an alliance with six other states. The 2024 Summit will be held in Denver, Colorado.

The week ended with the MRF President and Russell Radke, the MRF Motorcycle Club Representative to the MRF Board, attending the National Council of Clubs meeting in Dayton, Ohio. The highlights were participating in an update of the Motorcycling Profiling Project which has played a very important role in our collective motorcycle anti-profiling successes. We also had an opportunity to share strategic updates on our legislative agenda and provide an update on the concerns we share regarding the future of motorcycling to a crowded room of motorcycle club members.

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation: The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. Visit http://mrf.org

Sep 12

Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act

By General Posts No Comments

Act Now… Congress Votes Thursday!

The House of Representatives has scheduled a vote Thursday on H.R. 1435, the “Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act.” H.R. 1435 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.

Now is the time to have your voice heard! Let Congress know you support the right to choose the type of engine you buy.

Click here to contact your Member of the House of Representatives and ask them to vote for H.R. 1435.

* * * *

Ride Free Forever

Aug 26

Moving Forward to Protect the Future of Motorcycling

By General Posts

Moving Forward to Protect the Future of Motorcycling and Motorcyclists’ Rights

Motorcycle Riders Foundation Meeting of the Minds Conference — Moving Forward 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 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 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.

Jun 03

California Unification Rally Draws 3,000 to State Capitol

By General Posts

On May 21,2023, over 3,000 motorcyclists gathered at the California State Capitol in Sacramento to talk biker’s rights, and to send a message to the state legislature that a change in how California deals with issues important to riders is needed. Speakers from the Modified Motorcycle Association (MMA) of California, ABATE of California, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF), the National Council of Clubs (NCOC) and other groups took to the podium to stress the importance of all riders – as well as other consumer advocates including those in the automotive industry – coming together to present a unified front. Rally organizer and MRF State Representative ‘Chappy’ Patrick Carver and his team of volunteers did yeoman’s work in organizing the event. Chappy is also the President and lobbyist for the MMA of California and works closely with the MRF on legislative issues being addressed in Congress. Numerous long-time California activists, including ABATE lobbyists Jim Lombardo and Bobby T, ABATE officers David ‘D-Man’ Seiler, Chuck Pedersen, and MMA/ABATE Liaison Dave Battles were on hand as well.

For California riders, a major concern continues to be the issue of being unfairly profiled by law enforcement. Following a concerted, years-long effort by motorcycle clubs from around the country, the NCOC, the MRF, state motorcyclists’ rights organizations and thousands of independent riders, anti-profiling resolutions have now been passed in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives with bi-partisan support. On a local level, five states have passed standalone anti-profiling laws. California and other states are working to have similar legislation enacted.

Other topics of discussion at the rally included protecting the rights of consumers to repair their machines, the unrealistic rush to outlaw internal combustion engines in favor of electric vehicles, ongoing issues associated with unregulated self-driving autonomous vehicles, and the appropriate labeling and availability of E10 or lower petroleum fuels.

MRF Executive Director Mark Buckner addressed the rally, emphasizing the importance of the challenges and opportunities facing riders today. Buckner discussed MRF’s recent Bikers Inside the Beltway lobbying campaign in Washington, D.C., highlighting the issues discussed with members of Congress and their staff. Those issues included ongoing efforts to end unfair profiling; H.R. 906, the Repair Act, seeking to stop manufacturers from limiting the ability of consumers and independent shops to repair products; H.R, 1435, the Preserving Choices in Vehicle Purchases Act, seeking to amend the Clean Air Act to prevent a ban on internal combustion engines; ensuring that Congress and executive branch agencies including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provide appropriate oversight regarding self-driving vehicles; ensuring that consumers will continue to be able to purchase E10 and lower ethanol fuels at a reasonable price; and building strong, bi-partisan motorcycle caucuses made up of motorcycle-friendly legislators in Washington, D.C.

Overall, the California Unification Rally was a resounding success, with unity and opportunity the messages of the day.

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation: The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. Visit http://mrf.org/

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Stay updated, stay ahead of the curve. Click and Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter from Bikernet Blog for free.

May 26

Baker’s Dozen Fight for Bikers

By General Posts

On Tuesday, 13 members of the House of Representatives sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary of Pete Buttigieg seeking the formation of the Motorcyclist Advisory Council (MAC). As you may remember, the MAC was first established by Congress in 2015 and renewed with passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021.

Unfortunately, despite the requirement that the MAC be established within 90 days after the law is passed, DOT has failed to act. In the past, the MAC has provided a critical forum for policy makers, roadway engineers, and motorcyclists to discuss ways roadway and barrier design, construction and maintenance practices and intelligent transportation systems can better meet the safety needs of the nearly 9 million motorcyclists in this country.

One important part of the reestablished MAC, as outlined in the text of the law, is the expansion of membership seats. The inclusion of manufacturers, motorcyclist rights organizations and safety professionals will provide for a more expansive knowledge base and information sharing on the council. As prescribed in the law, the MAC will be required to submit biennial reports on their findings.

Establishment of the MAC was one of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s priorities during the recent Bikers Inside the Beltway event in D.C. Thank you to Rep. Gallagher for leading the letter and to the 12 other lawmakers listed below for supporting our efforts to seat the MAC.

Rep. Gallagher (WI)
Rep. Carsen (IN)
Rep. Finstad (MN)
Rep. Fitzgerald (WI)
Rep. Fitzpatrick (PA)
Rep. Grothman (WI)
Rep. Lee (NV)
Rep. Norman (SC)
Rep. Stauber (MN)
Rep. Steil (WI)
Rep. Tiffany (WI)
Rep. Van Orden (WI)
Rep. Wilson (SC)

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation: The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. Ride With The Leaders ™ by joining the MRF at http://mrf.org

* * * * * * * *

Get There Faster, Click & Get the Bikernet.com Free Weekly Newsletter

Apr 28

EPA to Allow Summer Sales of E15

By General Posts

Friday, the Biden Administration issued an emergency waiver allowing for the sale of E15 from June 1st to September 15th. Restrictions on fuel volatility have limited the sale of E15 to the months outside of summer. This move by the Biden Administration is an attempt to appease lawmakers from corn producing states, who for years have lobbied for year-round use of the fuel. A similar emergency waiver was issued in 2022.

As always read your owner’s manual, know what you are putting in your bike, and be an educated consumer.

To read more about the decision click here.

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation: The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. Visit http://mrf.org

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Follow Bikernet Free Weekly Newsletter to get latest Motorcycling news, updates, reviews, tech, tips, & lot of fun. Click here & take a test ride.

Apr 22

End of the Road… Show

By General Posts

Heartland STEAM in Bismarck this weekend marks the unofficial conclusion of the 2023 MRF “Road Show”. Beginning in January MRF board members have traveled to 23 states to speak and present at SMRO events. We are honored to be invited to so many events, and we do our best to attend all of them.

Getting out into the states and meeting with bikers is a critical part of what MRF board members do. Listening to presentations and having one on one conversations with bikers helps the MRF shape our agenda. We are successful in D.C. because of these interactions.

After Heartland STEAM, we will pivot to our next big event, Bikers Inside the Beltway. This May we again plan to take our message to the halls of Congress and fight to protect the rights and freedoms of the street rider.

While this year’s road show is ending, we are already planning the 2024 version. If you’d like a representative of the MRF to visit your state event let us know!

Thank you for the hospitality you’ve shown us, and let’s continue to fight on!

As always Ride Safe and Ride Free!!!

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation: The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. Visit http://mrf.org/

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Keep up with important industry and market news, legislation, events and more — every Thursday at Bikernet Weekly News.
Visit: https://www.bikernet.com/pages/cantina_bikernet_news.aspx

Mar 17

NHTSA Responds to Questions from Congress

By General Posts

Just before the end of 2022, Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan and 26 of his colleagues in Congress sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding recent crashes that involve motorcycles and cars believed to be in self-driving mode.

The response from government regulators has some key takeaways:

  • “NHTSA is actively working to educate consumers and the media that automated driving system (ADS) technologies are not self-driving technologies, and that drivers must always remain engaged in the driving task.”
  • “Crashes involving motorcycles account for less than 2 percent of all reported crashes involving ADS.”
  • “NHTSA is conducting research on how vehicles equipped with crash avoidance technologies react to motorcycles, bicyclists and other vulnerable road users in various scenarios.”

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation is committed to aggressively working with lawmakers to address obvious safety gaps in the deployment of this new technology. While we appreciate that NHTSA is conducting research on this topic, on this topic, motorcyclists are not “vulnerable road users”, motorcyclists are simply road users.

Additionally, it’s unacceptable that consumers falsely believe this technology, deployed on our roads, allows them to sit back and relax while in the driver’s seat. The safety of the nearly 10 million bikers on our nation’s roadways requires that all roadway users act in a responsible manner.

As always Ride Safe and Ride Free.

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation: The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. Visit http://mrf.org

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Stay updated, stay ahead of the curve. Click to Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter from Bikernet Blog for free.

Mar 17

Bikers Inside the Beltway: Holding Common Ground

By General Posts

Bikers inside the Beltway – with the encouragement and direction of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, since the first Bikers inside the Beltway in 2009, thousands of bikers have met with their elected representatives and educated them about issues of importance to all street riding motorcyclists.

Specifically… the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has less than 30 days of their 120-day requirement to report to the Senate and House Committee(s) on Appropriations and answer how the agency may be “conducting activities that encourage states to adopt legislation, regulation, or other policies that unjustly profile motorcycle riders.”

The words of former U.S. Representative David Price from North Carolina may well apply to the recent efforts of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation “… Understand that not every battle can be won on the first try and that politics is a matter of striking a balance between … compromising and finding common ground where you can, and fighting where you must.”

The MRF found and is holding common ground among the nation’s state motorcyclist rights organization, motorcycle club members, and all freedom loving motorcyclists who, as the Motorcycle Profiling Project demonstrates, are susceptible to being profiled while riding a motorcycle.

The MRF’s victories, realized in the waning hours of the 117th Congress in December, should drive home Congressman Price’s words, and demonstrate the positive results when common ground is identified and held. Those victories came from the year-after-year vigilance of MRF members writing, calling, and meeting with members of Congress during the Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s annual Bikers inside the Beltway.

Now is the time for you to register to attend Bikers inside the Beltway – May 15 & 16, 2023.

As in years past, Bikers inside the Beltway will be dual-faceted to accommodate in-person visits to Congress plus visits to local district offices.

To ensure that the mission of getting our message to Congress continues to be successful, please consider the following:

  • Make your appointments locally or in Washington.
  • Familiarize yourself with the briefing points.
  • Confirm your appointment locally or in Washington.
  • Virtual or in person, make notes on your meeting.
  • Share your meeting notes with the MRF.

In conjunction with Bikers inside the Beltway, a meeting of the MRF Board of Directors takes place on May 15 at the event hotel — Embassy Suites, 1900 Diagonal Road, Alexandria, Virginia. Rooms are available and limited by calling hotel direct line 703-684-5900 and use reference code MRF.

Attending Bikers inside the Beltway is an essential element of the MRF’s grassroots activism. Act now to attend the pre-event briefing and Q&A for visits to Congress, scheduled for 6:00 p.m., Monday, May 15. Briefing packets and “leave behinds” will be available during the briefing.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s Bikers inside the Beltway — May 15 & 16, 2023.

Thank you for your commitment.

Yours in Freedom,
Fredric Harrell
RF Director of Conferences & Events

P.S. Registration for Bikers inside the Beltway is free. However, we request that you register early to help us plan the event. Use the link or the QR code below for Bikers inside the Beltway registration. Thank you.

P.P.S. This year, more than any time before, one of the MRF’s top agenda items is to specifically thank supporters in Congress for helping foster our success in 2023.

https://motorcycleridersfoundation.wildapricot.org/widget/event-5008758/Registration

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation: The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. Visit http://mrf.org

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Follow Freedom and Rights News on Bikernet.com at: