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Bikers Inside the Beltway: Holding Common Ground

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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 […]

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Motorcycle Riders Foundation: Coalitions Rejuvenated

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The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) 2023 legislative agenda includes a diverse set of issues that strike at the core of who we are as bikers. Historically, the MRF has fought many battles to defend individuals and the aftermarket motorcycle businesses’ rights to customize and repair motorcycles. Our successful defense against the EPA’s “Color and Chrome” only initiative and the regulations/enforcement related to it helped define the MRF and what we stand for to this day. The MRF has long supported the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (RPM Act), which would ensure that modifying motor vehicles into racing vehicles used for competition would not violate the Clean Air Act. We anticipate an updated version of the RPM Act will be introduced this Spring. The MRF and our partners will work diligently for passage of this commonsense piece of legislation. Importantly, some of these parts and technology we are looking to protect are used in the EPA allowances for one-per-lifetime custom bikes and Tier 1 eligible motorcycles we fought for two decades ago. The MRF agenda also strongly supports the desire to protect a consumer’s right to repair, and ownership of data related to their vehicles. A recently introduced bill, H.R. 906 The Repair Act, helps protect consumers’ ability to utilize independent repair shops and aftermarket parts to work on vehicles, including motorcycles. These issues are becoming increasingly important and drawing the attention of the aftermarket industry and bike customizers. The EPA has restarted a campaign of increased enforcement and it is threatening shops and individuals with legal action. MRF President Kirk “Hardtail” Willard recently appeared on Cycle Source Magazines “Shop Talk” radio show to discuss these issues and this week traveled to Daytona Bike Week to join independent motorcycle shop owners and others in the aftermarket industry to discuss the

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Something to learn from 4 failed land speed attempts

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This Custom Land-Speed Bike Build Failed 4 Times: Here’s What We Can Learn You’re going to fail a lot when you try something new, but keep going. by Janaki Jitchotvisut from https://www.rideapart.com Have you ever had a project not go exactly like you planned? If you noticed that I didn’t say “project bike” there, that word choice was intentional—because maybe you’re just at the beginning of thinking about your first project bike. However, as a person who has worked on many a passion project prior to ever even thinking about a project bike, I’m here to tell you that some of that precious knowledge you’ve already gained completely carries over into project bike territory. In this video, YouTuber SuperFastMatt takes us on a detailed breakdown of how he tried to build a custom land speed record attempt motorcycle four separate times—and how (and why) he failed. His analysis is unsparing, hilarious, and incredibly relatable—even if you’ve never personally tried to build a custom land speed record attempt motorcycle of your own. Why? Probably because, at their heart, most projects—be they bikes or other things—share a number of traits in common. As he spells out toward the beginning of the vehicle, all projects require some mixture of time, money, space, and motivation to complete things—from your individual sub-tasks, all the way up to full project completion. Most people don’t have unlimited supplies of any (or all) of these things—but if you have motivation, you can usually find creative ways to bend the other three parts to your will. The problems usually happen when motivation runs out. A setback may only seem tiny to an outsider, but if it feels utterly soul-crushing to you, then you may set something aside for weeks, months—or even years until you’re ready to deal with it

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Twin Power Launches Expanded Line of Crankshaft Position Sensors

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Twin Power Launches Expanded Line of Crankshaft Position Sensors for Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Fort Worth TX — May 17, 2022 – TwinPower today announced a new line of Crankshaft Position Sensors (CPS) including seven-part numbers with fitments for Harley-Davidson models dating from the 1999 model year through current models using the Milwaukee 8 engine. TwinPower was the first aftermarket company to create a line of these OEM-quality sensors and today’s launch is a significant expansion of the company’s CPS offering. The Crankshaft Position Sensor is a critical part of a Harley’s engine management system. It delivers crankshaft position data to the bike’s electronic control module, which in turn determines engine timing and fuel delivery. A motorcycle with a faulty Crankshaft Position Sensor will typically have inconsistent performance and difficulty starting. “When a crankshaft position sensor goes bad, your bike isn’t going anywhere,” said James Simonelli, Brand Manager for Twin Power. “We’ve created these products to be an affordable solution to a common problem. That’s why they are in such high demand from DIY motorcycle owners and motorcycle repair shops seeking a replacement part that will generate profits for their business.” Twin Power’s new lineup is 100% tested in the U.S. to meet OEM specifications and has been endurance tested to 60,000 miles to ensure sensor longevity. The units use OEM-style connectors for an exact fit and are designed using encapsulated circuitry, along with vibration and heat resistant polymers to stand up to the harsh operating environment of a motorcycle’s engine. The line includes nine-part numbers, each with a different fitment covering the million+ Harley-Davidson motorcycles made between 1999 and today. Part number and fitment information is available at TwinPower-USA.com. All of the TwinPower CPS models retail for $52.95. About Twin Power: Since 1982, Twin Power has been designing and producing quality

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No masks required as 250,000 expected at 10-day Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Here’s what to know.

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by Joel Shannon from https://news.yahoo.com One of the largest events since the beginning of the pandemic has begun in South Dakota: More than 250,000 people are expected at the iconic Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. That’s scaled down from previous years, where about half-a-million people have descended on the city of about 7,000 for an event that has developed a reputation as an anything-goes festival. While the 80-year tradition isn’t as raucous as it once was, festivalgoers will be largely free of social distancing restrictions common elsewhere in the country during this year’s 10-day festival. Bikers flocking to the small town from around the country won’t face quarantining requirements if they are from a coronavirus hot spot. And masks? They’re encouraged – not required. So far, few people are heeding that encouragement, according to an Associated Press reporter at the event. Many who rode their bikes into Sturgis on Friday expressed defiance at the rules and restrictions that have marked life in much of the world during the pandemic. “Screw COVID,” read the design on one T-shirt being hawked. “I went to Sturgis.” Local officials have made efforts to scale down the event, but some expect restriction-weary bikers to flock to Sturgis in large numbers. “It’s the biggest single event that’s going on in the United States that didn’t get canceled,” said Rod Woodruff, who operates the largest campground and concert venue that lies outside the bounds of the city. “A lot of people think it’s going to be bigger than ever.” In addition to normal concerns about crime, many locals are worried the huge crowds and lack of social distancing rules will lead to an unmanageable outbreak of COVID-19. What is Sturgis? The rally may be known for rowdy, drunken and naked shenanigans, but in recent years longtime attendees complain it

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