RPM Act, Motorcycle Profiling, Fuels and more The MRF believes that an educated consumer is empowered to make the right decision for their specific circumstances. CLICK HERE TO READ THE LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act – H.R. 1024
In February, Congressman Scott Austin of Georgia introduced H.R. 1024. This legislation seeks an educational campaign about E-15 and new labeling at fuel pumps
warning consumers to check their owner’s manual when using E-15 fuel.
This simple educational campaign and warning label will alert consumers that further education on their part may be needed. By encouraging consumers to check
their owner’s manual, consumers will have the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions about the fuel they put in their engines.

an educated consumer is empowered to make the right decision for their specific

circumstances.

This is another example of the MRF working with likeminded groups, with common
interests to impact legislation. As you can imagine, motorcycles are not the only
engines affected by ethanol. The MRF has been in contact with the Marine Retailers Association, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Specialty Equipment
Market Association, Briggs & Stratton, American Sportfishing Association, Boat
US, Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, American Highway Users Alliance and the
snowmobile industry in hopes of raising awareness about the impact of ethanol on
engines.

This legislation currently has bipartisan 19 cosponsors.

In March, Congressman Tim Walberg of Michigan introduced H. Res. 255, the motorcyclist profiling resolution in the House of Representatives. This resolution is
identical to the Senate version lead by Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin that
passed in December 2018.

In an attempt to shine a light on the issue and earn passage in the House of Representatives, the MRF has committed to driving cosponsors to the resolution. The
MRF DC team, in coordination with SMRO’s and individual MRF members, have undertaken a wide-reaching education campaign aimed at lawmakers and their staffs.

This “full-court press” has resulted in over 120 bipartisan Members of Congress
joining the resolution in just eight months. These members represent 42 different
states and American Samoa. The previous two previous versions of this resolution
from 114th and 115th Congress had 18 and 37 cosponsors, respectively.

We hope that this dramatic growth in cosponsors over the last four years will
demonstrate to Congressional leadership that motorcyclists and their elected officials are serious about the issue of profiling and passage of H. Res 255 should be a
priority in 2020.

Definition of a Motorcycle

In April, Members of the House Motorcycle Caucus lead by Congressman Michael
Buress of Texas sent a bipartisan letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asking for a review of the current definition of a motorcycle.

As many of you know, the current definition of a motorcycle (listed below) is over
40 years old and extremely broad.
Motorcycle means a motor vehicle with motive power having a seat or saddle for
the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground.

The current definition means that so-called “autocycles” are technically motorcycles under the current federal law. This has created a patchwork set of laws surrounding motorcycles and autocycles at the state level. We thank the 7 Congressmen who signed the letter seeking information on the topic from NHTSA and will

In August, the MRF was invited by Senate and House staff to discuss potential autonomous vehicle (AV) legislation. In cooperation with the American Motorcyclists
Association and Harley-Davidson, the MRF submitted a written proposal listing the
priorities for motorcyclists in any autonomous vehicle legislation.

In the previous Congress, only the Senate version of this legislation specifically named motorcyclists as roadway users that AV manufacturers needed to account for specifically.

While no bill has yet been made public, the Senate Commerce Committee held
hearing late in the year on the topic of AV technology. The MRF was encouraged
that three Senators two during the hearing and one in written form asked officials
at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about AV policy and the need to ensure motorcycles are considered in both legislation and the rulemaking process.

In October, Senators Richard Burr of North Carolina and Joe Manchin of West Virginia along with bipartisan cosponsors introduced S. 2602, Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2019 (RPM Act).

This bill would exclude vehicles to be used solely for competition from certain provisions of the Clean Air Act, and for other purposes. As you may remember, the
Motorcycle Riders Foundation along with a dozen other organizations teamed up
with the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) during the 115th
Congress in promoting the passage of this legislation which would exempt
you from the provisions of the Clean Air Act which makes it illegal for you to turn a
street-legal vehicle or motorcycle into performance race vehicle.

The legislation took some time to be introduced during this Congress due to some changes to the previous version of the bill. One of those changes would ensure
this legislation would be in effect immediately after passage and would protect the
racers, consumers and aftermarket industry for using or producing, selling, and/
or distributing emissions-related race parts for use on vehicles used exclusively for
competition while the EPA writes regulations.

In the waning legislative days of 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives followed
their colleagues and introduced the companion bill H.R. 5434. This legislation is
led by Representatives Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Raul Ruiz (D-CA) along with
six other original cosponsors. Currently, the Senate bill has 28 bipartisan cosponsors and the House bill has 11 bipartisan cosponsors.

In November, Congressman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin introduced the Motorcyclist Advisory Council Reauthorization Act.
The Motorcycle Advisory Council (MAC) was first established by Congress in 2005
and reauthorized in 2015.

The MAC is responsible for providing advice and recommendations concerning infrastructure issues elated to motorcyclist safety, including barrier design, road design, construction, maintenance practices, and the architecture and implementation of intelligent transportation system technologies.

In cooperation with Harley-Davidson, the American Motorcyclists Association and
ABATE of Wisconsin, the MRF helped advocate for common-sense changes to the
MAC which will help ensure that motorcyclists have a seat at the table when issues impacted them are discussed at and recommended to policymakers. Below are
three critical changes this legislation would implement.

1.Reauthorizing the MAC for 6 years. This ensures that the MAC has an established timeline for its work.
2. Requiring that the MAC submit a biennial recommendations report. At a
minimum, 3 reports on motorcycle policy will now be required to be submitted to the Department of Transportation and Congress for review.
3. Clarifying the Membership of the MAC. This bill sets aside specific seats
on the 12-member board for motorcycle riders and advocates. For example,
1 seat is reserved for each of the following, a national motorcyclist foundation, a national motorcyclist association, and a national motorcycle manufacturing association.
In 2020, the MRF will continue to educate lawmakers on the topic of the MAC and
look for an opportunity for this legislation to pass on its own or be incorporated in
a more extensive transportation initiative.

Bikers Inside the Beltway
The 11th Annual Bikers Inside the Beltway commenced on May 21st at 6:45 am as
over 150 bikers began the journey from our hotel in Virginia to the footsteps of the
U.S. Capitol.

Riders met with Congressional offices to discuss issues like motorcycle profiling,
autonomous vehicle technology, the definition of a motorcycle and consumer education surrounding ethanol.

It goes without saying that when 150 plus bikers start roaming the halls of Congress, people take notice. In fact, we were so visible that a Congressman started up a conversation with a few riders in an elevator and the next day signed on to our profiling resolution!

At a ceremony in front of the U.S. Capitol with riders in attendance, Kirk “Hardtail”
Willard presented Congressman Michael Burgess of Texas with his Legislator of
the Year vest. Congressman Burgess spoke about the formation of the House Motorcycle Caucus and his efforts over the last decade to fight for the rights of motorcyclists.

Congressman Burgess was joined at the podium by Congressmen Tim
Walberg of Michigan and Congressman Troy Balderson of Ohio. All three Congressman are riders, members of the House Motorcycle Caucus and passionate about
protecting riders on and off the road.

Additionally, Senator John Thune of South Dakota was presented with his legislator
of the year vest in a ceremony in his office.

Senator Thune was honored because of his hard work to protect motorcyclists regarding autonomous vehicle legislation.

As summer turned to fall, hundreds of bikers gathered in Minnesota for the 35th
Annual Meeting of the Minds in Bloomington, MN. As anyone that has attended a
Meeting of the Minds, the event is one-part social event, one-part pep talk and
one-part a forum for the sharing of ideas. On all three accounts, the event in Minnesota was a resounding success.

The 30 plus SMROs represented shared ideas and strategies on what they are
working on in individual states and helped create the framework for the MRF and
its priorities for the coming year. The MRF thanks our hosts in Minnesota and all
the volunteers and attendees who took time out of their busy lives to focus on motorcyclist rights.

We look forward to the next fall in Indiana and expect our friends in the Hoosier
state to deliver a fantastic event! MOTM 2020 will be held on September 24-26th
in Indianapolis, IN.

State and Regional Events

This year the MRF DC team attended numerous regional and state level motorcycle events to educate members about the MRF and out priorities.

In March, we headed to Omaha, Nebraska for Heartland STEAM the gathering of
SMROs from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and
Wisconsin. In October, the MRF attended the Mid-South Mile in Shreveport, Louisiana which included motorcycle leaders from Arkansas, Kansas. Louisiana, Missouri,
Oklahoma and Texas.

Additionally, throughout the year, MRF representatives attended state-level meetings in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin to discuss our federal priorities.

6,182 – The number of letters sent by MRF Members to Congress during our “Call
to Actions”
253 – The number of Senate and House offices Tiffany and Rocky DC personally
visited throughout the year to discuss motorcycle issues.
166 – The number of meetings MRF Members did in one day during Bikers Inside
the Beltway!
27 – Representatives that are members of the House Motorcycle Caucus
8 – Senators that are members of the Senate Motorcycle Caucus
3 – The Number of fundraisers the MRF PAC authorized the DC team to attend with
motorcycle legislative champions (Sen. Johnson, Rep. Walberg, Rep. Burgess).

by Abhinand Venugopal from https://www.rushlane.com/

Seeing the success of Royal Enfield in the 250-350cc segment, many motorcycle brands are planning entry with new products.

Royal Enfield is arguably one of the most demanded names in the 350cc category in the Indian motorcycle market. For the same reason, many brands have come forward with their own range of compelling products to take on the Chennai-based motorcycle manufacturer. Now, the Italian automotive brand, Piaggio has revealed its plans to enter the same segment through its Aprilia sub-brand.

Diego Graffi, MD of Piaggio, shares that the company has a lot of interesting in the Indian motorcycle market and sees untapped potential in the 250-350cc market. With Aprilia — the winner of multiple racing championships in the world — under its belt, Piaggio is confident that it can make a strong presence in the market, especially against the likes of Royal Enfield products.

As per data, Indian two-wheeler sales have dropped by 15.74% to 1,28,64,936 units between April to November of the current fiscal year. In turn, Piaggio sales (predominantly, Aprilia and Vespa range of scooters) declined by 16.86% to 48,471 units.

Out of the 7,73,855 motorcycles sold in the 250-350cc segment in the country within the same period, Royal Enfield contributed to almost 99% of the sales, at 7,64,012 units. For the same reason, it makes sense for Piaggio to introduce something that would be much more desirable than the market leader. Mr Graffi commented that this would take time, but is definitely in the plans.

Royal Enfield products have a cult following in the country and some folks even see it as ‘the motorcycle’ over anything else on the market. The charm of a Royal Enfield is its classic styling that can simply overshadow its relatively poor output characteristics and chassis dynamics.

The new Jawa motorcycles and Benelli Imperiale 400 are the only other products that have made an impact on Royal Enfield’s market. Hence, Piaggio’s upcoming 250-350cc products should have an edge over these motorcycles as well — if it is a cruiser or classic.

If it is any other type of motorcycle, the competition will be even tougher due to the presence of main players such as KTM, Yamaha, Bajaj, TVS and even the upcoming Husqvarna.

Aprilia currently sells only the SR and Storm range of 125-150cc scooters in the country. About two years back, the company thrilled motorcycle enthusiasts across the country with the showcase of the Aprilia RS 150 and Tuono 150 motorcycles at Auto Expo 2018. Many awaited for its launch for quite a long time, but only to be disappointed in the end. We hope this won’t be the case with the newly-proposed Aprilia motorcycles.

With Pan American 1250 – Harley Davidson breaks the Hog rules again

The Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 was announced for launch in 2021 and the company’s Instagram suggests we might be able to see this breakthrough bike in dealerships in 2020. First offered for inspection at EICMA show 2019, the excitement is visible and strong.

Brad Richards, Vice President of Styling and Design of H-D mentioned in an interview that they have built a Jeep with two-wheels.

H-D is entering new market segments with two new middleweight models. One is the Pan America 1250 adventure and the other is a 975cc Bronx streetfighter. New Revolution Max engine will be offered in two displacement sizes. A smaller, 975cc engine will power the upcoming Bronx streetfighter, whereas a bigger 1,250cc will power the Pan America.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIRST FEATURE OF PAN AMERICA

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Wild hogs can’t be broken

No name in American motorcycling looms as large as Harley-Davidson, the longest continually operating motorcycle brand in the States. While it’s experienced its share of problems over the last decade or so, it’s continually working on updating and innovating.

What is it about the Street Glide that makes it such a special machine? It’s got a massive 114 cubic-inch Milwaukee Eight engine that produces just 90 horsepower.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REVIEW ON BIKERNET.COM

by Abhinand Venugopal from https://www.rushlane.com/

The upcoming Kawasaki ZX-25R hit all headlines in the motorcycle world about two months back, after its official introduction at the Tokyo Motor Show 2019.

With aesthetics resembling its bigger siblings such as the ZX-6R and ZX-10R, the ZX-25R is quite the package for a 250cc motorcycle. The 25R is powered by a 249cc liquid-cooled DOHC ‘four-cylinder’ engine i.e. just over 60cc in each cylinder. The official output figures are not available at the moment, but rumours claim it peaks at almost 60bhp, at around 17,000rpm — yes, you’ve read that right!

Prices are not yet revealed for any region in the world and we see minimal chances of it hitting the Indian market. However, if it does happen to come to your local Kawasaki dealership, expect a price tag of at least Rs 5 lakh ex-showroom; making it more expensive than a Kawasaki Ninja 400 and every other ‘normal’ 250cc motorcycle on the market.

The screaming baby Kawasaki sports bike borrows a lot from its bigger siblings alongside a host of other sophisticated components. The list includes Kawasaki’s horizontal back-link rear suspension, quick shifter, traction control, Showa SFF-BP (Separate Function Fork – Big Piston), dedicated power modes, and a lot more.

This is an odd and interesting combination of facts and figures, but nothing new in the motorcycle world. There have been multiple 250cc i4 models over the years and especially towards the end of the twentieth century, such as the Yamaha FZR250, Honda CBR250RR, Suzuki GSX-R250 and of course, the Kawasaki ZXR250.

These motorcycles may not be as fast as a conventional middle-weight or any other sensible alternative of its time. However, the customer focus is/was different for these low-capacity multi-cylinder motorcycles. They are meant for those who like to ride on the absolute limit — peaking over 15,000rpm in every straight and putting the time’s V10 Formula 1 cars in close proximity in the acoustic department.

As mentioned before, these kind of motorcycles were not particularly fast and government regulations often cut their peak output to around 45bhp, which is available only towards the top of the tacho. For the same reason, they were very subtle in their behaviour at lower revs and could feel like just any other 250cc single (except for the sound).

The interval of the peak output is quite short in some of these motorcycles and riders have to be very precise at their shifts to keep the pull strong, just to harness 45 horses in the straight line. However, as a wise petrolhead once said, “a slower machine (relatively) can always be pushed to the limit, but a faster machine will mostly remain underutilised”.

 

by Jim Henry from https://www.forbes.com

Panasonic-Equipped Vehicles At CES 2020 Include Harleys And Even A Battery Powered Fire Truck

Panasonic Automotive branches out at the upcoming CES 2020, adding motorcycles from Harley-Davidson and compact, “right-sized” electric trucks for commercial use from Tropos Technologies Inc., to the Panasonic stand at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show.

“We’re doing a lot of collaboration,” Andrew Poliak, Panasonic Automotive CTO, said in a phone interview. CES 2020 runs Jan. 7 through Jan. 10 in Las Vegas. Media previews begin Jan. 5.

Panasonic is a world leader in automotive batteries, automotive infotainment, and vehicle connectivity solutions. At CES 2019 a year ago, Panasonic and Harley jointly unveiled the Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle, the first battery powered Harley built by the manufacturer.

Besides the electric powertrain, the LiveWire was introduced along with a suite of connected features Harley calls H-D Connect. Some functions, used in conjunction with the H-D smartphone app, are aimed specifically at the electric motorcycle, like searching for recharging stations and the ability to check remotely how much the battery is charged.

This year, starting with the 2020 model year that began in August 2019, Harley is rolling out connected features for many of its bikes with internal combustion engines, too. For instance, owners can check fuel level remotely instead of battery charge. Other features work for either electric or traditional powertrains, such as service reminders and tamper alerts. There’s also a stolen vehicle tracking service.

Meanwhile in May 2019, Panasonic and Tropos announced a partnership to produce battery powered commercial vehicles. According to Poliak, those include a small “fire response vehicle,” and small delivery trucks aimed at fulfilling the “last mile” requirement for fast delivery.

John R. Bautista III, Tropos CEO and founder, said in a video on the Tropos web site that his company’s fire response vehicle typically would cost around $50,000, vs. around $500,000 for a traditional, fullsize pumper truck. “The cost is so low, a private fleet can position a small fire response vehicle on site, full time, without having to spend a lot of money,” he said.

An Old Biker still on the Road and Building Bikes

I have never really explored the east, so I packed up my old ‘86 Harley and all my clothes in a little trailer and headed for Oklahoma in my ‘76 Pontiac Grand Prix.

I unloaded the old bike and did some riding around Tennessee, very pretty country.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ROAD ADVENTURE

Amigo, The Dayroll came in the mail yesterday. I really like it!!

The quality is unbelieveable!

It is perfect for stashing a pair of gloves, maybe a sweatshirt, glasses, maybe spare sunglasses and camera. It will definitely replace the bigger bag I have on my bike for the stuff I carry around everyday!!

Thanks for getting it here so quickly too!! All the best!!

–Ken

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