Passes & Canyons Blog

Congress is in session and the Motorcycle Riders Foundation continues to press on motorcycle-focused issues that have arisen over the years. Shaping and passing legislation is not a one-shot effort, it requires tireless, persistent, sustained effort to finally get an idea enacted into law.

Each year the MRF organizes an event called Bikers in the Beltway, where organizations and individuals make an effort to speak with senators and congressmen and women to promote this legislation and to educate these elected officials about the issues. This year and last the effort was less in person than usual and more virtual. But it was done, and that was in early May.

The number one priority for the MRF this year has been the once-every-five-years highway bill. The group’s position states: The highway bill is a vital part of our transportation policy making system. The opportunity to dramatically impact our surface transportation system comes around only once every five years. Using this legislative vehicle to include important motorcycle specific priorities is a must. The House wisely included many of these provisions during committee markup in 2020. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation is encouraged by the work of the House in 2020 and seeks continued support for motorcyclists in any permanent bill.

The priorities in the bill are:
• Preserving the Motorcycle Education & Awareness Program Grant Funding. (Sec. 3001)
• Preserving the ban on federal funding for motorcycle only checkpoints.(Sec. 3011)
• Preserving the Motorcyclist Advisory Council (MAC) to advise the FHWA (Federal Highway Administration).(Sec. 3013)
• Preserving language that collects motorcyclist profiling data.(Sec. 3505)
• Preserving mandate that autonomous vehicles must detect and respond to motorcycles.(Sec. 5304)
• Preserving the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) Lobbying Ban and expand to other federal agencies.
• Preserving the language that motorcycles are not considered single-occupancy vehicles for HOV lane access.
• Ensure that motorcycles are not banned from federally funded roads.

Some of these issues are obvious. Motorcycles not banned from federally funded roads? Well, duh. Why is it even necessary to state that explicitly in law?

Others not so much. Preserve the NHTSA lobbying ban? I’ll go into details on some of these in my next couple posts.

Meanwhile, if you care about your rights and safety as a motorcyclist you might consider supporting at least one of the several groups working for all of us at both the federal and state levels.

Biker Quote for Today

Oh, my lifestyle offends you? Go hold your breath till I give a damn.

Even scooters are selling like hotcakes now.

Covid 19 has changed a lot of things. The real question is, will these changes last or will they stick around long after the virus is no longer an issue.

For instance, after being stuck at home interminably, people are hungry to get outside and do stuff. Judy and I like to camp but when we went out last year we had trouble finding a campsite because everyone else was out camping, too. And from the reports, this included a lot of people who had never camped before, not just those of us who have done it since forever.

Will this continue to be the case? Will all these new campers decide they really like this, and will they continue to jam the campgrounds? We’ll find out, won’t we.

A similar thing has happened in the motorcycling world. Motorcycle sales are through the roof.

In a report from the Motorcycle Industry Council, dated May 13, new bike sales increased 37.2 percent in the first quarter of 2021, compared to last year. And the increases were reflected in all of the on-highway, off-highway, dual-purpose, and scooter categories.

That’s incredible. And unlike camping, where lots of new campers can crowd out those who have done it for a long time, getting one new motorcyclist on the road doesn’t negatively impinge on us old-timers at all. It’s definitely a case of the more the merrier.

It could get a little congested on the off-road areas, however. The MIC report says that “Year-to-date sales of dual-purpose motorcycles were up the most, by 47 percent.” Wow. But maybe these folks are more like me, not necessarily wanting to go off on trails so much as just not wanting to pass by all these gravel roads and never finding out where they go.

There are so many ways that Covid has changed things and some of them are for the better. Let’s hope we can hang onto the good ones.

Biker Quote for Today

Look at that badass on that Can-Am Spyder said no one ever.