Passes & Canyons Blog

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) is to the national scene what the state-level ABATEs are to the state scenes. A motorcycle rights organization working to protect our rights and shape legislation in ways beneficial to, or at least not detrimental to, riding motorcycles.

I generally tend to support what the MRF works for but in the most recent case I personally feel the group has gone a bit off the deep end. Specifically, in a letter to Sean Duffy, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, it said:

The MRF strongly opposes the Biden Administration’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards finalized in June 2024, which require automakers’ new vehicle fleets to reach an average of 53.5 miles per gallon by model year 2032.

Now wait. The CAFE standards relate only to cars. What does this have to do with motorcycles?

OK, the letter continues and explains the concern:

The CAFE standards drive automakers to increase production of electric vehicles and phase out
internal combustion (ICE) engines. As these manufacturers pivot resources toward electric
vehicle (EV) compliance, we expect reduced investment and innovation in ICE technology, which
powers most motorcycles. This shift could lead to:
• Reduced availability of affordable support technologies and fuels for motorcycle riders
• Distorted market dynamics and limited consumer choice
• Decreased relevance and impact of the aftermarket parts industry
• Rural motorcyclists being disproportionately impacted due to insufficient infrastructure

Yeah, OK, so you’re saying let’s nullify technological advancements for cars in order to insure that motorcycles won’t be orphaned. Guys, that’s a really weak argument. First off, there are a gazillion cars pumping out megatons of air pollution while there are–to be generous–significantly fewer motorcycles. Gosh, I don’t know. I kind of like breathing clean air and while theoretically the technological advancement of motorcycles might be negatively impacted, I really don’t believe it will grind to a halt.

I also don’t understand what they’re saying about rural motorcyclists being disproportionately impacted. I guess the build-out of charging stations in rural areas will be slower than in metro areas but at the same time I suspect the phasing out of the gasoline supply industry will also be slower in rural areas, especially as long as farmers use gas- or diesel-powered farm implements.

Nope. This is a case where I definitely break with the MRF. You guys do good work but we all screw up some times.

Biker Quote for Today

Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing. — Hunter S. Thompson

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) released its legislative agenda for the coming year and it looks much like last year’s agenda. That’s how these things work: You chip away year after year until you finally reach your objective. There are few easy fixes.

The MRF, just to recap, is the national motorcyclist rights organization that works in Washington, DC, with Congress on issues of importance nationally to riders. Meanwhile, all the local and state ABATEs provide the same function on the state levels.

Here’s the MRF agenda. I’ll add a few notes on some of them.

• Profiling: Continue pursuit of the House anti-profiling resolution mirroring the Senate version that passed unanimously. Build momentum for inclusion of anti-profiling language in other legislation. (This is to halt the practice of law enforcement agencies setting up checkpoints solely for motorcyclists; if you want to stop all motorists and check for valid licenses, etc., that’s fine, but not just motorcyclists.)
• Renewable Fuels: Advocate for targeted changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). (This is aimed at protecting motorcycle engines from the negative effects of too-high ethanol content in gas.)
• Autonomous Vehicles: Advocate and monitor any legislation or regulations related to motorcycles concerning connected and autonomous vehicles. (Make sure autonomous vehicles see and recognize motorcycles.)
• Emission Regulations: Engage the EPA & Congress on any activity related to motorcycle emission regulations.
• Definition of a Motorcycle: Educate policymakers and advocate for change to current definition, that better reflects the current two- and three-wheel motorcycle landscape. (Ensure that regulations affecting motorcycles are based on statistics truly related to motorcycles, i.e., two-wheeled vehicles primarily, and treat three- and four-wheel vehicles as a different class of vehicle.)
• Crash Avoidance: Continue to promote the theme of crash avoidance versus safer crashing urging NHTSA and the DOT to focus on crash prevention and rider education.
• Helmet Laws: Oppose any mandatory federal helmet, apparel or conspicuity standards.
• Black Box: Pursue legislative language that any collected or available vehicle data is the property of the consumer and in which the consumer has the choice to opt-out of having their personal data communicated to interested parties.
• Surface Transportation Reauthorization (Highway Bill): Advocate and pursue legislative efforts that impact motorcyclists in the Highway Bill, now set to expire in 2021.

Seriously, I wouldn’t expect many of these items to be checked off a done a year from now but if the MRF was not there doing its work it is easily imaginable that these situations could get worse. At the very least, preventing backsliding is itself a worthwhile objective.

Biker Quote for Today

So when push comes to shove, get the Harley revved up, the moon can eclipse even the sun. — Lou Reed