Editorial Director Mitch Boehm on seeing AMA Supercross up close and personal 10 MEGAPHONE
AMA Charter Life Member Perry King on his (nearly) lifelong love of the leather jacket
12 BACKFIRES
Membership feedback on recent issues
14 BACK IN THE DAY
Where the photos are blurry but the memories are clear!
18 ACTING AGAINST AUTOMATION
The ongoing fight against unsafe autonomous vehicle practices and development
22 2024 AMA VMD PREVIEW
Everything there is to know about this year’s AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days
30
COVER STORY: THE 70s
All about the latest golden era of motorcycling and the AMA’s busy decade
Hall of Famer Scot Harden’s Nevada Rally Experience is giving riders a taste of the rally-raid experience
50 SCREAMIN’ YELLOW ZONKERS
50 years of Yamaha’s championship-winning, industry-changing YZ motocross bikes
70 AMA GARAGE
Tips, tweaks, fixes and facts: The motorcycle ownership experience, explained
74 FLASHBACK
Remembering the “other” Mid-Ohio
ON THE COVER:
The 1970s were significant for motorcycling. While motorcycling was enjoying a true golden era, the AMA was busy implementing and elevating its government relations efforts, establishing racing series, and changing its name to emphasize its focus on motorcyclists. Read about the many happenings starting on page 30.
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Mitch Boehm Editorial Director
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t happens every time I’m down there…down there meaning on the floor, or trackside, at an AMA Supercross event.
ILiving in Salt Lake City, it’s easy to make the AMA Supercross finale at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium, as I did again this season. And every year as I walk around during practice or qualifying, or even during the heats and mains, I simply cannot believe what I see.
The size of the jumps. The near-vertical jump faces. The distances flown. The heights reached. And whoops so deep, pointy and gnarly I’m sure I’d have trouble negotiating them on a trials bike. I am literally flabbergasted by it all.
Much of this perspective isn’t obvious from high in the grandstands, or on TV. The distances thrown, altitudes achieved and whoop-gnarliness-factor are minimized by the camera and view angles; you see the bikes flying through the air, but the contrast between ground and air is mostly gone, as if you’re looking down on the Rockies from an airliner.
But on the ground or from the lower grandstand seats, the physics involved in AMA Supercross are devastating, and often unbelievable.
And the effect, I think, is heightened for those who have raced before, as I have. As a racer, you’ve jumped some long distances, maybe with a bit of arm pump, and wondered if you’d hang on when you landed; you’ve hit those jump faces pinned in third gear, seeing nothing but the launch and the sky above, and maybe been a little afraid; you’ve huck-a-bucked through those whoop sections, holding your breath, maybe; or roosted up those Glen Helen-esque uphills, holding on
PERSPECTIVES AMA SUPERCROSS: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
BY MITCH BOEHM
ground level, the OMG factor of your
for dear life...
So, when you see the Lawrences, Tomacs, Roczens and Stewarts doing what you’ve done before but at several levels faster, nastier and more dangerous from trackside, you realize just how talented and special today’s motocross athletes really are.
As I strolled the floor with my son Alex watching the heats, marveling at the air show and waiting to see our friends Jeremy and Carl Hand from Ohio in staging (Jeremy has made several 450 main events this year, and I raced with his dad, Carl, and brother, David, back in the day in Ohio), I saw more of what makes AMA Supercross so dramatic:
The pensive looks on the faces of the AMA Supercross Futures riders, who are the literal future of the sport, getting ready to ride in front of 40,000 fans; ditto the kiddies from the KTM Juniors program; the so-cool drone camera giving TV audiences a unique look at how intense AMA Supercross competition really is; and the nervous-
ness of the Last Chance Qualifier participants, many of whom had driven cross country to be here.
Earlier, as opening ceremonies ended and the first gate-drop of the evening would signal the beginning of the final chapter of the 2024 AMA Supercross season, Alex and I got to see another angle of the Supercross experience, and how truly outstanding our AMA crew — and the Feld Entertainment and TV crews — really were.
There’s a lot happening during opening ceremonies, including hero riders doing demos for the fans, pyrotechnics blowing up, the announcers getting fans riled up, etc. But there is live TV in the mix, too, which means all this pre-race stuff absolutely and positively has to happen on time
With four minutes until gate drop on AMA Racing Manager Jeff Canfield’s digital readout, and lots of rile-’em-up stuff still happening on the floor, the tension in the skybox tripled. The first 250-class bikes were still funneling into place, and corner workers were still making their way to their stations.
But after rapid-fire-but-calm instructions to the many groups on the ground from Canfield and producer-level folks from Feld and the NBC TV crew, things settled quickly; the pros got into place, the 30-second board went up, and the gate dropped with literally a half-second remaining on Canfield’s counter. He gave us a quick glance…and just grinned. Whew!
So wherever you’re watching from, AMA Supercross is badass. Be sure to catch it next year.
Mitch Boehm is the Editorial Director of the AMA and a long-time member.
From
typical AMA Supercross track comes into focus. Six-foot-two Alex provides some scale to this jump face.
Try freecalimoto for 14 days
I’ve been an actor my whole life. Actors have a saying: Find the right wardrobe, and the part plays itself.
When I was a little boy, about 6 years old, I think, something happened that reconfigured my entire life. My sister took me to see a movie — The Wild One. I suppose she took me as part of a deal with my parents — you know, “take your little brother (or ‘get him out of our hair’) and we’ll give you money for both of you.” This was the era of polio, and our mother was usually terrified to let us go anywhere, but somehow we prevailed.
My 14-year-old sister was not thrilled to have me along, but when that movie started, both of us were stunned, riveted to our seats. Roaring motorcycles coming right at you! I’d never seen such things, with such power and sound, machinery that seemed to fly over the ground! And the riders, all of them armored with these glorious black leather jackets!
I wanted everything I saw: the bikes, the jackets, I wanted to be Marlon Brando. I wanted women to react to me the way it was clear my sister was reacting to Mr. Brando. I wanted to be in movies, riding machines and wearing those incredible uniforms of rebellion and power. The twin passions of my life were born: acting and motorcycles. For my sister, it was a lifelong love of bad boys, and it all seemed to be crucially wrapped in those primal jackets.
I’m sitting here right now wearing the coolest jacket I’ve ever owned…a Vanson classic jacket that was a gift from the AMA. It’s emblazoned on the back with the AMA logo, declaring the organization’s 100th anniversary. On the front, my initials — which remind
MEGAPHONE
the magic of brando’s armor
BY PERRY KING
First made in 1928, the Schott Perfecto motorcycle jacket was already iconic when Brando first donned his in The Wild One. Its appeal endures nearly a century later.
me of the way my jacket from the film The Lords of Flatbush (itself hitting its 50th anniversary) displayed my character’s name: Chico.
Only 20 years after being blown away by Brando’s Johnny and his insouciant stance in the Schott Perfecto jacket that is now iconic, I was riding a Harley-Davidson in my The Lords of Flatbush jacket to impress the girls in my own movie. The jackets in The Lords of Flatbush were a crucial part of that movie, just the way Brando’s jacket in The Wild One is the cornerstone of his charismatic performance. Imagine him doing that film in a jean jacket, or just a T-shirt. The whole thing becomes powerless and forgettable.
But what is it that makes a leather motorcycle jacket so riveting?
Yes, they are superb protection in the event of a get off. I swear, this Vanson I wear every chance I get is so thick and strong, and so beautifully stitched together, that you feel like you could drag it behind your car for a hundred miles and it wouldn’t look
much different.
But as all you riders know, it’s way, way more than that. The moment you put the right jacket on, everything changes. Your head goes into a different space. A good motorcycle buddy of mine says that putting his jacket on triggers all the skills and instincts he needs to ride well.
Not just that, but there’s something primitive and ancient in wearing the skin of another animal. That feeling of being armored actually changes the way you think and feel. Just as a motorcycle seems to lend you its grace and power, so does the right jacket. I know of no other piece of wardrobe that affects me so much, and as an actor, I’ve worn the garb of people from practically every time period of history.
Paul Newman once said, when asked why he loved to race, “It’s the only time in my life when I get to feel graceful.” That’s as true as anything I’ve ever heard in my life, and exactly why I feel the same about riding motorcycles. When I put on my Vanson, it feels like I’m preparing to change the physics of life that bind us all and go out there and fly. My jacket is a conduit of grace.
I know that sounds sappy, but for me it’s true. Go riding someday in your winter parka and tell me if it doesn’t simply ruin the ride.
It’s so clear how early experiences power the whole rest of your life. For almost 60 years now, ever since I was able to get a license and afford an old junker bike, I’ve been able to put on my leathers and find my inner Wild One
To paraphrase: Find the right leather jacket, and the ride will ride itself.
Perry King is an AMA Charter Life Member.
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BACKFIRES
THE NEXT 36
You folks have been doing a fantastic job…keep it up. And please don’t let print-on-paper die.
Kent Tabor, Life Member Copperas Cove, Texas
Too much dirtbike stuff. More street content, please.
Marc Samson Pittsburgh, Pa.
More racing coverage, please, especially on the dirt. Can’t get enough!
Steve R. Portland, Ore.
Your April issue is one of your best, as my interest is primarily touring. Months back I thought you did not have enough touring content, but I can’t complain about recent months. It has to be difficult balancing touring, racing, motorcycle design, maintenance and all the other interests. Just remember to give touring a good share.
Al Holtsberry
See? We can’t win! Lol. – Ed.
Having subscribed for many years to Cycle and then compelled to switch to Cycle World when it bought and “absorbed” Cycle, it was interesting to hear the Editor ask, “What are we missing?” Other than Cook Neilson, Peter Egan, and the late Gordon Jennings and Ed Hertfelder, nothing… but some things can’t be helped. Keep on keeping on!
Lawrence Anderson
We’ll keep trying to get Cook and Peter to pen something for us, and may Gordon and Ed rest in peace. – Ed.
Bikes and bombers. It doesn’t get any better. You ask us what we
would like to see more or less of in the magazine, and I say more of the inspirational stories of families, friends and strangers sharing the common joy of motorcycling.
Paul Golde
The story mix is great, a bit of everything…nostalgia, new information and great stories. Keep it this way.
Dan Flint Hillsboro, Ohio
Thanks Dan and Paul for nailing the key to all this: great stories about motorcycles, motorcycle people and motorcycle stuff! We get letters on occasion from folks who ride one type of bike, and if they don’t see their bike or their bike’s genre in the magazine,
they complain and threaten to not renew. I guess we just see things differently; regardless of what bike you ride, motorcycling is very much the grand enterprise AMA Hall of Famer Bruce Brown highlighted in On Any Sunday way back in 1971, and great stories trump the divisions within. – Ed.
Thanks to the staff for producing a fantastic magazine. After reading your summary of the topics currently covered, I’m suggesting you change nothing. I know, not very helpful, but heartfelt. Keep up the good work.
Kevin Kennelly
Love the changes to the magazine over the last three years, but I have a suggestion: Pick a significant individu-
LETTER OF THE MONTH
If the next 36 months are as good as the past 36, I’m all in, as American Motorcyclist is one of the few magazines I always read cover to cover. I’ve even gotten into the ADV articles; time to trade the Road Glide for a dual-sport/ADV? The article on airman Van Sandt’s Harley was particularly touching, as my uncle was a tail gunner on a B-17. While on a bombing mission over Germany, his plane came under attack. My uncle was credited with saving the plane and downing three enemy planes. The tail took
a number of hits resulting in serious injury to my uncle; he spent almost a year recovering in an English hospital. As late as the early ’70s, I can remember him showing me bits of shrapnel working their way to the surface from scars along his arm. I once mentioned that his bomber jacket would make a really cool motorcycle jacket for me…and his reply? “Got rid of it. Who’d want an old jacket like that anyway?” Ha! His plane, the Rosey O’Grady, was lost with all hands on its next mission. PS: Thanks for not going all-digital! Chuck Williamson Mechanicsville, Va.
Letters to the editor are the opinions of the AMA members who write them. Inclusion here does not imply they reflect the positions of the AMA, its staff or board. Agree? Disagree? Let us know. Send letters to submissions@ama-cycle.org or mail to American Motorcyclist Association, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147. Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity.
al from moto history — racer, designer, entrepreneur, whatever — and do a short thumbnail bio on him or her.
John Moragne
I am a fairly new member of the AMA, and really enjoy the magazine, especially the Back in the Day section. I grew up with seven brothers on a dairy farm and my dad kept us into motorcycles our entire childhood until 16 or 17 in return for us working our farms. We owned one, but Dad also leased or sharecropped eight others, so we kept busy. So many good memories on the bikes there. My first was a CT70 three-speed, and then came an orange Suzuki TS90. Been hooked on Suzuki ever since. Thanks for all you do.
Dennis Borbonus
Great job on keeping the magazine interesting. Maybe more stories on new bikes for entry-level riders, good/ great/classic events for new riders and how the motorcycle manufacturers are thinking about the future...or maybe a comparative piece on road insurance versus age, region and class of bike.
Dave Z.
Really enjoy the magazine and being an AMA member, but I would like to see listings of bike shows, swap meets, auctions and trade shows open to the public. Thanks!
Reggie Frank
I read your magazine cover-to-cover within three days of finding it in my mailbox; you certainly do publish an informative and compelling collection of motorcycle tidbits. However, when it comes to upcoming events, most of your calendar section is seven pages of motocross. I can get that info when I visit my dealership. It’s overboard in a magazine that is nicely eclectic. It would be nice to see upcoming bike events we could ride to or tour with other like-minded motorcyclists.
Tracy
Thanks, Reggie and Tracy. Just so you know, the entries in our calendar/
events section are limited to those of clubs and promoters who are AMA chartered…and who actually send us their schedules. And there are a lot more off-road events and races than on-road ones. – Ed.
You folks have done an amazing job with the magazine. I love it all. The only thing I would want is for it to continue to be a printed edition not just for the next 36 months, but for the next 36 years. I’ve been riding for 53 years, am a Charter Life member, and proud of it. Keep up the excellent work. I’ll back you 100 percent.
Bernie Marks
The magazine is a challenge to make, I’m sure, but as a 44-year-old I feel like it is entirely geared to people over 60. All your nostalgia articles, which are seemingly half the content, suggest you’re just catering to older folks who soon enough won’t be riders. Maybe you have to because it is a print magazine, as all of us whipper snappers get our info from YouTube
and Reels. I’d love to see more legislation stuff, and some focus on lane-splitting legislation.
Ron Luning
Thanks, Ron, but I’d mention a few things here. First, entirely isn’t half, and factually, half our members are 50-plus, and experience tells me that 98 percent ride and will continue riding for a long time. Remember, you don’t quit riding because you got old; you got old because you quit riding, and I think most of them know this. An English professor of mine always said know your audience, and that pretty well explains our mix of retro and current content. BTW, we’ve been publishing a ton of government relations and lane-sharing content lately, including features on the anti-superbike Danforth Bill (June), Colorado lane-filtering and NHTSA rights wins (May), EPA wins (March and April), engine-type consumer choice (March), land-use issues (February) and a what-to-expect-in-2024 piece in January — with more to come. – Ed.
BACK IN THE DAY
Where the photos are blurry but the memories are clear!
Here’s my grandpa, Ed Manser, on the shared Harley-Davidson of his brothers-in-law, the Weiler boys. The back says: Ed — 9th Ave. Nov. 3, 1917. (On the 500 block of 9th Ave. in Astoria, N.Y.). I’m also sending snips from a letter we found dated Wednesday, Jan. 29, 1919, in which the bike is mentioned. The interesting part is from pages 4 and 5. This is between a couple of Ed’s brothers-in-law — of which there were six — plus two girls, one being my grandmother. The letter reads, in part:
“…The motorcycle certainly is in great shape now. The reason we always had trouble with it was because the motor never was timed right and I guess that put everything on the blink. Freddie always timed it as best he could but about a month ago while he was timing it, he noticed a couple of marks on the thing.
5My first bike was a Honda CL125. My dad let me sell it after I kept jumping with it and bending things. I then bought this 1974 Honda MT250 Elsinore; my three brothers and I rode it into the ground. It was roosted in the Red River in Texas all the way up to the Dakotas as we worked on the wheat harvest. Fun bike and a perfect travel companion. Not so sure about my choice of headgear, though. Phil Kenealy
Freddie tuned it according to those marks and it runs fine now. It always goes off in about one or two kicks. It hasn’t given any trouble in the last month or so although we are riding it more now than we ever have as we certainly are having some dandy weather.
Sunday, Freddie and I were out on Thompson Avenue to Jamaica when a guy with an Indian motorcycle with a side car on stopped us and asked Freddie to haul him to the nearest garage. We hauled him for a mile or two, even up hills and the motor went fine. We could have never done that before. I think we could use a side car now…”
The Harley never made it to any of us in the later generations, but I treasure this photo since I feel a cool motorcycling connection with Grandpa and my great uncles.
Glenn Rueger
4Here I am in 1968 in Germany gassing up my first BMW. I had arrived in the winter of 1967, and this was the beginning of my affair with BMWs. Shortly after I attached a sidecar, and I was off and running on a tour of Europe for many years, as well as beginning a racing career that would eventually take me to induction into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2010. Sidecar racing became my calling, as well as over four decades working in the motorcycle industry.
Larry Coleman
Good to hear from you, HOFer Coleman! – Ed.
5The first photo is from Union, N.J., in 1978. That’s me and my ’78 Suzuki PE175 and my ’76 GMC Jimmy. The other retro picture, from 1984, is of my girlfriend with my 1981 GS1100E. I bought the GS with 2,000 miles in ’82. Forty-one years and 24,000 miles later and I still own it. Girlfriend from the photo has been my wife for 36 years! I also owned a ’77 Suzuki GS400 and a ’78 GS750E. My friend took me for a ride on his GS400, and that was the start. I bought his 400 after the ride. Lots of guys say how much they regret selling their bikes, and I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t ride nearly as much at 64, but the GS is the best. Once warmed up, it rides like new.
Jim Minneci
5The first photo is of my wife and me with my 1972 Honda CB450; it was taken shortly after our wedding in 1973. I bought the brand-new bike to ride from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania to “date” her at Emory in Atlanta. I rode 17 hours straight to see her whenever I had the chance. The second photo, about 40 bikes and 50 years later, is of my still-first-wife at our 50th wedding anniversary on a similar ’72 CB450 — lots of bikes, same wife! After our son was born, I sold the 450 with 57,000 miles on the clock to upgrade to a CB750. We recently completed a cross-country ride (opted for my H-D FLHT rather than the 450). I currently have 10 bikes, our son has five, and our granddaughter has two. Guess it gets into your blood.
Yes, it surely does, Mike. – Ed.
Mike Duda
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BACK IN THE DAY
6Living in Germany and working on a small air site (Wasserkuppe) in the military was the best time in my life. There were less than 100 Air Force and Army military personnel stationed there, and I noticed that some had Triumph Bonneville T140s. They told the story of how they purchased their bikes in London and how the group before them purchased their bikes. Three of us had the address for the motorcycle shop in London and went there in the summer of 1975. Myself and two other airmen (Jeff and Mike) sent the money to the motorcycle shop, and we had to tell them to set the bikes up for American standards, which was not a problem. My buddies bought 1975 Triumph Bonneville T140s, and I bought a ’75 Triumph Trident T160. The following morning the shop had our bikes done with our 500-mile checkup. It was going to be a long ride home — about a 21-hour journey. We headed to the White Cliffs of Dover, where someone took our picture (shown here). Unfortunately, I have lost touch with those guys. The bike came back to the States with me, shipped home by the military. That bike is long gone now, but the memories have lasted a very long time. I’m 70 now and I have a 2004 Honda VTX1300…and maybe there’s a newer bike on the horizon. I am very much enjoying not working these days, and riding while everyone else is at work.
Lee Embrey
4This picture was included in a Cycle Guide magazine article about the 1972 Bridgehampton, N.Y., road races. There was a wheelie contest in which I won $100 by making a lap around the course on my 1970 BSA 500 Victor. At 16 years of age, I was supposed to take the PSAT at school that Saturday, but since my parents were away and my friends from Pennsylvania were planning to camp at the races, I skipped the test and off we went. Months later, after the magazine article was published, a friend saw my mother and asked how she liked the great picture of me in the magazine. Of course, she knew nothing about the picture and figured out from the timeline why my test had been “lost.” I was in trouble for about a year until I finally took the test. Over the years my parents and I had many laughs about the story, and these days I’m woods riding on my KTM 300 or 450 almost year-round.
John Gottschalg
5Here is a picture taken 50 years ago of me popping a wheelie up my parents’ driveway on my 1972 Suzuki Duster 125. Notice the white, open-face “cue ball” helmet, bell bottom jeans and “waffle stomper” shoes…perfect riding apparel for the 1970s. This motorcycle is responsible for my discovery of the freedom, excitement and relaxation of motorcycling. I can remember riding carefree all over the countryside near our small town south of Eugene, Ore., on that bike. I still get those same sensations 50 years later when I go for a ride, whether it’s on my adventure bike, touring bike or even my small dual-sport.
Randy Zustiak
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up to speed
News, notes, insight and more from the motorcycling universe
ACTING AGAINST AUTOMATION
AMA urges DOT to take action after Washington motorcyclist is tragically killed by Tesla operating in Autopilot mode
BY JACK EMERSON
For years, the American Motorcyclist Association has sounded alarm bells regarding the recent integration of Automated Driving Systems (ADS) and Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technologies on the open road.
In the wake of the most recent tragedy involving a fatal collision between a Tesla vehicle operating in Autopilot mode — while the driver was looking at his phone — and a motorcyclist in Washington state, the AMA once again calls on the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) to strengthen regulations against this emerging autonomous tide.
“This tragic loss of life is another reminder that the AMA’s call to include motorcycle recognition and reaction in the Federal Automated Vehicle Policy has gone unanswered,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Ding-
man. “Our thoughts go out to the family and loved ones of this motorcyclist, and sadly, we are left with the question for the DOT, NHTSA, automakers, and technology companies: how many people must die before you take action? This recent crash was not the first and we are deeply concerned that it won’t be the last unless AV systems are required to be designed and tested with the unique characteristics of motorcyclists in mind.”
In previous meetings with the DOT, the AMA stressed concerns regarding autonomous vehicle technologies and their inadequate ability to detect motorcycles. But it’s clear those calls for action have fallen well short of expectations.
Specifically, the AMA — along with the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) — met with DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg and department staff in 2022. During this discussion, the AMA, MIC and MSF stressed the need to ensure that this new AV technology is required to recognize and react to motorcycles appropriately.
The AMA also previously raised similar concerns about autonomous vehicles with former DOT Secretary Elaine Chao. Despite these meetings — in addition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot system and California slowing down its AV technology efforts at the state level — much remains unchanged at the federal level.
“It’s astounding that, despite laying out clear and specific safety recommendations, and the many concerns raised by various stakeholders calling for the regulation of this technology, we are continuing to fight the same battle,” said AMA Government Relations Director Nick Haris. “We urge developers and regulators to prioritize the inclusion of motorcyclists in the design, testing and implementation of AV systems to prevent future tragedies.”
While the DOT continues to drag its feet on the issue, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a study in March that indicated that only one out of 14 automated driving systems earned an acceptable rating within its new rating program — which examines
the system’s ability to monitor drivers, remind drivers to remain attentive, emergency procedures and other aspects of the system design. Two of the 14 systems tested were rated marginal while 11 were rated poor.
In a similar vein, the AMA recently issued a survey to members in which they identified distracted driving and autonomous vehicles as their top two areas of concern. With these issues in mind, the AMA will activate its members at the grassroots level to reach out to local, state and federal lawmakers to apply pressure regarding AV regulation.
The AMA remains committed to protecting the safety of motorcyclists on the open road, and calls on the DOT and automakers to ensure that AV technology is thoroughly vetted and capable of
“Many autonomous vehicles on the road today have not been proven to detect all other road users in all situations before they have been allowed to be used on the road.”
ROB DINGMAN
identifying all road users.
“Many autonomous vehicles on the road today have not been proven to detect all other road users in all situations before they have been allowed to be used on the road,” Dingman said.
“Motorcyclists should not be used as guinea pigs for autonomous vehicle manufacturers. The continued allowance of untested autonomous vehicles on our nation’s roadways is unacceptable. The time for action is now!”
View the AMA’s board position on automated vehicles at AmericanMotorcyclist.com/rights/ama-board-position-statements/automated-vehicles-and-the-safety-of-motorcyclists/.
To stay up to date on the AMA’s government relations or sign up for action alerts, visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com/ action-center/
up to speed
Lane-Filtering Momentum Builds
Minnesota could become the easternmost state to legalize lane-filtering
BY JACK EMERSON
Minnesota state legislators passed HF 5242 just before the deadline on May 19, sending the bill — which would legalize lane-filtering in the state — to the desk of Gov. Tim Walz (D).
This latest lane-filtering development comes on the heels of the recent passing of Colorado SB24-079, which also moved to legalize lane-filtering in the state, signaling great momentum for the practice nationwide. If signed into law by Walz, Minnesota will join Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana and Utah as states with
lane-filtering legislation.
“With this potential new ability to filter through slow-moving traffic and at stoplights, riders in Minnesota would benefit from increased safety on the open road,” AMA Central States Representative Nick Sands said. “The recent success of lane-filtering legislation passing into law in Colorado signals excellent momentum for our efforts in that space in Minnesota, and the overall well-being of our road-riding members.”
The bill, written by Sen. Scott Dibble (D-61) and Reps. Frank Hornstein (D-61A), Brad Tabke (D-54A) and Erin Koegel (D-39A), would take effect on July 1, 2025. It would allow motorcyclists in Minnesota to filter through traffic “at not more than 25 miles per hour and no more than 15 miles per hour over the speed of traffic in relevant traffic lanes.”
The bill’s success came in large part due to the efforts of AMA member and BMW MOA Treasurer Phil Stalboerger, who shared with legislators his story of when he was rear-ended on a motorcycle while in traffic.
“After telling my story to a lot of people and educating people on what lane-filtering means for the motorcycle community, it’s very rewarding seeing this legislation pass,” Stalboerger said. “There was a nice rally cry from the motorcycle community, clubs, small businesses, and others saying that ‘yes,’ we want this. The passage of this legislation illustrates grassroots advocacy at its finest.”
HF 5242 also added punishments for drivers that impede motorcyclists on the open road, stating that “an operator of a motor vehicle must not intentionally impede or attempt to prevent the operation of a motorcycle” when filtering.
Although the AMA’s efforts in this area have gained significant momentum this year, there’s still plenty of work to be done. The AMA remains supportive of all efforts regarding lane filtering, and its position on the practice can be found at AmericanMotorcyclist.com/rights/ ama-board-position-statements/lane-splitting/
Individual members can apply to run
A NORTHWEST, NORTH CENTRAL REGIONS TO HOLD BOARD ELECTIONS
MA members in the Northwest and North Central regions of the United States may apply to run in an election for the AMA Board of Directors.
The Northwest seat is currently held by AMA Board Chair Russ Ehnes.
The North Central seat is currently held by AMA Board Vice Chair Gary Pontius.
AMA members who live in Wash-
ington, Oregon, Northern California, Montana and Idaho are eligible to apply to run for the Northwest Region.
AMA members who live in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana are eligible to apply to run for the seat representing the North Central Region.
The deadline for applications is Sept.
1, 2024. The election will be held Dec. 15 through Jan. 15. For application information, email elections@ama-cycle.org or call (614) 856-1900.
The AMA Board of Directors includes 12 members — six elected by individual members, four elected by business members, and two at-large members appointed and ratified at the annual national AMA member meeting.
AMA SOUND METER PROGRAM OPEN FOR 2024
he American Motorcyclist Association’s annual Sound Meter Program is open for 2024 applications. Administered by the AMA’s Government Relations Department, the program aims to help riders, crews and fans better understand acceptable sound levels according to AMA guidelines.
The program provides groups with kits to test motorcycles; each kit includes a Type 2 sound meter, a tachometer, training materials, a spark-arrestor probe, personal protective equipment and a storage case. The goal of each kit is to measure and provide quantitative data about levels that fall within acceptable legal ranges.
The AMA Sound Meter Program finds its roots in 2005. In the two decades since, the program has awarded more than 130 sound meter kits to AMA districts, club members, race organizers and others who apply.
The AMA’s Government Relations Department works tirelessly to ensure law enforcement agencies do not single out motorcyclists and close riding areas when addressing the problem of sound pollution.
The AMA holds that motorcyclists have a responsibility to be part of the solution by being sensitive to community standards and respectful of their fellow citizens. Excessively loud motorcycles damage the perception of motorcycling, and it is on all riders to represent the community well.
To apply for the program, email grassroots@ama-cycle.org.
Celebrating the AMA’s 100th anniversary, 2024 Permco AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Presented by Yamaha is back and bigger than ever
BY JACK EMERSON AND KEATON MAISANO
VMD Preview
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is the vintage-motorcycling hub for more than 40,000 motorcycle enthusiasts each July, and this year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever as it coincides with the AMA’s 100-year anniversary celebration!
With plenty of vintage racing, an expansive swap meet, bike shows, demo rides, the Wall of Death, camping, Hall of Fame attractions and so much more, 2024 Permco AMA
DATES & LOCATION
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days returns to the famed Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, located an hour north of AMA headquarters and the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, and runs July 26-28. Visit VintageMotorcycleDays.com for additional information and to purchase tickets.
GATES OPEN
Gates will open Thursday, July 25, at 7 a.m. for swap meet vendor load-in.
Friday through Sunday, gates will open for general admission at 7 a.m., but you’re going to want to wake
up early to beat the lines!
GRAND MARSHAL
The original “Golden Boy” of professional motocross will serve as the Grand Marshal for 2024 AMA VMD. AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and six-time AMA National Motocross champion Broc Glover will help ring in the festivities at the three-day-long event.
Capturing all six of his championships aboard a Yamaha, Glover was the perfect choice to step into the Grand Marshal role as the marque celebrates the 50th anniversary of the fabled YZ250.
“I am really looking
Vintage Motorcycle Days presented by Yamaha is the place to be this summer.
While you are riding around the three-day event having immeasurable fun, you’ll be helping support the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. All proceeds raised at AMA VMD support the museum’s mission to safeguard motorcycling’s history and celebrate its legends.
Visit VintageMotorcycleDays.com for tickets and additional information.
forward to this year’s AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio,” Glover said. “Sadly, I’ve never been to VMD, but it’s been on my bucket list for years. I hear it’s quite an event, but this year seems like it will be even more spectacular, with the AMA’s 100th and Yamaha’s 50th for the YZ being celebrated. It is a tremendous honor to be named Grand Marshal for such a special event. I look forward to taking in the sights and sounds that vintage motorcycling offers, and spending time with some of the most loyal enthusiasts in the world.”
As Grand Marshal, Glover
will be on hand to sign autographs, speak to enthusiasts at the AMA Soundstage, participate in the Lap for History (pre-register at VintageMotorcycleDays.com/lap-for-history) on the track at Mid-Ohio each day and much more! In addition to Glover, Yamaha will bring several other racing champions who rode for the historic marque, including the father of the YZ250 and AMA Hall of Famer Gary Jones, as well as historic bikes and demo rides.
RACING
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is also chock-full of racing action, with fierce competition across various disciplines
and classes.
Racing disciplines offered at the event include motocross, hare scrambles, trials, flat track, road racing and pit bike racing. For the first time at VMD, Bagger Class racing will be part of the road racing schedule, and AMA National No. 1 plates will be awarded in pit bike racing, too.
The AMA Vintage Grand Championship runs in conjunction with VMD and crowns the AMA Vintage Grand Champion and AMA Vet/Senior Vintage Grand Champion by combining points from all four off-road racing disciplines: motocross, trials, hare scrambles and pitbike racing.
In addition to the racing action on-site at Mid-Ohio, a round of the AMA Vintage Flat Track National Championship Series will run at the Ashland County Fairground on Saturday, July 27.
SWAP MEET
Whether you are there to buy, sell or just bask in its glory, the swap meet at AMA
VMD is a bucket-list item for all motorcyclists. Spanning 80 acres and boasting more than 800 vendor spaces, the largest swap meet in the country offers something for everybody. Bring plenty of cash…and maybe a compass so you don’t get lost among this insane vintage collection!
DEMOS
Even though AMA VMD is the epicenter for all things vintage, there is still a chance to hop on a host of current machinery. The upper paddock lot is home to plenty of manufacturers offering demo rides throughout the event. Be sure to arrive early each morning to reserve a time slot!
ASHLAND DINNER RIDE
Looking for a nice ride through the countryside, a tasty meal and a chance to watch some riveting flat track racing? Well, look no further than the Ashland
Dinner Ride, which happens Saturday, July 27.
Leaving from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and traveling to the Ashland County Fairgrounds, the casual road ride through Ohio’s scenic countryside culminates in a VIP flat track experience, which includes VIP parking, a pit pass, a group dinner, grandstand seats and a special-edition AMA 100th Anniversary Ashland Dinner Ride T-shirt.
All this value can be yours for a $100 donation to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. A wonderful time and a contribution to a good cause…what could be better?
Pre-register for the Ashland Dinner Ride at VintageMotorcycleDays.com/ ashland-dinner-ride.
INFIELD THINGS TO DO
Tucked into the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course’s infield are plenty of fun happen-
ings and things to do.
The infield is home to the impossible-to-miss AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame tent, which has vintage bike displays, AMA membership renewal, AMA merch, Grand Marshal Broc Glover autograph opportunities and more! There will also be a silent auction running throughout the event, and bids can be made by going to VintageMotorcycleDays. com/online-auction. The AMA Soundstage is also located in the infield, and it will be the place to be for a daily Q&A with Glover and Jones, as well as various presentations from individuals and groups throughout the world of motorcycling.
Add in other vendors, food trucks, the Wall of Death, Moto Motion and a bike show (pre-register for the bike show at VintageMotorcycleDays.com/bike-show), and the infield becomes a must for all VMD attendees. See you there!
BROC GLOVER
up to speed Rights ROUNDUP
100 Years
Historic Rights Wins
bureaucratic bill bs
BY JOY BURGESS
By the time the 1990s rolled around, the AMA’s Government Relations staff had spent plenty of time in Washington, D.C., working on behalf of motorcyclists, including fighting the overreach of bureaucracy and preventing Sen. John Danforth’s Superbike Ban bill from becoming law in 1987.
But while the base of operations in Ohio worked well for dealing with the many local and state issues that faced the AMA and American motorcyclists, it was time to move to Washington, D.C.
So in the fall of 1990, the AMA opened an office in the nation’s capital, just three blocks from the White House, to more effectively deal with the flood of federal legislation affecting AMA members.
“We’ve found an increasing need to cut our response time when it comes to the hundreds of federal bills and regulations that could affect our members,” then-AMA Government Relations Vice President Rob Rasor said in American Motorcyclist’s November 1990 issue. “Through this decision we look forward to providing better representation for our members in the federal arena.”
OUTLAW STREET AND MOTORCYCLE GANG CONTROL ACT OF 1991
In 1991, Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-Arizona), along with a variety of other senators, introduced a bill that proposed establishing a federal strike force that would combat crime by what the bill called “outlaw motorcycle gangs.”
As it was then introduced, the bill would have increased the power of the federal government to enact harsher penalties and other provisions of then-current laws controlling the use of explosives and firearms, even creating a national telephone “hotline” where people could report activities by motorcyclists that they felt were unlawful.
“In present form,” American Motorcyclist reported, “the bill would give law enforcement officials the authority to harass you and your riding buddies — not because you’re suspected of breaking any laws, but because you happen to ride a motorcycle in a group.”
The issue, of course, was that the bill didn’t define what an “outlaw motorcycle gang” was, threatening all
riders who belonged to legitimate motorcycle clubs or organizations.
Thanks to the work of GRD staff in the then-recently formed Washington, D.C., office, the Arizona senator agreed to work with the AMA, allowing the AMA to draft new language for the bill that eliminated direct references to motorcyclists.
MOTORCYCLISTS & THE AMA VS. DISCRIMINATORY HEALTHCARE BILLS
We’ve all heard these words from politicians’ mouths: “Healthcare costs are skyrocketing.” And that was just as true back in the 1980s and ’90s as it is today. But politicians several decades ago got the brilliant idea to blame it on motorcyclists.
In 1989, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) considered introducing a bill to the U.S. Congress that would have required motorcyclists to buy special catastrophic health insurance. Why? To “relieve society” from paying the costs of medical treatment for injured riders. While Hatch’s staff claimed huge savings to society from the bill, their figures were — not surprisingly — way off base, and Hatch proposed his health care bill without that motorcyclist insurance provision.
Unfortunately, health officials in the state of Maryland decided this sounded like a great idea, and convinced Maryland Democrat Gov. William Donald Schaefer to endorse a very similar bill in 1990.
Armed with convoluted “estimated savings” and figures that completely ignored the significantly higher costs of victims of automobile accidents compared to motorcycle accidents, while also falsely claiming that more than one quarter of motorcyclists didn’t have insurance, the bill would have not only been a disaster for Maryland motorcyclists, but very likely would have led to the same thing being tried in other states.
Despite the obvious discrimination against motorcycle riders, the bill appeared to be on the fast track toward approval with the endorsement of the governor. However, local motorcyclist groups led by the AMA and ABATE of Maryland worked together to defeat the proposal during its first public hearing. It was a significant win for motorcyclists and the AMA, but one the AMA would have to
fight again in the following years, as Maryland — and other states — tried to pass similar healthcare bills again.
BIKES FOR BEEF
In 1999, U.S. trade officials wanted to impose a 100 percent import duty on European motorcycles 500cc or less in a trade war with Europe over beef, something that would have significantly hurt the industry, particularly on the off-road side.
The dispute occurred due to a decade-old European ban on imported American beef from cattle that had been treated with growth hormones, so the U.S. decided to retaliate.
Representatives of the AMA and the motorcycle industry testified at a public hearing that took place at the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, asking officials to keep motorcycles out of what they called an “international food fight.”
“Motorcycles for beef is a bad decision for everyone,” the AMA testified. “Motorcycles for beef prohibits riders
from purchasing the machine of their choice and puts American families out of jobs. We can find no rational basis for this tariff on motorcycles.”
In the end, the AMA and the industry won, thanks to the efforts of AMA members and motorcyclists at large. After intensive lobbying by the AMA, at the very last-minute U.S. trade officials removed motorcycles from the list.
“This is a testament to the power of grassroots lobbying,” the AMA’s Washington representative wrote in the October 1999 edition of American Motorcyclist. “Hundreds of AMA members and other motorcyclists added force to our arguments by making phone calls, writing letters and sending emails to their elected officials.”
Remember, you are an important part of the AMA’s fight for motorcyclists’ rights. Sign up for action alerts from the AMA at AmericanMotorcyclist.com/action-center/
Donate to the AMA’s Government Relations Efforts!
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Q And A
bob davis and jeremy robinson
Spend eight questions with the AMA’s Government Relations Department’s newest staffers
In a constant pursuit to strengthen its ability to fight for the rights of motorcyclists, the AMA’s Government Relations Staff added Grassroots Manager Bob Davis and Legislative Affairs Coordinator Jeremy Robinson to the team.
Previously serving as the sanction activity coordinator and program & volunteer specialist within the AMA’s Racing and Marketing & Communications departments, Davis is no stranger to the AMA. Additionally, the Baltimore, Ohio, native spends his free time giving back as a motorcycle safety instructor.
Robinson steps into his role with an extensive riding and legislative background. A native of Brockport,
N.Y., Robinson has family ties to motorcycling as his family owned a local motorcycle dealership called Robinson Cycle Sales.
With their respective experiences and skills, both Davis and Robinson are eager to continue the GRD team’s half-century tradition of fighting for motorcyclists throughout the country.
AM: Who taught you to ride, and what made you fall in love with motorcycling?
BD: I learned to ride in a beginner class offered by Motorcycle Ohio in 2014. I knew as soon as we started the motorcycle in the first exercise that I was going to love it. When I started working with the AMA in 2022, I realized that my instructor in that 2014
class was Rob Baughman, our support technician here at the AMA.
JR: My dad taught me how to ride a dirt bike. He was a motocross guy, and he even competed at Loretta Lynn’s when he was a kid. There were a few things that made me fall in love with riding. The biggest reason was the freedom I felt. It was just me and the bike, and it allowed me to clear my mind and just focus on riding. Riding on a motocross track was so much fun, and I always looked forward to just being around other motorcyclists. Riding also taught me to see the world for what it could be. I could look at a few hills and try to imagine what it would be like to jump them, or I would notice a patch of woods and see endless opportunities.
AM: What is your favorite riding memory?
BD: All my early riding was on the street, and most of those miles were commuting to and from work. My first role at the AMA was as sanctioned activity coordinator, which exposed me to many other types of riding and prompted me to buy my first adventure motorcycle. My favorite memory is riding through some of the amazing back roads in Southeastern Ohio. I’ve been able to see sights I otherwise never would have.
JEREMY ROBINSON
BOB DAVIS
JR: My favorite riding memory is learning to ride a bigger bike in the same place my dad learned how to ride. My dad’s bike broke down while riding on some trails, and I was just learning how to ride a bigger bike, my old YZ250F. We ended up behind my dad’s childhood home when his chain snapped, and we spent an hour in that spot to help me get comfortable riding something bigger than my little 80cc I had before. It was a full circle moment for us.
AM: What inspired your decision to get into activism? Why did you want to join the AMA’s Government Relations Department?
BD: I’m such a big fan of all things motorcycling. I teach the same beginner classes that I first learned how to ride in. I enjoy fixing up old motorcycles and getting them back on the road. I’m passionate about the AMA’s mission to protect
“I
expect to use tools like our AMA EAGLES program, Road Captain Workshops and Trail Boss Workshops to help our members promote the motorcycle lifestyle.”
BOB DAVIS
the future of motorcycling, and the AMA’s Government Relations Department is how we fulfill our mission. The AMA and our Government Relations Department have such an amazing history of fighting for the rights of all motorcyclists. I’m excited to be a part of this great team. JR: I found my way into activism through work. Previously, I worked in the defense space, advocating for items related to missile defense. When the opportunity arose to join an organization that allowed me to combine my passion for motorcycles and knowledge of government, I felt as though it was a great opportunity to dive back into the world of activism and work for an organization that closely aligns with my passions and interests.
AM: What can people expect in the way you pursue the AMA’s mission to protect the future of motorcycling?
up to speed
BD: My background is in education. One ongoing goal for myself in this new role is to learn everything I can about the different issues affecting motorcyclists, the history of the AMA’s advocacy wins and losses, and the inner workings of our local, state and federal governments. I expect to use tools like our AMA EAGLES program, Road Captain Workshops and Trail Boss Workshops to help our members promote the motorcycle lifestyle.
JR: People can expect me to bring passion and energy to representing
AM: Given the people that serve in the department and how it is set up, why is the AMA’s Government Relations Department properly equipped to fight for motorcyclists’ rights?
BD: Like our members, the people serving in the Government Relations Department are passionate motorcycle enthusiasts, each with a wide range of both motorcycling and advocacy experience. Having a team that includes staff in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, mountain region and on the
“Being a responsible motorcyclist in your everyday life goes a long way to building a positive image of riders and helps support our mission to represent you.”
JEREMY ROBINSON
your membership and encourage others to do the same. The AMA’s mission to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling falls squarely on the shoulders of the Government Relations Department. Our voice is only as strong as our membership base. A more involved way to make a difference is to complete the AMA EAGLES program. The AMA EAGLES program helps members become better volunteers, grassroots activists and membership advocates.
the AMA’s mission. As a rider myself, I speak from experience and knowledge, bringing insight to my work and discussions with officials. I also have extensive relationship-building experience. I hope to use that experience here in Washington, D.C., to help grow the AMA brand.
AM: Within the context of your role in the Government Relations Department, how are you hoping to serve AMA members and motorcycling as a whole?
BD: Transitioning from the volunteer specialist into my new role as the grassroots manager, I hope to continue to build strong relationships with our members across the entire country. I hope to learn directly from our members about the issues that are affecting them. I hope to utilize the wealth of advocacy experience within the AMA staff and the weight of the entire AMA membership to bring positive change to the motorcycling community.
JR: I plan to help serve motorcycling by utilizing my experience to help expand the AMA’s relationships across Capitol Hill and broaden the awareness of the issues impacting motorcycling. I hope to be an asset as a new addition to the team and enable us to tackle more issues both at the state and federal levels.
West Coast allows us to best monitor and respond to those local and state issues that will directly impact our members.
JR: I am ecstatic to be joining an already incredible government relations team. This team comes with a lot of experience both in the motorcycle world and in the government space. The GRD team has been doing incredible work, and that is in part because we have broken up the department into regions that allow us to better develop relationships with legislatures across the country and better understand the various legislative processes. Breaking down our team into regions and a federal level really does allow us to better understand differences in policy making across the country and be more effective in our mission to represent the AMA and its members. The addition of Bob, our grassroots coordinator, also allows us to reach every level of government from Congress to local leaders.
AM: What are one simple way and one more involved way that motorcyclists can help make a difference?
BD: The simplest way to make a difference is to join the AMA, maintain
JR: One simple way everyone can get involved is by practicing what we preach. Being a responsible motorcyclist in your everyday life goes a long way to building a positive image of riders and helps support our mission to represent you. If you want to be more involved, we can always use support at the local level. No one knows your hometown like you. You can get involved with the AMA through volunteer opportunities and joining local commissions. You can help us take a more localized approach to advocacy. You are in the best position to work with the AMA’s GRD team and advocate for local motorcyclists.
AM: What is something you would like AMA members to know about you?
BD: I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of the Government Relations Department and the American Motorcyclist Association. We wouldn’t be here without the support of our great members. I’ve had such an amazing time working with some great volunteers over the past couple of years. I am looking forward to building more relationships and helping protect the future of motorcycling for everyone.
JR: I am very excited to be representing AMA members. From my family’s motorcycle shop to riding with my dad and friends, riding has been a very important part of my life. I want to do all that I can to ensure that others have the opportunity to make the same great memories I did.
AM: Thanks, guys!
For decades, enthusiasts bemoaned the lack of true 400cc street-supersport offerings Stateside. Europe and Japan got — and enjoyed — them, but we were left out in the cold.
But forget all that, because with the release of Kawasaki’s all-new, limited-edition 16,000-rpm Anniversary Edition ZX-4RR, which celebrates the introduction of the legendary and ground-breaking 900 Ninja of 1984, everything’s changed.
And you can win it via the AMA’s 100th Anniversary Raffle Bike!
Get your tickets — $5 per, or 5 for $20.
100 YEARS OF THE AMA
BY JOHN BURNS, JACK EMERSON AND KEATON MAISANO
PHOTOS: AMA ARCHIVE
ll the amazing things going on in the 1960s blasted right into the ’70s as if powered by two nitromethanegargling engines running WFO — much like AMA Hall of Famer T.C. Christensen’s “Hogslayer,” a twin-engined Norton drag racer and the first motorcycle to break the 7-second barrier, circa 1972. And that one was tame compared to Hall of Famer Russ Collins’ “Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe,” a triple-engined Honda CB750 dragster that blew minds every time it ran.
None of that was any more radical than what was going on in the non-moto world: Vietnam, Watergate, stadium rock-‘n’-roll and more, and all of it backlit by blacklight posters and movies that could be unsettling to even the hippest teenager. Could anyone ever be scared again after seeing The Exorcist on the big screen in early adolescence? Not until Jaws , anyway.
Motocross and road racing exploded into the ’70s, as Japan grasped that winning on Sunday meant selling on Tuesday, and proceeded to overrun the old Euro/American brands with inexpensive bikes of all kinds that mostly didn’t break. Japan’s Big Four put a chicken or two in every pot that wanted one, except for the poor, old-before-their-time souls whose parents said not under this roof.
There was so much going on in the ’70s we don’t have room in these pages for all of it. But here are some of the highlights, along with some of the AMA’s moves, which included looking out for motorcyclists on a host of ill-considered legislation and regulations; establishing official Supercross and Trans-AMA series, along with AMPAC, the AMA’s political action committee; changing the name of the organization to the American Motorcyclist Association; and moving to an even larger HQ in Westerville, Ohio, to house the then-50person staff. (We’re just a tick over 50 now, which says a lot in these inflationary years.) Enjoy!
A 70 s
BYE-BYE BEATLES
The Beatles broke up, leaving a giant crater to be filled by all manner of other musical styles, including disco, stadium rock, punk…
JOEL ROBERT AND SUZUKI
Suzuki claimed the first Motocross World Championship for a Japanese factory when Belgian ace and HOFer Joël Robert won the 250cc crown on a specially built Suzuki RH250 said to be worth $20,000 at the time. Robert won the championship again for Suzuki in ’71 and ’72; his record of 50 motocross Grand Prix victories stood for more than 30 years until broken by fellow Belgian Stefan Everts in 2004.
DICK MANN WINS DAYTONA
Hall of Famer Dick Mann won the Daytona 200 on a factory Honda CB750 Racing Type, which is swell since it was Racine, Wis., dealer (and HOFer) Bob Hansen’s idea to build the very first CB750. Hansen convinced Honda to hire Mann, who’d just gotten the ageism boot from BSA at age 35. The new CB750, with its chain-driven SOHC engine, was never meant to be raced, but Honda sent four special, hand-built bikes for Daytona, dripping with titanium and magnesium race-kit parts. Mann’s bike was the only one of the four to finish, and just barely; Hansen told Mann to take it easy during his last fuel stop. The smoking and spent CB finished just ahead of HOFer Gene Romero’s rapidly closing Triumph Trident. Hansen, who was sure he’d be fired for insubordination during the race for telling Mann to slow down against orders, resigned from Honda and was snapped up by Kawasaki, where he’d have even more racing success. Ironically, Honda had planned to promote him.
AMA EYES LEGISLATION
In an effort to protect the political interests of motorcyclists across the nation, the AMA formed a Legislative Department — now known as the Government Relations Department. According to the December 1970 issue of AMA News, this new Legislative Department was tasked with “coordinating legal activity against unconstitutional and discriminatory laws against motorcyclists.”
The article went on to describe the department as “a sentinel on federal and state legislation affecting motorcyclists that will be instrumental as a lobbying force for motorcyclists and motorcycling interests.”
DEATH OF THE MUSCLE CAR
After calling out the automobile as “our worst polluter of the air” in his 1970 SOTU address, President Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act. If the technology didn’t exist to meet the EPA’s new clean-air standards, his administration told Detroit, they should invent it. Ignitions were set back, carburetors were leaned out, compression ratios plummeted, and car enthusiasts were aghast. Electronic fuel injection and catalytic converters were years in the future. New cars were suddenly boring. This probably didn’t hurt motorcycle sales, which didn’t yet have to deal with emissions regulations.
“OPERATION ALERT”
When President Richard Nixon announced plans for public land regulation in Executive Order 11644, the possibility of motorcyclists being excluded from public land use became real. The AMA got involved immediately, calling upon members to act and write letters to D.C. officials. It worked, because in response to the outpouring from the motorcycling community, Nixon penned a letter to the AMA in August 1972 that described motorcycling as “one of our nation’s fastest growing and most popular outdoor recreational activities.”
He also assured the motorcycling community that they would not be forgotten in the decisions made about public land: “It is only proper that the interests of those who enjoy motorcycling be taken into account as we initiate steps to enhance the use of our parklands for all Americans.” Operation Alert proved once again that the AMA could mobilize members for the betterment of motorcycling.
1971
INTER-AMA SERIES
Windjammer fairing
AMA HOFer Craig Vetter spent the winter of 1970–71 developing a fairing design that would fit nearly every motorcycle. Over the next eight years, more than 400,000 Windjammers would be produced in six variations. Eventually, some motorcycle manufacturers deduced wind protection was a desirable thing.
FIRST FACTORY “CUSTOM”?
The Harley-Davidson FX Super Glide might be the first factory custom. Mating a Big Twin chassis with a Sportster front end gave a lean, custom profile. The optional Sparkling America color was a base of birch white with red, white and blue mylar panels on the tanks and fenders. A total of 4,700 Super Glides were built in the 1971 introduction year.
GOING INTERNATIONAL
After reaching a new agreement with the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the AMA returned to the international racing scene. In 1970, the AMA organized the Trans-AMA Series (later known as the Trans-USA Series) in motocross. The series allowed American riders to race against the European competitors. In its inaugural year, AMA Hall of Famer Dick Burleson finished fourth — best of any American — in the season standings.
On Any Sunday
AMA Hall of Famer Bruce Brown’s epic moto-documentary On Any Sunday was released, possibly single-handedly igniting the ’70s motorcycle boom as well as Hall of Famer Malcolm Smith’s business career. A call from HOFer Steve McQueen to a general at Camp Pendleton resulted in the famous sunset beach-riding scene, which some have assumed was Baja...
The first motorcycle that Hall of Famer John Penton talked the tiny Austrian bicycle/ scooter builder KTM into manufacturing used a 125cc Sachs motor. By 1972 the company had built its own 175cc single, and the first real KTM came into being, even if the tank said Penton Jackpiner.
AMA Motocross Championship
The AMA started up the AMA Motocross Championship, aka AMA Motocross Nationals, in response to the exploding popularity of motocross. The first AMA Motocross Championship race was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum. After eight rounds, Hall of Famer Brad Lackey took the 500cc championship and fellow HOFer Gary Jones won his first of three straight 250cc titles. Supercross was about to become a big deal, packing thousands of fans into venues that didn’t require long drives into the country.
HELLO DESMODROMICS
In April 1972, a brace of specially prepped Desmo 750 racers took on the world’s best at the first Imola 200, the “Daytona of Europe.” Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari finished one-two on their new V-twins, transforming Ducati from an obscure purveyor of small-capacity singles to a high-performance Italian marque to be reckoned with. In 1974, the 750 Super Sport was the first factory replica of a race-winning machine, as close a copy of the Imolawinning racer as could be built and remain street legal.
Honda Civic
The first CVCC-engined Honda Civic appeared in the U.S., rolling on tiny 12-inch wheels and claiming 40 mpg.
The Godfather Nineteen years after playing rebel biker Johnny in The Wild One, Marlon Brando evolved into Mafia Don. The breakdown of Hollywood’s studio system and the restrictions on violence and obscenity helped make it possible, as did the success of the low-budget-but-hugelypopular Easy Rider in 1969.
SUPERSIZED
While it got an experimental start back in 1972 when AMA Hall of Famer Jimmy Weinert became the first to cross the finish line at a new stadium motocross event at Daytona, AMA Supercross was officially added to the AMA program as a full series of races in 1974.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON XR750
H-D’s XR750 launched in 1970, but replacing its iron heads with alloy ones (and more) for ’72 set the XR on a path to greatness. That year marked the first of 29 of the next 37 AMA Grand National Championships, until 2008, making the XR one of the most successful racing motorcycles ever developed. HOFers Jay Springsteen, Scott Parker, Cal Rayborn, Evel Knievel and others owe part of their success to the XR. Initially, its 750cc (45ci), air-cooled, 45-degree OHV V-twin was good for 82 hp, and the bike weighed 295 pounds; constant evolution made it faster and sharper for nearly four decades. It was yours for $3,200 at your H-D dealer.
ALL-VOLUNTEER FORCE
The draft, in place since 1940, ended July 1, 1973 — the end of the longest uninterrupted period of conscription in the country’s history. Bone spur diagnoses plummeted.
Kenny Roberts
A cocky, 19-year-old kid from Modesto, Calif., won his second professional race at the Houston Astrodome Grand National short-track on an underpowered Yamaha XS650, finished the season in fourth place, and was named AMA Rookie of the Year. Later that year, young Kenny (in the early stages of his Hall of Fame career) grew inquisitive when he saw Finnish 250 road racing champ Jarno Saarinen ride at a Champion Spark Plug Classic AMA-sanctioned road race at Ontario Motor Speedway, shifting his weight toward the inside of the bike in the corners. Interesting…
Pong
The first video game came to a Shakey’s Pizza near you. Somebody would have to go get a whole shedload of quarters...
Justifiably stunned after rival Honda beat it to the punch at the 1968 Tokyo Motor Show with the smooth, fast and reliable CB750, Kawasaki made its first four-cylinder a full 903cc and
MASSACHUSETTS MILESTONE
For the first time in the event’s history, the International Six Days Enduro (known as the International Six Days Trial prior to 1981) was held outside of Europe when its 1973 running occurred in Dalton, Mass. The American riders did not disappoint the home crowd, either, as they earned the Silver Vase Trophy. The trophy-winning team was made up of AMA Hall of Famers Dick Burleson and Malcolm Smith, as well as Ed Schmidt and Ron Bohn.
KENNY ROBERTS
HONDA ELSINORES: CR250M AND CR125M
A certain editor we know could go on all day talking about how these silver bullets (the 250 in ’73, the 125 in ’74) were a perfect blend of the two-stroke power and purposefulness of the finest European MXers, along with the lower price, high build quality, and the wide availability of Japanese motorcycles. So, we won’t do it again here. Moto for the masses had arrived, and just in time for the masses to become massive.
THE ENERGY CRISIS
Instigated by warring Israeli and Arab factions and with assists by United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and President Richard Nixon — who thought giving $2.2 billion in aid would distract attention from the Watergate scandal — Saudi Arabia cut off all oil supplies to the U.S. in October 1973, at a time when the country was heavily dependent. Gas lines, rationing and civil unrest resulted, most of those positives for motorcycle sales. The more things change…
Battle of the Sexes
Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs, the best tennis player in the world 30 years earlier, in a much-publicized “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match in front of a TV audience estimated at 90 million. King took the $100k prize money and became America’s first superstar female athlete.
AMA TURNS 50!
The year 1974 marked the AMA’s golden anniversary.
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
Diane Cox of Salem, Ore., became the first woman in AMA history to earn an expert license in dirt track, obtaining it at only 18 years old. Cox set another first just one year later, becoming the first woman to qualify for an AMA National Championship program at the Houston Astrodome Short Track National.
YAMAHA RD350
Yamaha already had a rich history of small but fierce two-stroke twins when Hall of Famer Don Emde and Jarno Saarinen rode theirs to victory in the ’72 and ’73 Daytona 200s, beating up all the 750s that wore themselves and their tires out. It only made sense to celebrate with a new version for the street in 1973, with Autolube oil injection, Torque Induction(!), and most importantly, an $839 price tag. Those were the days, kids.
Evel Knievel
Hall of Famer Evel Knievel did not jump the Snake River Canyon when his X2 Skycycle’s parachute deployed prematurely. All was not lost for Evel, though: Research tells us the Sunday afternoon jump was covered live by Top Rank on paid closed-circuit TV in several hundred theaters and arenas, with an average admission price of $10. Taped coverage by ABC was shown on Wide World of Sports later that month, and the ticket price at the launch site was $25. The Ideal Toy Corp. had introduced its EK action figure in 1972.
Ka-ching!
MOTORCYCLIST, NOT MOTORCYCLE
After spending the first 52 years of its history as the American Motorcycle Association, the AMA made a small but significant tweak to its name, becoming the American Motorcyclist Association. This change was made to better reflect its services to motorcyclists.
Yamaha YZ250
This first serious Yamaha MXer led to Cycle World’s first motocross comparison test, in January of ’74: “This new YZ is virtually identical to last year’s “factory” bikes, with all the trick parts and goodies... the most radical departure from current two-stroke design in the YZ250 is the reed-valve induction system…Our testing was conclusive. The YZ Yamaha was undefeated in the race to the first turn, and it was, on the average, a faster machine on timed laps, with four different riders. Times were close, but then, so are the bikes.” Except in price: Honda CR250M, $1,145; Yamaha YZ, $1,836!
KEEPING EYES ON THE ROAD (RIDER)
The 1970s included several efforts to grow the AMA road-riding program, including the institution of the Road Rep Program in 1977. Road reps would serve as AMA ambassadors, and facilitate communication between the AMA and actual riders in the field; their mission was to keep the individual road rider in mind.
DESERT RACING
TZ750-powered dirt tracker
In a desperate attempt to find speed at the Indy Mile in 1975, Hall of Famer Kel Carruthers built fellow HOFer Kenny Roberts a TZ750-powered dirt tracker. Roberts tamed the beast, barely, broad-sliding spectacularly out of the final turn past HOFers Jay Springsteen and Corky Keener for the win. KR said it was the wildest ride of his career and that Yamaha didn’t pay him enough to ride it. The AMA promptly banned the bike.
DAYTONA 200 AND YAMAHA’S TZ750
In a totally gratuitous gesture acknowledging the gas crisis, the Daytona 200 was shortened to 180 miles. Having left MV Agusta’s employ following a bazillion championships, HOFer Giacomo Agostini traveled to America to debut Yamaha’s new TZ750. In a ding-dong battle involving Hall of Famers Kenny Roberts and Gary Nixon as well as Barry Sheene and an international field of big-name racers, the TZs of Ago and KR finished one-two. Winning the 200 not only made Ago a household name in the U.S., but it elevated Daytona to world-class status. It also launched Yamaha’s new two-stroke TZ on its legendary journey; Yamahas finished in 16 of the top 20 positions.
AMA SUPERBIKE DEBUTS
The first official AMA Superbike series race happened at Daytona on March 5, 1976; Hall of Famer Steve McLaughlin narrowly beat fellow HOFer Reg Pridmore at the line, both on bright orange Butler & Smith R90S BMWs. Pridmore became the first AMA Superbike Champion, and he repeated in 1977 and 1978 after switching to Kawasaki. McLaughlin went on to start the World Superbike Series and
Honda Gold Wing
It was supposed to be Honda’s flagship sports bike, an indirect riposte to Kawasaki’s Z1. Bigger, torquier, quieter and more comfortable with its liquid-cooled, 999cc flat four and shaft drive, the GL1000 was way more civilized than any other motorcycle, producing 80 vibe-free horses at just 7500 rpm. It cried out road trip. HOFer Craig Vetter’s phone rang off the hook. Honda took note; for 1980, the Gold Wing Interstate was born, with a fairing, bags and optional stereo. You know the rest.
YAMAHA’S BIG THUMPER
Yamaha’s XT500 won the Paris–Abidjan–Nice Rally, followed by the 1979 and 1980 Paris-Dakar rallies, under Cyril Neveu (right). Bengt Åberg campaigned the big fourstroke single in the 1977 500cc motocross world championship season, winning one moto at the first round. Deadsimple, stone reliable and highly stylish, this precursor “adventure bike” remained in production until 1989.
1976
AMA MEMBERS, 80,000 STRONG
Sparking what AMA News called “one of the most intense political action campaigns in the history of organized motorcycling,” a Council on Environmental Quality draft of a potential Executive Order from President Jimmy Carter contained language that would open the door for off-road vehicles to unfairly lose access to public lands. When the AMA got word of this draft, it alerted its members, and 80,000 letters and telegrams flooded the offices of officials in Washington, D.C., within days. The dangerous language was subsequently dropped when the Executive Order was issued.
Triumph Trident/BSA Rocket 3
This technically advanced, high-performance roadster hit the market just before the new Honda CB750 stole the limelight in late ’68. It was the first modern superbike and the last major motorcycle developed by Triumph Engineering — a 750 triple cleverly wrought from the bones of the 500 Twins that preceded it. Financial problems, though, led to a government-sponsored Norton Villiers/Triumph merger, followed by a strike at Triumph’s Meriden factory in 1974 that threw various spanners in the already sketchy works. The last Trident rolled off BSA’s line on Dec. 18, 1975…the end of an empire.
CUSTOM CHOPPERS
Extended-fork wonders proliferated during the ’70s, and no engine type was spared. Harleys were common, but British Twins and Honda Fours saw action, too.
1977
NOISE ON WHEELS
In 1977, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Noise on Wheels publication — which used misleading sound data harmful to the motorcycling community. In the years to come, the AMA — with the help of its members — battled and won against the EPA. See the March 2024 issue for more details on this AMA rights win.
BOB “HURRICANE” HANNAH
The AMA Hall of Famer blew in from the high California desert to take the first of his record-breaking 70 AMA National wins, on the way to seven MX/SX championships in every class. After bouncing off a jagged rock while waterskiing in ’79 nearly cost him his right leg, the unsinkable Hurricane returned after a year of recuperating to keep on winning races well into the ’80s.
Suzuki RE5
Plenty of manufacturers toyed with Wankels, but Suzuki was the only one to put its RE5 into large-scale production… and sales were disappointing despite the massive effort and financial investment. A conventional period standard aside from its liquid-cooled single-rotor Wankel, the RE did sport some interesting details courtesy of famed designer Giorgetto Giugiaro.
cook Neilson
Cycle magazine Editor-in-Chief (and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer) Cook Neilson won the Daytona Superbike race in 1977 on a Ducati 750SS called the “California Hot Rod.” It was tuned by Managing Editor — and fellow AMA HOFer — Phil Schilling, the pair documenting the very hands-on hot-rod endeavor in a series of articles in the magazine’s pages.
1978
BARRY SHEENE
Swinging ’60s icon Barry Sheene won Suzuki its first two 500cc roadracing championships on the 498cc liquid-cooled, squarefour rotary-valve two-stroke that soon gained fame as the RG500 (and just one year after Hall of Famer Giacomo
Agostini won the first 500cc title for a Japanese bike on his Yamaha).
BMW R90S
Before the R90S, built from ’73 to ’76, BMW had a Teutonic rep for building solid motorcycles that just didn’t generate much excitement in performance or appearance. The ’73 R90S changed all that. Suddenly, here was a BMW that was fast, well-suspended and in a shocking two-tone paint job complete with a bikini fairing.
SUCCESSFUL SUPPORT
The Legislative Supporter Program — which allowed members to contribute funds toward government relations efforts — was started in 1978. The program saw great success, totaling nearly $380,000 in its first six years. In return for a contribution, members would receive a sticker or patch depending on their supporter level.
Sony Walkman
Steve Baker
The world’s first low-cost personal stereo, goes on sale in Japan on July 1, 1979, for around ¥33,000 or $150. Sony sales estimates were about 5,000 units a month; 30,000 were bought in the first two months, and 220 million cassettetype Walkmen were sold by the end of production in 2010.
American HOFer Steve Baker won the 1977 Daytona 200 and the 1977 Formula 750 World Championship (of which Daytona was the first leg), and he finished second to Barry Sheene in the 1977 500cc World Championship, competing in 21 F750 and 500cc GP events while racing nine weekends in a row.
MIKE “THE BIKE” HAILWOOD RETURNS
Hall of Famer Mike Hailwood had been around the track a time or two: He’d won his first World Championship in 1961, riding for Honda in the 250 class before winning the 500cc title four years in a row, from 1962 to ’65, on MV Agustas — 76 GP wins, nine world championships... He’d been retired from F1 car racing since 1974, after a crash mangled his right leg. At 38, he returned to the Isle of Man TT anyway, because why not? At a time when the Isle had been removed from the GP calendar for its danger, the celebrated Mike the Bike’s TTF1 win on a Ducati might be what saved the TT from extinction.
THE HONDA CBX
In homage to its World Championship-winning sixcylinder RC engines of the ’60s, and in response to Honda’s design and performance lethargy in the years following the original CB750, Shoichiro Irimajiri and crew swung back into action to create the nowlegendary, 103-horsepower CBX. It was a technical tour de force then and is an absolute legend today, but an outdated chassis and extreme complexity kept it from having little more than an aesthetic impact at the time.
Apple Computer
Apple
Computer
in Silicon Valley, Calif., introduced the Apple II computer, which became a best seller. Who knew?
AMPAC
As the AMA’s legislative efforts increased during the 1970s, the organization capped off the decade with the creation of the American Motorcyclist Political Action Committee (AMPAC). Created by the AMA to financially support legislators who champion motorcyclists’ rights, AMPAC remains the AMA’s connected political action committee to this day.
SILVERSTONE, ENGLAND
NEVADA RALLY EXPERINCE
RALLY
REVIV AL I
BY AARON FRANK
SANTANA AND SCOT HARDEN
The Great Basin is a topography of nothingness, a vast, 200,000 square-mile expanse of bleak desert that blankets almost the entire state of Nevada. Excepting the logic-defying development of Las Vegas, the Great Basin is mostly desolate, and that void breeds strangeness. It’s a mystical and sometimes dangerous place, and its cultural landscape — the ghost towns, abandoned mine shafts and extra-terrestrial portals — reflects this reality.
All the things that make the Great Basin the best place to spot a UFO or hide a body also make it the best place in America to hold a multi-stage, off-road race. That’s
why, when Italian off-road pioneer Franco Acerbis (of Acerbis Plastics fame) sought to introduce Americans to the European sport of rally-raid — multi-day, off-road races where riders compete against the clock, the terrain and, ultimately, themselves — he chose the Nevada portion of the Mojave Desert as ground zero.
Inspired by grand global rallies like the trans-continental Paris-Dakar, South America’s Incas Rally and Morrocco’s Rally de Atlas, the first Nevada Rally was held in 1993. One hundred of the world’s best motorcycle rally racers — including Stéphane Peterhansel, Fabrizio Meoni, Heinz Kinigadner and more — competed in that inaugural,
PHOTOS BY MIGUEL
AMA Hall of Famer Scot Harden resurrects –sorta – the infamous Nevada Rally to give American adventure riders a taste of the European rally-raid experience, deep in the Mojave Desert
The Nevada Rally Experience offered coaching and mentorship by some of the most accomplished American rally racers from the past (Scot Harden, above) and the present (Skyler Howes, top).
seven-day, overland event, which was won by Frenchman Alain Olivier.
The Nevada Rally fizzled after just three years, but the spirit of that seminal event never left the mind of one participant — AMA member and Motorcycle Hall of Famer Scot Harden. An American pioneer in rally racing and multi-time winner of the Baja 1000, Rally de Atlas, Tunisia’s Djerba Rally and many others, Harden competed
in the first Nevada Rally, riding the bulk of the 2,000-mile distance with a broken wrist after colliding with a cow on the second day. A decade later, when he managed the Red Bull/KTM U.S. rally team, he revived a version of the Nevada Rally, first as a training exercise for his riders and then, later, as a KTM customer-appreciation event. Now, 31 years after that first running, Harden is at it again with his AMA-sanctioned Nevada Rally Experience. Rally racing is having a moment here in America. Thanks to the success of American stars like Ricky Brabec (a two-time Dakar winner), Mason Klein (top
The Nevada Rally Experience centered on the small town of Caliente, Nev., with three clover-leaf loops that explored the surrounding high desert. In addition to racing across the open desert, participants also explored ghost towns, abandoned mines and Native American historic sites.
rookie at the 2022 Dakar Rally) and frequent rally/overall podium finisher Skyler Howes, U.S. fans have riders to root for in international rally competition. Perhaps not coincidentally, this rise in popularity coincides with a boom in the sales of both adventure and dual-sport motorcycles.
“We need to provide more opportunities for people to do stuff with these bikes,” Harden said. “This, coupled with the recent international success of the American racers, got me thinking about the Nevada Rally again. I felt like it was a good time to bring it back.”
And so he created the Nevada Rally Experience, a three-day, non-competitive event that promises a taste of Dakar, including sleeping in a bivouac, navigating via roadbook (wayfinding directions for the unmarked course) and engaging in a friendly “race” across the vast Mojave.
“People ask what it’s like to race rally,” Harden said. “I tell them it’s simple: Just ride a 500-pound dirtbike across desert you’ve never seen before, at 100 mph, while reading a book and playing a video game for up to 14 hours a day! Now they can experience it for themselves.”
Harden bills the Nevada Rally Experience as an “introduction” to rally-raid, and participants are encouraged to participate at whatever level they feel comfortable. Some riders tackle the route solo; most ride in small groups, sharing route-finding and other navigation duties. (Sweep riders and an on-course medic provide an added measure of safety.) No matter how they choose to ride, all participants this year benefitted from a world-class “Rally 101” classroom session led
by three Dakar veterans: Harden, off-road racing legend Johnny Campbell (winner of the 1995 Nevada Rally) and Monster Energy Honda Team star racer Howes.
“We want to give the average guy — or girl — a flavor of what it’s like to do a rally,” Harden said. “Bike setup, tools, using your roadbook and GPS to navigate while riding, how to read always-changing terrain, how to manage your attention and make split-second decisions — participants learned about it all, from some of the most experienced guys in the sport.”
The inaugural event was capped at 75 participants who
Nevada Rally Experience organizer Scot Harden, shown below participating in the very first Nevada Rally way back in 1993. Surrounding shots are KTM customer appreciation events Harden hosted from 2004-06.
“[Rally] is simple. Just ride a 500-pound dirtbike across desert you’ve never seen before, at 100 mph, while reading a book and plaYing a video game for up to 14 hours a day!”
SCOT HARDEN
came from across the U.S.; three riders even traveled from Argentina, renting bikes in Las Vegas. There were four husband-and-wife teams — two of which chose to ride separately, and one where the wife was the strongest rider on the team. The most “seasoned” participant was 85-year-old BMW rider John Hartman, who was looking for a new challenge. Most riders were on largedisplacement (500cc) dual-sports or middle-displacement (900cc) ADVs, though Harden made the route accessible even for those riding 1,200cc adventure bikes.
Home base — the bivouac — was Agua Caliente RV
Park in Caliente, Nev., the smallest incorporated town in Nevada. Most participants camped in RVs or tents, though a few stayed at a nearby hotel. Each day started with a rider’s meeting where they would receive the route information and review the latest weather reports (incidentally, the weather was perfect all three days). One rider was released every 30 seconds (with the option to regroup down the road), with faster riders up front, grouped by ability and equipment…just like a real rally. The route consisted of three distinct loops, each beginning and ending at Caliente. Routes consisted
Clockwise, from left: Riders pause for a rare water-side rest stop. Upper left: Day One’s route included a stop at Elgin Schoolhouse State Historic Site, which operated from 1922-67. Above: Johnny Campbell (right), winner of the 1995 Nevada Rally, poses with event organizer Scot Harden.
mostly of dirt roads, two-track and jeep trails. Day One was the shortest day at 82 miles, crossing the Delamar mountain range to reach the famed ghost town of Delamar. Delamar is the best known of Nevada’s claimed 600 (!) ghost towns and also one of the most notorious, nicknamed “The Widowmaker” because gold mined there was embedded in quartzite that creates a very fine — and very deadly — dust when crushed, causing many Delamar miners to develop and die from silicosis.
Day Two’s route looped northward for 125 miles through the high desert surrounding Echo Canyon State Park,
past the beehive-shaped Panaca Charcoal Kilns, and on to the old west town of Pioche, home of “Old Boot Hill” Cemetery. Once considered the most dangerous town in America, local legend says that after the silver-mining town was founded in the 1870s, 72 men were “killed with their boots on” in gunfights before the first resident ever died of natural causes.
Looping 137 miles westward through low desert toward Crystal Springs, Day Three was the longest, fastest and most challenging sector. With two days of navigating practice under their belts, Harden decided to rachet up the
“To win a rally, at some point you have to ‘open the road.’ That means you’re not following anyone else’s track — you’re making the track. That’s an essential rally experience.”
SCOT HARDEN
challenge by sending riders huete piste — French for “offroad” — through open desert. “The word ‘rally’ is French for ‘to find the way,’” Harden said. “To win a rally, at some point you have to ‘open the road.’ That means you’re not following anyone else’s track — you’re making the track. That’s an essential rally experience.”
Day Three also included a brief “liaison” stage along Nevada’s State Highway 375 — the so-called ExtraTerrestrial Highway — that skirts Area 51, the top-secret section of the U.S. Air Force’s Nevada Test and Training Range, where countless UFO sightings have been
reported dating back to the mid 1950s. Fortunately, none of the 75 riders were abducted by aliens, and all of them made it safely back to the bivouac.
The last night concluded with a special “awards ceremony” that, Harden said, mostly involved a goodnatured ribbing of riders who screwed up, got lost, or otherwise found themselves in over their heads at some point during the past three days.
“When we get off the bikes we don’t disappear,” Harden said. “We stick together as a group, all sharing stories, and that’s where the camaraderie and deep sense of
group
RV
which served as the Nevada Rally
A total of 75 participants came from across America and as far away as Argentina to immerse themselves in all aspects of the rally-raid experience, including bike prep and set-up, navigating via roadbook, and more. They also enjoyed the natural beauty and unique cultural history of the Great Basin, and great camaraderie too.
Above: A
shot at Agua Caliente
Park,
Experience bivouac.
community of rally comes from. There were a lot of high fives on that last night, and I think everyone felt like they really accomplished something out there. That, to me, is the essence of rally-raid.”
Plans are already underway for the 2025 Nevada Rally Experience. Harden hopes to expand the event, and may even offer some point-to-point destinations with overnight bivouacs in the field for an even more authentic rally-raid immersion. For more info, visit www.harden-offroad.com In the meantime, Harden is just happy to share his deep love of the sport.
“Since I went on my first rally, I was just absolutely in love with it,” Harden said. “It’s the closest thing to going to battle. You’re in a foreign land, facing an immense challenge, among fellow enthusiasts, and you’re not focused on anything else — you’re purely in the moment.
“And the environment in the bivouac, the camaraderie and fellowship that develops when you are part of this traveling circus, can’t be beat. That’s the best part of rally experience, and the one I hope to share through more events like this.”
Rally on. AMA
“[Rally]
is the closest thing to going to battle. You’re in a foreign land, facing an immense challenge and you’re not focused on anything else — you’re purely in the moment.”
SCOT HARDEN
50 Years of Yamaha’s YZ250
YELLOW
SCREAMIN’ ZONKERS
From grey to yellow to white to blue, Yamaha’s YZ lineup – launched by the original, 1974 YZ250A – has been winning races and championships for 50 years
BY MITCH BOEHM
Screaming Yellow Zonkers, as many 50-plus-somethings will remember, was a popcorn-based snack introduced in 1968 with colorful packaging and a similarly bold flavor. Aside from the letters “Y” and “Z,” ellow Zonkers had no connection whatsoever to motorcycling, though it is interesting that the snack was introduced the same year Yamaha launched its legendary
PHOTOS BY AMA ARCHIVE, JOE BONELLO, DAVID DEWHURST
DT-1 at the masses.
And why is Yamaha’s dualpurpose, do-everything DT-1 worthy of mention? Well, because it led pretty directly to the development and production of Yamaha’s very first YZ motocrosser — the 1974 YZ250A, which debuted in 1973 and spearheaded a lineup of machines that, over the years, would have a huge impact on offroad motorcycling, particularly on motocross competition.
For those of us with at least a bit of off-road or motocross
background (that’s most of us), the mere mention of the YZ alphanumeric brings to mind a load of mental imagery, along with a universe of names, places, bikes, championships and years.
From AMA Hall of Famer Gary Jones and his first 250cc national championships on Yamahas (’71 and ’72), to HOFer Torsten Hallman and Hakan Andersson in Europe in ’73; to Rick Burgett and Hall of Famers Bob Hannah and Broc Glover in the latter ’70s and early 1980s; to AMA Supercross
and outdoor-national heroes
Ricky Johnson (another Hall of Famer), Damon Bradshaw and others in the 1980s and ’90s; to the first modern Yamaha fourstroke motocrosser raced by HOFer Doug Henry in ’97; and to modern-day heroes like HOFer James Stewart, Eli Tomac and others…the YZ designation has been synonymous with winning and titles…and a lot of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers. It all makes sense when you look back, too. Yamaha was developing into a two-stroke powerhouse during the 1960s,
Yamaha was developing into a two-stroke powerhouse during the 1960 , all of which positioned it perfectly within an industry going through a sea change on the competition side of things. s
bigger sales and an advantage over its four-strokes-only rival Honda, launched its first salvo in the form of the do-it-all DT-1 dual sport, which did a lot of things pretty well — but none spectacularly. It was a great commuter and play-bike, and a decent low-key desert or enduro machine when stripped down. It sold like free flapjacks, too, and in
brother DeWayne, on the testing and development side. In the beginning, they were just looking to race.
“I was about 17,” Jones told Cycle News a while back, “and I was racing short track and speedway in ’68. My dad was a Yamaha dealer, and I remember they came out with this new DT-1.
all of which positioned it perfectly within an industry going through a sea change on the competition side of things — from heavier fourstroke singles (and desert sled twins) to more lightweight, singlecylinder two-strokes from the likes of Greeves, Husqvarna and other European brands.
Yamaha, keen to surf that lightweight two-stroke wave for
many ways taught the world about dual-sporting and adventure riding before it was called such a thing. But it would take the efforts of individuals and the aftermarket to transform it into a serious racer.
And that’s where the Jones family came in, father Don on the engineering side and future National Champion and AMA Hall of Famer Gary, with help from
It was really fast…a two-stroke, and light. So my dad decided to make it so I could race motocross in two classes…my 441 BSA in one, the Yamaha in another.”
But then things ratcheted up a few notches.
“Yamaha had some deal where they put up a bunch of money — I think it was $15,000 — here in the States for anyone who could
Gary (left) and DeWayne Jones with the late Tom White’s DT-1 and first-gen YZ250.
beat the Europeans, so my dad just told us, ‘We’re going to do that!’ But the Yamahas needed a lot of help; they’d just throw you right off… and we didn’t figure it out until we started looking [closely]. We cut [the frames], changed the head angles, tried different swingarms, all kinds of things.”
Jones’ all kinds of things comment isn’t an exaggeration, either, as over the next 18–24 months nearly the entire DT-1 motorcycle — engine and chassis alike — was swapped out or modified in some way…starting with the reliable-but-not-powerful pistonport engine, which lacked a proper
to eliminate the points; try a range of sandcast cylinders and crankcase pieces, along with a magnesium clutch cover; use chrome cylinder liners; fit larger carburetors; build custom exhaust pipes; fit titanium nuts and bolts everywhere; and more.
The result? Just short of 40 horsepower, a gain of nearly 100 percent over the stock bike’s low20s figure.
The chassis got similar treatment: lowered and lengthened frames, some with different steering-head angles; completely new frames made
reed valve assembly, and quickly got one, reed valves helping increase intake efficiency and thereby boosting power.
And that was just the start. Over time, the Joneses would drill the crank for lightness; replace the drive and transmission gears; fit differentsized rods, with alloy and bronze bearing cages from Yamaha’s road racers; fit a button-mag ignition
First-gen strap-tank YZ250s are extremely trick, with plenty of magnesium, lots of drilledfor-lightness bits, reservoirequipped shocks, and more. Testers rated it slightly better than Honda’s 250 Elsinore.
of chromoly and titanium; longer (and less-flexy) swingarms; different shocks and fork assemblies; lighter wheels and hubs; taller seats; special (and larger) fiberglass fuel tanks secured with straps sourced from a local bridle shop; etc.
“We made six titanium frames mostly just to save weight,” Don Jones told journalist Shawn
McDonald before Jones Sr. passed away in 2008. “Out of the six, four went back to Japan. I don’t know what happened to those frames because I don’t even have one of them myself. We even had an adjustable fork crown where we could adjust the steering angle.”
The result? A much more capable chassis with which to actually use those nearly 40 horses and a much lighter machine overall, too, the bike scaling in at around 190 pounds — a 30-some-pound reduction
Torsten Hallman and future 250cc world champion Hakan Andersson in Europe during ’72 and ’73.
But that was later. First, Yamaha wanted that Jones bike so they could see what made it tick, and the Joneses obliged.
“We won a bunch of races on the bike,” Jones told Motocross Action, “and Yamaha said, ‘We will give you $1,500 if you can win this Cal Expo Motocross (the first one that Mike Goodwin
over the stock DT-1. If that powerto-weight ratio seems impressive, it’s because it is; it’s in the same ballpark as Yamaha’s current YZ450F motocrosser, and considerably better than its YZ250F four-stroke namesake.
As expected, Gary’s results got better as the bike advanced, and the Jones family’s extensive R&D efforts soon caught the attention of the Yamaha factory, which began to work with the Joneses on development, information and parts, learning as they went and, eventually, integrating those lessons into their own R&D efforts, some of it involving AMA Hall of Famer
promoted) at the California State Fair.’ We won that on the Yamaha. Yamaha asked if they could borrow my bike, but I never saw it again. Of course, they gave [us] new bikes and said, ‘Here, do some more racing.’”
Yamaha would go on to sign Jones to a factory contract for the 1971 season, and he took full advantage, finishing seventh (and top American) in AMA Hall of Famer Edison Dye’s AMA-sanctioned Inter-AMA series run on 250cc machinery. That made him the de facto 1971 national champion,
the second year the top American was named the AMA’s national champion. Jones continued building momentum the following year — when the Inter-AMA series continued to crown the 250cc champ — by winning the 1972 AMA 250cc title outright over Hall of Famer Jimmy Weinert (also on a Yamaha), and grabbing second in the 500cc AMA National Championship on a 360cc version of his DT-1/YZ prototype behind fellow
Wait…did we just write “YZ?” We did, and there’s an interesting story there.
“My dad named that first prototype ‘A to Z’ because we changed or modified everything from A to Z,” Jones told us for this story. “He even had ‘A
Above: Have YZs graced more magazine covers than any other motocrosser in history? It’s likely. Below: Gary Jones’ replica YZ250/360, which he continues to race to this day, is basically identical to the one he and his dad built in 1970. Right: Bob Hannah launching over the Magoo Double at Saddleback.
Gary Jones continued building momentum the following year — when the Inter-AMA series continued to crown the 250cc champ — by winning the 1972 AMA 250cc title outright over HOFer Jimmy Weinert (also on a Yamaha).
Of course, things would change dramatically and quickly in the coming years as motocross technology exploded in factory R&D workshops and out on the racetracks – with suspension a key part of this genesis.
to Z’ on the fuel tank.”
Yamaha, it seems, liked the “A to Z” idea, but added the “Y” (for Yamaha), as it did with all its bikes at the time, eliminated the “A”, and ended up with YZ. And the name stuck.
The culmination of all this racing and development between the Jones and the factory R&D factions resulted in what’s known as the “production” YZ250, officially a 1974 model but a bike that began appearing at Yamaha dealerships and being raced much earlier than that.
“Yamaha dealers and racers were getting bikes well before the official launch,” Jones told us for this story. “And a lot of what was included on that bike was from our earlier prototypes, and all the R&D we’d done on them.”
“That first YZ250 was in many ways a limited-production works bike,” said Ohio-based YZ250A collector and racer Tom McPeek. “It had all sorts of trick, works-level parts, including lots of magnesium, drilled-for-lightness engine parts, hand-laid fiberglass airbox and seat pan, and on and on. Yamaha only built about 4,000 of them, and the 360cc version was even rarer, with just over 500 being built. You can tell by their parts
Left: AMA Hall of Famer Broc Glover doing the Supercross thing on a white-liveried YZ250. Above: Team Yamaha in ’79 — Rick Burgett, Bob Hannah and Broc Glover — was formidable indeed. Below: The works YZ400M four-stroke Doug Henry used to win the Las Vegas Supercross in 1997 changed the sport forever, and took motocross back to its earliest days.
and materials makeup that Yamaha was very serious about their new YZ lineup.”
Of course, things would change dramatically and quickly in the coming years as motocross technology exploded in factory R&D workshops and out on the racetracks — with suspension a key part of this genesis.
Hakan Andersson’s 1973 250cc world championship on a monoshock-equipped Yamaha shocked the world, and that technology would find its way onto Yamaha production YZs in 1975 — and forever onward.
Suzuki joined the longer-travel party that same year with radically laid-down shocks on its ’75 RM125, and other OEs experimented with a range of twin-shock designs. But the single-shock concept — originally pushed by Belgian Lucien Tilkens, promoted unsuccessfully to his friends Sylvain Geboers and AMA HOFer Roger DeCoster (Suzuki’s engineers passed on it despite its longer travel and better lap times), and finally accepted by Yamaha — was the way of the future, and soon all the OEs would adopt some form of it.
YZ moto-crossers would morph quickly during the remainder of the ’70s, with updated engines and suspension designs on
YAMAHA YZ400M RACER
F&S ENTERPRISES
“The history of the Yamaha YZ250 is the history of motocross in America. No other machine was the platform for so many world-shaking innovations.”
DIRT BIKE’S RON LAWSON
the D- (’77) and E-model (’78) bikes, more refinements from ’79 to ’81, and then, finally, a move to liquid-cooling and a more conventional single-shock design in the early ’80s.
As Dirt Bike magazine said, “Everything changed [on the 1982 YZ250], and not necessarily in a good way. [It] was a technological milestone. It was liquid-cooled with the radiator mounted on the forks. It got the first production power valve, and it got linkage between the swingarm and shock. Almost all of these measures were ineffective and redesigned later. The radiator location had a bad effect on handling, the shock was where it could get no airflow, and the power valve was located so far away from the piston that it had little effect.”
Yamaha began to iron things out in ’83 and ’84, and from then on YZs were at or near the top of their classes, the air-hammer YZ490 notwithstanding.
Fast forward to 1997, when Yamaha spun the motocross world’s axis with its four-stroke YZ400M factory motocrosser,
which won AMA Supercross’ Las Vegas round on its first outing with Doug Henry aboard. The bike became production-spec in 1998, and the rest is history, with fourstroke motocrossers now ruling the roost, and two-strokes being the odd man out…as the YZM was in ’97, and how the current, 2024-spec YZ250 two-strokes are today. From desert sleds to lightweight twostrokes and back to thumpers. Full circle, indeed.
Still, as Dirt Bike’s Ron Lawson wrote, “The history of the Yamaha YZ250 is the history of motocross in America. No other machine was the platform for so many worldshaking innovations. The list of firsts goes on and on: reed valves, single-shock suspension, and power valves all started with the Yamaha. There’s no telling what the history of motocross would look like if not for the YZ250 and the people behind it. But it certainly would be very, very different.”
They weren’t all yellow. But they all screamed, and still do. AMA
YZ
AND ME s
Yamaha’s YZ motocrossers constituted three amazing years of my motocross life
BY MITCH BOEHM
Of all the things I’m fortunate to have experienced in my motorcycling life — becoming a rider early on, racing MX as a kid with my mom and dad for several years, getting into motorcycle journalism after college, etc. — it’s those three years of racing full-sized yellow YZ motorcycles and the era in which it all happened that’s perhaps most memorable.
Those golden-era years were 1976 on a YZ100C (which was basically a
sleeved-down YZ125), 1977 aboard a new-generation YZ125D, and 1978 on what I called my Bob Hannah replica — a ’78 YZ250E, which featured that bad-ass alloy swingarm and a look that just screamed works bike.
It wasn’t a McCarty- or Buchkatuned factory bike, of course, but it wasn’t far off, either, as “Hurricane” Hannah, if I remember correctly, actually rode a tuned-up stocker during one of the AMA series.
I was only 15 that year and a
sophomore in high school, and probably a bit young to be hammering around with what in Northern Ohio was a pretty competitive group of 20and 30-something riders, including the late Jon Leak and Harold Robison, Jerry Sales, Ross Williams, Tim Brody and others. But I did reasonably well, won some races, rode the pro class on occasion (and actually won a little money), and generally had an amazing time in what was a literally amazing era in our sport.
Just looking at this photo from Smith Road Raceway (RIP, George Singler) gives me goosebumps; the JT Racing Unleathers and Mikkola gloves; the HiPoint boots; the Electro helmet, which sits on a shelf here in my home office; the Hallman Racing chest protector…it all just screams 1978.
I have no idea who shot this fall-colors photo, but whoever and wherever you are, thank you for the memories. And thanks Mom and Dad for being there.
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AMA CALIFORNIA
SANCTIONED COMING EVENTS
Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.
Adventure Ride July 14. Adventure Bike Tour #3, Kantu Outdoor Adventures, 209-256-5556, denise@kantuoutdooradventures.com, kantuoutdooradventures.com
Adventure Ride July 27 - 28. Wilseyville Dirt Road Tour, Kantu Outdoor Adventures, 209-2565556, denise@kantuoutdooradventures.com, kantuoutdooradventures.com
Speedway July 5. Auburn. Speedway Points Series, Fast Fridays Speedway, 530-878-7223, fastfriday@aol.com, www.fastfridays.com
Road Race July 11 - 14. Salinas. Super Hooligans National Championship, Roland Sands Design, 562-493-5297, summer@rolandsands. com, www.superhooligan.com
Speedway July 12. Auburn. Speedway Points Series, Fast Fridays Speedway, 530-878-7223, fastfriday@aol.com, www.fastfridays.com
Adventure (600cc and above) School July 13. Wilseyville. Adventure Bike Training - Level 1, Kantu Outdoor Adventures, 209-256-5556, denise@kantuoutdooradventures.com, kantuoutdooradventures.com
Speedway July 19. Auburn. Speedway Points Series, Fast Fridays Speedway, 530-878-7223, fastfriday@aol.com, www.fastfridays.com
Flat Track - Short Track July 20. Lodi. 2024 D36 Dirttrack Championship, Lodi Motorcycle Club, 209-368-7182, lodimcemail@gmail.com, www.lodicyclebowl.com
Desert Scrambles July 20. Ridgecrest. District 37 Lost Angels Night Flight Lost Angels M.C., https://www.facebook.com/LOSTANGELSMC/
Road Ride/Run July 20. Oakland. Three Bridge Run, Oakland Motorcycle Club, 510-759-0276, motormech@msn.com, https://oaklandmc.org
Speedway July 26. Auburn. Speedway Points Series, Fast Fridays Speedway, 530-878-7223, fastfriday@aol.com, www.fastfridays.com
Speedway July 27. Industry. Industry Hills Speedway, Industry Hills Expo Center DBA: Industry Racing, 949-274-0836, kelly@industryhillsspeedway.com, industryhillsspeedway.com
Observed Trials July 27. Norden. NATC/AMA Moto Trials Series Round #5, Sacramento P.I.T.S., Inc., sactopits.org
Observed Trials July 28. Norden. NATC/AMA Moto Trials Series Round #6, Sacramento P.I.T.S., Inc., sactopits.org
Observed Trials July 19 - 21. Howard. Western Region Youth Championship, Rocky Mountain Trials Association, rockymountaintrials.org
Road Race July 20 - 21. Deer Trail. Motorcycle Roadracing Association (MRA), Motorcycle Roadracing Association, 970-215-6040, trackmanager@highplainsraceway.com, highplainsraceway.com
Road Race July 28. Dacono. Rocky Mountain Mini Moto, Rocky Mountain Mini Moto, LLC, admin@rmminimoto.com, www.rmminimoto.com
Road Race July 29 - 30. Pueblo. Motorcycle RoadRacing Association (MRA), Motorcycle Roadracing Association, john@racepmp.com, racepmp.com
AMA ILLINOIS
Road Race July 13 - 14. South Beloit. ASRA Rnd. 12, American Superbike Racing Association LLC, 725-755-7550, support@asraracing.com, blackhawkfamrs.com
Flat Track - Short Track July 13. Macomb. Lamoine Ramblers MC TT, Lamoine Ramblers, 309-837-9436, lamoineramblers@gmail.com, lamoineramblers.net
Motocross July 13 - 14. Casey. Thor Showdown Series, Lincoln Trail Motosports, 217-932-2041, info@ridelincolntrail.com, ridelincolntrail.com
Motocross July 13. Mendota. Megacross Shootout Series, Moto Pro Inc., 815-539-9021, wardy@mtco.com, megacross.com
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country July 14. Byron. Greg Moss Memorial Hare Scramble, Motosports Enterprises LTD, 815-234-2271, motobyron@ mac.com, motobyron.com
Flat Track - Short Track July 20. Macomb. Lamoine Ramblers MC TT, Lamoine Ramblers, 309-837-9436, lamoineramblers@gmail.com, lamoineramblers.net
Grand Prix July 20. Wedron. Fox Valley Off Road Series, Moto Pro Inc., 815-884-9361, megatraxs.com
Hillclimb July 20. Oregon. July Hillclimb, Rock River Riders, 815-914-1915, RRRMC.org
Trail Ride July 21. White City. Kids Skills Day, Cahokia Creek Dirt Riders, 314-805-6306, https://cahokiacreekdirtriders.com/
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country July 21. Wedron. Fox Valley Off Road Series, Moto Pro Inc., 815-884-9361, megatraxs.com
Trail Ride July 21. Ottawa. Egg Hunt, Variety Riders Motorcycle Club Inc., 815-434-3669, varietyriders@yahoo.com, varietyriders.com
Off-Road/Trail Riding School July 22 - 25. Casey. Fuel IL Camp, Fuel Ministry, 217-9322041, lincolntrailmotosports@gmail.com, lincolntrailmotosports.com
Flat Track - Half-Mile July 24. Neoga. Cham-
pion County Fair, Central Illinois M/C, 217-2467154, hopper54p@yahoo.com
Motocross July 27. Walnut. D-17 MX “Duel at Sunset”, 4P Promotions, Inc., 815-379-9534, jan@sunsetridgemx.com, www.sunsetridgemx. com
Motocross July 28. Walnut. D-17 MX “Duel at Sunset”, 4P Promotions, Inc., 815-379-9534, jan@sunsetridgemx.com, www.sunsetridgemx. com
Motocross July 28. DuQuoin. Mid America Series, Indian Hills MX LLC, 618-571-0348, indianhillsmx55@gmail.com, www.indianhillsmx.com
AMA INDIANA
Trail Ride July 13 - 14. Columbus. Stoney Lonesome MC Trail Ride, Stoney Lonesome Motorcycle Club, 218-791-7793, klassen.tyler@ hotmail.com, stoneylonesomemc.com
Off-Road/Trail Riding School July 15 - 18. New Albany. Fuel In Bike Camp, Fuel Ministry, 502-551-6190
Observed Trials July 20. New Paris. MOTA Championship Rnd. 6, Michigan Ontario Trials Association, 574-536-4729, mv5425@gmail. com, motatrials.com
Road Ride/Run July 20. Columbia City. Old Fort MC 100 Year Celebration, Old Fort Motorcycle Club, 260-504-6388, francerichard@netscape. net
Observed Trials July 21. New Paris. MOTA Championship Rnd. 7, Michigan Ontario Trials Association, 574-536-4729, mv5425@gmail. com, motatrials.com
Off-Road/Trail Riding School July 22 - 25. New Albany. Fuel In Quad Camp, Fuel Ministry, 502-551-6190
AMA KANSAS
Drag Race - Asphalt July 21. Kansas City. ABATE of Kansas/ Soldiers for Jesus, ABATE of Kansas, 913-704-9233, harleytower@aol.com, abateks.org
Drag Race - Asphalt July 27. Easton. ABATE of Kansas District 11 Field Events, ABATE of Kansas, 913-704-9233, harleytower@aol.com, abateks.org
AMA MARYLAND
Motocross July 13 - 14. Mechanicsville. Blu Cru Invitational, Pro Ready Racing LLC, 443-2239171, ezra@buddscreek.com, buddscreek.com
Motocross July 28. Mechanicsville. MDRA, Pro Ready Racing LLC, 443-223-9171, ezra@ buddscreek.com, buddscreek.com
AMA MASSACHUSETTS
Motocross July 28. Southwick. MSC / AMA District 34 Championship MX Series, Metropolitan Sports Committee, 845-554-8717, chairman@ mscmotocross.com, www.mscmotocross.com
Flat Track - TT July 12. Deford. TT Scrambles, Lucky Thumb Motorcycle Club, Inc., 810-7107778, luckythumbsignup@gmail.com, www. luckythumbmotorcycleclub.com
Flat Track - Short Track July 13. Deford. short track, Lucky Thumb Motorcycle Club, Inc., 810710-7778, luckythumbsignup@gmail.com, www. luckythumbmotorcycleclub.com
Motocross July 7. Brook Park. Berm Benders Raceway Gold Cup Series, Berm Benders Incorporated, 320-279-2238, bermbendersraceway@ outlook.com, www.bermbendersraceway.com
Motocross July 12. Millville. FXR Super Series Rd 7 sponsored by Dunlop, Hi-Winders, 507753-2779, springcreekmxoffice@gmail.com, www.springcreekmotocross.com
Motocross July 14. Millville. FXR Super Series Rd 8 Pro Track Challenge sponsored by 100%, Hi-Winders, 507-753-2779, springcreekmxoffice@gmail.com, www.springcreekmotocross. com
Motocross July 28. Little Falls. District 23 MX, MotoCity Raceway & Recreation, Inc., 218-8942826, motocity-RNR@hotmail.com, motocityraceway.com
AMA MISSOURI
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country July 28. Park Hills. Leadbelt Enduro, Missouri Mudders, 636639-6373, Michael.silger@momudders.com, www.momudders.com
Off-Road/Trail Riding School July 29 - Aug. 1. Everton. Fuel MO Camp, Fuel Ministry, 417-3232227, brett@possumhollowmx.com, possumhollowmx.com
AMA NEVADA
Trail Ride July 13 - 14. Wellington. Nevada Mystery 250, Sierra Trail Dogs, Inc., 530-613-5254, crzymac@sbcglobal.net, www.sierratraildogs.com
AMA NEW HAMPSHIRE
Road Race July 13. Canaan. United States Classic Racing Association Roadrace, United States Classic Racing Association, 603-3217271, raceuscra@yahoo.com
AMA NEW JERSEY
Road Race July 6. Millville. North American P.E.V. Series, Curse Performance, (856)3278000, info@njmp.com, https://njmp.com/ Motocross July 14. Millville. D2 / NJ Championship Series, Field of Dreams MX, LLC, 856-7653799, info@njmpfod.com, NJMPFOD.com
Motocross July 20. Englishtown. Raceway Park Saturday Night Lites, Raceway Park, 732-4467800, racewaypark1965@gmail.com, www. Etownracewaypark.com
Motocross July 21. Englishtown. Raceway Park / D2 MX Points Series, Raceway Park, 732446-7800, racewaypark1965@gmail.com, www. Etownracewaypark.com
AMA NEW MEXICO
Observed Trials July 13. Vadito. NMTA # 8, New Mexico Trials Association, newmexicotrials@ gmail.com, https://nmta.weebly.com/ Observed Trials July 14. Vadito. NMTA # 9, New Mexico Trials Association, newmexicotrials@ gmail.com, https://nmta.weebly.com/ Road Race July 20 - 21. Albuquerque. Law Tigers SMRI Roadracing Championship, Sandia Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc., 505-917-1514, smri@smri-racing.org, www.smri-racing.org
AMA NEW YORK
Observed Trials July 6. Alma. D4 Observed Trials, District 4 Trials Committee, 585-610-5424, trialnut@hotmail.com, d4mototrials.weebly.com Motocross July 6. Johnstown. Royal Mountain Motocross / CNYMRA, Royal Mountain Ski Area, 518-835-6445, info@royalmountainskiarea.com, www.royalmountain.com
Observed Trials July 7. Alma. D4 Observed Trials, District 4 Trials Committee, 585-610-5424, trialnut@hotmail.com, d4mototrials.weebly.com
Motocross July 7. Johnstown. Royal Mountain Motocross / CNYMRA, Royal Mountain Ski Area, info@royalmountainskiarea.com, www. royalmountain.com
Observed Trials July 11. Millport. D4 Observed Trials, District 4 Trials Committee, 607-731-6970, lukeburgey@yahoo.com, d4mototrials.weebly. com
Dual Sport July 28. East Meadows. Life Ride, Alliance MC, 576-569-5143, corette27@gmail. com, alliancehttps://www.alliancemc.com/ special-events/life-ride-2013
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country July 28. Cortland. The Ditch Banger, The Ditch Banger, 607-280-8765, theditchbanger@gmail.com, nyoa.net
Motocross July 28. Vernon. CNYMRA D3, URMX LLC, 315-725-4407
AMA NORTH CAROLINA
Road Race July 6 - 7. Garysburg. ASRA Rnd. 11, American Superbike Racing Association LLC, 725-755-7550, support@asraracing.com, nccar. us
AMA OHIO
Hillclimb July 6. Waterford. 4th of July, Pioneer Motorcycle Club Inc., 740-350-6454, lenduro111@gmail.com, pioneermotorcycleclub.com
Hillclimb July 7. Waterford. 4th of July, Pioneer Motorcycle Club Inc., 740-350-6454, lenduro111@gmail.com, pioneermotorcycleclub.com
Road Ride/Run July 9 - 11. Dublin. Motor Maids 2024 Convention, Motor Maids, Inc., 260-4449119, mmsafetyofficer@gmail.com
Motocross July 21. Blanchester. DC MX, Dirt Country, 513-625-7350, cking288@fioptics.com, www.dirtcountrymx.com
Enduro July 21. Langsville. Little Burr Enduro, Enduro Riders of Ohio, 740-508-2547, enduroriders1@gmail.com, www.enduroriders.com
Off-Road/Trail Riding School July 22 - 25. uhruchsville. Fuel OH Camp, Fuel Ministry, 330-365-9022, info@crowcancanyonmx.com, crowcanyonmx.com
Road Rally July 31 - Aug. 3. Athens. Athena Ride for Women, Visit Athens County, 740592-1819, btroyer@athensohio.com, www. athenarideforwomen.com
AMA OREGON
SANCTIONED COMING EVENTS
Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country July 13 - 14. Gales Creek. Dusk ‘till Dawn, Sang-Froid Riding Club, info@sang-froidridingclub.com, sang-froidridingclub.com
AMA PENNSYLVANIA
Motocross July 6 - 7. Seward. ATV National Championship Series, Pleasure Valley Raceway, 814-317-6686, jeffcernic@gmail.com, pvrmx.com
Motocross July 7. Mt Morris. PAMX Fasthouse Spring Series, Racer Productions, Inc., 304284-0084, info@racerproductions.com, www. highpointmx.com
Motocross July 13 - 14. Shippensburg. Doublin Gap - MAMA - MDRA Shootout, Doublin Gap Motocross, Inc., 717-571-5824, doublingap@gmail.com, doublingap.com
Flat Track - Short Track July 13. Gettysburg. District 6 ST, Shippensburg MC, (717)5038030, Candybaer@comcast.net, Baermotorsports.com
Motocross July 13 - 14. Blountville. Mega Series / TN State Championship, Victory Sports Inc., 423-323-5497, jane@victory-sports.com, victory-sports.com
Motocross July 20 - 21. Altamont. Dog Days ‘24, Fast Farms MX Park, 931-409-4453, fastfarmsmx@yahoo.com, fastfarmsmxpark.com
Motocross July 30 - Aug. 3. Hurricane Mills. Monster Energy Amateur National Motocross Championship, MX Sports, Inc., 304-248-0084, info@mxsports.com, www.mxsports.com
AMA VERMONT
Trail Ride July 14. Guilford. SVTR Fun Gate Trial, New England Trials Association, 978-7718672, hdscarbro@gmail.com
AMA WISCONSIN
Flat Track - Short Track July 13. Burnett. District 16 ST, Beaver Cycle Club, Inc., (920)3196889, Facebook/Beaver Cycle Club
Motocross July 14. Lake Mills. Aztalan MX Race, Aztalan Cycle Club, Inc., 608-728-4305, aztalancycle@gmail.com, www.aztalanmx.com
Enduro July 14. Mountain. Mountain, Wi Enduro, South Eastern Wisconsin Enduro Riders, 262-930-0358, tracksideoils@gmail.com
Flat Track - Short Track July 20. Lake Mills. Aztalan Short Track, Aztalan Cycle Club, Inc., 608-728-4305, aztalancycle@gmail.com, www. aztalanmx.com
Sept. 28-29. Big Woods 200. Wabeno, Wis. Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders. (920) 350-2030. widualsportriders.org
Oct. 5-6. Shenandoah 500. Mount Solon, Va. Washington Area Trail Riders. (619) 244-9630. watr.us
Oct. 26-27. Scenic Dual Sport Ride. Morgan Hill, Calif. P&D Promotions. (408)249-4336.
Nov. 2-3. Howlin at the Moon. Payson, Ariz. Arizona Trail Riders. (602) 692-9382. arizonatrailriders.com
Nov. 2-3. Hammer Run. Port Elizabeth, N.J. TriCounty Sportsmen MC Inc. 856-785-2754. hammerhead@teamhammer.org. www.teamhammer.org
Nov. 29-30. LA- Barstow to Vegas. Palmdale, Calif. AMA District 37 Dual Sport. (626) 684-2336. paulflanders37@gmail.com. labarstowvegas.com
AMA Trademarks
The following represents active, registered trademarks, trade-marks and service marks of American Motorcyclist Association, Inc. (AMA). Usage of any AMA trademark or registered trade- mark without our permission is prohibited. Please contact jholter@ama-cycle.org for more information or assistance, (800) AMA-JOIN®
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• AMA Pro Racing® • AMA Race Center™ • AMA Racer® • AMA Racing® • AMA Racing Land Speed
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AMA
AMA U.S. ISDE Team™
AMA U.S. Jr. Motocross Team™ • AMA U.S. Motocross Team™ • Amateur National Motocross Championships®
American Motorcyclist Association® Arenacross® • ATV Hare Scrambles National Championship Series® • ATV Motocross National Championship Series® • Flat Track Grand Championships™ • Grand National Enduro Championship® • Gypsy Tour® • Hare & Hound National Championship Series® • Hare Scrambles Championship Series® • Hare Scrambles National Championship Series® • Kids Just Want To Ride® • Motorcycle Hall of Fame® • Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum® • Motorcyclist of the Year® • Motostars® • National Adventure Riding Series® • National Dual-Sport Series® • National Enduro Championship Series® • Protect Your Right to Ride® • Protecting Your Right to Ride® • Ride Straight® • Rights. Riding. Racing.® • Road Race Grand Championships® • Vintage Grand Championships® • Vintage Motorcycle Days® • Vote Like A Motorcyclist®
Garage
Tips,Tweaks, Fixes and Facts: The two-wheeled ownership experience, explained
STAFF RIDES, REVISITED
Checking in on our off- and on-road long-term bikes
BOEHM (THE ELDER): YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ 700
’m really impressed with Yamaha’s Ténéré 700 adventure bike, so much so that my Ducati Multistrada 1200S Pikes Peak Edition, which I love, has been sitting a lot lately despite the fact that the weather here in Utah is finally moto friendly. The most obvious problem with the T7 (like a lot of motorcycles) is its factory seat, which is too narrow, poorly shaped and built with lackluster foam.
RIDES STAFF
I installed a Sargent Cycle Products seat on the Multistrada last year and it made a world of difference, so I figured I’d do the same with the T7. So I called the folks at Seat Concepts, who sent me one of their Comfort One-Piece saddles ($379), which dealt with all of those issues and transformed the T7 into a workable long-hauler.
The Seat Concepts unit is not only wider where it counts and uses firmer, more supportive foam, it installs in a jiffy and melds perfectly with the T7’s tank and bodywork. (Ya gotta appreciate aftermarket stuff that fits well.)
With the stock seat I got butt-burn on a 40-minute ride. Now? No butt issues at all, and all without having to wear bike shorts. Three sizes — low, standard and tall — are available, each with a trio of vinyl-finish/texture options. Good stuff. Go to seatconcepts.com for more information.
Otherwise, this thing is a functional tour de force. It’ll go across country (just ask Aaron and Micah Stevenson), it’s superb around town or on a Sunday-morning twisty-road ride, and it’s pretty decent in the dirt, too. And it retails for under 11 grand. It’s not a
shock that Yamaha sells the heck out of this model.
HOLTER: BETA 390 RS
ual-sport buyers require balance. Their bikes must be above-average-capable off-road, and reasonably refined for occasional extended highway or commuting jaunts. And the Environmental Protection Agency must be on board with it all. Emissions and sound regs notwithstanding, motorcycle manufacturers
have met the call. Sales are soaring, with a new wave of riders exploring well beyond the asphalt. Market forces doing what they do, options are abundant from brands new and old. For dual-sporters it is a Golden Age. And every age has its king.
Italian manufacturer Beta has fair claim to that crown, at least for the hardcore off-road-biased crowd. Since introducing its RS models to the U.S. market in 2008, Beta has expanded the lineup to 350, 390, 430 and 500cc versions. All are 50-state legal and trail-ready from the showroom.
The bikes are fed with twin injectors, and come well-equipped with a dual-map switch for wet or dry conditions, switchable traction control, an O-ring chain, an easy-access air filter, fold-down mirrors and even a Voyager GPS navigation unit, all standard. Then there’s the 48mm Sachs open cartridge fork and alloy-body. Even the factory tool kit is reasonably stocked.
Typically, stock seats lean more heavily toward aesthetics than optimal shape, foam density and comfort, but Seat Concepts’ one-piece Comfort saddle does it all. It’s the bomb.
MITCH
YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ 700
Despite similarities, each bike has its niche. Our 390 long-termer distinguishes itself from the 350 via its longer-stroke; both run an 88mm piston, but the 390 stretches the rod to 63.4mm vs. the 350’s 57.4mm.
The result? The 390’s power comes on sooner and lugs better, though it doesn’t like to rev as much as the higher-compression 350. The extra 6mm of stroke doesn’t make the 390 RS run like an old-school Honda XR600, but it does give it a slightly more traditional feel.
From early impressions, both handling and suspension are well suited for anything less than full-on race pace, and the ergonomics are nicely open and invite you to move around on the bike to point it where it needs to go.
We’ll continue to wear out our 390 RS, and enjoy every minute doing it. Keep an eye on these pages — and the newly redesigned AmericanMotorcyclist.com — for updates.
BOEHM (THE YOUNGER):
YAMAHA YZ250X
That “desert excursion with some buddies” I mentioned in the April issue fell through, but I did get out to Glen Helen for a shakedown
ride a couple of weeks ago. And what I discovered there is that our 2024 Yamaha YZ250X long-termer is considerably easier to ride than the mid-2000s YZ250 motocrosser my dad and I owned and rode for a few years, especially for someone as rusty and out-of-shape as I am.
You’d expect that, given the fact that the X-model offers a load of offroad (versus MX) features that soften it ever so much for more all-around
off-road performance. There’s the engine’s five-speed wide-ratio gearbox and off-road power-valve timing; the 18-inch rear wheel and kickstand; and slightly mellower — yet still-fully-adjustable — suspension.
It works as advertised, too. Engine-wise, there’s still enough power to yank your arms out of their sockets; this is a 250cc two-stroke, after all. But the way the power is managed is really impressive, and it makes everything from tight single tracks to wide-open racetracks easy to deal with. I’m thinking only experts and pros will be asking for the snappier standard YZ engine.
While handling is way better than my skill level, I can report that the X-model is pretty easy to maneuver around the track, the mellower suspension smoothing things out nicely and letting me concentrate on lines and body position instead of harsh impacts. I did some trail work while at the Glen, too, and found the X really accommodating.
I do wish it had electric start, but like our old YZ250, the X is an easy starter, so not much of a worry there. I’m far from your typical bike tester, but I found the YZ250X a super-capable off-roader, and I can’t wait to get back out on it again.
ALEX BOEHM
BETA 390 RS
YAMAHA YZ250X
GAR AGE
TECH PART ONE SUSPENSION
SUSPENDED ANIMATION
Why aftermarket suspension is typically — but not always — a huge upgrade from stock
Akey element of motorcycle performance, of course, is suspension and its ability to control a bike’s wheels (and, thusly, its chassis) on surfaces that are not billiard-smooth — which is 90 percent of them.
Still, the quality of suspension components (fork legs and shocks) and action (how effectively they control the wheels) on a lot of new motorcycles is sub-par, sometimes in action but almost always in terms of degradation over time. So even if the factory got the settings right (which is pretty often), suspension action after 10,000 miles or a load of motos tends to nosedive fairly quickly.
Why? In a word, cost. Optimal and long-lasting suspension performance comes from higher-quality componentry, and these bits are ex-
pensive, often prohibitively so. Top-tier street motorcycles tend to come from the factory with higher-grade suspension componentry, all of which is reflected in their higher retail prices. Motocross and serious off-road machines often get better stuff, too…and even if performance does trail off after some hard use, their fork and shock units are often rebuildable.
Not so for the bottom tier of street and off-road bikes, however, which are often price-point machines whose marketability will suffer if their prices are higher than the competition. All of which explains why aftermarket suspension — like the Cogent Suspension Mojave Pro shock pictured here — is so popular for all levels of machines, budget and premium alike.
The caveat here, of course, is settings. Even a shock as high quality
as the Cogent won’t work that well if the spring rate and internal damping settings aren’t right for the bike or the rider in question. And that’s the real trick when it comes to dialing in suspension for a particular bike, rider, and environment.
Years ago, a friend of mine borrowed a motocross bike to ride at VMD that had its fork and shock done by a reputable aftermarket firm…and figured it would be plenty good for the two motos he’d run. But the fork was way too stiff, which turned the bike into a chopper that simply wouldn’t turn. The owner didn’t really know any better until we showed him how unbalanced the front vs. rear settings were, so don’t assume what you get from the aftermarket will be set up properly.
Stay tuned; we’ll talk more about this next month. —Mitch Boehm
Feeling lucky? Looking to win a true two-wheeled legend? This limited-edition, 1997-spec KTM 200 Jackpiner raffle bike — built to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first Penton motorcycles sold back in the late 1960s and named after the Penton 175 that used the first full-sized engine KTM built — will absolutely do the trick. Only 133 were built, and to make the package even more special, each is numbered and has a John Penton-signed sticker on the front fender. Get your tickets — $5 per, or 5 for $20.
flashback
THE “OTHER” MID-OHIO
As lost racetracks go, Lexington’s Mid-Ohio Moto Park is a doozie
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the home of our spectacular AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days event each summer, has been around since 1962, but it’s not the only “Mid-Ohio” in motorsport lore.
Just a few miles southeast of the road course on Old Mill Road is a handful of acres of farmland upon which used to exist a racetrack called Mid-Ohio Moto Park, which hosted some of the most memorable and legendary professional races in motocross history during the 1970s and ’80s — 125cc USGP and Trans-AMA events featuring all the moto-stars, from DeCoster and Wolsink to Semics
and Lackey to Hannah and Glover to O’Mara and Smith…and many others.
I attended a few of those races and was the proverbial 13-year-old hanging on the snow fences and climbing the scaffolding to watch the guys I’d read about all year long in Motocross Action and Popular Cycling. I even raced there a few times during ’75, ’76 and ’77, and to ride the same dirt as my heroes was like nothing else in the world…and it all left a very serious mark.
A decade or more ago, during some American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association vintage roadracing at VMD, I drove my rental car along Old
During the ’70s and early ’80s, MidOhio Moto Park was ground zero for international motocross in the U.S., along with Unadilla, Carlsbad and Saddleback. The 125cc USGPs and Trans-AMA events there were epic.
Mill Road and to the scene of all those epic races I remembered as a kid. The entrance gate was open, and to my surprise, the road leading to the overgrown hillside where all the action happened — along with ex-owner Pete Weidner’s (1940–2018) house — was just as I recalled. I even snapped some photos of the starting gate with Weidner’s home in the background. I returned a few times after that first visit to find the starting gate gone and the place a horse farm, but nothing could diminish the memories I — and many thousands of race fans, I’m sure — have of that very special place called Mid-Ohio. – Mitch Boehm
RIDING AHEAD S3
Discover more
• COMFORTABLE: unparalleled fit with customizable internal liners
• SMART: pre-wired for SC2 plug & play communication system
